God Leads REMEMBER VERSE

Transcription

1 March 10, 2019 Bible Passage: Matthew 3:13 17; 4:1 11 (Temptation in the Wilderness) God Leads REMEMBER VERSE Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:16 SCHEDULE CONNECT GATHER RESPOND BLESS 1

2 Leader Prep Each week you ll find a list of resources along with encouraging articles that help you prepare your heart to present the lesson. Further Resources A Small Group Enhancement is available for this lesson. A Storytelling video is available for this lesson. Download the following resources to help you plan and lead TruStory lessons: Customizable copy of Lesson Scope and Sequence TruStory How It Works document HomeFront Weekly: Lesson 2 is provided for this lesson. The weekly for the next lesson to be sent home for preteaching by parents is found in BLESS. If you have questions about Tru curriculum or are looking for great training, blogs, and other support resources, visit truministry.com. Inspire Shares personal stories from fellow ministry leaders about how God has worked in their lives For the first four years after I became a Christian, I don t think I ever heard about the Holy Spirit. Not surprising, because most of the first year of my walk with Christ I found myself utterly disgusted with who I was and continued to struggle to perfect myself. On my own, I was just not strong enough. A friend sent me a podcast of a Francis Chan sermon, and he encouraged me to listen. The message was about our neglect of the Holy Spirit the member of the Godhead who gives us power and direction. This message was so powerful that I could not hold back tears. I realized for the very first time that God had never intended for me to fight this battle on my own. He sent the Counselor for a reason to lead me and guide me. Right then I prayed fervently for God to send the Holy Spirit. And for nearly two weeks straight, sin was not an issue in my life. Seriously. It was like every temptation, every struggle I d ever had, was nonexistent. I was completely dependent upon the Spirit. Since then, I have had a few very moments when I ve completely yielded myself over to the Holy Spirit and trusted Him to guide me. But if I m honest, I usually find myself believing that I ve got it now. That s always when I find myself stumbling and begging God to help me once again. And in these moments the Spirit of God meets me with great power. Erika Abdelatif ROCKHARBOR Church Equip Offers perspective and context to the lesson's Bible passage Because there is no direct reference to baptism in the Old Testament, we often falsely believe that baptism is solely a Christian practice. However, in Jesus day, baptism was seen as nothing unusual. According to Jewish 2

3 tradition, baptism was one of many ceremonial purification rites. Known as mikvah in Hebrew, ritual immersion was performed to purify an individual after being defiled for instance, being in contact with the dead or an outcast or after giving birth. Without undergoing this custom, individuals would be considered unclean and therefore not allowed to enter the temple. Unlike some Christian customs, in which individuals may be baptized only once, those in Jewish society might be baptized many times depending on the circumstances. In addition, mikvah was performed by those converting to Judaism. This baptism ensured that new converts were purified, restored to God, and made fit for participation within the Jewish community. The baptisms John performed were somewhat unique. Jewish baptism is a self-immersion, an unassisted tradition, while in many Christian traditions, someone assists the person in and out of the water, as John did. This makes some sense when we consider that an unclean or defiled individual could not be touched without making the other person unclean as well. Aside from simply baptizing those who required outward purification, John invited those who needed baptism for inward purification. In Matthew 3:11, John proclaimed, I baptize you with water for repentance. He asked his audience to repent, turn from their sins, and be baptized. This led the way to a wholly new baptism, one that symbolized dying to one s old life and being born again. Support Provides reflection and assessment through encouragement, prayer, and time in God's Word After Jesus was baptized, the Bible says the Holy Spirit led Him into the wilderness. During His 40-day-and-40- night sojourn, He spent time fasting, praying, and communing with the Father. Often, our day-to-day lives become so full and hectic that we don t make time for ourselves to commune with the Father. This week, schedule time to fast and pray. Perhaps you will fast from food, the Internet, your cell phone, or television. It can be anything from one meal to an entire week s worth. Identify one place of weakness or temptation in your life that you simply cannot battle on your own, and spend time with God to ask Him for help. Invite the Holy Spirit in; ask for His strength and power to overcome this struggle. Ask Him to show you freedom and, ultimately, peace. Keep a journal of your experience; log when you feel freedom or relief from the struggle. Take note of where you see God at work in your life. Keep that with you as a testament to and reminder of the Holy Spirit s transformation in your life. CONNECT// 10 min. Children develop relationships with their leaders and one another through simple activities and conversation starters. Sticky Note Questions Children will get to know one another better by answering questions found on sticky notes. 3

