YEA Lesson Library

Objectives

At the end of this lesson, children will be able to:

1. State that Cain killed his brother Abel.

2. Explain that you can't hide anything from God.

3.Tell what you must do for God to forgive your sIns.

4. Explain that if you don't admit your sins you will have to pay the consequences.

Topics & Themes

Attitude
Cain/Abel
Confession
Consequences of Sin
Forgiveness
Envy/Jealousy
Lying
Murder
Punishment
Repentance
Sacrifice and Offerings to God
Sin

Materials Needed

Bible, YEA Students and Teacher's books, songbook, CD, music player, attendance and memory verse charts, stickers or stars, jar lids, acrylic paint, paint brushes, old newspapers, paint shirt or smock, water for clean up, Bible character face stickers, large Band-Aids, marker pens

Preparation

This first murder was planned with deliberate deceit and was committed against a good man. The sin began in the heart of Cain as jealousy, and led to hatred and murder. It emphasizes the dreadfulness of sin and its consequences. It also reveals the truth of Jeremiah 17:9, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked."

Help children make the connection between their experiences of getting caught doing wrong, and today's Bible lesson. Point out that you never "get away" with sin. Numbers 32:23 clearly states, "be sure your sin will find you out."

Before class, collect enough jar lids for each student to have five matching lids (baby food jar lids work great).

How to Teach This Lesson

Jealousy and a guilty conscience can provoke children to exhibit unexplained behavior. Explain that sin makes God's heart sad. It also creates a barrier that keeps many children from approaching God freely. Rather than calling attention to bad behavior and meting out harsh punishment, lead children to understand that to be free of guilt they must admit wrong and be very sorry for having done it. The God who knows all of our sins is also the God who loves us unconditionally.

Bandage Object Lesson - Linda was playing in the yard. Her mother had warned her about rusty nails in the boards in back of the garage. But, Linda didn't listen. She climbed on top of the
pile. She jumped from one board to another. Then Linda fell down. She scratched her leg on a nail. The nail made a hole near her knee. First she got mad. Then she cried. Linda’s mother said she would have to clean the wound. But, Linda was afraid it would hurt. She begged her mother to just put a Band-Aid on it. She thought if she couldn't see it, it would be okay. (Give each child a large Band-Aid.)

Sin is like the scratch and wound - If Linda had listened and obeyed her mother, she wouldn't have gotten hurt. If we listen to God's Word and obey Him, we will not sin. When we do things our own way, we get into trouble.

Getting caught- Start a discussion with the following questions: Have you ever done something you knew was wrong, and then you tried to get away with it? Who caught you and what was your punishment? Did you admit you had done wrong when you were caught, or did you make excuses and try to hide what you had done?

Cain did things his own way - When Cain brought his gift to God, he didn't do it God's way. Adam and Eve taught Cain and Abel about sin and its consequences and the right way to worship God. Abel gave an animal and Cain brought grain. The Bible doesn't say Cain’s offering was wrong, but his attitude was not right.

Cain got angry when things didn't go as he wanted - Just as Linda got mad and yelled when she hurt her leg, Cain got mad when God was not pleased with his offering. If he had only done things the right way, everything would have been okay. Ask: Whose fault was it that Linda hurt her leg? Was it her parents’ fault for having the wood with nails in it? Whose fault was it that God was pleased with Abel's offering but not Cain’s? Was it Abel’s fault? Why do you think Cain killed his brother?

Covering sin will not make it go away- Linda wanted her mother to put a Band-Aid on her wound. Ask: What would happen if she just covered it up? A wound from a rusty nail is like sin; it will fester and get worse. Sin, when covered up, festers, too. Ask: Remember when Cain tried to hide that he killed his brother? When God questioned him about it, what did he do? He got angrier - even with God!

Nowhere to hide - God gave Cain an opportunity to admit his sin and be forgiven. He asked Cain about his brother, Abel. But, Cain continued to do things his own way: h e lied. He thought Abel's body was hidden, and that no one would ever know what he had done.

God knows everything. There is nowhere you can go to hide from Him (Jeremiah 23:24). Cain could not cover up his sin. There were consequences to pay! (Have children write "Nowhere to Hide”on their Band-Aid with a pen or permanent marker and put it on their arm, leg, or clothing to remind them that they cannot hide sin from God.)

Consequences - Romans6 : 2 3 teaches us that sin must be paid for, and that Jesus paid the price for our sin. Ask: Because Cain didn't admit his sin, how did God punish him?(The ground no longer produced food for him and he became a wanderer.) How could this story have had a happier ending? (Cain could have admitted what he did.) Do you think God would have forgiven Cain if he had admitted his sin?

