Day 1
GR+8
 God is great!

TODAY’S MEDALLION
Number 1
Bible passage
Paul in a City of False Gods
Acts 17:16–34
ANIMAL PAL
Camo the Chameleon
Lesson Focus
God is GREAT! He is the one and only God, the awe-inspiring Creator. 
Apologetics Focus
There’s only one God as revealed in the Bible—you can’t make up a god of your own choosing.
Treasured Verse
Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable. Psalm 145:3

Today’s Lesson at a Glance
Introduce It!
Day 1 Mystery Clue
Option 1—Hide Map in the Room
Option 2—Mystery Riddle to Find Map
Teach It!
Part 1: Acts 17
Option 1—Live Monologue
Option 2—Reading from the Bible
Part 2: Acts 17 Continued
Part 3: Small Group Time
Part 4: Review Game
Option 1—Hang Ten
Option 2— Lightning Round
Apply It!
Part 1: Treasured Verses
Part 2: Go and Do
Preparing for the Lesson
Read Acts 17:16–34 several times.
Read this lesson several times and prepare the materials as outlined in the brown pre-prep text.
Visit AnswersVBS.com/mifaq for more information on there being only one God—the God of the Bible.
Pray.

Devotion 1 God Is Great
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight. Proverbs 9:10
At Mystery Island, we’re encouraging our kids to discover the one true God. But . . . how do we know the one true God even exists? It’s a question that has crossed the mind of every believer at some point—sure, I believe in God, but how do I know the God I love and serve is truly the one true God?
Before we answer that question, let’s go a bit further by asking another question: how can we know anything? How do we even know to question the surety of God’s existence? Here’s the answer: apart from the perfect, truthful, unchanging, eternal God of the Bible, “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3) and from whom come knowledge and understanding (Proverbs 9:10), we cannot know anything.
Think about it.
If, as some suggest, there is no god—no ultimate standard of truth and knowledge—and we are simply the product of random processes operating on chemicals over time, then the thoughts in our brains are nothing more than the product of random chemical interactions. How could we know anything?
If, as others suggest, our universe is ruled by a god who is not eternal (Mormonism, History of the Church, vol. 6, ch. 14, p. 305–6) or who is deceptive (Islam, Koran 3:54, 8:30), how could we be sure that what we know is true today will still be true tomorrow?
The one true God of the Bible has created each person in his image and given us the ability to think rationally, to question thoughtfully, to know truth fully. And he has revealed himself to everyone so that no one is without excuse (Romans 1:18–21). Those who deny his existence or seek to change him into a false version of himself are willfully ignorant, suppressing the truth in unrighteousness (Romans 1:18).
We can know the one true God exists because we have the ability to know in the first place. And we can praise him that he freely gives wisdom to those who ask for it (James 1:5). This week, let’s be quick to seek wisdom from the one true God as we teach our children to know the one true God and embrace him fully.
May we be thankful as the Puritans were, not only that we can know things, but also that the one true God has enabled us to know him.
Glorious God,
I bless thee that I know thee.
I once lived in the world, but was ignorant of its Creator,
was partaker of thy providences, but knew not the Provider,
was blind while enjoying the sunlight,
was deaf to all things spiritual, with voices all around me,
understood many things, but had no knowledge of thy ways,
saw the world, but did not see Jesus only.
O happy day, when in thy love’s sovereignty
thou didst look on me, and call me by grace.
Grant that I may always weep to the praise of mercy found,
and tell to others as long as I live,
that thou art a sin-pardoning God,
taking up the blasphemer and the ungodly,
and washing them from their deepest stain.
—(Excerpt from “The Great Discovery” 
in The Valley of Vision)

GOSPEL NOTE: Although the gospel is presented in detail during Day 4, each lesson provides opportunities to share the gospel. Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you as to which of these opportunities to use.
Introduce It!
Treasure Map Poster, preferably laminated
Day 1 Large Medallion, preferably laminated
Day 1 Animal Pal Poster
Bible or children’s Bible
Costumes for teachers (see #8 on page 5)
Mounting putty or tape for hanging posters
Treasure chest (see page 10 for directions)
You may want to adopt fun names like Surfin’ Sarah, Captain Karl, Luau Lindsey, or Flip Flop Frank.
Be familiar with the lesson, but don’t memorize it. Place it on a clipboard to use as a reference. You can decorate the back of your clipboard (the side the kids see) with beachy stickers. 
The Bible and mounting putty are usually listed just once a day, but you will need to use them throughout the lesson.
Day 1 Mystery Clue (5–10 minutes)
Pre-prep: Gather your tropical island costumes, which you’ll wear all week. Either buy a fake treasure chest or make one out of a foam cooler as directed on page 10, and put the Bible in it, bookmarked at Acts 17. Cut out and laminate the day 1 large medallion and place it in the treasure chest. Laminate and hide the treasure map poster according to the directions for Option 1 or Option 2 below.
Greet the islanders at the door as they come in. Once they are settled, begin with the following.
Teacher 1: Aloha, islanders, and welcome to Lighthouse Lessons. I’m ____, the lighthouse keeper, and this is my assistant, ____. Have you ever seen a lighthouse? Take answers. Lighthouses are important because they keep ships and sailors from losing their way in dangerous seas. And keepers of the lighthouse have a huge job. They keep the light always going, and they sometimes rescue stranded people in the water. 
Teacher 2 (or Teaching Assistant): Here at Mystery Island, we want to keep the light of God’s Word shining brightly so you can know the way through life. With that in mind, let’s dive right in with an activity called First Word. We’ll say a word or phrase, then you shout out the first thing that comes to mind. Ready? Here’s the first one: tropical island. Take answers, then continue with lizard, sun, sand, lobster, pirate, ocean.
Teacher 1: Here’s the last one. For this one, don’t shout out your answer, but just think of it inside your head. What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of the word God? Give them a few seconds to think silently, then ask volunteers to share what they thought of. 
Teacher 2: Some people think of God as the big guy upstairs who is like a casual friend, or as a cosmic cop who’s going to catch you breaking the law and hit you with a lightning bolt, or like a genie in a bottle who’s ready to serve you and grant your wishes. But we can’t make the one true God into who we want him to be. He is who he is. We’ll be tracking down the truth about him in our Bibles to find out what he’s really like. It matters more than anything, because what you believe about God is the most important thing about you. What you think about God matters more than what you like to do, what your personality is like, how smart or athletic you are, whom you live with, what you look like, or anything else. That’s because your belief about God determines how you live your life and your eternity! 
Teacher 1: I’m so excited to talk about this, because God is more important to me than anyone or anything else in the whole world. He’s wonderful! Let’s track down a clue about God to learn more about him. 
Teacher 2: We’ll need a treasure map to do so, so let’s find it now! 
Option 1—Hide Map in the Room
Before class, hide the treasure map poster in the room, in sight but barely. Without moving, the kids search with their eyes to find the map. When they’ve spotted it, have someone retrieve it, and the teacher can hang it up for all to see. 
Option 2—Mystery Riddle to Find Map
Share a clue such as the following. Adjust to fit your situation.
Time to start. Time to think. Find the map where you get a drink.

The answer is the closest water fountain, where you have placed the treasure map poster ahead of time. The students go to the water fountain and carefully bring the map back. Choose a location near the classroom so this doesn’t take long. The teacher hangs the map so all can see it. 
Continue on after Option 1 or 2.
Remember to take the large medallion off and rehide or rehang the poster before each rotation each day.
Teacher 1: Okay, now that we have the map, let’s find the start of the trail on the map. Do so. Now, watching my finger, let’s follow it from the start to the first stop. Do so. Where did I stop? Take answers—Chameleon Cave. Hmm . . . I wonder what we might find out about God at Chameleon Cave? Let me pull something out of this treasure chest to give us another clue. Open the treasure chest, and pull out the day 1 large medallion that will go on the treasure map poster. Show them what it is, and ask what they think the number one has to do with God. Place the medallion on the map in the Day 1 circle, using mounting putty (so it can be taken off for the next rotation). Then ask them to look carefully at Chameleon Cave and see if they can find a hidden clue there. They should see the number one hidden on the cave. 
Teacher 2: Yes, the number 1 means there’s only one God—the God of the Bible. Show the Day 1 animal pal poster. See if they can find the hidden number 1 on the Day 1 animal pal poster. Then continue. A lot of people have wrong views of God, but we can find out who he truly is by searching the Bible. Camo the chameleon is always changing, but the God of the Bible doesn’t change. He was and is and always will be the same.
Teacher 1: We know God is completely true and can’t lie (Titus 1:2). So since God is trustworthy and true, and the Bible is from him, then we know every word of the Bible is trustworthy and true, too. Let’s pray, and then we’ll get out our trustworthy Bible, the greatest treasure on earth. Pray, and then pull out the Bible with care. Open to Acts 17, and share either Option 1 or 2 below.
Teach It!
Part 1: Acts 17 (5 minutes)
Paul in Athens Poster 
Supplies for the Paul monologue (see Pre-prep)
Optional: Pictures of ancient Greece and Greek gods
Pre-prep: Choose which option you will do for the telling of Acts 17 and prepare accordingly. Each of these options can use pictures of ancient Greece and ancient Greek gods to enhance the sharing of the account. Search online for images, and make sure to use images of Greek gods that are modestly dressed. Someone (the second teacher perhaps) can hold the pictures up at the appropriate times. Option 1 needs a willing actor in a Bible-time costume and the paul in athens script below. (A Bible-time costume can be as simple as a bathrobe.) Option 2 needs a Bible.
Option 1—Live Monologue
Find someone to play Paul, learn the script below, and share the Acts account expressively as a first person narrative.  
Before he begins, show the islanders where this account is found in Scripture.
PAUL IN ATHENS SCRIPT 
Grace and peace to you! I’m Paul, a servant of the Lord here in ancient times. I’ve been traveling around starting churches and telling people about our amazing God and what Jesus, the Son of God, did for us on the cross.
This is where you may want to show pictures of ancient Greece.
In my travels, I arrived in a city called Athens, which is in Greece. I decided to walk around the city, and as I did, I started to feel very upset inside, because everywhere I went, I saw idols. Do you know what an idol is? Take answers.
An idol is an image or statue of a false god. It is something that we love or worship instead of God. The Greeks have many false gods that are made by the people. Sadly, the people worship these idols instead of the one true God. Supposedly, these gods live 
far away on Mount Olympus. They hide from men, and you never know how they may react. Listen as I tell you about a few of them. 
This is where you may want to show pictures of Greek gods.
One is called Cronos. He is said to have hurt his father and swallowed his own children so they wouldn’t become too powerful and take his throne away from him.
Another is Zeus. He is said to be king of the Greek gods. His symbol is the lightning bolt, because he supposedly throws them down to earth in fits of anger. He’s supposed to be the most powerful of the Greek gods.
Nike is said to be the goddess of victory. She wants to win so much she’s willing to be unfair and cheat.
And let’s not forget Poseidon. He is said to be the god of the sea. He sinks ships or drowns people on a whim if he wants to. He’s moody and unpredictable. You never know when he’s going to whip up a storm because he’s upset.
Some estimate up to 30,000 different gods were represented in Athens.
The Areopagus was a rocky spot high above the city and was also the name given to the court of judges, kind of like their Supreme Court. Paul may have been brought before this court.
These are just a few of the many Greek gods I hear about here. Some have said it’s easier to find a god in Athens than a man because there are false gods—idols—everywhere—thousands upon thousands.
Seeing all these idols upset me, because there’s only one true God, and I want everyone to know him! So I went to the synagogue, which is like the church Jewish people go to, and talked to them about the one true God.
Show the Paul in Athens poster. One day, some of the scholars of Athens asked me to come to a rocky spot high up in the city where they had their court. It’s called the Areopagus (air-ee-OP-a-gus). They wanted to know what I’d been telling everybody.
So, I said to them: Men of Athens, I see you’re very religious. For as I passed along, I saw your idols, and even found an altar that said: “To the unknown god.” Well, what you’re worshipping as unknown, I want to tell you about, because God can be known! He doesn’t live in temples made by you, and he isn’t a statue of gold or silver or stone, but he is God, the Creator of the world! He made it, and he owns it. 
And the awesome thing is that if we seek the one true God, we’ll find he’s not far from us but wants to have a relationship with us. God sent his Son, Jesus, who lived and died and was raised from the dead, so we can have that relationship if we turn from our sins and seek him. 
Well, when I finished telling the men this, how do you think they responded? Take answers.
Some made fun of me, some said they’d like to hear more, and some came with me right then and there because they realized I was right—there really is only one true God!
You know, many people consider God a mystery, but he can be known, and he wants to be known. Of course, we’ll never know everything about God—he’s too big and great—but we can know him enough to understand who he is and to have a personal relationship with him. This week, I hope you will not only get to know about God, but get to know God.
Well, thanks for having me in. Shalom!  
Option 2—Reading from the Bible
Open your Bible to Acts, and read or paraphrase the Acts 17:16–34 account. Read or tell it with emotion and interest. Add the following information about the Greek gods that Paul was seeing. 
Do you know what an idol is? Take answers. An idol is an image or statue of a false god. It is something that we love or worship more than God. The Greeks had many images of false gods that were made by the people. Sadly, the people worshipped these idols instead of the one true God. Supposedly, these gods lived on Mount Olympus. They hid 
from men, and you never knew how they would react. Listen as I tell you about a few of them. 
This is where you may want to show pictures of Greek gods.
Cronos is said to have hurt his father and swallowed his own children so they wouldn’t become too powerful and take his throne away from him.
Zeus is said to be king of the Greek gods. His symbol was the lightning bolt because he supposedly threw them down to earth in fits of anger. He was supposed to be the most powerful of the Greek gods.
Nike is said to be the goddess of victory. She wanted to win so much she was willing to be unfair and cheat.
And let’s not forget Poseidon. He is said to be the god of the sea. He sank ships or drowned people on a whim if he wanted to. He was moody and unpredictable. You never knew when he was going to whip up a storm because he was upset.
Part 2: Acts 17 Continued (5–10 minutes)
Day 1 Animal Pal Poster
False Gods Cards
Pre-prep: Print and cut the false gods cards.
Teacher 1: Hey, have you ever heard of Nike or Zeus or those other false gods? Discuss. Did you notice they all had a lot of flaws? See if they can remember any of the flaws. Yes, they fought, got furious, were moody, cheated, and hurt and killed each other. That doesn’t sound like a perfect god, does it? Pause. Only the one true God is always perfect. He never makes a mistake, or is moody, or fights with someone, or even changes one little bit, as Camo reminds us. Show the Day 1 animal pal poster. He’s great, and he’s good—all the time. This is the God of the Bible.
Teacher 2: But since the beginning, people have tried to make God fit into what they want him to be like, rather than accepting God for who he is. Today, we may not carve actual statues of idols and call them our gods, but there are many things that we may love more than we love God. These things are idols of our hearts. Discuss some possible idols: sports, hobbies, video games, devices, TV, friends. When these things become more important to us than God is, they are idols.
And another way we can worship an idol is by having an idea of what God is like that doesn’t match up with what the Bible says. Maybe someone says there isn’t any god. Or someone else says that his god heals every single person every time. Or someone thinks there’s only one God, but he’s mean. What kinds of things have you heard about God or gods? Allow discussion about what they’ve seen or heard. This can make for a great conversation. Pass out some or all of the false gods cards (see below) to volunteers and have them stand and read them one at a time. Remind them that these are false ideas about God. 
My god wants me to be rich and healthy. He’s kind of like a genie granting me my wishes.
I don’t think God exists.
God is mean, like a cosmic cop.
Whatever you believe God is like is okay. We can all just decide for ourselves.
Jesus is God’s Son, but not God himself.
My god is up in heaven, but he doesn’t bother himself with my day-to-day life, so I can live however I want.
God doesn’t love me because I’ve done something bad.
God is only going to let me into heaven if I’m a good person. 
Teacher 1: These ideas about God don’t line up with the Bible. So if you’re wondering about the one true God, the Bible is the place to go to find out who he really is and what he’s really like. When you hear things about God, you need to check what you 
hear with what the Bible teaches about him. He’s the one and only God of the universe. He made the universe!  He is the great Creator.
Teacher 2: And he’s much greater and better than you can imagine! In fact, you’ve never once had a big enough thought about God. Think of a person you would be super, super excited to meet and get to know. Pause as they think. Well, God is much, much, much better to know than any person on earth. God is great! Let’s talk more about that in small groups.
Gospel Opportunity
If you don’t do Small Group Time, share your personal testimony and excitement about God as outlined in Small Group Time question 4 now.
Part 3: Small Group Time (5–10 minutes)
Day 1 Discussion Sheets, 1 per small group
If small groups aren’t feasible in your setting, discuss these questions together as a large group. Another option is to print the Day 1 discussion Sheets and give them to the group guides to discuss during snack time each day. These are good to fit in at some point in the VBS day. 
Divide into small groups of 4–6 islanders with a group guide in each group. Adjust depending on how many guides and kids you have. Discuss some or all of the following questions from the day 1 discussion sheet.
When we asked what comes into your mind when you think of God, what did you think of? Take responses.
How do you think you got that idea about God? Take responses. Where should we go to learn about who God really is? Take responses and remind them we can’t make God into who we want him to be, but we learn who he truly is from the Bible.
Who is someone famous you would be super excited to get to know? Take responses.
Gospel Opportunity
Does God seem exciting to you? More exciting than that person in Question 3? Worth knowing? Take responses and tell them how excited you are to share more this week about your awesome God. You may want to share your testimony here and the gospel. Your enthusiasm about God will be inspiring.
What is something you’ve learned about God so far today? Take responses. 
Part 4: Review Game (5–10 minutes)
OPTION 1: Several “surfboards” (see Pre-prep), timer
OPTION 2: Timer
Pre-prep: Choose an option below. Option 1 requires a 2x3 board that is 8 feet long. Cut the board into three pieces, 32 inches each. These will act as each team’s “surfboard.” One 8-ft. long board will be enough for three teams. If you have more teams than that, cut more boards. Option 2 needs a timer.
Games will be a big hit with this age group! The test church kids enjoyed all the various games throughout the week.
Option 1—Hang Ten
To play: First, explain that surfers use the phrase “hang ten” to describe how their 10 toes hang over the front of the surfboard when they’re riding a wave. We’re going to play “Hang Ten” by trying to get all 10 questions right while balancing on our “surfboards” for 10 seconds. 
Divide into teams of 3–5 players per team. Each team answers every question. Ask the question, have teams quietly confer (so the other teams don’t hear), and have them say the answer on the count of three. If they get it right, give them a point and let someone from the team try to “hang ten.” In our version, they have to balance on their surfboard (the wooden board) for 10 seconds without falling off. If they do so successfully, their team gets another point. To add fun, have them stand in different ways on their boards with each correct question—crouching, standing on one foot, standing on the other foot, feet crossed on the board, etc. The team with the most points at the end of the time wins.
Option 2—Lightning Round
This version is quick and requires only a timer. It works any day you need an easy, speedy choice. 

