YEA Lesson Library
Out of Trouble
About This Lesson
Using the episode when the woman was caught in adultery, this lesson teaches that sin has consequences, but God is merciful to forgive us if we repent.
CAUTION: This lesson addresses sex outside of marriage.
Scriptures
Leviticus 20:10, 13
Proverbs 5:1-14
Proverbs 5:7-10
Proverbs 6:32-35
Matthew 5:27-28
John 8:1-11
1 Corinthians 6:15-20
Colossians 3:5-6
1 Thessalonians 4:2-5
Words to Know
ACCELERATE - to increase in speed; to go faster
PHARISEE - a member of a Jewish sect who strictly followed the oral law
ADULTERY - voluntary sexual intercourse with a person other than the one to whom he or she is legally married
The Lesson
Think ahead to the time when you are old enough to get you driver’s license. Nothing will be quite as exciting as taking the car out for a spin. Your friends will admire how cool you look behind the wheel. You can almost feel the power as you accelerate onto the street. Watch it, not too fast!
Somehow, this big step will be awesome! It will say that you’re grown up and you’ve gained some real freedom. But what happens every time you gain new freedoms? You get loaded with a heap of responsibility!
Mistakes behind the wheel of a car can be costly and even deadly! And you will be held accountable for what you do. Sometimes we don’t like to blame ourselves for the mistakes we make. It’s sooooo easy to blame someone else. Take a look at some real samples of insurance accident forms published in The Toronto Sun newspaper:
“Coming home, I drove into the wrong house and collided with a tree I don’t have.”
“My car was legally parked as it backed into the other vehicle.”
“The telephone pole was approaching fast. I was attempting to swerve out of its path when it struck my front end.”
It’s easy to mess up, especially when you first start driving. It’s also easy to mess up from time to time in life in general.
It was dawn. An unexpected event happened when Jesus was getting ready to teach a crowd of people gathered around Him in the Temple. In walked the teachers of the law and the Pharisees with a very scared woman. They placed her right in front of this crowd of people so everyone could stare at her. She had really messed up!
“‘Teacher,’ they said to Jesus, ‘this woman was caught in the very act of adultery. Moses’ law says to kill her. What about it?’” This woman couldn’t come up with any excuse that would save her life. She didn’t even try to be creative, as the people who put those statements we just read on their insurance accident forms. You might say she was caught red-handed and red-faced. As the men who brought her in pointed out, being caught in the act of adultery was a death sentence – it meant that she could be stoned to death.
Often people don’t admit to the real problem that is bothering them. As awful as this woman’s sin was, it wasn’t what was really bothering the teachers of the law and the Pharisees. If this act of adultery had really made them mad, why didn’t they bring in the man as well? He was equally as guilty of this sin, and the death penalty applied to him just like it did to the woman. These men were using this incident as an excuse to trap Jesus. They wanted to find something to use against Him.
Jesus was far too wise for them to trap Him. He stooped down and wrote something in the dirt. What do you think He wrote? Could He have listed all of their sins – the time that some of them may have committed adultery? They kept demanding an answer as He wrote. Jesus stood up and looked them in the eyes. “All right, hurl the stones at her until she dies. But only he who never sinned may throw the first!”
Jesus stooped down again and began to write in the dirt. Maybe this time He included the name of the person with whom they may have committed adultery. While He was writing the Pharisees and teachers of the law silently slipped away one by one. The oldest person left first and they followed in the order of their ages.
Jesus was now alone with this woman. As He stood up He asked, “’Where are those men who accused you? Didn’t anyone condemn you?’ ‘No sir,’ she said. And Jesus said, ‘Neither do I. Go and sin no more.’” What a beautiful ending to this story. What the woman did was wrong! But Jesus is so merciful that He did not condemn her. Even though He did not condemn her, there were still consequences. The removal of the death penalty doesn’t mean that a person will pay no consequences.
“LISTEN TO ME, my son! I know what I am saying; listen! Watch yourself, lest you be indiscreet and betray some vital information. For the lips of a prostitute are as sweet as honey, and smooth flattery is her stock in trade. But afterwards only a bitter conscience is left to you, sharp as a double edged sword. She leads you down to death and hell. . . Run from her! Don’t go near her house, lest you fall to her temptation and lose your honor, and give your life to the cruel and merciless; lest strangers obtain your wealth. . . Lest afterwards you groan in anguish and in shame, when syphilis consumes your body, and you say, ‘Oh, if only I had listened! If only I had not demanded my own way! Oh, why wouldn’t I take advice? Why was I so stupid? For now I must face public disgrace’” (Proverbs 5:1-14 TLB). Do you think this woman may have lived with public disgrace for the rest of her life? Sexual sins have so many bad consequences without Jesus condemning her. Only sex in marriage is safe and has God’s blessings.
In different ways, we all mess up from time to time. When you’re in trouble, go to Jesus Christ. He is merciful and forgiving. If you will confess your sins He will forgive you.
Student Prayer
Loving and Merciful Father,
Thank you for not condemning the woman who was caught in the act of adultery. Thank you for your limitless mercy. Grant me the power to always keep your commandments and to stay out of trouble. When I do mess up, help me to be quick to confess my sins and receive your forgiveness and mercy.
It’s in Jesus’ name I pray.
Amen.
