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God Is OmnipotentBible PointGod is powerful.

Bible StoryDavid and GoliathI Samuel 17

Bible VerseGreat is our Lord and mighty in power.Psalm 147:5a

OverviewGod’s power is unlimited. He can do whatever He pleases. However, He will never do anything outside of his character. Because God is all-powerful, we can trust him to help us. We can know that He will always have the ability to do what He has promised to do.

Lesson 3

Lesson 3

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Dr. BeakerSupplies:

Costume for Dr. Beaker �

(Dr. Beaker comes in with everything out of place- lab coat twisted, glasses on top of his head, etc.) Whoa! What happened? (He weaves back and forth, and in circles trying to find his balance.) That was a powerful explosion. But do not worry. I am fine. Nobody was hurt. (Straightens his clothing.) Since I was talking about power, I have a question for you. Did you know that God is all power-ful? He can do anything. He is great and He is mighty. Don’t forget, God is powerful!

Dr. Beaker’s LabAir Power

Supplies:Ping pong ball* �Wide mouth funnel �Hair dryer �One toilet paper roll �Dowel rod or broom handle �Leaf blower �

Place the ping pong ball in the funnel. Have a child tilt his or her head back and blow into the funnel trying to blow the ball into the air. (They should not be able to.)

Now, take a hair dryer and place the ping-pong ball on the end of the hair dryer. Turn it on. What happens? (The ping pong ball should float above the hair dryer.)

We could not make the ping pong ball float in the air by blowing. We did not have enough power. But with the help of the hair dryer, the ball could float in the air.

God is all-powerful. He does not have to have help. However, we need God’s help. We can count on God to always help us.

(Place the toilet paper roll on the dowel rod or broom handle.)

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When we depend on God’s power and him helping us, we can do awesome things.

Turn the leaf blower on. Place it under the roll of toilet paper. The paper will quickly unravel and stay in the air until you turn the blower off. Kids love this!

Bible StoryDavid and GoliathI Samuel 17

Supplies:Five smooth rocks�

Preparation: Ask a man to act out Goliath and a young teenage boy to act out David

Let’s see what we can remember about David. He was a shepherd and he guarded and took care of his father’s sheep. Does anyone remember what he did to help take care of them? (Give the children an opportunity to answer.) He led them to green grass. He found water for them. He protected them from lions and bears. He loved the sheep. We also know that God had a plan for him one day. What did God plan for David to be? A king. We also know that David wrote songs called psalms. He liked to play them on his harp. Today we are going to learn about a time when David stood up to someone who was mean. He depend-ed on God’s power to help him. One day, David’s father called for him. He gave David some food and told him to take it to his brothers. David was supposed to find out how his brothers were doing and come back to his father with any news. So off David went with the food. When he got to his brothers he found out that there was a giant who was yelling mean things to the brothers and the rest of the army. This giant was over nine feet tall. Do you know how tall that it? I have someone who is going to show you. (Have the “Goliath” person come in and stand on a table.) That is really tall. Do you think that the men in the army were scared? Goliath wanted them to come and fight him but they were all too scared. When David came he said, “I will go and fight him.” David was just a teenager. (Bring the teenager in and have him stand beside Goliath.) The king told David that he was only a boy. But David was sure that he could fight Goliath. He told the king that God had helped him when the lion attacked and when the bear attacked so he knew that God would help him against this giant.

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David took out his sling. He went to a stream and picked up five stones. Count them with me. (Pick up five rocks and count them out loud.) Then, he went and stood in front of Goliath. (Have David stand in front of Goliath facing him.) Goliath made fun of David. But David said, “The battle is the Lord’s.” He put one of the stones in his sling. He slung it around. The stone went sailing through the air and struck Goliath right in the forehead. (David should pretend to do this.) Goliath fell to the ground. (Have the person jump from the table and fall to the ground.) David knew that it was through God’s power that he had defeated Goliath.

PrayerAsk the Lord to help the children depend on God’s power just like David did. Give them a few moments to ask Jesus to help them with anything they might be needing help with. Examples: staying in bed at night, afraid of the dark, being mean to a brother. Remind them that with God’s power they can overcome these things.

