Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5

Title Stand for God! Obey God! Trust God! Thank God! Fear God!

Lesson Focus

Just like Noah, we can rely on God to help us stand for Him.

Just like Noah, we can rely on God to help us obey Him, no matter what.

Just like Noah, we can rely on God to help us trust Him

with our lives.

Just like Noah, we can rely on God to help us thank Him

in everything.

Just like Noah, we can rely on God to help us take Him seriously.

Bible Passages

Genesis 1–3; Genesis 6:5–9

Genesis 6:9–22 Genesis 7 Genesis 8 Genesis 9:1–17

Lifeline Verse

Watch, stand fast in the faith, be

brave, be strong. 1 Corinthians 16:13

If you love Me, keep My commandments.

John 14:15

But as for me, I trust in You, O Lord; I say, “You are my God.”

Psalm 31:14

In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in

Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Blessed is the man who fears the Lord.

Psalm 112:1

Animal Pal Fun Phrase

Hydro the Whale reminds us there’s a whale of a problem.

Hammer the Shark reminds us to nail

obedience.

Piers the Puffin reminds us to

trust the Lord and get on board.

Paws the Sea Otter reminds us we

“otter” thank God.

Fin the Dolphin reminds us “no-fin” is a bigger deal than taking God seriously.

Apologetics Focus

Before the Flood:

Wow! Were people really

that smart back then?

Preparing for the Flood:

Hmm. It’s a big boat, but still, how did

everything fit?

The Flood:Yikes! Was water really everywhere?

End of the Flood:

Whoa! What happened to this planet?

After the Flood:Hey! Why do

different cultures have similar

Flood stories?

Sunsational Science and

Crafts

Experiment: Ocean in a Bottle

Main Craft: Lone Lighthouse

Experiment: Sink or Float

Main Craft: Awesome Ark

Experiment: Mini Volcanoes

Main Craft: Seashell Cross

Experiment: Fossil Finds

Main Craft: Ocean of Thanks

Box

Experiment: Rainbow Fun

Main Craft: Rainbow Wind

Catcher

Splish! Splash! Games

Whale of a ProblemOcto-Ball

Two-of-a-Kind RelaysMatch Mates

Water WorldAnimal Antics

Team Raven/Team Dove

Fossil Fun

Obsta-Cool Water Course

Rainbow Soccer

Seaside Snacks Pail of Whales Fan-“sea” Floats Lifesaver Rings

Cornucopia of Thanks

Promise Pops

Cool Contests Goldfish Guess Club Cheers

Animal Dress Up Day

Scripture Look Up: Thankful Verses

Mission Money

Teen/AdultCourse Overview

Petersburg, Kentucky, USA

ContentsHandy Helps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

Let’s Dive In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3Our Goal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3Your Role . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4Frequently Asked Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4Terms to Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4Tips for Dive Leaders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Lifesaver Lesson Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Memory Verse Songs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Staff Devotions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Day 1 Stand for God! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12Introduce It! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12Teach It! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12Apply It! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14Remember It! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15Fill It! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Day 2 Obey God! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18Introduce It! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18Teach It! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18Apply It! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20Remember It! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21Fill It! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Day 3 Trust God! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23Introduce It! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23Teach It! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23Apply It! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24Remember It! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25Fill It! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Day 4 Thank God! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27Introduce It! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27Teach It! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27Apply It! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28Remember It! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28Fill It! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Day 5 Fear God! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31Introduce It! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31Teach it! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31Apply It! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33Remember It! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33Fill It! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Limited license to copy:A limited license is available to make copies of this book. You may make copies of portions of the book if 1) you are the purchaser; 2) the copies are used exclusively for non-commercial purposes within your church or organization (an entire denomination is not considered a “church” or “organization” under this license); and 3) you follow the instructions provided in the book.

Teen/Adult Teacher GuideCopyright © 2016 Answers in Genesis. All rights reserved. Limited license to copy.

Project Coordinator: Stacia McKeever Written by Lindsay Winslow BrownInterior layout by Diane KingCover design by Jon SeestIllustrations and patterns by Paul Agner

All Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version.Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by per-mission. All rights reserved.

For more information, write: Answers in Genesis PO Box 510, Hebron, KY 41048

Printed in the United States of America.

Teen/Adult Teacher Guide • 3

Let’s Dive In!Imagine you're standing at the beach with your eyes

closed. Can you hear the waves gently washing against the shore? Do you feel the soft sand between your

toes? Is there a smell of freshness in the air and a taste of salty sea mist on your lips? Open your eyes and gaze upon one of the most amazing places on Earth—the ocean.

