FIRST QUARTER, WEEK SIX

FIRST QUARTER, WEEK SIX

God is faithful. For 40 years, God displayed His faithfulness to a stubborn people, His children that He had rescued from bondage. God remains to this day faithful to His children. We are a stubborn and disobedient people who want to do what we think is right. We are unfaithful. God sent Jesus as a living testimony and brilliant display of His great faithfulness to us. Jesus rescues the unfaithful so that we can all worship a faithful God forever.

Written by: Kimberly Davidson & Steve Wright Graphic Design by: Michele Castillo | www.sonscapecommunications.com Art Design by: Amy Torcasso Editor: Jennifer Sharpe Music: Daniel Renstrom Website: http://www.treasuringchristonline.org | 919-326-3000 | Email: tcc@pray.org
Copyright 2011 by Providence Baptist Church. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means for profit via electronic, mechanical, recording or any other except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher. All Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Dear Sunday School Teacher, Your ministry as a teacher for our Lord has eternal value! When we view our ministry in light of eternity, we see its importance and the privilege that God has entrusted to us. In Psalm 78, the Bible also reminds us of this great calling: One generation commending the Gospel to the next. Treasuring Christ Curriculum: The ministry resource that you hold in your hand is produced and shaped by the local churchThe Bride of Christ. We have three primary strategies that guide us. First, we desire to produce a Gospel-centered curriculum that allows every child, babies to high school students, to study the same Scripture passage each week. Second, we seek to equip parents to thrive in their God-given role as their childs primary discipler. We want this resource, therefore, to connect the church and the home by providing the Connecting Church and Home resource within the curriculum. Third, we want to respond to the desperate need for curriculum resources around the world. We desire to bless the nations with a tool that will help them reach the world with the Gospel of Christ. Quarter One: God on Display Every relationship begins with an introduction. God introducing Himself to us is the heartbeat of this study. God on Display is a major theme that runs throughout all of Scripture. Gods desire to have communion with those He created is seen from cover to cover of the Bible. In the first few pages, we see God communing in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve. The theme of communion continues to be seen through the role of the Old Testament tabernacle and temple. In the New Testament, God became incarnate in Jesus, God with us. After Jesus, the Father gives the Holy Spirit to believers and institutes the Church. Fellowship in the Church breeds community, both with God and others made in His likeness. As believers, we are guaranteed that we will spend eternity in communion with God, dwelling in His presence. God is on display: everywhere; in the past, present and future; and in our lives as believers. Let us live continually to display Gods greatness and love.

Forty Years
QUARTER THEME | GOD ON DISPLAY Exodus 13, 14, 16, 19-20:21

WEEK SIX
OVERVIEW FOR YOUR EDIFICATION EARLY CHILDHOOD ELEMENTARY PRE-TEEN/MIDDLE SCHOOL HIGH SCHOOL CONNECTING CHURCH AND HOME RESOURCES

4 5-16 17-20 21-26 27-32 33-37 38 39-40

Forty Years
Exodus 13, 14, 16, 19-20:21

OVERVIEW

EARLY CHILDHOOD Treasure Verse

Psalm 115:1 We can trust God to provide our needs.

ELEMENTARY

PRE-TEEN/ MIDDLE SCHOOL

Psalm 115:1 We can trust God to speak to us and to give us rules for our good. Rules, rules, rules

HIGH SCHOOL

Psalm 115:1 We can trust God to deliver us.

Psalm 115:1 We can trust God to guide us throughout all of life. GPS or map demonstration

Treasure Point

Plenty of Food Sea scenes, resource page, Hold back the water, Simon Says, Trophy time, Fear I Can Trust God poster, Song time, Teaching Activities resource page, Letters to pastors Song time, Manna game, Manna snacks, Needs and wants Plenty of Food resource page, crayons, I Can Trust God resource page, CD player and CD, white sheet, green or brown sheet, Cheerios, crackers, foods like carrots or apples, water, cell phone, toys Brown construction paper, blue tissue paper, glue sticks, fish stickers, green onion tops, pan, water, tongue depressors, plastic spoons, notebook paper, styrofoam cups, towels, trophy or plaque, posterboard, marker, CD player and CD, pencils

Chalkboard or whiteboard, chalk or marker

GPS, map or atlas

Supplies Needed

OVERVIEW

FIRST QUARTER, WEEK SIX | GOD ON DISPLAY

Forty Years
Exodus 13, 14, 16, 19-20:21

FOR YOUR EDIFICATION

Enter the Story To celebrate a couples golden anniversary, or 50 years of being married, it is customary to give the couple something gold. Gold is representative of beauty and strength, and true gold is resistant to corrosion. However, few couples last long enough to see 50 years of marriage and never receive those golden gifts. Instead, singles are choosing to get married later in life. Unexpected deaths occur. And sadly, more than 50% of married couples choose to end their marriage in divorce. At what age do women and men in America typically divorce? Age Under 20 years old 20 to 24 years old 25 to 29 years old 30 to 34 years old 35 to 39 years old Women 27.6% 36.6% 16.4% 8.5% 5.1% Men 11.7% 38.8% 22.3% 11.6% 6.5% but our culture is affected as well. For example, 70% of long-term prison inmates grew up in broken homes (Fathers, Marriage and Welfare Reform by Wade Horn and Andrew Bush). The nation of Israel was a people also characterized by a wavering faith. God dealt mercifully with the Israelites for 40 years as He directed them through the wilderness as punishment for their unbelief. Gods nature is such a contrast from the nation of Israel and from our own. The Treasure Stories we will study in this weeks lesson show Gods faithfulness to His people. He is still faithful today in providing our daily needs, delivering us from our troubles, speaking to us, and guiding us through life: Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever (Hebrews 13:8).

The faithfulness of God means

that God proves true to His promises by keeping them. Gods faithfulness is a steady, reliable aphistorical circumstances. Thomas Oden, The Living God, pg. 115 plication of divine truth to changing, developing

Unfortunately in our society, unfaithfulness in marriage is commonplace. Many school-age children do not live with two parents. Most of them dont know what it is like to have a mom and dad in the same home to tuck them in at night. A study of children six years after their parents divorce revealed that even after all that time, these children tended to be lonely, unhappy, anxious and insecure (Wallerstein, The Long-term Effects of Divorce on Children, Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 1991). Not only do children pay a steep price when parents divorce,

The faithfulness of God is a

datum of sound theology but to the believer it processes of the understanding and goes on to become nourishing food for the soul. A. W. Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy, pg. 80

becomes far more than that: it passes through the

FOR YOUR EDIFICATION

FIRST QUARTER, WEEK SIX | GOD ON DISPLAY

Forty Years
Exodus 13, 14, 16, 19-20:21

Exodus 13, 14, 16, and19-20:21 illustrate Gods faithfulness to the nation of Israel. You can choose to study all of them or focus on the one for the age group you teach. There is only one Treasure Story per age group. EARLY CHILDHOOD LESSON:

