YE4E.1 · Activity Page
Genesis 1:1-31
Genesis 1:31
Genesis 2:1-3
John 1:1-5
Ephesians 3:7-10
Colossians 1:15-17
Hebrews 1:1-2
Revelation 3:14-18
DARWINISM - life originates out of nonliving chemicals and evolves to a higher level
EVOLUTION - a process of continuous change from a lower, single cell or worse, to a higher, more complex, or better state
CREATE- to make something new
GENETIC- relating to or determined by the origin. It comes from the word, "gene"
Teaching the Lesson:
Legacy Lesson: Student book/Teacher book - Chance - Creation Complexity - TeachingTime: 45 mins.
Lesson Prep - Teacher book - Time: 30 mins.
Song: “Morning Has Broken” - The Group Songbook (pg. 7) - Time: 5-7 mins.
How Did It All Begin? Student book - Time: 20 mins.
Ten-Week Memory Challenge: Psalm 8
REACH Activities
Memory Verse Spotlight
Where in the World? Eden
They Did What Back Then? Interdependency
Making It Mine: Psalm 8
Worldview Collisions: Creation vs. Evolution
Questions
Awesome Creator God,
Thank you so much for creating this universe and putting me in it. Thank you for wanting me to be a part of your family. This is so awesome to think about. Open my mind to fully understand the truth of creation, "Thy Word is truth." Forgive me for ever doubting you.
It's in the Word of God's name that I pray.
Amen.
Sunday: John 1:1-5
Monday: Colossians 1:15-17
Tuesday: Hebrews 1:1-2
Wednesday: Ephesians 3:7-10
Thursday: Revelation 3: 14-18
Friday: Genesis 1:1-8
Saturday: Genesis 1:9-13
Genesis 1:26-31
Genesis 2:10-25
Psalm 50:9-12
Romans 1:16-21
Hebrews 2:6-7
Hebrews 2:6-10
BENEDICTION- a blessing; something that promotes goodness or well being
CONVEY - to impart or communicate by statement, suggestion, gesture, or appearances; to transfer to another
If you were going to do something really, really special, say throw the party of the century, and had all the necessary resources, how would you plan and decorate for it? What if you had all the space in the world? Would you create lakes, ponds, and rivers with little fish and big fish in them? Would you erect mountains, layout meadows, and plant gardens with flowers and trees? Would you bring in exotic birds, beautiful butterflies, and all kinds of animals? Would you include in your building project special lighting to create the exact effect you want?
God was getting ready to do something really neat - the neatest thing of all. In the first five days of creation He had created, constructed, and decorated a world starting from nothing. He divided the waters from land and made ponds, streams, seas, rivers, and oceans, and put fish of all types and sizes in them. He planted grass, flowers, flowering trees, fruit trees, and trees of every variety. He planted vegetables, berries, and fruit. And he hung the stars, moon, and sun in the sky. But why all of this? God wasn't just going to throw a party. He was getting ready to do something very special. It was so special that He spent five days with the help of the one who became Jesus Christ and all the angels to make and decorate the world for this big happening. But it was far more than just decorating a world for a big happening. God was creating exactly the right environment for this "happening." What was this big happening?
God was about to create man - the crowning glory of His creation! Puppy dogs that could run and play, learn tricks, and fetch were very nice. Furry kittens that could climb up on His lap could be enjoyable. God could take delight in seeing the deer, bears, lions, kangaroos, and elephants walk across the grass to get a drink from a pond. But none of these creatures was His ultimate goal. He wanted someone He could communicate with in a much different way. He wanted a kind of being that could fully appreciate His creation. He wanted to start a family with people made in His very own image. This was a huge decision worthy of the best preparation and construction He could give it. He had something special for man. This was the reason He had made al of these plans, created such an environment, and worked so hard. Man was the point of Creation!
"A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters. The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. (The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin and onyx are also there.) The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush. The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Asshur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates" (Genesis 2:10-14 NIV).
God reached down and picked up some dirt and formed man in His own image. Then He breathed into him the breath of life. God didn't do this with any other creature. Then He put man in the Garden of Eden. He brought all of the birds, beasts of the field, fish, and every living thing He had created to this man called Adam to name. What a delightful project! What do you think the animal's or critter's personality and how it looked had to do with its name? When Adam was finished naming all of God's creation, Adam realized that there wasn't an animal there that was suitable to be a helper for him - there was no other human being.
God saw that it was not good for man to be alone. So God caused Adam to fall into a deep sleep and He performed the first operation. He took one of Adam's ribs and closed up the incision. From this rib God made a woman. Adam needed someone of the opposite sex. After all, all of the other animals had a partner of the opposite sex. He needed a wife to do things that he wasn't capable of doing. He needed a wife to love him and to be the mother of his children. God saw that this was very good. He commanded them to be fruitful and multiply and to fill the earth. God gave a divine benediction on the this first couple by blessing them, telling them to fill the earth, and putting the entire universe under their rule or dominion.
