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Below are the memory verses for the coming month. Each lesson will be posted as it is completed.
Below are the memory verses for the coming month. Each lesson will be posted as it is completed.
April
⛵️ Sabbath, April 6th - "Don't let evil get the upper hand, but conquer evil by doing good.” - Romans 12:21 - Potiphar and Prison
⛵️ Sabbath, April 13th - “Don’t use your freedom as an excuse to sin. . . Serve one another in love” (Paraphrase). - Galatians 5:13 - A Serving Savior
⛵️ Sabbath, April 20th - “Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth” (NIV). - Psalm 86:11 - A Passionate Prayer
⛵️ Wednesday, April 24th - “The Lord. . . said, ‘I have loved you with a love that lasts forever’” (NIrV). - Jeremiah 31:3 A Lasting Love Story
⛵️ Sabbath, April 27th - “Why do you look for the living among the dead?” - Luke 24:5b
⛵️ Tuesday, April 30th - “After his suffering and death, he appeared to them” (NIrV). - Acts 1:3
⛵️ Sabbath, April 6th - "Don't let evil get the upper hand, but conquer evil by doing good.” - Romans 12:21 - Potiphar and Prison
⛵️ Sabbath, April 13th - “Don’t use your freedom as an excuse to sin. . . Serve one another in love” (Paraphrase). - Galatians 5:13 - A Serving Savior
⛵️ Sabbath, April 20th - “Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth” (NIV). - Psalm 86:11 - A Passionate Prayer
⛵️ Wednesday, April 24th - “The Lord. . . said, ‘I have loved you with a love that lasts forever’” (NIrV). - Jeremiah 31:3 A Lasting Love Story
⛵️ Sabbath, April 27th - “Why do you look for the living among the dead?” - Luke 24:5b
⛵️ Tuesday, April 30th - “After his suffering and death, he appeared to them” (NIrV). - Acts 1:3
Sabbath, April 6th
Potiphar and Prison
"Don't let evil get the upper hand, but conquer evil by doing good.” - Romans 12:21
Materials needed: mini bowling ball set, balls, bouncy balls, string
God set up laws in our world to make things work smoothly. Can you think of any? Gravity. Friction. Inertia. Newton’s Third Law of Motion.
Dave experienced inertia with the van recently. Also called Newton’s First Law of Motion, inertia is the tendency of an object in motion to stay in motion (or object at rest to stay at rest) until acted upon by an outside force. You might say that the deer ran afoul of Newton’s First Law of Motion - and paid for it with its life.
Also called the conservation of momentum, Newton’s First Law of Motion is why people use wrecking balls. The weight of the ball uses gravity to smash it into the building to be demolished. The wrecking ball continues in motion until it’s acted upon by another force - the building.
Another of God’s laws, Newton’s Third Law of Motion, states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. It’s one of the laws in play when you bounce a ball. What happens if you get in the way of a bouncing ball? You definitely feel the energy - with whatever force the ball was thrown, it’s going to bounce with almost the same amount of energy - right into your chin.
We depend on the consistency of God’s laws to function in our world. For instance, friction is what keeps our cars on the pavement. Ice greatly decreases friction and we know what happens then. You walk out the front door and find yourself on the ground. Friction may have been minimized, but gravity is still hard at work.
So what does this have to do with Joseph and Potiphar? Well, it wasn’t exactly Potiphar; it was his wife. She wanted Joseph to break one of God’s laws; she wanted him to commit adultery. Joseph knew that was wrong. He knew that it was sin - the transgression of God’s law. And he wanted no part of it.
Just as there are consequences for running afoul of God’s natural laws (like inertia, friction, and gravity), there are consequences for running afoul of God’s moral laws. Joseph did the right thing; he got out of there - leaving his cloak in her hand when she tried to grab him. Although it made Potiphar’s wife mad and Joseph ended up in prison, it would have been much worse if Joseph had broken God’s law like she wanted. It’s much worse to have God angry with you.
