Grades 3--4

DAY 3
BIBLE
TRUST GOD!
PASSAGE
Genesis 7
LESSON FOCUS
Just like Noah, we can rely on God to help us trust Him with our lives.
LIFELINE VERSE
But as for me, I trust in You, O Lord; I say, You are my God. Psalm 31:14
ANIMAL PAL FUN PHRASE
Piers the Puffin reminds us to trust the Lord and get on board!

INTRODUCE IT! (large group) 1.

1.
WELCOME
Welcome the kids back for the third day of Ocean Commotion. Ask them to
tell you the dimensions of the ark using the motions we have learned (two
buses, three giraffes, one-and-a-half football fields).
2. Challenge the students to participate in the contest between Huddle Groups by
bringing mission money each day and a signed copy of the Take-Home Sheet
completely filled out.
Yesterday we watched Noah build the boat. It took him more than 100 years to
do that. Can you imagine how people must have made fun of him all those
years?
What are some things you think people may have said to him?
Man, you are crazy for doing this!
Have you lost your mind?
It has never rained before! Why should it start now?
There is no way to get this boat to the ocean so it can sail away.
Why would anyone need all these animal stalls?
Now who did you say told you to build this ARK? Weve heard of Him but
we dont really care? Why would He be so mad at us?
What would you have said to Noah if you had lived during those times?

PREVIEW what we are going to learn today.

Day 3: Gr. 3--4

 Discuss the special phrases on the whale and shark posters.
Ask the students to find the poster in the room they think goes with todays lesson.
Today Piers the Puffin reminds us to Trust the Lord and get on board! But when
we look at this gigantic boat Noah and his sons have built, we may wonder if it will
float or sink. Lets play a little game and see if we can look at something and tell if
it will sink or float.
[TEACHERS: This is a great demonstration that all the kids will love. To do this, you will
need to bring from home a clear plastic tub that you will fill half way with water. Then
choose from the following items the things you already have at home that you could use
in this demonstration.]
A piece of wood A rubber ball
A small plastic toy A feather
An orange A cork
An egg A crayon
A straw A cotton ball
A crumpled up piece of A plastic Easter egg
Aluminum foil A small watermelon

Day 3: Gr. 3--4

 Before dropping an item into the water, ask the kids to tell you whether it will sink
or float. Drop the item in and discuss the results. As you take each item from the
water, put all the sinkable items in one pile and all the floatable items in another.
Show the students your picture of the ark laid out on the football field and the
picture that shows the ark would hold 483 semi-trailer trucks. Now ask the
students what they think about this boatfloat or sink?


TEACH IT! (Large Room by Grade Level)

[The Bible lesson will be taught in a large room by grade level. See schedule for
time and location. The information below is for use for general discussion, Huddle
Groups, crafts and review questions.]

LEADER BIBLE BACKGROUND

While building the ark, Noah witnessed to all his neighbors about the coming Flood.
But nobody believed Him (see 2 Peter 2:5.) In all probability, they mocked him and
thought he was crazy.
The time had come to board the ark. Noah, his wife and his sonsShem, Ham and
Japhethand their wives went inside. Noah had complete faith and trust in what
God had told him to do. He did not hesitate.
God began sending the animals to the ark and Noah was ready to receive thema
male and female of every kind of animal that lived on the land. When choosing the
animals for the ark, God used the same word to designate kind as He had used in
the Creation account in Genesis 12. God knew exactly the kinds of animals who
could reproduce so that all species of animals we see today could eventually
inhabit the earth (Genesis 6:1920; 7:1415).
Dinosaurs would also have been included because there were dinosaurs after the
Flood (Job 4041). The younger of all the kinds of animals would have been chosen
to reproduce and populate the world after the Flood, so no full-grown dinosaurs
would have to be aboard the ark.
There were to be seven each of all types of birds along with seven each of those
animals designated as cleanthe ox, sheep, deer, etc. Clean animals had divided
hoofs and chewed their cud. These animals would be used for sacrifices in the
post-Flood world.
Creation scientists believe that there could have been as few as 16,000 diffterent
kinds of animals on the ark. (John Woodmorappe, 1996 Noahs Ark: A Feasibility
Study, Dallas, TX: Institute for Creation Research)
There were three different levels, or decks, inside the ark that were probably
divided into rooms or stalls. (Genesis 6:1416)
The ark had been designed as a vehicle of salvation. It had not been constructed
for beauty or speed. It would provide extraordinary stability in an ocean of chaos.
Only God knew what lay aheadHe was the One who had created the laws that
govern sinking and floating.
 Based on the outside measurements of the ark, it is estimated that it had 1.4
million cubic feet of space. It is estimated that 300 to 400 railroad box cars could
have been placed inside. Or, it could have held more than 480 semi-trailer trucks
inside.
God had told Noah to take food on the ark for all the animals and for his family
(Genesis 6:21). In all probabily, the animals went into a quiet type of hibernation
because of the darkness, rolling seas, and thunder and lightning. They may have
been frightened and their instincts told them to hunker down. This may have
resulted in less need for large quantities of food.
When the time was right and all things had been done as God ordered, God
Himself shut the door (Genesis 7:16). The earths salvation in the ark had been
secured by God just as His salvation for the souls of men has been secured by
Jesus.
The Flood would be worldwide. The Flood waters carrying the ark rose above all the
high mountains under heaven as the fountains of the deep broke open to release
the water inside the earth. The water canopy around the earth that had watered
the earth before the Flood collapsed producing the 40 days of rain. There were
earthquakes and volcanoes as the earth split open to release the water.