Manna, Exodus 16 Happy the man whose hopes

and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had departed from the land of Egypt. And the whole congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness, and the people of Israel said to them, Would that we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.

rely on Israels God: He made the sky, and earth, and seas, with all their train: His truth for ever stands secure; He saves th oppressed, He feeds the poor, and none shall find His promise vain. Isaac Watts, from the hymn Ill Praise My Maker

The nation of Israel had been freed from the oppressive hand of Pharaoh and the Egyptians. God proved His faithfulness by providing their freedom. Now, He would again display His great faithfulness by providing for their daily needs. God is never found unfaithful. Despite the selfishness and ingratitude of the Israelites, God is always faithful. Exodus 16:1-3 tells us that the Israelites had only been gone from Egypt for six weeks before they started grumbling and complaining against their leaders. Their questioning and hard hearts displayed idolatrous and ungrateful attitudes turned against God. They would have rather returned to captivity and hard labor and eaten next to the meat pots (what the Egyptians cooked their meat in) and the delicious bread than to be free to serve their God and be hungry. This display of greed, idolatry, bitterness and ungratefulness must have been disheartening to God. Exodus 16:1-3: They set out from Elim, and all the congregation of the people of Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim
FOR YOUR EDIFICATION

We are told to ask for bread, as

the Israelites were told to gather manna, on a dayto-day basis: the Christian way is to live in constant dependence on God, a day at a time. Also, tion does not sanctify greed! Moreover, we must we are to ask for the bread we need . . . This petias we pray be prepared to have God show us, by His providential response of not giving what we J. I. Packer, Praying the Lords Prayer, pg. 74 sought, that we did not really need it after all.

These [manna, quail, water]

were miraculous provisions for their physical sustenance but they were much more than that. The manna that fell from heaven and the water that flowed from the smitten rock were pictures of Gods provision for our souls, for time and

eternity, in Christ our crucified Savior (John 6:45-58; 1 Corinthians 10:1-11). Don Fortner, Discovering Christ in All the Scriptures, pg. 27

FIRST QUARTER, WEEK SIX | GOD ON DISPLAY

Forty Years
Exodus 13, 14, 16, 19-20:21

Exodus 16:11-12, 16-19 tells of Gods response to the people. His conversation with Moses displays His willingness to listen to His peoples cries and to provide their most basic need: food. The Lord gives Moses and Aaron the specifics of what will be given to the people, how much they are to take, and how long the food will last. Exodus 16:11-12, 16-19: And the LORD said to Moses, I have heard the grumbling of the people of Israel. Say to them, At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. Then you shall know that I am the LORD your God. This is what the LORD has commanded: Gather of it, each one of you, as much as he can eat.You shall each take an omer, according to the number of the persons that each of you has in his tent. And the people of Israel did so. They gathered, some more, some less. But when they measured it with an omer, whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack. Each of them gathered as much as he could eat. And Moses said to them, Let no one leave any of it over till the morning. Exodus 16:20-21 details the direct disobedience of the Israelites to the commands of God. They heard the directives from Moses, yet they failed to adhere to them. Exodus 16:20-21: But they did not listen to Moses. Some left part of it till the morning, and it bred worms and stank. And Moses was angry with them. Morning by morning they gathered it, each as much as he could eat; but when the sun grew hot, it melted.

Even amid the blessing of the

manna and quail, some of the people did not obey the Lords instructions for gathering it . . . Their disobedient efforts were to no avail, because maggots rose

up in the manna and it putrefied by morning . . . This behavior provides yet another lesson of the failure of the people to obey the will of God. John Sailhamer, The Pentateuch as Narrative, pg. 274

Exodus 16:28, 35 highlights Gods faithfulness even in response to the peoples unfaithfulness. He questions their disbelief and disobedience, yet still provides the manna they would need for 40 years of wandering. Why? Why would God do this? These verses show Gods intent and faithfulness in His discipline of His children. Exodus 16:28, 35: And the LORD said to Moses, How long will you refuse to keep my commandments and my laws? The people of Israel ate the manna forty years, till they came to a habitable land. They ate the manna till they came to the border of the land of Canaan. Exodus 16:12 reveals the answer. God displays His great faithfulness so that all the lands will come to know Him as God. He provides our daily needs so that we will in turn be fed and turn to Him for our complete satisfaction found only in Him. Exodus 16:12: I have heard the grumbling of the people of Israel. Say to them, At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. Then you shall know that I am the LORD your God.

FOR YOUR EDIFICATION

FIRST QUARTER, WEEK SIX | GOD ON DISPLAY

Forty Years
Exodus 13, 14, 16, 19-20:21

ELEMENTARY LESSON:

Crossing of the Red Sea, Exodus 14

The crossing of the Red Sea is so much more than just the splitting of the sea waters. As we take an in-depth look, you will see Gods faithfulness displayed in every detail of Exodus 14. Exodus 14:1-4 is like a map of the wanderings of the Israelites. The reversing that the Lord instructs them to do might have seemed to them to be hazardous. But they obeyed the Lord and turned back to camp. God explains the reason why He had them turn back: so that He would be known to the Egyptian people. Here it is clearly seen that God is faithful in making His name known for His glory. Exodus 14:1-4: Then the LORD said to Moses,Tell the people of Israel to turn back and encamp in front of Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, in front of Baal-zephon; you shall encamp facing it, by the sea. For Pharaoh will say of the people of Israel, They are wandering in the land; the wilderness has shut them in. And I will harden Pharaohs heart, and he will pursue them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, and the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD. And they did so. Exodus 14:5-9 reveals the hardness of Pharaohs heart and how he regretted his decision to release the people of Israel. He and his men came after the Israelites. Where did they find the people of God? Right where God had told them to camp. God knew the Egyptians would come in search of their brickmakers; this was not news to God.

Exodus 14:5-9: When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, the mind of Pharaoh and his servants was changed toward the people, and they said, What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us? So he made ready his chariot and took his army with him, and took six hundred chosen chariots and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them. And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the people of Israel while the people of Israel were going out defiantly. The Egyptians pursued them, all Pharaohs horses and chariots and his horsemen and his army, and overtook them encamped at the sea, by Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon.

The Egyptian empire was the

most powerful on earth for an amazing thirteen hundred years, twice as long as the famed Greek or Roman empires. But the pharaoh was worIsrael. Mark Driscoll, Doctrine, pg. 195

shiped as a god and had no regard for the God of

Exodus 14:10-12 depicts the grumblings and fearful cries of the Israelites when they saw the enemy. They turned to fear rather than to put their trust in God. Then they not only became fearful, but they turned against Moses and began crying out with loud complaints toward their leaders and to God. The mumblers reasoned it would have been better to remain enslaved in the land of Egypt than to die in the wilderness as free worshipers of the one true God.

