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Leader Guide

Teaching

Make copies of the Gizmo Face Pattern, one per child plus extras.

Make copies of the Inheritance Document Pattern, one document per child plus extras. You may copy them in color or black and white, then cut apart the four patterns on each page.

Complete one Gizmo Face to show the class as an example.

Esau was the firstborn son, so he was supposed to get the birthright—meaning he would have special privileges and become head of the family when his father died. But Esau did not appreciate this, and he thoughtlessly sold his birthright for a bowl of stew.

Later, Esau was supposed to receive a special blessing from his father—but what happened? Jacob got it by tricking Isaac.

Esau hadn’t cared much about his birthright, but he really wanted that blessing. If you were Esau, what would you do?

Read Genesis 27:34:

When Esau heard his father’s words, he let out a loud and bitter cry. “Oh my father, what about me? Bless me, too!” he begged.

What was Isaac’s answer? He had nothing left to give Esau.

That was sad for Esau—but I have good news for us. As God’s children, we cannot be tricked or deceived out of our blessings from God!

God the Father gave His blessing to His only begotten Son. Who is that? Jesus Christ.

Yes, as God’s Son, Jesus received all of God’s blessings!

Pick up the Inheritance Documents and ask a volunteer or adult helper to stand with you. Let’s say that I represent God and these are all my blessings. This person represents Jesus. Hand the person all the Inheritance Documents as you say with great emphasis, “I give You all of My blessings.” Turn to the class and ask, What do you think Jesus does with all of these blessings—keep them for Himself? No!

Jesus died on the cross so that our sins can be forgiven and we can be adopted as God’s children. This means that anyone who believes in Jesus as Savior is given the right to share in God’s rich inheritance!

Have the person playing Jesus give an “Inheritance Document” to each child, then have the children write their names on their documents. We inherit all of God’s blessings because we are connected to Jesus and trust Him as our Lord! Isn’t that wonderful? Let’s read what our Inheritance Document says. Read the wording on the document with the children:

My Inheritance: God′s Promises and Blessings.

Read Ephesians 1:3:

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ.

When we believe and trust in Christ as our Savior, we are joined to Him and receive His blessing! Praise God! When we have been unfairly treated or harmed by others, we can forgive them because Jesus has forgiven us and shared all of His blessings with us. We have a rich inheritance from our Heavenly Father. No one can deceive or take away His blessings from us!

Read 2 Corinthians 1:20 (nkjv): 

For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.

This means that all God’s blessings and promises have been fulfilled in Christ. When we are joined with Christ, He says “yes” to sharing all of God’s promises with us! It is guaranteed, Amen! We are His blessed children. When others see His blessings and favor in our lives, it brings glory to Him!

Let’s say our SuperTruth together: “I am a child of God, and I share in all of His blessings.”

Discipleship Challenge/Practical Application

During these three lessons about Jacob and Esau, I want you to think and pray about people you need to forgive or ask for forgiveness from. You don’t need to share any names or specific details of the situation with anyone, unless you want to share it with a parent or a trusted adult.

Let’s take a moment to pray now. Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for sending Jesus to die on the cross to forgive our sins and for sharing Your blessings with us. Please show us if there’s anyone we need to forgive—or anyone we should ask to forgive us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Our challenge is to continue to pray and get into the habit of recognizing the need to forgive or ask for forgiveness as soon as the need arises. To remind us of this challenge, we are each making a Gizmo face that can be folded to show different expressions! 

Display and demonstrate the completed craft to the children. Have the children follow the instructions on the pattern to complete the craft. Assist as necessary.

When there is an offense between people, they may show anger, sadness, or even fear. Have children show those emotions on their Gizmo craft. After Jacob and Esau forgave each other, they were full of joy! Have children show this expression on their craft.

Take this craft home as a reminder of our challenge for these three lessons. Because Jesus freely forgives us, we need to show that same love and kindness to others. Next time, I’ll ask if you remembered to pray about this.