To play: Put two minutes (120 seconds) on the timer. Quickly read a question and have everyone shout out their answer as soon as you finish reading the question. As soon as you hear someone say the right answer, affirm that answer, share the comments below, and move to the next question. For example, if the answer is “Camo the chameleon” and one or more shout out that answer, you say, “Yes! Camo,” and then read the accompanying comments before moving to the next question. The group as a whole wins if they get through all the questions in the time allotted. Today, they receive two minutes. Days 2–4 will be progressively more challenging, with less time than the day before. Day 5 has a slightly different timing format.
Questions
Who is today’s animal pal, and how does he remind us of God?
Answer: Camo the chameleon. Camo changes, but God doesn’t change. He is the same forever.
Who went to Athens, and why was he upset?
Answer: Paul. He was upset because the people there were making their own false gods called idols.
Name one of the false Greek gods.
Answer: Cronos, Zeus, Nike, or Poseidon.
What is an idol?
Answer: An idol can be a statue or something that monopolizes our time and thoughts, such as sports or hobbies. Anything that becomes more important to us than God is an idol.
Paul tells the people of Athens that God is the Creator. Name three things God has created.  
Answers will vary.
True or false: Paul told the people that the unknown God they were worshipping could be known.
Answer: True. 
Give an example of a view of God that isn’t correct. Here’s one to help you get started. My god wants me to be rich and healthy. 
Answers will vary.
Where do we go to find out who God truly is and what he’s like?
Answer: The Bible. We find there he’s the one true God.
What is one true character quality you know about God? Here’s one to help you get started. God is love.
Answers will vary.
Our theme verse from Psalm 145 is: “I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever.” “Extol” means “enthusiastically praise.” What is one thing you can think of to enthusiastically praise God for? Here’s one to help you get started. I praise you, God, because you made our brains that are way more amazing than the greatest computer. 
Answers will vary.
Apply It!
Day 1 Student Guides, 1 per child
Trail Guides, 1 per child
Stamp for Trail Guides
In the remaining time, complete one or more of the following ideas in class. You won’t have time to do all of them, but these ideas are also on the back of the Student Guides. Send the guides home each day as a fun review, and also encourage the islanders to do the practical ideas (the Go and Do sections) that apply the lesson to real life. They’re important!
Put a stamp in the trail guides, or have the group guides do so as the kids first arrive at VBS. 

Part 1: Treasured Verses
Theme Verse Poster and Day 1 Memory Verse Poster 
Memory Verse Music CD and player
Footprints in the Sand supplies for each group of 3–5 kids—15 footprint cutouts from card stock or construction paper (preferably laminated), plus more if using for other verses, and (optional) tape
Pre-prep: For Footprints in the Sand, prepare the materials as described below in the Challenge section. Do the same for tomorrow’s verse and the theme verse if you’ll have time. Cue the memory verse song. Hang up the Day 1 Memory Verse Poster and the Theme Verse Poster.
Today’s Verse: Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable. Psalm 145:3  
Practice the verse several times by playing the appropriate song from the Memory Verse CD and using the day 1 memory Verse poster as a reference. Then try the Challenge.
Challenge: Footprints in the Sand—Make 15 footprint cutouts from paper with a word from the verse on each. Put them down in a path in order. You may want to tape these down. Move from one footprint to the next, saying a word as you step on each new footprint. Keep trying until you can go from the first to the last without a mistake. Provide one set per group of 3–5 kids, with kids lined up and taking turns. 
Tomorrow’s Verse: Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me? Jeremiah 32:27
Try the Challenge again, this time saying tomorrow’s verse. You may also want to practice the week’s theme verse, using the Theme Verse poster as a reference.
End each day’s Lighthouse Lesson time with prayer!
Part 2: Go and Do
Look up Psalm 145 and read it out loud. Write down at least five great things these verses say about God. Now check Psalm 115:3–9. Write down at least five things about idols that show they aren’t God.
Pray and tell God how great he is and why you think so! Use Psalm 145 to guide you as you pray.
Psalm 145 ends by saying that your mouth will speak the praise of the Lord. Find someone and tell him or her something about God’s greatness that you learned today at VBS.
Ask your parent or guardian to tell you the first thing that comes to mind when he thinks of God. 
Check AnswersVBS.com/mikids for more fun information!
Stand at the door and say goodbye as the islanders leave.
Ask yourself this question: Why is my view of God important?

Day 2
ALL+MY+T
God is ALMIGHTY!

Today’s Medallion
Letter O
Bible passageS
Jonah and God Almighty
Book of Jonah; Psalm 139
Animal Pal
Flip the Flapjack Octopus
LessON FOCUS
God is ALMIGHTY! He is all knowing, all powerful, and all present.
Apologetics Focus
Nothing is too hard for God.
Treasured Verse
Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me? Jeremiah 32:27

Today’s Lesson at a Glance
Introduce It!
Day 2 Mystery Clue
Option 1—Hidden Os
Option 2—Mystery Riddle
Teach It!
Part 1: Jonah
Part 2: Omni Stations
Part 3: Review Game
Option 1—Octopus Eight
Option 2—Lightning Round
Apply It!
Part 1: Treasured Verses
Part 2: Go and Do
Preparing for the Lesson
Read the book of Jonah and Psalm 139 several times.
Read this lesson several times and prepare the materials as outlined in the brown pre-prep text.
For more information on God’s omniscience, omnipotence, and omnipresence, visit AnswersVBS.com/mifaq.
Pray.

Devotion 2 God Is Almighty
Of old you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you will remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away, but you are the same, and your years have no end. Psalm 102:25–27
Almighty (Genesis 35:11); Beautiful (Psalm 27:4); Comforter (Isaiah 66:13); Defender (Psalm 68:5); Everywhere (omnipresent, Psalm 139:7–12); Father (Matthew 6:9); Great (Psalm 48:1); Healer (Malachi 4:2); Incomprehensible (Romans 11:33); Just (Deuteronomy 32:4); Kind (Ephesians 2:7); Love (1 John 4:8); Mighty (Psalm 50:1); Never-ending (Isaiah 9:6); Omnipotent (all-powerful, Jeremiah 32:27); Provider (Genesis 22:9–14); Quiet (1 Kings 19:11–13); Righteous (Psalm 7:17); Sovereign (Psalm 97); Trinity (Matthew 3:16–17); Unparalleled (Jeremiah 10:7); Victor (1 Chronicles 29:11); Wonderful (Isaiah 9:6); Excellent (Psalm 150:2); Yes (2 Corinthians 1:20); Zealous (Isaiah 9:7).
The Great I AM.
These are just a few of the many attributes of our one true God. In fact, someone once said that because God is infinite, his attributes are infinite. Imagine spending all of eternity discovering more and more about our amazing Creator, only to find out you still haven’t uncovered everything about him and need the rest of eternity to find out even more reasons to love him!
Today, you have the great privilege of imparting a deeper understanding of the one true God to your students, focusing on his omnipotence, omnipresence, and omniscience. As with every other aspect of the one true God, Satan twists these into lies. One we’re all familiar with is the lie of “Mother Nature.”
Think about it.
The one true God is omnipresent—he is present everywhere in the universe all the time (Psalm 139:7–12). He is not part of his creation; but he sees it all, all the time (Deuteronomy 4:39). How easy is it to morph this into the idea that god is in all and all of creation is god? An episode of Sesame Street (watched by many children) featured a survival guy who discussed all the ways “Nature” gives us what we need—food, water, clothing, shelter. Even Christians carelessly use the term “Mother Nature” in such ways as, “Boy, Mother Nature really packed a wallop with that storm!” When we do this, we point others to a false view of God and encourage them to worship and serve created things rather than the Creator (Romans 1:22–25).
Let’s make sure we consistently point our children to the one true God and talk about his attributes in real, true ways that help us make sense of the world around us. The one true God is the almighty Creator of the universe—not us and not the creation itself. May we expand our vision of God’s sovereignty and power over all with this prayer: 
King of glory, Divine Majesty,
every perfection adorns thy nature and sustains thy throne;
The heavens and earth are thine,
The world is thine and its fullness.
Thy power created the universe from nothing;
Thy wisdom has managed all its multiple concerns,
presiding over nations, families, individuals.
Thy goodness is boundless;
all creatures wait on thee
are supplied by thee,
are satisfied in thee.
How precious are the thoughts of thy mercy and grace!
How excellent thy lovingkindness that draws men to thee!
We are weary, give us rest,
knowing that thou hast said,
‘I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.’
Blessed be thy name!
—(Excerpt from “Fourth Day Evening: God All-Sufficient” from The Valley of Vision)

Introduce It!
Treasure Map Poster
Day 2 Large Medallion, preferably laminated
Puzzle Card 1
Omni Word Signs 
Bible or children’s Bible
Costumes for teachers
Mounting putty or tape
Treasure chest
OPTION 1: White crayon, white copy paper, small bowl of water, child’s watercolor paint set, paintbrush
OPTION 2: Big O out of poster board
Day 2 Mystery Clue (5 minutes)
Pre-prep: Choose an option below and prepare the materials. For Option 1, use a white crayon to write three big Os on white copy paper. When it’s time to reveal the hidden message, dip a paintbrush in a small bowl of water and then in a child’s watercolor paint set, and paint over the paper. Make enough so you have one for each rotation. Practice once beforehand to make sure it’s working well. For Option 2, make a large letter O out of a piece of poster board, and hide it somewhere in the room so it can be partially seen. Cut out and laminate the day 2 large medallion and put it and the Bible in the treasure chest.
Teacher 1: Welcome back to Lighthouse Lessons, islanders! Yesterday we said that God is ___. Have them answer as you hold up the puzzle card 1. Right, great! 
Teacher 2: And our number 1 medallion reminds us of what? Take answers. Right, he’s the one and only God. We can’t make up a god of our own choosing.
Teacher 1: Well, we’ve got another mystery clue to figure out, so let’s get started.  
Option 1—Hidden Os
This option takes a little longer than Option 2. Gather everyone around the paper with the hidden Os. Paint over it or have a volunteer or volunteers paint over it and watch the hidden Os appear.
Explain that the Os stand for our three big words of the day that all start with “omni.” Show each Omni Word Sign as you talk about the following. Omni means “all.” The first word is omniscient (God knows all), then omnipotent (God is all powerful), and finally omnipresent (God is all present, meaning he is everywhere, at the same time, all the time). Pull out the day 2 large medallion from the treasure chest—an O for “omni.” Put it on the treasure map poster at the Octopus Inlet. See if they can find the hidden O at Octopus Inlet.
Teacher 2: Now, let’s pray then get our Bible from the treasure chest to find out more about these three big words. Pray, then get the Bible out, bookmarked at Jonah 1. 
Option 2—Mystery Riddle
This option goes faster than Option 1. Share a clue such as the following. Adjust to fit your situation.
Look up, look down, look all around, until a great big O is found.
Without moving, have the kids look for the big letter O that is partially hidden. Once found, pull it out, and explain that the O stands for our three big words of the day that all start with “omni.” Show each Omni Word Sign as you talk about the following. Omni means “all.” The first word is omniscient (God knows all), then omnipotent (God is all powerful), and finally omnipresent (God is all present, meaning he is everywhere, at the same time, all the time). Pull out the day 2 large medallion from the treasure chest—an O for “omni.” Put it on the treasure map poster at the Octopus Inlet. See if they can find the hidden O at Octopus Inlet.
Teacher 2: Now, let’s pray then get our Bible from the treasure chest to find out more about these three big words. Pray, then get the Bible out, bookmarked at Jonah 1. 
Teach It!
Part 1: Jonah (5–10 minutes)
Jonah Poster 
Slime ingredients
Liquid fish sauce in a bottle
There are two Bible accounts in today’s lesson (Jonah and Psalm 139). Both illustrate the 3 Os of God. If you are pressed for time, give a brief summary of the Jonah account rather than doing it as written. Then move on to the Omni Stations.

