This is the third lesson of our "Mighty Kids" series for Children's church. This is a free resource anyone is welcome to use. See http://www.ibteens.net/ibteen-resources.html for more information.
Lesson 3 - "Noah Prepares The Ark"
"By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith." (Hebrews 11:7)
Enoch, you remember, walked with God as did his great, great, great, great, granddad Seth. But unfortunately this family seemed to be the only ones walking with God. Everyone else did what they wanted to do, and the Bible says it got so bad that EVERY imagination of man’s thoughts of his heart were CONTINUALLY evil. Everything they did or thought was against God. They did what made the devil happy and made God sad and upset.
Normally, God lets us choose what we want to do. If we choose to follow Him, then He blesses us, but if we chose to go our own way and do evil, then He lets us “reap what we sow.” When a farmer plants corn into the ground, he is “sowing” corn. When it grows up and he cuts down the corn so he can eat it or sell it, then he is “reaping” the corn. Now, if you sow an apple seed in the ground, what will you reap? Apples. If you sow some tomato seeds what will you reap? Tomatoes. This is how God made it. It's a law of nature. The law of reaping and sowing also applies to us. If we do what is right, good things happen to us; but if we do what wrong, bad things happen.
Well, by the time Enoch was take to Heaven, and his children had lived many years, people had sown so many bad things in this world that there was apparently nothing "good" any more that could become of it. The Bible says that the people were continually thinking about and doing bad things. Also, the people were very violent. They didn’t have any problem killing anyone they didn't like. Do you know who they probably wanted to kill more than anyone else? Seth’s family…Enoch’s family…people who loved God and hated evil. That is how it usually goes. People who like to do bad things don't like people who only want to do good things. Many times, they will even want to do God's people harm. Well, here is where God chooses to steps in. God says, “You all may have chosen to hate Me, and to do only the things you want to do, but I will not let you hurt the only family that loves me. I am going to destroy the entire world except for the people who still love me. I will protect My people!”
The Bible says that Noah, Enoch's great grandson, found grace in the eyes of the Lord. Grace is when God gives us something we do not deserve. Noah was no doubt a sinner like everyone else who has ever lived, except Noah loved God and actually wanted to do right. Apparently, when Noah's parents died, there would be no more people that loved God and wanted to do right, so God chose to use a great flood to destroy every living thing on Earth, except for Noah, Noah's family, and many of the animals that were living at that time. After the flood, Noah and his family would start everything all over.
Imagine it with me. One day, Noah was out working (probably building something) and somehow God told him to build a huge ark--a boat. God said to make it bigger than anything Noah had ever seen. Then, imagine God telling Noah that He was going to destroy the whole world with a flood, and only those who are in the huge boat will survive. How do you think Noah would feel? Building this boat would take many, many years. People would laugh at Noah and his sons who were building this crazy, giant boat so far away from the water. "How do you plan on getting that thing to the water, Noah?" they probably mocked. "Hahaha! You are crazy, old man!" The Bible says that Noah was a preacher, and you could imagine that he preached to the people about the coming flood, but no one would listen. In fact, they just thought he was crazier than ever. They probably even hated Noah, since he wouldn't do the bad things they liked to do, and preached against them.
This story is such a great picture about how we are to live out our Christian faith. God will one day destroy the world again, the Bible says. This time, though, it will be with fire. Those who have trusted in God and His Son, Jesus, and have believed what the Bible says, will be saved and taken to Heaven; those who hate God, and only love to do bad things, will be destroyed one day in Hell. Are you going to laugh at Christians and tease them about the way they are living for the Lord? Are you going to mock them for what they believe? Or are you going to decide to "get in the boat?" God will save you like He saved Noah and his family if you will just believe and chose to receive Jesus as your Savior. He is the "Boat" that will save you when the rest of the world is destroyed.
I hope you have found grace in the eyes of the Lord! Let's pray.
"By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith." (Hebrews 11:7)
Enoch, you remember, walked with God as did his great, great, great, great, granddad Seth. But unfortunately this family seemed to be the only ones walking with God. Everyone else did what they wanted to do, and the Bible says it got so bad that EVERY imagination of man’s thoughts of his heart were CONTINUALLY evil. Everything they did or thought was against God. They did what made the devil happy and made God sad and upset.
Normally, God lets us choose what we want to do. If we choose to follow Him, then He blesses us, but if we chose to go our own way and do evil, then He lets us “reap what we sow.” When a farmer plants corn into the ground, he is “sowing” corn. When it grows up and he cuts down the corn so he can eat it or sell it, then he is “reaping” the corn. Now, if you sow an apple seed in the ground, what will you reap? Apples. If you sow some tomato seeds what will you reap? Tomatoes. This is how God made it. It's a law of nature. The law of reaping and sowing also applies to us. If we do what is right, good things happen to us; but if we do what wrong, bad things happen.
Well, by the time Enoch was take to Heaven, and his children had lived many years, people had sown so many bad things in this world that there was apparently nothing "good" any more that could become of it. The Bible says that the people were continually thinking about and doing bad things. Also, the people were very violent. They didn’t have any problem killing anyone they didn't like. Do you know who they probably wanted to kill more than anyone else? Seth’s family…Enoch’s family…people who loved God and hated evil. That is how it usually goes. People who like to do bad things don't like people who only want to do good things. Many times, they will even want to do God's people harm. Well, here is where God chooses to steps in. God says, “You all may have chosen to hate Me, and to do only the things you want to do, but I will not let you hurt the only family that loves me. I am going to destroy the entire world except for the people who still love me. I will protect My people!”
The Bible says that Noah, Enoch's great grandson, found grace in the eyes of the Lord. Grace is when God gives us something we do not deserve. Noah was no doubt a sinner like everyone else who has ever lived, except Noah loved God and actually wanted to do right. Apparently, when Noah's parents died, there would be no more people that loved God and wanted to do right, so God chose to use a great flood to destroy every living thing on Earth, except for Noah, Noah's family, and many of the animals that were living at that time. After the flood, Noah and his family would start everything all over.
Imagine it with me. One day, Noah was out working (probably building something) and somehow God told him to build a huge ark--a boat. God said to make it bigger than anything Noah had ever seen. Then, imagine God telling Noah that He was going to destroy the whole world with a flood, and only those who are in the huge boat will survive. How do you think Noah would feel? Building this boat would take many, many years. People would laugh at Noah and his sons who were building this crazy, giant boat so far away from the water. "How do you plan on getting that thing to the water, Noah?" they probably mocked. "Hahaha! You are crazy, old man!" The Bible says that Noah was a preacher, and you could imagine that he preached to the people about the coming flood, but no one would listen. In fact, they just thought he was crazier than ever. They probably even hated Noah, since he wouldn't do the bad things they liked to do, and preached against them.
This story is such a great picture about how we are to live out our Christian faith. God will one day destroy the world again, the Bible says. This time, though, it will be with fire. Those who have trusted in God and His Son, Jesus, and have believed what the Bible says, will be saved and taken to Heaven; those who hate God, and only love to do bad things, will be destroyed one day in Hell. Are you going to laugh at Christians and tease them about the way they are living for the Lord? Are you going to mock them for what they believe? Or are you going to decide to "get in the boat?" God will save you like He saved Noah and his family if you will just believe and chose to receive Jesus as your Savior. He is the "Boat" that will save you when the rest of the world is destroyed.
I hope you have found grace in the eyes of the Lord! Let's pray.
