2026-01-04 God punishes a sinful world

Teacher: "Let's say together in one sentence what these verses mean:"

"Without blood, sins cannot be forgiven. Without faith, we cannot please God."

(Have children repeat this summary sentence after you.)

Teacher: "These verses connect to everything we learned today about God! Remember:

• God“Our ismemory HOLY:verse Hetoday hatescomes sinfrom andPsalm must1:6: punish‘…for it.the That'sLord whyknows bloodthe mustway beof shed.the righteous, but the wicked will perish.’ “
• “Righteous people are still sinners but they put their trust in God is LOVING: Even though we're sinners, He made a way for us to comesave tothem. Him!
Righteous
• Godpeople isare MERCIFUL:friends Heof covered sin with blood sacrifices so we could be near Him.
• God wants FAITH: We must trust Him and obey Him,God, like Abel did.and Noah, and God will watch over His people. That’s a promise.”
• Wicked people are those who do not trust God to fix their sinful hearts. They would rather do things their own way and not listen to God. God promises He will punish sinners.”
• (Lead the kids in repeating the verse slowly. Repeat the verse in different ways: whispering, while hopping, etc.)

Teacher: "Before we move on, let's say our verses one more time as loud as we can! Ready?"

(Lead children enthusiastically through both verses with motions one final time. Celebrate their effort with applause!)

Craft &

Activity and Game (105 mins)

Craft:Activity: "CoveredGet byon Blood"the HeartArk" (5 minutes)

Materials Needed:

• PrintoutActivity ofpage darkened hearthandout (one per child, about 4 inches)JWS_Workbook_Lesson_8_2024)
• RedColoured constructionpencils/ paper (one sheet per child)
• Scissors
• Glue sticks
• Crayons or markerscrayons

Teacher: "NowGod we'resaved goingNoah and his family from the flood. God is faithful to makesave somethingsinners specialwho totrust helpin us remember today's lesson! I'm giving each of you a heart with a dark color on it.Him."

"How did God save Noah and his family?"

Expected response: (DistributeBuild onean darkenedark)

heart

Teacher: printout"And tohow eachdid child.)God punish sinners?"

Expected response: (Died in the flood)

Instructions:

1. Color your darkened heart: Have children use dark crayons (black, gray, brown) to color their heart to make it look even darker. This represents sin.

   (Walk around and help children as needed.)

2. Cut out a red heart: HelpGive each child trace and cut out a slightly larger heart from red construction paper. This represents blood covering sin.

   (Have pre-cut red hearts ready for younger children who struggle with cutting.)

   handout.
3. Glue hearts together: Have children gluecolour theirthe darkenedark heartand storm clouds. 
4. Draw a picture of big waves in the centerbottom ofbox.  the red heart, so the red heart shows all around the edges like a frame.

   (Help children with glue as needed.)

5. Write the verse: On the back of the red heart, help children write "Hebrews 9:22b" (or write it for them if they're too young).

   (For very young children, you may pre-write this.)

Teacher

 while children are working:

"Your darkened heart represents your sinful heart. It's broken and can't show God how special He is. But look what happens when we put the red heart around it!"

"The red heart represents blood. In the Old Testament, God covered sin with blood from animal sacrifices. When God's people had faith and obeyed Him, God covered their sin."

"This craft reminds us that we cannot fix our sinful hearts ourselves. We need God to cover our sin. And one day, God would send Jesus, whose blood would not just cover sin, but take it away completely!"

Connection to Lesson: The darkened heart represents our sinful condition, while the red heart surrounding it visually shows how God's plan covered sin with blood. This reinforces the key concept that God made a way for sinners through blood sacrifice, foreshadowing Jesus' perfect sacrifice.

Game: Faith"Get Obedienceon Simonthe SaysArk" (5 minutes)

Materials Needed:

• OpenAnimal spacefigurines
for
• Pictures childrenof animals corresponding to stand
the
• Nofigurines other materials needed

Setup:Teacher:

"After
• HaveNoah allfinished childrenbuilding standthe inark, anGod opensent areatwo whereof every animals to the ark. Let's help these animals find their partners so they can moveget freely
• Teacher stands aton the front where all children can see
• Make sure there's enough room for jumping, spinning, etc.

Teacher: "We're going to play a special game that helps us remember what FAITH means! Faith means trusting and obeying God. In our game, you'll need to listen carefully and obey only when I say the special words."

(Make sure you have everyone's attention.)

Teacher: "Here's how we play:ark."

How to Play:Instructions:

1. TheBefore Specialclass, Words: Explain that you'll give commands, but they should only obey when you say "God says" first (like Simon Says). If you don't say "God says," they shouldn't dohide the action!animal figurines around the classroom
2. StartShow withthe Examples:pictures

   "Let'sof practice!the Godanimals. saysInvite touchchildren, yourone nose!" (Children should touch their nose.)

   "Jump up and down!" (Children should NOT jump because you didn't say "God says.")

   "Good! You're listening carefully!"

3. Play Several Rounds: Give 8-10 commands, mixing "God says" commands with commands without "God says." Use simple actions:
   • "God says clap your hands!"
   • "God says stomp your feet!"
   • "Spin around!" (No "God says" - they shouldn't do it!)
   • "God says put your hands on your head!"
   • "Touch your toes!" (No "God says")
   • "God says give your neighborat a high five!"
4. Keep it Fun: If children make mistakes, don't eliminate them. Just say "Oops! Remembertime, to listenfind foran 'Godanimal says'!"hidden andin keepthe playing.room Thematching goalthe isones learning,in notthe competition.
5. End with Everyone Winning: After 8-10 commands, say "God says give yourselves a big round of applause! You all did great!"picture.

