Traffic Lights of God

Text: Psalms 119:33-38

* Teach me, O LORD, to follow your decrees; then I will keep them to the end.

* Give me understanding, and I will keep your law and obey it with all my heart.

* Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight.

* Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain.

*Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word.

*Fulfill your promise to your servant, so that you may be feared.

A GUIDE THROUGH LIFE :

The Bible is given to us by God, to guide us through life. When we are on a car journey, following road signs and obeying their warnings keeps us safe.In the same way, obeying the instructions for living, that God gives us in the Bible, will guard us against making a mess of our lives, and keep us safe in God's care.

Summary: We must listen to God in prayer to know when to go, stop, or proceed with caution.

What do each of these colors on the traffic light mean when we are in a car? Red means stop. Green means go. Yellow means speed up and go really fast, right? No it means caution. Caution is a word that means slow down and clear the intersection.

Today I want to talk to you about learning how to know what God wants you to do. To find out what God wants us to do, we must spend time studying the Bible and also we must pray. When we pray we spend time listening to God speak to our heart so we know what we should do. Sometimes listening to God is like watching this traffic signal.

Activity for Today: Puzzle arrangement from the New Testament Book

by Jim Kerlin

Exploring Canaan

Exploring Canaan

Moses sent out 12 spies into the Land of Canaan which God had promised to Israel.Numbers 13 (NIV) tells about their trip into Canaan and their report when they came back.

Across

3. In Numbers 14:5-9, _________ and Caleb tell the people that they should enter the Land of Canaan because "the LORD is with us."
4. The Spies brought back pomegranates and _______. (vs.23)
7. The Spies reported that the land of Canaan flowed with milk and ________. (vs.27)
8. They brought back a branch with a single cluster of _________. (vs.23)
9. When the Spies came back they reported to the whole ___________ community. (vs.26)

Down

1. They said that the people who lived in the Land of Canaan were very ____________. (vs.28)
2. _______ said that they should go in and take possession of the Land. (vs.30)
5. Ten of the spies said "we can't attack them. . . they are ____________ than us. (vs.31 )
6. The 12 spies explored the land of Canaan for ____________ days. (vs.25)

But the people did not listen to Caleb and Joshua. They did not have enough faith in God.So God told them they would have to live in the wilderness for the next Forty Years.And that is just what happened.
copyright 1998 Sharon Whittakerhttp://sewhttkr.home.comcast.net/

God Sends Plagues on Egypt

To Remember: God will not tolerate rebellion
Vocabulary : Plague: a widespread disaster Lesson - Exodus 7-12

Discussion Points:
Egypt's pharaohs claimed to become gods and were worshipped. God proves through the plagues that He is the only god, and the pharaoh was powerless to protect his people.
For older students: Josh McDowell in "Evidence that Demands a Verdict" gives many evidences for the miraculousness of the plagues, their timing and their scope.

What does it mean when it says the God hardened pharaoh's heart? Does this contradict free will? There are many verses that indicate that man can harden his own heart. How does that happen? It is like the searing of the conscience (1 Tim 4:2).

Man who constantly and willfully rejects truth as it is presented to him builds a wall in his heart that grows thicker and thicker with each rejection. He is the hardened soil of the parable of the sower. Eventually nothing can get through. In contrast, the man who responds to the truth with obedience and repentance has a tender heart. He allows the truth to change him. This is the good soil. The difference between the two men is not the truth that God presents to them, but their response - which is their choice.

There is little evidence that pharaoh ever had any tenderness of heart toward the truth or toward God. It is not hard to believe that he would reject the miracles before him - so did the Hebrew rulers in Jesus' day, when God's son himself was raising the dead. In fact, the Israelites themselves soon forget God's power and reject him in the next few months. Did God need to harden pharaoh's heart directly? Or was the simply contest for control over Egypt enough for pharaoh to build a wall in his heart against God? Craft: Fold up a strip of paper accordion-style and sketch a basic frog shape on the top sheet, letting the legs extend to the fold of the paper. Have the kids cut out the frog shape - making sure that the legs connect at the folds. Then have the kids unfold their chain of frogs. Discuss how suddenly there were frogs everywhere!

Activity: Go to http://www.sundayschoollessons.com/plague.htm and print the page. Cut out the images for each plague, and cut out the phrase that goes with it. Have the students match them up.

Activity: Play a game of hopscotch with ten squares. Mark each square as a plague. Have the students repeat each plague as they hop through it.

True or False
Moses planned which plagues would strike Egypt. F (God did)
The Israelites suffered the plagues along with the Egyptians. F (God protected the Israelites)
The Egyptian people believed in God because of the plagues. T
Pharaoh was finally convinced the God was over him. F
The Egyptian wizards were able to recreate each plague. F

Memory Work: (have students plan hand movements to go along with the verse)
Exodus7:5 And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch forth mine hand upon Egypt, and bring out the children of Israel from among them.

Review Questions for gameboard

linguistic questions
What is a plague? a disaster that affects many people. In this case, devised by god
What is a miracle? when God makes something happen that man can't do
Spell Moses.

activity questions
Act out the people when darkness covered the land.
Draw a frog.
Go through the hopscotch game once.

emotion questions
What feelings probably prompted pharaoh to continually reject the call to let the Israelites go? (he was too proud to listen to slaves, he thought he ruled the land and answered to no one, he did not believe in Jehovah)
How did the Egyptians feel when the plagues struck? (they were thirsty, hungry, sick, miserable)
How did the Israelites feel to be spared the plagues? (thankful, glad)

application questions
Is there any part of our life that we have complete authority over? no
Is the natural world under god's control? yes
Can God protect us when disaster strikes our area? yes

fact questions
How many plagues were there? ten
Who suffered from the plagues? all Egyptians and their animals and crops.
Name as many plagues as you can.
water to blood
frogs
lice
flies
disease
boils
hail
locusts
darkness
firstborn son died

review questions
Why did God send the plagues? to convince the Egyptians that He was God
Why did God spare the Israelites? to prove that they were special to God, and that he protects those who worship Him
Why did Pharaoh ask Moses and Aaron to pray for relief if he did not believe in God? 1) it worked, 2) in the pressure of difficulty many people who never thought of god before turn to Him for help. They don't always continue when things get better

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