All My Lessons
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Old Lessons and Miscellaneous Stuff
- Home
-
Lessons-Alphabetical
- Numeric
- A
-
B
- B.O.O.K.
- Backwards Dude
- Bad News/Good News
- Bag-O-Christmas
- Balloon Brothers
- Beach-in-a-Bottle
- Bears
- Bible Baseball Game
- Bible News Network
- Bible World Records
- Bleach and Iodine
- Bob and Darla's Wedding
- Bob-in-a-Box
- Books of the Bible Puzzle
- Bottle Hoop and Pen
- Box of Chocolates
- Brain Washing
- Brick Balance
- Brown Envelopes
- Bubbles
- Bug-Eyed Bob
-
C
- D
- E
-
F
-
G
-
H
- I-J
- K
- L
-
M
- N-O
-
P
- Q-R
-
S
- Sandcastle
- Satan's Packaging
- Scaffold and Bicycle
- Scale Model of the Universe
- Scavenger Hunt
- Seven Laws of Mr. Lyle Land
- Shell Game
- Shortadoofus
- Simon Says
- Singing Rod
- Six Impossible Things
- Skil Saws
- Slow Ball
- So What Color Was the Donkey
- Soap Opera
- Spaghetti Structures
- Spiritual Salad
- Stress-o-Meter
- S.T.U.P.I.D. Machine
- Super Christian Beachwear
- Survival Kit
-
T
- U-Z
- Topical Indexes
-
Other Things
- Contact
-
Old Lessons and Miscellaneous Stuff
Fix-O-Matic
(Forgiveness)
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
I John 1:9
The Basic Bible Truth
Sin is a huge issue to God. We often fail to recognize and remember that God has attached the death penalty to sin—He feels that strongly about it. He doesn’t rank sins like we tend to some times. Theft is no worse than a white lie. They are both sin and therefore completely heinous to God. Thankfully God is a forgiving God, ready and capable to forgive all of our sin, if only we will ask.
The Object
A Machine
A Cordless Drill
Two Of Various Things—One Broken, The Other Not
(Forgiveness)
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
I John 1:9
The Basic Bible Truth
Sin is a huge issue to God. We often fail to recognize and remember that God has attached the death penalty to sin—He feels that strongly about it. He doesn’t rank sins like we tend to some times. Theft is no worse than a white lie. They are both sin and therefore completely heinous to God. Thankfully God is a forgiving God, ready and capable to forgive all of our sin, if only we will ask.
The Object
A Machine
A Cordless Drill
Two Of Various Things—One Broken, The Other Not
This lesson is a very simple demonstration of how God restores us when we confess our sin. The machine takes in the broken pieces and creates something that is whole again. The broken pieces are poured into the hopper door on top, the machine rotates a few revolutions and the renewed product is removed through the side door. Of course it is fake, but it gets the point across with a visual. The pulleys and belts do nothing but simply rotate using a cordless drill as a power supply.
The Lesson
Our sin, no matter how we may want to classify it, hinders our relationship with God. He loves us so much that when sin entered the world with Adam and Eve, He already had a plan in place to restore our fellowship with Him. Imagine you and God standing next to each other, having a conversation and enjoying life. Now, consider what sin might look like in that scenario—we take a side step away from God. And each additional sin is another side step. How much sin can we condone in our live before we are no longer walking with Him. We are the ones who moved, not God.
God has much to say about right and wrong in the Bible. Interestingly, I can find no place where He condones situational ethics in any shape or form. God has a sincere list of right and wrong. It is clearly black and white—clearly detailed and explained, but our sin nature is always looking for an excuse or a reason to doubt God’s commands. And they are commands, by the way, not mere suggestions. He has delineated good from bad, right from wrong, and acceptable from inappropriate.
Sometimes we might have the tendency to look at the Word of God as a list of “Thou shalt not’s.” An honest look through the Scripture does point to a large number of warnings and dire predictions for disobedience. We need the warnings, because we don’t heed the warnings. I was taught by my father to be very cautious buying a used car from anywhere very far north. Winter weather results in the application of a salt mixture to the roads to melt the ice and snow, and if the residue is not intentionally washed off regularly, the result is a slow decay of rust. Our compromising with the world around us can work that very same way, slowly creeping in and if unchecked, surely causing eventual catastrophic damage.
Compromise can be disastrous for even the most Godly of believers. We can never claim immunity from the temptation of sin. As I read through the Bible, I find God has recorded both the good and the bad concerning the lives of many of the heroes mentioned in Scripture. God does not white wash their lives, but gives us the entire story as an example to us of what can happen if we are asleep at the wheel in regards to Satan’s efforts in our lives.
Satan sets snares to catch the unsuspecting Christian. Snares are, by design, difficult to perceive if the intended target is not constantly vigil. I have over the years had a few instances of nuisance wild animals around the house. Setting live traps to capture and relocate these creatures is a challenge. They are wary of everything that does not look normal and familiar to them. We likewise, should be so familiar with God’s Word that we recognize immediately when something does not look quite right or normal and avoid being caught in the trap. I make my traps as enticing as I possibly can, adding food and placing them as conveniently as possible for the animal to consider. Satan uses the identical game plan. He knows what works and uses the perfect bait for his prey, placing it at a very handy location.
We are especially susceptible to compromise through wrong relationships. We develop friendships with those who can, and will, drag us down. It is a fine balance between showing Christian love and embracing sin. We are told in the New Testament that they will know we are Christians by our love for one another. And that is indeed true. But at what point do we identify unacceptable sin in another person’s life and say, “I cannot condone, nor accept what you are doing because your actions might be interpreted as acceptable and be imitated by another person who is watching.” Paul addressed more than once the sexual sins that were being tolerated in the local churches. We still struggle with that very issue today.