4 Sticky notes (6) Pen Whiteboard or poster board PREPARE AHEAD Write a different icebreaker question on the sticky side of each sticky note. Use the following questions, or feel free to come up with your own. Why are you here today? What did you eat for breakfast today? What is the one thing you can t live without? What was the highlight of your week? What was something you didn t enjoy during the past week? What is one thing you re looking forward to in the coming week? SET UP Stick the sticky notes to the board. CONNECT QUESTION: Welcome and greet children. Open your time by asking this question: Who in your life encourages you regularly? Invite your children to get to know one another better and encourage each other by answering the questions on the sticky notes. To begin, have one child choose a sticky note from the board, read the question out loud, and answer it. Next, he will choose another child to answer the same question, and then he will place the sticky note back on the board. The new child will answer the question, pick another sticky note, answer that question, and choose another child to answer the same question (while placing the sticky note back on the board). Continue this way until all of the questions have been picked from the board and everyone has had at least one chance to answer a question. GATHER// 30 min. Children experience and learn more about God through memorizing Scripture, storytelling from The Big God Story, prayer, and discussion. Remember Verse Each week children will spend time memorizing a portion of Scripture together. The Remember Verse focuses on a character trait of God that s highlighted in today s portion of The Big God Story. Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:16 Game: Echo Verse None 4

5 Invite children to learn the Remember Verse by repeating each phrase of the verse as an echo. Have the girls stand on one side of the room and the boys stand on the other side. Then call out the verse in different phrases, having kids echo each phrase you say. When you're finished, have the boys and girls take turns saying phrases of the verse while the other group echoes them. Break up the verse into the following phrases: Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need Storytelling Bible Passage: Matthew 3:13 17; 4:1 11 Storytelling Technique: Repeating Phrases God Leads Optional: Storytelling video (see Resources), Investigate Questions (see Resources) Bibles Lead children in a Prayer of Release to pause, be still, and ask the Holy Spirit to quiet their hearts and minds. When we trust and obey Jesus, Someone comes to live inside us Someone who leads us in living for God and gives us power to do things we can t do on our own. Who is it? Pause for answers. Right! It s the Holy Spirit. Every time you hear about God s Spirit or God s leading today, I want you to jump up from your seat, put your arms in the air, and shout, God leads! Let s practice. Invite kids to jump, raise their arms, and shout, God leads! You may remember that last week we met a man named John who obeyed God s call on his life. John baptized people and helped them to turn away from their sin to prepare for the arrival of Jesus. One day, as John baptized people in the Jordan River, Jesus came to him and asked to be baptized. John tried to tell Jesus no that Jesus should be the One baptizing John. He thought Jesus didn t need to be baptized because Jesus never did anything wrong. But Jesus insisted, and something amazing happened. Invite children to turn to Matthew 3:16 in their Bibles and follow along. Then read Matthew 3: Wow! At that moment, people knew there was something special about Jesus. God called Jesus His Son! And Jesus had God s power to lead Him. Have kids jump up and shout, God leads! After Jesus baptism, the Holy Spirit led Jesus (have kids jump up and shout, God leads! ) into the wilderness where He fasted for 40 days and 40 nights. What does it mean to fast? Pause for answers. It means to go without food. In the wilderness, the devil came to tempt Jesus. The devil, also called Satan, is the enemy of God. The Bible says he prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). The evil one wanted to get Jesus to sin. He tempted Jesus three different times, and we ll read about each temptation. When I tell you what the devil said to Jesus, I want you to 5