Pre-prep: Search online for a slime recipe, which can be made a day or more ahead of time. The day of the lesson, add part of a bottle of fish sauce (found at the grocery store in the Asian food aisle) to create a strong fishy smell.
Teacher 1: Let’s see if you can remember those three big words we just talked about that all start with “omni,” and we’ll do some motions to help us remember. Go through the three words again—omniscient (God is all knowing—point to your head), omnipotent (God is all powerful—make strong man muscles), and omnipresent (God is all present—sweep your arm around the room).
Teacher 2: The Bible is full of accounts that show God knows everything, has all power, and is everywhere. We’re going to tell one now about a man named Jonah. This is found in the book of Jonah in the Bible, and this happened around 800 BC. Open your Bible to the book of Jonah, and point out where the account comes from. Be ready to do what we say when we cue you. The first thing to do is to stand up when you hear something about trying to get away from God. Remember—listen for trying to get away from God. Here we go.
Teacher 1: There was a man named Jonah who was a prophet of God. A prophet is a person who speaks for God, and every word comes true. God told Jonah to go to Nineveh to tell them about God. Nineveh was a nasty place, and Jonah didn’t want to go. Listen to what Jonah 1 says. Read verses 1–4. They should stand up. Ask if it’s possible to get away from the presence of God. No. God is all present—everywhere, at the same time, all the time. Even when Jonah tried to flee from God’s presence by going to the sea, God was there.
Teacher 2: The next thing to do is make a sound like a blowing storm as soon as you hear an example of God being all powerful—omnipotent. Here we go. Read verse 4 again. They should make the storm sounds. Ask who is in charge of the weather. God—he is all powerful.
Teacher 1: Think about this next part, and decide if you think God knew everything that was going on. Read or paraphrase verses 5–9, and have them decide if God knew. Yes. He is all knowing—omniscient. He always knows everything that is going on all over the place at the same time.
Teacher 2: Now, as I read this, think about if you can get away from the presence of the Lord God. Read verse 10 and have them decide. No. He is all present—omnipresent. You can run, but you can’t hide. Nothing is hidden from God.
Teacher 1: Now, close your eyes and listen to this next part and raise your hand when you hear something about an animal. Remember—you’re listening for something about an animal. Read or paraphrase verses 11–17. After having them mention what they heard about the big fish, show them the jonah poster. Marvel that God knew where Jonah was and was even with him, although he was not visible. Have them each look at and smell the slime to think about what it might have been like in the belly of that big fish!  
Teacher 2: You can’t get away from God’s presence—even if you’re hidden in the belly of a fish in the ocean. God knows everything and has all power. His power is so great that it’s not even an effort for him to do all the amazing things he does. He can make a storm or calm a storm easier than you can turn on a faucet. He can make a real, live lizard from nothing easier than you can make a pretend one out of play dough. He can raise someone from the dead or form a baby inside a mom easier than you can blink your eyes. It’s all effortless. God is so powerful we can’t even fathom it!
Teacher 1: He sure is! Now, remember, Jonah was in the belly of the fish. Does anyone know what happened to Jonah next? Take responses.
Teacher 2: Yes, Jonah prayed to God, and God spoke to the fish. Listen to this. Read Jonah 2:10, and be amazed to think that God is so great and all knowing—he is able to speak to a fish and it will do what he says.

Teacher 1: So Jonah did go to Nineveh and do as God asked. And the city of Nineveh turned to God. You can read the whole account for yourself in the book of Jonah. 
Teacher 2: This isn’t the only place in the Bible where we hear about God being all knowing, all powerful, and all present. In fact, the Bible has lots of accounts showing that. We’re going to check out one in Psalm 139. Let’s break into three groups and go to stations to talk about each of these.
Break into three groups. Send one to Station 1, one to Station 2, and one to Station 3. Have one group guide or teacher manning each station.  
Part 2: Omni Stations (20–25 minutes)
Allow 7–8 minutes to get to and participate in each station. No small group time is written following these stations because there is discussion within the stations. If you’d like to spend more time doing the stations, skip the review game that follows. 
If stations aren’t possible in your setting, just do these as a large group. It goes faster that way.
Pre-prep: For Station 1, practice ahead of time making the corn starch and water mixture (sometimes called Oobleck). Use 1 part water to 1 1/2–2 parts corn starch. Put the water in first and slowly add in the corn starch, stirring until it’s a gooey consistency.
Station 1—Omniscient (All Knowing)
Corn starch, water, small bowls, and spoons (enough for each rotation); wet wipes for cleanup
Timer
When you are done, throw the corn starch and water mixture in the trash, not in the sink. It will clog the pipes.
Teacher 1: Let’s make a little concoction here in this bowl with corn starch and water. What do you think will happen when we mix them together? Take responses, then put the water in and slowly add the corn starch. Show them how it goes from liquid to solid and back to liquid. Roll into a ball, and watch it melt back.
Note: All the kids will want to touch this. It’s messy, but they love it. Provide wipes for cleanup.
Do you think God knew exactly what would happen when we mixed those? Pause. Does he know why it works like that? Pause. Yes, because he created the corn and water, and he made the scientific laws the mixture follows, right? God knows everything and how everything works. He knows exactly how long, to the second, it takes light to reach from each star to earth. He knows exactly how many eyelashes each person has. He knows which bunnies, zebras, fish, and puppies are going to be born today. 
One test church divided the class in two. Half went with Teacher 1 for Station 1 and half with Teacher 2 for Station 2, and then the kids switched. Finally, they did Station 3 as a large group all together.
He knows how many blades of grass are in your backyard. And in your whole neighborhood. And in the whole country. And in the whole world. 
He knows how many drops of rain it has rained in all of time. He knows when and where the next snowstorm will be, and what every unique snowflake looks like. He knows when a bug gets smooshed and when a lion in Africa is thirsty. He knows when a volcano is churning underground. God knows everything past, present, and future.  
Nothing surprises God—ever. And God never learns anything new because he has always known everything about everything forever. 
That includes God knowing about every person. Listen to what it says in Psalm 139 and think about what blows you away the most of all the things said. Read Psalm 139:1–6, 17–18, and have them share their thoughts on what they think is amazing in that passage. 
So let me repeat this WOW FACT once more, and let it sink in—God never learns anything or thinks of anything new! Forever he has known exactly what a tarantula will be like, and a dragonfly, and an iguana, and the stars and planets, and a palm tree, and a coconut. He knows when every person will be born, what we’re going to say before we say it, and everything else. God knows everything, and God is almighty!
If you have time, have the kids brainstorm ideas about what God knows—for instance, God knows how many grains of sand there are, and how much lint is in each person’s belly button. Then ask how that makes them feel, knowing God knows everything, including everything about them. This is an important activity to get them thinking about God.
Station 2—Omnipresent (All Present)
Hidden Animals Poster
Day 2 Animal Pal Poster
Teacher 2: Check out these pictures, and let’s see if you can find the hidden animal in each one. Show the Hidden animals poster and have them try to find them. 
Octopuses are masters at hiding. Can you find the little octopus in this picture and the hidden O for octopus? Show the Day 2 animal pal poster and have them try to find the octopus and the O.
Flip the flapjack octopus reminds us that we can think we’re hiding, but there’s nowhere we can go that God is not. God is already there. Flapjack octopuses are mysteries of the deep. They’re down at the bottom of the sea in the darkest black, and not much is known about them. But God sees them! He created them! Nothing is hidden from God, including a flapjack octopus. God is everywhere, at the same time, all the time. Let that WOW FACT sink in! He’s everywhere, at the same time, all the time. 
He’s in the farthest depths of the ocean, with every creature that lives down there in the dark. He’s in the highest heaven, where every star exists that’s billions of light years away. He’s with every ant in the whole world at the same time. He’s with every eagle in its nest, and every microscopic organism. And he’s with you!
There’s absolutely nowhere you can be that’s away from God. You know how people like to go to escape rooms? Well, there’s no escaping God! Listen to what Psalm 139 says. Read Psalm 139:7–12.  
Gospel Opportunity
How does that make you feel knowing you can never, ever be somewhere God isn’t? Discuss this. You may want to include the gospel here to share that for those who are God’s children, this is very comforting. But for those who aren’t, this can be a troubling thought. God is with you and sees all your sin. Have them pause to think how they feel when considering this reality and why they feel that way. What action/response do they want to pursue based on that?
If you have time, have them brainstorm places God is. Think of as many places as possible—high, low, near, far, crazy, and fun spots.  
God is everywhere at the same time, all the time, and God is almighty!
Station 3—Omnipotent (All Powerful)
God’s Power Poster
Group Guide: I’m going to share an example of God’s power, and you can tell me what God has power over. Jesus told the wind and waves to be still, and they obeyed. Read Mark 4:37–39. That shows he has power over what? Take responses. Yes, he has power over nature. With Jonah, we see God caused the storm to stir up. And Jesus stilled the storm. Only God has that power. There’s no such thing as Mother Nature. Only the one true God has power over nature.
He healed many sick people. Read Matthew 8:2–3. That shows he has power over what? Take responses. Yes, he has power over sickness and disease. God has given people, like doctors and nurses, the ability to use medicine and operations to help sick people. And he has given scientists the talents to develop those medicines and procedures. But only God has the power to heal people on his own according to his will.
God told a dead person to get up and he did. See Luke 7:12–15. Scripture records several times God raised people from the dead throughout the Old and New Testaments. That shows he has power over what? Take responses. Yes, he has power over death. Who else can bring a dead person back to life? Nobody! Only God has that power.
Jesus told someone his sins were forgiven. See Mark 2:3–5. That shows he has power over what? Take responses. Yes, he has power to forgive sins. Only God has that power.
Now how about this, in Psalm 139? What does this show he has the power to do? Read Psalm 139:13–16 and take responses. Yes, he has power and authority to create life. Elsewhere, in Genesis 1, we find that God has the power to create from nothing. No one 
else can make something from absolutely nothing. Only God has that power. Show the god’s power poster and review the different examples of God’s power. 
Gospel Opportunity
Every time you see a bird, it shows God’s power. Every time you hear that someone got well, it shows God’s power. Every time you see it rain, it shows God’s power. Every time you hear that someone has become a child of God, it shows God’s power. You may want to share the gospel here by reminding them that Jesus showed his power over death when he came back to life. Only God has that power, and only God has the power to transform us from children of darkness to children of light. 
If you have time, have them brainstorm displays of God’s power.
It’s so amazing to think that these displays of God’s power are effortless to God. It’s easy for him to do every amazing thing! God is all powerful, and God is almighty!
Part 3: Review Game 
OPTION 1: Paper and writing utensils, 1 of each per child, plus a sample drawing of an octopus head
OPTION 2: Timer
Pre-prep: Choose an option below. Option 1 needs to have the supplies gathered and a sample octopus drawn with just its head—no limbs. Option 2 needs just a timer. 
Option 1—Octopus Eight
To speed this up, make the octopus head pattern ahead of time, and copy it for each child so they don’t have to draw it themselves. 
To play: Have everyone draw an octopus head on a piece of paper. Hold up a picture as a sample. Make sure they don’t draw the limbs. Ask a review question. On the count of three, have each person shout out his answer. Anyone who answers correctly (this is on the honor system) draws one octopus limb. The goal is to get all eight limbs drawn before the 10 questions are up.
Option 2—Lightning Round
To play: Put 110 seconds on the timer. This is 10 seconds less than yesterday’s round, which you can make a big deal about. Quickly read a question and have them all shout out their answers as soon as you finish reading the question. As soon as you hear someone say the right answer, affirm that answer, share the comments, and move to the next question. If they are incorrect, just tell them the answer with comments and move on. The group as a whole wins if they get through all the questions in the time allotted.
Questions
Who is our animal pal today, and what does she remind us about God?
Answer: Flip the flapjack octopus. She lives deep in the mysterious, dark bottom of the ocean, but God knows exactly what she’s doing and where she is. He is with her there.
Who tried to run away from God, and why?
Answer: Jonah. He didn’t want to go to Nineveh because the people there were cruel. Jonah could run from God, but he couldn’t hide.
What did the sailors do with Jonah? 
Answer: They threw him overboard.
What happened after they threw him overboard?
Answer: God stopped the storm.
What does the word “omniscient” mean?
Answer: All knowing. God has never learned anything. He has always known everything.
What does the word “omnipresent” mean? 
Answer: All present. God is present everywhere at the same time, all the time. He’s here right now, even though we can’t see him. 
What does the word “omnipotent” mean? 

Answer: All powerful. God can do anything he chooses. Of course, he wouldn’t choose to do anything evil or wrong, because he’s perfect.
True or False: God can handle every problem I have.
Answer: True. We don’t need to be anxious because God is much greater and bigger than we are thinking. He can handle it.
How does it make you feel knowing God is with you all the time?
Answers will vary.
Can you think of an example that shows God’s power or presence or knowledge? 
Answers will vary.
Apply It!
Day 2 Student Guides, 1 per child
Trail Guides, 1 per child
Stamp for Trail Guides
In the remaining time, complete one or more of the following ideas in class.
Put a stamp in the Trail Guides, or group guides can do so as the kids first arrive at VBS.
Part 1: Treasured Verses
Day 2 Memory Verse Poster
Memory Verse Music CD and player
Disappearing Verse supplies—dry erase board, chalkboard, or piece of paper, plus writing utensil, and (optional) sticky notes
Pre-prep: For the Disappearing Verse Challenge, prepare the materials as described below. Hang the day 2 memory verse poster and cue the memory verse song. 
Today’s Verse: Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me? Jeremiah 32:27
Practice the verse several times by playing the appropriate song from the Memory Verse CD and using the day 2 memory Verse poster as a reference. Then try the Challenge.
Challenge:  Disappearing Verse—Write the verse on a dry erase board, chalkboard, or piece of paper. (If using paper, you’ll need something to cover each word, like sticky notes.) Say the whole verse, then erase or cover one word and say it again. Continue like this, having words “disappear” until they’re all gone and you can say the verse without any words.
Tomorrow’s Verse: And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” Isaiah 6:3
Try the Challenge again, this time saying tomorrow’s verse. 
Part 2: Go and Do
Look up Psalm 139:1–18 and read it out loud. Can you find five amazing statements that show God is all knowing, all present, or all powerful? 
Pray to God and praise him for knowing you and being with you. Use Psalm 139:1–18 to guide you as you pray. 
Check out AnswersForKids.org. Read about some of the animals God has created and marvel that he has always known them, has the power to make them, and is with them all the time.
Ask a parent or guardian what he thinks is amazing about God. It can be something God created, a display of God’s power, or a way he’s seen God work in his own life. 
Check AnswersVBS.com/mikids for more fun information!
Ask yourself this question: When I’m outside, am I amazed at the plants, animals, sky, and people God has made?  

Day 3
RUE+LEARN-N
God is RULER!

