The Un-Cover Up

David C Cook COVID-19 Response

High School

Lesson 3
Summer 2021
By: RLD Editorial Team
June 20, 2021

Lesson Focus:

Confess your sins to enjoy forgiveness.

Bible Basis:

Psalm 32

Materials Needed:

Step 1:

Internet access

Step 4:

Pieces of paper (1 per student)
Pens/pencils (1 per student)
Whiteboard and marker (or screenshared document)

Summary & Links:

As they discuss the enjoyment of God’s forgiveness, students will hear about a teen facing consequences that forced him to confess.

Memory Verse:

I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord”—and you forgave the guilt of my sin.
—Psalm 32:5b

As they discuss the enjoyment of God’s forgiveness, students will hear about a teen facing consequences that forced him to confess.

Materials Needed:

Internet access

As teens enter the classroom, ask them to share about a time when they were young and “found out” in something they did wrong—some way they misbehaved, but hoped to get away with without being noticed. Be prepared to share your own experience. Ask them to share how they were discovered and what the consequences were. After everyone has shared, discuss:

Do you think that the outcomes of these situations would have been different if you had confessed? (Answers will vary.)
Why didn’t you confess what you had done when you had the chance? (Answers will vary. Some may say they were afraid of getting in trouble or that what they didn’t think the offense was worth worrying about, etc.)

Read the following article to your students:
Bay County teen arrested in alleged online threat against student

When you’ve finished reading the article, discuss the following questions together:

The nature of the teen’s threats makes it hard to deny his crimes. Why? (Answers will vary but might include that anything posted online can be traced and seen by others.)
Some actions aren’t as visible, and it’s easier to hide a wrongdoing. What are the pros and cons of confession vs. cover-up? (Allow students to share; accept all reasonable answers without comment.)

Just as it’s impossible to deny posting things online, it’s also impossible to hide anything from God. Today we’re going to talk about one of the main benefits of confession—forgiveness.

Looking for Steps 2 & 3?

You can find Steps 2 and 3 in your teacher’s guide. To purchase a teacher’s guide, please visit: Bible-in-Life or Echoes.

Materials Needed:

Pieces of paper (1 per student)
Pens/pencils (1 per student)
Whiteboard and marker (or screenshared document)

If your class is meeting online, invite teens to bring a paper and pen/pencil with them to class. Before class, write the following references on the whiteboard or screenshared document: Isaiah 6:5-7; Psalm 51:1-3; Daniel 9:5-6; I John 1:8-10; Romans 7:14-17; Revelation 3:15-18; Psalm 139:23-24. In addition, write the following bullet points: Words, Attitudes, Thoughts, Actions.

Sometimes it can be easier to try to cover up or justify our sin than it is to admit it. But there’s no substitute for the forgiveness we receive when we confess our sins. Rather than tie us down, confession and the resulting forgiveness frees us. Have a student read John 8:32.

Why does the “truth set us free”? (Answers will vary but may include that trying to cover over something leads to lies that entrap us; God’s forgiveness is only available when we speak truth about our sins.)

Hand out paper and pens/pencils to your students. If your class is meeting online, invite students to have those items ready. This week, let’s spend some time “getting free.” Here are some verses and prayer prompts to help you as you spend time with God in confession. Have your students copy down the references from the whiteboard or screenshared document. Discuss each of the bullet points, giving your students some of the following ideas to prompt their thinking:

Your Words – have you spoken evil of anyone, criticized, used sharp words, told half-truths?
Your Attitudes – have you had a complaining spirit, or been difficult, grouchy, or a know-it-all?
Your Thoughts – have your thoughts consisted of evil desires, lusts, doubts, fears, hatred, bitterness, etc.?
Your Actions – have you broken God’s laws? Do you do what you say you will?

If time permits, you may want to give your students a few minutes to begin their “getting free” time with God. Encourage them to continue spending time in this fashion throughout the upcoming week.

Close your class in prayer.

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David C Cook COVID-19 Response

High School

The Un-Cover Up

Lesson Focus:

Bible Basis:

Materials Needed:

Step 1:

Step 4:

Summary & Links:

Memory Verse:

Step 1:

Materials Needed:

Looking for Steps 2 & 3?

Step 4:

Materials Needed:

Spread the word

About

Connect With Us

Search Lessons

Disclaimer of Third Party Content