CHILDREN’S SUNDAY SCHOOL MANUAL ASSEMBLIES OF GOD CHURCH LESSON 12 18TH SEPTEMBER 2022
TOPIC: LOVE HAS NO LIMITS
BIBLE TEXT: Matthew 5:38-48; 1 Corinthians 13:1-13
FOR ADULT ===> Assemblies Of God Church Sunday School Lesson 18 September 2022 LESSON 12 END TIME’S PROPHETIC PANORAMA
MEMORY VERSE:
Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, Matthew 5:44 (NIV).
TARGET:
To help the child understand that God’s love includes everyone, and that Jesus taught that the only way he or she can find true happiness is by loving his or her enemies.
OBJECTIVES:
During and after the lesson, each child will show that he understands the lesson by:
1. Identifying ways he or she can show love to his or her enemies and saying specifically ways he or she will meet some of the physical and spiritual needs of someone within the week.
2. Asking God to help him or her develop God’s own kind of love.
3. Reciting the Memory Verse correctly.
CHILDREN’S SUNDAY SCHOOL MANUAL ASSEMBLIES OF GOD CHURCH LESSON 12 18TH SEPTEMBER 2022
OUTLINE:
1. An Eye for an Eye – Matthew 5:38-42
2. Loving Our Enemies – Matthew 5:43-48
3. The Importance of Love – 1 Corinthians 13:1-3
4. The Nature of Love – 1 Corinthians 13:4-13
CHILDREN’S SUNDAY SCHOOL MANUAL ASSEMBLIES OF GOD CHURCH LESSON 12 18TH SEPTEMBER 2022
INTRODUCTION:
No matter where we live – in a war torn country, or a nice neighbourhood – we will encounter people who don’t like us. When people treat us poorly, our first response is to hate them and to try pay them back for what they do to us. However, this is not the best way” “Do me I do you, God no go vex”‘, which means, whatever you do to me l do to you, is not God’s way. It is not what the Bible teaches.
Loving our enemies is one of the kingdom rules Jesus gave to His disciples while He was with them on earth. It’s a hard rule to keep whereas “love your friend and hate your enemies”, which some Pharisees taught, is very easy to keep.
This week’s lesson deals with what our attitude toward others, especially those who don’t like us, should be. God wants us to love everybody, including those who don’t like us and also those who are unlovable.
Sermon: DR MENSA OTABIL (ICGC) CHRIST TEMPLE ACCRA GHANA)(Opens in a new browser tab)
LESSON COMMENTARY:
1. AN EYE FOR AN EYE – MATTHEW 5:38-42
This command is found in Ex 21:24: Lev 24:20; Deut 19:21. In these places, it was given as a rule to regulate the decision of judges. They were to take eye for eye, and tooth for tooth, and inflict burning for a burning. As a legal rule it is not unjust. Christ finds no fault with the rule as applied to magistrates, and did not try to cancel it. But the Jews, instead of leaving it to magistrates, extended it to private conduct and used it to take revenge. They used it to help them give to others the same treatment they had received.
2. LOVING OUR ENEMIES – MATTHEW 5:43-48
The command to love our neighbour was a law of God. (Lev. 19:18), but the command to hate our enemy, was drawn from it by the Jews. They supposed that if we loved the one, we must, of course, hate the other. But the teaching of Jesus tried to correct this. In addition to loving their neighbours, the followers of Jesus are also to love and pray for their enemies. God loves everyone. As God’s children, we must also love everyone, including those who hate us.
In Romans 12:17-21, Paul restated these laws of living in peace as followers, “Never pay back evil for evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honest. Don’t quarrel with anyone. Be at peace with everyone, just as much as possible. Dear friends, never avenge yourselves. Leave that to God, for He has said that He will repay those who deserve it. (Don’t take the law into your own hands. Instead, feed your enemy if he is hungry. If he is thirsty give him Something to drink and you will be “heaping coals of fire on his head.” Don’t let evil get the upper hand, but conquer evil by doing what is good.
