ASSEMBLIES OF GOD CHURCH CHILDREN’S SUNDAY SCHOOL MANUAL FOR 24TH MARCH, 2024

You have obeyed me (Genesis 22:18, NIV).

TARGET:

To help the child understand what faith means and how Abraham showed his faith.

OBJECTIVES:

During and after the lesson, each child will show that he or she understands lesson by:

1. Saying or illustrating what he or she understands by faith.

2. Telling whether God fulfilled His promise to Abraham and how.

3. Explaining how God tested Abraham’s faith.

OUTLINE:

1. Abraham’s Son Is Born – Gen 21:1-8

2. Abraham’s Faith Is Tested – Gen 22:1,2

3. Abraham Obeys God – Gen 22:3-19

INTRODUCTION:

Faith in this week’s lesson means doing what God tells us to do without asking question and believing that it is the best for us. God may not give us reasons but He wants us to rely on Him and take Him by His Word. Anybody that does not have faith in God cannot please Him.

God tests our faith in Him. He wants to know whether our faith is real or not. Let us recall how we feel when we face a test. He asked Abraham to sacrifice his only son, Isaac to Him. Did Abraham obey God? We will find out soon.

1. Abraham’s Son Is Born – Gen 21:1-8

One year after the angels had visited Abraham, Sarah bore a son according to God’s promise. The child was named Isaac (which means laughter). Sarah laughed in doubt when the child was promised. But now God had given her a genuine reason to laugh and be happy. And everyone who heard about her blessing was happy. Indeed, God had made the entire family of Abraham to laugh and rejoice.

Abraham was one hundred years old when Isaac his son was born. But it was twenty five years before that God made the promise. They had to wait a long a long time for the promise to come true. Even when things looked impossible, Abraham still believed God. Let us remember that God told Abraham that “in Isaac shall thy seed be called.” Isaac was Abraham’s hope in realising the promise God made him. Isaac as the only son of Abraham through Sarah, will inherit the land of Canaan which God had promised Abraham. And God will surely keep His promise. Isaac began to grow up and was loved dearly by Abraham and Sarah.

Suddenly, one day, God spoke to Abraham again. This time, He came to test his faith in Him. He commanded Abraham to take his son, Isaac and offer him as a sacrifice to Him. The sacrifice was to be at a mountain called Moriah. God wanted to prove whether Abraham would still obey Him in faith. Abraham, being a man of faith, did not see any command from God too difficult to obey.

The next morning after God had spoken, Abraham took Isaac and two of his servants and left home for Mt. Moriah for the sacrifice. Abraham did not even tell his wife. He did not tell Isaac and his servants that he was going to offer Isaac as a sacrifice. He simply set out to obey God.

They travelled for three days. And when they came close to Mt. Moriah Abraham told his two servants to wait there while he went with Isaac to worship God. On the way, Isaac asked his father about the lamb that would be used for sacrifice. They had fire, wood and knife but no animal. Abraham told him that God will provide himself a lamb for the sacrifice. When they got there, Abraham prepared an altar. He tied Isaac with ropes and laid him on the altar. Isaac did not fight or run away from his father. He submitted himself to be sacrificed.

Abraham then lifted the knife in his hand to kill his son. Immediately, he heard God’s voice. God told him not to kill the boy. As Abraham turned his eyes, he saw a ram caught in the bush. God had indeed, provided a ram for the sacrifice. Through this test, God proved and announced that Abraham really loved Him.

Abraham completely surrendered his only son to God. In the same way, God offered His only Son Jesus as a sacrifice for the sins of the world.

APPLICATION:

Funke was very happy as they left the shop. Her mother had just bought her the sweater she had been desiring. She was now ready for the December cold.

On their way home, they passed through the subway. And right there in the subway was a girl. She was crying bitterly. The only thing the girl was wearing was her pants and she sat there shivering in the harmattan cold. She was also very hungry. She was an orphan and had nobody to care for her.

Funke’s mother gave the girl some money for food. The girl thanked her and they moved on. Funke’s mother then remembered that the girl needed something to keep her warm. She asked Funke if she would be willing to give the girl her new sweater. Funke said no, as they walked on, her mother told her the story of Abraham and how God gave him a son and later asked him to sacrifice the boy to Him. She told her how Abraham’s obedience was rewarded because in the end, he still had his son alive.

Funke thought for a while and decided to give her sweater to the girl in the subway, even though it was her best sweater. Funke and her mother went back and gave the sweater to the girl.

The next day, Funke’s mother went to the market and bought Funke another beautiful sweater.

QUESTIONS:

1. ________ year(s) after the angels had visited Abraham, Sarah bore a son according to God’s promise.

(A) One

(B) two

(C) three

(D) four.

2. Who was Abraham’s hope in realising the promise God made him?

(A) Lampard

(B) Joseph

(C) David

(D) Isaac.

3. What is the name of the mountain God told Abraham to go and offer Isaac as a sacrifice to Him?

(A) Sinai

(B) Moriah

(C) Kilimanjaro

(D)Amazon.

4. How many servants did Abraham take with Isaac to the Mountain for the sacrifice?

(A) Three of his servants

(B) four of his servants

(C) two of his servants

(D) one of his servants.

DAILY BIBLE DOSE:

Mon: Don’t Kill the Boy – Genesis 22:10-12

Tue: The Just Shall Live by Faith – Habakkuk 2:4

Wed: Where Is Your Faith? – Luke 8:25

Thu: Have Faith – Luke 17:5,6

Fri: Stand Firm in the Faith – 2 Corinthians 16:13

Sat: Draw Near to God in Faith – Hebrews 10:22-24