In the Beginning 1s3.amazonaws.com/TGPdownloads/pilot/kids/Older... · So Noah sent out a dove, but...

Session Title: Noah and the Ark

Bible Passage: Genesis 6:5–9:17

Big Picture Question: Why does sin separate people from God? God is holy

and separate from sin.

Key Passage: Genesis 1:27

Unit Christ Connection: God knew we would sin, and Jesus, our Creator,

came to redeem us and protect us from the wrath of God by suffering for

us.

Small Group OpeningWelcome time ........................................................................................Page 3Activity sheet (5 minutes) ......................................................................Page 3Session starter (10 minutes) ...................................................................Page 3

Large Group LeaderCountdown .............................................................................................Page 5Introduce the session (4 minutes) ..........................................................Page 5Timeline map (1 minute) ........................................................................Page 5Big picture question (1 minute) ............................................................Page 5Discussion starter video (3 minutes) ......................................................Page 5Tell the Bible story (7 minutes) .............................................................Page 5Discussion starter video (3 minutes) ......................................................Page 6Key passage (5 minutes) ........................................................................Page 6Sing (5 minutes) .....................................................................................Page 6Prayer (1 minute) ...................................................................................Page 6

Small Group LeaderBible story review & Bible skills (10 minutes) ......................................Page 8Key passage activity (5 minutes) ...........................................................Page 8Activity choice (10 minutes) ..................................................................Page 8Journal and prayer (5 minutes) ..............................................................Page 9

God is serious about sin. Because God is holy, He cannot be around sin.

He hates sin, and He will not leave sin unpunished. As the earth grew more

populated, Scripture describes a deplorable situation: “Man’s wickedness was

widespread on the earth and … every scheme his mind thought of was nothing

but evil all the time” (Genesis 6:5).

God planned to punish the sinful people by starting over. He planned to

send a flood to wipe out everything on the earth. God is just, and He is also

loving. God chose to save one man: Noah. Even though sin was rampant,

God recognized Noah as a righteous individual. One of the most ringing

endorsements of Noah is “Noah walked with God.”

God chose Noah to build an ark to save Noah, his immediate family, and male

and female pairs of animals. Imagine the taunting that Noah and his family

may have received. Noah remained faithful and stayed true to the task God

had given him. When the ark was complete, God poured out His wrath on

humanity by sending the flood. Because God is holy and cannot allow sin, He

must punish sin. He did so dramatically in this story.

After saving them, God issued a covenant to Noah, his family, and all

inhabitants of the earth for all time. God gave the sign of a rainbow to ratify

His covenant. When people see the rainbow, it reminds them of the covenant

God made with Noah and everyone after him.

God is the great deviser of rescue plans. Just as God chose to save Noah, He

had an even greater plan: to save all people from the punishment for sin by

sending His Son, Jesus. Instead of killing many and saving one man, God

would sacrifice one man and save many. Pray that the kids you teach would

hear the gospel this week and trust in Jesus as their Savior and Lord.

Teacher BIBLE STUDY Older Kids BIBLE STUDY OVERVIEW

UNIT 1 • Session 3 • Older Kids Bible Study© 2012 LifeWay Christian Resources. 1In the Beginning

Noah and the Ark

Genesis 6:5–9:17

One day God looked at all the people on earth and saw they were choosing to sin. It was so bad that God was sad that He made people. God wanted people to have a relationship with Him, but the people did not want to know and obey God. Noah was different than all of those people because he was a righteous man. Noah was a descendant of Seth, Adam and Eve’s son, and Noah followed God.

Because the world was so sinful, God had to punish the people for their sin. Sin separates people from God because God is holy. To save Noah from this punishment, God instructed him to build an ark of gopher wood. The ark was to be 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high. It would have rooms on the inside. God told Noah how to build the roof, where to put the door, and all the other details he needed to build the ark.

