Game: Hide and Seek in the Dark - Seeker with flashlight kept pointed at ground/feet not at faces.
What was it like hiding/seeking in the dark? Think back to when the power went out at your house. Was it hard to find things? How did you feel? What changed when the light came on?
The world without God is like being in the dark without a light (spiritual darkness Isaiah 60:1-5). People without God don't know right from wrong and don't have a hope to guide them for the future. Think of Noah's day when people where doing bad things. God had to send a flood so there could be a new beginning. God had a plan to save Noah and his family in the ark and he also has a plan to save us from the confusing darkness too!
The people walking in darknesshave seen a great light...For to us a child is born, to us a son is given,and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be calledWonderful Counselor, Mighty God,Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his governmentand peacethere will be no end. (Isaiah 9: 2a, 6-7a)
When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8: 12)
Your commands make me wiser than my enemies,for they are my constant guide...Your word is a lamp to guide my feetand a light for my path. (Psalms 110: 98, 105)
The four weeks before Christmas are called Advent, a special time anticipating the celebration of Jesus coming into the world as a baby. We light the candles of hope, peace, joy and love, one for each week. These are the gifts God gave his followers through his son Christ Jesus. The green of the evergreen advent wreath symbolizes God's everlasting love.
Intro: Can we name some heroes of the Bible? (Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, Esther, Gideon, Mary, Peter, Paul) Would you describe them as courageous in trusting God?
Many of those in the Bible seem larger than life, but they were also real people just like you and me. Did you know that some of them felt discouraged at times? In today’s lesson we’re going to discuss Bible men and women that faced difficulties and discouragement, and how they got through it with God’s help.
Being discouraged is defined as “having lost confidence or enthusiasm, disheartened.” Have you ever felt discouraged? Do you ever struggle or feel frustrated? Have you ever worried that you couldn’t accomplish something?
In 1 Kings starting in chapter 16, the story begins: Ahab became king of Israel about a hundred years after King David. However he was not a good king. He and his foreign wife Jezebel led Israel to serve the false god Baal. God sent his prophet Elijah to say there would be no rain so the land dried up and there was a famine. King Ahab was looking everywhere for Elijah but God kept him safe. Then God sent Elijah to challenge the prophets of Baal, and God sent fire from heaven to demonstrate his power. But this made Jezebel even more angry.
Read 1 Kings 19: 3-9, 14-21
God was speaking through Elijah, taking care of him and working miracles including fire coming from heaven. Even so, Elijah still became scared, worn out and discouraged. He thought he was the only one left who loved God. God helped restore him physically with the angels' help, encouraged him that he wasn’t the only one left, and gave him a helper Elisha. So Elijah continued to be God’s prophet to speak and perform miracles until God took him to heaven with a chariot of fire and whirlwind.
Do you ever face challenges to your faith in God? Do you feel left out because you are a Christian?
Challenges may lead us to feel discouraged. We can ask for help from our friends and family and God. If we pray and read the Bible, the Holy Spirit will guide us in learning to trust in God and our faith will grow stronger.
with 'Ron/Rhonda Reacher' and 'Don/Donna Doubter' and God's voice from above. 'Narrator' Bible verses can be read by multiple people. Slides add emphasis.
Narrator: Ron Reacher can see that his friend Don Doubter is upset. Don has a lot of questions.
Ron Reacher: Don, I know you've been going through some tough times lately. I wanted to tell you I'm here for you.
Don Doubter: Ron, why did this happen? I just don't get it.
Ron: I don't know why, but I know God has a plan for you. He loves you.
Don: How can I believe in God at a time like this? Am I supposed to believe in an all-powerful, all-knowing, loving Creator God?
Ron: Why don't you ask Him?
Don: Okay, God, if you're even there, why don't you show your 'holy glory' with a sign from heaven?
God (echoing voice from offstage): I did. (Slide 1 Fire on Mt Sinai)
Narrator: 'There was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled. Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the Lord descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, and the whole mountain trembled violently.' (from Exodus 19:16-18)
Ron: God showed his holy power many times in many different ways.
Don: I get it, God is powerful. But, God who are you really?
Narrator: The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship. They speak without a sound, yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world. (From Psalms 19)
Ron: You see Don, the majesty of the heavens, the beauty of the Earth, the details in a butterfly wing, even the information coded in DNA all point to an incredibly ingenious, intelligent Creator.
Don: Huh, Guess that makes sense. But God, how do we know what you want us to do?
Narrator: 'Now therefore, if you obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession out of all the peoples.' (Exodus 19:5) And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children.' (Deuteronomy 6: 5-7a)
Don: That all sounds great on paper, but what about real-life? How can we know what to do?
Narrator: 'Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant...I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. (Jeremiah 31: 31a, 33a) The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.' (John 14:26)
Ron: When we invite him in, the Holy Spirit will guide us.
Don: But why me? Why do bad things happen to me?
God: My ways are higher than your ways. (from Isaiah 55:9) (Slide 5 Perseverance)
Narrator: 'When troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.' (James 1: 2-3)
Don: Okay, so God the Father is teaching me something. But why does it matter if we're just going to die anyway?
God: And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. (1 Corinthians 13:13) (Slide 6 Resurrection)
Narrator: 'Christ died for our sins...He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said...Our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies. Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled: Death is swallowed up in victory.' (1 Corinthians 15:3b,4,53,54)
Ron: When we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior, he promises us eternal life with him.
Don: But how can I have hope for the future when things just get worse and worse?
God: 'For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.' (Jeremiah 29:11) (Slide 7 Second Coming)
Narrator: 'And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don't panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won't follow immediately. And then at last, the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the heavens...And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.' (Matthew 24: 6,30)
Don: So,God, if you are so powerful and loving, why don't you do something now about all the pain and suffering in the world?
