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2 7 The Greatest Gift Concept Area: Jesus Session Title and Scripture Memory Verse Life Application Week of December 5 A Promise Isaiah 7:14; 9:6; 11:1-5; Micah 5:2 A child will be born for us, a son will be given to us, and the government will be on His shoulders. He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6 I can know that God promised to send the Savior. Week of December 12 An Angelic Visit Luke 1:26-56; Matthew 1:18-24 For nothing will be impossible with God. Luke 1:37 I can know that God kept His promise to send the Savior. Week of December 19 Good News of Great Joy Luke 2:1-20 Today a Savior, who is Messiah the Lord, was born for you in the city of David. Luke 2:11 I can celebrate the birth of Jesus the Savior. Week of December 26 Worship Him Matthew 2:1-12 Come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD our Maker. Psalm 95:6 I can worship Jesus the Savior.

3 week of December 5, 2010 Bible Passage Isaiah 7:14; 9:6; 11:1-5; Micah 5:2 A Promise Personal Bible Study Study before you teach. Let God prepare you to teach His Word. Level of Biblical Learning (Jesus) Old Testament prophets revealed God s plan for Jesus to be the Savior. Bible Truth God promised to send the Savior. Life Application I can know that God promised to send the Savior. Memory Verse A child will be born for us, a son will be given to us, and the government will be on His shoulders. He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6 8 Bible Teaching for 3rd and 4th Graders Isaiah spoke and wrote 700 years before the birth of Jesus. While most of the Book of Isaiah was a message of judgment for sin, it also offered the hope of salvation. An interesting feature of many of the prophecies of Isaiah is that they told of a soon-to-happen event and a distant future event at the same time. So it s possible that Isaiah 7:14 held present meaning for King Ahaz, to whom Isaiah was speaking in this chapter (see v. 3), and future meaning for all of God s people. Isaiah 9:6 is a further development of the seed planted in Isaiah 7:14. It establishes not only that a child will be born but that the child will be a perfect ruler over God s people. Look at the descriptive names for the Messiah in Isaiah 9:6 and determine which name tells us He is: God Himself? a just and peaceful ruler? timeless? the one who gives the right advice? This verse additionally connects the birth of an earthly child to the personhood of God and His eternal kingdom. Some believe this makes a connection between Jesus first and second comings. In the first five verses of Isaiah 11, God revealed that the Messiah would be a descendant of David. But instead of stating it directly, the verse refers to David s father, Jesse, a man who lived in humble obscurity. By the time Jesus was born, the house of David had returned to its humble roots; neither Joseph nor Mary came from prominent homes. From obscure beginnings this tender new branch of Jesse s family tree would grow. Empowered by the Spirit of the Lord, this new leader would become the ultimate example of justice (v. 3-4). He would do this, said Isaiah, by wrapping himself in two important qualities. Read verse 5 to learn what those qualities are. The fourth prophecy in today s Bible study is found in the Book of Micah. Hundreds of years before Jesus birth, Micah accurately predicted that He would be born in Bethlehem (Luke 2:4-7), appropriately known as the city of David. The word Bethlehem literally means the house of bread, so it s fitting that the person who is known as the Bread of life would be born there (John 6:48). These passages of Scripture can help you to tell boys and girls that God, through the prophets Isaiah and Micah, told of His promise for the coming Savior.

4 Session at a Glance 1 PREVIEW the Bible Study (until time for Sunday School to start) Early arrivers will begin decorating the room for Christmas. 2 POWER UP for Bible Study (5-10 minutes) Kids will decorate a Christmas tree with pictures and phrases that illustrate the real meaning of Christmas. 3 PLUG IN to Bible Study (25-30 minutes) The group will hear the Bible story from Isaiah and Micah puppets, pretend to be Isaiahs and Micahs as they answer review questions, sing, and pray. 4 PERSONALIZE the Bible Study (25-30 minutes) Choice 1: Prophecy Sign Posts Choice 2: Prophet Fact Pull-Out Choice 3: Prophecy Gifts Match Game 1 2 PREVIEW the Bible Study for kids who arrive early Take advantage of this extra teaching time. Lead early arrivers to place around the room the decorations you brought. Guide kids to make paper chains to place around the doors, windows, and bulletin boards. ELet E kids talk about Christmas. ELead E the conversation to the real meaning of Christmas. POWER UP for Bible Study a fun, 5-10 minute activity to focus kids attention on the Bible study for the day Start at the time designated by your church for Sunday School to start. Invite kids to help decorate the Christmas tree with pictures and phrases that illustrate the real reason for Christmas. Draw a picture or write a phrase, sentence, or Bible verse about the birth of Jesus. Glue the picture or writing to a piece of construction paper and cut the paper into a shape, leaving a border around the picture or writing. Punch a hole in the top and hang the ornament on the tree with an opened paper clip. Talking Point EHow E does each picture or writing relate to Jesus, God s greatest gift for all people? Christmas decorations that reflect the true meaning of Christmas 2-by-6-inch strips of red and green construction paper tape scissors Christmas tree white drawing paper colored construction paper glue scissors paper clips hole punch fine-point markers Week of December 5,

