Lesson Objective:
The children will learn that one “small” sin often grows into a larger one.
Scripture:
Genesis 4:1-15
Arrival:
Greet the children as you normally would and have some singing time with them. Take favorite songs, and end on a quiet song such as “God Is So Good.”
Prayer Time:
Pray for the lesson and any ongoing prayer requests from your students.
Lesson:
Review with the children the story of the fall of man. Remind them that sin (eating the fruit) brought consequences for Adam and Eve (expelled from the garden). Tell them that after a while, God gave Adam and Eve two sons, Cain and Abel. The boys grew up, and one, Cain, became a skilled farmer. Abel became a skilled shepherd. Both boys worked hard to provide food for their family.
God gave the family a command. They were to sacrifice a lamb to have their sins forgiven. The lamb served as a symbol of what Jesus would eventually do on the cross. When the time came to have the sacrifice, Cain brought the best fruits and vegetables from his garden. He picked the biggest and brightest items and laid them on the altar for his sacrifice. Abel brought a perfect lamb from his flock and killed it and laid it on the altar. Ask the children which man obeyed. (Abel). God accepted Abel’s sacrifice, and not Cain’s. Cain was very angry that God did not accept his sacrifice. The Bible says that “his countenance fell.” Tell the children that this means he had a scowl or sad look on his face. Have them practice a “fallen” countenance.
Read God’s response in verses 6-7. Remind them that God required obedience, and Cain did not obey. Let them know that God would have forgiven Cain for this sin if he had asked, but instead Cain got angry with Abel. Ask the children if Abel was responsible for God’s response to Cain’s sacrifice. (no) Tell them Cain was angry with Abel because he was jealous. This is the second sin in the story.
After time, Cain’s jealousy grew into bitterness, and he became so angry that he killed his brother. He didn’t think anyone was watching when he did this, but God knew. God confronted him about this sin, and Cain was punished. He was forced to be a wanderer for the rest of his life and lost the ability to communicate with God.
Emphasize that one small sin, disobedience, grew and grew until it became a really big sin, murder. Remind the children that in God’s eyes, any sin is a serious problem. Sins that seem “little” to us are important to God, because they grow into more serious sins. Remind the children to ask God’s forgiveness for even the smallest sins before they have a chance to grow.
Memory Verse:
Romans 6:23 “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” Have the children repeat the verse several times. Remind them that everyone is a sinner, but that we need to confess our sins and ask for forgiveness before they can grow, no matter how small they may seem.
Craft/Game Time:
Make a lamb as outlined at DLTK-Kids. Remind the children that Cain’s disobedience was the fact that he did not sacrifice a lamb, but tried to sacrifice vegetables and fruit instead.
Dismissal:
Remind the children to be careful of “small” sins this week and to confess them before they have a chance to grow.