VBS Curriculum, 2001
(1) The First Seven Days
I. Introduction
A. Read Text – ALWAYS Read the Text FROM THE BIBLE
1. Genesis 1:1 – Genesis 2:25
B. Memory Verse:
1. Genesis 1:1 (3rd Grade and down)
2. Genesis 1:26 (4th Grade and Up) THIS WILL TAKE SOME CLASS TIME TO WORK ON IT!!
C. Lesson readings – Use as you will
1. Colossians 1:9 – 18; Romans 1:20
2. John 1:1-4; Hebrews 11:3
D. Retell the Story of Creation in your Own Words:
II. The Days of Creation
A. Day One – In the Beginning
1. Genesis 1:1 – In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
a) God is eternal… God has ALWAYS existed
b) ONLY God has the power to make something from nothing.
c) Hebrews 11:3, the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.
d) God made the whole word from NOTHING. God spoke it all into being.
2. Genesis 1:3 – Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.
a) God said it, and it immediately happened.
b) Illustration: Electric light switch…OFF and ON No light then Light
3. Genesis 1:4 – And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. (NASB)
a) What God made he saw that it was good.
b) We will see that everything God made was good, even very good.
c) God separated light from darkness… God has always been in charge.
4. Genesis 1:5 – God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day. (NKJV)
a) God called Day and Night
b) Evening and morning… darkness then light
c) Darkness was first – see verse 2. “…and darkness was on the face of the deep…”
d) THE FIRST DAY(1) Anything before the first day would have been first.
(2) Genesis 1:1-5 tell the story of the first day of the earth.
B. Day Two – “Then God said…”
1. A FIRMAMENT called HEAVEN
a) Can YOU say “firmament” ???
b) Genesis 1:6-7; Then God said, “Let there be… And God made…”
c) When God said, “let there be,” then it was.
d) The firmament is what we call the sky… the space above us going into outer space.
e) The Bible says there is water underneath the sky and water above it, too.(1) We see the water underneath it… we drink it, we travel on it, we play in it.
(2) We can’t see the water above the firmament, but we must believe that it is there, simply because God said it is there.2. Genesis 1:8 – And God called the firmament heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day.
a) Once again, evening first then daylight, a day.
b) Darkness first, then light
c) Every day is the same.
d) 24 hours, a day.
e) We can count them, and they are all the same length in time, over and over again, every day is the same.
C. Day three – Something to cover the earth.
1. Genesis 1:9-13
a) MEMORIZE IT THIS WAY:
(1) Land
(2) Seas
(3) Grass
(4) Treesb) Rivers and lakes and oceans and seas
c) Mountains and valleys and plains and deserts
d) Oaks and pines; Lemon trees and bushes of all kinds
e) Tall grass, short grass, thin grass and thick2. God created it all to fit together in perfect harmony.
a) The water to make the plants grow
b) The plants to grow and produce food
c) The grass to keep the land from erosion and washing away
d) All to produce a perfect place for man to live.3. Genesis 1:13 – So the evening and the morning were the third day. (NKJV)
a) Day three just like days one and two
b) Darkness then light
c) Evening and morning make a day
d) 24 hours just like days are now
D. Day four – Something to fill the sky and light the earth
1. SUN, MOON and STARS
a) Genesis 1:14 – Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; (NKJV)
b) The lights are in the firmament, the heavens, the sky and outer space.2. Signs and seasons
a) The movement of the earth around the sun does not MAKE a day
b) The sun and moon are merely signs so we know a day and a year and seasons.
c) We can count days by the lights in the sky.
d) Seasons are measured by the sun and the moon.3. Genesis 1:19 – So the evening and the morning were the fourth day. (NKJV)
a) The days are all the same
b) Evening and morning… the days are always the same.
E. Day Five – Animal life in the air and in the sea
1. Genesis 1:20 – Then God said, “Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens.” (NKJV)
a) This is the natural way to do things
b) God first put everything ON the earth and IN the sky
c) Then he put living creatures to live there.2. Day five, the day the first animals were created, sees the sky and the seas filled with living creatures.
a) All the fish
b) All the birds
c) In Verse 22, God commanded that the animals multiply after their kind.
d) God set in order the continuing growth of the animal kingdom.
F. Day six – The Greatest Day of Creation
1. God saved the best for last.
a) Genesis 1:24 – Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind”; and it was so. (NKJV)
b) God said it, and it was so.2. The skies and the waters were filled with life on day five. On Day Six, the land creatures are created.
a) Genesis 1:25 – And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. (NKJV)
b) Notice the use of the word “EVERYTHING”(1) Everything that creeps on the earth.