THE CROSSROADS (large group)

God had told Adam and Eve the punishment for their disobedience would be death.
Because the people who lived on the earth before the Flood would not repent, God
had to punish them. He did so by sending the Flood. These persons were separated
from God forever.
Even in the Garden, God had referred to One who would come one day and crush
Satans head. That is a reference to Jesus. Yet even before Jesus came, the only
way of salvation was through faiththe faith Noah demonstrated.
He trusted God so much that he was willing to suffer ridicule and scorn from others
as he began to build the huge ship that would save him and his family. His whole
family had to trust in what God was telling them to do.
(Show the poster with Noah inside the ark and the cross printed on the door.) The
ark itself became a symbol of salvation. God planned it, and all Noah and his family
had to do was to trust that His plan would work and get on board. If they did, they
would be saved.
Thats all you need to do todayTRUST GODand believe that what Jesus did on
the Cross was for you!
Share the ABCs of salvation and invite any student to speak with you about their
salvation.



APPLY IT! (Huddle Group)

A. EXPERIMENT: Mini Volcanoes (as time allows)
 Supplies: two 16 oz. plastic cups, one 8 oz. bottle of water, one vocano mountain
pattern, red lava patterns, one sheet of brown or tan cardstock, 2 tsp. of baking
soda, 4 drops of dishwashing liquid; 2 drops of red food color, one piece of white
cardstock
Instructions:
Explain that after Noah and the animals were safely in the ark, water began to
come up out of the earth at the same time it was raining. Volcanoes started
erupting as the earth began to move. Here let me show you what I mean.
Cut a whole in the bottom of two plastic cups.
Remove the cap from the bottle of water and force the cup down over the bottle
until the top of the bottle comes out of the whole in the bottom of the cup. Then
replace the cap on the bottle.
Wrap the brown and red lava patterns around the top of the cup.
When the Flood began, there were earthquakes that made the earth shake.
Volcanoes exploded as the water came out from under the land.
Take the lid off the water bottle.
Using a funnel, drop 2 teaspooons of baking soda into the bottle of water.
Next, add four drops of dishwashing liquid and then add two drops of red food
coloring.
Finally, pour in a cup of vinegar and watch the volcano erupt.
Explain that volcanoes erupted everywhere during the flood spuing lava all around.
The earth was being changed forever. But Noah and his family and all the animals
were safe inside the ark that God had planned for them. We tend to focus on what
happened on the top of the water while forgetting that all the land under the water
is being torn apart as the earths crust erupts and rips apart.

Such an amazing demonstration of power should bring us to our knees. We stand
in awe of the God who made the world but now has found it necessary to change it
forever. The ark represented salvation and deliverance to Noah and his family just
as Jesus represents the same thing for each person who places their faith and trust
in Him.

B. The Plan of Salvation
1. If someone walked up to you today and asked you how you could know for sure
if you were going to heaven, what would you say?
2. Have students look up these Scriptures and read them aloud. Make sure they
understand what the verse is saying.
Romans 3:23 Admit that you are a sinner. Every one of us has sinned.
Our sin separates us from God.
1 Corinthians 15:34 Believe that Christ died to pay the penalty for
your sins.
Romans 10:910 Confess (say) that you want Jesus to be your Savior.
Ask Him to come into your life.
3. Ask the students to get a partner and then take turns explaining how a person
can become a Christ-follower.
 4. Invite any students to come and discuss their concerns with you regarding such
a decision.

BIBLE MEMORY ACTIVITY (Huddle Group)

Go over the meaning of the verse. Have the students repeat it several times with
you and then use the motions if appropriate.
But as for me, I trust in You, O Lord; I say, You are my God. Psalm 31:14
Use these motions to teach the verse.
But as for me Point to yourself.
I trust in You, O Lord Point to heaven and make an L with your fingers.
I say, You are my God. Point out and then up.
Psalm 31:14 Open hands as if you are holding an open Bible.
Have the students say the verse three or four times together. Then have them say
it to the person on their right, then to the person on their left and then to the
Huddle Group leader.
Pass a beach ball around the Huddle Group. Every time someone touches the ball,
he or she must say the verse aloud.

WRAP UP & GOODBYE (Huddle Group)

Give
each student a Take-Home Sheet for Day 2. As time allows, work through some of
the activities. Challenge the students to complete all the activities.
Send home any special announcements placed in your room for Wednesday.
Here are some review questions to use:
1. How did Noah know the ark would float?
2. How did Noah know when to go inside the ark?
3. What animals went into the ark?
4. How much could the ark hold?
5. How many decks were on the ark?
6. What separated the animals on each deck?
7. Who shut the door?