#4.

Set Aside A Special Day for God Lesson

(Exodus 20:8-11) We have been learning the Ten Commandments. Can anyone say
the first three without looking?
Pre-Session Warm Up 1. Do not have any gods but Me – God wants us to recognize that
Do you live a busy life? I sure do. I find myself dashing from one He is the only true God who created all things. He doesn’t want
thing to the next all week long. Before I know it, the whole week has us to let anything or anyone become more important to us than
gone by, just like that! And I can find myself exhausted. He is.

Our busy world bombards us with work and school and sports and 2. Do not worship idols – God wants us to worship only Him. Don’t
lessons and all kinds of other activities. How we need a special day let anyone or anything steal God’s place in your life.
to re-energize our bodies and refresh our spirits!
3. Keep God’s Name Holy – God doesn’t want us to ever think
Today we’re going to discover that God, in His kindness, commands anything, say anything or do anything that would bring dishonor
us to set aside one day a week to refuel and remember Him. to His name.

Opening Prayer The first four commandments teach us to love God with all of our
hearts. And the other six commandments teach us to love others
Dear Lord, You are so smart to think of such a wonderful plan. with that same kind of perfect love. By learning how to honor and
Thank You for giving us one free day. Thank You for giving us this love God first, you learn to honor and love others.
special time to refuel and reflect on You and Your goodness. Thank
Today we’re going to learn the fourth commandment. In some
You for making us Your people—set apart as special. Help us to
Bibles, it is said this way:
keep your commandments. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
Exodus 20:8
Memory Verse Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. You have
six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a
The word Sabbath comes from a Hebrew word meaning
Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no "intermission.” Have you ever been to a sports event that has an
one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons intermission in the middle? That’s when they stop the play so you
and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any can stretch your legs, go to the bathroom, or buy more popcorn. In
foreigners living among you. For in six days the Lord made the this case, it means “to stop from work." It’s says you are to
heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the remember to take the seventh day off from work and to keep it holy.
seventh day he rested. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day “Holy” means "set apart." God was telling the people to set aside a
and set it apart as holy. (Exodus 20:8-11) special day each week for rest and worship.
Israel observed the Sabbath on the seventh day of the week, our
Saturday. But, because Jesus rose from the dead on the first day of
the week, His followers began to set aside Sunday as their special
day of worship.
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Set Aside a Special Day for God Exodus 20:8-11

Mark 2:27, 28 On Sunday, we come together at church to remember God and fill
up on His love! When we are around other Christians, we glow like
Then Jesus said to them, "The Sabbath was made to meet the needs this light. It’s as though our batteries are recharged.
of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath."
But then Monday comes along and we go to school and someone
• Why do you think Jesus said this to the people? calls us a mean name. So, we want to call them a name back. [put a
Some people think that if they just keep the Ten Commandments plastic cup over the flash light] and then Tuesday comes along we
they’ll be able to go to heaven after they die. But really, God was have to take a test we didn’t study for. So, we’re tempted to look
giving this day of rest to the people as a gift. over on someone else’s paper to see what they put down for the
answers [add another plastic cup] and on Wednesday Mom asked
Exodus 20:9 us to clean up our room and we sassed back at her [add another
plastic cup]. Thursday and Friday come along and pretty soon we’ve
You have six days each week for your ordinary work. forgotten all about God. Our lights grew dim. Not only are we not
God knew that doing ordinary work seven days a week would be too showing others the right way to live, we’ve lost our way, too.
tiring for us. He goes on to say, Then Sunday comes along again and we go back to church. [Take
Exodus 20:10 away the cups.] Our batteries get recharged so we can zoom
through another busy week. [Turn the lights back on.]
The seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your
God. • What did you notice about the light? It got dimmer and dimmer,
didn’t it?
When we use one day a week to rest and worship, we show others
how important God is to us and it gives us the extra benefit of • How is this like the way our weeks go?
refreshing our spirits.
• How do you lose energy and enthusiasm for God during your
week?
Object Lesson
We live in a dark world that often forgets God. [Turn off the lights.] • What can we do to get our lights to shine brightly again?
People out in the world don’t know God. They break all of His This flashlight shines brightly because its batteries are fully charged.
commandments all the time. They take His name in vain and are As the cups were added, the light got dimmer, as though the
disobedient to their parents. They lie and cheat and steal. batteries were running out of power. That’s how it is for us as
But God wants us to shine His light in this dark world. [turn on a Christians. But, when we come to church our batteries get
flashlight] He wants us to show people the way to please God. God recharged. God knew we needed a special day to refuel and
wants us to point the way to Him so that people can come to know remember Him, so He gave us His fourth commandment: Set aside
Him and live a godly life that is pleasing to Him. a special day for God.

