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» Repentance
1
Don't Say It if You Don't Mean It
Read or tell the following story to your kids:
Evan dreaded getting home because he knew he was in trouble. His teacher caught him cheating on his homework and gave him a zero, then told him that she was going to call his mom. He had forgotten to do his math homework, so he quickly copied his friend, Thad's paper right before class. This wasn't the first time he had cheated, but it was the first time he got caught. You see Evan had a bad habit of putting things off and he ofter "forgot" to do his homework. And he always talked someone into letting him copy their paper. "After all," he though, "it's just homework. It's not like I'm cheating on a test."
"Put your things away," his mom said. "We need to have a talk."
Evan could tell she had talked to the teacher and wasn't happy. "I'm sorry, Mom. I just forgot to do that math homework an dI knew I couldn't get a bad grade, so I copied Thad's paper," Evan explained.
"You know that's wrong. You're going to have to be punished - no TV or video games for two weeks. That way, you'll have plenty of time to do your homework. Now go to your room and get started on your homework," his mom ordered.
Evan turned to walk away and thought to himself, "I'll have to be more care next time."
Ask:
What is wrong with Evan's attitude? ( He's not really sorry, he's just sorry he got caught)
What is true repentance? (sorry that you have sinned against God and a willingness to stop that sin)
God wants true repentance!
2
God's Warnings for Us
As you are driving over railroad tracks, discuss the red blinking lights and the barrier bars that come down to prevent people from getting hurt.
Ask:
Why do the red lights blilnk and the barrier bars come down? (to signal that a train is coming)
Why do they put these here? (to warn us and to prevent us from getting hit by a train)
God gives warnings to stay away from sin (the wrong things we do) in the Bible. It is important to listen to and obey the warnings.
Try to name some warning from the Bible. ( Do not steal, Do not lie, Do not covet. Have no other gods, etc)
3
Stop! Drop! Obey?
Students (using the CLEAR curriculum) are hearing about the prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel. These books are full of warnings - warnings that apply to us and our kids. The problem is that they wouldn't always listen or obey. (Sound familiar!)
Make the smoke detector alarm go off when everyone is present in the house. (I'm not sure how to do that, but when I turn my oven to 450, unfortunately mine goes off. Maybe I need to clean my oven!)
When everyone has gathered, tell them that was a warning. The smoke detector warns that there is smoke or a fire in the house.
Ask:
What should you do when the alarm goes off? (get out of the house as quickly as possible)
Why is a warning a good thing? (it gives you a chance to escape danger)
Does God give any warnings? (The Bible is full of God's warnings - the Ten Commandments are a good place to start.)
Why does God give warnings? (to protect and help us to know the best way to live)
God does not want anyone to go the wrong way toward sin. That's why the Bible gives warnings, so you can turn from sin and go God's way. There should be a big sign in front of sin that says, "Danger!"
4
Stop! Drop! Obey?
Students (using the CLEAR curriculum) are hearing about the prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel. These books are full of warnings - warnings that apply to us and our kids. The problem is that they wouldn't always listen or obey. (Sound familiar!)
Make the smoke detector alarm go off when everyone is present in the house. (I'm not sure how to do that, but when I turn my oven to 450, unfortunately mine goes off. Maybe I need to clean my oven!)
When everyone has gathered, tell them that was a warning. The smoke detector warns that there is smoke or a fire in the house.
Ask:
What should you do when the alarm goes off? (get out of the house as quickly as possible)
Why is a warning a good thing? (it gives you a chance to escape danger)
Does God give any warnings? (The Bible is full of God's warnings - the Ten Commandments are a good place to start.)
Why does God give warnings? (to protect and help us to know the best way to live)
God does not want anyone to go the wrong way toward sin. That's why the Bible gives warnings, so you can turn from sin and go God's way. There should be a big sign in front of sin that says, "Danger!"
5
The Difference Between Saying Sorry and Being Sorry
Read or tell the following story to your kids:
Ethan waited until his little sister, Anna, was almost past the bathroom door, then he jumped out and scared her. Anna ran crying to her mom who then yelled, "Ethan, come here now!"
Ethan walked into the den where his mom and Anna were. "Why do you keep scaring your little sister?" his mom asked. "I've had enough of this! You stop this immediately," she ordered. Ethan felt bad, just a little, that he had made his sister cry, but mostly he felt sorry that he got yelled at by his mom.
Days went by until Ethan saw his sister playing outside by the garage. That was when he had the idea. He grabbed his fake spider (that looked real) and quietly sneaked up behind her and tossed the spider into her lap. Anna screamed at the top of her lungs and ran inside. It was only seconds until Ethan heard, "Ethan Andrew, get in here right now."