CHILDREN’S SUNDAY SCHOOL MANUAL ASSEMBLIES OF GOD CHURCH LESSON 12 18TH SEPTEMBER 2022
3. THE IMPORTANCE OF LOVE – 1 CORINTHIANS 13:1-3
Doing great things and demonstrating great spiritual powers and gifts are useless if they are not done in love. Love (love of God that reaches to all men) is a more excellent way of doing great things. It is excellent above the power of speaking the languages of men and of angels. Speaking these languages without love is as empty drum (sounding brass). It is an empty, valueless and lifeless noise-making. Love is above the power of being able to understand all mysteries. If such knowledge and understanding has nothing to give to the welfare of others, it would all be hollow, vain, and useless. It will not save anyone just as the sound of a trumpet, or the jingling of the cymbal, will not save anyone from trouble. The excelling of love is above even the highest kind of faith. It is above giving one’s body to be burned. Without love, all these great spiritual activities will be without value.
4. THE NATURE OF LOVE – 1 CORINTHIANS 13:4-13
Love here has to do with love towards man and not love towards God. Such “love is very patient and kind, never jealous or envious, never boastful or proud, never haughty or selfish or rude. Love does not demand its own way. It is not irritable or touchy. It does not hold grudges and will hardly even notice when others do it wrong. It is never glad about injustice, but rejoices whenever truth wins out. If you love someone, you will be loyal to him no matter the cost. You will always stand your ground in defending him” (Living Bible).
Paul then goes on to explain that love is limitless. It continues forever. All the special gifts and power from God will someday come to an end, but love endures forever. Someday the gifts of prophecy, speaking In unknown languages, and special knowledge will disappear. But love will go on and on.
CHILDREN’S SUNDAY SCHOOL MANUAL ASSEMBLIES OF GOD CHURCH LESSON 12 18TH SEPTEMBER 2022
APPLICATION:
A Christian’s nature is to be loving and loyal. He or she should love and respect others whether they deserve it or not. In fact, our enemies are among those we should love. This is because the tendency is for us to get back at our enemies. We want to fight fire with fire. We want to get even. We want to make those who hurt us feel as bad as they make us feel.
Today, let us know that love is a more powerful weapon than revenge. It is hard for someone to keep hating a person who is kind and loving toward him. After a while the enemy either becomes uncomfortable and stops bothering you. Or he may desire to have that which you have that makes you love someone who hates you. God commands this. He wants us to love others so that they see firsthand what it means to be a Christian.
The way we can make it is to ask God everyday to help us love everyone – not just our friends. If we are really sincere when we do so, He will give us the strength we need to treat others as He wants us to. Through the Holy Spirit, He will put His love in our hearts.
CHILDREN’S SUNDAY SCHOOL MANUAL ASSEMBLIES OF GOD CHURCH LESSON 12 18TH SEPTEMBER 2022
QUESTIONS:
1. We ______ and _______ our enemies.
(A) beat and flog
(B) quarrel and abuse
(C) hate and envy
(D) pray for and love.
2. How does God show love to His creatures?
(A) through paying them back evil for their sins
(B) by abandoning them
(C) by afflicting them
(D) through mercy, kindness, forgiveness, patience, etc.
3. ldentify and recite the memory verse.
(A) Jesus is coming soon
(B) love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you
(C) do not steal
(D) do not lie.
4. Mention at least one (1) person yu can show love or meet both his/her spiritual and physical needs.
CHILDREN’S SUNDAY SCHOOL MANUAL ASSEMBLIES OF GOD CHURCH LESSON 12 18TH SEPTEMBER 2022
DAILY BIBLE DOSE:
Mon: Jesus’ Kind of Love – Matt 5:38-42
Tues: Overcome Hatred by Love – Matt 5:43-48
Weds: Walk in Love – John 1:1-6
Thurs: Love One Another – John 2:7-11
Fri: Love Is the Greatest – 1 Cor 13:1-13
Sat: Love Not the World – 1 John 2:15-17