Satan is an expert in gray. He can take a large amount of good, mix in a little bit of bad, and entice us with the deadly mixture.
When we allow Satan’s lies into our lives, our defenses are weakened, and if not fortified by the cleansing of the Word and forgiveness of our sin, the results will not be good. A Godly life is strong and resilient like this first coat hanger. When the difficult times come, we have an inner strength upon which to draw—the presence of God. But the faltering, weak Christian, with little relationship and trust in God, will crumble and fold, in the same way as I easily wadded up this second coat hanger. God is our strength. But that strength is the result of a close walk with Him. It is not something we absorb automatically. And without God’s strength in our lives, we are indeed nothing.
We need forgiveness and restoration of fellowship with God. His perfect plan is that we walk closely with Him. He has promised that if we confess, He will forgive. Confession means that we genuinely understand the wrong that we have done and are intent on never committing that sin again. We ask for His forgiveness and, in the same breath, ask Him to help us resist the temptation that sin presents.
God’s forgiveness is complete. He does not hold a record account of our failures. Our sins, when forgiven, are removed “as far as the east is from the west”. They are “thrown into the deepest sea”. The guilt associated with our failures is released, and life is renewed and restored.
Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide
The Lesson
Our sin, no matter how we may want to classify it, hinders our relationship with God. He loves us so much that when sin entered the world with Adam and Eve, He already had a plan in place to restore our fellowship with Him. Imagine you and God standing next to each other, having a conversation and enjoying life. Now, consider what sin might look like in that scenario—we take a side step away from God. And each additional sin is another side step. How much sin can we condone in our live before we are no longer walking with Him. We are the ones who moved, not God.
God has much to say about right and wrong in the Bible. Interestingly, I can find no place where He condones situational ethics in any shape or form. God has a sincere list of right and wrong. It is clearly black and white—clearly detailed and explained, but our sin nature is always looking for an excuse or a reason to doubt God’s commands. And they are commands, by the way, not mere suggestions. He has delineated good from bad, right from wrong, and acceptable from inappropriate.
Sometimes we might have the tendency to look at the Word of God as a list of “Thou shalt not’s.” An honest look through the Scripture does point to a large number of warnings and dire predictions for disobedience. We need the warnings, because we don’t heed the warnings. I was taught by my father to be very cautious buying a used car from anywhere very far north. Winter weather results in the application of a salt mixture to the roads to melt the ice and snow, and if the residue is not intentionally washed off regularly, the result is a slow decay of rust. Our compromising with the world around us can work that very same way, slowly creeping in and if unchecked, surely causing eventual catastrophic damage.
Compromise can be disastrous for even the most Godly of believers. We can never claim immunity from the temptation of sin. As I read through the Bible, I find God has recorded both the good and the bad concerning the lives of many of the heroes mentioned in Scripture. God does not white wash their lives, but gives us the entire story as an example to us of what can happen if we are asleep at the wheel in regards to Satan’s efforts in our lives.
Satan sets snares to catch the unsuspecting Christian. Snares are, by design, difficult to perceive if the intended target is not constantly vigil. I have over the years had a few instances of nuisance wild animals around the house. Setting live traps to capture and relocate these creatures is a challenge. They are wary of everything that does not look normal and familiar to them. We likewise, should be so familiar with God’s Word that we recognize immediately when something does not look quite right or normal and avoid being caught in the trap. I make my traps as enticing as I possibly can, adding food and placing them as conveniently as possible for the animal to consider. Satan uses the identical game plan. He knows what works and uses the perfect bait for his prey, placing it at a very handy location.
We are especially susceptible to compromise through wrong relationships. We develop friendships with those who can, and will, drag us down. It is a fine balance between showing Christian love and embracing sin. We are told in the New Testament that they will know we are Christians by our love for one another. And that is indeed true. But at what point do we identify unacceptable sin in another person’s life and say, “I cannot condone, nor accept what you are doing because your actions might be interpreted as acceptable and be imitated by another person who is watching.” Paul addressed more than once the sexual sins that were being tolerated in the local churches. We still struggle with that very issue today.
Satan is an expert in gray. He can take a large amount of good, mix in a little bit of bad, and entice us with the deadly mixture.
When we allow Satan’s lies into our lives, our defenses are weakened, and if not fortified by the cleansing of the Word and forgiveness of our sin, the results will not be good. A Godly life is strong and resilient like this first coat hanger. When the difficult times come, we have an inner strength upon which to draw—the presence of God. But the faltering, weak Christian, with little relationship and trust in God, will crumble and fold, in the same way as I easily wadded up this second coat hanger. God is our strength. But that strength is the result of a close walk with Him. It is not something we absorb automatically. And without God’s strength in our lives, we are indeed nothing.
We need forgiveness and restoration of fellowship with God. His perfect plan is that we walk closely with Him. He has promised that if we confess, He will forgive. Confession means that we genuinely understand the wrong that we have done and are intent on never committing that sin again. We ask for His forgiveness and, in the same breath, ask Him to help us resist the temptation that sin presents.
God’s forgiveness is complete. He does not hold a record account of our failures. Our sins, when forgiven, are removed “as far as the east is from the west”. They are “thrown into the deepest sea”. The guilt associated with our failures is released, and life is renewed and restored.
Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide
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