Ask:
Do you think Ethan was really sorry for what he did?
There is a difference between being sorry that you got caught and sorry that you did wrong. Being repentant means you are sorry you did wrong and you are willing to change. If you are really repentant, you won't keep doing the sin over and over.
6
"Which way should we go?"
Take a walk with your child. Every time you come to a turn, ask the child, "Which way should we go?" and follow his suggestion.
As you walk, tell your child that he has many choices—he can follow God's way and do what is right or he can choose to go his own way and sin. Tell him that even though he tries really hard, he will never choose to do the right thing all the time. All people sin and go their own way (Isaiah 53:6). When we realize we've sinned, we must ask Jesus to forgive us and start doing the right thing again. God is kind and wants to forgive our sins.
Students who are using the D6 curriculum were taught about two people—Judas and Peter—who made wrong choices and betrayed Jesus. Judas realized he was wrong about Jesus and tried to give the money back to the authorities, but they would not take it back. Then he hanged himself. Peter, on the other hand, who had denied even knowing Jesus, repented and asked Jesus for forgiveness. Peter then continued to follow Jesus and to lead others to know Him.
Ask your kids:
What is repentance? (Repentance means to change one's mind about sin, to be sorry, and to go the other way.)
7
Erasing Sin
Items needed: white board and eraser (or a magna-doodle or even one of those cheap paper blackboards with the plastic sheet on top when lifted erases what you write)
Ask the kids to name sins other kids do. (Lying, stealing, talking back, disobeying, fighting, hating, etc.) Write some of these on the board.
Read 1 John 1:9 (If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to clean us from all unrighteousness.)
Erase the words or lift the page to show that God cleans away our sin. God is glad to forgive our sin when we ask Him. To keep doing the sin makes God sad. He loves us and wants us to do what is right.
8
God's Word = Our Flashlight
Item Needed: flashlight
Take a night hike. (If your neighborhood is too well lit, turn out the lights in the house and have the kids follow you through the house.)
Start the walk with the flashlight hidden. As you bump into things and have trouble walking, ask:
What do we need to help us? (Light, flashlight!)
Shine the flashlight on the path so they can see the way to go.
Read Psalm 119:105. (Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. NKJV)
God's Word, the Bible, is compared to a light that can show us the right way to go. We need to listen to, read, and memorize the Bible so we can know and do the right things. God's Word can show us when we need to repent and change what we are doing. When the Bible shows us our sin, we must tell God we are sorry and quit that sin.
John the Baptist told people God's words and that Jesus was coming. He told them to repent—to turn away from their sins and follow the one who would show them the way to heaven. Jesus was a light to show them the right way to go. The people could not keep sinning and going their own way, but needed to stop sinning and follow Jesus.
Say a prayer to thank God for His Word that shows us the way to go. Give your kids a chance to tell God they are sorry and ask for His help to go the right way.
9
What's Your Label?
Items Needed: can of fruit (something that your kids will like)
Remove the label, but keep it to show later.
Ask:
What do you think is inside this can?
After they guess, show the label. The label says this can has _________ inside. Let's open it to see. (Share the contents.)
The inside matched what the label said on the outside. Others can't see inside us and know that Jesus lives there, but they should be able to tell by the things we say and do.
What name do you see in the word "Christian"? (Christ)
If we say that we are Christians, we should try to live like Jesus Christ. We should love one another and treat others as He would. John the Baptist told the people that their works (what they did) would show that their hearts were right.
10
The Difference Between Being Sorry and Getting Caught
Read or tell the following story to your kids:
Mrs. Rhodes asked her daughter, Anna Beth, "Did you clean your room?"
"Yes, maam. Just like you told me."
Anna Beth felt a little ashamed because she hadn't really cleaned her room; she had just shoved everything in the closet. She knew her mother didn't consider that cleaning her room.
The next day Anna Beth's grandparents arrived and she was happy to see them.
"Bring your things into Anna Beth's room. You can sleep in her room while you're here, " her mom announced.
When they opened the closet to hang up their clothes, all kinds of junk . . . toys, dirty clothes, shoes, and books . . . came tumbling out.
Mrs. Rhodes looked at Anna Beth, "I thought you said you cleaned your room."
Anna Beth said, "I'm sorry." But she thought, "Next time, I'll have to shove it under the bed."
Ask:
Do you think Anna Beth was really sorry for what she did?
There is a difference between being sorry that you got caught and sorry that you did wrong. Being repentant means you are sorry you did wrong and you are willing to change. If you are really repentant, you won't keep doing the sin over and over.
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