THE BOOK OF JAMES Hearing and doing the Word James …...came to Britain, arrived in Bristol when cholera was a terrible problem. He and another preacher discovered that many children

THE BOOK OF JAMESHearing and doing the Word

James 1:19-27

Read James 1:19 - 21. Verse 19 tell us to be:

QUICK LISTEN

SLOW SPEAK BE ANGRY

Why should we be slow to be angry? (v 20)

Verse 21 tells us to do two things. What are they? And how do we do them?

BIBLE CLASS: YEAR 2 - LESSON 1

Copy verse 22 and then create a wordsearch in the grid using all the words in the verse.

Describe the person Describe what happenswho listens to God’s to the person who bothWord but doesn’t listens to God’s Worddo what it says. and does what it says.(v 23-24) (v 25)

If there is time at the end of the lesson, give your worksheet to another member of your class to do your wordseach.

PRAYER SPOTIt is so easy just to listen to God’s Word in church and Bible Class and not really take it in. It’s also very easy to attend church and Bible Class and not even listen!

Pray for the young people in Back, Tain and Aberdeen. Pray that as they meet today they will hear God’s Word and do what they learn in it.

And pray for yourself, that you might remember what you learn about the Lord and look for ways to live for him. That’s not always easy, but ask the Lord to help you.

Join the boxes in the right order and then write the same idea in your own words.

Verse 27 says: ‘Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.’

Write down four ways in which a young follower of Jesus could show his or her faith where you live and in your school.

Now ask yourself the big questions .....

Aberdeen

Back

Tain

KEY VERSE‘Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive your-selves. Do what it says.’ (James 1:22)

Graphics from The Big Box of Art: 1 MillionCopyright @ 2007 Free Church of Scotland and its licensors. All rights reserved.SC012925

If anyone considers himself religious

yet does not keepa tight rein

on his tongue

he deceives himselfand his religionis worthless.

Am I a follower of Jesus? If I am, is this the life I’m trying to live? If I’m not, might this be the time to ask Jesus to be my Saviour?

THE BOOK OF JAMESFavouritism

James 2:1-13

Read James 2:1-4 and then read this true story.

A young man went into a church. He was scruffy and looked a bit lost. Nobody recognised him and nobody asked him to sit beside them. The young man walked right to the front. There were no empty seats at the ends of the pews as everyone seemed to be sitting there, leaving empty seats in the middle where he couldn’t get to them! Eventually he just sat down, cross-legged, in the passage way.

One of the elders, an old man who always gave visitors a warm welcome, walked slowly down to the visitor. Everyone watched, expecting him to tell the youth to get up off the floor and sit properly on a seat. The old man reached the visitor and struggled down on to the floor where he sat beside him for the whole of the service, sharing his Bible with the visitor.

After the service, the minister, who had seen exactly what happened, commented, ‘You will probably forget the sermon you heard preached here today, but you will not forget the sermon you have seen with your own eyes.’


From verses 1 - 4 and from the pictures write what we should and should not do to a visitor.

Who does James say that God has chosen to be rich in faith? (v 5)

In what ways does God make his people rich?

What does James say some rich people do? (v 6-7)

Describe some ways in which rich people sometimes exploit those who are poor.

KEY VERSE‘Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive your-selves. Do what it says.’ (James 1:22)


PRAYER SPOTPray for the young people in Fearn, Benbecula and Dundee today.

Remember those who are just start-ing secondary school and who are feeling a bit insecure, that they will soon make good friends.

Pray especially for any with learning difficulties who find school a hard challenge.

Favouritism is a real temptation because we all find some people more likeable and interesting than others.

Ask the Lord to help you to have open friendships that welcome others in rather than shutting them out.

Dundee

FearnBenbecula

Verses 8-13 are laid out like signposts along a road. Follow the signposts to get the message.

IF YOU

WHICH IS

YOU ARE DOING RIGHT.

IF YOU SHOW FAVOURITISM

Whoever keeps the whole l........... and yet ....................

just one little part of it, is still g..................... of

b........................... the l............

What are the two examples James gives of people who have broken one law and are therefore law-breakers? (v 11)

QUESTION TIME

How should we speak and act? (v 12)

Why should we speak and act like that? (v 13)

THE BOOK OF JAMESFaith in actionJames 2:14-26


Read James 2:14-26 and then answer these questions.

According to Paul, how are we to have peace with God? (Romans 5:1)

How does James describe faith without action? (James 2:17)

How did Abraham show that his faith was genuine? (James 2:21)

How did Rahab show that her faith was genuine? (James 2:25)

History tells of many Christians who are remembered because their faith was shown in action. Here are just three of them.

Lord Shaftesbury came from a famous and wealthy English family, but he was a man with a heart full of compassion, especially for poor children. As a politician, he fought for the good of children who worked long hours in factories and coal mines. He was also involved in ‘ragged schools’ especially set up to give poor children an education.

Mary Slessor, from Dundee,went to Calabar (West Africa)as a missionary. She found that, because of a fear of evil spirits, twin babies were beingleft out in the bush to die.Mary rescued these babiesand, when nothing awfulhappened to her, peoplestarted keeping their owntwins.

George Müller, a German who came to Britain, arrived in Bristol when cholera was a terrible problem. He and another preacher discovered that many children were left orphans. They established children’s homes and cared for many hundreds of boys and girls. George never asked for money, he prayed for what he needed. God heard and answered his prayers.

Lord Shaftesbury, Mary Slessor and George Müller were all Christians. Did they become Christians by doing good deeds?

What is the one and only way in which someone can become a Christian?

What does verse 26 mean?

KEY VERSE‘Do not merely ................. to the ...................., and so ..................................... your-selves. Do .................... it ...................’ (James 1:22)

Many Christian organisations exist to put the Christian faith into practice. Write what you know about the following organisations - or guess from their names what they do!

Fit the red words in the grid and then read along the yellow line.

‘Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead’ (V 15-17).


