During the lesson, the information for you to know is written in regular type, and what we suggest speaking or reading aloud to children is in bold. All resources for this lesson, including the Teacher Guide and Student Page, can be downloaded in a ZIP file by clicking on the following link:
In some lessons you will find "resource articles." These are articles written by experts from around the world to help equip you for your work with children and adolescents. Share them with parents or guardians if you consider it appropriate.
I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.
Isaiah 43:25
Jesus died on the cross to pay for our sins. That is a beautiful and amazing gift. We sinned, and Jesus suffered. We sinned, and Jesus died. We deserve judgment and punishment, and Jesus paid our debt. What a gift of infinite and eternal value!
Even though we have received this unbelievable gift, we often struggle to forgive ourselves and others. Do you have difficulty forgiving yourself even though God has already forgiven you? Do you hold on to the pain, anger, and shame that Jesus has already erased? Do you hold back your forgiveness of others even though you know you have been forgiven of so much? Ask God to help you accept His forgiveness. Then ask Him to help you teach about this forgiveness to your children.
Let the families of your children know that they will be learning about forgiveness for the next 4 weeks. Encourage them to share about times when they have given or received forgiveness.
Teacher Tip: If possible, email or text the Family Connection Card to the families of your students.
Greet your children warmly by name as they arrive. Even this simple act of getting to know the children’s names communicates that each child is valued. Let the children know that you will begin today’s class with a game.
Give each child a rock. Tell them that they must hold on to their rocks until you give them the opportunity to put the rocks down later in class.
Have the children stand in a circle. Choose a volunteer to stand in the middle of the circle. The volunteer in the middle will hold 1 arm pointing straight out in front of him. This child will stand still during the game.
Sing a song or clap a rhythm. While you sing or clap, the children will walk in a circle around the volunteer. When you stop singing or clapping, the child that the volunteer is pointing at will shout out something bad that people do, say, or think. For example, a child might say, “Thinking of hitting someone you do not like” or “Lying.” Continue to play until all the children have responded. Have the children sit down. Remind them to keep holding their rocks.
The things you shouted out are bad things.
Raise your hand if you have ever done or thought about doing any of the things mentioned in the game.
Do you know anyone who has never done anything bad?
If any children name someone (other than God or Jesus) then guide them to understand that all people do, say, and think bad things at times.
What do you think should happen to someone who does something bad?
Allow 2–3 children to answer. If they do not mention it, guide the children to understand that the person needs to be punished.
Sometimes when someone does something bad, that person is punished. When we choose to do something bad or wrong, we deserve to be punished. But sometimes the person who did wrong things is forgiven.
Why do you think someone would forgive another person for a wrong done?
Allow a few children to answer. If they offer wrong ideas, do not correct them at this time. You are discovering what they think about forgiveness.
As we have just talked about, everybody does, says, and thinks bad things at times. In the Bible, this is called “sinning.” Sin is when choose to think, do, or say things that are against God and His way. Everyone hold your rock up in front of you. This rock represents the wrong things you choose in life. Remember to keep holding on to that rock during the entire lesson. Let’s see what the Bible says about sinning.
Read the following verses directly from the Bible, if possible.
All have turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.
Psalm 14:3
According to this verse, who does good?
No one.
Let’s listen to some more verses.
Suppose we claim we are without sin. Then we are fooling ourselves. The truth is not in us. But God is faithful and fair. If we confess our sins, he will forgive our sins. He will forgive every wrong thing we have done. He will make us pure.
1 John 1:8–9, NIrV
What do you think this verse means when it says we are fooling ourselves?
It means denying or hiding the truth from oneself.
What truth do we hide from ourselves if we claim to be sinless?
The truth that we are sinners. We all sin by choosing our own way over God’s way.
What do these verses tell us about God?
If the children need help, reread the verses again. Point out that God is faithful and will forgive our sins if we confess or tell Him that we are sorry for them.
One result of sin is that our relationships are damaged. We hurt each other and ourselves when we sin. More importantly we hurt our relationship with God. The pain of sin is like throwing that rock you are holding at someone. It would hurt! Because God is completely holy and good, our sin breaks our relationship with Him. But God loves each one of us so much that He had a plan to cleanse us from sin and restore our relationship. Let’s listen to what the Bible tells us about how God restores us:
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8
Even though we are all sinners and separated from God, Jesus Christ died for us! God knew that we could not pay the price for our sins. So He did it for us by sending His Son, Jesus, to pay the price for us. Jesus paid the price by living a completely sinless life and dying on the cross. Then He rose to life again! Because of this, we no longer have to be separated from God. What an amazing thing He did!
What did God demonstrate by having Jesus die for us?
His love for us.
God loves us so much that He is willing to forgive our sins when we ask Him to. Forgiveness is God choosing to act out of love and not hold our sin against us. He chooses to erase the sin because of what Jesus did for us. Listen again to this verse:
If you are using the Memory Verse Poster, show it to the students.
But God is faithful and fair. If we confess our sins, he will forgive our sins. He will forgive every wrong thing we have done. He will make us pure.
1 John 1:9, NIrV
Forgiveness means to let go of the hurt or offense that was done. God loves us and has made a way to restore the relationship that we broke. What an amazing way God loves us!
Everyone hold up your rock again. This rock represents your sin. Today you will have the opportunity to accept God’s forgiveness. Remember that God will not force you to accept His forgiveness. You cannot earn it on your own. It is a gift from Him. He will wait until you are ready to accept it.
Sit quietly with your eyes closed while holding your rock. I will pray a sentence and pause while you think about it. If you choose to ask God to forgive you, drop your rock when we get to that part. If you are not sure or have questions about God, His love, or forgiveness, place your rock beside me. I will be happy to talk with you after class and answer your questions.
Optional: If you are using the Student Pages, the children can work on them.
Close class by praying the following blessing based on 1 John 1:9 over the children.
Blessing: May you know that God loves you so much that He sent His Son, Jesus, to pay the price of your sin. May you truly know that God is faithful to forgive you when you tell Him you are sorry for the wrongs you have done.
Lead the children in singing this quarter’s song, if possible.
Life on Life ©2020 David C Cook. Reproducible for home or classroom use only. All other uses require written permission from David C Cook [email protected]. All rights reserved.
