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.
Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.
Ephesians 4:25
When caught in a lie, what is your first reaction? Is it to try to defend yourself? Is it to give excuses? Or is it to confess and be honest? All of us, at some point in life, have lied or been lied to. When you are the one who has lied, how do you feel? And when someone has lied to you, what is your reaction?
Whether a lie is found out immediately or sometime later, it always has consequences. Lying causes us to feel ashamed or stressed as we try to keep the truth from coming out. Lying hurts our relationships with others too. It separates people and destroys trust. We are all connected, all part of 1 body.
If you are aware of any lies you have told, confess them now to the Lord. If possible, seek forgiveness from those you lied to. If you have found out that someone lied to you, ask God to help you forgive that person. God wants us all to put off falsehood and speak truthfully so that our relationships are not harmed. Trust Him to help you speak truthfully from now on.
Let the families of your children know that they this week will be learning about the importance of telling the truth. Encourage them to discuss the following questions with their children. Is there a time you were honest, even though it was difficult? Is there a time you lied? What were the consequences of lying?
Teacher Tip: If possible, email or text the Family Connection Card to the families of your students.
Welcome your children by name if possible. Your friendliness sets the tone for your class!
Gather the children and start with a brief review of last week’s lesson.
Allow children to share what they remember. If needed, remind them that God is the source of truth. He does not lie or change.
Have the children stand in a big circle. Tell them you will play a game called “Truth Toss.” You will toss the small stone or ball to someone. He will say one true thing about himself as quickly as possible. It can be as simple as “I am a boy” or “My favourite colour is red.” Then he will toss the stone or ball to another child, who will say one true thing. Repeat until everyone has had a turn. The children should toss the stone or ball as quickly as possible. When you have finished, have the children sit down.
Sometimes telling the truth is easy, especially when we know that the truth will not hurt us. But other times, telling the truth may be hard. No matter what the situation is, telling the truth is always the right thing to do. Today we will learn more about the importance of telling the truth.
Explain that you will read some verses from Proverbs. Read the verses directly from your Bible.
Before reading the following verse, explain that a deceitful person tells lies or is dishonest in other ways. Read Proverbs 14:25 twice aloud to the class.
A truthful witness saves lives, but a false witness is deceitful.
Proverbs 14:25
Allow children to share their ideas. If needed, suggest that if a person is hurting or abusing someone, telling a trusted adult the truth of what is happening could save a life.
Read Proverbs 12:19 aloud twice:
Show the Memory Verse poster if you are using it.
Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue lasts only a moment.
Proverbs 12:19
Truth lasts forever. Truth never changes. When you speak truth, your words last forever.
People may believe a lie for a short time, but they will not believe it forever. Eventually, they will know the truth. The liar and the lie will be revealed.
Read Proverbs 12:22 aloud twice:
The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in people who are trustworthy.
Proverbs 12:22
God hates lies. He finds delight, or joy, in people who are truthful.
Truth is very important! We learned last week that God is the source of truth. When we tell the truth, we honour God. When we tell the truth, other people will find us trustworthy. God loves us always, no matter what. But God delights in us when we are truthful!
When we lie, we act more like Satan, whom Jesus called “the father of lies.” It is always better to tell the truth than to lie. Sometimes it may seem easier or safer to tell a lie, but there are always consequences to lying.
Show a simple object lesson about the consequences of lying. If possible, stand on a chair or other steady piece of furniture and hold a ball or small stone above your head.
It will fall to the ground.
Drop the ball or stone to the ground. Children will see that they answered correctly.
It would fall to the ground and it would break.
Every action has a consequence, or something that happens as a result. Everything I say and do also has a consequence. When I tell the truth, there are consequences. And when I lie, there are also consequences. Some consequences are immediate and happen right away. Some consequences are delayed and may not happen for a long time.
Sometimes people lie to try to stay out of trouble. Sometimes people lie to protect themselves or someone else. The immediate consequences of these lies may have seemed like good things—the person did not get in trouble or someone did not get hurt. However, when we lie there are always negative consequences, even if they do not happen right away.
Allow the children to share their ideas.
Lying affects us in many ways. It affects us because we can lose sight of what is true if we always tell lies. Telling lies can be stressful as we work hard trying to hide the lie. It affects others because people may stop trusting us. It can cause arguments and even break friendships apart. And lying affects our relationship with God, as we learned in the verse we just read a few minutes ago.
I will read a couple of situations and verses. For each situation, think about how the child should respond and what the consequences might be.
Situation: Daniel was given some money to buy bread. This was a special treat to celebrate. He ran to the shop where he would buy the bread, but the money fell out of his pocket. When he realized it was gone, he searched but could not find the money anywhere.
Listen to this verse.
Read this verse from the Bible.
A lying tongue hates those it hurts, and a flattering mouth works ruin.
Proverbs 26:28
Children might suggest that the verse means when you lie to someone you are showing hatred, not love.
Situation: Elizabeth loves to dance. Her school was having a special presentation, and she thought she would get the most important dance part. But another girl did. Elizabeth was so angry that she tripped the other girl on purpose. The girl sprained her ankle. Elizabeth told the head of the school that she was sorry and that it was an accident. But it was not an accident, because Elizabeth had tripped the girl on purpose. She feels terrible about the lie, but proud to have the important dance part.
Listen to this verse.
Read this verse from the Bible.
A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who pours out lies will not go free.
Proverbs 19:5
Children might suggest that it means that even if she chooses to not tell the truth, it will eventually be found out.
Turn to a partner and share about a time you either lied or told the truth. You do not have to share what the situation was, only what the consequences were.
Give the children about 2 minutes to talk with their partners.
Have you ever had a gravel in your shoe or a small thorn stuck in your foot? It probably only hurt a little at first. But the more you walked on it, the more painful it became. This is kind of what it is like when you lie.
When you first tell a lie, it might not seem like a big deal. You might not experience any negative consequences right away. However, the more you lie, the more you hurt yourself and others. People stop trusting you. Eventually, you even forget what it is like to tell the truth. As you try to keep up with all the lies you have told, you forget what the truth is. This is not a healthy way to live. Living a life built on lies results in feeling sad, angry, and lonely.
Give each child a small pebble or gravel. Suggest that she keep it in her pocket for the entire next week. When she is tempted to tell a lie, suggest that she reach into her pocket and feel the gravel. It will remind her to be truthful, even when it is difficult. She can silently ask God to help her be strong and to always tell the truth.
Optional: If you are using the Student Pages, allow the children to respond on them.
Have your children hold their small pebbles in their hands as you close class with this blessing based on Ephesians 4:25:
Blessing: May God, who is the source of truth, help you to put away all falsehood and speak truthfully to others.
Lead the students 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.
