LESSON OVERVIEW FOR ADULTS
In Genesis 1:26-30, God created the world and everything in it. He made the sun, moon, stars, animals, plants, and all living things. Then God created something very special. He made people in His own image. This means God created humans to be like Him in special ways. God made Adam, the first man, and Eve, the first woman. He gave them a beautiful garden called Eden to live in and take care of. God gave them responsibilities, including caring for the garden and naming the animals. He also gave them one important rule: they could eat from any tree in the garden except the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
In Genesis 2:15-17 and 3:1-24, we learn about the choices Adam and Eve made. God placed Adam in the Garden of Eden and told him to work it and keep it. God warned Adam that eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil would result in death. A serpent, who was Satan, came to Eve and tempted her to doubt God’s word. The serpent lied and said they wouldn’t die if they ate the fruit. Eve chose to eat the fruit, and she gave some to Adam. They both disobeyed God. Because of their choice, sin entered the world. God sent them out of the garden, but He still loved them. This story teaches us that our choices matter and that we are responsible for the decisions we make.
OPENING ACTIVITY 10:15-10:30 | Fruit Tastin
Items Needed:
- Various fruits (apples, grapes, bananas, strawberries)
- Small plates, napkins
- Hand sanitizer
Set up a fruit tasting station with several types of fruit cut into small pieces. Let children taste different fruits and describe what they taste like (sweet, sour, juicy). Explain that God created all these delicious fruits for us to enjoy, just like He created the fruit trees in the Garden of Eden that will be in our Bible story today.
BIBLE VERSE GAME 10:30-10:40 | Follow the Leader
Memory Verse: “We must obey God rather than men!” -Acts 5:29
Say the memory verse together several times.
Game: Follow the Leader Obedience Game
Choose one child to be the leader (representing God’s instructions). The leader gives simple commands like “jump,” “sit down,” “clap your hands,” or “spin around.” All other children must obey quickly. After several commands, choose a new leader. Emphasize that we must obey God, and practice saying the verse together each time you switch leaders.
SONG 10:40-10:50
BIBLE STORY 10:50-11:00
Question 1: Where is this story found in the Bible?
Genesis
Question 2: Is this in the Old Testament or New Testament?
Old Testament
The Story of Adam, Eve, and the Garden
God made everything in the whole world! He made the bright sun, the twinkling stars, the flowers, the animals, and all the trees. Then God made something very, very special. He made people!
God made the first man and named him Adam. God made the first woman and named her Eve. God loved Adam and Eve so much. He gave them a beautiful garden to live in called the Garden of Eden. It was the most wonderful place ever! There were pretty flowers, yummy fruit trees, friendly animals, and a river with sparkly water.
God gave Adam and Eve a job. He told them to take care of the garden. God said, “You can eat fruit from any tree you want. But see that one special tree over there? You must not eat fruit from that tree. If you eat from that tree, something very sad will happen.”
Adam and Eve were happy in the garden! They ate delicious fruit. They played with the animals. They talked with God. Everything was perfect!
But one day, a sneaky snake came into the garden. The snake was really Satan, and he wanted Adam and Eve to disobey God. The snake talked to Eve. He said, “Did God really say you can’t eat from that tree?”
Eve said, “God said if we eat from that tree, something bad will happen.”
But the snake lied! He said, “Nothing bad will happen. God just doesn’t want you to be like Him!”
Eve looked at the fruit. It looked yummy. She made a choice. She picked the fruit and took a bite. Then she gave some to Adam, and he ate it too. They both chose to disobey God.
Right away, Adam and Eve felt different. They felt sad and afraid. They knew they had done something wrong. They tried to hide from God.
But God knew what happened. God called to Adam, “Where are you?”
Adam said, “We ate the fruit. We are sorry.”
God was sad because Adam and Eve disobeyed Him. God told them they had to leave the beautiful garden. But even though they disobeyed, God still loved them.
Theological Questions:
- Who made Adam and Eve? (God made them)
- Did Adam and Eve obey God when they ate the fruit? (No, they disobeyed God)
Life Application Questions:
- When your mommy or daddy tells you to do something, should you obey? (Yes)
- What can you do when you make a wrong choice? (Say sorry and ask God to help me make good choices)
Prayer:
“Dear God, thank You for making us and loving us. Help us to obey You and make good choices every day. Amen.”
BIBLE CRAFT 11:00-11:15 | Spiral Snake & Apple Tree
Items Needed
- Spiral Snake Craft (on cardstock)
- Crayons
- Apple Tree (on cardstock)
- Red PomPoms
- Glue
Have children color their apple tree and glue red pompoms on it. Then have them color their snake and cut it out for them. Have them tell the story of the snake who convinced Adam and Eve to disobey God by eating the fruit from the forbidden tree.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (KJV)
Genesis 1:26-30
“And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.”
Genesis 2:15-17
“And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”
Genesis 3:1-24
“Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. And Adam called his wife’s name Eve; because she was the mother of all living. Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them. And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.”
Acts 5:29
“Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.”
COLORING PAGE
Coloring Page
PARENT TAKE HOME SHEET
Today’s Key Takeaway:
Obey God
What I Learned Today:
God created Adam and Eve and gave them a beautiful garden to care for. God told them they could eat from any tree except one special tree. Adam and Eve chose to disobey God and ate from that tree, and there were sad consequences. We should always obey God and make good choices.
Questions to Ask Me:
Theological Questions:
- Who made the whole world and everything in it? (God made everything)
- Who were the first two people God created? (Adam and Eve)
- Where did Adam and Eve live? (In the Garden of Eden)
- Who told Eve to eat the fruit from the special tree? (The snake, who was Satan)
- Does God still love us even when we make wrong choices? (Yes, God always loves us)
Life Application Questions:
- What should you do when mommy or daddy asks you to obey? (Obey right away with a happy heart)
- If you make a wrong choice, what should you do? (Say sorry and ask God to help me do better)
- Who can help you make good choices every day? (God can help me)
- Should we listen to people who tell us to disobey God? (No, we must obey God)
- What is one way you can be responsible at home this week? (Help clean up my toys, listen to my parents, be kind to my brother/sister)