The memory verse tells us that God will judge everything people do. There is no place you can go to hide from the all-knowing eyes of God (Psalm 139:7-8). He knows the heart of man and has provided away for man's sins to be forgiven. He stands ready and willing to forgive sin. All we need to do is admit that we have done wrong, be truly sorry for our sin, and try hard not to sin. God's promise is, "If we admit that we have sinned, he will forgive us our sins. He will forgive every wrong thing we have done. He will make us pure" 1( John 1:9 NIrV). Then there will be no need to hide!

Review Questions

1. When God asked Cain where his brother was, what was Cain's reaction?

2. How did God know about Cain’s sin?

3. Did Cain get away with his sin?

4. Do you think God still loved Cain?

5. How could things have turned out differently forCain?

6. What should you do when you know you have done something wrong?

Teacher-Directed Activity

Give each child five identical jar lids and let them paint the tops the same color. Allow paint to dry. On the underside of one lid place a sticker of "Cain" (use a Bible character sticker or a face
sticker). Place the lids on a table with the painted sides facing up. Mix up the lids and ask another child to guess which lid Cain is hiding under.

REACH Activity

Special Materials Needed:
Hole punch, ribbon or yarn, two shoebox lids, felt pieces (assorted colors), black permanent marker, cotton balls, craft sticks, other craft materials

Activities:


1. Write a different ending to the story of Robbie and Rose from the YEA Students’ book. What would have happened if Robbie had admitted he broke the vase as soon as his mom came home? Discuss why Robbie got mad when Mom asked what happened to the vase. What decision would God have wanted him to make? Have you ever done something wrong, and then tried to hide it? If you would like, share your story.

2. Write about a time when you didn’t admit you had done something wrong. What happened when your parents found out what you had done?

3. Sing: “O Be Careful Little Eyes”on page 39 of Kids Classics Collection. Put four sheets of 8 1⁄2 x1 1paper together to make a book. Use one piece of construction paper as a cover. Fold the papers in half. Punch 3 holes along the fold. Tie ribbon or yarn through the holes to hold the pages together. On the cover, write “O Be Careful Little Eyes.” Open the book. The first page is the title page. Write the title and your name. Turn the page. On the left side, write the words to the first verse. On the right side, write what kinds of things you don’t want to see. Turn the page. Do the second verse and the things you don’t want to hear such as you did on the first two pages. Do the rest of the verses the same way. Draw pictures and decorate the book.

4. Write the memory verse in your Bible notebook.

5. Do a sword drill. Use the Daily Devotional Scriptures in the YEA book, Color My World. Read out the Scripture reference. Then start the timer. When the child has found the verse, stop the timer. Read the verse and talk about how it relates to the lesson. Challenge the child to see how quickly he/she can find each of the verses in the Bible. The sword drill works well as a competition game if you have more than one child.

6. Draw Cain and Abel offering sacrifices to God.

7. Can you think of someone else who tried to hide from God (Jonah, Ananias and Sapphira.)

8. Write a song that tells about Cain and Abel. Use the tune to “Mary Had a Little Lamb.” Teach it to someone else.

9. In shoe box lids, create a work scene each for Cain and Abel. One will be a garden scene, the other a shepherd scene. On a piece of construction paper, use a permanent marker to draw the outline of each man, plants and trees, and sheep. Leave about an inch at the bottom of each outline; cut out. Decorate the cutouts. Glue a craft stick to the back of each man. Fold up the bottom of remaining cutouts and glue them inside the box lid. Use a folded piece of construction paper to label each lid with: Genesis 2:2: “Abel took care of the sheep. Cain worked the ground.” Retell the story using your story helpers.

10. What is an offering? Use a Bible dictionary or concordance to find the meaning. What does the Bible say about when we should give an offering?

11. Sing: “Thy Word I Have Hid in My Heart” on page 75 of Kids Classics Collection each day to hide the Word in your heart!

12. Hide and Seek is an old game. Do you like to play this game? Describe how you feel when you are the “hider” and when you are the “seeker.”

14. Write each word of the memory verse on an index card. Have someone “hide” (take out) a card. Try to put the cards in order. Which one is missing? Continue until the verse is memorized. 


Song

O Be Careful Little Eyes" is on page 39 of the Kids Classics Collection.

Closing Prayer

Lead the children in prayer using the three key phrases in the student's book prayer.