Man hasn't found out how to create life on purpose. We can put two lives together and get the same species. But you always get the same kind. Never will a human being produce a dog or a cat. This is the way God planned it. So what is God up to?
The Book of Genesis begins with a great celebration of life. Life is rare! Life is precious! Life is valuable! God made man in His image. He saw this was very good. Genesis conveys the truth that God created all. It's said with emotion and truth. Genesis calls on man to bow before the great Architect. Isn't it awesome to realize that God desired to have you created and put on this earth? What kind of responsibility does that carry with it? He wants you to be like Him. He wants you to be a member of His family. Are you willing to do what it takes?
Awesome God,
You are the greatest Architect. You are so wonderful to create planet earth so beautiful, with everything I need, and put me on it. This gives me an enormous responsibility to praise and worship you and live a life that honors you in all that I do. Help me each day to please you.
In Jesus' name I pray.
Amen.
Sunday: Hebrews 2:6-7
Monday: Genesis 1:26-28
Tuesday: Genesis 2:10-17
Wednesday: Genesis 2: 18-25
Thursday: Psalm 50:9-12
Friday: Romans 1:16-21
Saturday: Hebrews 2:9-10
Genesis 1:31
Genesis 2:1-3
Leviticus 19:3, 30
Deuteronomy 5:12
Psalm 118:24
Isaiah 58:13-14
Ezekiel 20:10-20
Mark 2:27
ARBITRARY - based on or determined by individual preference or convenience rather than by necessity or the intrinsic nature of something
ENCUMBERED - weighed down, burdened
When your dad took you in his arms for the very first time, was this the happiest day of his life? How do you think he felt when he realized that he had reproduced himself. He had given you, a human being, a chance at life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. He saw great potential in you. He could visualize you taking your first step, going off to the first grade, graduating from high school, and leaving home for college. He could see that this little wrinkled baby would someday be a beautiful bride in a white wedding gown walking down the aisle on his arm. Then it would be your turn to marry and have a family.
How do you think God felt when He looked at Adam and Eve and saw what He had created? He saw great potential in them. He told them to be fruitful and multiply. And He wanted their children to continue bearing children so that the earth would be populated. God would eventually have a very large family. He visualized Adam and Eve as His very own son and daughter. He could share in their pleasures and successes. He looked forward to them living with Him for all eternity. But for them to do that, they would be required to do what He said.
Is there a man anywhere who could devise such a wonderful plan and follow through with creating it? Is there a man anywhere who could do all of this so perfectly the very first time he tried? We all know that there isn't. So how can anyone think that the universe, solar system, animal and vegetable life, and man came about by accident? They were purposefully planned, designed, and created with a lot of love for God's children - you and me.
This had been an awesome week for God. Never has so much been accomplished in such a short period of time - just six days. "God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning - the sixth day. "Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. "By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy. Because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done" (Genesis 1:31-2:3 NIV).
God's creative work was finished. It was totally effective, absolutely perfect, and "very good." Did God rest because He was tired? God is Spirit and isn't encumbered with flesh and bones that tire. But the Bible tells us that He was refreshed from His rest. Then why was He refreshed? There was so much to feast His eyes on and so much to enjoy. There was so much satisfaction in what He had created. He saw beauty, excitement, and tranquility beyond belief.
So how do you think God celebrated this first Sabbath day? It must have been cool watching young animals romp and play, graze, and drink. God saw the birds fly, make nests, mate, feed their young, and the babies learn to fly. There was no pollution, so streams were crystal clear. Fish of every kind could easily be seen swimming down stream to spawn. Yes, everything worked perfectly just as God had designed it to do. It was a great Sabbath day! And that was enough to refresh anyone.
Our Creator rested to commemorate the completion of a work that didn't have to be repeated, revised, or repaired.The seventh day is a memorial of creation that we celebrate every Sabbath. God gives us 24 hours each week to sleep, enjoy His awesome creation, allow our minds to feast on His Word, and to become just a little more like Him. We too can be refreshed every seventh day.
God didn't create the Sabbath day to put arbitrary restrictions on you. Out of love for you, He put in place a day of rest every seven days - the seventh day. We learned in lesson one that Jesus Christ was the One who created all things. He is "the Lord of the Sabbath" (Luke 6:5). He says: "The Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath" (Mark 2:27). It was made to give you 24 hours every week to set aside your work and your pleasures and to rest as He did.
Then how can we say that God hasn't put arbitrary restrictions on you? The guidelines He has given you are part of the plan and design He put into creation. It was done with a purpose. It was done with love for you. Keeping the Sabbath holy has long-term and short-term benefits for you. "If you keep the Sabbath holy, not having your own fun and business on that day, but enjoying the Sabbath and speaking of it with delight as the Lord's holy day, and honoring the Lord in what you do, not following your own desires and pleasure, nor talking idly - then the Lord will be your delight, and I will see to it that you ride high, and get your full share of the blessings I promised to Jacob, your father. The Lord has spoken" (Isaiah 58:13-14 TLB).
