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10. Do Not Lie

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(For instructions on how to use this study, see Welcome to The Ten Commandments)

Commandment: "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor." (Exodus 20:16 NET)

Bible Story: Crossing the Jordon - Joshua 3

Goals-

Cognitive: The children will learn of the faith the Israelites had in crossing the Jordon into the Promised Land.

Affective: The children will understand that often, following God involves stepping out in faith.

Books to know this week:

Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, Jude Revelation

Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi

 

Key passage(s) to know this week:

    · The 10 Commandments - Exodus 20

    · The Model Prayer - Matthew 6:9-13

    · A Messianic Psalm - Psalm 22

    · Imitating Christ's Humility - Philippians 2:1-11

    · A Priestly Blessing - Numbers 6:24-26

    · Sermon on the Mount - Matthew 5-7

    · The Creation Account - Genesis 1

    · Hall of Faith - Hebrews 11

    · The Lord is my Shepherd - Psalm 23

Praise and Worship Time (10 minutes)

1. Opening Prayer

2. Sing Songs of Choice

Review Books of the Bible and Key Passages (5 minutes)

Situation 1: You are reading the New Testament in your bible and come across Jesus' statement: "My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?" That reminds you of the Psalm that speaks of Christ's crucifixion. Where do you find this Messianic Psalm? (Psalm 22)

Situation 2: You are in science class and your teacher begins discussing the beginning of the world. He/she tells you about a `big bang' and that is how life started. Your friend asks you if this is true. How do you respond? Where do you show your friend how life on earth began? (Genesis 1)

Situation 3: We are all familiar with the WWJD phrase: What would Jesus Do? You also want to know WDJS: What did Jesus say? You hear Jesus preached to a crowd while He was alive on earth many times. Where would you find the sermon He gave while on a mountainside? (Matthew 5-7)

Find the following books of the Bible:

1. Galatians

2. Habakkuk

3. Jude

4. Song of Solomon

5. Lamentations

6. Matthew

Tell the Bible Story (15 minutes)

1. Prepare to Teach

· Review last week's Bible study notes

· Read Joshua 3

· Read all of this week's Bible study notes

2. Teach

The following passages/verses will be read by the children:

    · Joshua 3:5-6

    · Joshua 3: 7-8

    · Joshua 3:14-16a

    · Joshua 3:17

The following passages will be read or paraphrased by the leader:

    · Joshua 3:9-13

Review where we left off last time:

· Last week, we closed with Moses' death and Joshua taking over for Moses.

· We learned that God had prepared Joshua to take over for Moses.

· After Moses' death, God spoke to Joshua and told Joshua He would give him everything He had promised to Moses.

· God also told Joshua to be strong and courageous; to be careful to obey the law and not turn from it; that He (God) would be with Joshua wherever Joshua went

·

Since then...

· Joshua sent two spies into Jericho to explore what they were about to face.

· While in Jericho they met a woman named Rahab.

· Rahab had already heard about God and about the Israelite. She believed God would be with the Israelites (Joshua 2:9).

· The King of Jericho found out that the spies were there and asked for them.

· Rahab hid the men from the king and the king's men.

· Rahab asked the men to not kill her and her family when the Israelites conquered Jericho.

· The men told her they would not kill her or anyone in her home.

· This brings us to Joshua 3.

Have a child read Joshua 3:5-6

· Joshua told the people to consecrate themselves

· Consecrate means: "dedicate to a sacred purpose" or in other words, to get ready or to make holy

· God was going to do something miraculous and Joshua wanted to be sure the people were ready to witness what God was going to do.

· The priests were given instructions to pass the Ark of the Covenant in front of the people and the people were given instructions to follow the Ark.

· Obedience to God is a form of worship

Have a child read Joshua 3:7-8

· God gave Joshua and the people instructions: The priests are to take the ark of the covenant and when they reach the edge of the Jordan River, they are to step out into the water

Have a leader read Joshua 3:9-13

· The ark represents the presence of God

· The ark will go first... symbolically meaning God will go ahead of the people

· God is promising to stop the water as soon as the priests step out into the river

Ask the children: Do you know of another time when God parted a sea/river? (The parting of the Red Sea with Moses)

Ask the children: What might this say about Joshua? (This helps to confirm Joshua as the leader for just as God parted the Red Sea for Moses, He is parting the Jordan River for Joshua)

Say to the children: This sounds easy enough...step into the water and the river will part. Let's read a little bit more and see if it really was as easy as it sounds.

Have a child read Joshua 3:14-16a

· Verse 15 tells us the river was at flood stage.

· That means that this was not a shallow river with still waters rather had rushing water at the time.