Today’s Medallion
Crown
Bible passages
Isaiah’s Vision of God 
Isaiah 6:1–3; Psalm 8
Animal Pal
Clark the Great White Shark
Lesson Focus
God is RULER! He is the majestic king who is holy and perfect.
Apologetics Focus
God is the same in the Old Testament as he is in the New Testament. He was and is and always will be in charge. 
Treasured Verse
And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” Isaiah 6:3

Today’s Lesson at a Glance
Introduce It!
Day 3 Mystery Clue
Option 1—Mystery Bag
Option 2—Mystery Riddle
Teach It!
Part 1: Isaiah 6
Part 2: Our Response
Part 3: Small Group Time or Review Game
Option 1—Small Group Time
Option 2—Review Game (Beach Tic-Tac-Toe or Lightning Round)
Apply It!
Part 1: Treasured Verses
Part 2: Go and Do
Preparing for the Lesson
Read Isaiah 6:1–3 and Psalm 8 a couple times.
Read this lesson several times and prepare the materials as outlined in the brown pre-prep text.
For more information on the holiness, perfection, and sovereignty of God, visit AnswersVBS.com/mifaq.
Pray.

Devotion 3 God Is Ruler
For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. Psalm 95:3
Throughout the Old Testament, the revealed God of the Bible is contrasted to the gods worshipped in the ancient Near East. The point of these passages is to reveal the sovereignty of our God over all creation and to discredit the gods of other peoples as impotent and worthless and to direct mankind to the one true God.
Think about it. 
What separates the God of the Bible from the gods of this world? After God delivered the Israelites from the Egyptians at the Red Sea, Moses wrote, “Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?” (Exodus 15:11). 
The emphasis of accounts like these is that when we compare other so-called gods (e.g., their creative acts, motives, and eternality) to the Lord, we find they are bankrupt in majesty and power. In addition, the morality of the false gods is vastly different from the one true God, as our Bible account about Isaiah shows. 
In the myths, gods are depicted as selfish, arrogant, sadistic, lustful, drunken, vain, or hateful. In other words, they mirror humanity. These gods are just powerful mortals with the same desires, character flaws, sins, and objectives as their lesser-powered creations. 
For example, in the Egyptian mythologies, which Isaiah would have been familiar with, there was war between Seth and Osiris. Seth slew and dismembered his older brother Osiris and ruled Egypt in his stead. When Osiris’ son Horus claimed the throne, Seth fought with him as well. Eventually a tribunal of gods decided the dispute over who should rule Egypt. After much politicking and quarreling, Horus was granted the throne and Seth was given the position of thunder god. 
Unlike these wicked gods, the one true God has no sin in him (Habakkuk 1:13; James 1:17). He is perfect, holy, and righteous. He never changes or reneges on his promises. In this context, we can think of Isaiah’s description: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” We see this refrain echoed throughout the New Testament, as well. Jesus Christ is holy and without sin (Hebrews 4:15; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Revelation 3:7).
In fact, it is precisely because of the holy nature of the biblical God that we have a basis for morality. He is the ultimate lawgiver and has given us standards by which we are to live. Apart from the good God of the Bible, we have no logical basis upon which to claim, for example, that murder is wrong, while helping others is right. Take a look again at the character and nature of the gods mentioned above—are any of them capable of dispensing a logical system of morality, where good is defined by their very nature? Their followers, acting consistently with their belief in their gods, show that their moral code left something to be desired—human sacrifice, murder, adultery, continual war, lying, scheming, and the like were all the norm, rather than sinful behavior to be punished.
What we do not see in Scripture is an ultra-powerful mortal bully. We see a transcendent God who is infinitely wiser and higher than man, yet visits us in order that we might know him (Psalm 8:3–4).
The God of the Bible is not merely one of a plethora of gods from which we may pick and choose to worship; nor is he to be put on par with other supposed deities. He is the omnipotent Creator and Redeemer of mankind. Truly we worship a great God, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, and a great King above all gods.
In the end, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord of all, to the glory of God the Father. Today, let’s point our kids to the one true God, holy and sovereign over all, and their Savior. 

Introduce It!
Treasure Map Poster
Day 3 Large Medallion, preferably laminated
Puzzle Card 2
Bible or children’s Bible
Costumes for teachers
Mounting putty or tape
Treasure chest
OPTIONS 1 and 2: Mystery bag with pictures of nature items, animals, and people, plus the words “God the Father” written on a piece of paper
Day 3 Mystery Clue (5 minutes)
This day is very full, so keep it moving! You may not make it to small group time or review, and that’s okay.
Pre-prep: Cut out and laminate the day 3 large medallion and put it and the Bible in the treasure chest, with the Bible bookmarked at Isaiah 6 and Psalm 8. For Option 1, put pictures of animals, other nature items, and people in the mystery bag. Write the words “God the Father” on a paper, but don’t put it in the bag. For Option 2, do the same as above, but hide the mystery bag of pictures.
Teacher 1: Welcome back to Lighthouse Lessons, islanders. Remember that on our first day, our medallion had a number 1. Who remembers why? Take answers. And yesterday’s was a big O. Why? Take answers, and review the three O words with motions. Omniscient—hands on head; omnipotent—strong man pose; omnipresent—arm sweeping around. Show the puzzle card 2 and have them figure it out. Yes, we said God is almighty! Okay, let’s dive right in and try to figure out today’s clue. 
Option 1—Mystery Bag
One of the test churches made this into a slide show with animals, nature, and people pictures, along with the last slide saying, “God the Father.”
Call volunteers up to choose a picture from the mystery bag. The class must decide if the picture goes in the animal category, the other nature category, or the people category. After doing them all, show the words “God the Father.” Ask what category he goes in. Discuss that God is in a category entirely of his own. Nobody or nothing is like God. Read Isaiah 55:8–9. 
Direct their attention to the treasure map poster and follow the trail to the next location: the Great White Gulf. Pull out the day 3 large medallion from the treasure chest and put it on the treasure map poster. Discuss what a crown has to do with God being in a category all by himself. He is the king of everything. Because he is the creator of all, he rules everything and everybody. See if they can find the hidden crown at the Great White Gulf.
Teacher 1: Now, let’s pray, and then we’ll track down clues about the one true God by checking out an account written by a man named Isaiah around 700 BC. God gave Isaiah a vision, which is kind of like a dream, about a king. We find it in the Bible in the book of Isaiah. Get the Bible out of the treasure chest.
Option 2—Mystery Riddle
Share a clue such as the following. Adjust to fit your situation.
Check the ceiling. Check the floor. Now it’s time to check the door.
Hide near the door a bag with pictures of animals, other nature items, and people. Show the pictures, and have the islanders divide the pictures into one of three categories: animals, other nature, or people. After they are done, show the words “God the Father” and ask which category he fits in. Discuss that he is in a category entirely of his own. Nobody or nothing is like God. Read Isaiah 55:8–9. 
Direct their attention to the treasure map poster and follow the trail to the next location. It will be the Great White Gulf. Pull out the day 3 large medallion from the treasure chest and put it on the treasure map poster. Discuss what a crown has to do with God being in a category all by himself. He is the king of everything. Because he is the creator of all, he rules everything and everybody. See if they can find the hidden crown at the Great White Gulf.
Teacher 1: Now, let’s pray, and then we’ll track down clues about the one true God by checking out an account written by a man named Isaiah around 700 BC. God gave Isaiah a vision, which is kind of like a dream, about a king. We find it in our Bible in the book of Isaiah. Get the Bible out of the treasure chest.

Teach It!
Part 1: Isaiah 6 (10–15 minutes)
Isaiah 6 Poster, laminated, with each picture covered (see Pre-prep), plus a dry erase marker
Thrones Poster
Robes Poster
Day 3 Memory Verse Poster
Isaiah 6 Sheet, 1 per child
Sovereign Sheet, 1 per rotation
Writing utensils, 1 per child
Pre-prep: Print the isaiah 6 sheet, one per child, and gather a writing utensil for each person. Laminate and cover the isaiah 6 poster with six separate sheets, one over each drawing, but not covering the words, so it works as a lift-the-flap activity. (Remember to reset the isaiah 6 poster after each rotation.) Print the sovereign sheet, one per rotation. 
Teacher 1: Let’s pass out some papers and then we’ll begin.
Pass out the isaiah 6 sheets and writing utensils, one of each per child.
1: King Uzziah died. God is _____!
Teacher 1: Read Isaiah 6:1a. Let’s read this first rhyme together in space 1 and try to figure out the missing word. Do so. The missing word is “alive.” Have them write that in the space as you write it on the poster.
Teacher 2: So who was King Uzziah? He was a famous king of God’s chosen people. He had ruled the people well for 52 years. But the time came when he died, so since it says King Uzziah died, let’s draw him in his bed, having died, like this. Lift the flap on picture 1, and have them draw it while you continue on.
Teacher 1: You know, human kings all die, don’t they? It doesn’t matter how famous they are—they still die. If they’re good kings who rule well, they die. If they’re bad kings who are wicked, they die. Every human king’s reign eventually ends. But God doesn’t die. He is eternal; he has no beginning and will have no end. So he never stops being king of everything.
Teacher 2: Let’s say the first rhyme again, remembering the picture as we do. King Uzziah died. God is alive!
You may want to add motions to each phrase such as: King Uzziah died (bow head); God is alive (jump up and point to heaven). Repeat these as you continue to add to the rhyme.
2: Looked heavenward. Throne of the _____.
Teacher 1: On to space 2. Let’s read the words together and try to figure out the missing word. Looked heavenward. Throne of the _____. The answer is “Lord.” Have them write that in space 2 as you write it on the poster. Say the rhyme together again.
Teacher 2: So in the vision Isaiah was given by God, he looked heavenward (up to heaven), and guess what he saw? Pause. Yes, a throne. But not just any throne. Let me read what it says in Isaiah. Read the first half of the verse (Isaiah 6:1a), stopping before the part about his robe.
Teacher 1: Let’s draw a throne. Lift the flap on picture 2, and have them draw a throne while you continue on. Kings and people who rule sit on thrones, don’t they? For instance, here are some pictures of kings’ thrones. Show the thrones poster. But God’s throne was super special. It was the greatest throne ever, and it was high and lifted up. He sits on his throne, and nothing can stop what he has planned.
Teacher 2: Let’s say the rhyme pictures together, starting with number 1. King Uzziah died. God is alive! Looked heavenward. Throne of the Lord.
3: Temple with robe. Could fill the _____.
Teacher 1: The next thing Isaiah saw will blow you away! Let’s say our third rhyme and try to figure out the missing word. Temple with robe. Could fill the _____. The answer is “globe.” Have them write that in space 3 as you write it on the poster. Say the rhyme together again.
Teacher 2: This is incredible, because years ago, a king’s robe showed how important he was. The longer the robe, the more important the king. Here are some pictures of kings’ robes. Show the robes poster.