God also looked at you at your birth and saw another potential son to live happily. There are laws that govern happiness, and keeping the Sabbath holy is one of them. These laws were not based on, or determined by, individual preference or for God's convenience. They are in the nature of things and God's nature is love.
Are you tired of being low man on the totem pole or at the bottom of the pecking order. God promises that He will see to it that you will ride high, and get your full share of blessings, if you keep the Sabbath as He intends it be kept. The ball is in your court. What are you going to do about it?
Dear Lord of the Sabbath,
Thank you for loving me so much that you gave me a day when I can rest, feast on your Word, and become a little more like you. Help me to always please you in the way that I celebrate your Sabbath day.
In Jesus' name I pray.
Amen.
Sunday: Genesis 2:1-3
Monday: Isaiah 58:13-14
Tuesday: Mark 2:27
Wednesday: Leviticus 19:3, 30
Thursday: Deuteronomy 5:12
Friday: Psalm 118:24
Saturday: Ezekiel 20:10-20
Genesis 2:9-17
Genesis 3:1-24
Deuteronomy 30:16-21
Romans 3:23-25
Romans 6:20-22
Romans 6:23
ENORMITY - very great size, extent, or seriousness
God made Adam a wife. He and Eve lived in the perfect spot - the Garden of Eden. They rested on the Sabbath day and enjoyed God's awesome creation. This place was cool, man! It was a real paradise with fruit, berries, and vegetables better than you've ever tasted.
"At the center of the garden he placed the Tree of Life, and also the Tree of Conscience, giving knowledge of Good and Bad. A river from the land of Eden flowed through the garden to water it; afterwards the river divided into four branches . . . "The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden as its gardener, to tend and care for it. But the Lord God gave the man this warning: 'You may eat any fruit in the garden except fruit from the Tree of Conscience - for its fruit will open your eyes to make you aware of right and wrong, good and bad. If you eat its fruit, you will be doomed to die.” (Genesis 2:15-17)
Adam and Eve now had The Choice to make. They could eat all the luscious fruit from this garden that they wanted except the fruit of that one tree. How difficult do you think it would have been to stay away from the fruit on just one tree in the center of the garden? Do you think that you could have done it?
Adam and Eve had no other people around to influence them. So they had no peer pressure to eat the wrong fruit. But guess who did show up? Satan showed up to speak to Eve in the form of a serpent. He was the craftiest of all creatures that God had made. He asked, "Really? ... None of the fruit in the garden? God says you mustn't eat any of it?" Now that was crafty, wasn't it? He is totally misquoting God. Eve knew this was a lie because she corrected him. "It's only the fruit from the tree at the center of the garden that we are not to eat. God says we mustn't eat it or even touch it, or we will die."
Obviously Satan had no fear of God or regard for His Word. He said, "That's a lie!" "You'll not die! God knows very well that the instant you eat it you will become like him, for your eyes will be opened - you will be able to distinguish good from evil!"
Eve's first mistake was not telling Satan to get out of there - fast! She gave him time to tempt her. He put in her mind the evil desire for the fruit that God had said they should not eat or there would be terrible consequences - death! But she tasted it. Like so many sins, it tasted good, so she gave some to Adam, her husband, and he ate it. Immediately everything changed. When God created them, there was no need for God to make clothing for them, the weather was perfect and they were husband and wife. So God put them in the Garden of Eden in their birthday suits. They were not aware, embarrassed, nor ashamed of their nudity. But not so any longer. They realized they were naked and were embarrassed. So they began stringing fig leaves together to make garments for them to wear.
The sun was near setting and they heard God walking in the garden. Quickly they hid themselves among the trees. God called to Adam, "Why are you hiding?" Adam replied that he heard God coming and didn't want God to see him in his birthday suit. God wanted to know how he knew he was naked and asked if he had eaten the fruit from the tree that He warned them not to eat. Adam was at least man enough to admit that he had eaten the fruit, but he was unwilling to accept his full responsibility. He said, "But it was the woman you gave me who brought me some, and I ate it." Did you notice that he proceeded to blame God - the very One who told him not to eat it. God turned to Eve and asked her how could she make this kind of choice? It wasn't as though they were going hungry or having inferior food to eat. Well, she blamed the serpent. Talk about finger pointing, it's been here since the beginning.
God then told the serpent, Adam, and Eve what their curse and punishment would be. He told the serpent, "You shall grovel in the dust as long as you live, crawling along on your belly." He told the woman that child birth would bring intense pain. "And to Adam, God said, 'Because you listened to your wife and ate the fruit when I told you not to, I have placed a curse upon the soil. All your life you will struggle to extract a living from it. It will grow thorns and thistles for you, and you shall eat its grasses. All your life you will sweat to master it, until your dying day. Then you will return to the ground from which you came. For you were made from the ground, and to the ground you will return." Then God made Adam and Eve clothes from animals' skins.
