CHILDREN’S SUNDAY SCHOOL MANUAL ASSEMBLIES OF GOD CHIURCH 16TH APRIL 2023

SUNDAY, 16TH APRIL, 2023.

BIBLE TEXT: 2 Kings 14:1-2; 2 Chronicles 25

MEMORY VERSE:

A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. James 1:8 (KJV).

TARGET:

To help the child know that it is essential for Christians to have unwavering decision to remain faithful to God and His commandments until the end.

OBJECTIVES

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

1. Praying a sentence prayer to show his or her resolve to do the will of God no matter the circumstance.

2. Explaining how he or she can serve the Lord with his or her whole heart.

3. Answering correctly questions that will be asked on the lesson.

OUTLINE:

1. Amaziah Begins Well -2 Kings 14:1-2; 2 Chronicles 25:1-5

2. Amaziah’s Faith Is Tested – 2 Chro 25:6-13

3. Amaziah Worships Idols – 2 Chro 25:14-16

4. Amaziah Ends Badly – 2 Chro 25:17-28

Have you ever had the experience of doing something that started well but ended badly? Who or what is to blame? Did that thing end badly because of something you did wrongly? Or was it because of something you did not do? In this week’s lesson, we shall see a man -a king who had a good beginning but a bad ending. He failed, and the secret of his failure is given in the words used to describe him in the story of his life being studied today. “He did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, not with a perfect heart”. This means that Amaziah did not firmly resolve to do God’s will at any cost. Yet he was still king of God’s people. In the same way, there are some people in the church today that have not resolved to do the will of God. They sing in the church, they give offerings, but still live in one sin or the other. He was half-hearted. A half-hearted man, according to our memory verse, is a double-minded man. Such a man is not steady in his life.

1. AMAZIAH BEGINS WELL – 2 Kings 14:1-2; 2 Chron 25:1-5

Amaziah was the ninth king of Judah. He was the son of king Joash of Judah. His mother’s name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem. Amaziah was made the king of Judah after the death of his father who was killed by his servants. He was twenty- five years when he became king and reigned in Judah for twenty-nine years.

Two incidents mentioned in the story show that Amaziah began well. The first incident is that when he took over the kingdom, he killed the men who murdered his father. But he did not kill their children who were innocent. He tempered justice with mercy. And by doing this, he obeyed the Law of Moses that is stated in Deut. 24:16.

Secondly, King Amaziah re-organised the army of Judah, which seemed to have gotten out of hand in his father’s day. After the exercise, he found he had an army of 300,000 soldiers.

2. AMAZIAH’S FAITH IS TESTED – 2Chron 25:6-13

Amaziah wanted to fight Edom. He spent a lot of money and hired 100,000 soldiers from lsrael, that is, the northern kingdom to help him defeat the Edomites. In doing this, he made the mistake of asking the ungodly to help him. Thus, he relied upon man rather than God. This action shows unbelief. It means that he did not have confidence in God.

A prophet came and warned him against allowing the hired men from Israel to help him. Amaziah didn’t like the idea. However, he reluctantly sent the Israelite soldiers home. But he was unhappy about the huge money he paid to hired the soldiers. The prophet told him that the Lord is able to give him much more than he spent. Amaziah listened to the prophet and had a great victory over the Edomites.

The soldiers from Israel who had been sent home were not happy with Amaziah. They attacked the northern cities of Judah and killed 3,000 men and took much spoil

3. AMAZIAH WORSHIPS IDOLS – 2 Chron 25:14-16

It appears the victory Amaziah had turned his head entirely. He brought back to Judah some of the gods of the Edomites and began to worship them. A prophet of God tried to rebuke him for this but the king asked him whether he was the king’s adviser. He refused to listen and ordered the prophet to stop. The prophet stopped, but first told him that God was going to destroy him.

4. AMAZIAH ENDS BADLY – 2Chron 25:17-28

Amaziah, now , in his overconfidence foolishly challenged King Joash of Israel to come and fight with him. Joash replied him with a parable in which he warned him not to start a quarrel for his own good. But Amaziah refused to listen to Joash. So Joash marched against Judah, broke down the walls of Jerusalem, and carried away its treasures.

Amaziah lived fifteen years after this. He knew his people were making plans to kill him. So, he fled to Lacish to save his life. The people went after him and killed him there. His body was thrown over a horse and brought back to Jerusalem where he was buried.

We learn the following from the lesson: We ought to know that it is essential for Christians to have unwavering decision to remain faithful to God and His commandments until the end regardless of what may happen to us. No matter what we do for God, if we have some sins in our hearts, we are not wholeheartedly worshipping or serving God. If we are half-hearted in serving the Lord, we are sure to fail. We cannot serve two masters. We cannot have two different objects in life, that is, trying to please self and trying to please God. If we must succeed in life, our eye must be single. We should always be obedient to God and to the men of God who teach us the Word of God. It is never long before God tests all those who profess to serve Him. Untried things are not of much value. Faith is always put to test sooner or later. We should be careful because pride leads to destruction.

1. Amaziah became King at 25yrs and should have done better than Josiah, a king of age 8. True or False

2. When we face challenges in life, where should we seek help from?

(A) Bad friends

(b) Native doctors

(c) We should do nothing

(d) Ask God – godly people.

3. What should be our attitude when we achieve success?

(A) Boastful

(B) Arrogant

(C) Humble

(D) Laugh at those who fail.

4. Why did Amaziah end badly?

(A) Because of good decision

(B) Obedience

(C) Because he loved God

(D) Because he foolishly challenged king Joash to a battle.

Mon: Beginning Well – 1Kings 2:1-4

Tue: Keeping Right Path – Jeremiah 6:16

Wed: Good Foundation – Psalm11:3

Thu: Continuing Well – Act 26:22

Fri: Standing Firm – Eph 6:14-18

Sat: Ending Well – 2 Tim 4:7-8