PRAYER SPOTOur prayers take us from the north east to the south west this week. Pray for the young people in the communities of Muir of Ord, Golspie and Lochgilphead. Ask the Lord to bless whatever Christian contact they have - perhaps church or Bible Class, or Christian teachers, friends or family. Pray especially for any who have no Christian contact at all.

Think about your life. How do you express your faith in action? Ask the Lord to help you to find ways in which to do this.

Do you have a real and living faith in Jesus? If you are in doubt about that, pray and ask God to give you the gift of faith.

Lochgilphead

Golspie

Muir of Ord

DWELLINGPLACES

LONDON CITY MISSION

THE LEPROSYMISSION

FREE CHURCH MISSIONS

S

N

I

M

THE BOOK OF JAMESThe tongue

James 3:1-12


Read James 3:1-12 and then answer these questions.

What small thing is What small thing is What small thingused to make horses used to make a ship can set a wholego the way the go in the direction forest on fire?rider wants them the captain wants (v 5)to go? (v 3) it to go. (v 4)

SMALL THINGS CAN MAKE A VERY BIG DIFFERENCE.

What do these verses have to say about the tongue?

verse 5

verse 6

verse 8

verse 9 and 10

How does the truth taught in verses 9 and 10 make you feel?

Words spoken can never be unsaid, even if we apolgise for what we have said. And words heard can never be unheard, even when we dearly wish we had not heard them.

Make a short list of things you wish you had never said. Feel free to write this in some kind of code if you don’t want other members of your Bible Class to know.

KEY VERSE‘Do not merely ................. to the ...................., and so ............................. yourselves. Do .................... it ...............’ (James 1:22)

Unscramble the mixed up words to find some of the activities of the untamed tongue. Write the opposites of these sinful ways of using the tongue in the matching boxes.

This chapter of God’s Word about the tongue could leave us feeling very upset and depressed. After all, it tells us that animals, birds and reptiles can all be tamed, but the human tongue cannot.

Does the fact that the tongue is so untameable mean that we shouldn’t bother watching what we say?

Read 1 John 1:9 to remind you of the good news of God’s forgiveness.


PRAYER SPOTKnock, Killearnan and Edinburgh are in our prayers this week. There are two Free Churches in Edinburgh, one near the castle and the other a little to the south of that.

Pray for the young people and children who attend these churches, and for those who used to come but have fallen away and become careless.

Pray that God, by his great power, will help you to guard your tongue. Ask him to help you to think before you speak.

Pray that the Lord will help you to use your tongue to build people up rather than to knock them down.

Edinburgh

Knock

Killearnan

AONIGNM

BGNIE KNNIDU

SSOPIINGGCPMIALINNGO

OBSIAGNT

IYGNL

GAXGEEARTGNI

EBNIG PSIFELUT

SAEIRGNW

THE BOOK OF JAMESLooking to the future

James 4:13-17


I’m planning to leave

here very soon and go to another city where I’ll work

and make a lot of money.

Read James 4:13-17 and then write down, in your own words, the question raised by the comment in verse 13.

The comment (v 13) The question (v 14)

It’s not wrong to make plans for the future. Make a list of four plans you have for your future.

The problem with verse 13 was not the plan, it was the fact that God had been missed out of the planning process.

What does verse 15 say that we should include in all our plans?

Now rewrite two of your plans with God in mind.

James says that planning without taking Our planning should depend on God. God into account is just boasting and Can we do anything at all without his help? bragging. Why is that?

KEY VERSE‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.’ (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Write a list of things in which people trust to make them feel that their future is secure.

In whom should we trust to make our future secure?

Your new key verse gives the secret of security. Copy it on to an A4 sheet of paper, writing the words large enough to take up the whole sheet. Cut it into eight pieces and see if you can fit it back together again.

Now cut each piece in half, giving you a sixteen piece key verse jigsaw. By the time you have make it up three or four times you’ll be well on your way to learn-ing the verse!

Another way of helping to remember it is to make it into a conversation between two halves of your class.

One - Trust in the Lord with all your heartTwo - and lean not on your own understanding;

One - in all your ways acknowledge him,Two - and he will make your paths straight.


PRAYER SPOTThis week we remember the churches and communities of Helmsdale, Leith and Ayr. Pray for young people who attend church and Bible Class and those who do not.

Pray especially for young people from Christian homes who are rebelling against what they have been brought up to believe.

Pray that you will be led to follow God’s plans for your future.

‘For I know the plans I have for you.’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.’(Jeremiah 29:11)

Leith

Helmsdale

Ayr

THE MEMORY BANKThe Book of James


What have you stored in your memory bank from the Book of James? Although James is a small book, it is very practical and gives a great deal of guidance for our daily lives.

HEARING AND DOING GOD’S WORDJames 1:19-27

What should we be quick to do?

What two things should we be slow to do?

What should we get rid of?

What should we accept?

Put the teaching of verses 19-27 into one simple sentence that you will be able to remember.

FAVOURITISMJames 2:1-13

Draw two cartoons, one showing how to welcome someone to church, and one showing how not to.

FAITH IN ACTIONJames 2:14-26

Think of someone whose faith has been shown in their actions - either someone from Bible times, from history, or from today. List four ways in which that person acted out his or her faith.

1

2

3

4

THE TONGUEJames 3:1-12

Give an example of a small thing making a big difference. (v 3-5)

Give an example of words being used wrongly.

Give an example of words being used in a good and helpful way.

What must we do when we allow our tongues to be destructive?

You have learned one key verse and begun to learn a second one. From what you remember from the Book of James, and from your key verses, suggest one way in which Christians could put their faith into practice in the subjects given in the boxes below.

‘Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive your-selves. Do what it says.’ (James 1:22)

‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowl-edge him, and he will make your paths straight.’ (Proverbs 3:5-6)

FRIENDSHIP

SCHOOL LIFE

FAMILY LIFE

USE OF MONEY

USE OF TIME

PLANS FOR THE FUTURE

CONVERSATION

PRAYER SPOTPray for the young people in Lairg, Nairn and Falkirk. Pray especially for churches where no young people attend, asking the Lord to open the way for them to hear about the Lord Jesus.