  Teacher 1: Let’s read how long God’s robe was. Read all of Isaiah 6:1. How long was God’s robe? Take answers. Yes, it filled the whole temple! Let’s draw a robe. Lift the flap on picture 3, and have them draw while you continue. Imagine if a king were here in this building with a robe on, and it filled the entire building. Not just the front part, or down the stairs, but over the whole entire building! This shows that God is important in a different way than anyone else. He’s a ruler in a category all his own! His robe could have filled the whole globe if he wanted it to. He is God, he is great, he is almighty, and he is the ruler of all. He can do whatever he wants! He doesn’t answer to anybody. He is in charge. A big word that means God is in charge and is the ruler of everything is sovereign. Hold up the sovereign sheet. Do you see a smaller word at the end of the word sovereign? Take answers, and circle the word “reign.” Yes, reign. Countries that have kings as their leaders sometimes call them their sovereign because they reign, or rule, over that country. But God is sovereign like none other. He reigns over every one and every thing. 
Teacher 2: And the great news is, he’s not just a powerful king, but he’s good. Can you imagine if he was powerful, but not good? Wouldn’t it be scary to have a powerful God who could do anything, but who wasn’t good? But God is good—he’s perfect goodness. It also wouldn’t be great to have a king who was good, but not powerful. Thankfully, God is both the all-powerful ruler and the all-good ruler!
Teacher 1: Now let’s say the whole rhyme together from the beginning. Do so. 
4: Seraphim fly. Covered their _____.
Teacher 1: Let’s see if we can figure out the missing word in the next rhyme as we say it together. Seraphim fly. Covered their _____. The answer is “eyes.” Have them write that in space 4 as you write it on the poster. Say the rhyme together again.
Teacher 2: You may be saying to yourself: What are seraphim? Good question! Seraphim are a type of angel. They are only mentioned here—nowhere else in the Bible. 
Teacher 1: Let’s draw our version of one now as I read this incredible description of them. Lift the flap on picture 4, and read Isaiah 6:2 as they begin to draw in space 4. Of course, nobody on earth but Isaiah really knows what they looked like, but we’ll use our imaginations based on the description in the Bible, realizing they would have been much more majestic and incredible than our drawing could ever show.
Teacher 2: Now, let’s say the whole rhyme together from the beginning. Do so.  
5: Holy was heard. Super important _____.
Teacher 1: On to the next thing. So far, Isaiah has been seeing some amazing things. Now he’s going to hear something amazing. Let’s read our rhyme and try to put in the missing word. Holy was heard. Super important _____. The answer is “word.” Have them write that in space 5 as you write it on the poster. Read Isaiah 6:3a (stop right before “the whole earth is full of his glory”), and say the rhyme together again. 
Teacher 2: Let’s write the word “holy” three times. Lift the flap on picture 5 and have them do so. What do you think the word “holy” means? Take answers. It means to be set apart. God is set apart. He’s not like anyone else. He’s in a category all by himself. He’s pure and perfect, never doing or thinking anything wrong. God is everything good and nothing bad. Isn’t that incredible? There’s not one bad thing in God! It’s impossible for him to think even one bad thought ever. He’s all things good and perfect and pure, and he’s the source of every single good thing ever. Every good thing you’ve ever experienced—every mouthful of food, every night’s sleep in a warm bed, every person who loves you—is from God. Read James 1:17.
Teacher 1: Regarding God’s holiness, this is the only time in the Bible an attribute of God is repeated three times in a row. This repetition lets us know it’s important to realize God is holy, holy, holy. This is repeated again in Revelation 4:8. Let’s say our memory verse together. Do so, using the day 3 memory verse poster. And interestingly 
enough, the Bible also commands us to be holy as God is holy. Of course, we can never be perfectly holy like God—not even close! We each sin and even one sin means that we are not holy at all. God wants us to live pure lives that reflect him well. We can only do this if we are children of God, because we need him to help us. We can’t become truly holy on our own. Further explain the gospel here.
Gospel Opportunity
Teacher 2: Now, let’s say the whole rhyme together from the beginning. Do so.
6: Tell your story about God’s _____.
Teacher 1: We’re on our last rhyme now. Let’s say it together and try to figure out the missing word. Tell your story about God’s _____. The answer is “glory.” Have them write that in space 6 as you write it on the poster. Say the rhyme together again.
Teacher 2: Here’s more of what Isaiah heard. Read Isaiah 6:3–4, emphasizing the line about the whole earth being full of his glory. First we learned about the word “holy.” Now here’s another big word: “glory.” What do you think it means? Take answers. The glory of God shows how great and almighty he is. The whole earth shouts out the greatness and fame of God. That doesn’t mean it’s actually shouting out, but that God’s amazingness is on display. The waterfalls show us his powerful glory. The sunrise shows us his beautiful glory. The birds singing in the trees show us his creative glory. 
Teacher 1: This says the whole earth is full of his glory. This means every single thing God has created shows us God’s glory in some way. For example, have you ever looked up at the sky at night and been amazed to see all the stars? Take answers, then read Psalm 8:1, 3–4. Or have you ever stood by the ocean, so huge and beautiful? Or watched an amazing little critter? Or marveled at an animal at a zoo? Or watched a snowflake fall? Or thought about how amazing it is that Jesus came to earth? All of these and so many more show God’s glory. Even you were created to bring God glory! In fact, that’s the whole point of why you’re here. He made you to bring him glory and enjoy him forever!   
Teacher 2: Try to think of something you’ve seen that shows God’s glory, and draw it in space 6. Do so. Lift the flap on picture 6.
Teacher 1: Let’s share some of the things we drew in the last space. Do so.
Teacher 2: Now, let’s say the whole rhyme together from the beginning. Do so. 
Part 2: Our Response (10 minutes)
Day 1 and Day 3 Animal Pal Posters
King’s Crown Sheet, 1 per child
6–8 small gem stickers per child
Crayons/markers, 1 per child (preferably in silver, grey, gold, or yellow)
Paper clips, 1 per child
You don’t want to miss this section (especially Responses That Bring Praise to God on the next page), so if you are running short on time, skip the crown sheet, gem stickers, and crayons. Instead just talk it through. You can send the sheet home for them to color as a review.
Pre-prep: Photocopy the King’s crown sheet, 1 per child, and clip the gem stickers to each sheet. Gather crayons or markers. 
Teacher 1: Wow, I don’t know about you, but I’m blown away when I think about how incredible God is. The whole world is filled with his glory! He really is the ruler of the universe.
Show them the Old Testament section of the Bible and the New Testament section as you talk about this, and explain that the Old Testament was written before God’s Son, Jesus, came. The New Testament was written after he came.
Teacher 2: He always has been and always will be. From the very beginning of time, which is recorded in the Old Testament, we find that God is the creator and ruler. Throughout the Old Testament, we read that he is the ruler. And in the New Testament, which records the time when Jesus was on earth and how we are to live, we find that God is the ruler. Even today, God is the ruler of all. He is the same throughout time because he never changes. Show the day 1 animal pal poster. Remember how Camo the chameleon reminded us of that? Camo changes, but God never changes. God was the ruler of the universe during the time of Isaiah, and he’s still the ruler of the universe now. He was in charge then, and he’s in charge now. The Bible is consistent in everything it says, so God in Old Testament times 
is identical to God in New Testament times. Some people say that God is different in the Old Testament than in the New Testament. They might say he is more holy in the Old Testament and more loving in the New Testament. But God can’t change and is the same at all times in every way—in his love, his kindness, his goodness, his holiness, his rule.   
Teacher 1: Show the day 3 animal pal poster. People call great white sharks, like Clark the shark, the ruler of the sea, or the ruler of the ocean. Do you see a crown hidden in here to symbolize him being the ruler of the sea? Have them search the poster. Why do you think great whites are called the ruler of the sea? Take responses. The sea is big and grand, but it’s very small compared to the whole universe. Can you imagine being the ruler of the whole universe? Well, God is! 
Teacher 2: To remind us that he’s the king, we’re going to color a crown. On each point of the crown, you’re going to put a jewel. You can color it and put the jewels on in whatever order you want. As we do, we’ll talk about some of the responses we may have to this awe-inspiring God. These are not every possible response—in fact, we’ll be talking about Isaiah’s response to his vision of God tomorrow. But here are some responses that will bring praise to God. Pass out the supplies and make the crowns while talking through each of the following responses, reminding them again that these are just some possible responses, not every possibility. Have the kids begin by taking turns reading the responses on the king’s crown sheets (one at a time) and trying to think of examples, and then the teacher can share this additional info below.
Responses That Bring Praise to God
Teachers 1 and 2 can alternate during this section, doing every other example.
Kids may know it’s important to read their Bible and pray. Encourage the kids to think about every part of their day that can also bring praise to God.
SHOW GOD HONOR—This means you should have a deep respect for God and value him greatly. As the ruler, God knows the best way for us to live. He shows us how to live in the Bible. You show him how special and amazing you think he is by how you live your life, how much you obey him, how you talk about him, how you think about him. Think, “How can I honor you today, God?”
SING SONGS—The Bible commands us to sing praises to the Lord, such as in Psalm 92:1, Psalm 95:1–3, and Psalm 96:1–2. It’s a way to help us remember who he is and what he’s done, so singing songs to him is a great response. Think, “What songs of praise can I sing to you today, God?”
PRAY PRAISES—It’s also important to pray to God and praise him. Praising means to tell God how amazing he is! Start your prayers with praises rather than requests. You can begin your prayers by telling God, “Father, you are great and almighty. I know you are good and holy.” What do you think is amazing about him? What can you thank him for? He wants to hear it, and it’s good to remind yourself of the amazing God you’re serving! A great way to do this is to pray psalms to God, such as Psalm 145, 8, 93, 98, 111, 115 (about idols), 148, or 150. Think, “What can I praise you for today, God?”
TELL WONDERS—Another response when faced with God’s greatness is you want to tell others about God—what he’s like and what he’s done. If you see a beautiful sunset, say, “God sure made a beautiful sunset tonight!” If you see a rainbow, say, “God is the one who thought up rainbows!” If God has answered a prayer, big or small, tell others of his kindness to you. Look for his wonders (they aren’t hard to spot!) and tell others. Think, “Whom can I tell about a wonder of yours today, God?”
Part 3: Small Group Time or Review Game (5–10 minutes)
OPTION 1: Day 3 Discussion Sheets, 1 per small group
Pre-prep: Copy the discussion sheets for small group time. For the review game, choose a review game option below and prepare the materials as directed. Review Game 1 requires rope or painter’s tape and something to represent Xs and Os, such as five red flip flops and five blue flip flops. Review Game 2 just needs a timer.
Option 1—Small Group Time
Divide into groups of 4–6 islanders, with a group guide in each group. Adjust depending on how many group guides and kids you have. Discuss some or all of the following questions.
Give the Day 3 discussion sheets to the group guides to do later if you don’t have time during class.
Can you think of any books or movies you’ve seen with a king sitting on a throne, wearing a robe? What do you picture God’s robe to look like that’s mentioned in Isaiah?
What’s something about God you’re amazed about today?
Do you ever sing songs to God? Do you like to? The Bible tells us to sing our praises to God. Do you have any favorite songs you like to sing to God?
Let’s try something nicknamed popcorn prayers, which are one-sentence prayers that “pop up” around the circle. Someone starts and praises God for something, like, “I praise you, God, for being loving.” Then another person says one thing he praises God for, and another person says something she praises God for, and on and on. 
Can you think of someone to whom you can tell something amazing about God? Do it today!
Option 2—Review Game
OPTION 2, GAME 1: Rope or painter’s tape to make a jumbo tic-tac-toe board on the floor; five items of one kind (representing Os) and five of another (representing Xs)
OPTION 2, GAME 2: Timer
Pre-prep: Choose an option below. For Option 1, put down the rope or painter’s tape on the floor to make a jumbo tic-tac-toe board. Decide what you want to use as items to represent Os and Xs. This can be five red flip flops and five blue flip flops, or five pictures of manta rays and five pictures of deep sea turtles. Option 2 requires no pre-prep except gathering the timer.
Game 1—Beach Tic-Tac-Toe
To play: Divide into two teams. Half will be whatever you picked to represent the Os and the other half will be the Xs. Ask a review question and have Team 1 decide on their answer. If correct, choose someone to hold the item that represents the Os and go stand in a spot on the tic-tac-toe board. Now it’s Team 2’s turn. Do the same thing, having the person hold whatever item represents the Xs. Continue until a team gets three in a row vertically, horizontally, or diagonally. Play again if time.
Game 2—Lightning Round
This version is quick and requires no supplies except a timer. It works any day you need an easy, speedy choice. 
To play: Put 100 seconds on the timer. This is 10 seconds less than yesterday and 20 seconds less than the first day. Quickly read a question and have the students shout out their answers as soon as you finish reading the question. As soon as you hear someone say the right answer, affirm that answer, share the comments, and move to the next question. If they are incorrect, just tell them the answer with comments and move on. The group as a whole wins if they get through all the questions in the time allotted.
Questions
Who is today’s animal pal and how does he remind us of God?
Answer: Clark the great white shark. He’s the ruler of the sea, but God is the ruler of the universe. He’s the king of everything.
What does the word “holy” mean? 
Answer: Set apart. God is pure and perfect and above everyone. He is not like anyone else, but is in a category all of his own. 
Who was the king who died? His name starts with the “oooo” sound.
Answer: Uzziah.

Who was the prophet who had a vision from God? His name starts with an I.
Answer: Isaiah.
Whom did Isaiah see seated on a throne, and what was he wearing?
Answer: God. He was wearing a long robe that filled the temple. This shows how important God is.
The angels were saying that the whole earth is full of God’s ___?  
Answer: Glory.
Can you think of an example of something in the earth that shows God’s glory?
Answers will vary.
What is a response we can have to God that brings him glory?
Answers will vary.
Apply It!
Day 3 Student Guides, 1 per child
Trail Guides, 1 per child
Stamp for Trail Guides
In the remaining time, complete one or more of the following ideas in class.
Put a stamp in the Trail Guides, or have group guides do so as the kids first arrive at VBS.
Part 1: Treasured Verses
Day 3 Memory Verse Poster
Memory Verse Music CD and player
Bat the Beach Ball supplies—beach ball or other lightweight ball
Pre-prep: For the Bat the Beach Ball Challenge, get a beach ball. Hang the day 3 memory verse poster and cue the memory verse song.  
Today’s Verse: And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” Isaiah 6:3
Practice the verse several times by playing the appropriate song from the Memory Verse CD and using the Day 3 memory Verse poster as a reference. Then try the Challenge.
Challenge: Bat the Beach Ball—Get a beach ball or other lightweight ball. Bat it around as you say the verse. Can you keep it in the air until you’ve said the whole verse from memory?
Tomorrow’s Verse: But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8
Try the Challenge again, this time saying tomorrow’s verse.  
Part 2: Go and Do
Check out Psalm 95:1–6 and Isaiah 55:8–9. What do these verses teach us about God?
Talk to God and praise him for being the King of kings. What words can you use to tell him how great he is? Use Psalm 47 to guide your prayer. 
Sing a praise song to God. 
Talk to your parent or guardian and ask what qualities she thinks would make a good king.
Check AnswersVBS.com/mikids for more fun information!
Ask yourself these questions: How can I honor you today, God? What can I sing to you? What can I praise you for? 

Day 4
E+MAN+YOU+L
God is Emmanuel!

Today’s Medallion
Heart
Bible passage
God Comes to Earth
Gospel Presentation—Select Scriptures
Animal Pal
Jam the Immortal Jellyfish
Lesson Focus
God is EMMANUEL! He is the loving and good Savior who came to earth.
Apologetics Focus
God is three-in-one—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Even though there is mystery in this, God is knowable.
Treasured Verse
But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

Today’s Lesson at a Glance
Introduce It!
Day 4 Mystery Clue
Option 1—I Spy
Option 2—Mystery Riddle
Teach It!
Part 1: Gospel Presentation—Clues
Part 2: Small Group Time
Part 3: Review Game
Option 1—Shovel the Sand
Option 2—Lightning Round
Apply It!
Part 1: Treasured Verses
Part 2: Go and Do
Preparing for the Lesson
Read “Leading a Child to Christ” found on the inside back cover of this guide.
Read this lesson several times and prepare the materials as mentioned in the brown pre-prep text.
Visit AnswersVBS.com/mifaq for more information on the mystery of the Trinity.
Pray.

Devotion 4 God Is Emmanuel
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. 2 Corinthians 13:14
From the beginning, the enemy of our souls has known there is only one true God. Even his henchmen believe in the one true God—and shudder (James 2:19). And over the years, he has used his knowledge to distort and deny this truth and draw people away from the one true God.
One of the more insidious lies he has told—and that even some Christians believe—is that all monotheistic religions believe in the same God; he just goes by different names. The god of Islam (Allah), Mormonism, and Jehovah’s Witnesses (Jehovah) is the same as the one true God of the Bible, right? 
 The doctrine of the Trinity helps us separate the one true God from the fakes. The one true God exists in three persons: the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ), the Holy Spirit. Each is fully God and manifests all the attributes of the one true God. For example, in the Bible, each is called the Creator (Genesis 1:1; John 1:1–3; Job 33:4); each is unchanging and eternal (Psalm 90:2; Hebrews 13:8; Hebrews 9:14); and each is called God (Philippians 2:11; Titus 2:13; Acts 5:3–4).
If a religion denies that any member of the Trinity is God, then its “god” is a fake and is based on a lie from the devil himself. It’s that simple.
Islam teaches that Jesus was a man, not God nor the Son of God. Mormonism teaches that Jesus is a created being who became a god. Those in the Jehovah’s Witness cult also believe that Jesus was created and thus is not infinite or eternal.
Think about it.
According to the Bible, Jesus suffered the punishment of death that human beings deserve as a result of their sin against a holy God. Because God is infinite, his punishment of sin is infinite. Can a created being—one that is not infinite—endure the infinite punishment from an eternal God and satisfy—eternally—God’s wrath on our sin? Of course not. This is why the blood of bulls and goats could never take away all sin (Hebrews 9:13–15).
In order to spend eternity in the presence of the holy and righteous God, we need a perfect infinite sacrifice to take the punishment we deserve. Those religions that deny that Jesus is God (and thus, that he is eternal) offer a limited sacrifice for sin that does nothing to satisfy the infinite wrath of God and is no better than a sheep.
The Jesus described in the Bible is infinite and is God. The infinite Son, in his death on the cross, suffered the infinite punishment that we deserve from the infinite Father and infinitely satisfied the wrath of God on sin. A “created Jesus” could never do such a thing.
As you teach that God is Emmanuel to the children today, think about the vital importance—with infinite ramifications—of embracing the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit as the triune God, the one true God of the Bible.
May we rejoice, as the Puritans did, in the way each member of the Trinity works to bring about our salvation.
THREE IN ONE, ONE IN THREE,
GOD OF MY SALVATION,
Heavenly Father, blessed Son, eternal Spirit,
I adore thee as one Being, one Essence,
one God in three distinct Persons,
for bringing sinners to thy knowledge and to thy kingdom.
O Father, thou hast loved me and sent Jesus to redeem me;
O Jesus, thou hast loved me and assumed my nature,
shed thine own blood to wash away my sins,
wrought righteousness to cover my unworthiness;
O Holy Spirit, thou hast loved me and entered my
heart, implanted there eternal life,
revealed to me the glories of Jesus.
Three Persons and one God, I bless and praise thee,
for love so unmerited, so unspeakable, so wondrous,
so mighty to save the lost and raise them to glory.
O Triune God, who commandeth the universe,
thou hast commanded me to ask for those things
that concern thy kingdom and my soul.
Let me live and pray as one baptized into the threefold Name.
—(Excerpt from “The Trinity” in The Valley of Vision)

