A Study for Children About the Bible - Children Desiring God

1 A Study for Children About the Bible by Sally Michael 2I STAND IN AWEC opyright 1998 Desiring God Ministries. All rights God MinistriesBethlehem Baptist Church720 Thirteenth Avenue SouthMinneapolis, Minnesota 55415-17931-888-346-4700 (United States & Canada)612-373-0651 (Other International Calls)FAX: 612-338-4372E-MAIL: SITE: taken from the HOLY Bible : NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION . NIV . Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing publication includes images from Word Perfect Office 2000 which are protected by thecopyright laws of the , Canada and elsewhere. Used under STAND IN AWE7 PREFACE 9 INTRODUCTION 11 LESSONS1A Message from God 272 The Most Special Book 333 Written by God 394 The Bible is True 455 God is Watching Over His Word 516 The Bible is for Everyone 557 Finding Things in the Bible 618 God is the Main Character in the Bible 679 The Bible is Powerful 7110 The Bible is Eternal 7511 God Will Preserve the Bible 7912 The Bible is the Ultimate Authority 8513 The Bible , My Hope 8914 Satan Tries to Keep Us from the Bible 9515 The Bible , Our Protection from Sin 9916 The Bible , My Guide 10317 Doers, Not Just Hearers 10718 The Message of the Bible : I Am God 11319 The Message of the Bible : There is No Other God 11920 The Message of the Bible : Created to Show God s Glory 12521 The Message of the Bible .

2 All Have Sinned 12922 The Message of the Bible : The Wages of Sin is Death 13323 The Message of the Bible : Saved by Grace 13724 The Message of the Bible : The Gift of God is Eternal Life 14125 The Purpose of the Bible : That You May Believe 14526 The Bible , My Treasure 151 APPENDIXKey Verse Games A1 Books of the Bible Games A3 Badge Requirements A7 Additional Resources: Desiring God Ministries A9 TAKE HOME SHEETSNote to ParentsBadge RequirementsA Word About Growing in Faith SheetsTABLE OF CONTENTSI STAND IN AWE27 SCRIPTURE:Psalm 19:1-3 KEY VERSE (choose one of the following):Romans 15:4a For everything that was written in the past was written to teach 15:4 For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us,so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures wemight have THEMES: The Bible is a message from God God wants to tell us About Himself; He wants to be knownVISUALS/MATERIALS: Bible ; nametags (see Resource Packet-Lesson 1A); message visuals ( letter,postcard, note, message written on a white board see lesson for explanation);nature pictures (see Resource Packet-Lesson 1B-F); optional: additional pictures ofnature; optional: Bible story pictures; optional: nature objects (leaves, flowers, pineneedles, etc.)

3 Or nature pictures (for collage activity)PREPARATION: Study the scripture passages carefully and prayerfully. Ask God to make them real inyour own heart. Be open to what God may be teaching you in this lesson. Study thelesson well. Pray for the Children in your the nametags onto card stock. Choose white paper if you want the Children tocolor their nametags. Choose different colors if you will be making the should be laminated but you may want to allow the Children to color themfirst. Nametags can be fastened to the child s shirt in a variety of ways: Punch a hole in the top of the nametag and attach a ribbon. The child canwear the nametag like a necklace. Punch a hole in the top of the nametag and pin the nametag to the shirt. Staple a short piece of ribbon to the top of the nametag.

4 (If the ribbon islikely to fray, double the ribbon and staple the two ends to the nametag.)Pin the ribbon to the the activities you will use. Some activities may need slight adaptation to fityour situation. Make the appropriate preparations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ell the Children that you would like to play a game.))]

5 You will think of a person andthen tell the Children About the person. Then the Children can try to guess who theperson is that you are describing. For example:This person is very good. He never does anything is also very smart. He is a very fair and He is always never makes a is strong. Stronger than anyone. Hecan do anything; nothing is toohard for never, ever lies. Everything Hesays is person is everywhere all the time,so you can never hide from person owns everything in thewhole world! The reason thateverything belongs to Him is thatHe made person is greater than anyone else is. No one is better, stronger, orsmarter than He is. He is in control of everything and you have established that the mystery person is God, tell the Children that thismost wonderful Person has sent them a the Children if they know what a message is.

