People of the Bible: Abraham

Book of the Bible: Genesis 12-21

The man we know as Abraham first appears in the Bible in Genesis 12 as a man named Abram. God spoke to Abram and told him to leave his home to a place God would show him. Abram was 75 years old when God called him to leave his home.

Even though Abram was old, he and his wife, Sarai had never been able to have children. Abram and Sarai were disappointed that they didn’t have any kids, but one day God gave Abram a promise. God said that He would make Abram into a great nation and his offspring would be more numerous than the dust of the year and the stars of the sky.

Even though Abram and Sarai were very old, God promised to give them children. They believed in the promise God gave them and it was credited to them as righteousness. However, quite a bit of time went by and they still didn’t have any kids. Abram was 99 years old; he had all but given up on the idea of ever having children, but God reminded him of His promise.

God promised to make him a father of a nation. He changed his name from Abram to Abraham and He changed Sarai’s name to Sarah as a sign of His promise. God told Abraham that he and Sarah would have a son in the next year. God kept His promise, when Abraham was 100 years old and Sarah was 90 years old, they had a boy and named him Isaac.

Even though it took 25 years, God kept His promise to Abraham and Sarah. We can have the confidence to believe in God’s promises because we have stories like this one that prove God’s faithfulness.

Eventually, Jesus would be born into Abraham’s family. Jesus had the same kind of faith Abraham had. Jesus obeyed everything God told him to do, even dying on the cross. Jesus did this because he knew he could trust God’s promises even when things don’t look good. In the same way, we too can trust in God’s promises!

Key Takeaways:

• Abraham believed God

• Even when it looked impossible, God kept His promise

• Even today, God still keeps His promises!

Parents, 3treesKIDS will be covering “Abraham", both in-person and online this week.

Be sure to check out their lesson at www.3trees.com/kids.

To find service times and locations, visit https://www.3trees.com/planyourvisit.

People of the Bible: Noah

Book of the Bible: Genesis 6-9

After the Fall in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3), the earth became an increasingly evil and wicked place. God was deeply grieved by the sins of mankind so He decided to wipe them out, along with all the creatures of the earth. Noah, however, found favor with God. God told Noah to build an ark because He was going to send a flood to destroy the earth.

Noah listened to God and did everything He said. Before the flood, God sent two of every kind of creature for Noah to put on his ark. Once Noah loaded the ark with all the animals and his family, God made it rain 40 days and 40 nights. The earth was covered with water for months. Every man and animal that wasn’t on the ark died.

God wiped out His creation because it became wicked. But God started fresh with Noah and his family and two of each kind of animal. God made the waters recede and eventually, the ark came to rest. While the earth was drying, Noah sent a dove to see whether the water was gone from the earth’s surface. He did this three times, each time seven days apart:

• The first time the dove came back with nothing because water still covered the ground.

• The second time the dove came back with an olive leaf in its beak.

• The third time the dove didn’t return, which told Noah the ground was dry.

After Noah and the animals got out of the ark, God sent a rainbow as a sign to them. God promised them that He would never destroy the earth again by sending a flood. God promised to always remember us, and when we see a rainbow we should remember Him.

God always remembers us, even when we don’t. Just like God made a covenant with Noah through the rainbow, God has made a covenant with us through the cross. Because of His love and the sacrifice of His one and only son we can live in the promise of everlasting life.

Key Takeaways:

• God judged the world because it was wicked

• God saved Noah’s family and two of every kind of animal

• A rainbow is a sign of God’s promise

Parents, 3treesKIDS will be covering “Noah”, both in-person and online this week.

Be sure to check out their lesson at www.3trees.com/kids.

To find service times and locations, visit https://www.3trees.com/planyourvisit.

People Of The Bible: Adam & Eve

Book: Genesis 1-3

Genesis 1:1 begins by saying “In the beginning, God created… ” From the start of the Bible to the end, we see God’s love, His plan for His people, and so many details about His story. The Bible is God’s story and it is a true treasure for each of us. It begins with the details of how He created Earth, everything in it, and the first two people, Adam & Eve.

Who was Adam?

• Adam was the first person God created on Earth. God formed him from the dust of the Earth.

• He lived in the Garden of Eden.

• God placed him in the garden to watch over the plants and animals. God even gave Adam the job of naming all the animals.

• Adam is the first of all generations to come, including Jacob and his sons.

Who was Eve?

• Adam was lonely in the garden so God made Eve to be his companion.

• God formed Eve by taking a rib from Adam and forming it into a woman.

• She decides to eat the forbidden fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil after being tempted by the enemy

What was life in the Garden of Eden like?

• The Garden of Eden was a glorious place, Adam and Eve had everything they wanted and needed.

• They took care of all the plants and animals.

• God would come to the garden to walk and talk with them every day.

• They ate from the tree of life, giving them the ability to live forever.

• God gave them one rule, don’t eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

The Fall

The devil took the form of a serpent and started talking to Eve. The serpent tempted Eve to eat the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. It only took two sentences for the enemy to talk Eve into disobeying God’s command. She ate the fruit and gave some to Adam and he ate as well. This is how sin and shame slipped into our world. God had forbidden Adam and Eve from eating the fruit from that tree, they deliberately disobeyed God! They knew they had sinned so they tried to hide from God. But we know, God is omnipresent, He is everywhere, and we can not hide from Him.

Where there is sin, there is separation from God, and all sin has consequences. God punished the serpent for tempting Eve -making it crawl on its belly and eat dust for all eternity. God punished Adam and Eve by making them leave the garden and making life hard on them. Because they were kicked out of the garden, they could no longer eat from the tree of life which meant they would eventually die.

The moment Adam and Eve sinned, shame, and evil entered the world. All bad things that happen are tied back to the Fall, but God had a plan for redemption. Jesus, the new Adam entered the world and took all this sin upon Himself. Jesus died at the cross so that all who believe in Him can have everlasting life.

We read about this more in the New Testament of God’s Word. From the beginning, God had a plan for His people & His plan is perfect.

Key Takeaways:

• Adam and Eve were the first people on Earth

• The serpent tempted them to disobey God, and sin and shame entered the world.

• God had a redemption plan in place from the beginning: Jesus!

• You will be tempted by the enemy just like Adam and Eve, but through accepting Jesus into your life, all your sins will be forgiven.

Parents, 3treesKIDS will be covering “Adam & Eve”, both in-person and online this week.

Be sure to check out their lesson at www.3trees.com/kids.

To find service times and locations, visit https://www.3trees.com/planyourvisit.