This was the very first sin that man had committed. Look at its enormity and impact on human beings even to this day. Women still have painful childbirth, the ground still grows thorns and thistles, man has to work hard to earn a living, and we will all die and return to the ground. Sin, or disobedience to God, is not a small thing. Sin has enormous, lingering consequences. It's like Humpty Dumpty's great fall. All the kings men and all the king's horses couldn’t put Humpty Dumpty back together again. Adam and Eve were driven from their beautiful paradise garden and couldn't return. Even though we can repent of our sins and God will forgive us, things will never be the same again. It's in the nature of things that there are consequences. This is why it's so important that you think twice before you make The Choice.
*All Scripture verses are taken from Genesis 2 & 3 out of The Living Bible.
Holy Creator,
I stand in awe of you. You created man and put him in the beautiful Garden of Eden and gave him everything he needed, yet he and his wife had evil desires and sinned. We live with the lingering consequences to this day. Help me to think twice and always make The Choice you would have me make.
In Jesus’ name.
Amen.
Sunday: Genesis 2:9-17
Monday: Genesis 3:1-14
Tuesday: Genesis 3:15-24
Wednesday: Romans 6:20-22
Thursday: Romans 3:23-25
Friday: Deuteronomy 30:19-21
Saturday: Deuteronomy 30:16-18
Genesis 4:1-16
Proverbs 4:23
James 1:13-15
James 4:1-3
1 John 3:1-24
1 John 4:1-20
DESIRE - to long or hope for, to express a wish for
PROGRESSIVE - moving forward or onward; advancing, increasing in extent of severity
CONCEIVED - to form or develop in one’s mind, in this case
Sophie hated her little brother, Todd, because Mom seemed to favor him. Whatever Todd did, Mom was happy with him. But not so with Sophie. When Sophie was assigned household chores, she would get distracted with her favorite TV programs. After all, she needed to see what all of her other friends were watching. Mom had assigned Sophie the jobs of keeping her room tidy and cleaning the kitchen after meals. Sophie simply didn't have her heart in doing these things, so she did a really sloppy job.
Sophie blamed her mother by saying, "Mom is a perfectionist and hard to please." This wasn't the attitude that Sophie's mother wanted to see. Sophie lived in this home and was part of a team. Doing chores was Sophie's contribution to making the family comfortable, happy, and successful. Through doing these chores, Sophie would not only lighten the load for her working mom, she would learn many things she could use in the future about organizing, planning, and developing good household skills. So Mom took privileges from Sophie because of her bad attitude and for the poor job she was doing.
Mom restricted Sophie’s TV watching. Then Sophie became more resentful of Mom and Todd. She became self-absorbed in her own self-pity. She asked her friends, "What can I do to get even with Todd?" Devising a scheme to get at Sophie's little brother was a lot of fun for these girls. They put their heads together and came up with several ideas. Some were vetoed by Sophie because she knew she'd be in trouble with her dad. Then the thought occurred to Sophie that Todd was doing a big project for school. "How can I sabotage him?" she asked her friends. She had heard Todd say that he had to make a model and give a speech using a CD. Everyone agreed that she should steal his CD. The more she thought about it the better she liked it. She knew this was a great project that counted toward Todd's final grade. That night she snuck into his room and stole the CD out of his bag and hid it.
Todd had worked hard on this assignment and went to class feeling confident that he’d make an A. As he was called to do his presentation, he reached into his bag and the CD was nowhere to be found. He got a B rather than his usual A, and Sophie was delighted. What happened to the CD remained a family mystery. But Sophie knew very well where it was. We all know that this is certainly not the first time that siblings have deceived one another.
Cain was the very first human baby to be born - ever! He was Adam and Eve’s first son. Then his brother, Abel, was born. Abel grew up taking care of the flocks, and Cain was a farmer, working the soil. When God blesses us with increase, whether in money, animals, or produce, an offering to God should be made. “Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.
"Then the LORD said to Cain, 'Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door, it desires to have you, but you must master it" (Genesis 4:4- 7NIV). Now we see that sin is stalking Cain, but why? Let's read a little further.
"Now Cain said to his brother Abel, 'Let's go out to the field.' And while they were in the field Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him” (Verse 8). Look what has happened. The very first person to ever be born commits the very first murder. You can be sure that this wasn't the first problem these siblings ever had.
James 1:13-15 tells us that there is a progression of things that takes place when you're tempted to sin and you don't squelch it immediately. "When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.' For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death" (NIV).
Being tempted is not a sin. It's how you handle the temptation that's vitally important. There's a six-letter word in the verse above that needs to be remembered. It is "desire." We all long, hope, or wish for things. There are good desires and bad desires. Sophie didn't desire that Todd do the best possible job on his presentation. Cain didn’t wish Abel well. Their desires were evil. James is telling us that we must nip sin in the bud at the "desire" point. When a thought comes into our minds, we have a choice as to what we will do with it. Is it good, or is it bad? If it's a bad thought or desire, put it out of your mind. Don't allow it to come back, conceive, give birth to sin, become full-grown, and give birth to death. That's exactly what happened with Cain.
Satan is described in 1 Peter 5:8 as a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. He is always looking for a tiny chink in your armor. Once he gets a toehold in, he just keeps gradually working away until he has a foothold. He never gives up. But you have a choice each step of the way. It’s much better to guard the doors of your mind. If you have a wrong desire, throw it out. What will you do to be sure your heart and attitude are always right?
