4th-5th Grade

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Impact Kids November 28, 2018 Small Group 4th – 5th grade

Jacob and Esau Bible Story: Jacob and Esau • Genesis 27-28 Bottom Line: Rebekah and Jacob tricked Isaac into blessing Jacob. Memory Verse: 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. Galatians 3:29, NIV Christ Connection: The promises for Abraham and Isaac also became the promises for Jacob. At Bethel, God showed that His plan was to continue the covenant through Jacob’s family and eventually a whole nation, leading to the birth of Jesus—the promised Savior.

Communicating God’s truth in engaging ways. To help us make sense of these next few stories about Jacob’s life, it is important to focus on the big picture of what we can learn about God. So here’s a question for you: Does God keep His promises? Consider the answer to that as we begin to study the life of Jacob.  I know that a few weeks back you spent some time learning about Abraham, and then you learned a lot about his son Isaac. God made a covenant with Abraham, and that covenant was passed on to Isaac. Isaac had twin sons named Esau and Jacob. While their mother, Rebekah, was pregnant, God told her that the younger would serve the older. Today our story is called “Jacob and Esau.”

”Oh my. This is one of those stories that makes me very thankful for the family I have. My brother and I sometimes fight, and we often disagree, but I’ve never wanted to really hurt him or kill him! The family troubles were also happening with Rebekah and Isaac, the brothers’ mom and dad. Rebekah favored Jacob, but Isaac favored Esau. As you can imagine, knowing that your parents like one or the other of your siblings more would be pretty difficult. This is likely part of the reason why Rebekah and Jacob tricked Isaac into blessing Jacob. But remember, God had already promised that Esau would serve Jacob. If Rebekah and Jacob had really trusted God’s promise, they would have waited on His timing. I find it really interesting that despite their sin—lying and stealing and cheating are all sinful choices—God used them in His plans. God kept His promises to Rebekah about Jacob even though they did not trust in His timing. That’s a wonderful thing about God: He is faithful even when we are not. So, does God keep His promises? God always keeps His promises because He is faithful.

Christ connection “The promises for Abraham and Isaac also became the promises for Jacob. At Bethel, God showed that His plan was to continue the covenant through Jacob’s family and eventually a whole nation, leading to the birth of Jesus—the promised Savior.

©2018 LifeWay Older Kids Bible Study- The Gospel Project Unit 3- Session 1

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Impact Kids November 28, 2018 Small Group 4th – 5th grade

That’s the best promise God ever made—His promise to send His Son to save sinners like Rebekah, Jacob, you, me, and everyone. The Bible teaches that none of us is righteous. We all need a savior, and Jesus is the Savior God promised.

Groups: Creating a Safe Place to Connect (Small Groups, 40 minutes) Create a safe place to connect and learn how the Bible story applies to real life experiences, through interactive activities and discussion questions. 1. Bible Story Review/Skills What You Need: Big Picture Question Poster, Bibles What You Do:  Distribute Bibles and guide kids to find Genesis 27–28.  Ask kids what testament the Book of Genesis is in. (Old Testament)  Ask who wrote the Book of Genesis. (Moses)  Choose a volunteer to read aloud Genesis 28:12-13. What You Say "Before Jacob and Esau were born, God had a plan for the older son to serve the younger. Does God keep His promises? God always keeps His promises because He is faithful. 2. Discussion Questions:  Why do you think God said the older son would serve the younger? Lead kids to consider that culturally, the younger brother would have served the older. God showed He has the freedom and power to work in ways that are different than our ways. (Option: Choose a volunteer to read Rom. 9:15-16.)  In his dream, Jacob saw a stairway going up to heaven. What are some ways people try to get to heaven? How can we get to heaven? Guide kids to identify that people often try to get to heaven by doing good deeds. Point out that we can never be good enough to get to God on our own. Salvation comes only through faith in Jesus. (Option: Choose a volunteer to read John 14:6.)  How can we be part of God’s mission to bless the whole world through Jesus? Help kids conclude that we can share Jesus with everyone—family members, friends, and even complete strangers. God has a role for each of us in His plan. We can be open to His calling and willing to obey. (Option: Choose a volunteer to read 2 Tim. 1:8-9.) 3. Memory Verse Activity What You Need: Memory Verse Poster What You Do:  Display the memory verse poster.  Lead the kids to read the memory verse together.  Form two groups of kids, assigning the first half of the passage to group 1 and the second half of the passage to group 2.  Ask the groups to come up with motions for their assigned part of the passage.

©2018 LifeWay Older Kids Bible Study- The Gospel Project Unit 3- Session 1

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Impact Kids November 28, 2018 Small Group 4th – 5th grade

 When each group is ready, invite them teach their motions to the other group.  Say the entire memory verse together using the motions. What You Say ”Do you know why we memorize Scripture? We might not always have a Bible with us, but when we’ve memorized verses, they are always with us. God can bring them to our mind to encourage us and speak to us. Let’s do our best to memorize our memory verse over the next few weeks.

Pray and Dismiss What You Need: Prayer journals, Journal page (1 for each kid), markers/crayons, Bibles What You Do:  Distribute journal pages and pencils.  Guide kids to think about and answer the questions listed on the page: What does this story teach me about God or the gospel? What does the story teach me about myself? Are there any commands in this story to obey? How are they for God’s glory and my good? Are there any promises in this story to remember? How do they help me trust and love God? How does this story help me to live on mission better?  As kids journal, invite them to share their ideas and write in your small group journal. What You Say: Pray, asking God to help kids remember His promises to them so they can live lives in faithful obedience to Him.” As adults arrive to pick up, tell kids to recite the memory verse to them.

©2018 LifeWay Older Kids Bible Study- The Gospel Project Unit 3- Session 1

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