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t n e r a P d n a s r e For Volunte
DEAR PARENTS AND VOLUNTEERS, What does the story of an obscure, nomadic, elderly couple who lived over 4,000 years ago have to do with our lives today? Growing up, I heard the story of Abraham and Sarah countless times and wasn’t really sure. I could see evidence of God’s faithfulness to keep the specific promises He made to them early on in the Book of Genesis. This faithfulness in and of itself is encouraging. Yet, because I viewed it as an isolated event I failed to see how the covenant God made to Abraham was ultimately fulfilled in Christ and meant for all who believe. This year at Kids Club, we’re excited to help children see how God uses Abraham and his descendants to carry out his great plan of redemption. During our week together children will learn: 1. 2. 3. 4.
God is always faithful to keep his promises. God made three big promises to Abraham and his descendants (promised land, to make him a great nation, and that through him all nations of the earth will be blessed.) For those who trust in Him, all these promises come true through Jesus, our great reward. Like Abraham and Sarah, we can trust God with more than our eyes can see.
Every night, we’ll take a closer look at each of these four objectives and our memory verse from Hebrews 10:23, Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. We are praying that kids and volunteers alike will gain a greater trust in our promise-keeping God and will know Jesus as the greatest reward of all. While we will do our best to maximize our time with each child, we truly believe that Kids Club is a place for the conversation to start. We’ve developed this resource for parents and volunteers to prepare for important follow-up discussions during and/or after Kids Club week. This short devotional briefly walks through each night’s storyline and main idea, giving our hearts time to digest these truths as well. We will also provide additional information each night via our blog (www.leavingalegacyblog.com) and the Crossing Kids Facebook page. Please know that we are praying for you and your family. Thank you for partnering with us! Sincerely, The Crossing Kids Staff Team
This devotional was written by Emily Pilkington.
Day 1: God Gives Promises to Abraham When you think of the word “promise” what comes to mind? What are some examples of promises you’ve made/had made to you? Why is it sometimes difficult to trust them?
“I promise.” Two simple words that often lead to cynicism. How often have we heard those words uttered just to be let down yet again? While we might be more reluctant to admit it, how often have we spoken those same words in vain? According to Strong’s Concordance, a form of the word “promise” or “covenant” appears in the Bible over 420 times. Unfortunately, because all of us have experienced human relationships where nothing but disappointment followed promises, we often project the same skepticism on God. Even those of us whose faith is often commended as strong often struggle, particularly when the circumstances we face feel less than ideal. The same can be said of a man named Abram and his wife Sarai (later renamed Abraham and Sarah.) Read Genesis 12 and Genesis 15:1-8 and record some initial observations by answering the questions below. What did God tell Abram to do?
What three things did God promise Abram?
What made God’s command to Abram and the accompanying promises difficult for him to believe?
How did Abram respond?
Day 1: God Gives Promises to Abraham (continued) I too often am guilty of reading stories like this one without considering the humanity of the situation. I view Bible characters as untouchable figures instead of sinners who were real people, just like you and me. Abram and Sarai were people who had experienced disappointment, who had aged, who didn’t always understand why things turned out the way they did. They were given promises that must have been difficult to believe. In fact, as parts of these passages and the rest of the book of Genesis tells us, their faith wasn’t a perfect faith. They attempted to manipulate situations (Genesis 12:10-20, 16), and Sarah herself even responded to the promise with laughter (Genesis 18). They doubted; their faith was not perfect. As Dave Cover states in a sermon on Genesis 12: “God’s covenant of redemption and restoration really is a covenant of grace—where God’s faithfulness constantly prevails over our own unfaithfulness. Our salvation is received only by faith, but every believer’s faith is also unbelieving, it’s weak at times. It’s always affected and infected by a certain degree of unbelief. Abraham goes and believes the promise of God. The very next event, Abraham isn’t in the Promised Land but Egypt. Not really believing and hiding behind his wife for his own benefit. Now he’s afraid he’s going to die of starvation or be killed by the Egyptians. God no sooner takes his people into a special covenant with people of faith, every single time that covenant is betrayed by the believer.” Yet listen to what Hebrews 11:8-12 has to say. “By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him in the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise. And so from the one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.” By faith. Faith because he considered him faithful who had made the promise. Imperfect faith, but faith nonetheless. As our week together continues, we will also learn the reality of Hebrews 11:13; 39-40. In this passage, we are often reminded that Old Testament figures like Abraham didn’t always receive what had been promised directly. All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance…These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect. To be honest, this isn’t what I always want to hear. We live in a culture of “entitlement” attitudes and instant gratification. Sometimes, though, we’re not the ones who get to immediately receive the things promised. Sometimes, we only get to welcome them from a distance. As we’ll learn from Abraham and Sarah, while God is faithful even when we are faithless (2 Timothy 2:13), the timing and circumstances He uses aren’t always those that we would have chosen for ourselves. It can be frustrating at times. When asked to wait, we may find ourselves struggling to believe our promise-keeping God. Thankfully, 2 Peter 3:8-9 gives us yet another promise we can claim: But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
Day 1: God Gives Promises to Abraham (continued) Pray and thank God that He uses the imperfect faith like those of Abraham and Sarah and the imperfect faith of you and me. Ask Him to help your unbelief, that you would know and believe this year’s Kids Club memory verse more and more. Memory Verse: “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.” - Hebrews 10:23 (ESV)
Day 1 Bible Story Overview Bible Story Big Idea: God always keeps his promises. They come true through Jesus, our great reward. God’s Promises to Abraham Come True Through Jesus What did God promise Abraham?