Great Creator God,
Thank you for your creation! Thank you for the lesson we have just read. It has helped me to see the importance of choosing to
get rid of every evil desire. Sin is Stalking and it can lead to murder. Help me to nip every evil thought in the bud from the very beginning.
In Jesus' name I pray.
Amen.
Sunday: Genesis 4:1-8
Monday: Genesis 4:9-16
Tuesday: James 1:13-15
Wednesday: Proverbs 4:23
Thursday: James 4:1-3
Friday: 1 John 3-4
Saturday: 1 John 3:10-17
Genesis 6:1-22
Genesis 6:11
Genesis 7:1-24
Genesis 8:20-22
Luke 17:26-27
1 Thessalonians 5:15-22
VICIOUS - marked by violence, immorality; malicious, spiteful
DEPRAVED - corrupt morally
"A jury sentenced Chante Mallard to 50 years in prison Friday for hitting a man on a highway, driving home with his mangled body stuck in the windshield and parking in her garage, where he clung to life for up to two agonizing hours." She admitted to going into her house and having sex with her boyfriend while this man lodged in her windshield begged for her to help him.
Mallard testified that Mr. Biggs, a homeless man, moaned while his nearly severed leg was on her dashboard. Her mind was fuzzy from drugs so she didn't even call 911 for help, nor did she, as a nurses aid, try to save his life. Friends helped her cut his body out of the windshield and take it to a park where they dumped it. This is one of the most heartless, cruel crimes in recent news. And it shows how far our nation has come toward being Rotten to the Core.
Incidents such as this were unheard of just a few decades ago. But there has been another time in history when "the crime rate was rising rapidly across the earth, and, as seen by God, the world was rotten to the core. God said to Noah, "I have decided to destroy all mankind; for the earth is filled with crime because of man. Yes, I will destroy mankind from the earth!" Wow! Things must have been really awful for God to decide to take such final steps. But it was time to do something.
In all of this wickedness, there was one man who had not participated in this evil. He made the right choices in his life and was truly a righteous man. He always tried to conduct his affairs according to God's will. His name was Noah, who had three sons - Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
God gave Noah instructions to make a boat that was “450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high. Construct a skylight all the way around the ship, eighteen inches below the roof; and make three decks inside the boat - a bottom, middle, and upper deck - and put a door in the side.”
God told Noah that He was going to cover the earth with a flood and destroy every living being. But He promised to keep Noah, his wife, his three sons, and their wives safe. God followed with instructions to "bring a pair of every animal - a male and a female - into the boat with you, to keep them alive through the flood. Bring in a pair of each kind of bird and animal and reptile. Store away in the boat all the food that they and you will need."
Noah could have feared how he would be viewed by his peers. He was out on dry land building this huge boat with not a lake, sea, or ocean in sight. Do you think Noah was ridiculed by his peers? Do you think there was a constant stream of sightseers strolling by to see what "Nutty Noah" was up to today? Trusting God for the outcome was no easier for Noah than for you.
Five-hundred year-old Noah believed God, and he got busy with the project He gave him to do. "FINALLY, THE DAY came when the Lord said to Noah, Go into the boat with all your family, for among all the people of the earth, I consider you alone to be righteous. Bring in the animals, too - a pair of each, except those kinds I have chosen for eating and for sacrifice: take seven pairs of each of them, and seven pairs of every kind of bird. Thus there will be every kind of life reproducing again after the flood has ended. One week from today I will begin forty days and nights of rain; and all the animals and birds and reptiles I have made will die!”
Noah, his wife, his three sons, and their wives boarded the boat. Along came all the animals two by two. What a sight that must have been! There probably wasn't a cloud in sight as they entered the ark, but Noah did exactly as God said for him to do.
“In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, on the seventeenth day of the second month—on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened” (Genesis 7:11, NIV). That was the very day that Noah and his family went into the boat. And that was the day Noah's peers, who may have poked fun at him, climbed to the highest ground. Then they sought out the tallest trees to ascend, trying to get above the water and save their lives. Do you think all of those sightseers were still calling Noah "Nutty Noah?"
For 40 days the rain kept coming down hard. It covered the ground and the boat started floating safely. Finally the waters covered the high mountains. All humans, birds, domestic and wild animals, and reptiles died in this flood except for those safe in the ark. The water covered the earth for 150 days - five long
months .
Why is this important to you? It's all too easy to begin thinking that the evils of this world aren't so bad and it doesn't matter if you dabble in them - just a little. This world can be compared with a sinking ship, rather than the ark that saved Noah and his family. The sinking ship has people on it who will run over a homeless man and watch him die without ever calling 911. It is crime ridden and drug infested. It has mothers who will have their babies killed through abortion or leave their newborn in a trash can to die. It's Rotten to The Core!
