Free Bible School Materials: February 2010

John 3:14-15

Wednesday:	John 3:14-15
Bible Lesson:	Look and Live: The Bronze Snake and the Son of Man: We should look to Jesus, trusting God for our salvation.
Memory Verse:	Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. John 3:14-15

Introduction: Snake on a Stick

In our lesson today we learned that when the Israelites were bitten by snakes, God provided a way for them to live. They were saved if they looked at the snake that Moses lifted up on a pole.

Explanation: John 3:14-15

That was a symbol of how the Son of Man, Jesus, had to be lifted up on a cross, so that we could be saved from our sins if we trust in him.

[Show the verse and read it aloud.]

When we let Jesus pay for our sins, we can be saved. Looking at a cross is not any kind of magic: it's the belief in Jesus, who paid the penalty for our sin, that allows us to be saved.

In the book of John (which is in the New Testament), Jesus was talking to a man who named Nicodemus came to ask him questions. Jesus was telling him about salvation. This is what he said: [Quote the verse.]

Game: Portion Motions

Divide the verse into four main parts:

Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert
so the Son of Man must be lifted up
that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life
John 3:14-15

Have the children march in place while saying the first part of the verse. Repeat it enough times that they sort of know it.

Now have them jump up and down repeatedly while saying the next part of the verse. Repeat it enough times that they sort of know it. Go back and put the two together: have them march in place saying the first part, then jump up and down saying the second part.

Now say the third part of the verse while turning in circles. Repeat it until they sort of know it. Add the reference, having them sit down as they say it. Then have them stand up again so you can practice these two parts again.

Now put it all together, and practice the whole way through: march in place through the first part, jump up and down through the second part, spin through the third part, and sit down saying the reference. Repeat the whole thing as long as there's time left.

Announcement: Verse Points

Tomorrow, when you come to Bible School, if you can say your memory verse without looking, you can earn points for your team's score. Each person who can say the verse can earn 200 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 200 more points!

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

James 1:22

Tuesday:	James 1:22
Bible Lesson:	Do What It Says: We should study God's word and obey it. (Nehemiah, Ezra, and the Feast of Booths)
Memory Verse:	Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. James 1:22

Introduction:

[needed]

Explanation: James 1:22

[Show the verse and read it aloud.]

The word merely means something like only. So when it says Do not merely listen to the word, it means you don't just listen, you also do what it says. You listen, and then you obey.

Then it says, Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. To deceive someone is to trick or fool them. So if you're deceiving yourself, you're tricking or fooling yourself. This verse tells us that if we only listen to the word and we don't obey it, we're fooling ourselves. We think we're listening to the word, but if we don't obey, are were really listening?

If your mom tells you to clean up your room, you hear the words, but did you listen to her, if you didn't actually clean your room? It's the same thing with God's word. We don't want to deceive ourselves. We want to do what God says.

Game: Chipmunk Voices

Announce that you will be having a contest between groups to see which group can say the verse better. Practice reading the verse off the posterboard together (in normal voices) two or three times first, to get everyone familiar with the wording.

Divide the children into approximately equal groups, as many as you have leaders for (preferably at least three). Give the groups no more than two minutes to practice within their group, saying the verse in chimpunk voices. After the two minutes, call everyone back together. Have each group in turn stand in front and say the verse in their chipmunk voices. If there's enough time left, say you aren't sure which group was best and have them all do it again. Give everyone a big round of applause.

Announcement: Verse Points

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

1 John 2:5

Monday:	1^st John 2:5
Bible Lesson:	Caleb & Joshua: We should trust and obey God.
Memory Verse:	But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. 1^st John 2:5

Preparation: Workday

Cut out about fifty footprints. Write one word on each footprint, making sure to use all the words from the verse, as well as a number of additional decoy words. (Do this part at one of your VBS workdays.)

Preparation: Setup

Lay the footprints out, with the verse words in the correct arrangement for stepping and the decoy words intermixed among them, side by side with them, so that the children will have to select the correct footprint to step on for each word.

Introduction: Caleb & Joshua

Earlier, we learned about Caleb and Joshua, and how they trusted and obeyed God.

[Hold up the posterboard with the verse on it. Read it through once.]

Ten of the spies didn't trust and obey God. God told them something to do, and they disobeyed, because they didn't have faith. Caleb and Joshua saw the same thing that the other ten men saw, but they trusted that God would take care of them and give them what he had promised. When they did this, they showed that they loved God, and God blessed them by allowing them to enter the promised land.

Explanation: 1^st John 2:5

Everyone who loves God and wants to live for him should be acting this verse out in their lives. God doesn't give us the option to pick and choose which parts of the Bible we will obey. We have to obey all of it. And then God's live will be complete in us.

I don't know about you, but I want to be the best Christian that I can be. One way that I do that is by obeying God's word.

Game: Footsteps

Allow one child at a time to walk through the footsteps as the entire group says the verse through slowly. Pace the saying of the verse so that the child has a chance to figure out where to step. (For younger children, an older child can assist by pointing out where they should step next.)

Continue allowing additional children to go through until your time is up.

Announcement: Verse Points

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

Free Bible School Materials

Complete Themes

Almost Complete

Bits and Pieces

General Information

What's New

John 3:14-15

James 1:22

1 John 2:5