Obedience

OBJECTIVE

By the end of the module, children will be able to love being holy and practice their sense of listening to recognize the voice of our Shepherd, The Lord, Jesus Christ. By the end of this lesson, children will be able to acknowledge the work of the Holy Spirit in them, humble themselves, and obey God's commandments, one at a time.

INTRODUCTION & HOOK - 7 Minutes

Opening Activity

Our Lord, Jesus Christ's will for us is to be holy. "Be holy, for I am holy." 1 Peter 1:16. In order to be holy, we need the work of the Holy Spirit in us. Please conduct the experiment to clarify how the Holy Spirit can work in us and change us to be holy. Check out the servant's resources for the link. This video is for the servant for the purpose of watching how the experiment is conducted to be able to conduct with the children during the lesson. Please make sure to prepare the materials needed for this experiment before the lesson.

You will need:

1 clear vase
some water
2 printed or typed signs glued or taped on a stand. 1 (Good choices), 2 (Bad choices). You can replace it with your choice of words such as God's voice versus my voice, Godly choices versus worldly choices, or whatever serves your lesson better.
Printed or typed arrow

Watch to learn more. (Go to min 2:45 -- 4:00 only)

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HOLY SCRIPTURE - 3 Minutes

Genesis 12: 1-4

Jonah 1:1-4

Memory Verse - "Give me understanding, and I shall keep Your law; Indeed, I shall observe it with my whole heart." Psalm 119:34

CONTENT (KEY POINTS) - 5 Minutes

Read the scripture of both Abraham and Jonah's stories.

DISCUSSION (Challenge) - 30 Minutes

Connect the opening activity to today's lesson: After the experiment, ask the children: What did you notice? What do you wonder? Make sure to redirect any off topic questions to the main idea of the lesson. Get as many answers as possible. Then tell them, "Let's read the Bible to find the answers to our questions." Read Genesis 12: 1-4 and Jonah 1:1-4

Compare and contrast both stories: Although students might know both stories already, please limit the responses to the read parts only. Use the Venn Diagram included in the attachment as a sample. If you are on Zoom, use the whiteboard feature to create and fill out a Venn Diagram as a whole group; otherwise, use a dry erase board or a paper and pencil.

Questions for Discussion

What did God ask from Abraham? To leave his country, his father's house, and his family and go to a land that God will show him.
What did God ask from Jonah? To go to Nineveh and ask its people to repent.
How did Abraham respond to God's request? He listened without questioning Him.
How long did it take him to respond? Right away (verse 4).
Why do you think Abraham chose to do so? Answers may include: He loved God, He respected God, He trusted Him.
How did Jonah respond to God's request? He didn't listen to God and went in a different direction.
Why do you think Jonah chose to do so? Answers may include: He didn't like what God asked from him. He didn't think it through. He had a different opinion or plan than what God had for him. His pride got in the way.
Did God mention to Abraham where to head to exactly? No, He didn't.
What does that show? It shows he trusted God more than he trusted himself.
Did God mention to Jonah where to head to exactly? Yes, it was a very direct instruction.

Display visual 2 (also attached below) and highlight that sometimes our ways are not according to our Lord's ways.

As we see here, one chose to obey and the other chose to disobey. We also see that with obedience comes many blessings and with disobedience comes consequences. What are some blessings did God promise to grant Abraham? Children should refer to the scripture.

It is important to mention that God didn't leave Jonah. He surrounded him with His care and love and guided him through his journey until he completed his mission.

Ignoring is Disobedience

Sometimes we tend to ignore instructions, do what comes to our minds first without thinking, and stick to our old ways. This is called disobedience. Disobedience is pure defiance. Defiance is an argumentative attitude and a tendency to ignore instructions even if it is direct instruction from our Lord. Be aware that with that comes hardships and mischief.

What Can You Obey Our Lord?

The only way to obey the Lord Jesus is through the work of the Holy Spirit in us. Thank God, we already have the Holy Spirit living in us since we were baptized as babies.

We just need to train our ears to discern when the Holy Spirit is speaking to us. To train our ears, we need to slow down, listen carefully, refer to the words of the Holy Spirit in the scripture, and pray to The Lord, Jesus Christ to give us strength to obey His word. "Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, "This is the way, walk in it," Whenever you turn to the right hand Or whenever you turn to the left." Isaiah 30:21 Also, repeat the verse of the lesson.

As We Grow Older, Obeying Gets Harder

When you were young, you obeyed your parents in little things. Can you give examples? Picking up your toys, sharing, wearing what they chose for you,...etc. You obeyed your teachers in completing simple homework. As you grow older, obeying is not that simple anymore. It gets harder, because you are capable of doing more and now, your parents and teachers have higher expectations from you.

Whom Should We Obey?

The Lord Jesus has all the authority in heaven and on earth. This means that He has the right to be obeyed by every person. But our Lord Jesus Christ does not come down here and tell each of us what we should do all day long. Instead, He puts people here to represent His authority. Who are some authority figures did the Lord Jesus put in our lives?
There are other places besides our home where the Lord puts people in authority over us. In the school, it is the principal who represents the Lord's authority. When you obey the principal, you are obeying the Lord. When you disobey the principal, you are disobeying the Lord.
In the classroom, the teacher represents the authority of the Lord Jesus. The way you treat your teacher is the way you treat the Lord even though you might disagree with her/him. When you obey your teacher, you are obeying the Lord. When you disobey your teacher, you are disobeying the Lord. If you talk disrespectfully to your teacher, it is like talking disrespectfully to the Lord.
What are other authority figures we should obey? Priests, Sunday School teachers, servants, coaches, police officers...etc.

LIFE APPLICATION - 3 Minutes

Train our ears to discern when the Holy Spirit in us is speaking to us, slow down, listen carefully, refer to the words of the Holy Spirit in the scripture, and pray to the Lord Jesus to give you strength to listen and follow His word. When your parents or teachers ask you to do something, stop and think. Think of them as the authority figures The Lord Jesus put in your life, and do according to His will. Remember, "Be holy, for I am holy." 1 Peter 1:16.

ACTIVITY - 15 Minutes (embedded)

Check out the introduction and the hook section for the activity. The Venn Diagram should be completed during the lesson.

PARENTS CORNER/HOMEWORK

Parents should encourage their children to train their ears to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit in them and act according to the will of the Lord Jesus. Give them examples from your daily lives. Be gentle and do not reprimand them; instead, praise them for attending Sunday School class and listening to the word of God. Be patient as changing behavior takes time. Please keep in mind that the Lord's work in us and everyone else is not over, yet.