Noah was the only truly righteous man living on the earth, and he and his family were saved because they did what God said. We don’t know when God is going to say, "enough is enough." We do know that He destroyed all but one family before. Are you willing to leave the world that is Rotten to The Core and get on the safely floating ark with God? Then you must trust Him and be willing to put God first in all your ways.
Righteous Father,
Thank you for this lesson that shows me how bad this world has been and how bad it can get. Thank you that Noah didn't let his peers keep him from obeying you. Help me not to ride this world's sinking ship to destruction, but to follow you each step of the way to safety.
In Jesus' name I pray.
Amen.
Sunday: Genesis 6: 1-4
Monday: Genesis 6:5-8
Tuesday: Genesis 6: 9-13
Wednesday: Genesis 6:14-22
Thursday: Genesis 8:20-22
Friday: Luke 17:26-27
Saturday: 1 Thessalonians 5:15-22
Genesis 11:26-32
Genesis 12:1-3
Genesis 15:1-21
Genesis 16:1-15
Genesis 16:12
Genesis 17:1-9
Habakkuk 3:19
Hebrews 11:8-13
GENEALOGY- an account of a person's ancestors; the study of family pedigrees.
DESCENDANTS - proceeding from an ancestor or source
There is computer software that can help you search your genealogy. It can help you make your way back in history to see who all of your relatives were. You may be related to a president, king, queen, another rich and famous person, or even a criminal. You might learn all kinds of neat things. If this software was able to take you back several thousands of years, you might just find that a man named Abram was in your genealogy.
Who was Abram and why would you want to find him in your genealogy? He was one of Terah's three sons - Abram, Nahor, and Haran. He married a beautiful lady named Sarai and they couldn't have children.
After Abram's father died God told him, "Leave your own country behind you, and your own people, and go to the land I will guide you to. If you do, I will cause you to become the father of a great nation; I will bless you and make your name famous, and you will be a blessing to many others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you; and the entire world will be blessed because of you." Abram and Sarai got up and left their country as God instructed them.
Would you like to have A Rich and Famous Relative like this? All he had to do was leave his country and go where God guided him and he would be famous and a blessing to others. But that's not all. God's blessing would extend to those who blessed Abram. But the flip side of the coin was a curse on those who cursed him. Did you notice that the entire world would be blessed because of Abram. Now that's a relative to have! We all like blessings, don't we?
Arguably the most important part of God’s blessing to Abram was that he would become the father of a great nation. Abram must have wondered at this!! He was childless! Abram was a very wealthy man with many servants, but you can’t be a father without having a child.
God spoke to Abram in a vision and said, "Don't be fearful, Abram, for I will defend you. And I will give you great blessings.
"But Abram replied, O Lord Jehovah, what good are all your blessings when I have no son? For without a son, some other member of my household will inherit all my wealth.'" God assured him that he would have a son. He took Abram out to look at the sky and told him to count the stars if he could. “Your descendants will be like that - too many to count!' And Abram believed God; then God considered him righteous on account of his faith." Have you ever tried to count the stars on a dark night? Think about it. This one man's descendants would be too many to count.
Abram had a vision of terrible foreboding, darkness, and horror. God told him that his descendants would become slaves to foreigners for 400 years. "But I will punish the nation that enslaves them, and at the end they will come away with great wealth." As the sun set God made a covenant with Abram: "| have given this land to your descendants from the Wadi-el-Arish to the Euphrates River.”
But Sarai still didn't have a child and she doubted that God would fulfill His promise to her and Abram. So she gave her Egyptian maid and gave her to Abram to have a child by him. Hagar gave birth to Ishmael. What do you think it cost Sarai for not trusting God to give her and Abram a son of their very own? Her answer to the problem didn't come close to a good solution. Sarai became jealous of her maid and she beat her and ran her off. Much of the Arab world are descendants of Ishmael. Most of the problems and fighting in that part of the world even today, especially with Israel, are the lingering consequences of this one mistake of not trusting God.
God appeared to Abram when he was 99 years old. He said, “Obey me and live as you should. I will prepare a contract between us, guaranteeing to make you into a mighty nation. In fact you shall be the father of not only one nation, but a multitude of nations!' Abram fell face downward in the dust as God talked with him.”
God then changed Abram's name to Abraham which means “Father of Nations.” And He changed Sarai's name to Sarah which means “Princess.” God promised that kings would be their descendants - so some of the multitude of nations would have kings. God told Abraham that his part of this contract was to obey its terms and that all of his descendants should have this responsibility.
Sarah became pregnant even though she and Abraham were very old and past the childbearing age. But God fulfilled his promise to them even after they messed things up. Our God is so merciful and trustworthy and He always keeps His promises.
Merciful and trustworthy Father,
Thank you for keeping your promise to Abraham even after he and Sarah had taken matters into their own hands. Help me to always remember the lingering consequences that followed this, even down to this very day. Give me the will and strength to always obey and follow you.
In Jesus' name I pray.
Amen.