God shared with Noah that He would punish sin by sending a flood, and only Noah and his family would live. God established a special covenant with Noah; He would save Noah and his family. God also gave Noah instructions to bring animals into the ark. For most of the animals Noah brought one male and one female into the ark. Some animals God called clean and Noah brought seven males and seven females of the clean animals on board. Clean animals were animals that people were allowed to offer as a sacrifice to God, and after the flood they were allowed to eat the meat of a clean animal. God instructed Noah to put every kind of food that Noah’s family and the animals would eat on the ark, too. Noah obeyed everything God instructed him to do.

Next God told Noah to load all the animals, food, and his family onto the ark because God was going to send rain. It would rain 40 days and 40 nights. This rain would cause a flood that would wipe out everything on earth.

After Noah, his family, and the animals entered the ark, God shut them inside. Noah’s family was protected as the waters rose and covered the entire earth. The high mountains were completely covered by the water. Everything on dry land died. Only Noah and those in the ark lived. For 150 days the water completely covered the earth.

But God remembered Noah and his family, so He sent a wind and the water began to go away. After another 150 days on the ark, the tops of the mountains were visible. The ark rested on the mountains of Ararat. After 40 days Noah opened the ark’s window and sent out a raven. The raven flew back and forth until the waters dried up. So Noah sent out a dove, but the dove could not find a place to rest, so she returned to the ark. After seven more days, Noah sent the dove out again, but this time she returned with an olive leaf. Noah knew that the water had gone down from the lower areas of land. After another week Noah sent the dove out, and this time she did not return. Noah opened the ark and saw that the ground was drying.

When the ground was dry, God told Noah to bring everyone and every animal out of the ark. Noah built an altar and gave an offering to the Lord. God was pleased with Noah’s offering and promised Noah that He would never completely flood the earth again. God told Noah and his family to spread out over the earth and fill it with people. God gave Noah a special sign of the covenant He made with him. God placed a rainbow in the sky, so every time Noah and his family saw the rainbow it was a reminder that God remembered the covenant He made. The covenant was an everlasting covenant that God would always keep.

Christ Connection: The story of the flood shows us how serious God is about sin. He will not leave sin unpunished. But the story of Noah also shows us how loving God is. He provided a rescue plan for one righteous man—Noah. And the rescue was extended to Noah’s family. This story points ahead to a greater rescue! Jesus, the only perfectly righteous person, came to take the punishment for sin. We trust His act of obedience and are saved from the punishment our sin deserves.

The BIBLE STORY

2UNIT 1 • Session 3 • Older Kids Bible Study

© 2012 LifeWay Christian Resources.In the Beginning

do you think Noah or his family ever felt crowded?

• Would it have been hard caring for the animals for such

a long time? If you have a pet at home, do you always

remember to feed and care for it?

• God used the ark to save Noah and his family.

Option 2: Covenant kids

Form teams of two. Guide boys and girls to complete the

following stunts. The stunts will require each pair to work

together to achieve success.

1. Stand up: Partners sit back to back with legs parallel to

the floor. Each pair must link arms and stand up.

2. Draw: Using only one hand each, draw a rainbow on a

piece of paper.

3. Snack bag: Using only one hand each, scoop three

spoonfuls of dry beans into a bowl.

Say • Could you achieve any of the stunts without your

partner? This activity helps us see how some covenants

work. One type of covenant is a promise between two

people and both have to work to keep their part of the

covenant. But sometimes one of the people will break the

covenant.

• Another type of covenant is one between God and a

person. When God makes a covenant, He always keeps

His word. Today we will hear about a covenant God

made that He still keeps.

Transition to large group

Option: Attach signs with the names of the decks on the appropriate walls.

Each pair needs 1 set of the following items:• paper• crayons or markers• small bowl• spoon• dry beans in a sealed

container or original bag

Welcome timeThis is a great time to collect the offering, fill out attendance

sheets, and help new kids connect to your group. You may

choose to review last week’s session with early arrivers.

Activity sheet (5 minutes)

Lead kids to decode the “Noah Definitions” activity sheet.

Say • Listen to today’s Bible story to discover the special

covenant God made that is still true today.