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Exodus 20:8-11 Set Aside a Special Day for God

God commanded us to rest every seventh day. But not just to rest Many people in the world are confused about the way to be suitable
from our busy schedules… no, we’re to take time out to think about to God. Do you need to obey or believe?
Him and how good He is.
Most people believe that if they obey most of the commandments,
God knows what we need, isn’t He wonderful? He knows that we they’ll be good enough for God. Some people believe if they keep
will run around until we wear ourselves out and forget all about Him. the Ten Commandments, then God will have to let them come to
God made us like a car that runs out of gas every six days. He Heaven.
planned for us to work six days and then to rest and remember Him
on the seventh. In fact, He gave us this example when He created Here’s the truth: The only way to be acceptable to God is to believe
the universe. He made the world in six days and rested on the in what He has done for you on the cross. You are NOT saved by
seventh. keeping the commandments. But if you really believe in Jesus, you
will show your love for Him by obeying God’s commandments. You
Exodus 20:11 wouldn’t want to disobey Him because of the wonderful things He
has done for you.
For in six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and
everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the If you believe in Jesus, you are acceptable to God, even though
Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy. you’ll sometimes mess up and break a commandment.
We all work hard during the week at school and at home, so God John 1:12
gave us one special day called the Sabbath. He wants us to use
that day to be refilled with energy and His love. That’s why God But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to
thinks it’s so important to set aside a special day for Him. Really it’s become children of God.
for us.
If you really know who Jesus is and appreciate what He’s done for
• What can you do on Sunday to get filled up again? you, you will want to obey Him with your whole heart.

God is so thoughtful to give us a day to refuel and remember Him,

Closing Prayer
isn’t He?
Dear Lord, we come to You from our busy world. We come together
So far we have looked at the first four commandments, the ones
with our Christian brothers and sisters to praise You and remember
that teach us how to love God. The next six commandments teach
how awesome You are. Thank You for loving us enough to order us
us how to love our fellow human beings. We will start looking at
to set aside a special day for You. Help us to set aside time every
those next week.
day to think about You. We love You. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
Who’s Acceptable?
Who is really acceptable to God—the one who obeys God’s
commandments or the one who believes in Jesus Christ? [Teacher,
let the children discuss this.]

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Set Aside a Special Day for God Exodus 20:8-11

Learning Activities 9. What do the last six commandments teach us? (How to love
others.)
Craft Corner 10. What is the way to be acceptable to God, to believe or obey?
(To believe! If you really know who Jesus is and appreciate what
Game Center He’s done for you, you will want to obey Him with your whole
heart.)
Use the following questions in a game of your choice:

Review questions:

1. What does the word “Sabbath” mean? (The word Sabbath

comes from a Hebrew word meaning "intermission.”)

2. What does this verse mean: "The Sabbath was made to meet
the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of
the Sabbath."

3. Why do we say that the Sabbath was God's gift to His people?
(God knew that doing ordinary work seven days a week would
be too tiring for us. He knew we needed to spend at least one
day a week thinking about how wonderful He is.)

4. How do you lose energy and enthusiasm for God during your
week? (By not spending time with Him.)

5. Where did God give us an example of His plan for us to work six
days and rest the seventh? (In creation.)

6. What does God want us to do on the Sabbath? (Rest and

worship Him.)

7. What can you do on Sunday to get filled up again spiritually?

8. What do the first four commandments teach us? (How to love

God.)

Page 22 Ten Commandments Lesson #5