Lesson Learned: God forgives us our sins when we confess them and ask for forgiveness.
Materials Needed: large sheet of brown construction paper, scissors, tape, marker or pen
Bible Verse:
1 John 1:9
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
1 Peter 2:24
24 “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”
Talking Points: God is a kind and caring God and He forgives you when you do something wrong. He knows that sometimes we will do bad things, things we don’t want to do, things called sins. Sometimes we are mean to our friends, we don’t share our toys, and we disobey our moms or dads. He knows that we need to tell Him we are sorry when we do these things. That is why He sent Jesus down to earth to die on the cross. When Jesus died on the cross, He paid the price for all the sins that people confess. God forgives us our sins when we confess them and ask for forgiveness.
Questions: How do you feel after you are mean to your brother, sister, or friend? How do you feel after you fail to share your toy or get sent to time out? When you do something wrong, what should you do? Isn’t it great that God will forgive us for those things when we tell Him we are sorry and ask for forgiveness?
Activity:
Draw a large, simple cross and cut it out. Hang the cross on the wall. Throughout the day, encourage the child to ask God for forgiveness whenever they sin. When they hit their sister, write it on the cross and have them ask God for forgiveness. When they fail to obey, write it on the cross and have them ask God for forgiveness. Explain to the child each time they bow down before the cross that God forgives them their sins. Jesus came and died on a cross and God forgets our sins we we confess them and ask for forgiveness.
Prayer: Holy and Heavenly Father, we need Your help to not sin. Please help me to (fill in blank for things child might need help with, e.g., listening to mom and dad, not lying, being kind, etc). We can’t do these things on our own and we need Your help. Amen!