Lesson 12 – FORGIVENESS

By the end of this lesson the child should be able to:
. See Joseph as their role model Genesis 45 1- 28

. Understand why it's important to forgive

. They should have started to forgive people who have hurt them, being a part of the deliverance.

AS KIDS ARRIVE PRIOR TO THE LESSON (10 minutes) ACTIVITY
Forgiving is not forgetting. Children hesitate to forgive because they believe it means condoning the other person’s behaviours. In reality, to forgive is to say,” I did not like or appreciate your words or actions, but I am willing to let it go because it does not help me to hold onto these feelings.” Practice writing a letter stating what caused the upset and how he or she feels about it. Then have your child write a compassion statement or one of forgiveness to the offender and to him- or herself. Keep this paper until the end of the class

Supplies needed:
• Chairs enough for all the children except one.
• Music or a drum.
• Print out musical lyrics.
• Print off Visual Aids, GOOD and BAD signs, crayons for children to colour before class starts.
•Print the 'Activity Book' the 'Take Home Bible Memory Verse' and Chapter #12 'And Puppy"

1. GAMES: (10 minutes)
MUSICAL CHAIRS: Children can gather in a circle inside a circle of chairs and while the music is playing, or the drum is drumming, the children will slowly walk around the circle, "over and over again" until the music stops. There will be one chair less than the number of children. When everyone quickly find a seat as the music stops, one child will be left without a chair to sit on. THAT child will say, I FORGIVE YOU, and will sit outside the circle of chairs. Play as long as time allows.

2. TEAM GAMES: (10 minutes)
One person, designated "the stoplight," faces away from the rest of the group. The group lines up as far as they can get from the stoplight. When the stoplight yells "Forgiveness" all participants can move forward. As they move they say, "I forgive you" This will help the stoplight hear when participants get closer. The stoplight can turn around and yell, "Stop!" at anytime to stop the movement forward anyone who moves forward once the command to Stop has been issued has to start again. ‘The spotlight’ then turn away from the group again, saying, "Forgiveness." The first player to touch the stoplight is told "You are forgiven"
They then get to be the next stoplight.

Optional: Play the Forgiveness video.

3. ACTIVE PRAISE CHORUS (10 minutes)
Forgiveness song (Use Video and lyrics)

My God is so big (Use Video and lyrics)

4. INTIMATE WORSHIP (5 minutes)
This is my Desire (Use Video and lyrics)

5. TEACHING
a. Review: ( If following the three week Deliverance training)
Evil Spirits don't change much!

•  After you are born again what did they say? (that didn't really happen".)

•  After you were healed what did they say? ( "that really didn't work".)

•  After deliverance what did they say? ( "I'm still here". )

a. Review: (If following the Salvation Lesson #8 training)

God has a gift for you what is that gift? (Eternal life)

What stops us from getting that gift? (Sin)

There must be a different way? (God's way)

Can you tell me the two different sides of God? (Loving and Just)

We have a problem, How did God solved this problem (By sending His son Jesus)

How do we receive this gift? (By faith)

b. Learn a Bible Verse (5minutes)
And he kissed all his brothers and wept over them. Afterward his brothers talked with him. Genesis 45:15 (Use Bible Verse Visual Aid)

c. Teach the Lesson (15 minutes)

Introduction:
Joseph had a lot to forgive his brothers for. They did not believe his dreams. They teased him and were jealous of him. They threw him in a pit and spoiled what was precious to him. Then they lied about him and told his father he was dead! Forgiving is not easy. It is saying I choose not to hate you for this offence. I choose to let it go and I am asking God to help me not remember it every time I think of you.

Teaching:
When Joseph arrived in Egypt, a lot of things happened to him -- some good -- and some not so good. Remember he ended up in jail, lets carry on with the story, using the GOOD and BAD signs

The head jailer took a liking to Joseph and placed him in charge of all the other prisoners. (Good)
Joseph used his God-given gift to interpret the dreams of the other prisoners. (Good)
Joseph was stuck in jail for more than two years. (Bad)
Pharaoh heard that Joseph had the ability to understand dreams. (Good)
Pharaoh released Joseph from jail to explain his dreams. (Good)
Pharaoh believed what Joseph told him and put him in charge of the entire land of Egypt. (Good)

Now, let's see what happens next.
Just as Joseph had told Pharaoh, the dream he was having meant that there would be seven years when the harvest would be great and there would be plenty of food. Then there would be seven years when there would be nothing. God was telling Pharaoh to set aside grain during the good years so that there would be plenty of food during the bad years. That is exactly what Pharaoh did. When the bad years came, there was plenty grain in Egypt, but all the countries around them were starving.

People came from all the surrounding countries to buy grain from Joseph, because the whole world was in need of food. Some of those people were Joseph's very own brothers. When his brothers came, Joseph recognized them, but they did not know who he was.

Optional: View ‘Joseph Forgives’

Finally, he could keep it to himself no longer. He told his brothers, "I am Joseph! Is my father alive?" But his brothers were speechless because they were afraid. But Joseph said, "Come closer. I am your brother, the one you sold! Don't worry, and don't be angry at yourselves for selling me into slavery. You see, it wasn't you who sent me here. God has put me here to save people from starving."

Fluctuations were God’s method of teaching Joseph to sustain hope. He uses the same method to teach us the same, so that we shall know how to sustain hope even in the most hopeless situations.
Unless we see the big picture of what God is doing through the difficulties of life, the suffering, the pain, the injustices of life, we will miss the profound and foundational truth that God is using all of it for our ultimate good and His glory.

Story Time: The Story Teller and 'Scruffy' the sock puppet read "And Puppy' Chapter 12 I'm sorry

Discussion: Think about anyone you need to forgive . God can help you get rid of the hate and fear that makes you sad and sick, talk about it.

6. APPLICATION / ENCOUNTERING GOD
Get the letters the children wrote at the beginning of the lesson rip them up, signifying the release of forgiveness, put them in a bin take it outside and burn it. “Today I choose to forgive”

Optional: Listen to ‘The Healing has begun’
Optional: Listen to ‘Broken Bridges’
Optional: Watch ‘I want a heart that forgives’

CLOSING PRAYER: Get the children to privately list off the people they need to forgive and choose today to forgive them and pray for them.

https://www.sermons4kids.com/joseph_and_his_brothers_part_2.htm

TAKE HOME PAGE ‘Take Home Activity Book’. ‘Take Home Bible Verse Track’. Chapter12 of 'And Puppy' book

NEXT WEEK Joseph starts to rebuild his life.

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