We
had a special prayer time in Children’s Church for Tobi and Josiah, and the
orphans each of the children promised to pray for. It is a special thing to
hear children praying for others. I am thankful I get to experience this on a
weekly basis.
Also
in Children’s Church, we have been focusing on connecting the Old Testament to
the New Testament. This week reviewing the Ten Commandments was a good time to
show the children why they need Jesus. It became obvious as we went through
each commandment that everyone was guilty of breaking them. We learned that it
is impossible to keep them perfectly. James 2:10 told us that if we are guilty
of breaking one commandment, we are guilty of breaking them all. Romans 3, further explains we are sinners.
Romans 3:20 tells us that the commandments make us conscious of our sin. There
is no way to be righteous on our own. We did not end our lesson there. We need
Jesus. Jesus took care of our problem. He came to take away the guilt of our
sin. He died on the cross to take the punishment we deserve. The children were
given a chance to see what happens when we trust that Jesus took our punishment
and we trust Him as our Savior. We crossed over a bridge in the form of a cross
and symbolically became clean of our sins. Jesus washes away our sins and He
sees us as righteous because of His sacrifice on the cross. We learned that we
don’t have to be perfect, but it is important to keep God’s commands because we love Him and want to please Him.
(Romans 6:1-2) This was a demonstration, of course. Afterwards, we asked if any
child has never trusted Jesus as Savior to talk to their parents or a teacher
or the pastor about this important decision.
In
Sunday School, the children learned about the tabernacle. Talk about your church with your kids. What
makes your church unique? Do you meet in a traditional church building structure,
or do you meet in a more temporary place? The tabernacle was built as a
temporary structure used to worship God and to house His presence. God’s
presence would lead the nation of Israel, and they would follow. Whenever His
presence would stop, the tabernacle would be set up for worship.
The tabernacle in the Old Testament was the
physical place where God’s Spirit dwelled as the Israelites journeyed to the
land God had promised Abraham. The tabernacle gives us a clear picture of God’s
desire to dwell with His people and to be worshiped by them. The word
tabernacle means “to dwell.” To show in the New Testament God’s desire for
dwelling with His people has not ended, He sent Jesus to tabernacle (dwell)
with people on earth.
Bible Passage: Exodus 35:4-40:38
Big Picture Question: What does the tabernacle show about God? God
wants to dwell with His people and be worshiped by them.
Key passage: “And
God spoke all these words, saying,
1. You
shall have no other gods before me.
2. You
shall not make for yourself a carved image.
3. You
shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
4.
Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
5.
Honor your father and your mother.
6. You
shall not murder.
7. You
shall not commit adultery.
8. You
shall not steal.
9. You
shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
10. You
shall not covet.”
Exodus 20:1-17
Christ Connection: God instructed the Israelites to build a tabernacle so that He could dwell with them. God desires to be with His people. As part of His plan of salvation, God sent Jesus to “tabernacle,” or dwell with people on earth.
Family task: Take a picture of the
place inside or outside your home where each family member feels closest to
God. What is special or beautiful about that place? Post your pictures or list
your thoughts.
Next
week's lesson: Leviticus
1-27
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