Pray especially for those who think that Christianity makes no differ-ence to how we live, that they might discover that the opposite is true!

The Bible is God’s instruction book for how we are to live our lives. But we can only follow his instructions if we know what the Bible says!


Falkirk

Lairg

Nairn

KEY VERSE‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight’ (Proverbs 3:5-6)

THE DOCTRINE OF MANThe creation of man

Genesis 1:1 - 2:1-7, 18-25


From Genesis 1: 1-30, put the following in their order of creation.

STARS

WOMAN

BIRDSTREES NIGHT

WILD ANIMALSPLANTS

LIZARDS

ANIMALS

WHALES

SUN AND MOON

DRY GROUND

MAN

LIGHT

SKY

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

God’s Word uses the same expression about all the living things that he created before Adam and Eve. You’ll find it at the end of verses 11, 21 and in verse 25. Unscramble the letters to find out what it is.

ACRONIGDC OT RHIET IKDNS

Adam and Eve were not made like any other creatures. What was completely different about them? (1:27)

Genesis 2 gives a longer version of the creation of Adam and Eve. Write down the main points.

1 Man was made from ............................................................................................................................. (2:7)

2 God breathed ........................................................................................................................................ (2:7)

3 The Lord made Adam .......................................................................................................................... (2:21)

4 While Adam was sleeping ................................................................................................................. (2:21)

5 The Lord made ..................................................................................................................................... (2:22)

Mankind is totally unique. Men and women are not made ‘according to the kind’ of any other creatures.

We are not related to apes and chimpanzees. We did not evolve to become what we are. The very first man and woman were made wonderfully and

gloriously different; they were made in the image of Almighty God!Copy Genesis 1:27. It’s amazing!

Graphics from The Big Box of Art: 1 MillionCopyright @ 2007 Free Church of Scotland and its licensors. All rights reserved. SC012925

KEY VERSE‘Trust in the .............. with all your ..................... and lean not on your own ...............................; in all your .............. acknowledge him, and he will ................... your ................... straight.’ (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Kirkcaldy

Stornoway Lybster

When God created Eve, what did he make her to be? (2:18)

When Adam woke up he recognised Eve was special, different from all of the rest of creation. And right after that we have the creation of marriage.

What does God say about marriage? (2:24)

A man will ........................................................................................................................................................................and be united ...................................................................and they will become .....................................................

Marriage is as old as creation. It is God’s plan for family life.

Write four ways in which a husband and wife can help and support each other in their marriage.

1

2

3

4

PRAYER SPOTStornoway is the biggest Free Church of Scotland and many young people attend there. Pray that they will feel special and not be lost in the crowd. Pray for the young folk in Lybster and Kirkcaldy too. Ask the Lord to show all the boys and girls that they are special, made in his image and different from all of the rest of creation.

Ask God to help you to keep your relationships as they should be. Pray that if God wants you to marry one day, he will lead you to the person of his choice and lead that person to you.

THE DOCTRINE OF MANMan’s place in the world

Genesis 1:26 - 2:25


God gave man a job to do and provided him with all he needed.

What was the job? (1:28 and 2:15)

What did God provide? (1:29)

What was the very first part of Adam’s job? (2:19-20)

Although sin has affected the whole of creation: human beings, animals, and even theearth itself, man’s God-given job is still the same: ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fillthe earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and overevery living creature that moves on the ground.’ (1:28)

What does that involve?

What is the difference between ruling over God’s creation and exploiting it?

List four ways in which the world has been exploited by mankind just to make money.

1

2

3

4

Right from the beginning of creation man has been set apart from the animal kingdom. Human beings and animals have never been equals. God first showed the rule of man over animals by giving Adam the job of naming the animals.

Be fruitful and increase in number. Fill the earth and subdue it.

Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air.

Rule over every living creature that moves on the ground.

PRAYER SPOTThis week we focus our prayers on Assynt and Resolis. Pray for young people who are choosing their subjects to study at school. Ask God to guide them in their choices.

Remember also those for whom school is a struggle. Pray that they will be given the help and support they need.

Caring for God’s creation is a job that will go on until the end of time. Ask the Lord to show you your part in this world-wide work. Thank God for his wonderful world.


KEY VERSE‘Trust in the .............. with all your ..................... and lean not on your own ...............................; in all your .............. acknowledge him, and he will ................... your ................... straight.’ (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Ecology is big today. But ecology had its beginnings right back in the Book of Genesis when God told the very first man to look after creation.

The truth is that ECOLOGY is part of THEOLOGY.ECOLOGY is about caring for creation.THEOLOGY is about God.And Genesis 1 and 2 are about God instructing us to care for his creation.

How should we care for God’s creation? We can’t all be farmers, sustainable fishermen or foresters, or even gardeners. Yet the job God gave to Adam is the same job that he gives to every single one of us. Read 1:28 once again and then find four ways in which you can do your part, right now, in your own personal circumstances and situation.

Resolis

Assynt

THE DOCTRINE OF MANThe fall of man

Genesis 2:15-17 & 3:1-13


What had God said the punishment would be? (2:17)

What did Satan try to persuade Eve? (3:4)

Satan gave her a quite different reason for God forbidding the eating of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. What was it? (3:5)

Read Genesis 2:15-17 and 3:1-5.

What was God’s command to Adam? (2:17)

Satan, the deceiver, tempted Eve by adding to what God had said. What did he add?(3:3)

................................................................................................................................................................

He then tried to persuade Eve that God would not carry out the punishment he had warned.

Eve made some fatal mistakes, the same mistakes we often make when we are tempted. What were they? Unscramble the words to find out what she did and then write what she should have done (and what we should do when we are tempted!).

HSE OOEKDL TA HWTA ASW ETITGNPM HRE

EHS TPEK HTKNGNII BAOUT TI

VEE AEHCDER UTO OT TCUHO TI

SEH EVAG NI OT TEH TPMATINOTE

EHS NETW RFMO EBNIG TPMETDE OT ETPMTGNI OSMOENE SLEE

Adam and Eve knew immediately that they had done wrong. When God came into the garden to spend time with them, what did they do? (3:8)


What follows is truly awful. Think carefully as you answer these questions.

