YEA Lesson Library
A Friend of God
About This Lesson
This lesson introduces Abraham and emphasizes his obedience to God and his friendship with God. It also points out that Abraham lived the rest of his life in a tent and how that relates to the Feast of Tabernacles.
Scriptures
Genesis 12:1-8
2 Chronicles 20:6-7
Isaiah 41:8-9
John 15:12-14
John 15:12-15
Hebrew 11:8-10, 13-16
James 2:23
James 4:4
Words to Know
TEMPORARY - something that will not last very long
PERMANENT- something that lasts forever
INHERITANCE - something you get from your parents, usually money, when they die
The Lesson
Sammie could hardly wait to call her best friend Jessica! Her parents had finally given her permission to travel with Jessica's family on a camping trip. The long hours in the car would fly by! They'd talk. They'd play games. They'd giggle. Most importantly they would be together the whole trip - without their older brothers!
Jack and Dave were also excited about their travel plans.Jack could definitely see that it was good having his little sister Sammie and Dave’s little sister Jessica in the same car. They would be far away from them! That was the deal! The two girls would ride with Jessica's family. The two boys would ride with Jack’s family. What fun it would be to spend some time with his
best friend without having his little sister tagging along! "How very wonderful it is," both Sammie and Jack were thinking, "to have your very best friend going camping with you!"
Best friends! The person you trust. The person you want to be around. The person that knows all your secrets. A true friend is very special!
Did you know that there's a very special friendship in the Bible? It is the friendship of Abraham and God! The kings of Israel knew of God's friendship with Abraham. Isaiah referred to Abraham as God's friend. Even James, in the New Testament, calls Abraham the friend of God. What does it mean to be God's friend? Well, Jesus Christ tells us. In John 15:14 Jesus said, "You are my friends if you do what I command." So, what did Abraham do?
God told Abraham to leave his country, his people, and his father's house. He told Abraham to go to a place that He would show to him. And Abraham went! Hebrews I 1:8 tells us: "Abraham had faith. So he obeyed God. God called him to go to a place he would later receive as his own. So he went. He did it even though he didn’t know where he was going. Because of his faith he made his home in the land God had promised him. He was an outsider in a strange country. He lived there in tents..." (NIrV Kid's Devotional Bible). Wow! Talk about doing what God tells you to do! Abraham didn't know where he was going. He had to leave his family and all the places that he knew! And then, when he got to the place God showed to him, he lived in a tent! A tent - for the rest of his life! That was another hundred years!
The fact that Abraham lived the rest of his life in a tent is really important to us. Abraham was very wealthy. He could have built a beautiful house. But he didn't. Abraham knew that his life would only last a short while. That means he knew his life was temporary. Abraham was waiting for God to give him a permanent place to live. Hebrews 11:10 says, "Abraham was looking forward to the city that has foundations. He was waiting for the city that God planned and built" (NIrV Kid's Devotional Bible). Abraham longed for a better country - a heavenly one. As he lived his life, he anxiously waited for God to set up His Kingdom on this earth. And he was willing to live in a tent until
that time came.
Do you remember from Leviticus 23:42 that all Israelites were supposed to live in tents during the Feast of Tabernacles? Do you remember why they were to do this? It's because one of the things the Feast of Tabernacles shows us is that life on this earth doesn't last forever. We may live to be 90 years old, but from God's point of view, that's not a very long time. Our lives are temporary. Our bodies will last for maybe 70, 80 or even 90 years. But we won't live forever as physical human beings.
God has something better planned for us at Christ's return. Abraham knew that God had something better planned for him too. Christ went to heaven to prepare a place for those who are not ashamed to love Him and keep His commandments. What a place that will be! No more pain or sorrow. No more tears! No more crime! A place where everyone follows God's ways! That's the heavenly country that Abraham longed for! So, do you long for God's Kingdom?
