Locations & Times

Kids - Undefeated

Joshua and Caleb - Week 1

October 5-6, 2019 |

In a wild Survivor-like game show, contestants compete for the title of Undefeated. But when impossible challenges lead them to Bible stories about our mighty and powerful God, they quickly learn that he is the only one who is truly undefeated.

WORSHiP

BIBLE VERSE

“Great is our Lord, and mighty in power,” Psalm 147:5.

GROUP Q&A
  1. The Israelites were in search of their new home that God promised to them. What was their new home called? (Canaan/the Promised Land)
  2. Twelve spies went to see what the Promised Land was like. What are some things they found? (giant people, lots of water and trees, huge fruits)
  3. Most of the Israelites were scared to enter into the Promised Land, but two people were very brave and trusted God. What were their names? (Caleb and Joshua)
  4. We all get scared sometimes, but we can trust that God is with us, and he is undefeated. That gives us strength and courage. When was a time when you were scared? (Take responses and be ready to share your own story with the kids.)
  5. What are some things you can do to help remember that God is always with you? (Take some responses. Sample answers: pray, recite your memory verse, read your Bible.)
PARENT BIBLE STUDY

Read: Numbers 13

The Israelites had been wandering in the desert for many years where it was hot, dry, and lacking anything you could define as lush. To say they were ready for something different would be a huge understatement. In Numbers 13, we find them at the edge of the Promised Land; the land God described as flowing with milk and honey (Exodus 3:8), refreshing, and life-giving.

God commanded Moses to send 12 spies into the land for 40 days to learn everything they could about what was there. God already promised this land to his people, so the spies should have gone into it looking at everything they saw through the lens of God’s faithfulness to his promise. However, despite all the goodness they saw, ten of the 12 spies chose to focus on the intimidating people in the land, and they used that as a reason for terror and discouragement. They even exaggerated what they saw to promote fear among the Israelites.

But two spies, Joshua and Caleb, chose courage instead of fear. Where the ten spies saw defeat and obstacles, Joshua and Caleb saw opportunities for God to claim victory for his people. When they could have focused on the size of the Israelites compared with the size of the people inhabiting the land, they focused on the size of their God. As they looked through the land, they found giant clusters of grapes – so big that they had to be carried on a pole between two men! Even this was a tangible reminder of the joy and goodness God would provide his people through the land.

I think we are a lot like those ten spies sometimes. It’s so easy to lose perspective and forget to see what is in front of us through the lens of God’s victory and faithfulness. We deny his power and his presence with us and decide it’s too hard to accomplish. Entering the Promised Land was going to be hard, no doubt, but God never hid the goodness of it from his people. Joshua and Caleb chose to focus on God’s goodness in spite of the challenges ahead. Hard, but good. So many things in our own lives can be described this way. When we look ahead to the things in our lives that are hard but good, let’s remember God’s power, goodness, and the truth that he gives us all the courage we need. He is undefeated.

The things in our lives that are hard but good are usually only good if we have the courage to press into them. What scenarios in your life can you describe as hard but good? Are you going all in with courage? Or are you missing God’s goodness because you’re avoiding the situation in fear?

ASK YOUR KID

Q. Why didn't all of the Israelites trust God?
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