Who did Adam blamefor his sin?

Who did Eve blame for her sin?

That very first sin brought the curse of God on all creation. How was Satan cursed? (3:14-15)

How were Adam and Eve How was the earthcursed? (3:16, 3:19) cursed? (3:17-18)

Then Adam and Eve were shut out of God’s garden of Eden and kept out by flaming swords.

But even in this terrible story there is a word of hope. Read Genesis 3:15. When God cursed Satan, he told him that one day a special descendant of Eve would come. Satan would be allowed to hurt him, but the great descendant would destroy Satan forever. And that descendant of Eve is the Lord Jesus Christ. Satan wounded him on the cross, but Jesus has won the final victory!

PRAYER SPOTThis week we are praying for Olrig and Watten, in the far north, and Smithton and Dunfermline.

There are many needy young people in Scotland today. Pray that the Lord might open ways for them to hear the good news that Jesus loves them.

They hear so much bad news today that such very good news may surprise them!

Life is full of choices, some more important than others. The choice to become a Christian is totally life-changing.

Dunfermline

Olrig andWatten

Smithton

KEY VERSE‘What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God - through Jesus Christ our Lord! (Romans 7:24-25)

THE DOCTRINE OF MANOriginal sin

Romans 5:12-21


Read Genesis 2:17 and Romans 5:12. God said that sin would result in death, and it did. Adam and Eve did not die immediately, but as soon as they sinned, sickness, and eventuallydeath, became part of everyone’s life. Generation after generation has come and gone since their time. Some famous people we know about; others are totally forgotten.

Each generation is connected to the ones before and to the ones that follow, sometimes naturally, sometimes deliberately.

Sketch some more examples of what is passed from generation to generation.

Natural gifts passed on Deliberate gifts passed on

Sadly each one of us has inherited the results of their sin from Adam and Eve.Add some more examples.

God’s Word tells us that sin has passed from Adam to all mankind, throughout all the centuries, right down to us today. We are born sinners. We all commit sins. No-one, except Jesus Christ,

has ever lived a sinless life.

From ADAM ... through all mankind throughout all the ages ... right down to us ... today. None of us have escaped. None of us can escape.

THAT’S ORIGINAL SIN - It originated with Adam and has come down through all the generations to us today. That’s the bad news.

PRAYER SPOTThe Free Church has congrega-tions in all sorts of communities, island and mainland villages as well as Scotland’s old and new towns. But people are the same wherever they are, and they need our prayers. Pray for the young people in Barvas and Maryburgh, that they will trust in Jesus Christ and be among all those who will be saved.

Original sin, and the punishment that results from it, really is bad news. Pray that the good news that Jesus is the Saviour of all who trust in him, will change your heart, change your life, and change your future.

Graphics from The Big Box of Art: 1 MillionCopyright @ 2007 Free Church of Scotland and its licensors. SC012925

Barvas

Maryburgh

THE GOOD NEWS!Death was the result of Adam’s sin. Through whom does eternal life come? (5:21)

What overflows to the many who trust in Jesus? (5:15)

What did Adam’s one act of sin bring about? (5:18)

What did Christ’s act of righteousness bring about? (5:18)

What was Christ’s act of righteousness?

What does the word ‘all’ mean in verse 18? We know from the Bible that only those who believe in Christ have eternal life. So it cannot mean that everyone is saved regardless of what they believe. Unscramble the words to discover what ‘all’ means.LLA EGSA FO EPLPEO

LLA IKSDN FO EPLPEO

LLA LOUCRUS FO EPLPEO

LLA LCSSSEA FO EPLPEO

LLA IBILITEAS FO EPLPEO

EPLPEO ORMF LAL FO IHTSORY

LAL HOW URSTT NI HET OLRD EJSUS

KEY VERSE‘What a w................... man I am! Who will ............... me from this .......... of death? T............ be to God - through J............. Christ our ............! (Romans 7:24-25)

THE EARLY HISTORYOF FALLEN MAN

Genesis 4


Genesis 4 is a chapter of firsts. Draw the beginnings of the very first family tree.

A............ married E............

.............................. .............................. .............................. (Gen 4:1) (Gen 4:2) (Gen 4:25)

Adam and Eve, who had been made perfect by God, had already sinned before their boys were born. Sadly, when the very first human child was born he inherited his father’s sinfulness. Even a new born child is a sinner. There is no such thing as an innocent human being in the eyes of God.

This chapter also records the first murder.Write the points of the story from the verses given.

v 2 (second half)

v 3

v 4 (first half)

v 4 (second half)

v 5

v 8

Adam and Eve were the first

Cain was the first

Cain, Abel and Seth were the first

Read 4:3-4. Does it sound as if Cain was careful to choose the best of what he had grown to give to the Lord? yes / no

Does it sound as if Abel chose the best of his animals to sacrifice to the Lord? yes / no

Unscramble the words that God spoke to Cain. These words are true for us too.

ISN SI CROCUHIGN TA OYUR ORDO; TI EDSIRSE OT

AHEV YUO, UBT OUY UMTS AMTSRE TI.

PRAYER SPOTThis week we remember the people in Callanish and Greenock, both the congregations and the communities.

Remember any young people who are under pressure with work at school or at home, especially any who have to care for a disabled parent, brother or sister.

Jesus left the glories of heaven so that his people might go there to be with him forever.


Jesus died on the cross as a once-for-all sacrifice to take away the sins of his people. Therefore God no longer asks us to sacrifice animals and crops to him.