FOR YOUR EDIFICATION

FIRST QUARTER, WEEK SIX | GOD ON DISPLAY

Forty Years
Exodus 13, 14, 16, 19-20:21

Exodus 14:10-12: When Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared greatly. And the people of Israel cried out to the LORD. They said to Moses, Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt? Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.

shall never see again. The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent. Exodus 14:21-31 describes numerous miracles by the hand of God: God displayed His control over all nature. He simply commanded Moses to raise his staff and God moved the waters of the Red Sea. The Red Sea is about 200 miles across at its widest point. God did the miraculous parting for His people. Every single Israelite made it across. An estimated two million people and their livestock crossed the Red Sea that evening. But they didnt just get across, they got across on dry land. DRYnot muddythey didnt slosh through and they werent attacked by sea life. They walked across on dry land. When the Egyptians started to move across the clearing in the Red Sea, their wheels got bogged down in the mud and Pharaoh and his entire army were drowned in the sea. Once the Israelites saw that the Egyptians had all drowned, they came to know and trust more in the faithfulness of God. This fulfilled the reason God had in saving them: so that the people would know Him as God. Exodus 14:21-31: Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the LORD drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. And the people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.
FIRST QUARTER, WEEK SIX | GOD ON DISPLAY 9

The immediate response of the

Israelites when they saw the Egyptians was fear as Narrative, pg. 270 and mistrust. John Sailhamer, The Pentateuch

Exodus 14:13-14 displays the great faith Moses had in His faithful God. He, after hearing the cries of the people, commanded them to fear not, to stand firm, and to see the salvation of the Lord. Amazingly, God had not told Moses yet of the plans to cross the Red Sea, but Moses boasted in the character of the God he served. He assured them that the Egyptians would no longer be around to torment them and that the LORD, the Yawheh who delivered them from the bondage in Egypt, would fight for them. He essentially said, Dont look at your circumstances but look to your faithful God who already worked for you once. He will do it again. Exodus 14:13-14: And Moses said to the people, Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you

FOR YOUR EDIFICATION

Forty Years
Exodus 13, 14, 16, 19-20:21

The Egyptians pursued and went in after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaohs horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. And in the morning watch the LORD in the pillar of fire and of cloud looked down on the Egyptian forces and threw the Egyptian forces into a panic, clogging their chariot wheels so that they drove heavily. And the Egyptians said, Let us flee from before Israel, for the LORD fights for them against the Egyptians. Then the LORD said to Moses, Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the water may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen. So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its normal course when the

morning appeared. And as the Egyptians fled into it, the LORD threw the Egyptians into the midst of the sea. The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen; of all the host of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea, not one of them remained. But the people of Israel walked on dry ground through the sea, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. Thus the LORD saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. Israel saw the great power that the LORD used against the Egyptians, so the people feared the LORD, and they believed in the LORD and in his servant Moses.

PRE-TEEN/MIDDLE SCHOOL LESSON:

The Giving of the Ten Commandments, Exodus 19-20:21

God displays His faithfulness to His people by communicating with them and giving them instructions on what to do. He is not a distant God, and He is not a killjoy. His giving of the commandments was for His ultimate glory. The commands He gives the people are for their good and for their blessing. Gods glory and our good are two sides of the same coin.
obedience in the covenant was Gods act of salvation in the Exodus from Egypt. Thus the Lord identifies Himself first not merely as the only God but also as the God who delivered Israel from bondage. John Sailhamer, The Pentateuch as Narrative, pg. 285

a momentGod having a personal conversation with Moses, a man. The God who created the whole earth, who just split the Red Sea, was conversing with sinful man. He encouraged Moses to tell the people of all that He had already done, and He was giving the people His word that they would indeed be blessed if they kept His covenant. Exodus 19:1-6: On the third new moon after the people of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on that day they came into the wilderness of Sinai. They set out from Rephidim and came into the wilderness of Sinai, and they encamped in the wilderness. There Israel encamped before the mountain, while Moses went up to God. The LORD called to him out of the mountain, saying, Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the people of
FIRST QUARTER, WEEK SIX | GOD ON DISPLAY

The basis of the call to

Exodus 19:1-6 records the conversation God has with Moses. Stop and think about that for
FOR YOUR EDIFICATION

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Forty Years
Exodus 13, 14, 16, 19-20:21

Israel: You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles wings and brought you to myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel. Exodus 19:16-25 displays the greatness and awe-inspiring presence of God on Mount Sinai. God makes a loud and unmistakable entrance with thunder and lightning, loud trumpet blasts, smoke and fire. God is holy and He reminds Moses to instruct the people not to set foot on the mountain. Exodus 19:16-25: On the morning of the third day there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled. Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they took their stand at the foot of the mountain. Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the LORD had descended on it in fire. The smoke of it went up like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled greatly. And as the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him in thunder. The LORD came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain. And the LORD called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up. And the LORD said to Moses, Go down and warn the people, lest they break through to the LORD to look and many of them perish. Also let the priests who come near to the LORD consecrate them-

selves, lest the LORD break out against them. And Moses said to the LORD,The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai, for you yourself warned us, saying, Set limits around the mountain and consecrate it. And the LORD said to him, Go down, and come up bringing Aaron with you. But do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to the LORD, lest He break out against them. So Moses went down to the people and told them.
[Mount Sinai] Yahweh explains Israels future based on what has occurred since patriarchal times. God has chosen Israel, the whole house of Jacob, has sustained them and helped them multiply into a great people, has now freed them from Egypt and has brought them near to Himself ([Exodus] 19:4). In other words, Gods grace has created a special relationship between Israel and Yahweh, which allows them to know and experience the Lords power and presence. Paul

At this sacred location

House, Old Testament Theology, pg. 109

Exodus 20:1-17 describes God giving the Ten Commandments to Moses to present to the Israelites. The first four have to do with mans relationship with God (no other gods, no idols, do not take the name of the Lord in vain and keep the Sabbath unto the Lord). The remaining commandments deal with mans relationship with others (honoring parents, do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not lie and do not covet).

FOR YOUR EDIFICATION

FIRST QUARTER, WEEK SIX | GOD ON DISPLAY

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Forty Years
Exodus 13, 14, 16, 19-20:21

Exodus 20:1-17: And God spoke all these words, saying, I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments. You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you. You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. You shall not covet your neighbors house; you shall not covet your neighbors wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbors.

