Aim to understand the process of the fall that led to the four types fallen nature
Aim:
*To understand the process of the fall that led to the four types fallen nature
* To memorize the names of the four fallen natures
Materials:
* large pictures of Adam, Eve, and Lucifer for display
* large cartoon pictures demonstrating fallen nature
* Children’s worksheet
Lesson Outline
1. Original Nature & Fallen Nature
2. Four Types of Fallen Nature
3. Joseph and His Brothers
4. Activities – worksheet, Snakes & Ladders
5. Review the aims
6. Prayer
1) Original Nature & Fallen Nature
* Ask the children what our original nature is and what fallen nature is. Our original nature is an unselfish, nature that comes from God. Fallen nature is a selfish nature that comes from Satan and has been passed from the archangel to Eve, to Adam, and then to all their descendants.
* The angels and the first man and woman were created with the purpose of goodness and were to have only the original nature that they were endowed with when they were created. When Adam
and Eve fell, the original good nature was suddenly turned in the wrong direction, and this became Fallen Nature.
2) Four Types of Fallen Nature
If we look in more detail at what happened in the garden of Eden, we can see that there are four kinds of fallen nature
1. Self-centred thinking
2. Leaving your proper position
3. Dominating others
4. Multiplying sin
Explain each fallen nature using the diagrams on the worksheet. Use the large pictures and place them on the white board, moving them to show the process of the fall that led to the four types fallen nature
1. SELF-CENTRED THINKING
The first kind of fallen nature is self-centred thinking.
* Before Adam and Eve were created, there were only angels. Angels helped God create the earth, the plants and animals and finally Adam and Eve.
* Lucifer had the highest position amongst the angels. He was the archangel, which means the leader of angels. He was the closest to God. He received the most love from God.
* But angels are servants of God. Adam and Eve were created as God’s children. Naturally God’s love for children is greater than love for a servant. Lucifer, however, felt he was receiving less love, even though it was the same. He became jealous of Adam and Eve and centred on his own feelings.
* The problem with Lucifer’s thinking, was his failure to see Adam and Eve from God’s viewpoint and love them with the same love as God. Instead he took his own direction and became jealous.
* Self-centred thinking is the starting point of all the other fallen natures and the cause of so many problems today.
Example today – Taking cookies for yourself without asking
2. LEAVING YOUR PROPER POSITION
The second type of fallen nature is the tendency to leave one’s own given position.
* Seeking more of God’s love, Lucifer desired to enjoy the same position of love in the human world as he had in the angelic world. This caused him to leave his position of responsibility, as servant of God and teacher of Adam and Eve. Instead he took God’s position.
Example:
1. Children leave their position when they disobey their parents
3. DOMINATING OTHERS
The third type of fallen nature is to dominate others.
* Once Lucifer took God’s position he started to dominate Eve with his ideas and not God’s and controlled her with his sweet words. As their teacher he should have followed God‘s directions and made sure they obeyed the commandment.
* As God’s children, Adam and Eve were supposed to rule the angels. Instead the order was reversed.
* Dominating others often comes from a desire to receive more love.
Example:
1. Older children dominate younger children instead of protecting them
4. MULTIPLYING SIN
The fourth type of fallen nature is multiply sin.
* Satan told Eve false words and seduced her with false love. Eve multiplied her crime by passing on false words and seducing Adam.
* In the Fallen world people often tell lies and get others to sin. Fallen nature always seeks to share guilt and multiply bad actions. We want to get other people involved in the wrongs that we have
done. In this way we seek to protect, support and justify ourselves. By gaining the support of others, we seek to defend ourselves against what we have done wrong. As we do, however, we spread evil. The fact that evil is more rapidly transferred and multiplied than goodness is an example of this.
Example:
Children persuade others to join them into breaking rules
3) Joseph and His Brothers Genesis 37:3-28
We can see these four types of fallen nature in the story of Joseph and his brothers in the Bible
1. Self-centred thinking – “When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.”
2. Leaving your proper position – “But they saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him.” The older brothers should have taken care of their younger brother.
Instead they planned how they could get rid of Joseph
3. Dominating others – “They stripped him of his robe and they took him and threw him into the pit…….. And sold him for twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt. They
used their superior strength and sold him as a slave.
4. Multiplying sin – They justified their actions by supporting each other
However, two of the brothers were not completely bad. Their original nature prevented Joseph from being killed When Reuben heard this, he tried to rescue him from their hands. “Let’s not take his life,” he said. “Don’t shed any blood. Throw him into this pit here in the desert, but don’t lay a hand on him.” Reuben said this to rescue him from them and take him back to his father. Judah said to his brothers, “What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? Come, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him; after all, he is our brother, our own flesh and blood.” His brothers agreed.
4) Activites
* Complete the worksheet – Identify the 4 kinds of fallen nature by solving the code. Number each picture. Cut out the pictures of Lucifer, and Adam and Eve to illustrate one of the fallen natures.
* Snakes & Ladders – Play a modified version of snakes and ladders. You go up a ladder, when you do something good. And go down a snake when you do something wrong.
5) Review the aims
*To understand the process of the fall that led to the four types fallen nature
1. Lucifer felt lack of love, centred on his own feelings and became jealous towards Adam & Eve
2. He wanted to the same love and same position in human society as he had in the angelic world.
To do this he left his position of servant to Adam and Eve and took God’s position
3. Taking God’s position he dominated Eve with false words and false love, and controlled her
4. Lucifer’s domination of Eve led to her disobeying the commandment. This was passed on to Adam who also disobeyed the commandment.
* To memorize the names of the four fallen natures
1. Self-centred thinking
2. Leaving your proper position
3. Dominating others
4. Multiplying sin
6) End with a prayer