(2) He did not save some for later.
(3) He did not start a process. He made them all whole and full grown.
(4) He made each kind of animal.3. Genesis 1:26 – Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” (NKJV)
a) Man was made in the image of God.
b) Man was made to rule over everything.
c) Since man is made in the image of God, he is the greatest of all the creation.4. Genesis 1:27 – So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. (NKJV)
a) On day six, man and woman were created in the image of God, according to God’s likeness.
b) Like the animals, man was created full grown.
c) Man and woman were commanded to be fruitful and multiply themselves.5. The end result – Genesis 1:31 – Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day. (NKJV)
a) Everything God made was “very good”.
b) And again, day six was just like all the other days, an evening and a morning.
c) Just like all the other days, day six had darkness first, and then light – an evening and a morning.
G. Day seven – the last day of creation week
1. (Genesis 2:1-3) Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made. (NKJV)
III. Genesis Two – Filling in the Blanks
A. Verse 6 – A mist watered the ground before God was finished with creation
1. We do not know when that changed.
B. (Genesis 2:7) And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. (NKJV)
C. God had three laws for man to obey.
1. Genesis 1:28 – Be fruitful and multiply – fill the earth and subdue it.
2. Genesis 2:15 – Tend the Garden of Eden and keep it.
3. (Genesis 2:16-17) And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; “but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” (NKJV)a) Law one was the keep mankind alive as a creature
b) Law two was to sustain man’s food supply.
c) Law three was a restrictive command to show how man would serve and obey God. – the creature submitting to the will of the Creator.
D. The crowning end to the creation account; The woman made from the rib of man.
1. The establishment of marriage and family.
2. Husband and wife working together, side by side as one flesh. (Genesis 2:24) Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. (NKJV)
IV. Review Questions
A. Which life was first created by God?
a) Human life
b) Plant life
c) Animal life
B. Who was with God when He said, “Let us make man in our image.”?
C. Name the Garden where Adam and Eve first lived
D. Fill in the blank… Woman was created to be man’s ______
a) Guide
b) Helper
c) Boss
E. Which light in the sky rules the day?
F. What did God call the firmament? On which day did God create the firmament?
G. What four things were created on day three?
(2) The First Family and Sin Enters the World
I. Introduction
A. Read Text – ALWAYS Read the Text FROM THE BIBLE
1. Genesis 2 & 3
B. Memory Verse: Genesis 2:7
C. Lesson readings – Use as you will.
1. Genesis 4:6-7; Genesis 4:9; Genesis 4:25-26
D. Lesson Goals
1. The details of creation (Genesis 2)
2. Man and woman come together (Genesis 2)
3. Study the sin of Eve and Adam (Genesis 3)
4. Study of the family of Adam and Eve.a) Cain and Abel
b) The sacrifice of the two brothers
c) The killing of Abel
d) The third son in place of Abel
II. Body
A. The Details of Creation
1. Day seven a day of rest
a) Genesis 2:1-3 – Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts. And by the seventh day God completed His work which He had done; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made. (NASB).
b) Everything was finished
c) No need for evolution.(1) No need for any more work in creating all things on the earth.
2. (Genesis 2:4) This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made earth and heaven. (NASB)
a) We are told with the phrase “This is the account” that the story is being retold, filling in some relevant details.
b) Before day three, (Verse 5 refers to before there was shrubbery) we are told about a mist rising up to water the surface of the ground.3. (Genesis 2:7) And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. (NKJV).
a) This verse is the beginning of the retelling of Day 6 and the events surrounding the creation of man.
b) God placed man in the Garden of Eden and told him to keep the garden.(1) He had to raise his own food to eat.
(2) God provided a perfect place for man to work and grow food.c) God limited man from eating from only one tree.
(1) God introduces LAW for man to obey.
(2) DO NOT eat from nor touch the tree of the knowledge of good and evil… Genesis 2:17.d) God had Adam name all the animals on the day they were created.
(1) No animal was a fitting companion to man
(2) MAN IS NOT AN ANIMALe) Since no animal was a proper companion to man, God created woman, taken from a rib of Adam.
B. Adam and Eve were thus married
1. (Genesis 2:23-24) And Adam said: “This is now bone of my bones And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man.” Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. (NKJV).
2. Marriage is the coming together of one man with one woman just as here in the beginning.a) Verse 24 is a comment on the relationship of marriage.
b) It could not apply to Adam and Eve as they had no parents to leave.
c) This is God’s plan for man’s happiness and for the continuing of mankind.3. Marriage is intended to be a life long commitment of a man and his wife.
a) Marriage is an honorable relationship (Hebrews 13:4)
b) Marriage is ordained of God.
c) Marriage is God’s only way for men and women to live together and to populate the earth.
