God is Worthy (Genesis 18-19) Lesson #42 in What is God Like?
AGE GROUP: elementary (ages 6-11)
TIME REQUIRED: 45 minutes
This is lesson 42 of 42 in our study on the Attributes of God called “Can you tell me what God is like?” Visit the series index to view all the lessons and get more ideas for using this curriculum in your children’s ministry.
LESSON 42: GOD IS WORTHY
- Key Verse: “For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; He is to be feared above all gods.” 1 Chronicles 16:25
- Teaching Passage: 1 Samuel 4-7
- Supporting Texts: 1 Chronicles 16:25, 2 Samuel 22:4, Psalm 18:3, Psalm 48:1, Psalm 96:4, Psalm 145:3, Revelation 4:11, Revelation 5:9, Revelation 5:12
SUPPLIES NEEDED:
Bibles, previous attribute of God posters, a large piece of paper with the words GOD IS WORTHY written on it, key verse (1 Chronicles 16:25) printed on a piece of paper, blank paper and markers or colored pencils for each child in the group.
LESSON OUTLINE:
REVIEW PREVIOUS LESSONS:
Ask one of the kids in the group to remind you what you’re learning this year. Remind them that each week we’ll be looking into the Bible to answer the question… “Can you tell me what God is like?” and will be learning one of the many truths about God that we see in His Word.
Take a few minutes to review the attributes you’ve previously learned. Since this is the last lesson in the series, quickly read through all of the attributes covered this year and have kids call out the definition and do the motions. Take a few minutes to work through this activity.
- God is Almighty= He has absolute power or is all powerful
- God is the Alpha and Omega= He is the beginning and the end, the first and the last
- God is Awesome = He inspires awe and amazement
- God is Compassionate = He shows a deep concern for His people & a desire to meet their needs
- God is the Deliverer = He is the rescuer or savior
- God is Exalted = He is noble, elevated and lifted up
- God is Faithful = He is reliable, trustworthy, true to His Word & keeps His promises
- God Forgives = He grants pardon and cancels the debt of sin
- God is Glorious = He is full of glory (praise, honor & distinction)
- God is Good = morally excellent, virtuous or righteous
- God is Gracious = merciful, benevolent, kind & compassionate
- God Guides His People= He leads, accompanies, assists and gives direction/ guidance
- God Heals = make healthy & whole & free from ailments
- God is Holy = He is sinless, perfect and set apart
- God is our Hope = He is the One in whom our expectations are centered
- Jesus is Immanuel = God with Us
- God is Judge = He is the One who rules over and passes judgement on others
- God is Just = He is the One who is fair and does what is right
- God is King of kings & Lord of lords = He is The One who rules the rulers
- Jesus is the Lamb without blemish = He is the perfect sacrifice for sin
- God is Love = God has tender and caring affection for His people
- God is Majestic = God is stately, kingly, grand & raised up
- God is Merciful = God is full of compassion, pity, and undeserved grace & love for another
- God is Omnipotent = He is almighty or infinite in power
- God is Omnipresent = He is everywhere all the time
- God is Omniscient = He knows everything
- God is One = the Only God
- God Protects His People = He defends, guards, covers & shields His people
- God is Righteous = He is always right & He always does what is right
- God is the Rock = solid, strong and offering protection
- God provides the PERFECT SACRIFICE for sin = Jesus is the gift or payment that paid for our sin
- God Saves = to rescue from danger
- God Shepherds His people = He tends, guards and watches over His people
- God is a Shield= He hides, conceals & protects His people (through Jesus’ blood)
- God is Sovereign = He rules over all
- Jesus is the One Mediator = He is the One who stands between (us & God) and brings judgement
- God is Trustworthy = He is dependable, reliable, honest & faithful
- God is Truth = fact, reliable, not false in any way
- God is Unchangeable = He cannot be moved, He does not change
- God is Wise = He is able to discern what is right or true
- God is With Us = He is here, present, involved in our lives
TEACH – WORTHY:
Introduce the truth that God is worthy by showing the word worthy and asking someone to define it for you. Ask if they see another word hidden in the word worthy (worth)….and ask what the word worth means. Think through a shopping scenario where you have to ask someone the price of an item. Basically when you ask for a price you are asking the salesperson what the item is worth to them or what would it take for them to give the item to you. An item’s worth is it’s value.
The word worthy tells us that something has worth or value. So, when we say that God is worthy we are saying that He has great value and He alone deserves to be called the worthy one. Most of the time when we say God is worthy, we are saying that He alone deserves all of our worship and praise.
Introduce the story for the morning by asking the kids to suggest stories that speak of God’s worthiness – help them to see that the whole Bible points to the truth that God is worthy, but this morning we’re going to look at a story that shows His worthiness over false gods.
Give the following points by way of background.
- After God rescued His people from slavery in Egypt, He led them through the desert for 40 years.