Session starter (10 minutes)

Option 1: Boat deck game

Explain to the boys and girls that the front side of the box is

the main deck, the right side is the upper, the left is the middle

deck, and the back side is the lower deck. When you call the

name of a deck, everyone must quickly move to that deck. The

goal is to not be the last one on the deck that is called. If you

call “all aboard,” everyone must step inside the tape box. Call

“all aboard” several times throughout the game.

Say • Today’s story is about Noah and the ark. The ark was

very large but after months on board with all the animals,

• “Noah Definitions” activity sheet, 1 per kid• pencils

PREPLOW

• painter’s tape• Use the tape to create a

box on the floor barely big enough for your group to stand inside.You want the kids to be crowded when “all aboard” is called.

No one should be called “out” or eliminated from play.







came to redeem us and protect us from the wrath of God by suffering for us.

Small Group OpEnIng



B N

G

D

L

C

H

F

M

P

T

R

Y

Q

W

S

Key:

Instructions: Use the key to decode each letter in the definition of the two words.



map. Where did we visit first? Creation is right. And last

week what happened? Adam and Eve sinned. Cain also

sinned. We are like Adam, Eve, Cain, and Abel. We should

follow God commands, but we choose to sin and do what we

want. I see our picture for this week. Our timeline says that

today we are talking about a guy named Noah.

Big picture question (1 minute)

Leader • The story of Noah will help us answer our big picture

question. Last week we talked about sin. Does anyone

remember What is sin? Sin is breaking God’s law and

separates people from God. A consequence of sin is that sin

separates people from God. Do you know why? Today our

big picture question is Why does sin separate people from

God? We are going to find the answer to this question.

Discussion starter video (3 minutes)

Leader • Before we talk about Noah and find the answer to our

question, I have video for us to think about.

Show “Right or Wrong?”

Leader • That is an interesting situation. What would you do?

Allow one or two kids to share.

Leader • When we face choices in our lives, we need to

remember God’s big plan to save us. Because Jesus died on

the cross to rescue us from our sins, we should want to obey

Him. The Bible tells us about Jesus and our need for Him.

Our Bible story today can help us decide what we should do

if we are ever in a situation similar to Mia and Brian’s.

Tell the Bible story (7 minutes)

Open your Bible to Genesis 6:5–9:17. Choose to tell the Bible

Tip: Remember to pause after questions to allow kids to respond.

• “Right or Wrong” video

• Bibles• “Noah and the Ark”

video• big picture question

slide or poster• Bible story picture slide

or poster

CountdownShow the countdown video as your kids arrive, and set it to end

as large group time begins.

Introduce the session (4 minutes)

Leader • Hello, boys and girls. Are you excited about today’s

adventure at Big Picture Airlines? Have any of you ever been

on a long trip? What did you pack for the trip? Since we are

in the airport and getting ready to take a trip, what are some

things you pack when you go on a trip?

Allow boys and girls to call out answers and list them on a

piece of chart paper.

Leader • Those are all great things to pack for a trip. Today

we are going to learn about a guy in the Bible who took a

different kind of trip from the ones we take. And the stuff he

packed was very different from the stuff we usually pack.

Let’s take a look at our timeline map and see where we have

been so far in the big picture of God’s story.

Timeline map (1 minute)

Leader • Here is the first Bible story picture on our timeline

• countdown video

• chart paper• marker

• timeline map








Large Group LEaDER



Key passage (5 minutes)

Leader • The Bible tells us God’s flight plan to save us from

our sins. Remember, a flight plan tells the airplane crew

where the plane is going and how it is going to get there. It

has special instructions for the pilot and the crew to follow.

The Bible tells us God’s plan to save us, so we can know and

love Him. We have been working to memorize a key passage

from the Bible. How many of you have already memorized

our key passage? Great work. We have two more weeks for

everyone to memorize the key passage.

Sing “In His Own Image.” Show the slide of this unit’s key

passage, Genesis 1:27. Lead boys and girls to say the key

passage together.

Sing (5 minutes)

Leader • God has given us so many things. We have a beautiful

world to live in. We have the Bible to tell us who God is and

what He is like. God is so great and holy. It’s time for us to

sing our theme song and praise God for all He has done and

for His holiness.

