Is sacrifice enough?

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key words

biblical reference

Isaiah 1:13-17, 19-20; Jeremiah 7:21-26; Micah 6:8; Malachi 1:6-14; Romans 12:1-2.

lesson objective

To comprehend that religious activities, sacrifices, and worship that don’t come from a heart of love and obedience displeases God

memory verse

“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit” (1 Peter 3:18, NIV*).

prepare yourself to teach

Things aren’t always as they seem. Despite our tendency to judge people and objects by their outward appearance, it’s rarely possible to do so correctly. An apple may seem perfect outside but be rotten inside.

This principle also applies to our spiritual life. It’s very easy to look spiritual by saying the right words and acting as if God were the most important thing in our life, without this being true.

Preadolescents aren’t immune to practicing the “religious game.” Spiritual pressure to conform contributes to this problem. If being a good person generates the approval of others, some of them will try to act in this way, without worrying about their inner life. The preadolescents who struggle to find a real spirituality often have a strong sense of guilt. They don’t want others to know the emptiness that there really is in their lives.

Through this lesson, preadolescents will learn that God wants us to love and obey him sincerely, not just through religious activities. Pray for them. Ask the Lord for each of them to experience a true and deep spiritual life.

biblical commentary

Recognize that there are “real Christians” while others that are not. This isn’t a new issue. Around 700 B.C., the prophets of God warned the people that “non-real” religion didn’t please God. Religious forms, however elaborate, cannot replace faith, love, and obedience.

Read Isaiah 1:13-20. In the eighth century B.C., Jerusalem faced imminent bloody attacks and defeat at the hands of the Assyrians. Meanwhile, people practiced rituals according to the Law of Moses, but lived immorally and corruptly. They committed murders, deceptions, oppressed the poor and rejected God in their hearts. They believed that by pretending and carrying out an “external religion,” they would be protected from the wrath of God.

Isaiah condemned the people for their lack of internal commitment, and warned them that the “forms” of worship cannot replace true goodness. God demands morality, social and individual righteousness, and personal holiness.

Read Jeremiah 7:21-26. Although Jeremiah preached between 626-580 B.C., both the political and social situation and his message were similar to those of Isaiah. The southern kingdom was under the threat of Babylon and yet, the people relied on ritual without obedience. But without sincere regret and the desire to please God, this had no value.

Read Malachi 1:6-14. This passage was written between the years 458 and 400 B.C. Times of discouragement and disappointment were realities for God’s people. They were returning from exile, but their expectations about the arrival of a Messiah weren’t fulfilled as they expected.

The prophet condemned the priests for accepting offerings of blind and sick animals. The law required that animals sacrificed to God shouldn’t have any kind of defect (Leviticus 22:20-22; Deuteronomy 15:21; 17:1).

Through these sacrifices, the people and the priests didn’t give God something of true value. Their first mistake was to believe that a messy ritual could replace the commitment of the whole heart. The second mistake was to think that God would accept just any old offering to replace a relationship of love and obedience.

Read Micah 6:8 and Romans 12:1-2. Here is briefly presented what God expects of his people: religious obedience coupled with righteousness in our relationship with him and with our neighbor.

introduce the lesson

What’s going on here?

Give the group Student Activity Sheet #394-A (What’s Going on Here?), and have them look at the pictures & describe what’s happening in each of them. (The girl wants to drink milk, but it’s spoiled. The boy wants to eat an apple and discovers that there’s a worm watching him.) Ask: “Has this ever happened to you?” Give them blank sheets of paper to tell about their experiences. Tell them: “This teaches us an important truth: we cannot always discover what is inside by simply looking on the outside. Today’s lesson will teach us that this principle also applies to people on many occasions.”

teach the lesson

The four most unpopular writers in the world

This dramatic presentation should be prepared before the session and used during the session as an introduction to the writings of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Micah and Malachi.

Support material: replicas of scrolls with the names of the four authors written on the outside. Books lined with black paper can also be used, clearly showing the names of those who wrote them.

Announcer - (With enthusiasm) Ladies and gentlemen, we welcome you to today’s episode of The Most Unpopular Writers of the World. Each week, we carefully review the list of books less read and appreciated by all people, and we chose the four least popular ones for you. And now, let’s give the warmest welcome to the presenter of The Most Unpopular Writers in the World. (The announcer applauds and encourages the audience to do the same.)

Presenter - Hello audience! Today we have for you a special program. We’re going to interview four writers who really represent the term “unpopular.”

These guys really know how to scare the public! I can’t imagine how they managed to get their books to print and from there to bookstores. We’ll give our best “boo” welcome to Isaiah, Jeremiah, Micah and Malachi. (Dramatically point out, one at a time, the four students who represent these characters.)

Audience - (All together) We hate your writings. Yes, we hate them even though we’ve never read them. Boo! Boo! Boo!

Presenter - Isaiah, let’s start with you. I was looking at your book a little and I can assure you it’s quite loaded. By writing it, were you trying to make people angry? I mean, when you say something like this: “Do not bring me a more vain offering; incense is an abomination to me ... your solemn feasts are hated by my soul”, or like this: “Take away the iniquity of your works from before my eyes.”

Supposedly, you were delivering a message from God to the people, but believe me, this doesn’t sound like a message from the God of love in whom we believe.