Your memory verse says, “Don’t let evil get the upper hand, but conquer evil by doing good.” Evil is going against God’s laws; doing good is the opposite - keeping God’s laws - and that’s what we’re called to do, to obey and honor God always. You can’t run afoul of any of God’s laws without consequences.
Sabbath, April 13th
A Serving Savior
“Don’t use your freedom as an excuse to sin. . . Serve one another in love” (Paraphrase). - Galatians 5:13
Materials: Servant questions on cards
How do you feel about serving others? Is that something you naturally do? Is it something you think you should do but try to avoid? Or are you the one who is normally served?
Can you think of a time when you last served someone?
Are you the one who says, “Hey, can you get me a kleenex?” Or are you the one who goes to get the kleenex?
Do you look around for things that need to be done? Or do you focus mostly on what you want to do?
Do you like helping other people? Do you wish they’d do more for themselves? Do you prefer that people help you accomplish your goals?
When someone asks you to do something, what’s your first response? Is it “Do I have to?” Do you gladly help? Or is it somewhere in-between? Do you ever help someone grudgingly? You do it, but you don’t really want to.
During the time of Jesus, many people wore sandals. So as they walked from place to place, their feet would get dirty. It was custom for a host to have a servant wash the feet of their guests. It’s a nice way to help them feel welcomed, comfortable, and honored. So when Jesus got up after dinner and began to wash the disciples’ feet, it was shocking to the disciples! This was not something their esteemed Teacher, the Son of God, should be doing. There were lowly servants to do this sort of thing! But Jesus needed to teach His disciples (and all of us) that the greatest in the kingdom of God is the servant of all (Matthew 23:11). Paul tells us (Philippians 2:3) to consider others better than ourselves. That kind of humility doesn’t come naturally to most of us.
So how do you get to a place where you have a servant’s heart - willing to help those who need it, looking for things that need to be done, honestly serving in love? God works a change in our hearts - helping us to understand how Jesus came as a suffering servant. If He gave us this example to follow, we had better learn to submit to Him and learn to serve.
Here’s a place to start: Can you truly serve someone with gladness if you are upset at them over something? Work at fixing the relationship you have with the people around you, admit when you are wrong, apologize, and work to make it right. Give grace to those who have done something to upset you. Forgive, knowing how much you want God’s forgiveness.
And as for serving, how can you serve God if you are not willing to serve the people around you? (Principle from 1 John 4:20). It’s something to think about as we rapidly approach Passover.
Sabbath, April 20th
A Passionate Prayer
“Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth” (NIV). - Psalm 86:11
Materials Needed: concentration cards - examples Jesus gave us, YE2D.5 (YEA lesson from CEM)
Today’s memory verse reminds us of a very important truth: we have to be taught God’s ways before we’re going to incorporate them into our daily lives. So . . . how do we learn God’s ways? Bible study, church attendance, listening to Godly conversations/discussions, fellowship with believers. All of these things are good, but if you just read your Bible, come to church, listen to the conversations (etc.), it will not turn you magically into a Christian. Someone (Billy Sunday) once said, “Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than going to a garage makes you an automobile.” You have to put into practice the things that you have learned that please God, that is, obedience to His laws and following His example. (1 Peter 2:21)
O.K. So what kind of example did Jesus leave for us? If you remember from last week’s lesson, Jesus served his disciples and told them that the greatest in the kingdom is the servant of all (Matthew 23:11) So we need to be a servant - to help those who truly need help. What else?
Jesus said He is the light of the world (John 8:12 ) and He told His followers that they were to be light of the world (Matthew 5:14-16). We are to demonstrate our faith to the people around us. O.K. What else?
Jesus was baptized (Luke 3:21-22), giving us an example to follow (Acts 2:38) - an outward sign of the inward conviction that we belong to God, we have accepted His sacrifice for our sins and have confessed that He is both Lord and Savior in our lives.
Jesus preached that the Kingdom of God was coming (Matthew 4:23), and He gave His disciples the assignment to do likewise (Matthew 28:16-20).
