AGE GROUP: elementary (ages 6-11)
TIME REQUIRED: 45 minutes
This is lesson 19 of 42 in our study on the Attributes of God called “Can you tell me what God is like?” Visit the series index to view all the lessons and get more ideas for using this curriculum in your children’s ministry.
LESSON 19: GOD IS KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS
- Key Verse:“On His robe and on His thigh He has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.”
Revelation 19:16 - Teaching Passage: Israel Demands a King- 1 Samuel 8-10
- Supporting Texts: Deuteronomy 10:17, Revelation 19:16, Psalm 136:3, Proverbs 21:1, 1 Samuel 8:7
SUPPLIES NEEDED:
Bibles, previous attribute of God posters, a large piece of paper with the words GOD IS KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS written on it, key verse (Revelation 19:16) printed on a piece of paper, blank paper and markers or colored pencils for each child in the group, pages with the truths about God on the top and the definition on the bottom that have been cut in half for the review activity.
LESSON OUTLINE:
REVIEW PREVIOUS LESSONS:
Ask one of the kids in the group to remind you what you’re learning this year. Remind them that each week we’ll be looking into the Bible to answer the question… “Can you tell me what God is like?” and will be learning one of the many truths about God that we see in His Word.
Ask if anyone can remember the truths we’ve learned so far.
Play a quick review game where you hand each child 1 or 2 of the review pages that you’ve prepared (either attributes of God or definitions). Then, have kids race to find who has their match and put the pieces together.
- God is Almighty= He has absolute power or is all powerful
- God is the Alpha and Omega= He is the beginning and the end, the first and the last
- God is Awesome = He inspires awe and amazement
- God is Compassionate = He shows a deep concern for His people & a desire to meet their needs
- God is the Deliverer = He is the rescuer or savior
- God is Exalted = He is noble, elevated and lifted up
- God is Faithful = He is reliable, trustworthy, true to His Word & keeps His promises
- God Forgives = He grants pardon and cancels the debt of sin
- God is Glorious = He is full of glory (praise, honor & distinction)
- God is Good = morally excellent, virtuous or righteous
- God is Gracious = merciful, benevolent, kind & compassionate
- God Guides His People= He leads, accompanies, assists and gives direction/ guidance
- God Heals = make healthy & whole & free from ailments
- God is Holy = He is sinless, perfect and set apart
- God is our Hope = He is the One in whom our expectations are centered
- Jesus is Immanuel = God with Us
- God is Judge = He is the One who rules over and passes judgement on others
- God if Just = He is the One who is fair and does what is right
TEACH- GOD IS KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS:
Start out by reading this week’s memory verse (Revelation 19:16) from the poster. Ask the kids to tell you what they think it means that God is the King of kings and Lord of lords. Explain that it boils down to God ruling over or leading the rules, but that before we nail down a definition that you want to look to the Bible and see what the Bible says about God’s leadership over His people
Tell the story of Israel demanding a king from 1 Samuel 8-10 in your own words. Make sure to include the following points:
- From the very beginning, God had been the King over His people. He ruled them. He led them. He provided for them. But, almost from the very beginning people had been rebelling against His leadership. When God led His people out of slavery in Egypt He promised to lead and guide and rule over them, but they rebelled against His leadership.
- Once in the promised land, the people soon moved away from obeying God and we have the cycle of judges where the people would live in rebellion, they would repent, God would put a leader (or judge) over them, they’d obey God for a while, then they’d rebel again. This cycle continued over and over.
- The people of God started becoming more and more like other people and finally they demanded a king to rule over them so that they could be like the other nations and have a king like they did. The people didn’t want judges to lead them anymore. But more importantly than that, the people didn’t want God to be their King.
- When the elders of Israel demanded a king like the other nations, Samuel felt like the people had rejected him and leader, but then God spoke to Samuel and said, ‘it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king.‘ (1 Samuel 8:7). God reminded Samuel that His people had always been rejecting Him and told Samuel to tell the people what would happen if they had a king.
- Samuel told the people that a king would rule harshly and make them his servants instead of loving and caring for them as God had done. But the people insisted that they wanted a king. And God told Samuel to give them what they wanted.
- So, God chose Saul to be the first king of Israel
- READ 1 Samuel 10:17-25
After the story, ask the following questions:
- Who had always been King over Israel? (God)
- Why did the people want a human king? (to be like the other nations ~ this goes against the fact that they were to be set apart and different from the other nations)
- Who were the people rejecting when they asked for a king? (God)
- Just because they rejected Him, does that mean that God stopped being their king? (no, God has always been and always will be King over His people and King over the whole world)
DEFINE AND REMEMBER:
To help the kids remember this truth about God, take a few minutes to define the attribute.
KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS = THE ONE WHO RULES OVER THE RULERS OF THE WORLD
EXPLAIN: Talk about how the people wanted a king like the other nations, but God was their king. They didn’t need another king. This is especially true because God rules over all of the kings of the world. As King of kings and Lord of lords, Jesus is the One who rules over all rulers and all leaders. The whole world is subject to Him. Read Proverbs 21:1 as a reminder of this truth.
Since motions & actions help kids remember, choose an action for KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. A good motion might be to put a pretend crown on your head.
MEMORY VERSE:
SAY: “This morning we’re talking about the truth that God is the King of kings and Lord of lords. This means that God rules over all other kings and rulers. He is the ultimate authority over all.”
Read Revelation 19:11-16 and discuss what these verses tell us about Jesus.
Say the memory verse (Revelation 19:16) a few times together.
CROSS CONNECTION:
As we saw in the story this morning, God is the True King over His people and He is the king of kings and Lord of lords and He rules over all. But, because of sin, God’s people have all rebelled against His leadership and want to follow others or even just go our own way. God gave His people a king, like they demanded, even though they had just rejected Him as their True King. Thankfully, God didn’t leave His people to their own devices and plans. If you remember from last week, we saw in 2 Samuel 7:16 (right after David brought the ark into Jerusalem the right way) that God promised David that someone in His family line would be the forever King. God didn’t desert His people, but instead He stepped into human history to rescue His people. In Philippians 2:5-8, we read about Jesus leaving His rightful place in heaven, becoming a man, living a perfect life and dying on the cross in our place. Then, in verse 9-11 we read that because of the way that Jesus humbled Himself, God the Father exalted Him and brought Him back to His rightful place (the highest place) where He reigns forever as the True King of Israel.
REVIEW:
Give each child a blank piece of paper provide markers or colored pencils. Encourage them to write the words king of kings and lord of lords somewhere on the paper and then write or draw something to help them remember this attribute of God. You may want to encourage them to illustrate the memory verse or draw the story of Israel rejecting God and asking for a king. After a few minutes, bring the group back together and give kids time to share what they have drawn or written.
PRAYER:
Pray that the kids in the group would come to know God more and more each week through this study and that they would remember that all of us are sinners who need to be saved and that they would turn to this good God for salvation. Pray that they would follow God as their king and remember that He has ultimate authority over all.