Lab TimePowered vs. Non-powered

Supplies:Raisins�Two clear drinking glasses�Flat soda pop�New can of soda pop�

Pour the new can of soda into one glass. Pour the flat soda into the other glass. Let the kids take turns dropping raisins into the glasses and observing what happens. The glass of flat soda should make the raisins drop to the bottom. The glass of new soda should make the raisins rise and fall, almost slow dancing. (Be careful to not add too many raisins to the carbonated glass. They tend to not rise and fall as well when there are more raisins.)

When we ask Jesus to help us we are like the raisins that came up. When we try to do things ourselves, we are like the raisins that fell flat.

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Magnet Power

Supplies: Neodymium magnet* �Paper clips �Table �

Have the children place paper clips on the table. Take the magnet and place it under the table. Move it along the underside of the table. The paper clips will “mysteriously” start moving by themselves. The kids will love it! Could you see what made the paper clips move? Actually this magnet was underneath making them move. God’s power is the same way. We cannot see it. But He is there working. He is powerful even if we can not see Him. WARNING: The neodymium magnet is strong. Do not let children play with it. Fingers can be easily pinched and blood blisters formed.

Circle TimeHave the children sit in a circle. Go around the circle and let the children share an area in which they are scared or they need help. For instance, they might be scared of the dark or they might need help being kind to their dog.

Remind the children that Jesus wants to help them. Encourage them to pray each day and ask Jesus to help them.

Snack

Stones

Supplies:Round rolls (shaped like stones) �Butter or jam �Paper plates �Plastic knives �

Let the children spread butter or jam on their “stones”.

While they eat their snack, review the story of David and Goliath.

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CraftWindsock

Supplies:Brown paper lunch bag �Hole punch �Streamers �Markers �Scissors �Tape or glue �String or yarn �

Cut out the bottom of the lunch bag. Fold down the top of the bag all around and punch holes at the four corners of the bag. Cut streamers to the desired length and glue or tape them to the inside of the cut end of the bag (not the end with the punched holes). Decorate the bag with markers. Cut four pieces of string and tie each one to the corner holes. Tie all the pieces of string in a knot to form a hanger.

When the windsock blows, it reminds us of the wind. We cannot actually see the wind but we

can see the effects of it. In the same way, we may not see God’s power but we can see the effects of his power around us.

GameDavid or Goliath

Supplies:None �

The children line up shoulder to shoulder. One child stands across the room. He/she turns around. The children start walking toward the child. At some point the child turns around and says, “David” or “Goliath.” If he/she says “David” everyone stops, points to the sky and flexes their muscles to demonstrate that David’s power came from God. If he/she says “Goli-ath,” everyone falls down.

Play continues until one child makes it across the room.

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Activity PageCopy the “Circle five smooth stones” page for each child. Have them circle five stones for David to take for his slingshot.

Creative PlayCollecting Stones

Supplies:Wads of paper �

Scatter wads of paper along the floor. Have the children walk along and collect five “stones” from the “stream.”

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Circle 5 Smooth Stones

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TogetherTime

Bible PassageDavid and Goliath

1 Samuel 17

Bible PointGod knows all

about us.

Bible Verse:Great is our Lord and

mighty in power. Psalm 147:5a

Discussion

Have you ever been scared in a storm? �What scares you when there is a storm?

Do you think God is more powerful �than a storm?

What can you do next time you are �scared?

Family Experiment

See how long you can go without using anything that requires electrical power.

Be creative!

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Teaching NeedsDr. Beaker:Costume for Dr. Beaker

Dr. Beaker’s Lab:Ping pong ball* Wide mouth funnel Hair dryer One toilet paper roll Dowel rod or broom handle Leaf blower

Bible Story:Five smooth rocks A man to act out Goliath A young teenage boy to act out David

Lab Time:Powered vs. non-powered:Raisins Two clear drinking glasses Flat soda pop New can of soda pop Magnet powerer:Neodymium magnet* Paper clips Table

Circle Time:None

Snack Time:Round rolls Butter or jam Paper plates Knives

Craft:Brown paper lunch bag Hole punch Streamers Markers Scissors Tape or glueString or yarn

Game:None

Activity Page:A copy for each child

Creative Play:Wads of Paper

*Denotes item available in optional kit from RiversEC.com