Isaiah - I wasn’t trying to make people angry, but I was trying to wake them up. Look ... God is a God of love. But he is also a holy God. He cannot be in contact with a people who rebel against him, disobey him, and do evil. And all this is what the people are doing. They behave by pretending to love God, offering him all kinds of sacrifices, but at the same time, they commit murders, steal from the poor and do all kinds of bad things. And yet, they expect God to protect them from their enemies.

Presenter - (Thoughtful) - Hmmm ... well, I guess you’re right. But still, it’s not very popular with readers. But I can assure you that our next guest is even more unpopular than you. Jeremiah ... what do you have to say in your own defense?

Jeremiah - What can I say? You know, I was known as the weeping prophet, and my writings were so unpopular that they took me to be in jail for a while.

Presenter - Well, I really can’t say that I blame those people. But let’s listen to the public’s opinion. Friends, what is your response to these examples taken from Jeremiah’s writings?

“This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Go ahead, add your burnt offerings to your other sacrifices and eat the meat yourselves! For when I brought your ancestors out of Egypt and spoke to them, I didn’t just give them commands about burnt offerings and sacrifices, but I gave them this command: Obey me, and I will be your God and you’ll be my people. Walk in obedience to all I command you, that it may go well with you. But they didn’t listen or pay attention; instead, they followed the stubborn inclinations of their evil hearts.”

Audience - (In unison) Jeremiah, you have great success in writing things we won’t read! Boo! Boo! Boo!

Presenter - Well ... now you see, Jeremiah, why our audience chose it to be part of the list of the most famous unpopular writers in the world of all time. What is your final reflection?

Jeremiah - Only this: God still loves his people despite their sin and hypocrisy. All he asks is that when they offer sacrifices, they love and obey him. My writings aren’t popular, but if the people had obeyed them, they would have avoided 70 long years of captivity in Babylon.

Presenter - (Somewhat confused) - Well, yes ... but ... we must continue. Let’s listen now to our next guest: Malachi.

Micah - (Interrupting) - Hey! When is it my turn? I wrote, more or less, at the same time as Isaiah and Jeremiah. Shouldn’t I be next?

Presenter - Now Micah, keep your unpopular book closed for another minute. We’ll talk about it in a timely manner (frowning). And now, let’s go back to Malachi ...

Malachi, you wrote a few years later than Isaiah and Jeremiah. But it seems to me that you continued talking about the same old and unpopular subject. Couldn’t you find something fresh, novel and more pleasant to readers?

Malachi - Well, I was a prophet, not a public relations officer. My message came directly from God for his disobedient people. There they were, back in their land. But ... did they learn anything from their captivity? Nothing that has been evident.

Presenter - I find some very strong accusations in your book. Audience, pay attention: “Oh, that one of you would shut the temple doors, so that you wouldn’t light useless fires on my altar! I am not pleased with you,” says the Lord Almighty, “and I will accept no offering from your hands.” What can you say to justify this, Malachi?

Malachi - The people of God were offering sacrifices with sick and injured or lame animals, the kind that you wouldn’t give away to your worst enemy, and then pretended that God would bless them. It was horrible!

Presenter - Well, what he says seems quite true, Malachi. But, still, I imagine if there would be a more positive message ...

(Micah interrupts by waving his hand.) - When is it my turn? I think it’s my turn. I have a positive message. Listen to this: “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

Presenter - Not bad, Micah, not bad. Too bad your book was not popular either, because you seem to have some good practical advice.

(The presenter looks at the audience.) “Well folks, our time is up, but let’s give a lively farewell to the world’s most famous and unpopular writers.

Auditorium - (All together) We love your writings. Yes, we love them, and we’ll read them completely. Yes, yes, yes ...

Presenter (amazed) - Hey, that’s not our customary farewell. Operator, cut! …Goodbye People. See you next week.

Explain to the group that while it’s true that the drama was funny, it taught us the reality of a disobedient people and a prophetic message that wished to draw their attention to the seriousness of their sin and disobedience to God. The prophets gave the message, they obeyed God, but the people were still immersed in their own evil, so they suffered sad consequences.

connect the lesson

Who said the following?
Distribute Student Activity Sheet #394-B. Divide the group into three smaller groups. Give Isaiah 1:13-17, 19-20 to a group, Jeremiah 7:21-26 to another, and Malachi 1:6-9, 14 to a third. Ask them to read the passages in their Bibles and answer the questions. Then, have each student write why he/ she thinks the Old Testament sacrifices didn’t work.

The sacrifice is enough

Pass out Student Activity Sheet #394-C (Sacrifice). Ask the students to complete the acrostic with words or phrases that describe:

The sacrifice of Jesus on the cross for each one of them.

Their response to that sacrifice.

If you wish, you can give them some ideas to complete the acrostic. But it would be ideal for them to write their own thoughts.

practice the memory verse

Use the memorization activity from the last session. At this point, the students should know the full verse by memory. Ask them to recite it. Help those who don’t know. Organize competitions by dividing into several groups so they say it without reading it.

wrap-up

Pray

Pray for and with them so that today’s truth is a reality in their lives. God doesn’t want our sacrifices.

Encourage

Remind the group that the Lord desires our love and obedience. Encourage the group to love and obey God from a pure heart.

Invite

Share something interesting about the next session and encourage the group to attend it. Tell them that visitors are welcome.

* Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™