LESSON OVERVIEW FOR ADULTS Genesis 4 tells the story of Cain and Abel, the first two sons of Adam and Eve. Both brothers brought offerings to God, but their hearts were very different. Abel gave God his best (the firstborn of his flock) while Cain’s offering lacked the same devotion. God was pleased with Abel’s gift because it came from
LESSON OVERVIEW FOR ADULTS In Genesis 2:15-17, God placed Adam in the Garden of Eden to work and care for it, giving him freedom to eat from every tree except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God clearly warned that eating from this forbidden tree would result in death. This command was not restrictive but protective, as
LESSON OVERVIEW FOR ADULTS In Matthew 18:21-35, Peter approaches Jesus with a question about forgiveness, asking how many times he should forgive someone who sins against him. Jesus responds with a parable about a king and his servant. The servant owed the king an enormous debt, equivalent to millions of dollars, far more than he could ever repay. When the
LESSON OVERVIEW FOR ADULTS In Matthew 18:10-14, Jesus shares a powerful parable to teach His disciples about the value of every individual in God’s kingdom. The disciples had been arguing about who would be the greatest in heaven, but Jesus redirects their thinking by placing a child before them and telling this story. A shepherd who owns one hundred sheep
LESSON OVERVIEW FOR ADULTS In Matthew 25:1-13, Jesus shares a parable about ten young women who were waiting for a bridegroom to arrive for a wedding celebration. In the culture of that time, weddings were joyous occasions that often lasted for days, and the bridegroom would come to collect his bride at an unexpected hour. The bridesmaids had an important
LESSON OVERVIEW FOR ADULTS In Matthew 13:44-46, Jesus offers two brief but profound parables to help his followers grasp the surpassing worth of God’s kingdom. In the first, a man working in a field unexpectedly uncovers a hidden treasure. Overwhelmed with joy at what he has found, he buries it again, goes home, and sells every possession he owns in
LESSON OVERVIEW FOR ADULTS In Joshua 14:5-15; 15:13-15; and 21:43-45, we see God faithfully fulfilling His promises to His people as they settle into the land He had given them. After many years of waiting, Caleb reminds Joshua of a promise made to him decades earlier when he trusted God as a young spy. Even at eighty-five years old, Caleb
LESSON OVERVIEW FOR ADULTS In Joshua 9:1-10:15, the people of God were in the middle of taking possession of the land He had promised them. After great victories at Jericho and Ai, word spread throughout Canaan about the power of Israel’s God, and fear gripped every nation in the land. While some kings banded together to fight against Israel, the
LESSON OVERVIEW FOR ADULTS In Joshua 6:18-19, before the Israelites ever entered the city of Jericho, God gave a very clear command: everything of value inside that city belonged to Him. The gold, silver, and all precious items were to be placed in God’s treasury. They were set apart and holy to the Lord. When the walls came down and
LESSON OVERVIEW FOR ADULTS In Joshua 5, something remarkable happens before a single soldier takes a step toward Jericho. Joshua encounters a mysterious man standing with a drawn sword. When Joshua asks whose side the man is on, the answer is neither Joshua’s nor the enemy’s, but the Lord’s. Joshua immediately falls facedown in worship and is told he is