How does the promise come true through Jesus?
Promised Land (Genesis 12:1, 7; Genesis 15:18-21) Many Children/Great Nation (Genesis 12:2; Genesis 15:5; Genesis 22:17-18) All the nations on earth will be blessed through you. (Genesis 12:2-3)
Bible Story Connection: Genesis 12 and 15 (God’s Covenant with Abraham) Supporting Scripture: Hebrews 11 Objectives Children will learn: 1. God is always faithful to keep his promises. 2. God made three big promises to Abraham and his descendants (promised land, great nation, through him all people of the earth will be blessed.) 3. For those who trust in Him, all these promises come true through Jesus, our great reward. 4. Like Abraham and Sarah, we can trust God more than our eyes can see.
Day 2: Promised land Think back to yesterday’s Bible reading from Genesis 12:1-3. What did God tell Abram to do?
What three things did God promise Abram?
The story of Abraham begins as God calls Abram to leave his home, his family, and everything he knew as an old man and follow him to the land God promised. It’s easy for us to look at this story and view it as an isolated event, but the magnitude of God’s command to Abraham and the three accompanying promises we discovered yesterday really have much greater implications for you and for me. We need to understand the entirety of God’s great story, including not just how it begins, but how it ends. To help us understand these implications, let’s follow this “Promised Land” as it’s described throughout the Bible. Passage
Genesis 17:4-8
Genesis 28:10-15
Genesis 50:24
Exodus 3:16-17/ Deuteronomy 6:3; 10-12
Hebrews 11:8-10; 13-16
What does this passage have to say about the land God promised?
Day 2: Promised land (continued)
Revelation 21:1-7; 10-27
On the surface God’s promise for a special land for Abraham and his descendants appear to point to the physical land of Canaan. While this physical land was part of God’s original promise to Abraham, it was merely a signpost meant to point to a greater spiritual reality. As Hebrews 11 points out, even Abraham understood this as he looked forward to the city with foundations whose architect and builder is God. He was longing for a better country—a heavenly one described for us in places like Revelation 21. Understanding God’s Story revealed throughout scripture helps us to see that this better country wasn’t just made for the Israelites, but for you and for me as well. Read Galatians 3:7-9, 13-14, 26-29. What do these passages have to say about who inherits what God promised to Abraham?
If we belong to Christ, then we are descendants of Abraham and heirs of this great Promised Land as well. As our Kids Club big idea points out, “God always keeps his promises. They come true through Jesus, our great reward.” Each night we will take a closer look at how each part of God’s covenant promise to Abraham comes true through Jesus for those who believe. What did God promise Abraham?
How does the promise come true through Jesus?
Promised Land (Genesis 12:1, 7; Genesis 15:18-21)
The New Heavens and the New Earth (Hebrews 11:9-10, Revelation 21)
As we close today’s study, take a closer look at the lyrics of “On Jordan’s Stormy Banks” and reflect on the great Promised Land God offers all who trust in Christ as their Savior. On Jordan’s Stormy Banks By: Samuel Stennett and Christopher Miner On Jordan’s stormy banks I stand and cast a wishful eye to Canaan’s fair and happy land where my possessions lie. All o’er those wide extended plains, shines one eternal day; there God the Son forever reigns, and scatters night away. Chorus: I am bound, I am bound. I am bound for the Promised Land. I am bound, I am bound.
Day 2: Promised land (continued)
I am bound, I am bound. I am bound for the Promised Land. No chilling winds or poisonous breath can reach that healthful shore; sickness, sorrow, pain, and death, are felt and feared no more. When shall I reach that happy place, and be forever blessed? When shall I see my Father’s face, and in his bosom rest? (Repeat Chorus) Pray and thank God for the great Promised Land of the new heavens and the new earth he offers all who trust in Jesus as their Savior. Pray that your heart would long more and more for this forever home.
