This lesson teaches children that God keeps his promises, even when people turn away from him. Children aged 5 to 11 can learn it in 20 to 30 minutes, using the story of God’s people, a wild olive branch, and one short memory verse.
Big Idea
God always keeps his promises, and he never stops loving his people. Even when some people wander away, God is faithful, and he invites everyone to come close to him.
Memory Verse
Romans 11:29
For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.
(WEB)
Hold your hands out in front of you, palms up, like you are receiving a gift. Then lift them slowly toward the sky as you say the verse together. Repeat it three times with the motions.
The Story: Romans 11 for Kids
Long ago, the apostle Paul wrote a letter to the church in Rome. Paul was a Jewish man, and he loved his own people very much. He asked an important question: Did God turn his back on the Jewish people? Paul answered with a loud “No!” He reminded everyone that he himself was an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham.
Paul told a story from long ago about a prophet named Elijah. Elijah felt very alone and sad. He said to God, “I am the only one left who is faithful to you!” But God said, “No, Elijah. I have saved seven thousand people who have not bowed down to a false god.” God had not forgotten his people, even when Elijah could not see them.
Paul then used a picture from farming. He said that God’s people are like a good olive tree with strong branches. Some branches had broken off because people stopped trusting God. Then new branches, from people who were not Jewish, were grafted onto the tree so they could share in its life and roots.
Paul warned the new branches not to brag or feel proud. He said, “Don’t be conceited, but fear.” The tree is held up by its root, not by the branches. Everyone who belongs to God must stay close to him and trust him every day.
Paul also said that God can graft the old branches back onto the tree if they come back to him. God is able to do this, because his power is greater than anything. Paul was filled with wonder as he thought about how deep God’s wisdom and love are.
At the end of the chapter, Paul praised God. He said that everything comes from God, and everything returns to him. Paul’s words remind us that God’s plan is bigger than we can understand, and his love is for everyone.
Read It Together
Romans 11:1-2
1 I ask then, did God reject his people? May it never be! For I also am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God didn’t reject his people, which he foreknew. Or don’t you know what the Scripture says about Elijah? How he pleads with God against Israel…
(WEB)
Point out that Paul begins with a question about whether God rejected his people. Show children that Paul answers with a firm “No” and reminds them that God knows and remembers his people.
Romans 11:17-18
17 But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive, were grafted in among them, and became partaker with them of the root and of the richness of the olive tree; 18 don’t boast over the branches. But if you boast, it is not you who support the root, but the root supports you.
(WEB)
Show children the picture of the olive tree and its branches. Explain that the tree’s root gives life to the branches, so every branch depends on the root, not on itself.
Romans 11:33
Oh the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past tracing out!
(WEB)
Read this verse slowly and talk about the word “depth.” Explain that God’s wisdom and knowledge are deeper than the ocean, and that we can trust what we cannot fully understand.
Talk About It
- What does a branch need in order to stay alive and grow?
- Elijah felt alone, but God knew about seven thousand faithful people. What does that tell you about how God sees us?
- How can you show that you are close to God, like a branch close to its tree?
- Why do you think God keeps his promises even when people make mistakes?
- What is one thing you can thank God for today because he never forgets you?
Activity Ideas
Olive Tree Drawing
You will need paper, crayons or markers, and a pencil. Ask each child to draw a big tree trunk with roots at the bottom, then add branches reaching up. Let them write or draw the names of people they love on the branches. Talk together about how the root holds up every branch.
Branch Balance Game
You will need a open space and a soft ball or a folded sock. Have children stand in a circle with their arms stretched out like branches. Toss the ball to one child at a time, and ask them to say, “God keeps his promises,” before tossing it to the next. Pause the game to remind them that God holds everyone steady.
Take-Home Promise Jar
You will need a clean jar, paper strips, and a pen. Each day this week, ask your child to write one thing God has promised in the Bible, such as his love or his help, on a strip and drop it into the jar. At the end of the week, read the strips together and thank God for each promise.
Teacher Notes
For adults, Romans 11 shows that God’s faithfulness to his people never ends, and that his plan of salvation reaches beyond any one group. Paul’s picture of grafted branches reminds believers that they belong to God by grace, not by their own effort, and that humility and gratitude should mark their lives.
With children, avoid making the passage about who is right or wrong among groups of people. Keep the focus on God’s faithfulness, his love for everyone, and the simple truth that we stay close to him by trusting him.
A Prayer to Close
Dear God, thank you that you keep every promise you make. Help us to stay close to you, like branches on a tree. Thank you that your love is for everyone, and that you never forget us. Amen.