C. Adam and Eve and the Serpent – Sin enters the world.
1. The Devil is a liar!!
a) (Genesis 3:1) Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” (NKJV)
b) The Devil knew the word of God.
c) He was going to use the word of God and lie about it to Eve and tempt her to sin.
d) Jesus said to the Pharisees a long time later, (John 8:44) “You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.” (NKJV)(1) Jesus said the Devil is the father of lies
(2) The Devil would rather tell a lie than tell the truth.e) TEACHERS: STRESS HERE THE IMPORTANCE OF ALWAYS TELLING THE TRUTH!!!!!
2. After Eve believed the lie that the Devil told her, she disobeyed God and ate the forbidden fruit.
a) (Genesis 3:6) So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. (NKJV)
b) All the beauty of God’s perfect earth and His very special Garden was now ugly because of SIN.3. The Bible is clear that it was Eve who first sinned.
a) It is just a fact stated without comment.
b) It is told to us, however, in the New Testament with a reason.
c) (1 Timothy 2:11-15) Let a woman quietly receive instruction with entire submissiveness. But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet. For it was Adam who was first created, and then Eve. And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman being quite deceived, fell into transgression. But women shall be preserved through the bearing of children if they continue in faith and love and sanctity with self-restraint. (NASB)
d) This is God’s pattern for order.4. God called to Adam and Eve after they sinned
a) Adam said he was hiding from God because he was naked.
b) No one can hide from God.5. Adam blamed Eve and God for his sin.
a) Eve blamed the Devil.
b) The truth is that EVERYBODY is responsible for their own sins6. God passed out punishment for the sins of all those that day.
a) The serpent was cursed more than all cattle and more than every beast of the field
(1) The Devil had come to Eve as a serpent.
b) Women were cursed for Eve’s sin in that God said He would multiply the pain of childbirth
c) Man was cursed in that his perfect place to work and grown food would be taken away from him and the ground would begin to grow thorns… all kinds of weeds in the fields.
d) They were ALL cast out of God’s special Garden7. Even before He told man about his punishment, God promised the coming of a Savior.
a) God did not call Him Jesus in Genesis 3.
b) Neither did He call Him a Savior.
c) God promised that this Savior would win over the Devil.
d) Genesis 3:15 is the first promise by God of the coming of Jesus to the earth… (Genesis 3:15)”And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.” (NKJV)8. Man died (separated from God) that day because of his sin.
D. Genesis 4 – Adam and Eve have a family
1. Two sons
a) Cain, a farmer, a tiller of the ground
b) Abel, a cattleman, a keeper of flocks.2. In due time, the sons grew up to be men responsible to God.
a) God commanded them to offer sacrifice to Him.
b) These men were expected to obey God as He had commanded them.
c) (Hebrews 11:4) By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained the testimony that he was righteous, God testifying about his gifts, and through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks. (NASB)
d) Cain became very angry at this.(1) We all want to be pleasing to God
(2) We are tested when we faile) God tried to reason with Cain about overcoming his anger and moving on with his life after sinning before God.
(1) (Genesis 4:6-7) So the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? “If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.” (NKJV)
(2) IF WE DO WELL, GOD SAID, WE WILL BE ACCEPTED!3. Cain did not overcome his anger, but rather killed his brother, Abel.
a) Uncontrolled anger is a terrible sin to deal with.
b) It leads to so many other sins, including murder.
c) (Matthew 5:21-22) “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ “But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire.” (NKJV)
d) We must all be careful in how we deal with anger and sin.4. After the death of Abel, Adam and Eve had another son, whose name was Seth.
a) Seth is a name that says that he was God’s replacement for Abel.
b) It was Seth through whom the lineage of the Savior promised in the Garden of Eden was begun.