5 Pack Item 2, December Title Banner Pack Item 3, December Session Titles Pack Item 5, Isaiah/ Micah Puppets learner guide pages 3 PLUG IN to Bible Study a time to study, memorize, and relate to the Bible 1 The Bible says EHas E someone ever promised you a gift, but you had to wait for it? EDid E you know exactly when the gift would arrive? EDid E the gift arrive at an unexpected time? EThis E month we will learn about God s gift. Today we will hear how God promised His gift. Place the star from the title banner at the top of the title banner tree. Invite a child to place the session title garland on the tree. Ask two children to read the statements about Isaiah and Micah from the learner guide page. Introduce the Isaiah/Micah Puppets and invite the children to listen to what these prophets have to say about God s gift. Open your Bible to Isaiah 7:14 and place a marker at Isaiah 9:6 and Micah 5:2. Be ready to read these verses from your Bible. Hold the Isaiah side of the puppet and begin telling the Bible story. God s Promise Through the Prophets More than 700 years before Jesus was born, Ahaz was king of Judah. King Ahaz and all the people in his kingdom were afraid. Outside armies were threatening war against Judah. God sent Isaiah to Ahaz with this message, Calm down. Do not be afraid. God says these armies will not conquer Judah. God gave Isaiah another message as a sign from God. [Read Isaiah 7:14 from your Bible.] This message was a promise that the Messiah, or Savior, would come. Later Isaiah delivered another message from God. [Read Isaiah 9:6.] This message also referred to the Messiah. At another time Isaiah told more about the promised Messiah. Isaiah told the people that the Messiah would be from the family of King David. Isaiah described the coming Messiah as one who would be filled with God s Spirit. He would be wise, understanding, and strong. He would be a fair judge and a powerful teacher. He would be righteous and faithful. [Turn the puppet to the Micah side.] Micah was another of God s prophets who told about the Messiah. Micah said that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. Micah said the Messiah had always been in existence and was eternal. [Read Micah 5:2.] The Messiah, the Savior, was the gift God promised to the world. Isaiah, Micah, and many others looked forward to the time when God would keep His promise. Isaiah 7:14; 9:6; 11:1-5; Micah 5:2 10 Bible Teaching for 3rd and 4th Graders 2 Learn from the Bible Ask a volunteer to read aloud from the learner guide page the definition of prophet. Remind the kids that Isaiah and Micah wrote the prophecies in

6 today s Bible story about 700 years before Jesus was born. 3 Remember this Guide kids to locate Isaiah 9:6 in their Bibles. Place the memory verse gift beneath the title banner tree and lead the group to read the verse together. Form four groups and give each group a card with a name for the Messiah on it. Lead the kids to say the verse together. When you come to the names, each group will jump up and shout the name from their card. Rotate the cards around the groups and repeat the verse. Guide kids to work the learner guide activity He Will Be Named. 4 Review Designate half the group to be Isaiahs and half to be Micahs. Read the facts in the margin. Explain that if Isaiah delivered the message, the Isaiahs should stand. If Micah delivered the message, the Micahs should stand. After each statement, give the children time to respond, then hold up the correct side of the Isaiah/Micah Puppets. Display the teaching picture. Explain that the picture is a painting of what Bethlehem probably looked like in the time of Micah and Isaiah. 5 The Bible and me EIsaiah E and Micah were telling about the Messiah, the Savior, that God was going to send. They did not know His name was Jesus. They did not know when God would send Him. EThey E did believe that God would keep His promise. EThe E people to whom Isaiah and Micah spoke did not know when or how the Savior would come. They looked forward to the time God would keep His promise. ENow E that the promise has been fulfilled, we know when He was born. We know what happened when He was born. We know His name is Jesus. EWe E know this because it has already happened, and the Bible tells us how God kept His promise. EThe E wonderful thing about the gift God promised is that Jesus, the Savior, was promised to all people and that includes each one of us. EEvery E person can know that Jesus wants to be his Savior. 6 Sing and pray Pray, thanking God for sending Jesus to be the Savior and thanking Him that He always keeps His promises. Lead the group to sing with the CD The Story of Gloria. pencils learner guide pages Pack Item 4, December Memory Verse Gifts each of these names printed on a card: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace (CD-ROM) (1) A virgin will have a son. (Isaiah) (2) The Messiah will be born in Bethlehem. (Micah) (3) His name will be Immanuel. (Isaiah) (4) He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah) (5) He will be eternal. (Micah) (6) He will come from the family of King David. (Isaiah) Teaching Picture 1 CD Track 1, The Story of Gloria learner guide song sheets 7 Lead kids to Personalize activities Week of December 5,