Introduce It!
Treasure Map Poster
Day 4 Large Medallion, preferably laminated
Puzzle Card 3
Bible or children’s Bible
Costumes for teachers
Mounting putty or tape
Treasure chest
OPTION 1: 10 hearts and timer
OPTION 2: No supplies
Day 4 Mystery Clue (10 minutes)
Pre-prep: Cut out and laminate the day 4 large medallion and put it and the Bible in the treasure chest, with the Bible bookmarked at the appropriate passages. For Option 1, cut out 10 hearts. Hide them around the room before each rotation so they are partially visible. Option 2 needs no supplies.
Teacher 1: Aloha, islanders! As we get started today, let’s see if we can remember our three past medallions and what they stand for. Take answers, then show the puzzle card 3 and have them solve it. Remind them that God is the ruler of the universe—the king of everything.
Teacher 2: Now let’s discover today’s mystery clue!
Option 1—I Spy
Give the kids 20 seconds while seated to look (not move) and keep track on their fingers of how many hearts they find. Don’t tell them how many there are. Then ask how many they found, and show where they all are.
Now, direct their attention to the treasure map poster and track it to Jellyfish Lagoon. Pull out the day 4 large medallion from the treasure chest and ask what the heart has to do with God as you put it on the poster. See if they can find the hidden heart at Jellyfish Lagoon.
Teacher 1: God is not just loving—God is love, and all love is from God. Pull the Bible out of the treasure chest and read 1 John 4:7–8. So God is love and love is from God. Let’s pray, and then we’ll play a game of Clues to hear more about this.  
Option 2—Mystery Riddle
Share a clue such as the following. Adjust to fit your situation.
I’m inside your body, below your head. I sometimes feel sad, and I’m red. 
The answer to the riddle is a heart.
Now, direct their attention to the treasure map poster and track it to Jellyfish Lagoon. Pull out the day 4 large medallion from the treasure chest and ask what the heart has to do with God as you put it on the poster. See if they can find the hidden heart at Jellyfish Lagoon. 
Teacher 1: God is not just loving—God is love, and all love is from God. (Pull the Bible out of the treasure chest and read 1 John 4:7–8.) So God is love and love is from God. Let’s pray, and then we’ll play a game of Clues to hear more about this.  
Teach It!
Part 1: Gospel Presentation—Clues (10–15 minutes) 
Clues Poster, laminated
Day 4 Memory Verse Poster
Day 4 Animal Pal Poster 
Clues Sheet, 1 per child
Rebus Cards 1–3
Writing utensils, 1 per child
Dry erase marker
4x6-inch sticky notes
Pre-prep: Copy the Clues sheet, one per child, and the rebus cards. Laminate the clues poster and cover each block with a sticky note. Gather the writing utensils.
Pass out the clues sheets and writing utensils.
Section 1—Who?
Teacher 1: Isn’t it incredible to think that the God who made the universe actually loves us? And not only does he love us, but also he wants to have a relationship with each of us so we can know him now and live with him someday in heaven. You see, even though God is so great and holy and majestic, he hasn’t forgotten about us. He knows each one of us. He cares about us, loves us, and wants us to be his children. But you may have wondered how we can be his children and get to heaven someday. Do you think it’s by being really good? Take responses. No, it isn’t. So let’s 
track down some clues about how you can get to heaven. Our clues have to do with who, what, and where.
Teacher 2: First, Who? Let’s look at a line-up of suspects and see who was against God. We’ll give you a clue, and you write down your answer. Don’t say your answer out loud or show it to anyone else, because you don’t want anyone to see your clues sheet. Don’t worry about spelling correctly.
If time, they can draw the answers in each space instead of writing the answers.
Teacher 1: The first two suspects lived a long time ago—about 6,000 years ago. They were the first people and they lived in a beautiful garden. Write down their names if you know who they were. Do so.
Teacher 2: Our next suspect was known as the most famous pirate of all time. He had a beard, and it’s said that he would light his hair on fire to make it smoke under his hat so he would appear especially fierce to those he was going to rob. His name starts with a B. Remember, he has a beard. Have them write down their guess. 
Teacher 1: Our next suspect was a prophet. He’s the prophet we talked about two days ago who ended up in the belly of a big fish. Have them write down their guess.
Teacher 2: Our next suspect was also a prophet—the one we talked about yesterday who saw the vision of God on the throne. His name starts with an I. Have them write down their guess.
Teacher 1: There’s one more box. We’re going to leave that blank for right now and come back to it after a bit, but we’re going to show you the answers to the first four. Draw a star next to each one you have correctly identified. We’ll come back later and find out who was against God.
Teacher 2: Box 1 was Adam and Eve. Box 2 was Blackbeard the Pirate. Box 3 was Jonah. Box 4 was Isaiah. Uncover each one on the Clues poster as you are going through the answers. 
Section 2—What?
Teacher 1: Now we’re going to try to answer the question of What? What did they do wrong against God? 
Teacher 2: Let’s go back to our first suspects—Adam and Eve, the first two people on earth. If you think you know what they did wrong against God, draw a quick sketch  of the item it has to do with. Do so.
Teacher 1: Our next suspect is Blackbeard the Pirate. What did pirates do wrong? Draw a quick sketch or write a couple words of something they did wrong. Do so.
Teacher 2: The next suspect was Jonah, the prophet who ended up in the belly of the fish. What do you think he did wrong? Draw a quick sketch or write a couple words to describe it. Do so.
Teacher 1: The next suspect was Isaiah, the prophet who saw God on the throne in the vision. Let me read from the Bible what his response was after he saw the vision of God on the throne, and then you can draw a quick sketch or write a couple words to tell what you think he did wrong. Read Isaiah 6:3–5, and have them sketch what part of his body he mentioned that he had sinned with.
Teacher 2: And that brings us to the last box in this section. Let’s leave it blank for right now, but let’s see if you figured out what deed each one committed against God. Draw a star next to each one you got right. Box 1, with Adam and Eve as the suspects, was eating forbidden fruit. Box 2, with Blackbeard as the suspect, was stealing stuff. Box 3, with Jonah as the suspect, was running away from God. And box 4, with Isaiah as the suspect, was having unclean lips (meaning he said things he shouldn’t have). Uncover each one on the Clues poster as you are going through the answers. 

Section 3—Where?
Teacher 1: The last question we’re trying to answer is Where? Where did they do their wrong deeds against God? 
Teacher 2: In the first box, write where Adam and Eve lived. That’s where they committed their wrong deed. Do so.
Teacher 1: In the second box, write where Blackbeard the Pirate did his stealing. Do so.
Teacher 2: In the third box, write the interesting, slimy place Jonah ended up when he disobeyed God and ran away. Do so.
Teacher 1: In the fourth box, write what building Isaiah saw in his vision. Do so.
Teacher 2: And leave the fifth box blank for now.
Teacher 1: Here are the answers. Draw a star next to each one you got right. In the first box, you should have said the garden of Eden. That’s where Adam and Eve lived when they disobeyed God and ate the forbidden fruit. Uncover each one on the Clues poster as you are going through the answers.
Teacher 2: In the second box, you should have said a ship at sea. That’s one place Blackbeard was when he would steal people’s stuff.
Teacher 1: In the third box, you should have said in the belly of the big fish. That’s where Jonah ended up when he ran away from God.
Teacher 2: In the fourth box, you should have said a temple. Isaiah’s vision took place in a temple, and he realized he was a man of unclean lips, saying things he shouldn’t.
Gospel Presentation
Teacher 1: We’re trying to figure out how to get to heaven from these clues, so let’s look at each suspect and what they did wrong to see who was against God.
Teacher 2: To begin, let’s look at our first box in each row. We’ve got Adam and Eve, with the fruit, in the garden of Eden, as described in Genesis 1–3. Can anyone fill in the details and tell us more of what happened there? Take responses.
Teacher 1: Do you think Adam and Eve acted against God by eating that fruit? Take responses. Yes, that was an act of disobedience because God specifically told them not to do that. Any time we disobey God it’s called sin.
Teacher 2: Now let’s look at the second set of boxes. We’ve got Blackbeard the Pirate with stolen stuff in a pirate ship. Do you think Blackbeard acted against God by stealing stuff? Take responses. 
Teacher 1: Yes, stealing is forbidden in the Bible, as it says in Exodus 20:15, so that’s an act of disobedience, or sin. God is kind and cares for us, so he wants us to be kind to others too, not go around taking things that don’t belong to us. The Bible tells us to work so we can provide for ourselves, our families, and others. See Ephesians 4:28, Colossians 3:23, and 1 Timothy 5:8.
Teacher 2: Now let’s look at the third set of boxes. We’ve got Jonah running away and ending up in the sea. Do you think he acted against God? Take responses.
Teacher 1: God told him to go to Nineveh, but he went the other way, so that was sin because he didn’t obey God. See Deuteronomy 11:1.
Teacher 2: And now let’s look at the fourth set of boxes. We’ve got Isaiah with unclean lips at the temple. Do you think he sinned? Take responses.
Teacher 1: Yes, speaking things with your lips that aren’t pleasing to God is a sin. We don’t know what Isaiah is referring to exactly when he said his lips were unclean, but there are many ways we can sin with the words we say from our lips. See Psalm 5:9, Proverbs 6:17, Proverbs 11:13, Proverbs 18:8, Proverbs 25:23, Matthew 12:36–37, and 
Ephesians 4:29 for examples. God is always truthful and never lies, but perhaps Isaiah lied. God is always kind, but perhaps Isaiah said something unkind or mean. All these and many more are ways we sin with our lips. 
Teacher 2: So we’ve established that all our suspects sinned, or disobeyed God’s commands. But did you know the Bible tells us in Romans 3:23 that we all sin? Every one of us? Read Romans 3:23. That means that even you need to be placed in that line-up of suspects, because you sin, too. So in that last box in the Who? section, write your name and draw your face. Do so. 
Teacher 1: Okay, now here’s a question. Of the five suspects, including you, whose sin seems the worst? Take a minute to discuss which one they think is the worst. Circle any you think sinned so bad that they can’t go to heaven. Do so, then discuss answers. 
Teacher 2: The answer is they all sinned at least one time in their lives, so they all can’t go to heaven on their own works. You see, since God is holy and perfect, he can’t allow even one sin in heaven. That means if a person sins even once, he’s considered as guilty as someone who sins tons of times. It doesn’t matter if it’s Blackbeard the Pirate or you—each person has sinned against God. This is a serious situation! 
Teacher 1: From the beginning, when Adam and Eve sinned against God, until today, each of us disobeys God. It may not be by stealing stuff, like Blackbeard, but it may be saying something with our lips that we shouldn’t, like lying, or saying something unkind, like Isaiah. Or maybe it’s hiding from our parents or going the other way when they call us, like Jonah did with God. The Bible tells us in Ephesians that children are to obey their parents, so if you don’t obey right away, all the way, and with a good attitude, that’s sinning.
Teacher 2: Think about a sin you’ve done at some point in your life and draw a quick sketch or write a few words about it in the last box in the What? section. Maybe it’s making fun of someone, or punching your brother, or complaining about something, or saying a bad word, or any other number of things. Do so. 
Teacher 1: Now, in the bottom box, draw where you were when you committed that sin. Do so. 
Teacher 2: Our sin causes a huge problem for us because God is holy and always must punish sin. And listen to this—the Bible tells us in Romans 6:23 the wages—or payment—of sin is death. Sin separates us from God for all of eternity. Those who stay in their sins are not part of God’s family and won’t go to heaven when they die but will instead go to a terrible place called hell. But because God loves us so much, he came to earth to rescue us from this predicament about 2,000 years ago.
Direct them to draw a baby in a manger in the bottom left box on the clues sheet while you say the following.
Teacher 1: The amazing, almighty, great God, who is so much greater and better than we can ever imagine, and who lived in heaven, decided to leave heaven and come to earth in the form of a baby. His name on earth was Jesus. God now was on earth and was with us. That’s what the word “Emmanuel” means—God with us! Jesus is God, God the Son. This is a mystery, but it’s true, and it’s great news, because it means that we can know the mighty God. God didn’t just leave us to our sinful selves. He sent his Son so we can know him personally and be saved from our sins.
Direct them to draw a cross in the bottom middle box on the clues sheet while you say the following.
Teacher 2: When Jesus came to earth, he lived a perfect life, never sinning even once. He was holy, like we learned God is. He’s the only one who has ever lived perfectly. Every other person sins. At the end of his life, some wicked men put him to death on a cross. This was a very painful death, but Jesus willingly died so he could take 
the punishment for sin that we deserved. Let’s say Romans 5:8, our memory verse, to remember this. Show the day 4 memory verse poster and say it together.
Teacher 1: Let’s pretend that I’m a pirate who stole someone’s money, but instead of me going to jail for the crime, an innocent man goes to jail in place of me. Wouldn’t that be amazingly kind of the innocent man? That’s kind of like what Jesus did for us. None of us is innocent. We all sin against God and deserve to be punished. But Jesus died on the cross to take the punishment we deserve so we can be forgiven and become children of God if we trust in what Jesus did for us rather than trying to earn God’s forgiveness.
Direct them to write “He’s alive!” in the bottom right box on the clues sheet while you say the following.
Teacher 2: After Jesus died, something amazing happened. He came back to life! Of course, we know nothing is too hard for God (Jeremiah 32:27), even coming back to life! That shows us just one more way that Jesus is God. 
Teacher 1: It’s amazing to think that God loves us so much that God the Son came to earth and died for us to take the punishment we deserve for all the sins we’ve done! He did this so that we can become part of his forever family. But you aren’t automatically his child—only if you sincerely receive Jesus as your Savior.
Teacher 2: If you’re interested in becoming a child of God, you need to pray to him—talk to him. First, what do you think this word is? Show rebus card 1. Yes, this word is admit. It means you need to first admit to God that you’re a sinner and you’re sorry for the wrong you’ve done against him. When you see your sin against a holy God, you should turn away from your sin (repent) and turn toward God.
Teacher 1: Next, what is this word? Show rebus card 2. Yes, believe. You must believe that Jesus is God and he came to earth, lived a perfect life, died a terrible death on the cross to take the punishment for your sin, and then came back to life.
Teacher 2: Admit, believe, and here’s the third set of words. Show rebus card 3. Yes, forever receive.
Teacher 1: Once you admit you’re a sinner, want to turn away from your sin (repent), and believe Jesus died and came back to life to take the punishment for your sin, you can become a child of God. If you sincerely believe this, you will forever receive him into your life and be part of God’s family for all eternity. This is the most important and wonderful thing that can ever happen to you. It’s better than finding a treasure worth a billion dollars. It’s better than anything, because it means you will one day get to live forever in the most amazing place ever—heaven—and be with the most amazing one ever—God. Show the Day 4  animal pal poster. Jam the immortal jellyfish reminds us of this. Immortal means to live forever. Anyone who has trusted in Jesus alone for eternal life will live forever with God! 
Teacher 2: And there’s more wonderful news. After Jesus died, rose from the dead, and went back to heaven, God promised he would never leave us or forsake us. In fact, God himself lives with every believer in the Person of the Holy Spirit. God is the one and only God, but he is three Persons in one: God the Father, God the Son—who is Jesus, and God the Holy Spirit. God the Holy Spirit lives with you and acts as a comforter, a helper, and a counselor. Read John 14:26, Romans 8:26, and 1 Corinthians 12:7. Our medallion for today is a heart because we want to love God with all our heart. Do you see it on the animal pal poster? Have them look at the Day 4  animal pal poster and see if they can find the heart. 
Make sure salvation counseling happens in a safe spot that is quiet, but not out of sight of other people.
Teacher 1: If you want to hear more about how you can become a child of God, or if you have questions about this, let’s have you go with _____ (teachers, group guides, pastors) now. The rest of us are going to move on to our next activity.