You've learned a lot in the past nine lessons about how bad the world around you is. You've learned how important it is for you to live your life like God wants you to. You've learned that you must trust God to direct your life, and you must choose to follow His ways in your life. Did you know that when you choose God's way, you are choosing God to be your friend? Do you remember that Jesus said: "You are my friends if you do what I command" (John 15:14). Are you God’s friend?
Student Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father,
I want to be your friend. Please work in my life so that I long for your ways and your commands, and not the things of this world.
In Jesus' name.
Amen.
Daily Devotions
Sunday - Genesis 12:1-4
Monday - 2 Chronicles 20:6-7
Tuesday - Isaiah 41:8-9
Wednesday - John 15:12-15
Thursday - Hebrews 11:8-10
Friday - Hebrews 11:13-16
Saturday - James 2:23
Objectives
At the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
1. Relate what God told Abraham to do.
2. Tell what Jesus said His friends would do.
3. Explain why Abraham lived in a tent the rest of his life.
4. Explain that one of the pictures of the Feast of Tabernacles is the temporariness of this life.
5. Contrast this world with the heavenly country Abraham longed for.
6. Tell that God will build a city for those people who long for His Kingdom.
Topics & Themes
Abraham
Feast of Tabernacles
Friend
God’s Kingdom
Golden Rule
Holy Days, Feast of Tabernacles
Obedience
Seeking God
Tabernacling
Temporary
Tents
Trusting God
Materials Needed
Bibles, YEA students and teacher's books, pens, pencils, blackboard, chalk, pillows and/or tent, attendance and memory verse charts, stickers, awards, songbook, cassette tape/CD, player
Preparation
Think of ways to really set the scene for the students. One suggestion: if you normally sit at a table for Sabbath School, arrange some pillows Sabbath class in the tent! If feasible, this will facilitate the discussion and reinforce one of the lessons of Tabernacles. Plan to spend some time sharing the ten week projects the students are to have finished by this lesson!
How to Teach This Lesson
Friendship - Start with having the students recite the "Seven Days of Creation" memory work. The students should have learned it by the end of these ten lessons. Discuss the idea that what goes around comes around. That is, God is not mocked; you reap what you sow. Therefore, whatever actions they desire to be done unto them, they must be willing to do to others.
A friend of God - Ask the students how the above discussion relates to being a friend of God. Ask: If your friends didn't like your actions, how long would they still be your friend? Talk about John 15:12-17. This is a good time to check their memory verse.
Abraham - Ask the students what God commanded Abraham to do. Discuss how difficult this would be, especially in a time when there were no telephones, postal service, Internet, etc. Abraham didn't have any contact with his family once he left as God commanded.
Tenting and tabernacling - Discuss the fact that Abraham lived in a tent for the rest of his life - a century of living in a tent! Tie this to what the Feast of Tabernacles pictures: this life is temporary. Ask the students to explain why Abraham chose to live in a temporary dwelling. Ask one of the students to read Hebrews 11:8-10, 13-16 from a youth translation. Talk about the heavenly country and the city God is preparing for those who love Him.
God ashamed? - Ask: What would cause God to be ashamed of someone? What if you called yourself a friend of God but you love the world? Discuss James 4:4. What if you don't follow God's ways? What if you don't long for God's Kingdom?
Book Closure- Ask the students what they've learned about the world, about people in general, and about how evil people are. Then ask them to share what they've learned about walking with God, trusting Him, seeking His will, and following His ways. You may wish to make two lists on the blackboard.) Emphasize to them that those people who have a good relationship with God are His friends. Discuss the benefits of being a friend of God. Tell them that it's not always easy, but it certainly is worth it in the end.