Sing “You Are God Alone.”

Prayer (1 minute)

Leader • We have learned a lot today about God’s holiness and

Noah’s faithfulness to follow God’s instructions. In small

group you will continue to learn about Noah and his special

part in the big picture of God’s story. After I close in prayer,

watch your small group leader for the signal to exit the

airport. Don’t forget to memorize the key passage.

Dismiss to small groups

• key passage slide or poster• “In His Own Image”

• “You Are God Alone”

story in your own words, or show the Bible story video “Noah

and the Ark.”

Leader • Our question was Why does sin separate people from

God? The answer to our big picture question is God is holy

and separate from sin. What does it mean that God is holy?

Holy is to be separate. The word holy describes God because

He is perfect and completely righteous. Sin is the opposite

of holy. All people sin and are separated from God because

He is holy and cannot sin. But the good news is that God

provided us a promise of salvation through Jesus. He also

gave Noah a promise of salvation from the flood.

In our Bible story, when God looked at all the people on

earth, He saw Noah was following Him. In the Bible, Noah is

called righteous and blameless. That does not mean that Noah

was sinless. He was still a sinner, but he followed God. God

was gracious to save Noah and his family. Let’s watch the

video we saw earlier again.

Discussion starter video (3 minutes)

Replay “Right or Wrong?”

Leader • How many of you have had a friend want you to

break a rule and sin? Now that we have seen Noah’s example,

what would you do if a friend wanted you to sin?

Invite a few kids to share their responses. Guide them to think

about the Bible story as they formulate their answers.

Leader • God will help us make the right choices when we ask

Him for help. Reading our Bible and praying also helps us

understand how to be righteous and blameless. Like Noah we

can never be completely righteous and blameless. Jesus is the

only one who is completely righteous and blameless.

Option: You may choose to review how to become a Christian using the guide provided.

Tip: Anytime you share how to become a Christian in a large group environment, try to have counselors available to meet one on one with kids. Make sure kids know who they can talk to and when they can talk.

• “Right or Wrong” video



The Gospel: God’s Plan for MeAsk kids if they have ever heard the word gospel. Clarify that

the word gospel means “good news.” It is the message about

Christ, the kingdom of God, and salvation. Use the following

guide to share the gospel with kids.

God rules. Explain to kids that the Bible tells us God created

everything, and He is in charge of everything. Invite a volunteer

to read Genesis 1:1 from her Bible. Read Revelation 4:11 or

Colossians 1:16-17 aloud and explain what these verses mean.

We sinned. Tell kids that since the time of Adam and Eve,

everyone has chosen to disobey God (Romans 3:23). The Bible

calls this sin. Because God is holy, God cannot be around sin.

Sin separates us from God and deserves God’s punishment of

death (Romans 6:23). God provided. Choose a child to read

John 3:16 aloud. Say that God sent His Son Jesus, the perfect

solution to our sin problem, to rescue us from the punishment

we deserve. It’s something we, as sinners, could never earn on

our own. Jesus alone saves us. Read and explain Ephesians 2:8-

9.

Jesus gives. Share with kids that Jesus lived a perfect life,

died on the cross for our sins, and rose again. Because Jesus

gave up His life for us, we can be welcomed into God’s family

for eternity. This is the best gift ever! Read Romans 5:8;

2 Corinthians 5:21; or 1 Peter 3:18.

We respond. Tell kids that they can respond to Jesus. Read

Romans 10:9-10,13. Review these aspects of our response:

Believe in your heart that Jesus alone saves you through what

He’s already done on the cross. Repent, turning from self and

sin to Jesus. Tell God and others that your faith is in Jesus.

Offer to talk with any child who is interested in responding to

Jesus.

Insights for Large Group Leaders

Big picture question: Big picture questions are designed

to help teach kids Bible truths systematically. Generally, the

question will be introduced prior to the Bible story, and the

answer will be revealed following the Bible story. Lead kids to

memorize the big picture question and answer each week.

Christ Connection: At the end of every Bible story is a Christ

Connection that relates Christ to that specific story. The Christ

Connection is an additional paragraph at the end of the Bible

story script. On the video, the Christ Connection is shared after

the Bible story.