Jesus never sinned (2 Corinthians 5:21); we are commanded to follow His example, knowing that when we fail, we have an advocate, so we repent and try again (1 John 2:1).
Jesus showed us how to love others - He healed lepers instead of avoiding them (Luke 17:11-19); He had compassion when He saw people’s suffering (Matthew 9:35–38); He welcomed those considered least - the children (Matthew 19:13-15). We need to likewise be loving and compassionate.
And when Jesus was faced with a painful death, what did He do? He prayed. He asked His Father if there was any other way. Then He accepted God’s will (Luke 22:42). We are going to face difficult things in this life (John 16:33). Jesus gave us an example of how to face them. First, we take it to God in prayer. We ask for God to show a way out - if it’s God’s will. Then we accept what God sets in front of us.
Sometimes, God provides a solution. Sometimes, we have to go through the difficult thing. But in the end, we know that God has us in His hand. Things that are very difficult are under His control - and He can use them for good, even when we can’t see the good. Our job is to obey His commandments and trust Him always.
There’s a great hymn: Trust and obey for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.
Wednesday, April 24th - First Day of Unleavened Bread
A Lasting Love Story (Holy Day Lesson)
“The Lord. . . said, ‘I have loved you with a love that lasts forever’” (NIrV). - Jeremiah 31:3
Materials: weights, YEA lesson YE2D.6
How does God love us? Where do you see His love? He created a lovely world that was very good! Delightful animals. Beautiful flowers. A veritable paradise garden.
God created set laws so that life would work predictably - gravity and inertia and friction.
God created food for us to eat and water to drink - so incredibly yummy and varied a diet!
God created colors and textures and smells and sounds and tastes. What an interesting world we live in - and it’s for our benefit!!
And that’s just creation! How else does God show His love for us? He helps us when we’re in trouble. He provides for our needs. He guides us and leads us. He gives us hope and a future. He invites us into fellowship with Him. And He rescues us.
Rescues us? Why do we need to be rescued? Well, you remember that paradise that God created? Adam and Eve chose to disobey God’s direct commandment. What is that called? Yes, it’s called sin. When sin entered the world, so did death and pain and famine and drought and trouble of all kinds. The world that God had pronounced “very good” was now no longer that way. We inherited that sin nature from our ancestor Adam. And every time we sin, it’s another weight added to our very being.
It’s why Jesus would say to the crowds “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).
Jesus paid our sin debt and took our burden. That’s why we’re celebrating these holy days this week - in remembrance of what Jesus did for us! It is incredible just how much He did for us. And what does He ask us to do this week - one simple thing: eat unleavened bread every day. (Of course, that doesn’t mean any of the rest of God’s law is suspended! We are still going to honor our parents and tell the truth and respect the property of others!)
As you make it a point to eat unleavened bread this week - to obey God’s command to do so - remember the weight that Jesus took from you when He paid your sin debt. That’s the love of God.
Potiphar and Prison
"Don't let evil get the upper hand, but conquer evil by doing good.” - Romans 12:21
Materials needed: mini bowling ball set, balls, bouncy balls, string
God set up laws in our world to make things work smoothly. Can you think of any? Gravity. Friction. Inertia. Newton’s Third Law of Motion.
Dave experienced inertia with the van recently. Also called Newton’s First Law of Motion, inertia is the tendency of an object in motion to stay in motion (or object at rest to stay at rest) until acted upon by an outside force. You might say that the deer ran afoul of Newton’s First Law of Motion - and paid for it with its life.
Also called the conservation of momentum, Newton’s First Law of Motion is why people use wrecking balls. The weight of the ball uses gravity to smash it into the building to be demolished. The wrecking ball continues in motion until it’s acted upon by another force - the building.
Another of God’s laws, Newton’s Third Law of Motion, states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. It’s one of the laws in play when you bounce a ball. What happens if you get in the way of a bouncing ball? You definitely feel the energy - with whatever force the ball was thrown, it’s going to bounce with almost the same amount of energy - right into your chin.