Review Questions
1. What did God tell Abraham to do?
2. What did Jesus say his friends would do?
3. Why did Abraham live the rest of his life in a tent?
4. What is one of the things we should learn from the Feast of Tabernacles?
5. What are some of the differences between this world and the heavenly country Abraham longed for?
6. Who is building that heavenly country and city?
7. What does Hebrews say about how God feels towards those who long for the heavenly country?
Teacher-Directed Activity
A Friendship Role Play. Divide the class into groups of two or three students each. Have each group create a little skit about how friends act towards each other. If they have difficulty getting started, give them some ideas:i.e. choosing which movie to watch, keeping secrets, listening and encouraging, giving help when needed, etc.
REACH Activity
Word Study
The Greek word translated friend in John 15:13 is philos. From this word philos many other words are built, ranging from hospitality, to being fond of wise things, to cherishing your family. (Source: Zodiates’ Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible, Greek Dictionary of the New Testament, p. 76.)
Have you considered how incredible it is that Jesus Christ would call us His friend? He’s God the Son! He is so awesome and powerful and amazing! It’s a much bigger thing than being friends with a famous actor or athlete or the King of England or the President of the United States. We’re talking about God! I can’t imagine anything else that would compare with being able to call yourself a friend of God.
Did You Know
”The Arabs and Israelites usually made their tents of goats’ hair. Because most of the goats were black or dark brown, the tents were this color as well. When spun together, this goats’ hair made a coarse, heavy fabric. In the winter, it protected a family from the cold winds, and in the summer the sides were rolled up to let in the breeze. When dry, the goat’s-hair cloth was porous and could ‘breathe,’ keeping the tent from getting too stuffy. But after the first rain the hairs shrunk together making the tent waterproof.” (Source: The Victor Journey Through the Bible, V. Gilbert Beers, p. 22.)
Back to the Bible
Are you God’s friend? If you say yes, can you give an example of what identifies you as His friend? Do you think others observe your attitude and actions and know that you are God’s friend? What Bible verses best describe how you live your life as a light to others?
If you say no, do you know how to be a friend of God’s? During the past nine lessons you have read many Scriptures that describe decisions people made for better or worse. You may be thinking there is no way that you can become a friend of God. But keep reading the Bible and find out what God has to say about walking with Him and observing His ways. Read Exodus 20 and discover how you can apply the Ten Commandments to your life today.
Just Toolin’ Around
Use your Bible reference tools to read more about Abraham, God’s friend. Create a timeline of Abraham’s life. For each life event on the timeline, write corresponding Scriptures on obedience, faith, and trust. Share the timeline with your family or class.
Stretch It Out
Using a church song book, create a list of songs whose theme is friendship with God and Jesus Christ, trusting and/or following the Father and His Son. Read the words carefully. Which one best describes your relationship with God and His Son right now, and why? Explain your answer in your Bible journal.
Share your list of songs with your family and lead a sing-along to conclude your study of this YEA book.
Music Notes
Do you know Jesus as your Friend? M.J. Babbitt wrote the words and music to “There’s No Friend Like Jesus” on page 68 of the CEM Hymnal. It is thought this hymn was written around 1917, but there is little other information available about M.J. Babbitt or why this person wrote these words.
Nevertheless, the trust M.J. Babbitt had in Jesus rings clearly in the words. In your Bible journal, make a list of the things M.J. Babbitt said Jesus does. Then, next to each item in your list, write a Bible Scripture which supports Babbitt’s words.
Do you know Jesus as your Friend? Think about the items you listed and the Bible Scriptures you found. Isn’t it time you worked more on your relationship with Jesus?
Journal Jot
Describe your best friend in your journal. Why do you like that person so much? Then think about what God asks from you if you want to be His friend. Write down what you think He wants. Then talk about this with your family. Do they agree with you about what God wants from you in order to be called His friend?
Questions?
Reminds the child to write down (in their Bible journal) questions they may have as they are doing the activities, working through the lesson, or reading the Daily Devotionals.
Song
"Father Abraham" and "O Be Careful Little Eyes” are on pages 31 and 39, respectively, of Kids Classics Collection.
Closing Prayer
Lead the students to ask God for His help in truly being His friend, choosing His ways and not the ways of the world.
Printable Pages