Important Notes:

• Keep the pace quick and fun
• Use simple, safe actions appropriate for young children
• Don't eliminate children - keep everyone playing
• Focus on listening carefully and obeying when appropriate
• Emphasize that FAITH means listening to God and obeying Him

After the game, Teacher says:

Teacher: "Great job, everyone! Now let's talk about what we just learned."

Question 1: "In our game, did I get upset when you obeyed what I said?"

Expected Response: "No!" "You were happy!"

Teacher: "That's right! I was happy when you listened and obeyed. That's what FAITH is! When we trust God and obey what He says, God is pleased, just like He was pleased with Abel."

---

Question 2: "Who in our story today had faith? Who listened to God and obeyed?"

Expected Response: "Abel!"

Teacher: "Yes! Abel trusted God and obeyed Him. He had FAITH. That's why God covered his sin and Abel became God's friend."

---

Question 3: "What happens when we don't have faith, when we don't trust and obey God?"

Expected Response: "God is not pleased!" "Like Cain!"

Teacher: "Exactly! The Bible says, 'Without faith it is impossible to please him.' We cannot make God happy without trusting and obeying Him."

Connection to Lesson: This game reinforces the concept of faith as trusting and obeying God. Just as children had to listen carefully and obey the teacher's commands with "God says," we must listen to God's Word and obey Him. This directly connects to Abel's faith (trusting and obeying God) versus Cain's lack of faith (not trusting or obeying God).

(After the game, have children return to their seats for the response song.)

Response Song

"Before we close, let's sing a song to help us remember what we learned today! This song is about faith and trusting God."

Closing Prayer

Snack Time (10 mins)

Closing Prayer

Teacher: "What a wonderful time we've had learning about God today! Before we have our snack, let's thank God for what we learned."

(Invite children to bow their heads, close their eyes, and fold their hands.)

Teacher leads closing prayer:

"Dear God,

Thank You for teaching us today about Your amazing plan. Thank You for showing us the truth, even when it's hard to understand.

We learned today that we are sinners with broken hearts that we cannot fix ourselves. We deserve Your punishment because of our sin. But God, You love us so much! You made a way for sinners to come to You.

Thank You for teaching us about blood sacrifices in the Old Testament. Thank You for showing us how serious sin is. When animals had to die to cover sin, Your people could see that sin deserves death. But You, in Your mercy, provided a way to cover their sin.

Thank You for teaching us about faith. Help us to be like Abel, who trusted You and obeyed You. Help us not to be like Cain, who wanted to do things his own way. Give us hearts that believe You and follow You.

We know that animal sacrifices could only cover sin, not take it away completely. But thank You that You had a perfect plan coming! Thank You for Jesus, the perfect Lamb of God, who takes away our sin completely.

Help us to remember our memory verses this week. Help us to have faith in You and trust You with our whole hearts.

In Jesus' name we pray, Amen."

Snack Prayer

(After the closing prayer, prepare for snack time. Have children stay seated or move to snack tables. Before eating, lead them in the snack prayer.)

Teacher: "Before we eat, let's thank God for our snack."

"Now, let us thank You for the snack we're about to enjoy.
We fold our hands.
We bow our heads.
We thank You, God,
for this daily bread.
Amen."

During Snack Time

Conversation Starters for Snack Time:
While children are eating, you can ask these casual questions to reinforce the lesson:

• "Can anyone tell me what we learned about today?"
• "WhoWhere can showwe me the hand motions forfind our memory verses?"
• "WhoWhen hadwe faithsee inrainbows, our story, Cain or Abel?"
• "Whatwhat does faithit mean?represent?" (Answer: TrustingGod andalways obeyingkeeps God)his promises)
• "HowDo didyou Godthink coverNoah sinand inhis thefamily Oldwere Testament?afraid when it started raining? Would you be afraid to live through a flood?" (Answer: With blood from animal sacrifices)
  
• "What was your favorite part of today's lesson?"

Remember: Keep the conversation light and friendly during snack time. This is also a good time for children to relax and socialize.

Dismissal

 Reminders

Before Parents Arrive:

• Make sure each child has their "Covered by Blood" heart craft to take home
• Remind children to practice their memory verses at home with their families
• Give each child their "Growing in Faith Together" parent page (if available)

Teacher says: "Great job today, everyone! Don't forget to practice your memory verses this week. You can teach them to your parents! And remember: God made a way for sinners to come to Him because He loves us. We come to God by faith, trusting and obeying Him!"

Free Time & Children Pickup (15 mins)

Activity Suggestions:

• Free play with toys or blocks
• Coloring pages about lambs, hearts, or Cain and Abel
  
• Review memory verses one more time with interested children
• Quiet reading of Bible story books
• Simple puzzles or games
• Drawing pictures of today's story

Parent Communication:
As parents arrive to pick up their children, briefly share one highlight from today's lesson. For example: "Today we learned thatsinners will be punished by God. But God madeis apatient way forwith sinners to come to Him through blood sacrifice, teaching us about faith through the story of Cain and Abel!will always keep His promises." Encourage parents to review the memory verses at home and discuss what it means to have faith in God.