God has made us wonderful promises, and always keeps them! He calls us to do His work, and gives us all that we need to complete it. This message reminds children that God will always provide for us and we can trust Him, even if we don’t always understand what He’s doing or how. Use a simple task that requires specific elements to help children see that God gives us what we need.
Trust in Him…God Makes Anything Possible! Genesis 15 Children’s Sermon on God’s Covenant with Abraham
Law/Gospel Theme: God is always at work in our lives, even though we sometimes have a hard time knowing just what His plans are. God fulfills all of the promises He makes. He gives us tasks to do, but also provides all that we need to take care of those tasks. We know that God never fails to keep His promises because He has given us the greatest gift of all, His saving Son Jesus!
Optional Materials: Paper, pencils (optional unsharpened, with pencil sharpener), pics of a starry sky.
Bible Passage: Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18
More Bible Teaching Activities on God’s Promise:
- Watch the children’s sermon lesson and Bible craft activities for this Bible story
- Download our full God Keeps His Promises Sunday School Lesson
- See more activities and Bible lessons on God’s Promise from Sunday School Works!
- See our new Crafts on God’s Covenant with Abraham in Genesis 15
- Compare another Children’s Sermon about Abraham’s Impossible Faith
- Compare another Sunday School Lesson on God’s Promise to Abraham
- Compare another Story of Abraham for kids Bible lesson
- Compare another children’s church lesson on God’s promise to Abraham
- Compare Covenant Promises craft activities for children’s ministry
- Download Sunday School coloring pages about God’s Promise to Abraham and coloring sheets about God Calling Abraham.
- Download a printable Abraham Bible story reader for kids
- Review these what the Bible says about faith as you prepare your lesson
Children’s Sermon Lesson (Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18) God’s Covenant with Abraham
Greet students, with supplies at hand, but hidden from obvious view.
Hello, children of God!
There’s something I’d like you to do for me. Can you write your name? That’s step one; there will be more to come… Pause and see if students comment that they can’t write anything without paper or pencil. Oh, you can’t write your name yet? Hmm…I guess you need some materials to take care of that. Hand each student (or some) a piece of paper and an unsharpened pencil. There, can you write it now? You still can’t? Oh, I see…I guess it’s hard to write with a pencil that isn’t sharpened. Well, don’t worry, I will give you what you need. Just sit tight for a minute. Be patient…
In the Bible, there were a lot of times that God asked people to wait faithfully on something. There are many promises that God gives, but sometimes those promises took time to fulfill, and required trust and waiting. In the Old Testament, God came to a man named Abraham. Have you heard of him? Well, actually, his name was just “Abram” at first. The “ha” came later. Anyway, God came to Abram and promised that He was going to use Abram in astonishing ways, and that Abram’s family would be great. Abram was a little confused, though, because at the time, he had no children. How was he supposed to have a great line of descendants when he didn’t even have a son? Abram was old, and his wife was past the age of child-bearing.
But God told Abram not to worry. He promised to provide what Abram would need when he needed it. God asked Abram to look up at the sky, pointing at the stars. He said that Abram’s offspring would be as numerous as the stars. Have you ever looked up on a really starry night? Show pictures of stars. Do you think it’s possible to count all of those stars? There are too many! That’s how many sons and grandsons and great-great-grandsons Abram was promised. Well, he wasn’t sure how God was going to do that, but he agreed to trust in the Lord. He knew that anything is possible with God. Abram did have to be patient. In fact, it was more than fifteen years before the promised son of his wife was born. But God kept His promise. And many years later, through the line of Abram (Abraham), another Son was born, fulfilling promises God made at the start of all creation. Do you know who that was? (Jesus!)
So here is your pencil sharpener (hand students the pencil sharpener, help to sharpen the pencils, or trade for sharpened pencils). Now you can finish the task of writing your name, and whatever else you’d like to draw on the paper! I told you I’d give you what you needed. You know, God gives us what we need, too. God always keeps His promises. Sometimes it can be difficult to trust, because we don’t quite know how He is working. We often don’t understand His timing or His plans, and it can be hard to have patience. We might sometimes feel like giving up. God’s ways are not ours, and we have to rest in knowing that He will equip us to do what He calls us to. He’ll always provide what we need to fulfill His plans. And He keeps His promises. God is faithful. You can trust everything the Bible says about faith. He loves us and gives us all we need. When we pray, we can know that He is listening and wants to help us.
Why don’t we say a prayer of trust and thanks now?
Prayer for Children on Faith in God’s Promises
(Have kids repeat each line, if desired)
Dear God,
Thank you for the truth of your Word
Help us to trust in that
And to keep our faith in you
Even when we can’t feel or see you
Thank you for taking care of us
We love you, God!
Thank you for Jesus
In His name, Amen!
Bible Verses/story to Reference: Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18 The Lord’s Covenant with Abram
After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” 2 But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.” 4 And behold, the word of the Lord came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.” 5 And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 6 And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.
7 And he said to him, “I am the Lord who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.” 8 But he said, “O Lord God, how am I to know that I shall possess it?” 9 He said to him, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” 10 And he brought him all these, cut them in half, and laid each half over against the other. But he did not cut the birds in half. 11 And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.
12 As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. And behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him.
When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. 18 On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates… -Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18 ESV – English Standard Version
Hello! I really love your children’s sermons. Thank you so much for sharing them. I am wondering, however, if you’ve started using a different lectionary? The lessons that I have for March 13 are Jeremiah 26:8-15, Psalm 4, Philippians 3:17-4:1, and Luke 13:31-35, but your children sermon is on Genesis 15: 1-12, 17-18. Could you please clarify for me? Thanks so much!