We depend on the consistency of God’s laws to function in our world. For instance, friction is what keeps our cars on the pavement. Ice greatly decreases friction and we know what happens then. You walk out the front door and find yourself on the ground. Friction may have been minimized, but gravity is still hard at work.
So what does this have to do with Joseph and Potiphar? Well, it wasn’t exactly Potiphar; it was his wife. She wanted Joseph to break one of God’s laws; she wanted him to commit adultery. Joseph knew that was wrong. He knew that it was sin - the transgression of God’s law. And he wanted no part of it.
Just as there are consequences for running afoul of God’s natural laws (like inertia, friction, and gravity), there are consequences for running afoul of God’s moral laws. Joseph did the right thing; he got out of there - leaving his cloak in her hand when she tried to grab him. Although it made Potiphar’s wife mad and Joseph ended up in prison, it would have been much worse if Joseph had broken God’s law like she wanted. It’s much worse to have God angry with you.
Your memory verse says, “Don’t let evil get the upper hand, but conquer evil by doing good.” Evil is going against God’s laws; doing good is the opposite - keeping God’s laws - and that’s what we’re called to do, to obey and honor God always. You can’t run afoul of any of God’s laws without consequences.
Sabbath, April 13th
A Serving Savior
“Don’t use your freedom as an excuse to sin. . . Serve one another in love” (Paraphrase). - Galatians 5:13
Materials: Servant questions on cards
How do you feel about serving others? Is that something you naturally do? Is it something you think you should do but try to avoid? Or are you the one who is normally served?
Can you think of a time when you last served someone?
Are you the one who says, “Hey, can you get me a kleenex?” Or are you the one who goes to get the kleenex?
Do you look around for things that need to be done? Or do you focus mostly on what you want to do?
Do you like helping other people? Do you wish they’d do more for themselves? Do you prefer that people help you accomplish your goals?
When someone asks you to do something, what’s your first response? Is it “Do I have to?” Do you gladly help? Or is it somewhere in-between? Do you ever help someone grudgingly? You do it, but you don’t really want to.
During the time of Jesus, many people wore sandals. So as they walked from place to place, their feet would get dirty. It was custom for a host to have a servant wash the feet of their guests. It’s a nice way to help them feel welcomed, comfortable, and honored. So when Jesus got up after dinner and began to wash the disciples’ feet, it was shocking to the disciples! This was not something their esteemed Teacher, the Son of God, should be doing. There were lowly servants to do this sort of thing! But Jesus needed to teach His disciples (and all of us) that the greatest in the kingdom of God is the servant of all (Matthew 23:11). Paul tells us (Philippians 2:3) to consider others better than ourselves. That kind of humility doesn’t come naturally to most of us.
So how do you get to a place where you have a servant’s heart - willing to help those who need it, looking for things that need to be done, honestly serving in love? God works a change in our hearts - helping us to understand how Jesus came as a suffering servant. If He gave us this example to follow, we had better learn to submit to Him and learn to serve.
Here’s a place to start: Can you truly serve someone with gladness if you are upset at them over something? Work at fixing the relationship you have with the people around you, admit when you are wrong, apologize, and work to make it right. Give grace to those who have done something to upset you. Forgive, knowing how much you want God’s forgiveness.
And as for serving, how can you serve God if you are not willing to serve the people around you? (Principle from 1 John 4:20). It’s something to think about as we rapidly approach Passover.