- During this time, God taught His people what it means to be His people and how they were to worship Him
- Part of His instruction on worship included the building of the tabernacle which was a tent where God would “dwell” with His people. In the most holy place (the inside part of the tabernacle where only one priest could go once a year), they were to put the ark of the covenant (show picture).
- The ark was a special wooden box covered in gold that God told them how to make. The top of the ark represented God’s throne and was called the mercy seat.
- Inside the ark they were to put the 10 commandments, Aaron’s staff and a jar of manna. These were all things to remind them of God and His holiness and worthiness.
- There were special laws about moving the ark. It was to be covered with fabric and then carried by the poles. No one was to ever touch the ark. In fact in one story, someone reached out to touch the ark and keep it from falling and that man dropped dead. The ark represented God and therefore was holy.
- After 40 years in the desert, God led His people into the promised land. Then came the period of judges where the people kept turning away from God and God would send them a leader to call them back to Him. Near the end of the period of judges and before the people asked for a king, something happened to the ark.
- Israel went into battle with the Philistines and they took the ark with them as a good luck charm. (Was this the point of the ark?) The lost the battle and the Philistines killed lots of God’s people and captured the ark.
Have a couple of kids come up and act out the story of 1 Samuel 5 while you tell it in your own words. You need 2 kids to represent the ark of the covenant, 1 person to be the statue of Dagon and a few to be Philistines. Make sure you hit the following points while you tell the story.
(1) The Philistines put the ark in the temple of their god Dagon and the statue of Dagon kept falling on the ground
(2) Everywhere the Philistines put the ark, people got sick
(3) They knew they had to return the ark to Israel
Then continue the story:
- The Philistines put the ark on a cart (not the way it was supposed to be carried) and the sent the ark back to Israel. The cows pulling the ark went straight back without being led.
- When the ark returned to the Israelites, they chopped up the cart and burnt the wood and sacrificed the cows that had been pulling the cart and worshipped God.
- Samuel commanded the people to put away they false gods and worship God alone and He sacrificed a lamb for the sins of the people.
- God is the only one who is worthy of all our worship!
DEFINE AND REMEMBER:
To help the kids remember this truth about God, take a few minutes to define the attribute.
WORTHY = DESERVING, HAVING MERIT OR VALUE
Since motions & actions help kids remember, choose an action for WORTHY. A good motion might be to point one them to yourself and hold up one thumb.
MEMORY VERSE:
SAY: “Today we’re talking about the truth that God is Worthy. When we say that God is worthy, we’re saying that He deserves all of our worship…He has great value.:
Read the memory verse (1 Chronicles 16:25) a few times together and do the motion for worthy.
CROSS CONNECTION:
In the story of the ark of God being taken into the temple of Dagon we see the worthiness of God and the holiness of God in the fact that God doesn’t allow anything false in His presence. The ark of the covenant was to remind the people of the true God and was a physical representation of the presence of God. The temple and statue of Dagon were physical representations of false gods and the sin of idolatry. God cannot be in the presence of sin. That’s why in the tabernacle (and later in the temple) the ark of God was separated from the people by a curtain and God’s presence could only be entered once a year by the High priest and only after a sacrifice had been made for the sins of God’s people. Sin cannot stand or be in God’s presence, so God defended His honor and His holiness by knocking the statue down. The truth that God cannot be in the presence of sin if the whole reason why Jesus came to earth. The Bible tells us that we are all sinners and there is nothing we can do to make ourselves good enough for God. We are separated from God because of sin. When Jesus died on the cross, He paid the price for our sin so that we can enter God’s presence without fear.
REVIEW:
Give each child a blank piece of paper provide markers or colored pencils. Encourage them to write the word WORTHY somewhere on the paper and then write or draw something to help them remember this attribute of God. They could write the definition for WORTHY or the memory verse or they could illustrate the the story. After a few minutes, bring the group back together and give kids time to share what they have drawn or written.
PRAYER:
Pray that the kids in the group would come to know God more and more each week through this study and that they would remember that all of us are sinners who need to be saved and that they would turn to this good God for salvation. Pray that children would see the worthiness of God and worship Him alone.
I am so thankful for this series. I selected this series of lessons for our children’s bible study classes on Wednesday (our elementary classes). The preschool teachers liked it and decided they wanted to use it for their kids as well.
I teach the middle and high school students and decided that I would use this for my Fulfillment Hour Class (i.e. Sunday School) on Sunday. After praying about what series the adult classes would start in the summer, I shared this series with the adult shepherds and they agreed this would be great for them too. I copied the lessons and took out the portions that info directed to kids (i.e. supplies, hand motion notes). We are currently using these lessons and they are a blessing. THANK YOU SO MUCH! WE PRAY GOD CONTINUES TO BLESS YOU BETHANY AND CFM.
Thank you so much for this series. I started the plan the beginning of last year for as Sunday School class I teach for a family shelter. It has very good lessons and I plan on restarting the attributes of God this year as well!
God Bless You
thanks for your creative material to help Sunday School teacher prepare their weekly sharing easy. thanks.