Romans 6:23

Tuesday:	Romans 6:23
Bible Lesson:	The Sign of Jonah: Jesus died to pay the penalty for our sin.

Introduction: Wages

Today's verse talks about wages. What are wages? Wages are what you earn for doing something, like if you have a job, and your boss gives you a paycheck.

Explanation: Romans 6:23

Romans 6:23: For the wage of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life, through Christ Jesus our Lord.

[Show the verse and read it aloud.]

How do you earn the wages in this verse? By sinning. What is sin? Sin is something you do that God doesn't like. How do we know what God doesn't like? He tells us in the Bible.

What do you earn, when you sin? Death. Death is separation. If your body dies, you are separated from your body, and from the people still here on Earth. If you die spiritually, you are separated from God, forever. Who wants to earn death, and be separated from God forever?

What is a gift? A gift is a present. Do you have to earn a gift? No, somebody gives it to you. Who gives the gift in the verse? God. What does he give you? Eternal life. What does eternal mean? Forever. So if you have eternal life, do you get the death that you earned? No, you get to be with Jesus (and other Christians) forever.

How does God give us this gift? Through Jesus our LORD. When Jesus died on the cross, he paid the wage of our sin, so that we don't have to receive it. What does it mean for Jesus to be our LORD? It means he is our master, and we follow him.

Game: Every Other Word

Display the posterboard of the verse. Read through the verse together. Explain to the children that you will take turns reading with them: you will say one word, and they will say the next, all the way through the verse. Do this several times, switching who goes first. Select a child to come and take your place, taking turns with the other children. Rotate through several children this way. If you have two children up front at once, each will read every third word. Now, take away the posterboard and continue until everyone knows the verse pretty well.

Announcement: Verse Points

Read announcement about saying the verse the next day:

Tomorrow, when you come to Bible School, if you can say your memory verse without looking, you can earn 100 points for your team's score. Each person who can say the verse can earn 100 points. So, if you want to help your team win more points, go home and practice your verse a few times. Don't forget the reference! On your way out the door tonight, you will be given a slip of paper with your verse on it. Don't lose it, because if you learn your verse, your team gets 100 more points!

You can say your verse for points tomorrow when you check in at the registration table.

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.