Sunday: Genesis 11:26-29
Monday: Genesis 12:1-3
Tuesday: Genesis 16:1-12
Wednesday: Genesis 16:13-15
Thursday: Genesis 17:1-9
Friday: Habakkuk 3:19
Saturday: Hebrews 11:8-13
Genesis 19:1-29
Exodus 22:19
Leviticus 18:22-23
Deuteronomy 23:17
Proverbs 13:15
Romans 1:24-27
1 Corinthians 6:9
1 Timothy 1:9-10
SODOMY - to copulate or have sex with a person of the same sex
DEVIANT - departing from usual or accepted standards, especially in social or sexual behavior
A young Hispanic gang member kidnaped a young boy, took him to an isolated area, and sodomized him at gun point. With the jury in the courtroom during his trial, the accused stole his own attorney's cell phone to call other gang members to harm jury members. After a guilty plea, the Judge increased the recommended sentence from 40 to 50 years in prison, plus a $10,000 fine, because of his defiant behavior. This convicted gang member may learn that his crime was Not So Cool as he spends 50 hot summers in a Texas prison without any air conditioning.
There is a Bible story that is similar to this. Homosexuality was prevalent in the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah after the Flood. We will learn in today's lesson that sex acts between the same sex came to be known as sodomy. Sodomites were male temple prostitutes.
Lot was Abraham's nephew and probably a city council member of Sodom. The city gateway served as the administrative and judicial center where legal matters were discussed.
One evening two angels arrived at the city gate where Lot was sitting. He stood up and welcomed them. He invited them to his house as overnight guests. After much urging, they went home with Lot.
After Lot's family and guests ate a feast Mrs. Lot had prepared with unleavened bread, they were ready to call it a day and go to bed. But suddenly they heard a bunch of men outside the house. Lot stepped outside to talk to them and shut the door behind him. Young and old Sodomites from all over the city surrounded the house. They started shouting to Lot, "Bring out those men to us so we can rape them." Lot told them to leave those men alone - they were in his house and he was going to protect them. He begged them not to do such a wicked thing.
That wasn't good enough for this deviant gang. So they asked Lot, "Who do you think you are? We let this fellow settle among us and now he tries to tell us what to do! We'll deal with you far worse than with those other men.”
They were saying that Lot came there as an alien, and now he had set himself up as a judge. They lunged at Lot and began breaking down the door. This was really a heated situation. The two angels reached out and pulled Lot into the house, bolted the door, and temporarily blinded the men so they couldn't find the door.
Again, enough was enough with God. He was ready to destroy Sodom because it had become so evil. The two angels asked Lot about his relatives so they could be saved from this destruction. "Get them out of this place - sons-in law, sons, daughters, or anyone else. For we will destroy the city completely. The stench of the place has reached to heaven and God has sent us to destroy it."
"So Lot rushed out to tell his daughters’ fiancés, 'Quick, get out of the city, for the Lord is going to destroy it'" But the young men looked at him as though he had lost his senses. These men had gradually begun to accept this deviant behavior as normal and didn't see why Lot was so excited about it. Their accepting it was to their own peril.
"At dawn the next morning the angels became urgent. 'Hurry,' they said toLot, 'take your wife and your two daughters who are here and get out while you can, or you will be caught in the destruction of the city.”
Even Lot hesitated. This was his home. The angels realized the urgency of the hour and they grabbed Lot, his wife, and two daughters’ hands, and led them safely out of the city. God was merciful to Lot and his family when they originally hesitated to obey Him. But their window of opportunity was running out on them. One of the angels said, "Flee for your lives and don't look back and don't stop anywhere in the plains! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away!"
"But Lot said to them, 'No, my lords, please! Your servant has found favor in your eyes, and you have shown great kindness to me in sparing my life. But I can't flee to the mountains; this disaster will overtake me, and l'll die. Look, here is a town near enough to run to, and it is small. Let me flee to it - it is very small, isn't it? Then my life will be spared.' Lot was granted this request. By the time he reached Zoar, burning sulfur was coming down from God out of heaven like rain on Sodom and Gomorrah. "But Lot's wife looked back and she became a pillar of salt."
What a lesson! God delivered Lot, his wife and two daughters. Curiosity got the best of Mrs. Lot and she wanted to look at Sodom and Gomorrah one more time even though God had warned her not to do it. So she turned into a pillar of salt. We must never look longingly back on sin. The marriage relationship is ordained by God from creation to be right, beautiful, fulfilling, and to protect the family. Any thing or relationship that cheapens, diminishes, injures, or destroys that wonderful relationship is wrong! Sex is ordained in marriage by God to be between one man and one woman for life. God designed the bodies of every living creature to require a male and a female to reproduce itself. Two men or two women cannot reproduce themselves. The Word of God prohibits sex between two men or two women. Your Bible says, "Homosexuality is absolutely forbidden, for it is an enormous sin' (Leviticus 18:22 TLB).
Awesome Father,
We are fearfully and wonderfully made. Your plan is past understanding. But you have shown us right and wrong and given us every good thing. Help us always to walk in the way of your law and to do what is right.
It's in Jesus' name we pray.
Amen.