Then get ready to road trip with us as we head out for the newest AnswersVBS—Ocean Commotion, where we'll dive into Noah's Flood and learn important life lessons from Noah such as:

• Standing for God (even if it means standing alone);

• Obeying God (no matter what);

• Trusting God (He's a life saver);

• Thanking God (in everything);

• Fearing God (taking Him seriously).

It promises to be a boatload of fun every jam-packed day! We'll plunge right in as we start with the Under-the-Sea Opening Assembly, a high-energy opening with enter-taining welcomes, rockin' songs, a mission moment, and prayer.

Then, while the VBS kids rotate through these four sites, the teens and adults will go to their class until the closing assembly:

• Lifesaver Lesson Time, where we dive deep into God's Word and learn important Bible truths in fun and cre-ative ways;

• Seaside Snacks, where prep is a breeze and taste is trop-ical;

• Splish! Splash! Games, where we make some waves with both land and sea escapades;

• Sunsational Science and Crafts, where a wide array of science experiments and crafts are waiting to be explored.

After finishing the day's rotations, everyone heads back to the Under-the-Sea Closing Assembly that includes more singing, a Creature Feature, contest results, and the greatly anticipated daily drama, which is a highlight of the kids' day.

The drama begins as Alex, the lead character, falls asleep. Then starts a fantastical dream sequence that places her smack dab in an under-the-sea world. While meeting crazy ocean characters and having even crazier experiences, she learns that there's only one way to safety—through "the door." Just as Noah went through the door in the Ark and found safety, we too find safety in just one way—through Jesus, our “door” to salvation.

With all that's in store, it “shore” is going to be fun! So “water” you waiting for? Let's dive on in!

Our GoalIf you asked the people of your church and community

how they felt about the Bible, what would their response be? Would they consider the Word of God relevant to their lives and interesting to learn from? Or would it seem irrele-vant and trumped by “science”?

A recent survey1 by America’s Research Group2 revealed that an alarming number of young people3 are leaving the church after they graduate because their questions about the Bible have not been answered. Respondents indicated that Sunday school materials were shallow and irrelevant. Of those polled, 86% had begun to question the Bible by their high school years. Of those who said they did not believe all the accounts in the Bible are true, 82% cited doubts about the Bible’s authority or its trustworthiness.

We trust that the Lord will use Answers VBS to help reverse this sad trend by equipping today’s youth and adults with the answers they seek. We have designed Ocean Commotion to provide solid Bible-based teaching delivered in a fun and entertaining way that counters the misinformation about the Bible and science that students encounter daily.

1 Britt Beemer poll commissioned by Answers in Genesis.2 America’s Research Group, Ltd., is a full-service market and behav-ioral research firm offering expertise in all phases of survey research, from questionnaire design to final report preparation. 3 These were people now in their twenties who regularly attended an evangelical church as they were growing up. The poll was nation-wide.

Handy Helps

Handy Helps

4 • Teen/Adult Teacher Guide

Frequently Asked QuestionsThe content of Ocean Commotion may be new to you. For a list of helpful articles on the topics covered in this VBS pro-

gram, please visit www.answersvbs.com/ocfaq.

Terms to KnowThroughout the VBS curriculum, various terms will be used. Here's a list of some of the most common terms to know.

• Divers/Dive Clubs: The children are nicknamed "divers" and are placed in "dive clubs" (individual classes) named after animals, such as the Dolphin Dive Club (Dolphins, for short) or the Sea Turtle Dive Club (Sea Turtles).

• Dive Club Leaders: Group leaders who lead the groups from place to place during VBS. No teaching is required of this position.

• Lifesaver Lesson Time: Bible and apologetics teaching time.

• Dive Instructors: Teachers at the Lifesaver Lesson Time.

• Sunsational Science and Crafts: Rotation site where crafts are made and science experiments are explored.

• Seaside Snacks: Indoor or outdoor site where snacks are served.

• Splish! Splash! Games: Indoor or outdoor site (outdoor is preferred) for recreation time.

• Lifeline Verse: Daily memory verse.

• Creature Feature: Daily time during the closing assem-bly when we marvel together at God's design of various marine animals.

• Toddlers: 2–4-year-olds.

• Pre-Primaries: 4–6-year-olds, or 4-year-olds through children who have completed Kindergarten.

• Primaries: 6–9-year-olds, or children who have com-pleted grades 1–3.