Timeline map: If space is limited hang one or two sections of

the timeline map at a time. When you review the Bible stories

from the previous weeks, point out the Bible stories on the

timeline to allow kids to see the progression of chronology.

Key passage: The key passage will be the same for the entire

unit. Encourage kids each week to work on memorizing the key

passage by the end of the unit.

The Gospel: The story of Noah highlights the extreme level

of sin in the world after the fall. Although God’s covenant

protects the earth from a complete flood, we must still face

consequences for our sin. One of the consequences of sin is that

we do not know and love God. When kids ask questions about

how to know and love God, you can use this guide to explain

the gospel. You may also choose to review how to become a

Christian during Large Group time.

In the BeginningUNIT 1 • Session 3 • Older Kids Bible Study© 2012 LifeWay Christian Resources. 7

for sin. We trust His act of obedience and are saved from

the punishment our sin deserves.)

Key passage activity (5 minutes)

Write the words of the key passage on four cards. Scatter the

cards on the floor or table and allow kids to take turns arranging

the verse in order. Each time the cards are assembled correctly,

lead the class in reading the verse. You may choose to time each

kid and keep a record of the three fastest times. After everyone

has played, turn the cards over and allow boys and girls the

opportunity to say the verse from memory.

Say • In the whole world, God created only people in His

image. This means people are special because they were

created to know and love God.

Activity choice (10 minutes)

Option 1: Repent race

Say • God provided Noah a way to be saved from the flood.

• Through Jesus, God gives us the opportunity to be saved

from our sins.

• Why does sin separate people from God? God is holy


• We should share with our friends about Jesus.

One at a time kids will walk or skip to the gift bag and choose

a card. If the card says “repent,” the kid may turn around to

return to her team and the next kid will take her turn. If the card

does not say “repent,” she may keep the card, but she cannot

turn around to return to her team. The team will send another

member down to choose a card. Team members may not turn

around to return to their team until a “repent” card is drawn.

The goal is for each team to collect all of the activity cards and

• 4 index cards or pieces of paper• marker• Create four sections of

the key passage and write each section on one card.

PREPLOW

• activity cards, 1 set per team, cut apart• 2 gift bags or paper

bags• Bibles, 1 per kid

Option: Make extra copies of the four “repent” cards or allow kids to drop them back into the bag.

Bible story review & Bible skills (10 minutes)

Guide kids to begin to understand the chronology of the Bible

by reviewing the timeline using the small group visual pack.

Help kids become more comfortable reading Scripture aloud

by allowing volunteers to read the Scriptures listed below to

review the Bible story.

1. Noah’s character, Genesis 6:8-9

2. The ark, Genesis 6:14-16

3. Animals, Genesis 7:1-3

4. Rain, Genesis 7:4

5. Leaving the ark, Genesis 8:15-17

6. Rainbow covenant, Genesis 9:12-16

Praise and thank boys and girls for their participation in reading

aloud the verses.

Say • Why does sin separate people from God? God is holy


• What was God’s rescue plan for Noah and his family?

(God told Noah to build an ark for his family to live in

during the flood, Genesis 6:14-18)

• What was God’s rescue plan for us? (Jesus, the only

perfectly righteous person, came to take the punishment

• Bibles• small group visual pack

Tip: Be sensitive to the fact that some kids are self-conscious about their reading skills. Explain that even adults have trouble pronouncing some of the words in the Bible and that you will help anyone with any words they don’t know. To help kids build confidence, you may choose to ask each volunteer to start each section of verses for you by reading one verse and you will finish the remaining verses.








Small Group LEaDER


2. Fold the top left edge down to make a closed triangle.

3. Fold the bottom right edge up, forming an open

triangle.

4. Slide the open triangle of one sticky note into the

pocket on another sticky note.

5. Continue adding sticky notes to form a circle.

Say • What are the colors in a rainbow? Did anyone use any

of those colors? What did the rainbow represent to Noah

and his family?