· They were crossing the Jordon River at one of its widest and deepest points.

Ask the children: Now that we know this, do you think it was easy to be the first person to step into the water? (Probably not)

Ask the children: Yet, what was the priests out front (those that needed to step in the river first) able to see first hand? (They were able to see God's miracle; they saw God stop the water; they saw God in a way they probably had not seen before or at least had not see in about 40 years)

Did the men step out? (Yes)

Did God keep His word? Have a child read Joshua 3:17

· Absolutely, God kept His word.

· The priests stood on dry ground while all the people crossed the Jordon River.

What can we learn from this?

· God is a God of His word. If He says He will do something, He will.

· Sometimes, following God requires we take that first step.

· That first step can be a little frightening, but we need to remember God's words to Joshua: Be strong and courageous and do not fear for He (God) will be with him and He will be with you.

· Taking that first step in faith allows us to see God in ways we may have never seen Him before.

· Taking that first step in faith allows us to know God better.

Review the commandment: You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. Sometimes, people interpret this commandment as we should not lie. We should be people of our word. If God had not kept His word before, if He had lied to the Israelites while they were in the desert, would it have been easier or harder for them to trust Him this time when their lives were at stake (they would have drowned if God had not stopped the water)?

Because God does not lie, the Israelites could trust Him. Because God does not lie, WE can trust Him. We honor God and bring glory to Him when we act as He does. We honor God when we are people who do not lie.

3. Pray

· Praise God for who He is.

· Thank Him for always keeping His word so that we can trust Him.

· Ask Him to help you tell the truth even when it seems easier to be dishonest.

· Ask Him to help you be more like Him.

4. Explain the Family Activity Sheet

How well do you think you can spot something false? This week's family activity sheet will challenge your knowledge of the Bible. For this week's family activity, you will look at some everyday phrases you may have heard. Write a B next to the ones you believe are indeed from the Bible. For those that are found in Scripture, see if you can identify the book the phrase is from. (Hint: You can go to www.bible.org and search the Bible for help. Type the phrase in the search field and click `bible.')

Weekly Challenge (20 minutes)

Minefield

    1. Before the Challenge

Gather the supplies necessary for this week's challenge. Mark out a rectangular playing area and randomly set down the `mines' (the assorted items you gathered).

Supplies:

Cones to mark out a playing area

Assorted items such as balls, blocks, pillows, bean bags, etc.

Blindfold

    2. The Challenge

Each team will select one person to be blindfolded. The blindfolded person will need to move from one end of the playing are to the other without stepping on a `mine'. The remaining team members will guide the blindfolded person across the playing area by suggesting directions (i.e. take two steps to the left, step to the right, etc.) The team members may yell out false directions to the blindfolded member of the opposing teams to try and get them to set off a `mine.'

If a blindfolded player sets off a `mine' (steps on one of the items), he/she is out of the game and another team member is blindfolded and begins his/her trek across the minefield.

Play the game for a specified period of time (15 minutes). The team that can cross the most number of players successfully, wins.

    3. Apply the challenge:

It was easier to follow the instructions of those who you could trust to guide you correctly. You were probably hesitant to trust those who you thought might be giving you false instructions.

If you are a person people can trust to tell the truth, then when you tell others about Jesus and about how He has changed your life, they will believe you.

If you are one that lies more often than tells the truth, will people you share Christ with be willing to believe you?

Remember, we honor God when we are most like Him. God cannot lie. We should seek to honor Him by always telling the truth.

Closing (10 minutes)

    1. Award this week's medals based on the week's challenge.

    2. Give the children the books of the bible and the key passage for the week:

Books of the Bible: All OT and NT

Key Passages:

The 10 Commandments - Exodus 20

The Model Prayer - Matthew 6:9-13

A Messianic Psalm - Psalm 22 (`Messianic' means about Jesus)

Imitating Christ's Humility - Philippians 2: 1-11

A Priestly Blessing - Numbers 6:24-26

Sermon on the Mount - Matthew 5-7

The Creation Story - Genesis 1

Hall of Faith - Hebrews 22

The Lord is my Shepherd - Psalm 23

The Armor of God - Ephesians 6:10-18

    3. Explain the Key Passage

God understands life can sometimes be challenging. He does not expect us to go at it alone; in fact, He wants us to be dependent on Him every day. Today's key passage lists some of the items God has given us to help us in life. We know them as the Armor of God. We should work at understanding all God has given us and how to use what He's given us. Take a few moments this week and read about this special Armor of God.

    4. Closing Prayer

    5. Closing song of choice

Related Topics: Children's Curriculum

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