Day 2 Bible Story Overview Bible Story Big Idea: God always keeps his promises. They come true through Jesus, our great reward. God’s Promises to Abraham Come True Through Jesus What did God promise Abraham?
How does the promise come true through Jesus?
Promised Land (Genesis 12:1, 7; Genesis 15:18-21)
The New Heavens and the New Earth (Hebrews 11:9-10, Revelation 21)
Many Children/Great Nation (Genesis 12:2; Genesis 15:5; Genesis 22:17-18) All the nations on earth will be blessed through you. (Genesis 12:2-3)
Bible Story Connection: Genesis 11-12 Supporting Scripture: Galatians 3, Hebrews 11, Revelation 21 Objectives Children will learn: 1. God is always faithful to keep his promises. 2. God made three big promises to Abraham and his descendants (promised land, great nation, through him all people of the earth will be blessed.) 3. For those who trust in Him, all these promises come true through Jesus, our great reward. 4. Like Abraham and Sarah, we can trust God more than our eyes can see.
Day 3: great nation Take a minute to remember the three promises God gave Abraham and how we learned the first is fulfilled in Jesus yesterday. What did God promise Abraham?
How does the promise come true through Jesus?
In some ways, the second promise God gave Abraham may have been the most difficult of all for him to believe, because it was the one most tender to his heart. Well into their seventies and past their childbearing years, Abraham and Sarah had no doubt mourned and grieved the brokenness of infertility many times. They had no doubt seen countless friends and relatives welcome child after child into their home making the pain all the more pronounced in a culture that valued the ability to conceive even more than our own. When God promises Abraham many descendants/ to make him into a great nation, the pain of years of unmet expectations no doubt crossed his mind. Read Genesis 15:1-6, Genesis 16:1-6, and Genesis 18:9-15. How do Abraham and Sarah respond to God’s second promise?
Read Hebrews 11:11-12. How is Sarah’s faith described? What does their imperfect faith have to say about our own?
Like us, Abraham and Sarah’s hearts were mixed bags of faith and doubt. Seemingly willing to surrender to God’s plan in complete obedience in one chapter, their hearts begin to wander just a few verses later. They begin to ascribe earthly solutions to the problem at hand. If God’s promise is to come true, surely they must take charge by suggesting and providing alternate solutions themselves. When all these things fail to provide, God’s promise is met with laughter. Yet look how our promise-keeping God responds. Read Genesis 21:1-7. Twenty five years after the promise of many descendants is made to Abraham and at the age of 100, God provides the promised heir and the beginning of a great nation of many descendants. Through Isaac, God will create a great nation of his chosen people called the Israelites. Through Jesus, this great nation will grow to include more than just those who share a genetic connection.
Day 3: great nation (continued)
What do these passages have to say about the Great Nation God promises Abraham? Galatians 3:7, 29 Romans 4:13-25 Revelation 7:9-10 Through the most unlikely of circumstances, God chooses an elderly couple previously unable to conceive to carry out his promise of redemption and create a great nation more numerous than the stars in the sky or grains of sand on the seashore. Again and again we see God using people and circumstances to show that nothing is impossible for God. Like Abraham and Sarah, we too can trust God more than our eyes can see. Pray and thank God for the opportunity to be a part of this great nation through Jesus. Ask him for faith to trust him with the circumstances and challenges most tender to your heart.
Day 3 Bible Story Overview Bible Story Big Idea: God always keeps his promises. They come true through Jesus, our great reward. God’s Promises to Abraham Come True Through Jesus What did God promise Abraham?
How does the promise come true through Jesus?
Promised Land (Genesis 12:1, 7; Genesis 15:18-21)
The New Heavens and the New Earth (Hebrews 11:9-10, Revelation 21)
Many Children/Great Nation (Genesis 12:2; Genesis 15:5; Genesis 22:17-18)
All who trust in Jesus belong to Abraham’s family and are part of this great nation.
(Galatians 3:7, 29; Romans 4:13-25; Revelation 7:9-11)
All the nations on earth will be blessed through you. (Genesis 12:2-3)
Bible Story Connection: Genesis 15-21 Supporting Scripture: Galatians 3, Hebrews 11, Romans 4, Revelation 7:9-10 Objectives Children will learn: 1. God is always faithful to keep his promises. 2. God made three big promises to Abraham and his descendants (promised land, great nation, through him all people of the earth will be blessed.) 3. For those who trust in Him, all these promises come true through Jesus, our great reward. 4. Like Abraham and Sarah, we can trust God more than our eyes can see.
Day 4: All Nations Will Be Blessed Take a minute to remember the three promises God gave Abraham and how the first and second are fulfilled in Jesus. What did God promise Abraham?
How does the promise come true through Jesus?