The Gospel remits the severity

of the moral law. Wherein our personal obedience comes short, God will be pleased to accept the Beloved. Eph. 1:6. Though our obedience be imperfect, yet, through Christ our Surety, God looks upon it as perfect. Thomas Watson, The Ten Commandments, pg. 47 us in our Surety. He hath made us accepted in

Exodus 20:5-6 gives the reason for these commandments. God knows He alone is better than all else and reminds them of who He has declared Himself to be, of what He has already done for His people, and what He will continue to do because of His great faithfulness. Exodus 20:5b-6: I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.

The law was a detailed revelation of

All the Scriptures, pg. 27

Gods immutable, unrelenting, perfect, glorious holiness. Don Fortner, Discovering Christ in

FOR YOUR EDIFICATION

FIRST QUARTER, WEEK SIX | GOD ON DISPLAY

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Forty Years
Exodus 13, 14, 16, 19-20:21

HIGH SCHOOL LESSON:

Cloud and Fire, Exodus 13

At the beginning of the Israelites journey from Egypt, God declares His faithfulness to His people. This is done in a most unusual but clever way. God doesnt always act in ways that we think He should, but He always acts according to His perfect nature. Exodus 13:17-18 shows God leading the Israelites in a specific direction because He knew their hearts. God directs them to go on a longer route because He doesnt want them to return to Egypt when they become discouraged and fearful of the journey. God led them through a wilderness to the Red Sea. That is why the story of the parting of the Red Sea is even more miraculousGod led them that way. The people werent going the way they wanted, but God knew where He was leading them, what it would cost and why it was best for them. Exodus 13:17-18: When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. For God said, Lest the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt. But God led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea. And the people of Israel went up out of the land of Egypt equipped for battle. Exodus 13:20-22 shows God serving as the peoples divine GPS navigational systema 24/7 guiding and response system. During the daylight hours, God presented Himself as a pillar of cloud, so the people could easily follow His direction. When the night came, God illuminated the dark sky with a pillar of fire, so they would not lose their way. The very last phrase in this passage highlights again the great faithfulness of the glorious God: the pillars did not depart from before the people. God will always go before and guide His people. He will never leave His children. Exodus 13:20-22: And they moved on from Succoth and encamped at Etham, on the edge of the wilderness. And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people.

FOR YOUR EDIFICATION

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Forty Years
Exodus 13, 14, 16, 19-20:21

Gospel Truths About God

In all of these Treasure Stories, we clearly see the faithfulness of God to His unfaithful people. God remained faithful; He must for He cannot go against Himself. He will remain faithful for He is never changing. He made a covenantal promise to the nation of Israel; He will carry it to fruition (Genesis 12:1-3).

Gods immutability [the fact that He cant change]

Knowledge of the Holy, pg. 78

presupposes His faithfulness. If He is unchanging, it follows that He could not be unfaithful, since that would require Him to change. A. W. Tozer, The

Gospel Truths About Man

In all of these stories, we see the display of mans sinful nature. We see direct disobedience; obstinate hearts; idolatrous longings; fearful, timid minds and mouthfuls of grumblings. The Israelites returned constantly to their evil and deceitful hearts: full of fear, worry, regret and sin. These portraits of sin paint an accurate picture of man left to his own doings without the cross of Christ. Without the constant intervention of Gods grace, we would go back to sin every time.

Gospel Truths About Redemption

Seeing these ugly glimpses into the heart of man should make us grateful that God sent Jesus to redeem us from certain death. Romans 6:23 says, For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. God could have left us in our idolatry, in our comfortableness, in our enslaved shackles. But instead He sent Jesus to purchase us, to redeem us, by the shedding of His blood and His resurrection and triumph over the grave. His master plan is for our restoration and His great glory.

Jesus work for us on the cross is called atonement

(at-one-ment); Jesus our God became a man to restore a relationship between God and humanity. . . Scripture repeatedly and clearly declares that Jesus died as our substitute paying our penalty for our sins. Mark Driscoll, Doctrine, pg. 253

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Forty Years
Exodus 13, 14, 16, 19-20:21

For Your Edification (continued)

Genesis 12:1-3 Psalm 145:17 1 Corinthians 12:1-13 Hebrews 13:8

Genesis 12:1-3: Now the LORD said to Abram, Go from your country and your kindred and your fathers house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Psalm 145:17: The LORD is righteous in all His ways and kind in all His works. 1 Corinthians 12:1-13: Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed. You know that when you were pagans you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led. Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says Jesus is accursed! and no one can say Jesus is Lord except in the Holy Spirit.

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills. For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one bodyJews or Greeks, slaves or freeand all were made to drink of one Spirit. Hebrews 13:8: Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

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God is faithful. For 40 years, God displayed His faithfulness to a stubborn people, His children that He had rescued from bondage. God remains to this day faithful to His children. We are a stubborn and disobedient people who want to do what we think is right. We are unfaithful. God sent Jesus as a testimony and brilliant display of His great faithfulness to us. Jesus rescues the unfaithful so that we can all worship a faithful God forever.

My Mission As Teacher:
How do our lives reflect our dependence on Gods daily faithfulness to us? Do our lives tell a story that we need God to be faithful to us? Or do our lives reflect self-reliance? Where do you need guidance? Are you seeking other measures to give you guidance? Or are you relying on Gods faithfulness to provide the guidance you need in His perfect timing?

Prayer Points:
Pray that we would all come to a great reliance on Gods faithfulness, instead of our worldly good and practices, to sustain our lives. Pray your students would come to know and trust in the faithfulness of God for their daily needs, guidance and deliverance. Pray that they would trust that Gods rules are for their good and for their blessing.

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Early Childhood
Treasure Story: Exodus 16 Treasure Verse: Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness! (Psalm 115:1) Treasure Point: We can trust God to provide our needs.

God our Father is the Giver of every good

thing that we enjoy. One of the ways we should rightly honor Him as God, then, is to remember all of His benefits and to give Him thanks for

engage

them. Bruce Ware, Big Truths for Young Hearts, pg. 67

Early Arrival Activity: (15 minutes or until you are ready to begin) Hand out the Plenty of Food resource page to the children as they enter the classroom. Ask them to color this page as you wait for other children to arrive. This activity will be an introduction of how God provided food for His people.

Supplies Needed: Plenty of Food resource page, crayons

discover
Activity: (10 minutes) Play the game Simon Says. Have the children line up at one end of the room and give instructions on what they are to do. Only the children who obey what you tell them to do can move forward (toward you). The first one who reaches you is the winner. This game will help the children learn to be obedient. In the Treasure Story for today, the children will learn that the Israelites had to do exactly what God told them to do as they were collecting the manna each morning.