But there is a sacrifice that the Lord asks of his people, however young or old they are. Crack the code to find out what it is.

a b c d e f g h i j k l ma b c d e f g h i j k l m

n o p q r s t u v w x y zn o p q r s t u v w x y z

he has showed you

o man what is good

and what does the lord

require of you

to act justly

and to love mercy

and to walk humbly

with our god

(Micah 6:8)

Callanish

Greenock

KEY VERSE‘What a w................... man I am! Who will ............... me from this .......... of death? T............ be to God - through J............. Christ our ............! (Romans 7:24-25)

TEST THE TEACHER BIBLE CLASS: YEAR 2 - LESSON 12

Your Bible Class leader has spent the last five weeks teaching you The Doctrine of Man, or, what the Bible teaches us about mankind. This week you can test your teacher on the subject.Answer the questions in each of the five boxes, checking the Bible verses, and then see how your teacher gets on with the same questions.

THE CREATION OF MAN

From what was the first man made? (Gen 2:7)

In what way is he totally unique? (1:27)

From what was the first woman made? (2:22)

What did God make Eve to be?(2:18)

What does God say aboutmarriage? (2:24)

THE FALL OF MAN

What command did God give Adam?(Gen 2:17)

What did God say the punishment would be for disobedience? (2:17)

What led up to Eve sinning? (3:1-6)

What did Eve do after eating the fruit? (3:6)

What did both Adam and Eve do when God confronted them with their sin? (3:12-13)

THE EARLY HISTORY OF FALLEN MAN

Name the first two sons of Adam and Eve. (Gen 4:1-2)

What offerings did each bring to God? (4:3-4)

How did God respond to their gifts? (4:4-5)

How did Cain react to this? (4:5, 8)

ORIGINAL SIN

How did sin come to affect all mankind? (Romans 5:12)

What are the wages of sin? (Rom 6:23)

What is the gift of God? (Rom 6:23)

How is that gift given? (Rom 6:23)

MAN’S PLACE IN THE WORLD

What job did God give man to do? (Gen 1:28)

What did God provide? (1:29)

What was the very first part of Adam’s job? (2:19-20)

Where do you think ecology fits into the Christian life?

PRAYER SPOTThis week we remember the people in Carloway, Dunoon and Strachur and Glasgow, both the congregations and the people who live round about.

Pray that God will especially bless those who have no contact with the gospel. Pray that people will reach out to them with the good news that the Lord Jesus Christ is Saviour.

Every human who has ever lived, apart from Jesus, has had a problem with sin. Only Jesus can save us from our sins.

Graphics from The Big Box of Art: 1 Million SC012925Copyright @ 2007 Free Church of Scotland and its licensors. All rights reserved.

Glasgow

Carloway

Dunoon &Strachur

KEY VERSESSo far this session your key verses have been James 1:22, Proverbs 3:5-6 and Romans 7:24-25. Write them out from memory, or look them up if you really need to. If you do look them up, spend some time trying to remember them.

James 1:22 ‘Do not merely ...

Proverbs 3:5-6 ‘Trust in the ...

Romans 7:24-25 ‘What a wretched ...

Having tested your teacher, you can now test your-self by answering the following questions.

If I believe mankind is totally unique and not just another animal, what difference does that make to how I think about myself.

If God has given us all the responsibility of looking after his creation, what can I do here and now to care for the planet?

Eve sinned because she gave in to temptation. What lessons can I learn from her?

Genesis teaches that we are sinners because we inherit our sinful nature all the way down the generations from Adam. How can I get rid of the guilt of my sin for ever?

BIBLE CLASS: YEAR 2 - LESSON 13 TIME TO TALK

All this stuff about mankind being special ishard to take in. You’ve only to look at apes and monkeys to see that we’re descended from them.

And I’ve been thinking, if it’s OK to do medical experiments on monkeys, why don’t we just do them on us? After all, we’re all just monkeys with clothes on. Scientists would learn cures much quicker if they did experiments on people.

I think the ecologists are right. If we don’t look after the planet, our children and our children’schildren won’t have anywhere to live - half of the countries will be under water.

GM foods are a bit of a problem though. If we grew them, we might be able to feed all the hungrypeople in the world. But if it allwent horribly wrong, we could damage the whole eco-system. I don’t really know what I think about that.

That story about Cain and Abel isa bit scary. How come God didn’t like Cain’s offering and did likeAbel’s offering? How can we be sure that God will accept what we bring to him?

What can we give to God anyway?I don’t have much money. In anycase, I think God’s interested inother things as well as money.

PRAYER SPOTThis week we remember the people in Cross and Kilwinning.

These communities are very different but the people in them are all the same. Wherever we come from we are sinners in need of a Saviour. Pray for Christians in Cross and Kilwinning, that they might be missionaries in their own communities.

Life seems full of WHYs, HOWs, WHENs, WHATs and WHEREs. There are no easy answers to the big questions of life.

But answers are to be found in the Bible, providing we come with an open mind and are prepared to listen to what God says through his Word.


Kilwinning

Cross

KEY VERSEGod ‘forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases; he redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion...’ (Psalm 103:3-4)

Am I a Christian? Have I asked God to forgive my sins?

How can I be sure my sins areforgiven? What if I do the same things all over again? Will God forgive me second time round, or twentieth time round?

All we learn at Bible Class is taken straight from the Bible. But how can we be sure that the Bible is true? Can we really believe all we read in it?

What difference does being aChristian make to my relation-ships, especially at home, at school and with my friends?

MISSIONSCENE BIBLE CLASS: YEAR 2 - LESSON 14

Jesus was Jewish. He was descended from the race that God had chosen to be special. Throughout history God cared for the Jewish people and protected them in quite extraordinary ways. We read about this in the Old Testament. Think of the stories of Joseph in Egypt and David and Goliath.

Write what Paul says in Romans 1:16 in your own words.

How does this tie in with Jesus’ instructions to his disciples about how and where they should spread the gospel?(Acts 1:8)

Not long before the Free Church was established in 1843, the Church of Scotland sent a small group of ministers to the Middle East and through Europe to survey the Jewish populations in the countries through which they travelled. The Church recognised its duty to take the gospel to the Jews and began a mission to Jewish people as a result of that visit.

The Free Church has always had an interest in Jewish mission and a number of ministers and members have served with Christian Witness to Israel.

