Adventurers with Jesus: October- December 2023

By R.H. Boyd Publishing Corp.

Adventurers with Jesus (Ages 9-11) is an age-appropriate Christian quarterly lesson guide. Lesson presentations are easily taught and understood and show students how to find salvation through Jesus Christ. It follows the International Uniform Sunday School Lesson Outline from the National Council of Churches.

• Language: English
• Publisher: R.H. Boyd Publishing Corporation
• Release date: Sep 1, 2023
• ISBN: 9798886351347

Book preview

Lesson #1

October 1, 2023

God’s Choices Are Good Choices

Lesson Passage:

Romans 2:13, 17–24

NRSV

FOR it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but the doers of the law who will be justified.

• • • • • •

17 But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast of your relation to God

18 and know his will and determine what is best because you are instructed in the law,

19 and if you are sure that you are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness,

20 a corrector of the foolish, a teacher of children, having in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth,

21 you, then, that teach others, will you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal?

22 You that forbid adultery, do you commit adultery? You that abhor idols, do you rob temples?

23 You that boast in the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law?

24 For, as it is written, The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.

• • • • • •

Do You Know?

It is not enough to simply follow the rules.

Today’s Lesson Story

In today’s lesson, the Apostle Paul scolds the Pharisees because they are not being honest teachers to God’s people. God certainly wants us to follow the rules at home, at school, and at church, but He is most concerned about the condition of our hearts.

The Pharisees were Jewish religious leaders and teachers who were legal experts in the Mosaic Law. The Mosaic Law is a series of laws that Moses gave the Israelites, and those laws are written in the Ten Commandments and the first five books of the Old Testament. The Pharisees were all about rules! There were laws for this and laws for that, and they thought that following all of the laws and their fathers’ Jewish traditions would earn them a place in heaven. However, when Jesus, the Messiah, came on the scene, He explained that the only way to be saved is to accept Him as the Son of God, repent, and be baptized. Still, the Pharisees wouldn’t listen because they didn’t believe Jesus was who He said He was.

Although the Pharisees pushed the Mosaic Law, they didn’t always follow its principles. In other words, they didn’t practice what they preached! Verse 13 of today’s Scripture says we are to be not only hearers but doers of God’s word. When you read the Bible, do you try to do what it says? If we were to memorize the whole Bible from the first word in Genesis to the last word in Revelation, it would do us no good if we didn’t learn anything from it. When we attend church, we are hearers of God’s word, as we sit and listen to our Sunday School teachers and pastors; but to be doers of God’s word, we must leave the pew, go out into the world, and do what the Bible says. The Pharisees knew the Law and probably had much of it memorized but unfortunately, did not always follow it.

The Pharisees were pious, which means they thought they were better than the people they led. In other words, while they stood in the Temple preaching the Law—even warning the people what could happen to them if they did not follow the Law—they were not following the Law themselves. They stood before the people and bragged about their good relationship with God, but failed to teach themselves (verse 21). A teacher of any kind has a huge responsibility to their students, including your teacher at school. If a teacher refuses to be kind to others (while teaching students to be kind to others), the teacher cannot expect the students to obey. The Pharisees were teaching the people to do good, but they were not listening to their own words.

In verses 18–20, Paul describes the teacher and student. As teachers, the Pharisees had to know the will of God for themselves to be able to instruct the people. As leaders, the Pharisees were to be a guide to the blind, a light to those in darkness, a corrector of the foolish, [and] a teacher of children. A good teacher guides students by shining a light on the material being taught, so that the students can understand. Teachers also corrects their students, so that they can know right from wrong. The lives of the people were in the hands of the Pharisees, but even though they had all the knowledge and truth they needed to teach, they were not good examples.

Lastly, Paul asked the Pharisees a series of questions. He asked them why they would preach against stealing when they (themselves) were stealing. He asked why they would preach against idols or false gods when they were robbing the Temple of the excess that could feed the poor. God had trusted the Pharisees to be good leaders of His people, but with their actions, they were cursing His name. Today, we must be careful following the rules because others are watching.

Think About It!

Today’s lesson teaches us that although following the rules is good, we must also be fair and kind to others and follow Jesus’ teachings with a joyful spirit. On the outside, the Pharisees pretended to be holy, but on the inside, they were not. God doesn’t want us to simply follow the rules. He wants us to care and to have a sincere heart to do the right thing.

There are many rules we must follow in life with a willing