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Bible Story Time: (15 minutes) Teacher Note: Make sure the children see you reading Gods Word and that they are listening. Explain the importance of Gods Word being the very words God speaks. The Bible is truth and is used to help us know God better. Since this Treasure Story is lengthy, the best way to keep the childrens attention is to read the verses as you explain the story. The following outline will help you: Gods people had been set free from the Egyptians. Gods people had been slaves to the Egyptians. They made the bricks for the Egyptians and had to work very hard. The people of God had been walking for six weeks in the wilderness (a place with no food or water and it was very dry). They started getting mad at God because they were not getting food or water. They said they would rather serve bad people than be where God had them (Exodus 16:1-3). God hears their cries. He tells the people that He will provide them food. God also gave them rules about the food that He would provide (Exodus 16:11-12, 16-19). The people ate the food, but they did not do what the Lord had told them to do with it (Exodus 16:20-21). Even though the people did not obey God, He still provided their daily need of food (Exodus 16:28). The reason God still provided the food is because He wanted to let everyone know that He is faithful. He wants all people to come to know Him as the one true God (Exodus 16:12). Treasure Verse Learning Activity: (5 minutes) Pass out the I Can Trust God resource page. While the children are coloring this page, tell them that God is faithful to His children. He was faithful to the Israelites in providing their food and He is good to us. Ask them for ways they can trust God to provide for them and be good to them. Supplies Needed: I Can Trust God resource page, crayons

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Song Time: (10 minutes) Love, Love, Love is this quarters theme song. This song can be found on the Treasuring Christ website: www.treasuringchristonline.org. Supplies Needed: CD player, CD

Reinforcement Activity: (10 minutes) In an open area of the room, lay a white sheet on the floor, followed by a green or brown sheet (to represent grass or the ground). Instruct the children to sit on it. Review the story by asking them questions about the story. When you get to the part about God providing the manna for the Israelites, instruct the children to close their eyes. While their eyes are closed, spread out Cheerios around them on the blanket. While Cheerios might not be an exact replication of manna, this cereal is something easy to use. Have them open their eyes and look at the manna around them. Tell them that just like the Israelites were to be thankful for the manna, we also should be thankful for how God provides for our needs. Supplies Needed: White sheet, green or brown sheet, Cheerios

Playground Time: (15 minutes) Free play or center play can be an effective use of time if a playground is not available or if inclement weather does not allow for outside play.

Snack Time: (10 minutes) This week, the snacks should represent manna from heaven. No one really knows what manna was or tasted like. The Bible describes it as a fine, flake-like thing, fine as frost on the ground . . . like coriander seed, white, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey (Exodus 16:14, 31). Moses said to the Israelites, It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat (Exodus 16:15). Snack suggestions might include some type of cracker like graham, butter or wheat crackers. Supplies Needed: Some type of cracker like graham, butter or wheat crackers

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treasure
Treasure Point: We can trust God to provide our needs.

My Mission: (5 minutes)
Help the children to see the difference between a need and a want: A carrot (food) and a cell phone A cup of water and a toy Be creative. Have them shout out needs and wants. Encourage them to trust God to take care of and provide for all their needs. Supplies Needed: Food, water, cell phone, toys, any item that will help illustrate the difference between needs and wants

Prayer Time: (5 minutes)

Pray over the younger children that they would trust God to provide their needs. Also pray that they would be thankful to God for already providing their needs like food, water, good parents, a place to sleep and salvation. Have your children praise God for the things that He has provided for them. Also ask some of them to pray the same Grace that they pray over their meals at home. Remind them that God is faithful to provide all of their needs.

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Elementary
Treasure Story: Exodus 14 Treasure Verse: Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness! (Psalm 115:1) Treasure Point: We can trust God to deliver us.

Gods people were safe. They danced and laughed and sang and
Jesus Storybook Bible, pg. 98

thanked Godwhen there had been no way out, God had made a way. Sally Lloyd-Jones, The

engage
Early Arrival Activity: (10-15 minutes or until all the children arrive) Have the children create the Red Sea with tissue paper. Bring to the class torn strips of blue tissue paper, fish stickers and strips of green onion tops (cut to look like seaweed). Give to each child a piece of tan or brown construction paper and ask them to create a sea scene. Instruct them to leave a strip in the middle of the paper clear of any embellishments. Using the tissue paper, stickers and seaweed, they can create their scenes on either side of that strip. This will be a good visual reminder of God parting the Red Sea and the Israelites marching across on dry land. Supplies Needed: Brown construction paper, blue tissue paper, fish stickers, green onion tops (or other material to make seaweed), glue sticks Introduction: (10 minutes) Bring to class a pan of water (you can use a plastic tub or a disposable 9 x 13 pan). Fill it halfway with water. Instruct the children to take turns trying to hold back the water (or part it). They can use their hands or you can give them tongue depressors, notebook paper, spoons, etc. Tell them to be creative. Can they do it? No. But this activity will allow them to see how God is good and powerful. He displayed His goodness and power to the Israelites in todays Treasure Story. Supplies Needed: Pan, water, tongue depressors, plastic spoons, notebook paper, styrofoam cups, towels for cleaning up

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discover
Bible Story Time: (15 minutes) Teacher Note: Have the children sit in the designated reading/Bible story area. Tell them this is Gods Word, the Bible, the way He speaks to us. It is true, and we need to listen to God. Be sure they see you reading Exodus 14 out of the Bible and not out of the curriculum guide. Have the older children follow along in their own Bibles. This outline will help guide you through the teaching of this narrative. Consider asking the children to read the Bible passages as they are listed in the outline, rather than reading them all at once later. The crossing of the Red Sea is a powerful picture of Gods faithfulness and His plan for His people. In todays Treasure Story, Gods faithfulness is displayed in every detail in Exodus 14. God took the Israelites along a hard and long path. He knew this would be the best path for them to journey. They obeyed and went the way the Lord led them and set up camp. Exodus 14:1-4: Then the LORD said to Moses, Tell the people of Israel to turn back and encamp in front of Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, in front of Baal-zephon; you shall encamp facing it, by the sea. For Pharaoh will say of the people of Israel, They are wandering in the land; the wilderness has shut them in. And I will harden Pharaohs heart, and he will pursue them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, and the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD. And they did so. Pharaoh (the king of the Egyptian people) changed his mind. He wanted the Israelites back doing the work he had given them to do. Pharaoh and his armies came after the Egyptians. Exodus 14:5-9: When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, the mind of Pharaoh and his servants was changed toward the people, and they said, What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us? So he made ready his chariot and took his army with him, and took six hundred chosen chariots and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them. And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the people of Israel while the people of Israel were going out defiantly. The Egyptians pursued them, all Pharaohs horses and chariots and his horsemen and his army, and overtook them encamped at the sea, by Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon.

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Gods people got scared when they saw the Egyptians coming after them. There was no way out of a fight. On one side was the Red Sea (too big to swim across and they didnt have any boats). On the other side was the massive Egyptian armies (they would have to go back to being slaves). They complained to Moses that they didnt want to die in the wilderness. They would rather have stayed with the Egyptians and been slaves. Exodus 14:10-12: When Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared greatly. And the people of Israel cried out to the LORD. They said to Moses, Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt? Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.