If God’s second promise of many descendants to Abraham and Sarah was the most tender to their hearts, perhaps the third promise--that through them all nations of the earth would be blessed--was the most abstract and outlandish. I’m sure they had to wonder on more than one occasion, “How could God use an obscure, elderly, nomadic couple like us to bless all the peoples of the earth?” As we learned yesterday, nothing is impossible for God and more often than not he chooses the most obscure and unlikely of sources to accomplish his plan. As we’ve also learned throughout our study of Abraham, God also uses signposts, or smaller events, to give us a greater glimpse of what is to come. This is the case in Genesis 22 as God gives us a preview of how all the nations of the earth will be blessed through Abraham and his family. Read Genesis 22:1-3. What would have made this command difficult for Abraham to follow?
Read Genesis 22:4-18. How did Abraham respond?
How did God respond to Abraham’s obedience?
Once again, God commends Abraham’s faith in Hebrews 11:17-19. By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death.
Day 4: All Nations Will Be Blessed (continued) As we’ve seen countless times before, the story of Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac points to an even greater story of an even greater Father and Son. Take a minute to reread Genesis 22. Look for ways the story of Abraham and Isaac points to the story of God the Father sacrificing Jesus on the cross and record your observations on the T-Chart below. Consider these questions to help you. What did Abraham do in this story? Does that remind you of anything that God the Father did. What did Isaac do in this story? Does this remind you of anything Jesus did. What happened to the lamb? Does this remind you of another Lamb? Abraham and Isaac
Jesus and the Cross
P O I N T S T O
Day 4: All Nations Will Be Blessed (continued) 2,000 years before Jesus was born, God used a real life event in the life of Abraham and Isaac to preview what was to come. Through the sacrifice of the ultimate father and son, all nations on the earth would be blessed. Take a minute to compare your chart with the observations listed below. Abraham and Isaac
Jesus and the Cross
• God knows that Abraham loves Him because he does not withhold his only son that he loves.
• We know that God loves us because he does not withhold his only son that he loves.
• Isaac was laid upon a wooden altar.
• Jesus was laid upon a wooden altar.
• The lamb dies so Isaac doesn’t have to.
P O I N T S
• Isaac trusts his father and submits to his father’s will.
T O
• Isaac is his father’s only son. • Abraham loves Isaac.
• Isaac climbs Mt. Moriah with wood strapped to his back where God provides the lamb.
• Jesus is His father’s only son. • God the Father loves Jesus. • Jesus (The Lamb of God) dies so we don’t have to. • Jesus trust His Father and submits to His Father’s Will • Jesus climbs another Mountain in the vicinity of Mt. Moriah with wood strapped to his back where God provides “The Lamb.”
Throughout our time together, we’ve seen that God always keeps his promises. They come true through Jesus, our great reward. As we close, take a minute to consider what makes Jesus the greatest reward of all. Use the information you’ve learned throughout this study of Abraham as well as some of the passages listed below. 2 Corinthians 1:20 Colossians 1:15-17 Ephesians 3:14-19 John 1:14-16
Hebrews 4:15 Hebrews 13:8 Philippians 2:9-11
What makes Jesus the greatest reward of all?
Pray and thank God that all of his promises come true through Jesus, the greatest reward. Ask for faith to hold firmly to the hope we claim to have. Ask that many kids and volunteers would grow in their understanding and belief in our promise-keeping God at Kids Club.
Day 4: All Nations Will Be Blessed (continued)
Day 4 Bible Story Overview Bible Story Big Idea: God always keeps his promises. They come true through Jesus, our great reward. God’s Promises to Abraham Come True Through Jesus What did God promise Abraham?
How does the promise come true through Jesus?
Promised Land (Genesis 12:1, 7; Genesis 15:18-21)
The New Heavens and the New Earth (Hebrews 11:9-10, Revelation 21)
Many Children/Great Nation (Genesis 12:2; Genesis 15:5; Genesis 22:17-18) All the nations on earth will be blessed through you. (Genesis 12:2-3)
All who trust in Jesus belong to Abraham’s family and are part of this great nation.
(Galatians 3:7, 29; Romans 4:13-25; Revelation 7:9-11)
Through Jesus’ death and resurrection, all those who believe in him receive the greatest blessing of all. (Galatians 3:8-9, 14; Romans 4:23-25)
Bible Story Connection: Genesis 22-23 Supporting Scripture: Galatians 3:8-9, 14; Romans 4:23-25 Objectives Children will learn: 1. God is always faithful to keep his promises. 2. God made three big promises to Abraham and his descendants (promised land, great nation, through him all people of the earth will be blessed.) 3. For those who trust in Him, all these promises come true through Jesus, our great reward. 4. Like Abraham and Sarah, we can trust God more than our eyes can see.
