RELIGIOUS VIRTUE GROUP

Because I value my relationship with God, I choose to know His character and respond to Him in my worship and life.

 

How To Be Like Jesus

Repentance

God helps me see the bad in my life and He gives me the power to come to Him for forgiveness. He strengthens me to turn away from sin and replace evil with good.
I choose to repent.

Definition

Repentance related virtues: Admission of wrong, changing, confession.

Repentance means: Deciding not to do a wrong again.
Making a change from the wrong;
Trying your best to make up for what you have done wrong;
Admitting that it was your fault, saying to the ones that were hurt that you are sorry and to God confessing our sins and honestly deciding never to do it again.
Recognizing the hurt that came from your wrong and taking steps to avoid ever doing it again. Calling on God to forgive you and give you the wisdom, power and will to never do it again.

Vices/sins as examples of what might need to be repented of: Alcohol; tobacco, watching the wrong things on TV, watching TV when you should be doing other things; watching TV or listening to the radio on Friday night or Sabbath; Wrong kind of music; spending money on junk food when you know you need to use if for better things; making fun of a person; mimicking someone, saying words that hurt others feelings; Forcing others to always do things your way; lying to your parents, teacher, other students; cheating; causing trouble to your parents or teacher; disobeying.
Artwork Music

See flipchart

Coming Home, SDAH 296

Student Life Applications

1 Student is paying the market person for some fruit that the student stole from the market stand, he can be holding banana peels or orange peels
2 Students are walking by the video shop, one pulls to go in, the other shakes his head “no”
3 Student is paying the shop owner for the broken window
4 Student giving his kite for the torn one of his friend
5 Two students are working on a project, one student spills ink and then gives his clean paper to the other student to use.
6 One student is crumbling his cigarette and throwing it away while his friend is handing him a Bible
7. Throwing away bad magazines and pictures and telling God and others that you don’t want to look at that kind of thing again; Staying away from gambling places and asking God to give you power to keep your decision to never bet again; Throwing away your CDs and cassettes that have the wrong kind of music and praying that God will give you the strength to keep your decision.
8. Choosing to stop doing any vice, knowing that doing wrong is sin and is very serious to God, making a definite choice to never do it again by God’s help; doing what you can to fix anything that you have done wrong; stop doing the wrong.
9. Making things right after stealing something like candy or snacks, money.
10. Making things right after hurting someone too hard, running into them with a bike.

Bible, E.G. White


Psalm 38:18; Isa 55:7; Ezekiel 14:6; 18:30; Matthew 9:13
Matthew 9:13 For I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
Luke 15:7 There will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.
Acts 2:38 Repent and be baptized
Acts 3:19 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out
II Samuel 12:13 (David after Nathan’s visit)
Luke 19:8 (Zachaeus after visit with Jesus)
Matthew 3 (People that came to John the Baptist)

“True repentance is more than sorrow for sin. It is a resolute turning away from evil.” PP 557
“For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of." That repentance which is produced by the influence of divine grace upon the heart will lead to confession and forsaking of sin.” AA 324
“There is no evidence of genuine repentance unless it works reformation. If he restore the pledge, give again that he had robbed, confess his sins, and love God and his fellow men.” SC 59

 

Reinforcing Stories

Living Illustrations by J. B. Fowler, Jr. p. 117
Growing Kids God's Way, by Gary Ezzo, Chapter 13
The Children's Hour I, pg. 40, by Arthur Maxwell
The Children's Hour II, pg. 27, by Arthur Maxwell
"A Thief enters Heaven", Book Five, The Children's Hour, pg. 184, by Arthur Maxwell
"The Three Knocks", "What Charlie Heard in the Market Place", Volume One, Uncle Arthur's Bedtime Stories, pgs. 126, 177
"The Boy who ran away from home", Volume Two, Uncle Arthur's Bedtime Stories, pg. 140
"Sin Blackens the Heart", Treasury of Devotional Aids for Home and School.

Student Activities


All change begins inside out not outside in.
1. Follow The Leader: Teacher walks or does activity, claps his hands and immediately does the opposite of what he was doing. Repeat several times. Repentance is changing directions, etc.
2. Draw a picture of yourself with one crayon for when you did wrong. Choose a second color and draw a new picture of yourself for after repentace. Now you are different.
3. Have a vase full of junk. Present a bouquet of pretty flowers. Jesus wants to fill you life with loveliness. You have to see your junk and give Him permission to help you remove the junk. Now place the flowers in the vase.

Links to the Curriculum
Biology: Mold grows and destroys. When sin grows, we must repent or be destroyed.
Music: Transformation gives new range to singer, forgiveness gives new range to spiritual life.
Physics: Matter changes so a person changes when he repents and accepts Christ.

Resources

The Children's Hour, by Arthur Maxwell, R& H, 1945
Growing Kids God's Way, by Gary & Anne Marie Ezzo, Micah 6:8, 1993
Uncle Arthur's Bedtime Stories, by Arthur Maxwell, 1964
Treasury of Devotional Aids for Home and School by the Department of Education of the General Conference of SDA, 1951

Evaluation

Primary:
Tell or write two ways that show that God accepts repentance.
Tell or write about a time when you saw someone show repentance.
Tell or write about when you saw the hurt and unhappiness when someone was not repentant.
Tell two ways that you can show repentance.
What is the opposite of repentance? Who makes us act that way?
How do you think God feels when He sees people who are repentant?
How do you feel when you show repentance?
What makes you want to show repentance?
Finish the sentence: We can show repentance when we..........

Middle:
Why does God care if I am repentant?
What difference does it make whether I show repentance or not?
What effect would it have on my future if I did not choose to be repentant?
How would people treat me differently if I did or didn’t choose to show repentance?
How would I feel about myself if I did or did not choose to be repentant?
Give some reasons why you think it is best to show repentance. Why would someone do differently?
List some ways that a person might be repentant without anyone noticing?
List 3 situations where a person could be repentant in his work, home, or at the shopping mall.
Can you think of someone who seems good at showing joy? What makes them better at it?
How could you learn to be better at repentance?
How often do you show repentance? Think of the last three times and tell me.

High school:
Would you practice repentance if no one was checking on you? Your parents, school, or the law?
What is the alternative to repentance and what do you see as the results of that choice?
Would you recognize it if someone was not fully repentant? How?
Would you keep quiet if someone paid you a lot of money not to be repentant?
Are you proud to be repentant and willing to tell others how you feel?
If someone in a group spoke out against repentance would you speak up to give the other side?
Are you willing to put some of your money toward supporting repentance in your city, class, work?
What effect do you think repentance will have on your future?
Do you see your family practicing repentance? How about your church, city, or nation? Does it make much difference if they do?
What do you think should be done to promote repentance in your family, friends, church, city, and nation?
Does it make much difference if the above are repentant or not? Why?