III. Review Questions
A. On what day were the land animals created?
B. On what day were the birds and fish created?
C. On what day did the Bible say that the dry land appeared?
D. How was the dry land watered before there were any plants or trees on the earth?
E. On what day were Adam and Eve created?
F. True or False… Man is a higher form of animal
G. When a man marries a woman, who does the Bible say he must first leave?
H. Who did the Devil tempt to do the first sin?
I. Jesus said the Devil is the father of what specific sin?
J. Who was the first child BORN on the earth?
K. What were this child’s brothers’ names?
L. What kind of work did Abel do?
M. What is needed in order to worship God properly? (See Hebrews 11:4)
N. Cain asked God, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” What is the answer to that question?
(3) The Flood and the Ark
I. Introduction
A. Read Text – ALWAYS Read the Text FROM THE BIBLE
1. Genesis 6
B. Memory Verse: Genesis 6:8
C. Lesson readings – Use as you will
1. Isaiah 59:1-2; Hebrews 3:13; Matthew 13:18-23
2. Micah 2:1-5
D. Lesson goals
1. The troubling spread of sin
2. God’s plan to destroy the earth
3. Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord
4. God’s plan for saving Noah
5. The ark and all of its detail
6. The saving faith of Noah
II. Body of the Lesson
A. The troubling spread of sin
1. From the time of Adam and Eve, the world grew in the number of people on the earth.
a) The Bible says men began to multiply on the face of the land.
2. Men and women sinned together.
a) They had no respect for God’s law for the family.
b) God’s plan for the family was for one man and one woman for a lifetime.
c) In Genesis 6:2, men were taking wives of whomever they chose, more for their beauty than their devotion to God.
B. God determined to destroy mankind.
1. Verse 3… God said He would give man 120 years
2. (Genesis 6:5) Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. (NKJV)a) Sin begins in the heart
b) Sin starts with whatever we think about… the things we plan
c) (Micah 2:1) Woe to those who devise iniquity, And work out evil on their beds! At morning light they practice it, Because it is in the power of their hand. (NKJV)
d) The answer to this problem is to control our thoughts
e) (Philippians 4:8) Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy–meditate on these things. (NKJV)3. God planned not only to destroy mankind, but also all the animals of the earth including all the creeping things and the birds.
a) (Genesis 6:12) So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. (NKJV)
b) Sin makes everything ugly
c) Sin corrupts and contaminates everything around it.4. God’s chosen means of destruction was a flood.
a) A WORLD WIDE flood
b) (Genesis 6:17) “And behold, I Myself am bringing floodwaters on the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life; everything that is on the earth shall die.” (NKJV)
c) In order to destroy “all flesh in which is the breath of life”, the flood had to be universal.
d) Also see verse 12 again…”all flesh” was corrupt.
e) Some doubt that the flood covered the whole earth, but the Bible is clear in its use of language that means the whole earth was to be flooded.
C. Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.
1. Grace is a favor from God.
2. God looked favorably on Noah since Noah was living differently than the rest of mankind.a) (Genesis 6:9) These are the records of the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God. (NASB)
b) Noah found favor from God as he was a righteous man.(1) No one EARNS grace
(2) God is just and offers grace to the righteous.3. Noah walked with God – He was righteous, therefore God offered him a way to be saved.
a) The favor Noah received from God was a WAY that he and his family could be saved from the flood.
(1) God did not just judge Noah to be righteous and automatically save him.
(2) God simply provided a plan of salvation.
D. God’s plan for saving Noah
1. “Build an ark,” was the command of God.
2. Noah was going to have to work in order to be saved from the destructive flood.a) And not just any kind of work or just any kind of ark.
b) God would provide every detail He wanted in the ark.
c) He would leave some things up to Noah to do using his own good sense.3. God had a plan – He revealed the plan – and God expected Noah to obey the plan in every detail in order to be saved.
4. That is exactly the way God has done it today.a) We, today, must obey God’s plan in every detail in order to be saved from the coming wrath of God (Romans 1:18).
b) He gives us detail in some areas.
c) He leaves certain things up to our good sense when detail is not important to Him.
d) YET IN ALL THINGS WE MUST WORK IN ORDER TO BENEFIT FROM THE GRACE OF GOD.
E. The Ark and Its Details
1. (Genesis 6:14-16) “Make for yourself an ark of gopher wood; you shall make the ark with rooms, and shall cover it inside and out with pitch. “And this is how you shall make it: the length of the ark three hundred cubits, its breadth fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. “You shall make a window for the ark, and finish it to a cubit from the top; and set the door of the ark in the side of it; you shall make it with lower, second, and third decks.” (NASB)
2. Specifics:a) An ark – not just any structure
b) Gopher wood – not just any wood
c) Its covering – pitch, BOTH INSIDE AND OUT
d) Dimensions – very specific as to length, breadth, and height.
e) Window – ONLY ONE and it one cubit from the top of the ark.
f) Door – ONLY ONE and it in the side of the ark.
g) Decks – three3. Non – Specifics:
a) Rooms – not specific as to how many or what size
b) Door – which side of the ark did not matter and was not revealed… nor was the size of the door revealed or specified.
c) Window – Size is not specified by God.
d) God leaves some things up to our good sense.