What scriptures do we share with Jewish people?

What part of the Bible do they not accept as God’s Word?

We recognise that Jesus is the Messiah to whom the Jews have looked forward for hundreds of years. How do Jewish people regard the Lord Jesus?

Describe the aims of the work done by Christian Witness to Israel.


Write an article about the work of Christian Witness to Israel.

PRAYER SPOTPray for Jewish people all over the world, especially those who are living through the troubles in the Middle East.

Pray that God will open their eyes to recognise Jesus as the Messiah for whom they have waited throughout their history.

Pray for Jews who read the Old Testament. Ask God to show them the passages that speak of Jesus.

P r a y f o r t h o s e w h o a r e persecuted for being Jewish. Sadly persecution of Jewish people did not stop with the Second World War. It continues in some places today.

KEY VERSEGod ‘forgives all your ......... and ........... all your ..................; he redeems your ............ from the pit and ............. you with love and .......................’ (Psalm 103:3-4)

BIBLE CLASS: YEAR 2 - LESSON 15DAVID CHOOSES JERUSALEM

2 Samuel 5:1-16, 6:12-23

David had been anointed king while he was still a boy looking after his father’s sheep. What age was he when he eventually became king? (5:4)

God had made a promise to David. The elders of Israel reminded him of it. What had God promised? (5:2)

King David decided to rule from the city of Jerusalem. Three different names are used for the city. What are they?

5:6 5:7 5:7

These three names are used for the city throughout the Bible.

Draw David conquering Jerusalem and establishing himself there. Use the information in the verses you are given.

What was the secret of David’s success? (5:10)

The fortress of The City of

5:6 5:7 5:9 beginning

5:9 end 5:11 beginning 5:11 end

J

PRAYER SPOTThis week we remember the people in Kinloch, Mull and Rosskeen, both the congregations and the communities.

Pray that God will especially bless any young Christians who feel alone and isolated. Pray that they might find fellow believers with whom to follow the Lord.

As Christians we fail God so often, but God never fails us. He has promised that he will keep us safe to the end, if we trust in him. That’s why we can be certain of heaven, even though we can’t see it.


Mull

KinlochRosskeen

After a tragic beginning to the transportation of the Ark to Jerusalem we read of a happy ending.What happened every six steps of the journey? (6:13)

What did King David do each time they stopped? (6:14)

What did the crowd do all along the way? (6:15)

Where was Michal, David’s wife, and what was she doing?(6:16)

Where was the Ark placed in Jerusalem? (6:17)

How did King David help the people celebrate? (6:19)

David’s wife was not celebrating. She was cross and embarrassed at David’s joy and enthusiasm.Are you sometimes embarrassed at going to church and Bible Class?Are you joyful in Jesus?Are you enthusiastic about the faith?If you are a Christian, do you want everyone to know about it?

KEY VERSEGod ‘forgives all your ......... and ........... all your ..................; he redeems your ............ from the pit and ............. you with love and .......................’ (Psalm 103:3-4)

JERUSALEMSOLOMON REIGNS IN SPLENDOUR

1 Kings 4:22-23, 5:8-18, 6:22-30,

7:1-14, 48-50, 8:3-5. 14-53


Solomon reigned in such splendour that itis impossible for us to imagine what it was like. 1 Kings 4:22-23 gives a ‘shopping list’ for one single day in the life of the royal court. Complete the list.

WHATthree things did King Solomon build?(1 Kings 3:1)

WHATgifts did God give King Solomon? (1 Kings 4:29)

30 cors of60 cors of10 head of20 head of100plus ............................ ............................................................. and ....................................

When the time came for himto build God’s temple, King Solomon’s plans were amazing!

List the workmen involved and give their job descriptions.

30,000 men were sent to Lebanon to .........................................

................................................................................... (1 Kings 5:8-9)

70,000 men were chosen to work as ............................... (5:15)

80,000 worked as ................................................................. (5:15)

3,300 foremen did what? ................................................... (5:16)

The temple was built with the best possible materials and by the most skilled workmen. Today people are very interested in interior decoration. Describe the interior decoration of the temple in Jerusalem. You’ll find it in 1 Kings 6:21-22 and 29-30.

How long did it take to build this amazing temple? (6:38)

What was Solomon’s next building project and how long did that take him? (7:1)

King Solomon hired a craftsman to make the furnishings for the temple. What was his name? (7:13)What was his special skill? (7:14)

The last things to be made for the temple were of pure gold. What were they? (7:48-50)

What was brought to the temple after all the work was finally completed? (8:3-5)


PRAYER SPOTThis week we remember the people in Lochs and Oban, especially the children and young folk.

Pray for the primary school in Lochs and the primary and secondary school in Oban. Pray for Christian teachers and Christian pupils, that they might be strong in their faith and witness.

Although Solomon was amazingly rich and had been given God’s gift of wisdom, he was still a sinner who needed to ask for forgiveness.

Lochs

Oban

KEY VERSEGod ‘............... all your ........... and ............ all your diseases; he ................... your .......... from the ........ and ............... you with .............. and ......................’ (Psalm 103:3-4)

When the temple was complete and the Ark was in place, King Solomon stood before all the people, held up his hands towards heaven, and prayed. His prayer is in 1 Kings 8:23-53. Write down some of the points of the prayer from the verses you are given.

8:23

8:24

8:27

8:29

8:50

1 Kings 10:23-25 describe the splendour of King Solomon’s reign. Write what it says in your own words.

BIBLE CLASS: YEAR 2 - LESSON 17JERUSALEM

HEZEKIAH PRAYS FOR DELIVERANCEIsaiah 36

King Hezekiah did what was good in the eyes of God.

When he realised that the mighty Assyrian army was about to attack Jerusalem he did some strategic thinking. Enough food could be stored in the city for a siege, but water was a problem. Hezekiah ordered his men to dig a tunnel from a water source outside the city walls and then divert water into the city. The tunnel was 533 metres long! That’s an impressive piece of engineering, and all without modern tunnelling equipment.