Part 2: Small Group Time (5–10 minutes)
Day 4 Discussion Sheets, 1 per small group
Divide into groups of 4–6 islanders, with a group guide or teacher in each group. Adjust depending on how many group guides and kids you have. Discuss some or all of the following questions.
Give the Discussion Sheets to the guides to do later if you don’t have time during class.
Do you like to watch or read mysteries? Which ones? Have you ever read or watched a mystery where they were trying to figure out who the guilty person was? 
In today’s lesson, did it surprise you to have to put yourself in the line-up of people who are guilty of sin? Do you understand why that’s true? 
Have you ever considered just how amazing it is that the wonderful, loving God came to earth for sinners like you, to rescue you from sin’s punishment? Do you understand that you have to trust in Jesus to be rescued?
Gospel Opportunity
Have you ever admitted your sin to God, believed in Jesus, and forever received him as your Lord and Savior? Can you tell us about it? Take kids’ testimonies here, or share your own. 
Part 3: Review Game (10–15 minutes)
OPTION 1: Sand pails and sand shovels, 1 per team, play sand in buckets, plastic tablecloths
OPTION 2: Timer
Pre-prep: Choose an option below. Option 1 needs sand shovels, play sand in buckets, and sand pails, all with plastic tablecloths underneath them. Option 2 requires no pre-prep except gathering the timer.
 Option 1—Shovel the Sand
To Play: Divide into two or more teams. Ask a review question, have teams quietly confer, and on the count of three, share answers. If they get it right, they earn the opportunity to shovel the sand. When you say, “Shovel!” the first person on the team takes the sand shovel, loads some sand on it from the bucket, and dumps it in the sand pail. The next person then goes, and so on, until you call time for that round. Give them 10 seconds. Continue with another question. If the team gets it right, they again earn the right to shovel. Start with the person where it left off last round so everyone gets turns shoveling sand. The winning team is the one with the most play sand in the pail at the end of the game. 
Option 2—Lightning Round
To play: Put 11/2 minutes on the timer. Quickly read a question, and have everyone shout out their answers as soon as you finish reading the question. As soon as you hear someone say the right answer, affirm that answer and move to the next question. The group as a whole wins if they get through all the questions in the time allotted.
Questions
Who is today’s animal pal and how does she remind us of God?
Answer: Jam the immortal jellyfish. “Immortal” means to live forever. You can live forever with God if you are his child.
What is “sin”?
Answer: Disobeying God’s commands. 
How many people sin?
Answer: Every person
Who is Jesus and why did he come to earth?
Answer: Jesus is God the Son. He came to earth to take the punishment for the sin we have committed so we have a way to be saved from that punishment and to live forever with God.
Yes or no: God is love, and God loves me.
Answer: Yes, he loves you and wants you to be his child.

What does it mean that we need to admit to God that we sin?
Answer: They have done things against the living God. They have disobeyed his commands and need to confess (tell) God and then repent (turn) from their sin.
What does it mean to believe in Jesus as Savior?
Answer: They believe Jesus is the one true God and that Jesus came and lived a perfect life, died on the cross in their place, and rose again, paying the penalty for their sin.
What does it mean to forever receive Jesus as Savior?
Answer: To receive Jesus is to welcome him into your life as your Savior from sin and the Lord you will follow. If they do so, they will become part of God’s family and will forever be his child.
What is something amazing you’ve discovered about God so far this week?
Answers will vary.
Apply It!
Optional: Gospel bookmarks, 1 per child
Day 4 Sudent Guides, 1 per child
Trail Guides, 1 per child
Stamp for Trail Guides
In the remaining time, complete one or more of the following ideas in class. 
Put a stamp in the Trail Guides, or group guides can do so as the kids first arrive at VBS. Give them the gospel bookmarks, one per child.
Part 1: Treasured Verses
Day 4 Memory Verse Poster
Memory Verse Music CD and player
Decode the Scrambled Verse supplies—pieces of paper or orange “sun” circle cutouts, 1 per word, plus a marker
Pre-prep: For the Decode the Scrambled Verse Challenge, prepare the materials as described below. Hang the day 4 memory verse poster and cue the memory verse song. 
Today’s Verse: But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8 
Practice the verse several times by playing the appropriate song from the Memory Verse CD and using the day 4 memory Verse poster as a reference. Then try the Challenge.
Challenge: Decode the Scrambled Verse—Write each word of the verse on a piece of paper or  orange “sun” circle cutout. Mix them up and flip them over so you can’t see the words. Pick up one at a time, read the word, and decide where it goes in the verse. Can you get them in order?
Tomorrow’s Verse: Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Proverbs 3:5–6
Try the Challenge again, this time saying tomorrow’s verse. 
Part 2: Go and Do
Read Daniel 9:9, Psalm 71:2, Psalm 103:12, Psalm 145:8–9, and Colossians 1:13–14. What do these verses teach us about God as our Savior?
Pray and thank God for sending his Son, Jesus. Use Ephesians 2:4–10 to guide your prayer. Thank him for his love and goodness, and for his willingness to forgive those who ask to be his child. 
With an adult, take a prayer walk around your neighborhood and pray for those who may not know Jesus as their Savior.
Ask an adult if he has ever turned from his sin and trusted in Jesus Christ for salvation.
Check AnswersVBS.com/mikids for more fun information!
Ask yourself this question: Am I a child of God?

Day 5
TRUSTY-Y+WORD-D+THEE
God is TRUSTWORTHY!

Today’s Medallion
Diamond
Bible passage
David Trusts God
1 Samuel 17
Animal Pal
Trusty the Macaw
Lesson Focus
God is TRUSTWORTHY! He is our rock. We should praise, thank, adore, worship, and live for him.
Apologetics Focus
God is bigger and greater than all our unanswered questions. We can trust him.
Treasured Verse
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Proverbs 3:5–6

Today’s Lesson at a Glance
Introduce It!
Day 5 Mystery Clue
Option 1—Decipher the Cipher
Option 2—Mystery Riddle
Teach It! 
Part 1: David and Goliath
Part 2: Bible Treasure Hunt
Part 3: Review Game
Option 1—“Leaf” It
Option 2—Lightning Round
Apply It!
Part 1: Treasured Verse
Part 2: Go and Do
Preparing for the Lesson
Read 1 Samuel 17 and some psalms of David a couple times.
Read this lesson several times and prepare the materials as outlined in the brown pre-prep text.
For more information on how we know we can trust God, visit AnswersVBS.com/mifaq.
Pray. 
Devotion 5 God Is Trustworthy
And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you. Psalm 9:10
Today, as we examine the account of David and Goliath, consider that David was likely in his late teens when he went against the giant. Not too much older than some of the kids in your classes. Perhaps the age of the teen volunteers on your crew. Yet, even by that age, David had learned so much about the one true God that his trust in his God was firm. He knew that God was living and active (1 Samuel 17:26), he was the ruler over all (v. 45), and he was mighty to save (vv. 46–47). He had experienced God’s massive power throughout his life (v. 37), and he was confident enough to confront those who didn’t believe (vv. 26–30). 
Throughout the rest of his life, David would write of his trust in God based on what he knew to be true about his Creator. Consider all the attributes of God that David included in just one psalm (25): God is deliverer, truth, salvation, merciful, loving, good, eternal, upright, faithful, a friend, gracious, forgiving, the Redeemer. He proclaims, “O my God, in you I trust” (Psalm 25:2). Take a glance through David’s psalms, and notice how often he rehearses God’s attributes to himself and how often he reminds himself to trust in God, no matter his circumstances. In times of trouble or times of ease, David trusted God. Because he knew the Word of God, he knew who God is and trusted him because of it.  
Think about it.
How well do you know the one true God? Do you know enough about him and his attributes to trust him completely with your life? Do you rehearse God’s attributes to yourself (and your family and the children in your care)? 
Consider what we’ve studied about God this week: he is great, almighty, ruler, Emmanuel, and trustworthy. How does embracing and clinging to these attributes change your perspective on your job, your relationships, your bank account, your home, your family, your life? What fears keep you from trusting God more fully? Is there one attribute that you need to meditate on to help you overcome those fears? Are there other attributes you need to remind yourself of or uncover through Bible study? 
Today, let’s make sure our hearts are firmly trusting in the one true God as we encourage the children toward trusting God. May we pray with the Puritans:
Thou art all my good in times of peace,
my only support in days of trouble,
my one sufficiency when life shall end.
Help me to see how good thy will is in all,
and even when it crosses mine
teach me to be pleased with it.
Grant me to feel thee in fire, and food and every providence,
and to see that thy many gifts and creatures
are but thy hands and fingers taking hold of me.
Thou bottomless fountain of all good,
I give myself to thee out of love,
for all I have or own is thine,
my goods, family, church, self,
to do with as thou wilt,
to honour thyself by me, and by all mine.
If it be consistent with thy eternal counsels,
the purpose of thy grace,
and the great ends of thy glory,
then bestow upon me the blessings of thy comforts;
If not, let me resign myself to thy wiser determinations.
(Excerpt from “The All-Good” from The Valley of Vision)
Introduce It!
Treasure Map Poster
Day 5 Large Medallion, preferably laminated
Day 5 Memory Verse Poster
OPTION 1: Cipher Poster,  laminated, and dry erase marker
OPTION 2: No supplies
Puzzle Cards 1–4
Treasure Maps, 1 per child (color versions of these are also available to purchase and include a set of stickers; see page 8 for more information)
Days 1–5 Sticker Medallions, 1 set per child 
Bible or children’s Bible
Costumes for teachers
Mounting putty or tape
Treasure chest
Day 5 Mystery Clue (10 minutes)
Pre-prep: Cut out and laminate the day 5 large medallion and put it and the Bible in the treasure chest, with the Bible bookmarked at the appropriate passages. Laminate the cipher poster. Organize the treasure maps and days 1–5 sticker medallions so each child gets a set for class time or take home. Make preparations for either Option 1 or Option 2 below.
Teacher 1: Welcome to Lighthouse Lessons on our last day, islanders! Let’s see if we can remember our past puzzle cards. See if they can remember the puzzle cards from the first four days.
Teacher 2: Now let’s discover today’s mystery clue!
Option 1—Decipher the Cipher
Show the Cipher poster and have them decode the mystery word. The answer is diamond.
Then direct their attention to the treasure map poster and have them follow the trail to the next location: Macaw Mountain. Pull out the day 5 large medallion from the treasure chest and put it on as you discuss what they think a diamond has to do with God. See if they can find the diamond at the Macaw Mountain. Discuss that diamonds are the hardest substance on earth. If someone is wearing a diamond, show it to them. Explain that diamonds are also one of the most valued things in the world. The word “diamond” means “indestructible.” God is like a diamond in that he is by far the most valuable of all on earth. He is indestructible. He is our rock. We can trust him because he is never going to change, never going to leave, and always going to be all things great and good. Because he is holy (Isaiah 6:3; Revelation 4:8), we can trust him. Because he is love (1 John 4:7–8; Romans 5:8), we can trust him. Because he is perfect (Deuteronomy 32:4; 2 Samuel 22:31) and all things good (Psalm 135:3; James 1:17), we can trust him with our lives. Share today’s memory verse, Proverbs 3:5–6, using the day 5 memory verse poster.
Now, pass out the treasure maps and the sticker medallions for the five days. Have them put the proper stickers on the proper spots as you ask what each means. They will take these home today. Or, if short on time, send them home as a take home activity. It will be a fun review.
Teacher 1: Time to pray, and then we’ll grab our Bible from the treasure chest and turn to 1 Samuel 17, which tells of an account that happened about 3,000 years ago. Do so. This is a great example of someone named David who trusted God with his life because he knew God was trustworthy. We’re going to act it out as we hear more about the one true God. Let’s start!
Option 2—Mystery Riddle
Share a clue such as the following. Adjust to fit your situation.
If you look closely you may find a ring with a rock that’s one of a kind. 
Technically, a diamond is a gemstone, not a rock, but people talk about diamonds as rocks.
The answer to the riddle is a diamond ring. Tell them that people sometimes call diamonds “rocks” because they are the strongest natural material known to man.
Then direct their attention to the treasure map poster and have them follow the trail to the next location: Macaw Mountain. Pull out the day 5 large medallion from the treasure chest and put it on as you discuss what they think a diamond has to do with God. See if they can find the diamond at the Macaw Mountain. Discuss that diamonds are the hardest substance on earth. If someone is wearing a diamond, show it to them. Explain that diamonds are also one of the most valued things in the world. The word “diamond” means “indestructible.” God is like a diamond in that he is by far the most valuable of all on earth. He is indestructible. He is our rock. We can trust him because he is never going to change, never going to leave, and always going to be all things great and good. Because he is holy (Isaiah 6:3, Revelation 4:8), we can trust him. Because he is love (1 John 4:7–8, Romans 5:8), we can trust him. Because he 
is perfect (Deuteronomy 32:4, 2 Samuel 22:31) and all things good (Psalm 135:3, James 1:17), we can trust him with our lives. Share today’s memory verse, Proverbs 3:5–6, using the day 5 memory verse poster.
Now, pass out the treasure maps and the sticker medallions for the five days. Have them put the proper stickers on the proper spots as you ask what each means. They will take these home today. Or, if short on time, send them home to do as a take home activity. It will be a fun review.
Teacher 1: Time to pray, and then we’ll grab our Bible from the treasure chest and turn to 1 Samuel 17, which tells of an account that happened about 3,000 years ago. Do so. This is a great example of someone named David who trusted God with his life because he knew God was trustworthy. We’re going to act it out as we hear more about the one true God. Let’s start!
Teach It!
David and Goliath Poster 
Name Tags
Hole punch
Yarn or string
Pair of scissors
Measuring tape to measure 9 feet tall and 13 feet long
Optional props (see text)
Part 1: David and Goliath (15 minutes)
Pre-prep: Prepare the name tags by punching two holes in the top of each and threading yarn through so they can be comfortably worn by the participants. Gather the props. Or just pretend without using real props. Measure ahead of time how long 13 feet is and how tall nine feet is.
Cast
To simplify, have just David, Goliath, the Philistine army, and the Israelite army.
David
Saul
David’s three brothers
Goliath
Goliath’s shield-bearer
Philistine army (half of the rest of the students)
Israelite army (other half of the rest of the students)
Optional Props
Bible time costumes (for the main actors)
Play helmet and armor (for David and Goliath)
Crown (for Saul)
Low step stool (for Goliath to stand on)
Two pool noodles duct taped together to make one very long “spear” (for Goliath)
Basket with real or fake bread or food (for David to bring to the army)
Knotted tube sock (for David to “sling”) 
Get everyone organized, pass out name tags, and begin.
Teacher 1: Show the david and goliath poster. This is an epic story of a battle between two people—this guy named Goliath (point to Goliath) and a teenager named David (point to David). Goliath represented an army called the Philistines. David represented an army called the Israelites. The Israelites were God’s special people and the Philistines were their enemy. The Philistines were standing on the mountain on one side, and the Israelites stood on the other side, with a valley in between them. Direct all the Philistines to get on one side of the room and the Israelites on the other. They should be facing each other.
Teacher 2: Goliath, who was a great champion, came out of the Philistine camp. He was over nine feet tall! Direct Goliath to step forward. Have him stand on the bottom step (no higher) of a low step stool to add a little height. Show how high nine feet tall would really be. He came from a family with four other brothers, one of whom had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot. It was an unusual family size-wise, to say the least.
Teacher 1: Goliath had a helmet of bronze on his head and a suit of armor on his body that weighed 125 pounds or more. Direct the shield-bearer to put the helmet and armor on Goliath. If you don’t have actual props, pretend to do so.