F. The Saving faith of Noah
1. (Genesis 6:22) Thus Noah did; according to all that God had commanded him, so he did. (NASB)
2. Saving faith is a faith that obeys God in ALL that God commands.
3. (Hebrews 11:7) By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world, and became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith. (NASB)a) Faith made Noah work to save his family.
b) By faith, Noah did what God commanded him to do.
III. Review Questions
A. Why did God decide He wanted to destroy the earth?
B. How many years were there between the time God decided to send the flood and the time it actually happened?
C. What were the sinners thinking about when God judged them to be wicked?
D. Who found grace in God’s eyes?
E. In one word, what is grace?
F. What kind of wood was to be used in building the ark?
G. How long was the ark to be?
H. With what was the ark to be covered?
I. How many doors? Where placed?
J. How many windows? Where placed?
K. How many rooms?
L. How many deck levels?
M. How many animals and how many birds were to be destroyed in the coming flood?
N. Who of all mankind was to be saved, according to the covenant God made with Noah?
(4) The Flood and the New World
I. Introduction
A. Read Text – ALWAYS Read the Text FROM THE BIBLE
1. Genesis 7, 8, & 9
2. Pick and choose from these three chapters those stories most relevant to your class and their age and maturity level.
B. Memory Verse: Genesis 9:13
C. Lesson Goals:
1. Details of the flood
a) How the ark was filled
b) Scope and duration of the flood2. The end of the flood and the exodus from the ark
3. Laws of God after the flood
4. Survivors work
5. Noah sins and the effects of his sin
6. The death of Noah
II. Body of the Lesson
A. Details of the flood
1. The filling of the ark
a) In the instructions on how to build the ark, from the previous lesson text, God had told Noah… (Genesis 6:19-20) “And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every kind into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female. “Of the birds after their kind, and of the animals after their kind, of every creeping thing of the ground after its kind, two of every kind shall come to you to keep them alive.” (NASB)
(1) The ark was to be filled with animals “to keep them alive.”
b) Also, Noah was to fill the ark with food… Genesis 6:21) “And as for you, take for yourself some of all food which is edible, and gather it to yourself; and it shall be for food for you and for them.” (NASB)
c) Beyond the animals and the food… (Genesis 7:1) Then the LORD said to Noah, “Enter the ark, you and all your household; for you alone I have seen to be righteous before Me in this time. (NASB)(1) The righteous are those who were saved in the ark
(2) Grace works that way… it provides for the righteous the good things of God.2. Verse 4 of chapter 7 tells us that God gave Noah his final instructions at seven days before the waters came.
a) (Genesis 7:4-5) “For after seven more days, I will send rain on the earth forty days and forty nights; and I will blot out from the face of the land every living thing that I have made.” And Noah did according to all that the LORD had commanded him. (NASB)
b) Verse 6 tells us that Noah was 600 years old when the flood came on the earth.3. The flood waters rise.
a) (Genesis 7:11) In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on the same day all the fountains of the great deep burst open, and the floodgates of the sky were opened. (NASB)
(1) Not only did it rain, but water rose from the “fountains of the great deep.”
b) Noah filled the ark with all the animals God told him to put in the ark, and at the right time, God instructed Noah to enter the ark himself with his family (His wife and three sons and their wives, a total of eight souls) whereupon God closed the door behind him.
(1) When God closes a door, it is shut, and only God can open it.
c) It rained 40 days and 40 nights
(1) The waters rose and the ark floated.
d) (Genesis 7:19) And the water prevailed more and more upon the earth, so that all the high mountains everywhere under the heavens were covered. (NASB)
e) (Genesis 7:24) And the water prevailed upon the earth one hundred and fifty days. (NASB)(1) After the 40 day rain and the opening up of the earth’s fountains, the water continued to rise for a total of 150 days before it began to go down.
(2) The ark finally came to a resting place as the waters went down
B. The end of the flood and the exodus from the ark
1. Genesis 8:4 tells us that the ark rested on the mountains of Ararat.
a) No one today knows precisely where that is, but this Bible story doesn’t need that to be known for us to have faith in it truthfulness.
2. The waters on the earth had to go down before Noah and the animals could leave the ark.
a) Noah first sent a raven
(1) Not the best choice as the raven just continued to fly until the water went down.