6 shout, Jesus answered! Invite kids to shout, Jesus answered! together. Invite children to turn to Matthew 4:3 and follow along. For the first temptation, the enemy of God said, If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread (Matthew 4:3). Satan knew Jesus had been fasting for 40 days and 40 nights and was very hungry. So he tried to tempt Jesus with something that would meet His physical needs. Jesus responded with Scripture. Jesus answered (have kids shout, Jesus answered! ), It is written: Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4). Jesus was so full of God s Spirit that He didn t fall for Satan s trick. He chose to rely on the power of the Holy Spirit to give Him strength and lead Him. Have kids jump up and say, God leads! The evil one then tempted Jesus a second time. Read Matthew 4:5 6 while children follow along. Satan told Jesus to prove that He was the Son of God by jumping off the highest point of the temple. Satan even quoted Scripture to Jesus, saying that angels would surely rescue Him. But Jesus knew Scripture better than Satan, so Jesus answered (have kids shout, Jesus answered! ), It is also written: Do not put the Lord your God to the test (Matthew 4:7). Jesus didn t need to prove anything to Satan, and Jesus relied on God s Spirit to keep Him strong and lead Him. Have kids jump up and shout, God leads! For a third time, Satan tempted Jesus. He took Jesus to a very tall mountain with a view of all of the kingdoms of the world. Read Matthew 4:9. Can you imagine Satan asking Jesus to bow before him? But Jesus answered (have kids shout, Jesus answered! ), Away from me, Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only (Matthew 4:10). Jesus didn t give in to the devil s temptation. Instead He chose to trust in God s plan. And after Jesus sent the devil away, angels came and cared for Him. Jesus was full of the Holy Spirit, and God s Spirit helped Him resist the devil even in the most difficult of temptations. Jesus lived His entire life without sinning, and He died on the cross to make the way for us to live in perfect relationship with God so we too can have the Holy Spirit in us to lead us. Have kids jump up and say, God leads! We will face temptations in our lives. But because we have God s Spirit to lead us (have kids jump up and say, God leads! ), we have power to stand up against temptations. God s power is always greater than any temptation we could ever face. Share about a time when God s Spirit led you and gave you the power to overcome a temptation or a difficult situation. Discussion Questions What happened right after Jesus was baptized? Matthew 3:16 17 Who led Jesus into the wilderness? Matthew 4:1 How did Jesus answer Satan s temptations? Matthew 4:4, 7, 10 Why was Jesus able to say no to Satan s temptations? Why do we need God s Spirit to lead us each day? RESPOND// 15 min. Children reflect on what the Holy Spirit is teaching them and respond to God through creative activities and games. 6

7 God s Spirit Leads Me Children will reflect on where they need God to lead them this week and gather their responses on the board in the room. Whiteboard Dry erase marker Upbeat worship music (suggestion: Celebrate, TruWorship Sincerely Yours) SET UP Write in bold letters on the board, God s Spirit leads me in while leaving room underneath to list ideas. When Jesus was in the wilderness, Satan tempted Him three different times. Each time, Jesus responded to the evil one s temptation by using God s Word. Jesus was full of the power of the Holy Spirit and was able to respond in the strength of the Spirit. As believers, we have been given the Holy Spirit to lead us and guide us. Through the power of the Spirit, we can overcome any temptation we might face. How do you need God s Spirit to lead you this week? What are some hard things you may face? Invite the children to talk with God about these questions. When they're finished, have children take turns sharing where they need God s Spirit to lead them. It might be leading them to be bold in reaching out to a new friend, or it might be leading them to make the right decision. As each child shares his answer, write it on the board. When all of the children have had a chance to answer, they will see an entire board full of examples of ways that God leads us. End by encouraging the children to stand in worship and thank God for giving us His Spirit. Consider playing Celebrate from TruWorship Sincerely Yours. Developmentally Speaking First and second graders are still very slow and cautious when it comes to writing letters and words. For this age group, it is easier to write out their thoughts for them so their thoughts can be communicated effectively to the rest of the group. (Optional) Memory Jesus responded to temptation by quoting Scripture from memory. In this activity, children will test their memories. Blanket or large towel Random household items (15; ball, pencil, ruler, bandage, paper clip, etc.) Paper (1 sheet per child) Pencils or pens SET UP Place the items on the table and cover them with the blanket or towel. 7

8 Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness. Each time, Jesus responded to the temptation by quoting Scripture. Jesus knew God s words and used them when faced with temptation. Invite children to play a game that tests their memories. Pass out a sheet of paper and a pen to each child. Take the blanket or towel off of the random items, and give the class a minute to look over the items. Then cover the items with the blanket and see how many items the kids can remember and write down on their papers. Finally, reveal the items again and see how many the children remembered. BLESS// 5 min. Children receive a blessing from their leaders and sometimes one another. A blessing can be a prayer of commission, a portion of Scripture, or words to encourage and guide. Remember Verse cards (see Resources) HomeFront Weekly: Lesson 3 (see Resources) Bible Invite your children to sit in a circle as you read the blessing from 1 Chronicles 29:11: Yours, LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, LORD, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. Bless the group with the following words: May God fill you with the power of the Holy Spirit. May God s Spirit lead you each day. Once you have prayed the blessing over your kids, invite the kids to bless one another. Choose one child in the circle to go to and say, (Child s name), may you know God s greatness and power. May you be filled with His Spirit. Then that child will go to another child in the circle and say the same blessing over him. This will continue until each child in the circle has been blessed. Send home Remember Verse cards and the HomeFront Weekly with your kids. 8