• The rainbow is a reminder to us that God would never

completely flood the earth again.

• God will always keep His covenants.

• Why does sin separate people from God? God is holy


• God punishes sin but He gave a promise of salvation.

Salvation would come through His Son, Jesus Christ.

Allow boys and girls to test their flying disk.

Journal and prayer (5 minutes)

Say • God is holy and separate from sin. But God loves us and

sent Jesus to die for our sins. We can become a Christian

and no longer be separated from God. In your journal

today list your prayer requests.

Allow boys and girls to share any prayer requests. Invite a kid

to pray for the requests that were mentioned before you close

the group in prayer. Close the group in prayer thanking God for

providing salvation by sending Jesus to die for our sins.

If you have additional time, lead boys and girls to complete

the activity sheet, “Animals in the Bible.”

Dismiss

• journals• pens or pencils• journal page, 1 per kid• “Animals in the Bible”

activity sheet, 1 per kid (optional)

match each statement, explanation, and Scripture references

together.

Use the activity cards, Bibles, and the guide provided to

review how to become a Christian and the definition of the

word repent. Help kids practice sharing how to become a

Christian with a partner.

Review how to become a Christian using this guide:

• God rules. The Bible tells us God created and is in

charge of everything. (Gen. 1:1; Rev. 4:11; Col. 1:16-17)

• We sinned. Since the time of Adam and Eve, everyone

has chosen to disobey God. (Romans 3:23; 6:23)

• God provided. God sent His Son Jesus to rescue us from

the punishment we deserve. (John 3:16; Ephesians 2:8-9)

• Jesus gives. Jesus lived a perfect life, died on the cross

for our sins, and rose again so we can be welcomed into

God’s family. (Rom. 5:8; 2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Peter 3:18)

• We respond. Believe that Jesus alone saves you. Repent.

Tell God that your faith is in Jesus. (Rom. 10:9-10,13)

Option 2: Flying disk

Guide kids to follow these steps to fold and assemble their

flying disk.

1. Fold the top edge of the sticky note down. The folded

edge should be on the top and the sticky side on the

outside.

• 3-inch bright colored square sticky notes, 8 notes per kid


In the BeginningKey Passage: Genesis 1:27

Session 1: God Created the World and People Genesis 1–2

Session 2: Sin Entered the World Genesis 3–4

Session 3: Noah and the Ark Genesis 6:5–9:17

Session 4: The Tower of Babel Genesis 11:1-9

Session 5: Job Job 1–42

© 2012 LifeWay Christian Resources.

10

Journal Page

Instructions: Animals are mentioned throughout the Bible.

Match the animal with the verse in the Bible.

In the Beginning

Eagle

Ostrich

Ravens

Bear

Colt

Sparrows

Sheep

Genesis 29:9

Luke 12:7

Deuteronomy 32:11

Job 39:13a

1 Kings 17:4-6

Matthew 21:2

1 Samuel 17:34

11

Activity SHEET

UNIT 1 • Session 3 • Older Kids Bible Study© 2012 LifeWay Christian Resources.

Repentto turn from

disobeying God to obeying Him

God rules

God provided

Repentto turn from


God created everything and He

is in charge over everything.

God sent His Son Jesus, the perfect

solution to our sin problem, to

rescue us from the punishment we

deserve.

Repentto turn from


We sinned

Jesus gives

Repentto turn from


Everyone has chosen to disobey God. Sin separates us from God and deserves

God’s punishment of death.

Jesus lived a perfect live, died on the

cross for our sins, and rose again.

UNIT 1 • Session 3 • Older Kids Activity Cards© 2012 LifeWay Christian Resources. 12In the Beginning

We respond

John 3:16

Romans 10:9-10

Believe Jesus alone saves you. Repent. Tell God and others that your faith is in Jesus.

Romans 6:23

Romans 10:13

Romans 3:23

Ephesians 2:8-9

2 Corinthians 5:21

Revelation 4:11

Genesis 1:1

Romans 5:8

UNIT 1 • Session 3 • Older Kids Activity Cards© 2012 LifeWay Christian Resources. 13In the Beginning

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