Poor choices can cause generations of destruction, but God can undo that and restore us if we choose Him.

 

Who’s Your Daddy? – Say, “Okay, so maybe that isn’t the best intro in the world, but since I was going to start with Dad jokes it could’ve been worse – far worse. Today I want us to think about dads. Take a moment and seriously ponder that question for a minute. Who is your daddy? Do you have a good father or a bad father? Are you like your dad or not? How many of you have ever been told that you act like your dad or look like your dad?”

 

This video references a phrase about fathers that comes from the pages of the Bible. Ultimately, it is a message of hope but listen for the father phrase.

 

Play the video.

 

One of the places in the Bible that mentions the sins of our fathers is in the Ten Commandments.

 

Read Deuteronomy 5:6-10.

 

This is the first of the two commands. Commandment 1 teaches us to have no other gods and the second is similar but says to have no idols.

 

Read verse 9 again. What does that say to you? What does this verse look like to you? Pair up and discuss this for a moment and be prepared to bring your answer back to the group. Give students a set amount of time (60 seconds) and then ask each pair what they thought.

 

There are multiple parts to this verse. Right up-front, God says – don’t worship them. His reason is because He is jealous. Jealousy is not generally thought of as a virtue, but real jealousy can be. If a good-looking new student came your school and started flirting with your boyfriend or girlfriend, you’d get jealous right? If he or she flirted back, you’d really get jealous right? God loves us so much that it hurts Him to see us going after false idols. He loves us so much that He wants what is best for us, and seeing us go after something that He knows will hurt us and leave us empty hurts Him.

 

The second part of this verse shows just how serious God takes sin. Sin can lead to family ruin for generations. Children of drug users are more likely to abuse drugs themselves. Children who grow up in abusive homes are more likely to become abusive parents. The idols of drugs and power are strong and become worshipped by families for generations. They see its ugliness but it’s the god they know so they keep after it. And it breaks God’s heart – the cycle of sin is devastating to people and to Him.

 

Therefore, God is not content to leave it there – He gives us a choice. Look at verse 10. What choice do we have? Call on a volunteer to answer.

 

We can choose to love God and keep His commandments. We can choose to love and follow Him. And when we do, those cycles are broken because God will show what some translations state as “lovingkindness” and others call “faithful love.” With great kindness and care, God will lovingly lift you from the pits of sin and restore you to the beauty He sees in the one He created and the one He loves.

 

But you get to choose. The choice is yours. What choice will you make? 

 

Joshua reminded Israel of all the protection God has shown of how loving He had been to them and how protective He had been. And he gave the people a choice. Read Joshua 24:1-15 as a group. 

 

What choice will you make?

 

Close in prayer.

 

This song is featured on “The Linc: Choices” Spotify playlist – which is the perfect way to remind your students what you’ve taught them in this session. To share it with them, click the live link on the web version of this study.