(2) Noah learned nothing by sending out a ravenb) The second bird sent was a dove
(1) The dove found no resting place, thus proving that the water was still over the trees, so the dove returned to the ark
(2) Noah took the dove inc) A week later, Noah sent out another dove
(1) This time the dove brought back a freshly picked olive leaf
(2) This was solid proof that the waters had abated from the earth.d) After waiting another week, Noah sent the last dove
(1) This dove never returned
(2) Noah knew by this that it was safe to leave the arke) After the appropriate time, God instructed Noah, (Genesis 8:15-19) Then God spoke to Noah, saying, “Go out of the ark, you and your wife and your sons and your sons’ wives with you. “Bring out with you every living thing of all flesh that is with you, birds and animals and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, that they may breed abundantly on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.” So Noah went out, and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him. Every beast, every creeping thing,and every bird, everything that moves on the earth, went out by their families from the ark. (NASB)
3. The first thing Noah did upon leaving the ark was to build an altar for the purpose of sacrificing of the clean animals from the ark to God.
a) God accepted Noah’s worship offering
b) God was pleased with the way Noah had obeyed Him.
C. Laws of God after the flood:
1. (Genesis 8:22) “While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, And cold and heat, And summer and winter, And day and night Shall not cease.” (NASB)
a) This was the promise God made after Noah offered the sacrifices upon exiting the ark.
b) Until the right time, “while the earth remains,” everything will continue to go along as it and as it had2. As God had commanded the first family, Adam and Eve, God also commanded this family to be fruitful and multiply.
a) They were to fill the earth again with people
b) This had been God’s plan all along since creation
c) Man was God’s greatest creation, IN HIS IMAGE
d) God intended the earth to be filled with people
e) God’s plan was also repeated that man was to have dominion over all the earth.(1) (Genesis 9:2) “And the fear of you and the terror of you shall be on every beast of the earth and on every bird of the sky; with everything that creeps on the ground, and all the fish of the sea, into your hand they are given.” (NASB)
(2) God intended for man to have dominion and to be in charge and in control of the animal life on the earth.3. A NEW LAW: Genesis 9:3 – “Every moving thing that is alive shall be food for you; I give all to you, as I gave the green plant.”
a) Man was now allowed to eat meat
b) It was God’s intent that man could now kill animals and eat their flesh
c) There was to be, however, one very important restriction:(1) (Genesis 9:4) “Only you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood.” (NASB)
(2) All meat was to be well cooked before it could be eaten4. God’s law of capital punishment was also given
a) (Genesis 9:6) “Whoever sheds man’s blood, By man his blood shall be shed, For in the image of God He made man.” (NASB)
(1) To kill the man who takes another man’s life was made law.
(2) The reason for this, God said, was that man was made in God’s own image, so the man who destroys another man, made in the image of God, deserves himself to die.b) And so the LAW of CAPITAL PUNISHMENT was implemented in the respect of human life.
5. God’s law concerning future world floods was established:
a) (Genesis 9:11) “And I establish My covenant with you; and all flesh shall never again be cut off by the water of the flood, neither shall there again be a flood to destroy the earth.” (NASB)
(1) A substantial promise made here – never again a world wide flood.
6. In conjunction with that, the covenant of the rainbow.
a) (Genesis 9:13-17) I set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth. “And it shall come about, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud, and I will remember My covenant, which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and never again shall the water become a flood to destroy all flesh. “When the bow is in the cloud, then I will look upon it, to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” And God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between Me and all flesh that is on the earth.” (NASB)
(1) Notice that God said it was a covenant between God and “all flesh that is on the earth” (verse 17)
b) The rainbow is still a sign from God concerning this promise made by God to Noah that still applies to all men even today.
D. Survivors Work
1. The ark had been filled with food
a) God made provisions for the 8 souls on the ark and all the animals on the ark, but after leaving the ark, they all had to eat.
b) The wildlife could do with the vegetation that grew on the land and covered the land… grasses and trees.2. Man had to raise food, so Noah began to farm.
a) God makes many provisions for man’s care, but those provisions usually always include us working.
b) (Genesis 9:20) Then Noah began farming and planted a vineyard. (NASB)(1) Noah had to raise the food for he and his family to eat.
(2) In planting a vineyard, however, he set himself up to sin
E. Noah sins and it affects his whole family
1. Having planted a vineyard, Noah took of the grapes and made wine.
a) That was his first mistake
b) He did not need to make wine2. Noah drank the wine and got drunk
a) This was bad enough for him to do.
b) Drunkenness produces an absence of self-control which is never ever good.3. Beyond his drunkenness, Noah sinned further while in his state of being uncontrolled.
a) His drunken state made the sin worse as it came to involve his son, Ham.
b) Ham’s brothers were more honorable men and they helped their father.
c) Ham and his lineage were cursed because of Ham’s sin.
d) (Genesis 9:24-27) When Noah awoke from his wine, he knew what his youngest son had done to him. So he said, “Cursed be Canaan; A servant of servants He shall be to his brothers.” He also said, “Blessed be the LORD, The God of Shem; And let Canaan be his servant. “May God enlarge Japheth, And let him dwell in the tents of Shem; And let Canaan be his servant.” (NASB)
e) Sin has a very definite way of ruining your life and having a major impact on many people around you.