6 Explain that when someone wantsyou to know something, they tell you what they want you to know. They can tell youby talking to you or they can tell you by writing you a note. Have the Children givesome examples of messages. (If they have trouble, you may need to help them.) Forexample:Your mother tells you, It is time to getdressed. Please put your clotheson. Message on answering machineA letter from grandma and grandpaA message written on a white board ( I am at the grocery store , or Dopage 15 in your math book. )A note in your lunch box from momINTRODUCTION LESSON I STAND IN AWE29,I \RX DUH WHDFKLQJ YHU\ \RXQJ FKLOGUHQ \RXPD\ QHHG WR RPLW VRPH RI WKHVH YHUVHV RU\RX PD\ QHHG WR SDUDSKUDVH WKHP IRU WKHFKLOGUHQ <RX PD\ ZDQW WR VKRZ SLFWXUHV WR PDNH WKHOHVVRQ PRUH LQWHUHVWLQJ <RX PD\ DOVR ZDQWWR VKRZ VRPH QDWXUH SLFWXUHV DQG KDYH WKHFKLOGUHQ WHOO ZKDW *RG LV VD\LQJ WR XVWKURXJK WKH ZRUOG saying, Have a nice day!

7 I love you. A postcard from a friend on vacationExplain that God gives us messages because He wants us to know Him. God is nothiding. He wants us to know who He is and what He is like. God wants to tell usabout that one way that God sends us messages or talks to us is through the worldaround and explain the following verses:Psalm 19:1 The heavens declare theglory of God; the skies proclaim the workof his world tells us About God; itshows us how great He 19:2 Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night theydisplay day, the world tells us About God; it shows us His 19:3 There is no speech or language where their voice is not s world is a message to everyone About Himself. It doesn t matterwhat language a person speaks, the world is a message that all kindsof people can the Children if they can think of some ways in which the world tells us aboutGod.

8 How does God tell us About Himself through His world? (You may need to startthe Children off with some examples.)Every day when the sun comes up, it is amessage from God that He is watchingover and taking care of the world. Whenyou see the sun in the morning it is amessage from God saying, I m still am watching over my world. When you see a big storm and hear loud thunder, God is saying, I am strongand powerful. Pretty flowers are a message from God saying, I made many beautiful thingsin this world to make you happy. I am a good God. When you see lots and lots of stars a whole sky full of stars God is saying, I am big. I am great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very day when the sun comes up in the

9 Morning and goes down at nightGod is sending us a message that He never the Children that there is another way that God speaks to us another messageto us from God. It is a written message. It is God s special book to the Children the Bible . Tell them that God wrote the Bible to tell us aboutHimself. He wrote the Bible to tell us what He is like. He wants us to know Him. Givesome Biblical examples of how God tells us About Himself through the Bible . Thenlet the Children tell some. For example:When we read About God opening theRed Sea for Israel, He is telling us thatHe can do anything. Nothing is too hardfor Him. He is telling us that He takescare of His we read About how God destroyed the world with a flood, He is tellingus that He does not like we read About Jesus healing blind Bartimaeus, God is saying that He iskind and has power over we read About Jesus stilling the storm, God is telling us that He isstronger than anything else is and He is in control of all you ignore a letter or a postcard from yourgrandmother?

10 What would you do with it? Godhas sent us a BIG, LONG letter the we ignore it? What should we do with it?Why?Why should you learn to read [better]?What does the Bible tell us About God? Do youthink this kind of Person would write a goodbook?Would you like to thank God for being sowonderful?APPLICATION I STAND IN AWE311. Children can complete the workbook Children can make a collage of nature objects or of nature pictures cut frommagazines. While the Children are making their collages, talk About God screativity and God s messages to us through His creation. You may want to labelthe pictures GOD SPEAKS TO US THROUGH HIS Children can color their nametags. (You may want to laminate these tags.)4. Play SEND A MESSAGE.