Sunday: Genesis 19:5-8
Monday: Exodus 22:19
Tuesday: Leviticus 18:22-23
Wednesday: Deuteronomy 23:17
Thursday: Romans 1:24-27
Friday: 1 Timothy 1:9-10
Saturday: 1 Corinthians 6:9
Genesis 14:18-20
Psalm 110:4
John 5:37
Hebrews 5:5-10
Hebrews 6:20
Hebrews 7:1-28
TETRIS - a video game puzzle
TIDBIT - a choice or pleasing bit (as of information)
RANK - high in amount or degree
Sam loved to read in bed before he went to sleep. He enjoyed books more than video games and television because he could imagine the people in the stories for himself. One book he especially liked was a story about some people on a quest to find a new place to live after they had been forced to leave their home in Thargaminda. This fascinating story included a man Sam had forgotten, but who was very important. Sam thought it was weird that he had overlooked this man in the beginning of the book. When he came across him again towards the end of the story, Sam decided to go back and read from the beginning so that he wouldn’t miss any interesting tidbits in the book.
Sam was surprised to find, however, that even when he read the book again and again, he didn’t learn that much about the man. He had read several books written by the author and realized that this wasn’t a writer who wasted words. It dawned on Sam that he’d just discovered a clue. He looked at the name of the man and found that it had a secret meaning. Much to his surprise, Same found nothing about this important character’s family. Everyone has to have a family, doesn’t he?
Suddenly Sam could see the secret. He knew this Mystery Man and his importance. Even though he didn’t know all the details about him, Sam could tell from the end of the story the dimension and new meaning the man gave to this book. It all fell into place like a giant Tetris puzzle. When Sam finally finished reading the book, he had solved the mystery. Man! This was exciting!
The Bible tells us of a Mystery Man. Like Sam's story, when this man is first mentioned, he doesn't seem to have a lot of significance. Watch this mystery unwind in Genesis 14:18. "As Abram returned from his strike against Chedorlaomer. .. Melchizedek, the king of Salem (Jerusalem), who was a priest of the God of Highest Heaven, brought him bread and wine. Then Mechizedek blessed Abraham with this blessing: 'The blessing of the supreme God, Creator of heaven and earth, be upon you, Abram; and blessed be God, who has delivered your enemies over to You.' Then Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of al the spoils.”
Hey, did you get any clues as to who Melchizedek, this Mystery Man, might be or how important he is? He is only mentioned by name about a dozen times in all 66 books of the Bible. The book of Hebrews tells us more about Melchizedek than any other book in the Bible.
In Hebrews 5:5 you'll see some more clues. "That is why Christ did not elect himself to the honor of being High Priest; no, he was chosen by God. God said to him, 'My Son, today I have honored you.’ And another time God said to him. ‘You have been chosen to be a priest forever, with the same rank as Melchizedek.’" This is repeated again in verse 10. This establishes that Christ and Melchizedek held equal rank as High Priest.
You'll see this Mystery Man surface yet another time in Hebrews 6:20-7:7. "Where Christ has gone ahead to plead for us from his position as our High Priest, with the honor and rank of Melchizedek.
"This Melchizedek was king of the city of Salem, and also a priest of the Most High God. When Abraham was returning home after winning a great battle against many kings, Melchizedek met him and blessed him; then Abraham took a tenth of all he had won in the battle and gave it to Melchizedek.
"Melchizedek's name means 'Justice,' so he is the King of Justice; and he is also King of Peace because of the name of his city, Salem, which means 'Peace.' Melchizedek had no father or mother and there is no record of any of his ancestors. He was never born and he never died but his life is like that of the Son of God - a priest forever.
"See then how great this Melchizedek is: (a) Even Abraham, the first and most honored of all God's chosen people, gave Melchizedek a tenth of the spoils he took from the kings he had been fighting. One could understand why Abraham would do this if Melchizedek had been a Jewish priest. . . But Melchizedek was not a relative, and yet Abraham paid him.
"Melchizedek placed a blessing upon mighty Abraham, and as everyone knows, a person who has the power to bless is always greater than the person he blesses."
Here are the clues for the Mystery Man: Melchizedek didn't have a father or mother; he was never born and he never died; there's no record of his ancestors; He's like the Son of God - a priest forever. And he received tithes of Abraham. Who is the Son of God? Jesus told the High Priest when He was questioned before His crucifixion that He was the Son of
God.
So what do all of these clues about this Mystery Man add up to be? If you will recall, in John 1:1-3 Jesus created all things, yet He had not been born. He's existed with the Father from the beginning. What was His name before He was born? Was it Melchizedek?
Awesome God,
How marvelous are your ways. Thank you for giving us more insight into the wonderful works of Christ who existed before there was anything and how He revealed Himself to man in the Old Testament before He was ever born as a baby.
In Jesus’ name I pray.
Amen.
Sunday: Genesis 14:18-20
Monday: Hebrews 5:5-10
Tuesday: Hebrews 6:20
Wednesday: Hebrews 7:1-10
Thursday: Psalm 110:4
Friday: Hebrews 7:11-15
Saturday: Hebrews 7:16-20