• Juniors: 9–12-year-olds, or children who have com-pleted grades 4–6.

For multi-age K–6th groups, we recommend using the material for the Primaries.

Your RoleYour role as the Dive Instructor is outlined in the follow-

ing pages. This is your guide. Read it carefully and prayer-fully, using our suggestions combined with the ideas the Holy Spirit brings to your mind.

So get ready! Get set! God is about to use you and your church to impact lives.

Best fit for this job—Someone who enjoys teaching teens and adults and does the following:

• Plans and prepares the daily lessons for VBS

• Enthusiastically engages in delivery of the lessons during VBS week

• Prays over all aspects of this job

Handy Helps

Teen/Adult Teacher Guide • 5

Tips for Dive Leaders1. Pray and study God’s Word. This is your most impor-

tant preparation. “We will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the Word” (Acts 6:4).

2. God has entrusted you with the awesome privilege of opening His Word and sharing it daily with the stu-dents. Walk worthy!

3. Read through all your lesson plans in advance. Begin to pray and plan now, and continue to pray during and after VBS.

4. In this guide:

» Materials for each activity are listed next to the activity.

» The “teacher says” portion is bolded.

5. It’s helpful to get all the supplies ready in a box or bag ahead of time rather than gathering them day-by-day the week of VBS.

6. Attend the Gospel Workshop. Be prepared to share the good news of salvation!

7. Dress as if you are an extreme expedition guide in Africa. Wear safari and/or mountain climbing gear such as khaki shorts/pants, a cargo vest, a hat, and hiking boots. Add in an animal print bandana and sunglasses for a little added flair.

8. Call the students by name. Nametags help with this.

9. Make sure to keep eye contact as you share the les-sons, helping each student sense your warmth and caring.

10. Students will be at various levels of spiritual compre-hension. Pray for the Lord to take the message and do with it as He wills: plant seeds, bring to salvation, or strengthen and grow those who are already believers.

11. Use your Bible throughout the lessons at the appropri-ate times. Show through your facial expressions and your actions the importance of the Scriptures.

12. Show love. All students, regardless of age or appear-ance, need to be loved. Greet them warmly each day and always be ready with smiles, encouraging words, and a handshake.

13. Be all there. Try to leave behind whatever is currently going on in your life and focus your attention on the students under your care.

14. Notice the good. Students want attention and will sometimes resort to acting up in an effort to receive attention, even if it is negative attention. Be proactive by noticing and praising the things they do right. Be an encourager.

15. Students generally rise to the level expected of them, so challenge them to work on memory verses.

16. Have fun! Teaching should be a joy for you. “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks” (1 Thessalonians 5:16–18).

Handy Helps

6 • Teen/Adult Teacher Guide

Lifesaver Lesson TimeStudents will be learning a lot from God’s Word when

they’re at High Adventure Lesson Time. This session is writ-ten as a 90-minute period, divided into these sections.

• Introduce It! (5 minutes): Each day, the students will be greeted with something interesting that captures their attention and begins the teaching of the day’s lesson.

• Teach It! (30–35 minutes): The Bible teaching and apologetics content is presented during this time by a teacher.

• Apply It! (5 minutes): This is the practical application time.

• Remember It! (5 minutes): This is the memory verse review time.

• Fill It! (45 or more minutes): Choose from the follow-ing to fill your time—video and discussion (60 minutes), snack (5 minutes), game (5 minutes), experiment (5 minutes).

DVDs: Three discs are included with your leader guide. These DVDs can be used in your DVD player or on a com-puter.

Memory Verse SongsWe have created songs for each of the memory verses.

Singing Scripture is an excellent way for students to easily learn their Bible verses. (Note that these songs feature the entire verse and are available in either contemporary or tra-ditional versions.) We suggest using the songs (either video or audio) during the Remember It! time in each lesson. The Leader Pack (DVD, DVD-ROM, Music CD) comes with the purchase of a Super Starter Kit and can also be purchased separately (contemporary: 11-4-069; traditional: 11-4-063).

This includes song motion videos, song lyric videos, and an audio CD. You can also purchase and download the songs individually from our online store for use on a handheld device (answersbookstore.com). And student CDs in packs of 10 are also available if you would like each student to have a copy of the songs (11-4-070; 11-4-064). The option you choose will determine which type of media device you use to play it.

