Noah and the Flood (Preschool Lesson)

Wednesday:	Noah and the Flood
Story Passage:	Genesis 6-9
Other Passages:	2nd Peter 2:5
Objective:	God expects us to obey him. God takes care of those who love and obey him.

Introduction: Sinful World

After God made the world, people began disobeying God. They did not remember, or did not care, what God said. They were being very, very bad. God looked around and saw that people were thinking up bad stuff to do all the time. God was very sad. He was sorry he ever made people. The Bible says his heart was filled with pain. So God said, I will wipe men from the earth, men and animals and birds. I am sorry I ever made them!

Story: Noah and the Flood

BUT, Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. That means that God was happy with Noah, because Noah obeyed God and did what was right.

God told Noah that he was going to get rid of all the bad people. he told Noah to build an ark. A BIG box. He told him exactly how big to make it. (450ft. long, which is 1½ times as long as a football field, by 75 feet wide and 45 feet high.) He told him to put a roof on top, a big door in the side, and to make three floors, like a basement, a main floor, and an upstairs. He told him what kind of wood to use, and he was to cover the wood, inside and out with tar so that it wouldn't leak. God also told Noah that he would send animals to put on the ark. Noah was to take his wife, his three sons, and their wives.

So Noah and his three sons began to build the ark. They made it just like God told Noah. They had to cut down trees, make boards, put it all together and cover it with tar. It was such a big boat that it was a BIG job. It took Noah and his sons 100 years to build it. While he was building it, Noah told other people about God. He told them they should obey God, but they would not listen.

When the ark was finished, God sent every kind of animal and bird. He sent a boy and a girl of each kind. God told Noah to get on the boat with his family and all the animals. They had to take food for themselves and for the animals too. It took a whole week to get everything on the ark.

Then God shut the door. Boom. After God shut the door it was too late for anyone else to get on. God had made a way for Noah and his family to be safe in the big storm because they obeyed God, but nobody else got on the boat: only Noah and his family.

After God shut the door, it began to rain, hard, and lots of water came up from inside the ground. It rained hard for 40 days and 40 nights. The whole world was covered with water, all the houses, all the trees, even the highest mountains were covered with water, but Noah and his family were safe because Noah obeyed God. Is it important to God that we obey him? YES! It's very important.

Noah and his family stayed on the ark for a long time. They had to take care of the animals by giving them food and cleaning up the messes they made. The earth was completely flooded for 150 days. Then God sent a wind to dry up the water. It took a long time, but finally it got dry enough that they could get off. They had been on the ark for a year. I bet they were glad to get off! Noah and his family thanked God for taking care of them.

Conclusion

When we remember Noah, we remember that God takes care of people who obey him. Sometimes there are troubles. Noah had to work hard to build the ark. It probably wasn't fun to have the flood. But God took care of them and he'll take care of us too.

Copyright © 2004—2012, Jill Eady and the Galion Grace Brethren Church. See licensing for information about rights and permissions. Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Goin' Fishin'

Monday:	Goin' Fishin'
Bible Lesson:	The Fish with the Coin: Jesus is God
Memory Verse:	Matthew 16:16
Missions Concepts:	Missionaries go where the people are, but they need consent to come.
Missions Examples:	India (no missionary visas)
Bible Passages:	[needed]

Introduction: Fishing

[Start with the skit, Unprepared Fishermen I]

In the skit, what were the two things that Bob and Sally learned they need to do in order to catch fish? [Accept answers.] That's right. They needed fishing licenses, and they needed to go where the fish are.

Did you know being a missionary is a lot like being a fisherman? Missionaries are fishing for Christ.

First Point: Where the People Are

Just like Bob needed to leave the swimming pool and go to a place where fish would be, like a stream or a lake, missionaries need to go to a place where there are people. They can't go be missionaries in the middle of the woods, or an empty cave, or the middle of a lake. If they're going to tell people about Jesus, they need to go where there are people. There are lots of different places where there are people. Some people can be missionaries right where they are at home, telling people about Jesus in their neighborhood, or at school, or at the mall, ... but there are other places too, and some missionaries go to a place far away from home, because they know that there are people there in that place who need to hear about Jesus.

Second Point: Permission to Go

The fisherman's license gives him permission to fish. Just like a fisherman needs permission, a missionary needs permission too. Now, in this country, we don't need special permission from the government, because we already have freedom of speech. But sometimes, even though there's no law against telling people about Jesus, we still need permission in another way. If I'm going to bring children to Bible school, I have to have their parents' permission. I can't just go take kids from the playground, tie them up, and bring them here. I have to have permission. Missionaries also need permission from their church. If their church doesn't agree with them going, who will provide their prayer and financial support for the missions work? Missionaries have to be sent by a church. And if you're going to be a missionary in a foreign country, you have to get permission to go to that country. You need a visa stamp from the country you're going to on your passport, or they won't let you into their country without a visa. So you have to have permission to come.

Example: India

One country we'd like to send missionaries to is India, but India doesn't give visas to missionaries just so they can come and tell people about Jesus. If you want to go to India, you have to have another reason, a reason that is approved by the government of India, or they won't let you come. In May, Tom and Janelle Ricker, and Ike and Nancy Graham, went to India. They were sent by our churches, but they could only go for a short time, because they only had a tourist visa, which doesn't last very long. You get a tourist visa if you're going on vacation in a foreign country, but you can't stay for a whole year. So our missionaries that went to India are back here now, in the United States.

Application: Parental Permission

Just like fishermen need a license, and foreign missionaries need permission to go into the country, if we bring our friends to Bible School, we need their parents' permission to bring them.

Invitation: Missions

Invite any children who want to do missions work to stay after the lesson and discuss it further.