F. The Death of Noah
1. (Genesis 9:28-29) And Noah lived three hundred and fifty years after the flood. So all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years, and he died. (NASB)
2. After Noah, the days of men being nine hundred years old before they died were over.
3. Many changes would come to the world after the flood.
III. Review Questions
A. Who closed the door of the ark after Noah and his family were inside?
B. How much final warning time did God give Noah before the flood waters began to rise?
C. What were the two sources of flood waters that covered the earth?
D. How long did it rain?
E. How long did the “waters prevail” on the earth?
F. How many souls were saved on the ark?
G. Were any “kind” of animal left out of the ark?
H. Where did the ark rest after the flood?
I. How many birds were sent out from the ark after the flood? How many came back?
J. What does the rainbow represent today?
K. What is capital punishment and why did God command it?
L. What was added to the diet of man after the flood?
M. What restriction was placed on this kind of food?
N. What was the first thing Noah did after he left the ark?
(5) Abraham and the Promises
I. Introduction
A. Read Text – ALWAYS Read the Text FROM THE BIBLE
1. Genesis 12:1-9; Genesis 13; Genesis 22
B. Memory Verse: Genesis 12:3
C. Lesson readings – Use as you will
1. Genesis 32:9-32; Genesis 41; Psalm 133; Galatians 4:21-31
D. Lesson Goals
1. Review of the week of VBS
2. The call of Abraham from his homeland.
3. The threefold promise God made to Abraham (for older classes)
4. Abraham and Lot, his nephew, separate. The lesson of unselfishness.
5. Abraham is told to offer his son, Isaac.
II. Body of the Lesson
A. Review
1. In the beginning God created the Heavens and the earth.
a) Faith in the story of creation just as it is revealed in the Bible is essential to our faith in any or all of the rest of the Bible as being true and being God’s word.
2. The first family
a) Adam and Eve were created both on day six of the first week.
b) They were together as husband and wife
c) Eve was tempted by the Devil and Adam shared in the sin.
d) God punished both man and woman as well as the serpent, the evil who deceived Eve.
e) The family had more problems with their sons, Cain and Abel as Cain was so angered at his brother that he killed him out of jealousy.3. Noah lived in a wicked world
a) God decided to destroy the world because of its wickedness.
b) But, Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord
c) God, by His grace offered Noah a plan for his salvation
d) Noah executed the plan and did exactly what God told him to do to save himself and his family.4. The flood came and destroyed all living creatures of the land and sky.
a) Only those in the ark were saved.
b) Noah and his family and all the animals in the ark were all who saved from the flood
c) After the flood God instituted new ways of life for man, including the eating of meat.
d) God made laws for man to obey
e) God made a promise never to destroy the earth again with water
f) The rainbow covenant still exists for man today
B. Today’s lessons on Abraham
1. (Genesis 12:1) Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father’s house, To the land which I will show you. (NASB)
a) God had a plan for Abram, as he is known at this time.
(1) It was a plan that only God knew.
(2) Abram had to be a man of faith in order to just get up and leave his homeland and his family.
(3) Abram had to love God and believe God more than anything.b) Abram did not question God. He just obeyed God.
(1) (Genesis 12:4) So Abram departed as the LORD had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. (NKJV)
(2) Abram did just as the Lord had spoken to him.2. God made promises to Abram – three promises
a) (Genesis 12:7) Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” And there he built an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him. (NKJV)
(1) The land promise.
(2) Everything else depended on the land.
(3) The land promise was the most often repeated of the three promises made here in Genesis 12.
(4) The land that was promised would be known as the land of Canaan.b) (Genesis 12:2) I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. (NKJV)
(1) The promise of a great nation.
(2) The national promise would be fulfilled in the establishment of the nation of Israel
(3) The nation would be named after Abram’s grandson Jacob, whose name was changed by God to Israel.(Genesis 32:28)
(4) Through the establishment of this nation, God said that Abram would be a blessing.(a) Abraham and his nation/family became a blessing to many
(b) God saved the world from famine, for example, through Abraham’s great grandson, Joseph. (Genesis 41:56-57)3. Abraham and Lot separate
a) (Genesis 13:7-8) And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. The Canaanites and the Perizzites then dwelt in the land. So Abram said to Lot, “Please let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are brethren. (NKJV)
(1) There was no need for there to be division and strife.