The immediate response of the Israelites when

they saw the Egyptians was fear and mistrust. John Sailhamer, The Pentateuch as Narrative, pg. 270

Moses told the people not to be afraid. He told them to trust in God. He was a great leader because he trusted in the God who was leading them and had delivered them from the Egyptians. He knew that the people could trust God even when the way was scary or the enemies were big. He told them to look to God to deliver them again and for them not to be frightened of the Red Sea or the armies of the Egyptians. Exodus 14:13-14: And Moses said to the people, Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent. God does many miraculous things next (miraculous means something that man cannot do): MIRACLE: The Red Sea parted. This was a big body of water. At its widest point, it was almost 200 miles wide. There was no way the people of God could cross it. God had control over nature and sent a strong wind at that specific time to make a path in the water so the Israelites could cross. Exodus 14:21: Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the LORD drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.

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MIRACLE: About two million Israelites crossed the Red Sea overnight on DRY land. They had sandals on or no shoes at allno rain boots or mud boots. They didnt need them. God made sure the ground was dry. You would think there would be fish or other sea animals that they had to step over or possibly get bitten by, but the Bible doesnt mention this happeningonly the fact that the people walked across on dry land. Find out how many people live in your city or state and help the children compare this number with two million. Remind them that two million Israelites crossed the Red Sea, plus they had all their livestock and belongings with them. Exodus 14:29: But the people of Israel walked on dry ground through the sea, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. MIRACLE: Once the Israelites had gotten across safely to the other side, the Egyptians started making their way across the empty sea. But God made the Red Sea come back together. The rush of water drowned all the Egyptians, and they all died in the Red Sea. Exodus 14:27-28: So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its normal course when the morning appeared. And as the Egyptians fled into it, the LORD threw the Egyptians into the midst of the sea. The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen; of all the host of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea, not one of them remained. God wanted to deliver His people from the Egyptians so they would come to know Him as the one true God. The people of God came to trust even more in Gods faithfulness. Exodus 14:30-31: Thus the LORD saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. Israel saw the great power that the LORD used against the Egyptians, so the people feared the LORD, and they believed in the LORD and in His servant Moses. Treasure Verse Learning Activity: (5 minutes) Bring in a trophy or a plaque for an award or accomplishment. Pass it around and encourage the children to talk about trophies they have won or medals they have received. Discuss how all the glory goes to the recipient of the trophy. What are we to do with the glory we receive? Give it to God. Have the children repeat the Treasure Verse and talk about ways they can give God glory or praise. Supplies Needed: Trophy or plaque, certificate or prize

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Reinforcement Activity: (10 minutes) Do you think the Israelites were afraid when they saw the Egyptians coming after them? Talk about any fears that the children may have. Write these fears on a posterboard and ask them how God protects and delivers us from those fears. Remind them of parts of the Treasure Story when the Israelites were afraid. Encourage the students to remember that God is faithful to deliver us from our fears. Supplies Needed: Posterboard, marker

Read the below list of random fears and phobias to the students to get them to laugh or to think of others who really do have these fears. Some of the fun will be in the children hearing your pronunciation of these long words.

Do you have ablutophobia?

Ablutophobia: Fear of washing or bathing Alektorophobia: Fear of chickens Arachibutyrophobia: Fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of the mouth Automysophobia: Fear of being dirty Chaetophobia: Fear of hair Scolionophobia: Fear of school

Playground Time/Center Activities/Free Play: (15 minutes)

Song Time: (10 minutes) Love, Love, Love is this quarters theme song. This song can be found on the Treasuring Christ website: www.treasuringchristonline.org. Supplies Needed: CD player, CD

Closing Activity: (10 minutes) The students have learned about faithfulness from todays Treasure Story. Ask the students to write a letter to the pastor(s) expressing thankfulness for his faithfulness in teaching them Gods Word, leading the church and loving Jesus. Supplies Needed: Notepaper, pencils

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treasure
Treasure Point: We can trust God to deliver us.

My Mission: (10 minutes) Allow time for sharing.

How are you tempted to fear and not trust God when things dont go the way you think they should (when you get scared, you mess up, when people get sick or hurt)? How can you trust God even in those scary times? What does Psalm 40:1-3 say to us? Teacher Note: Have one child read these verses from the Bible or you may read them aloud if you are teaching younger children. Psalm 40:1-3 says we are to cry out to God because He is faithful to rescue us. We need to praise Him at all times. Through our praise other people will come to know Him.

Prayer Time: (5 minutes)

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Pre-Teen/Middle School
Treasure Story: Exodus 19-20:21 Treasure Verse: Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness! (Psalm 115:1) Treasure Point: We can trust God to speak to us and to give us rules for our good.

The Law is given to the chosen and already redeemed

people of God so that they might know what their new relationship to God means for the way they live. The law of Sinai is the expression of the character of God as it relates to the revelation of His kingdom at that time. Graeme Goldsworthy, According to Plan, pg. 143

engage

Group Fellowship Time: (10 minutes) Have the students list all the rules that they have been given to follow at school, home, from the government, etc. After listing these, have them tell you ways they would change these rules if they were in charge. Make two columns: one with current rules and one with new rules. Supplies Needed: Chalkboard and chalk, whiteboard and whiteboard marker, or butcher paper and marker

God is the only God, and no other object of worship

is to be tolerated for a moment. Charles Spurgeon, Devotional Thoughts on the Bible, pg. 134

Gods children didnt trust Him or do what He said.

Him. Sally Lloyd-Jones, The Jesus Storybook Bible, pg. 103

They thought they could do a better job of looking after themselves and making themselves happy. But God knew there was no such thing as happiness without

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discover
Bible Story: (30 minutes) Teacher Note: Todays Treasure Story and the listing of the Ten Commandments will seem familiar to most of your students, especially those who have a church background. However, this story should not be overlooked. There are many truths that need to be grasped by your students. The following outline will help you teach the story to your students. Engage them in discussion and give them opportunities to tell the story as you encourage them to dig deep for the truths found in the Treasure Story. God displayed His faithfulness to His people by communicating with them and giving them instructions on what to do. He is not a distant God, and He is not a killjoy. The commands He gives the people are for their good and for their blessing. It is also for the glory of God. Exodus 19:1-6 records the conversation God has with Moses. Stop and think about that for a momentGod having a personal conversation with Moses, a man. God is willing and ready to communicate with man. The God who created the whole earth, who just split the Red Sea, was conversing with sinful man. Exodus 19:1-6: On the third new moon after the people of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on that day they came into the wilderness of Sinai. They set out from Rephidim and came into the wilderness of Sinai, and they encamped in the wilderness. There Israel encamped before the mountain, while Moses went up to God. The LORD called to him out of the mountain, saying, Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the people of Israel: You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles wings and brought you to myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel. God on the mountain. How do you see God? Do you see Him as a judge like the ones we see on TV with a gavel in one hand and sarcastic comments coming out of their mouths? Exodus 19:16-25 displays the greatness and awe-inspiring presence of God on Mount Sinai. What would your response have been if you had been at the base of Mount Sinai? God comes with a loud entrance here. No one can mistake it for something else: thunder and lightning, a loud trumpet blast, smoke wrapping the mountain and fire. Gods presence was clear to a fearful and trembling people.