Teen/Adult Teacher Guide • 7

Staff Devotions

Devotion 1 Stand for God!

by Stacia McKeever

"By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith." Hebrews 11:7

This week at Ocean Commotion, we’ll be teaching our kids to stand for God, obey God, trust God, thank God, and fear God, just as Noah did 4,300 years ago. All characteristics that we want to instill in our children, right? But if we’re not care-ful as we teach good character qualities, we can easily fall into the trap of moralism. Moralism is the idea that we can achieve righteousness or right living apart from the gospel.

We teach moralism when we say, “Noah took a stand for God, and you should, too!” While it’s true that Noah stood for God in the face of unrelenting wickedness, he did not do it in his own power. Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord (Genesis 6:8). He walked with God (Genesis 6:9). He knew that God was the one who was saving him from the coming judgment and, by faith in God, he willingly responded to God’s call on his life (Hebrews 11:7). Noah’s stand for God was grounded in his faith in God.

Think about it this way: So what if we teach kids to stand for God? If we teach them to stand for God apart from the gospel, they are as much in danger of the fires of hell as the child who mocks God. If we teach kids to obey God’s com-mands (be kind, tell the truth, obey your parents, stay sexu-ally pure until marriage) apart from the gospel, they are as much in danger of eternal separation from God’s goodness as the homosexuals who outright defy God’s commands. If

we teach them to thank God but don’t hold out the ultimate reason we give thanks—that we’ve been rescued from the eternal wrath of God on our sins—we bring them no closer to the kingdom of heaven than the ingrates who refuse to acknowledge God even exists.

We don’t want to encourage kids to change themselves—to take a stand in their own power just because some guy did it thousands of years ago. Being good, standing for God—moralism—doesn’t save anybody. After all, it wasn’t for the righteous that Jesus came; He came for sinners (Luke 5:32). Instead, we need to encourage our children to realize their desperate need for a Savior who will help them stand for Him through the indwelling power of His Holy Spirit.

As we go through this week, let’s look for opportunities to share Noah’s life with our kids—how he stood for God, obeyed God, trusted God, thanked God, and feared God—through the lens of his faith in God. Let’s point them to the only One who can save us and sanctify us—the only truly moral One who gives us His morality when we can’t manu-facture any on our own (2 Corinthians 5:21). Let’s reject the idea that morality is our end goal. And let’s encourage them to trust whole-heartedly in Jesus and to rely on Him to work out these attributes in us—the only true basis for morality that exists.

Staff Devotions

8 • Teen/Adult Teacher Guide

Devotion 2 Obey God!

by Dan Lietha

“If you love Me, keep My commandments.” John 14:15

Images of Noah’s Ark—mostly directed at children—are everywhere: on fine art prints, children’s books, wallpaper, toys, tapestries, greeting cards, T-shirts, magazine and TV ads, posters, wall decorations, and even business logos. And these images are not just aimed at the “religious” market; they are also hot items among the secular crowd.

Have you ever stopped to think how the Ark—such a powerful reminder of God’s judgment—became so popular, considering so many reject the true account of Noah’s Flood?

It can’t be because of what the Ark really stands for. The Bible says that people are willingly ignorant that “the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water” (2 Peter 3:5–6).

A clue to the Ark’s popularity can be found in the Ark images themselves. Most Ark images bear little resemblance to the one described in Genesis. Artists generally ignore the information in Scripture in favor of a wide variety of imagi-native shapes, sizes, and themes. The most common version is a toy-like boat, stuffed full of cuddly animals that crowd around Noah. Why is that?

Some artists treat the Ark like an amusing myth or chil-dren’s fairy tale. They do not believe that the story is an account of actual events, and therefore they have no prob-lem in doing anything they want with it. Even artists and companies who believe the Bible’s account of Noah’s Flood sometimes choose to create a caricature of the Ark for artis-tic and sales reasons. For instance, small arks take less time to draw, are cute, sell well, and make it easy to show the entire Ark and animals in one scene. And small arks aren’t contro-versial, either, because they don’t look real.

In addition to a lack of accuracy, the modern arks have a more serious drawback. One of the most-asked questions about Noah’s Ark is how Noah fit all the animals into it. The size of the Ark is critical to the believability of the biblical account, and so is a realistic shape that could survive the Flood. Yet the Ark images that come to most people’s minds fall far short.

In our modern, media-saturated culture, it is true that seeing is believing, especially for young children. Images make a strong impression and often overshadow the bibli-cal account, even for those who have a moderate familiarity with whatever event is being described. So while airplanes and other well-known objects may be fine to caricature, pro-moting poor caricatures of the Ark can be harmful.