(2) Abraham said, “…for we are brethren”
(3) (Psalms 133:1) Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brothers to dwell together in unity! (NASB)b) (Genesis 13:10) And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere (before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah) like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar. (NKJV)
c) Abraham gave Lot the choice of where he wanted to live and said that whatever Lot wanted, he, Abraham would take the other direction.(1) Lot chose for himself the best place to live to support his business.
(2) He chose the well-watered plain of Jordan.
(3) This was his right to do so, according to the offer Abraham made to him.
(4) Lot, however, showed no respect for his uncle Abraham.
(5) Lot made a selfish choiced) Notice in the text the reference to Sodom and Gomorrah.
(1) The sinfulness of these two towns which God ultimately destroyed almost caused the destruction of Lot himself.
(2) His family spiraled into chaos, and it all started with his selfish choice of the plains of Jordan to support his herds and increase his personal wealth.4. Abraham was told to offer his son, Isaac.
a) (Genesis 22:1-3) Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then He said, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he split the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. (NKJV)
(1) Much had happened before the birth of Isaac as Abraham had no other children, and he and Sarai were old beyond the age of having children
(2) After his birth, Isaac was now to be sacrificed as a burnt offering to God.
(3) Abraham never questioned God. He simply did just exactly what God told him to do.
(4) Abraham showed great faith in God!!b) (Hebrews 11:17-19) By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, “In Isaac your seed shall be called,” concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense. (NKJV)
(1) Abraham was a man of great faith.
(2) He believed God was able to raise Isaac from the dead even if that was what God wanted to happen to Isaac.5. The details of this story.
a) The mountain in the land of Moriah was a three days journey away from Abraham’s home.
b) Abraham, Isaac and two young servants went with all they needed for the sacrifice.(1) They took split wood with them with which to build an altar.
c) It is said that Abraham rose early in the morning to go and obey the Lord.
(1) His faith was so strong that he wanted to obey God as soon as he could.
(2) Often times, people put off doing what they know they should do. Not Abrahamd) When they reached a certain point, Abraham and Isaac took leave of the servants who had instructions from Abraham…
(1) (Genesis 22:5) And Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you.” (NKJV)
(2) Abraham was so confident in the power of God, even though he knew he had been told that Isaac was to be killed, he told the servants that both he and Isaac would return to them after they had worshipped God.e) (Genesis 22:6-8) So Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife, and the two of them went together. But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” Then he said, “Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” So the two of them went together. (NKJV)
f) Everything was prepared for worship.(1) Isaac asked about the lamb for the burnt offering.
(2) Abraham’s only response was that God would provideg) (Genesis 22:9) Then they came to the place of which God had told him. And Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order; and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, upon the wood. (NKJV)
(1) We are not told what all was said between father and son while all this was happening, but what we know is that Abraham had faith in God sufficient to do all that God had instructed him to do, no matter the price.
(2) Also, there is no indication that Isaac resisted his father.
(3) We read in Hebrews 11 that this was a test of Abraham’s faith, but Isaac was the one being offered.
(4) Isaac, too, was a faithful son.h) (Genesis 22:10-12) And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the Angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” So he said, “Here I am.” And He said, “Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” (NKJV)
(1) Abraham passed the test.
(2) God’s angel stopped him and prevented him from taking his only son’s life.
(3) God learned all He needed to know about the faith of Abraham. It was strong enough to sacrifice the very best in worship and obedience to God.
(4) Likewise, we must learn to sacrifice the very best in worship and obedience to God.i) Abraham had told Isaac that God would provide the lamb for the burnt offering… (Genesis 22:13-14) Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son. And Abraham called the name of the place, The-LORD-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, “In the Mount of The LORD it shall be provided.” (NKJV)
III. Review Questions
A. When God called Abraham, where did God tell him he was going to go?
B. Who went with Abraham when he left his homeland?
C. MEMORIZE THE THREE PROMISES of GENESIS 12
1. The Land promise
a) The Land of Canaan
2. The Nation promise
a) The nation of Israel
3. The Spiritual promise
a) Fulfilled in Jesus Christ, who came through the lineage of Abraham
D. Why was there strife between Abraham and Lot?
E. Who pleaded for unity?
F. What was that one’s solution to the problem?
G. Which one was selfish and chose the most profitable place to live?
H. Name Abraham’s son called the son of promise.
I. Who went with Abraham to Mount Moriah to worship?
J. What did God provide for a burnt offering?
K. What had God told Abraham about the offering to be sacrificed on that mountain?
L. What did that say about Abraham’s faith?