Sabbath, April 20th
A Passionate Prayer
“Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth” (NIV). - Psalm 86:11
Materials Needed: concentration cards - examples Jesus gave us, YE2D.5 (YEA lesson from CEM)
Today’s memory verse reminds us of a very important truth: we have to be taught God’s ways before we’re going to incorporate them into our daily lives. So . . . how do we learn God’s ways? Bible study, church attendance, listening to Godly conversations/discussions, fellowship with believers. All of these things are good, but if you just read your Bible, come to church, listen to the conversations (etc.), it will not turn you magically into a Christian. Someone (Billy Sunday) once said, “Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than going to a garage makes you an automobile.” You have to put into practice the things that you have learned that please God, that is, obedience to His laws and following His example. (1 Peter 2:21)
O.K. So what kind of example did Jesus leave for us? If you remember from last week’s lesson, Jesus served his disciples and told them that the greatest in the kingdom is the servant of all (Matthew 23:11) So we need to be a servant - to help those who truly need help. What else?
Jesus said He is the light of the world (John 8:12 ) and He told His followers that they were to be light of the world (Matthew 5:14-16). We are to demonstrate our faith to the people around us. O.K. What else?
Jesus was baptized (Luke 3:21-22), giving us an example to follow (Acts 2:38) - an outward sign of the inward conviction that we belong to God, we have accepted His sacrifice for our sins and have confessed that He is both Lord and Savior in our lives.
Jesus preached that the Kingdom of God was coming (Matthew 4:23), and He gave His disciples the assignment to do likewise (Matthew 28:16-20).
Jesus never sinned (2 Corinthians 5:21); we are commanded to follow His example, knowing that when we fail, we have an advocate, so we repent and try again (1 John 2:1).
Jesus showed us how to love others - He healed lepers instead of avoiding them (Luke 17:11-19); He had compassion when He saw people’s suffering (Matthew 9:35–38); He welcomed those considered least - the children (Matthew 19:13-15). We need to likewise be loving and compassionate.
And when Jesus was faced with a painful death, what did He do? He prayed. He asked His Father if there was any other way. Then He accepted God’s will (Luke 22:42). We are going to face difficult things in this life (John 16:33). Jesus gave us an example of how to face them. First, we take it to God in prayer. We ask for God to show a way out - if it’s God’s will. Then we accept what God sets in front of us.
Sometimes, God provides a solution. Sometimes, we have to go through the difficult thing. But in the end, we know that God has us in His hand. Things that are very difficult are under His control - and He can use them for good, even when we can’t see the good. Our job is to obey His commandments and trust Him always.
There’s a great hymn: Trust and obey for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.
Wednesday, April 24th - First Day of Unleavened Bread
A Lasting Love Story (Holy Day Lesson)
“The Lord. . . said, ‘I have loved you with a love that lasts forever’” (NIrV). - Jeremiah 31:3
Materials: weights, YEA lesson YE2D.6
How does God love us? Where do you see His love? He created a lovely world that was very good! Delightful animals. Beautiful flowers. A veritable paradise garden.
God created set laws so that life would work predictably - gravity and inertia and friction.
God created food for us to eat and water to drink - so incredibly yummy and varied a diet!
God created colors and textures and smells and sounds and tastes. What an interesting world we live in - and it’s for our benefit!!
And that’s just creation! How else does God show His love for us? He helps us when we’re in trouble. He provides for our needs. He guides us and leads us. He gives us hope and a future. He invites us into fellowship with Him. And He rescues us.
Rescues us? Why do we need to be rescued? Well, you remember that paradise that God created? Adam and Eve chose to disobey God’s direct commandment. What is that called? Yes, it’s called sin. When sin entered the world, so did death and pain and famine and drought and trouble of all kinds. The world that God had pronounced “very good” was now no longer that way. We inherited that sin nature from our ancestor Adam. And every time we sin, it’s another weight added to our very being.
It’s why Jesus would say to the crowds “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).
Jesus paid our sin debt and took our burden. That’s why we’re celebrating these holy days this week - in remembrance of what Jesus did for us! It is incredible just how much He did for us. And what does He ask us to do this week - one simple thing: eat unleavened bread every day. (Of course, that doesn’t mean any of the rest of God’s law is suspended! We are still going to honor our parents and tell the truth and respect the property of others!)
As you make it a point to eat unleavened bread this week - to obey God’s command to do so - remember the weight that Jesus took from you when He paid your sin debt. That’s the love of God.