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Deuteronomy 9:3: Know therefore today that He who goes over before you as a consuming fire is the LORD your God. He will destroy them and subdue them before you. So you shall drive them out and make them perish quickly, as the LORD has promised you. Psalm 77:13-14: Your way, O God, is holy. What god is great like our God? You are the God who works wonders; you have made known your might among the peoples. Exodus 19:16-25: On the morning of the third day there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled. Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they took their stand at the foot of the mountain. Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the LORD had descended on it in fire. The smoke of it went up like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled greatly. And as the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him in thunder. The LORD came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain. And the LORD called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up. And the LORD said to Moses, Go down and warn the people, lest they break through to the LORD to look and many of them perish. Also let the priests who come near to the LORD consecrate themselves, lest the LORD break out against them. And Moses said to the LORD, The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai, for you yourself warned us, saying, Set limits around the mountain and consecrate it. And the LORD said to him, Go down, and come up bringing Aaron with you. But do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to the LORD, lest He break out against them. So Moses went down to the people and told them.

COMMANDS 1-4
Exodus 20:1-17 describes God presenting Moses with the Ten Commandments to give to the Israelites. The first four have to do with mans relationship with God (no other gods, no idols, do not take the name of the Lord in vain and keep the Sabbath unto the Lord). Exodus 20:1-11: And God spoke all these words, saying, I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me.You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments. You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold

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him guiltless who takes his name in vain. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. No other gods. God tells His people that the reason they should have no other gods is because He is the only God, and He rescued them and delivered them from slavery. No carved idols or images. God tells them not to worship anything that was created, but serve and bow down to only the Creator. God is a jealous God. Dont take Gods name in vain. How often do you hear someone saying Gods name in vain in movies, TV shows or in the hallways at school? What is your response? Why do we break this commandment often, maybe even without realizing it? Keep the Sabbath holy. God wants His people to follow His example; He rested after creating the world (Genesis 2:1-2). God wants time during the week that is His alone. For us, it may not be Sunday, it may be another day during the week, but He desires us to set apart time for Him during the week.

COMMANDS 5-10
The remaining commandments deal with mans relationship with others (honoring parents, do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not lie and do not covet). Exodus 20:12-17: Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you. You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. You shall not covet your neighbors house; you shall not covet your neighbors wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbors. Honor your parents. This law comes with a blessing and promise. Ephesians 6:1-3: Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother (this is the first commandment with a promise), that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.

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Do not murder. Why? The worth of human life is found in the fact that all human beings are created in the image of the Creator. They are the Imago Dei (remember from the Creation lesson from three weeks ago). We do not have the right (as humans) to play God and take another humans life. Genesis 9:6: Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in His own image. Do not commit adultery. This means dont have sexual relations with someone who is not your husband or wife. None of you are probably married. Does that mean this commandment doesnt apply to you? No. Since no one is your husband or wife, then you shouldnt be having sexual relations or improper relationships with anyone of the opposite sex. Genesis 2:24: Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. Do not steal. God tells us not to take what doesnt belong to us. Do not bear false witness against your neighbor. This has to do with honestyno lying and no trying to mislead with false information with the intent of harming another person. God wants us to model our lives after Him and He does not lie. 1 Peter 1:14-16: As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, You shall be holy, for I am holy. Do not covet. Anything. Not your neighbors girlfriend, a friends wardrobe or basketball ability, another persons looks, etc. Fill in the blank with whatever you want. Dont do it. This command isnt because God is unwilling to give us good things but so that we come to find our complete satisfaction in Him and who He is for us. Psalm 84:11: For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor. No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly. Psalm 63:3-5: Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips.

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Forty Years
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Discuss with the students these points as you conclude todays lesson: If we obey the first commandment with the help of the Holy Spirit and the grace of Jesus, we will find it harder to break the other nine commandments. God is first. The other commands are broken if we put other things above God in our lives. God did have a reason for giving us these commands. It wasnt just to be a mean God, not allowing us to have any fun. Exodus 20:5-6 gives the reason for these commandments. God knows He alone is better than all these other things and reminds the Israelites of who He has declared Himself to be, of what He has already done for His people, and what He will continue to do because of His great faithfulness.

treasure
Treasure Point: We can trust God to speak to us and to give us rules for our good. But they [the people] were wrong. They couldnt do it.
No matter how hard they tried, they could never keep Gods rules all the time. God knew they couldnt. And He wanted them to know it, too. Only one Person could keep all the rules. And many years later God would send Himto stand in

their place and be perfect for them. Because the rules couldnt save them. Only God could save them. Sally Lloyd-Jones, The Jesus Storybook Bible, pg. 107

My Mission: (10 minutes)

How hard do we try to live by our own good works and obedience? What is our response when we fail at living these commandments? What is the overall point of the Ten Commandments? Ask a student to read Matthew 22:37-38: And He [Jesus] said to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment.

Prayer Time: (5-10 minutes)

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Forty Years
Exodus 13, 14, 16, 19-20:21

High School
Treasure Story: Exodus 13 Treasure Verse: Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness! (Psalm 115:1) Treasure Point: We can trust God to guide us throughout all of life.

Invigorate my love that it may

engage
Introduction: (10 minutes)

rise worthily to Thee, tightly entwine itself around Thee, be allured by Thee. Then shall my walk be endless praise. The Valley of Vision, pg. 108

Read this excerpt from Warren Wiersbes Wycliffe Handbook of Preaching and Preachers: Charles Spurgeon preached to thousands in London each Lords Day, yet he started his ministry by passing out tracts and teaching a Sunday School class as a teenager. When he began to give short addresses to the Sunday School, God blessed his ministry of the Word. He was invited to preach in obscure places in the countryside, and he used every opportunity to honor the Lord. He was faithful in the small things, and God trusted him with the greater things. I am perfectly sure, he said, that, if I had not been willing to preach to those small gatherings of people in obscure country places, I should never have had the privilege of preaching to thousands of men and women in large buildings all over the land. Remember our Lords rule, Whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. Spurgeon was faithful in preaching early on in his ministry. Maybe not in the greatest places and the largest audiences, but he was faithful. God guided him every day of his life. Spurgeon was obedient and followed Gods leading. Spurgeon understood that God was faithful and would always lead him for Gods glory. Discussion Questions: How have you seen God be faithful in your daily life? Have you had to ask God for direction and how have you seen Him answer?