The test church kids loved acting this out! It helped to have a pre-arranged quiet signal so they knew when to stop cheering and talking throughout this little drama. Decide on one and practice it before you begin.

Teacher 2: And he had a javelin that was the size of a weaver’s beam—about 13 feet long and over 30 pounds! That’s this long (show how long 13 feet would be) and the weight of a medium dog. Direct the shield-bearer or another in the Philistine army to give Goliath his javelin, or pretend to do so. 
Teacher 1: Now every day for 40 days Goliath would come between the two armies and shout to the Israelite army. He would taunt them and try to get someone to fight him. Direct Goliath to say something in a taunting way. Goliath wanted the war between the two countries to be settled by a fight between himself and one Israelite. If the Israelite killed Goliath, then all the Philistines would be the Israelites’ servants. Direct the Israelites to cheer at this idea.
Teacher 2: But if Goliath killed the one Israelite, then all the Israelites would have to be servants of the Philistines. Direct the Philistines to cheer at this idea. 
Teacher 1: The leader of the Israelite army was King Saul. When he and his army heard Goliath’s idea, they were super afraid. Nobody was willing to fight against Goliath. Direct the Israelite army to act afraid.
Teacher 2: Now there was an Israelite family whose father was named Jesse. Jesse had eight boys. The oldest three were in the Israelite army. Direct the three sons to wave.
Teacher 1: The father Jesse asked his youngest son, David, who was in his late teens at the time, to take some food (bread, cheese, grains) to his brothers and other Israelite soldiers. Direct David to take the play food to the Israelite army and start to pass it out. 
Teacher 2: After arriving, he ran to the front lines just as Goliath the giant was coming out with his usual taunt. Direct Goliath to come out and taunt the army to send one person to fight him. 
Teacher 1: All the men of Israel ran away when they heard Goliath. Direct the Israelite army to pretend to run away. They should run in place.  
Teacher 2: David witnessed all this and asked what was going to be done for the person who fought Goliath. He was greatly upset because he saw that Goliath was mocking the army of God. Direct David to say he’s upset.
Teacher 1: Well, when the Israelites heard what David was saying, they took him to King Saul. Direct some from the army to take David to Saul.
Teacher 2: David told Saul he would go and fight Goliath. Saul didn’t think David would be able to fight him well because David was only a teenager. Direct David and Saul to have a conversation regarding this.
Teacher 1: David told Saul he had taken care of sheep and fought off lions and bears and killed them. Goliath would be just like a lion or a bear. God protected him from the lion and the bear, and God would protect him from Goliath, too. Direct David to say something like this to Saul. 
Teacher 2: So Saul agreed for David to be the one to fight Goliath. He dressed David in his armor and helmet. Direct Saul to put a real or pretend helmet and armor on David. 
Teacher 1: But David wasn’t used to them and didn’t want to use them, so he took the armor off. David didn’t want to trust in armor, but in God. Direct David to take it off.
Teacher 2: Then it was time for David and Goliath to fight. Direct everyone to say, “Dun, dun, dun!” Goliath came out cursing David and saying he was going to give David’s flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field. He was trying to scare David. Direct Goliath to do so (without cursing).
Teacher 1: But was David intimidated by Goliath? No! David trusted in God because he knew who God is. God is faithful to his people, and God is stronger than any enemy. David knew he was fighting for the Lord and God’s honor. God would give him the 
strength. He told Goliath that even though Goliath came with a huge spear and sword, David came in the name of the Lord, the God of the army of the Israelites.  
Teacher 2: Not only that, but David also said God would deliver Goliath into his hand, and David would strike him down and cut off his head! He said the battle is the Lord’s. That means the Lord is in control, and David was confident he would win with the Lord’s help. Let’s all say, “The battle is the Lord’s!” Do so. 
Teacher 1: Goliath began to come toward David. Direct Goliath to do so, dramatically and in slow motion, or just running in place.
Caution the kids not to try this at home.
Teacher 2: But David didn’t run away. He instead ran quickly toward Goliath, grabbing a stone and putting it into his sling. Direct David to do so, but don’t use a stone. Use the knotted tube sock or just pretend. He slung it, and it struck Goliath smack dab in the middle of his forehead, and he fell over and died. Direct Goliath to do so.
Teacher 1: The Israelite army was so glad. Direct them to cheer. Then David took Goliath’s sword and cut off his head, just as he said he would. 
Teacher 2: And all the Philistine army ran away. Direct them to do so, running in place. Then instruct everyone to sit down.
Teacher 1: The Israelites had won! And David stood strong in his trust of the Lord. How awesome is that?!
Teacher 2: David showed his trust in God even from this age when he was a teenager, because David knew God is faithful, perfect, powerful, great, good, and caring. David had mighty trust in God because he knew God is a big God. Knowing how great and powerful God is leads to having big trust in our Creator. God wants you to have big trust in him, too. 
You may want to read a few verses of psalms that David wrote that illustrate his trust in the Lord. Possibilities include selections from Psalm 27 and 62.
Gospel Opportunity
Teacher 1: Now here comes a big thought I want you to always remember: When something happens in life—even something that seems really bad—and you don’t understand why, trust God’s character. If you have a big question in life, trust God’s character. Remember that God is love, God is good, and God is perfect. Whether we understand a big question or big circumstance or not doesn’t change who God is. Trust him!  
Teacher 1:  I’m thankful to say I have put my trust in the Lord. Share your personal testimony and the gospel as led. 
Part 2: Bible Treasure Hunt (10–15 minutes)
Day 5 Animal Pal Poster
Bible Treasure Hunt Sheet, 1 per group
Writing utensils, 1 per group
Optional: Hard writing surface, 1 per group
Pre-prep: Copy the bible treasure hunt sheet and gather the writing utensils. You may want to put the bible treasure hunt sheets on clipboards or a hard surface.
Teacher 2: Now let’s take a Bible Treasure Hunt to remind us of some reasons we can trust God.
Teacher 1: Show the day 5 animal pal poster. You know, pirates had their trusty parrot friends, like Trusty the macaw here. Pirates were mean and probably didn’t have many friends they could trust, but they could count on their parrots.
Our test churches only had time to do the intro. They sent home the Bible Treasure Hunt sheets. If you do that, you’ll need one per person.
Teacher 2: Besides parrots, I want you to think of the person you trust most. It could be a relative, a teacher, a friend, a coach. Pause for a second. Who is that person? What is it about that person that makes you trust him or her? Maybe you trust them because they’re strong or make you feel safe, or they always know the right thing to say. Maybe you trust them because they don’t usually let you down and they try to keep their promises. Take responses. 
Teacher 1: We’ve been talking about how God is trustworthy. In fact, he is the one we can trust most—even more than that person you thought of.

Teacher 2: The people we trust may at some point let us down, but God never will. Psalm 62 says: Read Psalm 62:8. This verse says we can trust God always, and always tell him what we’re thinking and feeling, because God is a refuge for us. Being a refuge means God is safe for us.
Teacher 1: We’ve been learning about who God is—and all these things we’ve learned about God show why we can trust him. For instance, we learned God is loving, so we can trust him because he will be loving to his children. God is everywhere, so we can trust him because he’s always with us. God is the only God and the Creator of all, so we can trust him because no one is stronger or greater than he is. He is our strong and steady rock.
Stop here if you are sending the bible treasure hunt sheet home instead of doing it in class.
Teacher 2: So now it’s time to go on our treasure hunt through the Bible to find just a few other reasons we can trust him.
Break into groups and give each group a bible treasure hunt and a writing utensil. Explain that there are 10 verses listed. They should read each one and figure out what it says about God and his trustworthiness. Then, they write that key word or words in the blanks. There are a few letters already filled in to help. Once they’ve figured out all 10 attributes, they should use the circled letters from each one to figure out the mystery phrase at the bottom. Any team who unscrambles the letters and figures out the phrase in the allotted time wins.
Teacher 1: What was the mystery phrase at the end? Take answers. That’s right—trust in God! And as those 10 verses showed, we can trust God because he’s near to us, all powerful, kind, and always truthful. He’s also the ruler of the whole world, which shows he’s in control. He’s eternal and will never end. But even though he’s so powerful, he uses that power for good. He’s perfect and keeps his promises. He cares for you. That’s a long list of great reasons to trust God, but as we’ve learned this week, there are many other attributes of God that show why we can trust him! In fact, we can learn about God for all of eternity and never run out of stuff that’s great about him. Isaiah 26:4 says: Read the verse. The Bible says we can trust in God forever—and now we know some of the reasons why! God is trustworthy! 
Part 3: Review Game (5–15 minutes)
Play the review game today. It covers a lot of ground from the whole week.
Pre-prep: Choose an option below. Option 1 (which takes longer to play) needs the palm tree leaf pattern copied onto green paper, cut out, and put in the bag(s). You can either make one bag of leaves and have teams share the bag, or make a bag for each team. Option 2 requires no pre-prep except gathering the timer.
Option 1—“Leaf” It
OPTION 1: Palm Tree Leaf Pattern, green copy paper, opaque bags, scissors
OPTION 2: Timer 
To play: Ask a question. If the team gets it right, they draw one palm tree leaf out of the bag and get that number of points. If they get the leaf that says “Typhoon—lose all points!” they lose all their points. If they get the leaf that says “Treasure—double your points!” they get to double their current point total. The team with the most points at the end of the time wins. 
Option 2—Lightning Round
To play: Put four minutes on the timer. Quickly read a question, and have everyone shout out their answers as soon as you finish reading the question. As soon as you hear someone say the right answer, affirm that answer, share the comments, and move to the next question. The group as a whole wins if they get through all the questions in the time allotted.
Questions
Yes or no: God changes his mind.
Answer: No. God does not change.

Yes or no: God knows how many hairs are on my head at all times.
Answer: Yes. He knows everything about you—even your thoughts you haven’t thought of yet!
True or false: Every good thing we ever experience is from God.
Answer: True. Every laugh, every smile, every kind hug, every mouthful of food, every fun time, every person who loves you—these are all good gifts that come from God. James 1:17 tells us every good and perfect gift comes from God.
True or false: God is stricter in the Old Testament than in the New Testament, and he’s kinder and more loving in the New Testament than in the Old. 
Answer: False. God is the same forever and has the same qualities forever. He does not change.
True or false: God cannot lie.
Answer: True. It’s impossible for God to lie.
Yes or no: God is good, not only to people, but also to the animal kingdom and the earth itself.
Answer: Yes. God’s goodness is experienced by everyone and everything.
True or false: To say God is sovereign, means he lives forever. 
Answer: False. It’s true that God lives forever, but when we say God is sovereign, we mean he “reigns” as ruler of the universe and is in perfect control of everything. He’s king of everything, and he’s in charge. We’re not.
True or false: When God stops a storm, that’s an example of his omnipresence. 
Answer: False. That’s an example of his omnipotence, which means his power over everything.
Yes or no: Can God be with you and with someone across the world at the same time?
Answer: Yes. He is everywhere with everyone and everything at the same time, all the time. This is called his omnipresence. That doesn’t mean he is in things like trees and rocks and bugs. He is with his creation but not in it.
True or false: It surprises God when you hiccup.
Answer: False. Nothing surprises God. He has always known everything. He’s never learned anything. This is called his omniscience.
True or false: God knowing what you’re going to say next is an example of his omniscience.
Answer: True. God knows everything, including what you’re going to say and do tomorrow and for the rest of your life.
Yes or no: God named the stars.
Answer: Yes. God created every star, and he named them all, too, as it says in Psalm 147:4.
True or false: When Adam and Eve sinned, God had to think up a new plan to save us. 
Answer: False. God knew from eternity past that Adam and Eve would sin, and he always planned to send Jesus. God never thinks up a new plan. He only ever has Plan A.
Yes or no: The most important thing about you is your view of God. 
Answer: Yes. If you don’t know who God really is, your will live your life differently from those who know God.
True or false: God hates sin.
Answer: True. He is all things good. He hates wickedness.
True or False: There are three Gods.

Answer: False. There is one God, but he is three Persons—one in three. God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. This is a mystery we can never really solve, but we know it’s true because God’s Word shows us each is God.
Yes or No: The only attribute—quality—of God that is repeated three times in a row in the Bible is love. God is love, love, love.
Answer: No. The only attribute repeated three times in a row is holy. Holy, holy, holy is the Lord. When something is repeated in Scripture, take note! It’s important.
True or False: Idols are false gods made by people.
Answer: True. Idols are not real gods. They are made up and take the place of God. There is only one true God.
True or False: Every person has disobeyed God.
Gospel Opportunity
Answer: True. The Bible says all have sinned. The only way to be cleansed of that sin is to admit you sin (repent) and trust in Jesus to save you. This means you believe Jesus died on the cross to take the punishment for your sin and rose from the dead, showing he is God’s perfect Son who won the victory over sin and death on your behalf. 
You may want to share your own testimony after the game is over.
True or False: God knows me. I am never out of his mind or his care.
Answer: True. 
Apply It!
Day 5 Student Guides, 1 per child
Trail Guides, 1 per child
Stamp for Trail Guides
Attributes of God bookmarks, 1 of each per child
Optional: Exploring God’s Word Bible studies, 1 per child
Day 5 Memory Verse Poster
Memory Verse Music CD and player
Draw It! supplies—paper and markers, 1 of each per child
In the remaining time, complete one or more of the following ideas in class. 
Put a stamp in the Trail Guides, or group guides can do so as the kids first arrive at VBS. Pass out the Exploring God’s Word Bible studies and Attributes of God bookmarks (see page 8 for more information).
Part 1: Treasured Verse
Pre-prep: For the Draw It! Challenge, prepare the materials as described below. Hang the day 5 memory verse poster and cue the memory verse song. 
Today’s Verse: Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Proverbs 3:5–6
Practice the verse several times by playing the appropriate song from the Memory Verse CD and using the Day 5 Memory Verse poster as a reference. Then try the Challenge.
Challenge: Draw It!—Draw the verse in a way that will help you remember it!
If you missed looking for the hidden symbols in the animal pal posters any day (one per day), check them out before leaving. 
Part 2: Go and Do 
Check out Psalm 9:10, Psalm 20:7, and Psalm 84:12. What do these verses say about trust? 
Pray and ask God to help you trust him with your life and to help you think about how awesome he is. Use Psalm 40 to guide your prayer.
Go to a safe spot outside. Sit and watch for tiny bugs and birds. Watch the blades of grass and the leaves. Look at the sky. Think about Creator God knowing every detail about every one of those and marvel at how amazing God is.  
Brainstorm with your parent or guardian a list of attributes of God from A to Z. (For example, Letter A could be almighty, Author of Life, Alpha and Omega, or awesome.)  
Check AnswersVBS.com/mikids for more fun information!
Ask yourself these questions: Is anything or anyone more important to me than God? If I am God’s child, do I want to praise, thank, and adore him?