Hezekiah had made a treaty with Egypt, but Sennacherib, King of Assyria, just rubbished that when he eventually attacked Jerusalem. Use your own words to show what the Commander of the Assyrian army had to say,

(36:6) (36:8)

Three men who were up on the city walls called down to the Commander asking him to speak in a different language so that the people wouldn’t understand what he was saying!

The Assyrian commanderreplied (36:13-15)

What did the people say to the Commander?(36:21)

King Hezekiah was very distressed when he heard what the Commander was saying.Number the parts of 37:4 in the correct order to discover what upset him.

It may be that the Lord your God

has sent to ridicule the living God,

will hear the words of the field commander,

for the words the Lord your God has heard.

and that he will rebuke him

whom his master, the king of Assyria,

1

PRAYER SPOTThis week we remember the people in North Tolsta, Thurso and Paisley.

Remember in prayer any who are living in unhappy homes. Ask the Lord to comfort them with his presence and with the assurance that if they trust in the Lord Jesus Christ they will have the happiest of all homes in heaven one day.

Ask God to help you to be strong every time you are tempted.


KEY VERSE‘O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name’ (Nehemiah 1:11a)

Thurso

Paisley

NorthTolsta

Add vowels to the rest of the story.H_z_k_ _h s_nt _ m_ss_ge t_ th_ pr_ph_t _s_ _ _h wh_ t_ld h _m n_t t_ b_ _fr_ _d _f th_s_ wh_ w_r_ bl_sph_m_ng G_d. Th_ L_rd w_s g_ _ng t_ h_v_ th_m c_t d_wn w_th th_ sw_rd.

Th_ K_ng _f _ssyr_ _ s_nt _m_ss_g_ t_ H_z_k_ _h t_ll_ng h_m th_t G_d w_s d_c_ _v_ng h_m b_ s_y_ng th_t J_r_s_l_m w_ _ld b_ s_f_.

H_z_k_ _h t_ _k th_ l_tt_r, spr _ _ d _t _ _t _nd pr_y_d _v_r _t. H_ pr_ _s_d G_d f_r b_ _ng s_ gr_ _t _nd m_ghty _nd th_n _sk_d h_m t_ s_v_ J_r_s_l_m.

Read 37:36-38 to discover what happened toSennacherib, King of Assyria, and to his army.

Sennacherib had mocked God. The Bible says, ‘Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked...’ (Galatians 6:7).

Think about ways in which we might be tempted to mock God. For example, we might feel that some temptations are so strong that even God is not able to help us overcome them.


THE RESTORATION OF THE TEMPLEEzra

AEAHADUJKD

IPEOPLEEIL

TNPNBALRNI

EEGOUMPUGU

LELEIOMSDB

PGODLNEAOL

MIRSDGTLME

EVDGMIHESA

TEARTHAMDR

RNEHTDROLS

HEAVENHIMI

God uses whoever he chooses to do his will. He even used Cyrus, king of Persia.

Read what Cyrus said, and then find the red words in the grid.

‘The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah.

Anyone of his people among you - may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem in Judah and build the temple of the Lord, the God of Israel, the God who is in Jerusalem.’

Not only did King Cyrus let a large number of people go to Jerusalem, he gave them many precious things to take with them.

How many people set out for Jerusalem? (2:64)How many items of gold and silver did King Cyrus give from the royal treasury? (1:9-10)

What was rebuilt first? (3:2)

What did the people do when the altar was finished? (3:3)

What did they begin rebuilding next? (3:10)

What did the priests do when the foundation was laid? (3:10)

What did the people who lived round about try to do? (4:4)

They even wrote a letter to King Artaxerxes. What did they tell him? (4:12-13)

What reply did King Artaxerxes give? (4:21)

What happened as a result? (4:24)

PRAYER SPOTThis week we remember the people in Wick, Badenoch and North Uist. Pray for those who go to church, especially children and young people, and for those who are never inside a church building.

Pray for those who go to church just on special occasions, that they might hear the gospel when they are there.

Pray that God will give you the gift of patience, especially when nothing dramatic seems to be happening in church. God works in quieter times too.


Years passed and a new king, Darius, was on the throne. Unscramble the sentences to show what happened.

books checked Darius the history

Cyrus’s found King Darius orders

work said could on Darius go the

temple Jerusalem The rebuilt was in

Wick

North Uist

Badenoch

KEY VERSE‘O ........, let your ear be attentive to the .................. of this ............... servant, and to the .....................of your .................... who delight in revering your .................’ (Nehemiah 1:11a)

Not only did Darius command the work to go on, he paid for it! He also commanded that all the animals to be sacrificed in the newly rebuilt temple would be supplied by him.

After Darius came another King Artaxerxes, and he continued to support the work until it was complete. Then he wrote a letter that he gave to Ezra the priest. What did it say? (7:13)

And that’s what happened. Ezra and a great number of God’s people travelled all the way to Jerusalem. When they arrived there, Ezra read the whole of their Bible to them and there was a great revival of true religion.

What does this story tell us about God’s power?

What does it tell us about our responsibilities?


Prayer and actionNehemiah 1

Nehemiah, a Jew, was a slave in the court of King Artaxerxes. He was the king’s wine-taster. That might sound a very good job, but it was actually a very dangerous one. He wasn’t only tasting the wine to see how good it was, he was checking it for poison! There must have been a high death rate among wine-tasters in those days.

Hanani came How didfrom Judah Nehemiahwith bad news react toabout Jerusalem. What was it? (1:3) the news? (1:4)

Nehemiah prayed to the Lord. His prayer is made up of different parts. Can you work out the words that make up each part of his prayer. Write them briefly in your own words.

PRAISE (1:5)

REMINDINGGOD OF

HIS GOODNESS (1:5)

ASKING GODTO HEAR HISPRAYER (1:6)

CONFESSIONOF SIN (1:7)

REMEMBERING GOD’S PROMISES (1:8-9)

AGAIN ASKING GOD TO LISTEN (1:11)

ASKING GOD FOR HELP (1:11)

PRAYER SPOTThis week we remember the people on the far north coast, in Tongue, Farr, Strathy and Halladale as well as those in Burghead and in Park.

