RCCG YAYA SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHER’S MANUAL 15 JANUARY 2023

LESSON TWENTY (20)

TOPIC: THE POWER OF CHOICE

*SUNDAY SCHOOL HYMN*

1. O Sunday School, on the Lord’s day,

O how I love Thee well,

I am happy, it makes me glad

To rejoice at Thy birth.

2. O Sunday School, on the Lord’s day,

Thy friend friendship suits me well,

Both young and will sing Thy song,

We long for Sunday School.

3. O Sunday School, on the Lord’s day,

Christ was Thy first teacher,

The Holy Spirit, great teacher,

Does manifest in thee.

4. O Sunday School, on the Lord’s day,

This testimony is sure,

That God, the Father Almighty,

Poured His blessing on Thee

5. O Sunday School, on the Lord’s day,

Though the sun be so bright,

Or if the clouds be black with rain,

I’ll be in Sunday School.

6. O Sunday School, on the Lord’s day

I rejoice to see Thee,

Will thou pass over me today?

Without my being blest?

OPENING PRAYER: Father, teach me to understand the power of choice so that I will not learn the hard way.

MEMORY VERSE: ” I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live”. Deuteronomy 30:19

BIBLE PASSAGE: GENESIS 13:8-13

8 And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren.

9 Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left.

10 And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar.

11 Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other.

12 Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom.

13 But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.

INTRODUCTION: Simply put, choice is the act of picking between two or more possibilities. The power of choice is the strong will to make a decision in the mist of several options. While it is generally opined that man is a choice being, scriptures clearly established that God has given man the power to choose (Joshua 24:15). However, we live with the consequences of the choices we make whether good or bad. The onus therefore, lies on us to make the right choices which is in turn determine the course of our lives.

TEACHING REVIEW: Genesis 13:8-13

This Scriptures is a narrative on the kind of choices made by lot and Abraham over the settlement of strife gradually gaining momentum between, their re-settlement to other locations and the consequences of such choices

i. Abraham choose not to allow strife between him and lots and their headsmen, ……… V8

ii. He further decided that they be separated and go in opposite directions, ……. V9

iii. Lot lifted up his eyes, saw the plain of Jordan well-watered, …… V10

iv. Lot then choose ………… V11

v. …………. V12

vi. But the men of Sodom were greatly wicked and sinners before the LORD …… V13

LESSON OUTLINES

1. COMMON CHOICES AND CONSEQUENCES

2. FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE CHOICES

1. COMMON CHOICES AND CONSEQUENCES

A. There are several choices we make in life with their attendance consequences. For instance:

i.The choices we make about food and exercise influence our physical health (Proverbs 25:16).

ii. The choices we make about our academic pursuits often affect our career and occupations.

iii. The choices we make in reaction to life’s adversities affect our psychological well-being (Proverbs 24:10).

B. Other major choices we make in life include:

1. The choice of where to live/settle may determine the peace or discomfort, blessing or trouble we will have (Genesis 13:8-11; 19:13; 26:1-2, 12-13)

2. The choice of who we marry will determine the bliss we enjoy or the blows we endure (Proverbs 18:22; 31:28; Proverbs 21:19; 1Kings 11:4).

3. The choice of the friends we keep will determine how far we’ll go and the quality of life we live (Proverbs 13:20; 18:24; 2Samuel 13:5; 10:14, 28-29)

4. The choices we make to be different will determine whether or not we will stand out from the crowd (Daniel 1:8,19; Hebrews 11:24-26).

5. The choice we make whether to serve God or not will determine the eternal reward we will get (Joshua 24:15; Revelation 22:11-12).

CLASS ACTIVITY 1:Students should discuss how a choice they made in time past affected or still affecting their destiny.

FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE CHOICES

Many factors influence the choices we make in life. We need to crave the right knowledge in order to be well-informed (Proverbs 18:15).

i. Self-control will help guide our choices and prevent us from making a rational decisions (James 1:19; 1Samuel 25:10).

ii. We must make good plans and be guided by good vision before we make a choice (Ruth 3:1-4; Proverbs 16:3,9).

iii. More importantly, prayers will enable us to key into the mind of God (1Samuel 30:7-8; Psalm 37:5,23)

iv. Conversely, pride, hypocrisy, doubt, and negative thoughts among others, will hinder us from making the right choices (Proverbs 11:2; Psalm 10:4; Isaiah 32:6; James 1:8).

v. We must strive to always have the correct mind frame all the time (Proverbs 4:23).

CLASS ACTIVITY 2: Students should discuss factors that have aided their major choices recently.

CONCLUSION: If we have made the wrong choice in the past, it is time to forgive ourselves and move on with life as we make necessary corrections to avoid any repetition of such.

CLOSING PRAYER: Father, help me to make godly choices in Jesus name

ASSIGNMENT: Mention five ways your choices have affected you either positively or negatively (2×5=10marks).