Sadly, with the best of intentions, the church has promoted cutesy caricatures of the Ark in Sunday school materials and other literature, leaving the world largely unaware of the real message of the Ark that God instructed Noah to build.

The Bible explains why the modern world is willingly igno-rant. It’s because they don’t want to face the reality that judgment is coming again: “But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men” (2 Peter 3:7).

Today, as we talk about the Ark that Noah built, let’s be sure that we’re portraying a historically accurate one that held thousands of animals, their food, and Noah’s family, so that we’re encouraging a robust faith in our kids and not encouraging them to harbor doubts about the biblical account.

Staff Devotions

Teen/Adult Teacher Guide • 9

Devotion 3 Trust God!by Gary Vaterlaus

"But as for me, I trust in You, O Lord; I say, 'You are my God.'" Psalm 31:14

In His instructions for building the Ark, God told Noah to “set the door of the Ark in its side” (Genesis 6:16). The Ark had only one door to pass through to escape God’s terrible judgment. By faith, Noah and his family entered the Ark. Once they were all inside, the Lord shut them in (Genesis 7:16).

What is significant about God shutting the door of the Ark? It provides a wonderful demonstration of the twin truths of man’s responsibility and God’s sovereignty that we see throughout Scripture.

After God shut the door, the time of judgment arrived. Only those who had gone through the doorway would be saved; no one else could enter. Noah and his family had to obey God’s command to build and then enter the Ark for salvation—but it was God who had commanded the Ark to be built as the means of Noah’s family being saved in this time of judgment.

The Ark pictures salvation in Jesus Christ, our “Ark” of sal-vation. Jesus said, “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved” (John 10:9).

The Bible makes it clear that we are “dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1). Nothing we can do can save us

from our sin and its consequence of eternal separation from God. But the Bible also tells us that "if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9). It is “by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8). Nothing we can do will save us from our sin—salvation is all of God. Yet our responsibility is to go through the doorway (Jesus), and God will save us.

How do we put all this together? Can we, as finite humans, ever understand the ways of an infinite God? Only God can bring man’s responsibility and His sovereignty perfectly together.

Today, as we present this glorious gospel, in a simplified form for our kids, let’s remember that God sovereignly saves but that we have the responsibility of calling these precious image bearers to repentance and faith in Jesus. And let’s pray that God would be pleased to bring that repentance and faith to those in our care who haven’t yet embraced His gospel.

Staff Devotions

10 • Teen/Adult Teacher Guide

Devotion 4 Thank God!

by Steve Ham

"In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Man made his choice to be a rebel. These are pretty solemn words to start our devotional today, but they are true words, and words we must accept as part of our world-view. In Genesis 6–8 we read of the catastrophic global Flood that God used to judge mankind because of our great wickedness. We see the devastating effects of this Flood in most of the rock layers visible around the world today. When we see the record of destruction and death within these rock layers, it gives us a sense of awe of God’s power in judgment, and it is entirely reasonable that it should also give us a sense of fear. God is a just God, and we are sinners deserving of judgment. 

Here lies the first great example of the consistency of the biblical message. God promised a “Seed” from Eve to save the world (Genesis 3:15), and that Seed came despite the devastation of a global judgment. While evidence of the Flood shows us the awesome power of God in judgment, the fact that any of us can even view this evidence is also testament of God’s consistent saving grace. In an unfathom-able act of His grace, God protected a line of descendants throughout human history, from Adam to the Savior. In today’s verse we find a simple and yet very powerful exam-ple of that consistent grace.

It is important that we understand the significance of the term grace when we look at the consistency of the message of Scripture. Grace is not just an act of goodwill on behalf of God. Grace also implies our great unworthiness. Grace is not something that can be deserved. On the contrary, it is some-thing of which we are totally undeserving. Grace is afforded to the blameworthy. Since our sin in the Garden, God’s grace in the promised Seed has always been an ultimate display of His mercy and love to sinful humanity.

Although he was a sinner, “Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” It is because of this grace that God gave Noah the exact dimensions for a life-saving vessel. He also brought a pair of every kind of land-dwelling animal (and seven of some) to Noah to replenish the earth after the Flood. He saved Noah’s entire family to repopulate humanity and pre-serve the line of the Seed.

The rainbow provides us with a constant reminder of God’s faithfulness to both judge sin and graciously save (Genesis 9:13). Noah thanked God for His gracious salvation from the watery judgment; we ought also to thank God for His gracious salvation from His eternal judgment on our sin. And today, we can encourage our children to truly give thanks for God’s grace in everything.

