This lesson teaches children that God knows how to rescue the people who love and trust him, even when bad choices and false teaching are all around. It works well for children ages 5 to 11 and takes about 20 to 30 minutes, including the story, the verses, and the activity.
Big Idea
God knows how to rescue the people who trust him, and he does not let bad choices go unnoticed. Stay close to Jesus, and do not follow people who lie about him.
Memory Verse
2 Peter 2:9
The Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptation and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment…
(WEB)
Teach children to put one hand flat on their heart while saying the first half, then lift both arms up high on “God knows how to rescue.” Repeat it together three times, getting a little quieter each time until you are whispering the last line.
The Story: 2 Peter 2 for Kids
Long ago, Peter wrote a letter to Christians who were learning about Jesus. He warned them that some people would come among them pretending to be teachers. These false teachers would say sweet things, but they did not really love God. They wanted money and fun for themselves, and they tried to lead others away from the truth.
Peter reminded his friends that God is never caught by surprise. Long before, God had not spared the angels who turned away from him. He had also not spared the people of Noah’s time, when the world was full of wickedness. But God kept Noah and his family safe, because Noah loved God and told others about him. The flood came, and Noah’s family floated safely in the ark.
Peter also remembered Lot, who lived in the city of Sodom. Lot was very sad to see how wicked the people there were. He said, “Please do not do such terrible things.” God rescued Lot and his family before the city was destroyed by fire, because God knows how to save the people who are faithful to him.
Peter then spoke about a man named Balaam, who loved money more than doing what was right. One day a donkey could see an angel standing in the road, but Balaam could not. The donkey spoke with a human voice and asked why Balaam was hitting it. God used even a donkey to show Balaam that he was going the wrong way.
Peter said that the false teachers were like dry wells with no water and clouds with no rain. They promised freedom, but they were really slaves to their own wrong desires. Peter told his friends that it would be better never to know the way of God than to know it and then turn away from it.
Read It Together
2 Peter 2:1
But false prophets also arose among the people, as false teachers will also be among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, denying even the Master who bought them, bringing on themselves swift destruction.
(WEB)
Point out the words “false prophets” and “secretly bring in.” Ask children how a false teacher is different from a true one, and remind them that people who tell the truth about Jesus are never trying to hide anything.
2 Peter 2:5
And didn’t spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah with seven others, a preacher of righteousness, when he brought a flood on the world of the ungodly…
(WEB)
Show children that Noah stayed faithful when everyone around him did not. Point out the phrase “a preacher of righteousness,” and explain that Noah’s life spoke as loudly as his words.
2 Peter 2:20-21
20 For if, after they have escaped the defilement of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in it and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. 21 For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after knowing it, to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them.
(WEB)
Use this passage gently. Explain that once we know Jesus, he wants us to keep following him, and that asking for help to stay close to him is always a good idea.
Talk About It
- What are some ways a person can tell whether someone is telling the truth about Jesus?
- How do you think Noah felt while he kept building the ark when no one else believed him?
- Why do you think Lot was so sad about what was happening in Sodom?
- What did God use to get Balaam’s attention, and what does that tell us about God?
- What is one thing you can do this week to stay close to Jesus?
Activity Ideas
Noah’s Ark Window Craft
You will need paper plates, crayons, cotton balls, and tape. Have each child draw a boat shape in the middle of a paper plate, then glue cotton balls around it to make waves and clouds. Let them add a small smiling face in the window of the ark. Talk about how Noah trusted God to keep his family safe.
Stay on the Path Relay
You will need masking tape and a clear open room or hallway. Lay down a long wobbly line of tape to be the “right way,” and have children walk along it with their arms out like a balance beam. Add a few tape “shortcuts” that lead away, and call them out as the wrong way. Each time a child stays on the path, cheer for them and remind everyone that God helps us choose the right way.
Bring-It-Home Reminder Card
You will need index cards, a pencil, and a marker. Have each child write or draw one thing that helps them stay close to Jesus, such as praying, reading a Bible story, or saying thank you. Let them take the card home and place it somewhere they will see it each morning, like on the bathroom mirror or by their bed.
Teacher Notes
For adults, this chapter is a serious warning about false teaching and a comforting reminder that God is faithful. Peter writes to believers who are feeling pressure from people who twist the truth, and he reminds them that God has always known how to rescue the faithful while judging those who reject him. The passage also shows that God’s justice and mercy work together, and that those who once knew the truth should take their commitment seriously.
With children, avoid making the judgment sections sound frightening or focusing on the details of punishment. Keep the emphasis on God’s love, his faithfulness, and the joy of staying close to Jesus. Let the children see that God is a rescuer, and that is the heart of the lesson.
A Prayer to Close
Dear God, thank you that you always know how to rescue the people who trust you. Help us to stay close to Jesus and to tell the truth about him. When we hear words that are not true, give us wisdom to know the difference. Keep us safe in your love every day. Amen.