Daily Devotions
Sunday - Leviticus 20:10, 13
Monday - Proverbs 6:32-35
Tuesday - Matthew 5:27-28
Wednesday - 1 Corinthians 6:15-17
Thursday - 1 Corinthians 6:18-20
Friday - Colossians 3:5-6
Saturday - 1 Thessalonians 4:2-5
Objectives
At the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
1. Discuss the greatness of God’s mercy.
2. Explain that the way out of trouble is going to God and confessing our sins.
3. List seven consequences for sexual sins.
4. State that if they don’t show mercy, they will receive no mercy.
Topics & Themes
Adultery
Consequences of Sin
Mercy
Repentance
Sin
Wisdom
Materials Needed
Bible, YEA students and teacher’s books, attendance and memory verse charts, large piece of brown paper, marker pen, strips of paper for drawing parts for the role play, songbook, CD/cassette tape and music player
How to Teach This Lesson
Begin the lesson by asking: How many of you are already taking driver’s ed? Why do you look forward to getting your drivers licenses? There were three statements from The Toronto Sun newspaper included in your lesson. Which one was your favorite and why? Go around the room and let each one give their favorite.
Now have the students draw for parts and have them role play the story in this lesson. Try to include all of the students. If your class is large, some of the students can be a part of the crowd of people gathered around Jesus in the Temple. Have each one come up with at least one statement to make as they act out this story. There can be several “teachers of the law” and Pharisees. Let the students use their lesson and allow each person to come up with their own script. If the class is very small, you may want to draw for one of the parts. Instead of Jesus writing on the ground, provide a large piece of brown paper and a marker pen. Allow the person playing this part to come up with what he thinks Jesus wrote on the ground.
After the students finish roleplaying, debrief with the following questions:
How would you describe the woman who was caught in the very act of adultery? Why do you think the teachers of the law and the Pharisees didn’t bring the man in as well? How do you feel about them only bringing in the woman? Was that fair? Why or why not?
What words do you think Jesus wrote on the ground? Why? There was no doubt that the woman had committed a sin deserving of being stoned. Why do you think Jesus did not condemn her? How do you feel about all of the men, who accused her, leaving after Jesus wrote on the ground? In what order did they leave?
What do you think is the most important lesson for us to learn from this story? Why? Even though Jesus did not condemn the woman for adultery, do you think there were no consequences for her? What do you think they were? What were the consequences for those men who accused her? Have one of the students read James 2:13. What does this say to you? If you don’t show mercy, when your time comes to need it, you won’t be shown mercy.
What is the best way for you to get out of trouble when you mess up? Ask one of the students to read 1 John 1:9. Ask: To receive this incredible promise, what do you have to do? “Confess” comes from a word that means, “to call it the same thing.” In other words you call a sin, sin. You say it’s wrong. You don’t try to whitewash it and make it sound better than it is. God doesn’t want any excuses. He doesn’t want you to blame someone else. We need to tell God that this is sin and ask Him to forgive us. This is the way out of trouble.
Teacher-Directed Activity
Doing the role play as a part of the lesson is the activity for today. It will take time for the students to prepare their parts, play them out and then analyze the lesson through debriefing.
REACH Activity
Memory Verse Spotlight
The Book of Proverbs is chock-full of applications for daily living. There are lessons for everyone to learn from and advice on a variety of topics. The YEA memory verse for this lesson is specific in its topic and is best read in full context. Read chapter 5 in its entirety. In your Bible notebook explain the cause-and-effect relationship between adultery and godly living. Discuss why the author of the Book of Proverbs included the admonitions “listen” and “pay attention.”
Where in the World?
Mercy is a concept or idea that can sometimes be confusing or difficult to understand. Remember, mercy does not mean forgetting that a wrong has been committed, or that a consequence won’t be exacted or given. Mercy is. . . what? The Bible has many references to mercy and examples of people who demonstrated it. Search the Scriptures for the meaning of mercy. In your Bible notebook write the word “Mercy” and the names and circumstances of people who demonstrated mercy towards others. What does James 2:13 mean to you? Discuss this as a class or family. Are there other Scriptures that you can find to support James?
They Did What Back Then?
What was the penalty for adultery in biblical days? What penalty did a murderer or robber have to pay? What penalties exist today for these actions or crimes? Do you agree with the penalties, and why or why not? Discuss this topic with your family or class.
Making It Mine
Sin is only sin if you get caught. What do you think about that statement? That’s how some people act. Their behavior says, “I can do this as long as no one finds out.” But that’s a lie—a dangerous lie. All sin has consequences. Some consequences are immediate. Some consequences don’t show up until years later. Some consequences are visible. Some consequences are hidden in your mind. All sins have the consequence of damaging your relationship with God. And once a sin is done, it cannot be undone.
The pressure to sin sexually is great in today’s society. So, my advice echoes the Apostle Paul’s advice: pray unceasingly (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Talk to Jesus in your thoughts throughout the day until it becomes a habit. Pray to Him as you would talk to your best friend, telling Him your thoughts and fears until you know that He is with you everywhere. Then when you find yourself tempted by a situation that could lead to sin, you will be aware of Jesus’ presence. You won’t want to take Him into that situation.
Pray daily that He delivers you from temptation and helps you find a way to get away from it quickly (Matthew 6:13).
Worldview Collision
A biblical worldview says sex the way God intended it, in marriage, is good. Other worldviews vary from saying that if it feels good you should do it, to concepts of polygamy, to many other perverted ideas of sexuality. The truth is that sex outside of marriage is sexual sin. Why? Because God says so.
Song
“I Have Decided to Follow Jesus” is on page 60 of The Group Songbook.
Closing Prayer
Have the students form a circle and hold hands as one of the students leads in prayer. Suggest that the person offering the prayer thank God for His mercy and for showing us the way to get out of trouble.
Printable Pages