Staff Devotions

Teen/Adult Teacher Guide • 11

Devotion 5 Fear God!

by Steve Ham

"Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?" Psalm 139:7

Have you ever heard Christians make statements like “God turned up”? What about when people pray and invite God into their meeting? Can these statements be consistent with the Bible’s teaching on the presence of God?

The verse above tells us that we cannot go anywhere from God’s presence. In fact, if you read further in that passage, it tells us that we are not able to escape God’s presence anywhere on earth, in heaven, and so on. God sees all and is everywhere, and the great example we all know, Jonah, would testify to this.

The Bible gives us insight into a history of this world that is consistent with the physical evidence we have today; however, God’s Word can only be fully comprehended with an understanding that the Bible is given to us by an ever-present God.

Take, for example, the Flood of Noah’s day. The Genesis account tells us that all the fountains of the deep broke forth and that all the high mountains of the earth were cov-ered. How could we know this but for an ever-present God?

Yet, this is one example of many in the Bible that are truly consistent with an understanding of God’s eternal and limit-less presence. Since the Bible is God’s Word, we would also expect it to state God’s limitless presence, which is what we find.

To make statements such as “God turned up” or to “invite” God to a meeting in which He is already present is more or less a misunderstanding of His omnipresence. God always “turns up” because He is always present and always working His purpose. This should give us a sense of awe. We spend every waking and sleeping moment in the presence of an awesome Creator. And every moment of our VBS day is spent in the presence of the same God who judged the world of Noah’s day with a Flood and saved Noah on the Ark. If that doesn’t inspire us to fear God—to take Him seriously—what will?

Today, as we teach our children to fear God, let’s remem-ber that we are in the very presence of the One we’re teach-ing about.

Day 1: Stand for God!

12 • Teen/Adult Teacher Guide

Day 1Stand for God!

Introduce It!Hello! Welcome to the ocean! This week, we’re planning to dive deep into God’s Word—and explore a time when the ocean was in great commotion. The idea is that we’re at a dive school on the edge of the vast waters of the ocean. Together, we’ll jump head-first into the waters of Noah’s Flood and learn some important life lessons. My name is _____________, and I’ll be your leader this week as we use the Bible to navigate through the waters of the deep.

Seventy-one percent of Earth’s surface is covered by oceans. In case you’re trying to do the math, that’s 1.3 billion cubic kilometers of water—and it’s teeming with life. There are whales, mysterious sea creatures, octopi, jellyfish, reefs, and more. The oceans also contain the largest mountain chain and deepest canyon on the planet. As beautiful as these waters are, they are dangerous and deadly.

Throughout history, water has done tremendous damage. In 2004, an earthquake in the Indian Ocean (the third largest on record) set off a massive tsunami that claimed the lives of 230,000 people in 14 countries. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast area from Florida to Texas. It is considered to be the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history.

Can you imagine what it would have been like when the earth was flooded 4,400 years ago in the time of Noah? The Bible tells us that the Flood was global and catastrophic. In Genesis 7:20–22, we learn that “the mountains were covered. And all flesh died that moved on the earth . . . all that was on the dry land, died.”

Noah and his family were the only humans who survived the Flood. Genesis 6:9 states that “Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God.” Before God sent the floodwaters, Genesis teaches us that all the people—except for Noah—were evil and wicked. So, God sent the Flood to destroy all life, except for Noah and his family. With God’s help, Noah stood for God, and he teaches us that we can stand for God, even if we’re standing alone.

Today’s memory verse encourages us to remain in Christ and rely on God’s strength. It’s I Corinthians 16:13. I’ll read it to you now, “Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong.”

Before we continue our discussion of Noah, we need to go back to the beginning (Gen-esis 1) to understand the world before the Flood. What do you think it was like?

Teach It!Beautiful World (Genesis 1–3)

We are going to read Genesis 1–3.

BIBLE PASSAGES

Genesis 1–3; Genesis 6:5–9

LESSON FOCUS

Just like Noah, we can rely on God to help us stand for Him.

LIFELINE VERSE

Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong.

1 Corinthians 16:13

APOLOGETICS FOCUS

Before the Flood: Wow! Were people really

that smart back then?

LESSON MATERIALS

� Bible marked with sticky notes for verses students will read aloud: Genesis 1–3, 4:17–22, 6:5–12

� Disc 1, DVD player setup

� Snack (see Seaside Snacks Guide)

� Memory Verse Song CD / player

� Experiment materials (see Experiment section)