Pray for those who are troubled by poor health of any kind. Ask the Lord to give them patience and to give their doctors wisdom and kindness.

Sometimes we want to run in the opposite direction from the one we know that God wants us to go. We need to ask his forgiveness for our rebelliousness and remember that he knows best.

Burghead

Tongue, Farr, Strathy & Halladale. Park


He praised God before he asked for what he wanted.

He confessed sin before asking for anything.

He acknowledged God’s importance before taking his important problem to him.

He asked God to listen before he spoke.

KEY VERSE‘O ........, let your ear be attentive to the .................. of this ............... servant, and to the .....................of your .................... who delight in revering your .................’ (Nehemiah 1:11a)

Nehemiah was very distressed at the state of the city of Jerusalem and he longed to go there to help sort things out. But he was a slave and needed leave of absence from King Artaxerxes. He could have spent time planning a strategy with his fellow Jews, instead he spent time praying to God.

Nehemiah’s priorities were

How often we act and then pray rather than praying before we act. In fact, Nehemiah’s example in this chapter turns our usual actions upside down. See what he did and then write down what we often do.

To the Jews Jerusalem was a holy city. When, like Nehemiah, they were in exile, their hearts ached to be back home. Read Psalm 137:1-6 to see how they felt. Zion was one of the hills on which Jerusalem was built.

Nehemiah was not the only one to weep when he thought of home.

PRAYER THEN ACTION


Courage, planning and successNehemiah 2-13

King Artaxerxes gave permission for Nehemiah to go back to Jerusalem to rebuild the city walls. He also gave him letters that would keep him safe on the way there.

Take a sheet of paper and divide it into sixteen boxes likestones in a wall.

The history of the rebuilding of the city walls is told below in16 parts. Copy each part into an appropriate square, rememberingthat the beginning of the story, like the beginning of a wall, will start at the bottom of the sheet and work upwards as the wall is rebuilt. Use small writing and then, in thespace that is left, illustrate what you’ve written.

If you are unsure about what order to put events in, you can be guided by the Biblereferences. The earlier chapters come before the later ones!

The men agreed to start the building work. (2:18)

They worked on until the wall was half built. (4:6)

Ezra the priest read God’s Word to the people. (8:1-3)

The doors were put into the spaces left for them. (7:1)

Gates were built into the walls. (3:1, 3, 6, 13, 15, 15, 28)

The people confessed their sins and asked for forgiveness. (9:1-5)

Nehemiah inspected the broken walls by night. (2:11-12)

His enemies set a trap for Nehemiah. He did not fall for their trick. (6:2-4)

The wall was completely rebuilt in just 52 days! (6:15)

The Pool of Siloam, by the King’s garden, was repaired. (3:15)

The exiles returned to the city of Jerusalem. (7:4-73)

Nehemiah appealed for helpers to rebuild the walls. (2:17)

Enemies came and insulted the workmen and their work. (4:1-2)

Nehemiah prayed for those who opposed the work. (6:14)

Half the men worked and half stood guard. (4:16)

Nehemiah helped the poor in the city. (5:10-11)


KEY VERSE‘O ........., let your ear be ................... to the .................. of this ............... ................, and to the ......................of your .................... who ............... in ...................... your ....................’ (Nehemiah 1:11a)

Chapter 10The priests and

people promise to obey God’s law,

especially to keep the Sabbath special.

Chapter 11A plan is made to

bring more of God’s people back to Jerusalem

to live there and to help strengthen

the city.Chapter 12The rebuilt city

walls are dedicated. There was great rejoicing

and offering of sacrifices to God. Chapter 13

There were some problems, but

Nehemiah trusted the Lord and encouraged the people to obey

his law.

History is HIS-STORY, God’s story. What does this piece of history tell us about:

keeping going when things are tough?

dealing with people who try to discourage us?

the importance of obeying God’s law?

PRAYER SPOTThis week we remember the people in Rogart, Lennoxtown and Harris.

The local newspapers in Rogart, Lennoxtown and Harris are no doubt full of the usual bad news. Pray that they will also share good news. And the best of all good news is that Jesus Christ is risen!

Living for the Lord is challenging, sometimes difficult and always r e w a r d i n g . I f y o u a r e s t i l l wondering about becoming a Christian, think hard. There is no better life than the Christian life.

Lennoxtown

Harris

Rogart

BIBLE CLASS: YEAR 2 - CHRISTMAS

THE COMINGOF THE LORD JESUS

Luke 2:1-20Over and over again in Old Testament times God told his people that a Saviour would come one day. He gave them enough information that they should have been able to recognise the Lord Jesus when he came. What were two of the facts they were told.

Where would the Saviour be born? (Micah 5:2)

In what form would the Saviour come?(Isaiah 9:6)

Howdid God arrange for

Joseph and Mary to be inBethlehem at the time of Jesus’ birth? (Luke 2:1-4) Describe what happened out on a

hillside near Bethlehem on the nightJesus was born. (Luke 2:8-14)

What did the shepherds do after hearing the angel’s message to them? (Luke 2:15-19)

What was their reaction to seeing the baby Saviour?(Luke 2:20)

Graphics from The Big Box of Art: 1 Million Copyright @ 2007 Free Church of Scotland and its licensors. All rights reserved. SC012925

On a separate sheet of paper make a list of 16 facts about the birth of Jesus, as it is told in Luke 2:1-20, and then arrange them into a game. If the fact was bad or hard (like Mary and Joseph having to travel to Bethlehem) make players go back spaces. If it was good, then they can go forward one or two places. When you have made up your game, play it with another member of your Bible Class and then play their game too.

Read John 3:16. Why did God send his Son into the world?

Do you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ?

What is God’s gift to you if you believe in Jesus?

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Documents

THE BOOK OF JAMES Hearing and doing the Word James …...came to Britain, arrived in Bristol when cholera was a terrible problem. He and another preacher discovered that many children