7 4 PERSONALIZE the Bible Study Choose an activity to lead to help kids relate to the Bible truth. Choice 1 craft sticks red and white markers green paper ribbon glue Choice 1: Prophecy Sign Posts Invite kids to make sign post ornaments to help them remember some of the names given to the promised Savior. Use red and white markers to color a craft stick like a candy cane. Print on a piece of green paper one of the names or descriptions Isaiah gave to the promised Messiah. Glue the paper across the craft stick about two inches from the top. Glue both ends of a piece of ribbon to the top back of the craft stick to form a hanger. Lead kids to make other sign posts as time allows. Talking Point EHang E your sign posts on your Christmas tree as a reminder that God promised to send the Savior. Choice 2 Pack Item 6, Prophet Facts. Attach each fact to a separate length of ribbon and place them in a gift bag with the ribbons over the top of the bag. Pack Item 5, Isaiah/ Micah Puppets pencils poster board scissors markers craft sticks glue or tape Choice 2: Prophet Fact Pull-Out Guide kids to take turns pulling a ribbon from the gift bag and reading a prophet fact. When all the facts have been read, let each child choose to make a Micah puppet or an Isaiah puppet by tracing the Isaiah/Micah Puppets onto poster board and cutting it out. Invite kids to draw features and hair on the front side of the puppet and to print facts about that prophet on the back. Help kids attach their puppets to craft sticks and then to take turns holding their puppets and telling their facts. EIsaiah E and Micah are two of 16 prophets who wrote Old Testament books. EGod E told Old Testament prophets what to write. EEverything E that prophets said would happen did. Choice 3: Prophecy Gifts Match Game Invite boys and girls to work the learner guide activity God s Promises Fulfilled. Guide the children to use their learner guide pages to review the definitions of prophet, prophecy, and prophesy. Use the contents page of a Bible to recall the names of some of the prophets. (Isaiah through Malachi with the exception of Lamentations) EThe E books of prophecy in the Old Testament were named after the prophets who wrote them with the exception of Lamentations, which was written by Jeremiah. 12 Bible Teaching for 3rd and 4th Graders

8 EThe E fulfillment of a prophecy is like receiving a long-awaited gift. EOld E Testament prophets told about the coming Savior who is Jesus. EOld E Testament prophecies about Jesus are fulfilled in the New Testament. Display the Old Testament prophecies and the gift boxes, and explain that each gift contains a New Testament verse that announces the fulfillment of an Old Testament prophecy. Invite a child to read one of the Old Testament prophecies. Guide the children to open the gift boxes until the matching New Testament verse that tells how the prophecy was fulfilled is found. When the correct match is found, place the Old Testament reference in the gift box and set it aside. Replace the tops on the other boxes. Continue until every prophecy has been matched to a gift box. Review the prophecies and fulfillments as time allows. Allow each child to choose one gift box to take home. Talking Point EChallenge E the children to apply today s learning by reading their prophecies and fulfillments often this week to remind them that God kept His promises about sending a Savior. Choice 3 learner guide pages pencils Pack Item 7, Prophecy/Gift Match. Place each New Testament card in a small gift box and wrap the box, wrapping the bottom and lid separately. Take It Home God promised to send the Savior. He made that promise through prophets many years before the Savior came. God always keeps His promises. God kept His promise to send the Savior when He sent Jesus. Week of December 5,