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Forty Years
Exodus 13, 14, 16, 19-20:21

discover
Bible Story: (30 minutes) Teacher Note: The purpose of telling this story (God leading the Israelites by cloud and fire) is to show the students Gods faithfulness in guiding them in all their days. God was faithful to the people of Israel and He continues to be faithful today and will guide them. Have the students read Exodus 13:17-22 and then tell it to their classmates in their own words. Use this outline as you help your students understand the story better. God is upfront and intentional with His people. He had just proved His great power and faithfulness by delivering them out of slavery and bondage to the Egyptians. Ask the students to give a short summary of what happened with the plagues and the Passover (Exodus 6-12:28). Split the students into two groups and have one discuss the plagues (Exodus 6-11) and the other group discuss the Passover (Exodus 12:1-28). He then sets them out on a journey through a wilderness, but yet again declares His great faithfulness. God leads His people on an unusual route because He knew the depth of their hearts. Exodus 13:17-18 shows God directing them to take a longer route because He did not want them to return to Egypt and their former lives in bondage. He also didnt want the Israelites going ahead of His perfect timing. He is perfect in His leading and guiding of us. He knew His people would take their eyes off of Him and get discouraged and fearful when the going got tough. God led them through a wilderness to the Red Sea. That is why the story of the parting of the Red Sea is even more miraculousGod led them right to it. The people werent going the way they wanted, but God knew where He was leading them and what it would cost. Exodus 13:17-18: When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. For God said, Lest the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt. But God led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea. And the people of Israel went up out of the land of Egypt equipped for battle. God directs the paths of His people. Today we have atlases, maps and GPS navigational systems (seemingly built into every new car). God served as the Israelites own divine GPS navigational systema 24/7 guiding and response system. God knew where He was taking them. In Exodus 13:20-22, God made it easy for them to follow Him. During the daylight hours, God presented Himself as a pillar of cloud, so the people could easily follow His direction. When the night came, God illuminated the dark sky with a pillar of fire, so they would not lose their way. The very last phrase in this passage highlights again the great faithfulness of our glorious God: the pillars did not depart from before the people.

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Forty Years
Exodus 13, 14, 16, 19-20:21

Exodus 13:20-22: And they moved on from Succoth and encamped at Etham, on the edge of the wilderness. And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people. Bring in your own GPS or map or atlas. Give a demonstration of using one of these items or have the students try to tell you how to get from Point A to Point B. How easy or hard is it (depending on the destination)? How easy is finding your way around an unknown city if you have an expert guide? Supplies Needed: GPS, map or atlas Direct the students focus to the keyword in that last phrase in Exodus 13:22: before. God doesnt lead from behind. God has said He will always be with us; He will always go out before us and lead us. We can trust in that promise. Always will be with us. Isaiah 58:11: And the LORD will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. Goes before us and leads us. Psalm 23:1-3: The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for His names sake. Trust in His promises. Proverbs 3:1-8: My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments, for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you. Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man. Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones. God does not lead us today with a pillar of cloud and a pillar of fire. What are ways that He has given us to act as our 24/7 GPS navigational system?
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Forty Years
Exodus 13, 14, 16, 19-20:21

The Bible. 2 Timothy 3:16-17: All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work. Psalm 32:8: I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.

Teaching means comprehensive instruction in doctrine

and ethics, the work and will of God; reproof, correction, and training in righteousness signify the applying of this instruction to our disordered lives; equipped ready for every good work, that isa life set to go Gods wayis the promised result. J. I. Packer, Knowing God, pg. 233

Wise pastors, parents and friends. Proverbs 15:22: Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed. Prayer. Matthew 6:9-15: Pray then like this:Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. The Holy Spirit. 1 John 2:20: But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge. John 16:5-15: But now I am going to Him who sent me, and none of you asks me, Where are you going? But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send Him to you. And when He comes, He will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth, for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak, and He will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for He will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that He will take what is mine and declare it to you.
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Forty Years
Exodus 13, 14, 16, 19-20:21

treasure
Treasure Point: We can trust God to guide us throughout all of life. Every heart can make its own application of this

truth [the faithfulness of God] and draw from it such conclusions as the truth suggests and its own needs bring into focus. The tempted, the anxious, the fearful, the discouraged may all find new hope and good cheer in the knowledge that our Heavenly Father is faithful. He will ever be true to His pledged word. He will never remove His loving-kindness from them [His people] nor suffer His faithfulness to fail. A. W. Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy, pg. 81

My Mission: (10 minutes)

In what areas do you need guidance? College? Relationships? Activities in school? Job? Future? Ministry? Friendships? How do you ask God for guidance and how have you seen Him show Himself to be faithful? Where we are prone to mistrust or totally disbelieve that God is going to guide us?

Prayer Time: (10 minutes)

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Forty Years
Exodus 13, 14, 16, 19-20:21

connecting church and home

An unknown author once wrote the following short story:
Chapter I Chapter II Chapter III Chapter IV Chapter V I walk down the street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I fall in. It takes forever to find a way out. I walk down the same street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I fall in again. I cant believe I am in this same place. I walk down the same street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I still fall in . . . its becoming a habit, I get out immediately. I walk down the same street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I walk around it. I walk down another street.

connect
Dont we all wish that it was really that simple? The problem with sin and the trials that we most often battle is that they are not easily avoidable. Genesis 4:7 describes how sin is often crouching at our door. Can you picture it? Do we as parents realize that our children often battle sin? We are tempted to think that if we could just find a healthier environment for our children, then sin wouldnt find them. But Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden and sin found them. Lets exhort our children this week with the truth found only in Scripture and encourage them to stand in Christ as their rock and their deliverer. In these Treasure Stories, your children will see how the Israelites kept returning to their sin even after God showed them favor. God was still faithful to them, although He hated their sin. Your children are in a battle with sin for holiness. With this discussion, also consider talking about discipline with your children, what happens when they disobey, and how the discipline they receive is for their good. Treasure Verse: Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness! (Psalm 115:1)

The central focus of parenting is the Gospel.

You need to direct not simply the behavior of your children, but the attitudes of their hearts. Tedd Tripp, Shepherding a Childs Heart, xxi

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RESOURCES: PLENTY OF FOOD RESOURCE PAGE | Early Childhood

TREASURING CHRIST CURRICULUM | www.treasuringchristonline.org

RESOURCES: I CAN TRUST GOD RESOURCE PAGE | Early Childhood

TREASURING CHRIST CURRICULUM | www.treasuringchristonline.org