E MAIL. Unit 16, Session 1: Daniel and His Friends Obeyed God. Dear Parents,

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1 Unit 16, Session 1: Daniel and His Friends Obeyed God Unit 16, Session 2: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego Unit 16, Session 3: Daniel Was Rescued Unit 16, Session 4: God Brought His People Home Unit 16, Session 5: The Temple Was Completed **Note to leaders: Use the tweets, status updates, and s included in this document to keep parents informed of the Bible learning that their children are experiencing in the Gospel Project for Kids. Choose a method that works best for your church.**

2 Unit 16, Session 1: Daniel and His Friends Obeyed God TWEETS Daniel obeyed God. In an even greater way, Jesus obeyed God, came to earth, and followed God s plan to save sinners. #thegospelprojectkids ( Christ Connection 138 Characters) Daniel and his friends chose to obey God s instructions of what they could eat no matter what, and God blessed them. #thegospelprojectkids ( Content 138 Characters) STATUS UPDATE Daniel chose to obey God no matter what, and God blessed Daniel and his friends. In an even greater way, Jesus always obeyed God. He came to earth and followed God s plan to save sinners. Jesus never sinned, but He died the death we deserve. Jesus rose from the dead, and those who trust in Him receive God s forgiveness and blessing. E MAIL Unit 16, Session 1: Daniel and His Friends Obeyed God Dear Parents, This week we began a 3 session story arc spanning much of Daniel s life. God s people had been warned by the prophets: Turn from your sin, and turn back to God! But the people did not listen. The nation of Judah was consumed by idol worship; the kings did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. So God kept His word He allowed His people to be taken from their land. Nebuchadnezzar was the king of Babylon, the strong and powerful nation that overtook Judah s capital of Jerusalem and brought God s people from Israel to Babylon. Daniel was a young man in Judah when this happened. He might have heard about the prophet Isaiah s warnings; now he witnessed their fulfillment. (See Isa. 39:5 7.) King Nebuchadnezzar called for the best young men from Judah to be trained for service in the palace. Among these teens were Daniel and three of his friends. The chosen boys were given new identities new names, new education, new culture. But Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah stayed faithful to the one true God and refused to make themselves unclean by eating the king s food. God blessed Daniel and his friends. Daniel s obedience to God led to his favor with King Nebuchadnezzar, and Daniel s life would be a testament to God s control over all things. God remembered His people during the exile and promised to bring them back to their homeland and set up a new kingdom.

3 Daniel chose to obey God no matter what, and God blessed Daniel and his friends. In an even greater way, Jesus always obeyed God. He came to earth and followed God s plan to save sinners. Jesus never sinned, but He died the death we deserve. Jesus rose from the dead, and those who trust in Him receive God s forgiveness and blessing. Help your kids understand that obedience is not always easy, but we trust God to give us strength to obey Him. Point out that Daniel lived about 600 years before Jesus the perfectly obedient promised One. We can trust that Jesus will return someday to set up His kingdom forever. Check this session s Activity Page and Big Picture Card as well as the Gospel Project for Kids Family App for ways to interact with the Bible content this week. FAMILY STARTING POINTS Babies and Toddlers God helps us obey Him. God let the king of Babylon take His people away. Daniel and his friends loved and obeyed God. Jesus always obeyed God. Preschool How can we obey God? We trust God to help us obey Him. Daniel obeyed God. Kids How can we obey God? We trust God to give us strength to obey Him. Daniel obeyed God by not eating the king s food. UNIT KEY PASSAGE Daniel 2:20 21 (Preschool: Daniel 2:20 ) NEXT WEEK Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Daniel 3)

4 Unit 16, Session 2: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego TWEETS Only God could rescue Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from fire. God rescues us, too, from sin through His Son, Jesus. #thegospelprojectkids ( Christ Connection 140 Characters) God was with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fire and saved them from the fire without them even being hurt. #thegospelprojectkids ( Content 137 Characters) STATUS UPDATE God was with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fire. Only He could rescue them. God rescues us too, through His Son, Jesus. Only Jesus can save us from our sin. Jesus sacrifice on the cross provided the way for us to be rescued from sin and have eternal life. E MAIL Unit 16, Session 2: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego Dear Parents, Nebuchadnezzar built a tall gold statue and issued a new law: When you hear music, you are to fall down and worship the statue. The penalty for defying this law was severe. Whoever does not fall down and worship will immediately be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire (Dan. 3:6). So when music played, all the people bowed down and worshiped the gold statue. Well, almost everyone. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to bow down and worship the statue. They loved and worshiped the one true God. Only He was worthy of their worship. The Book of Daniel says that the Chaldeans a group of astrologers and dream interpreters (see Dan. 2:2,4) took this opportunity to go to the king and tell on Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. But not even the threat of death could convince the three friends to renounce their loyalty to God. The friends trust in God enabled them to stand firm no matter what even as they were tied up and thrown into the fire. Then something miraculous happened. Nebuchadnezzar saw four men in the fire! They were walking around, unharmed! The Lord not only rescued Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, He was with them. God was with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fire. Only He could rescue them. God rescues us too, through His Son, Jesus. Only Jesus can save us from

5 our sin. Jesus sacrifice on the cross provided the way for us to be rescued from sin and have eternal life. Help your kids see that God was good and loving to rescue Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, but He was also good and loving not to rescue Jesus. On the cross, people mocked Jesus: He saved others; He cannot save Himself! (Mark 15:31). Jesus was not physically unable to save Himself. He chose to do His Father s will, and His love for sinners kept Him there. Jesus chose not to save Himself so that He could save others. Check this session s Activity Page and Big Picture Card as well as the Gospel Project for Kids Family App for ways to interact with the Bible content this week. FAMILY STARTING POINTS Babies and Toddlers God helps us obey Him. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego loved God. God kept the friends safe from the fire. Jesus has the power to save people. Preschool How can we obey God? We trust God to help us obey Him. God was with Daniel s friends in the fire. Kids How can we obey God? We trust God to give us strength to obey Him. God was with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fire. UNIT KEY PASSAGE Daniel 2:20 21 (Preschool: Daniel 2:20 ) NEXT WEEK Anticipating The Coming King (Isaiah 11:1 10) [CHRISTMAS UNIT]

6 Unit 16, Session 3: Daniel Was Rescued TWEETS Daniel s rescue from lions points to God rescuing us from a much bigger problem sin and death through His Son, Jesus. #thegospelprojectkids ( Christ Connection 139 Characters) Daniel refused to obey a law that went against God s commands and was thrown into a lions den and God rescued him. #thegospelprojectkids ( Content 137 Characters) STATUS UPDATE God showed His power to rescue Daniel from the lions, but Daniel was just a small part of a much bigger story. God ultimately rescued us from a much bigger problem sin and death through His Son, Jesus. E MAIL Unit 16, Session 3: Daniel Was Rescued Dear Parents, The fifth chapter of Daniel ends with the death of King Belshazzar when the Persians took over Babylon and Darius was put on the throne. Babylon was on the decline no longer the powerful, prosperous empire it once was. By this time Daniel was an old man, probably in his early 80s. He served the new king as one of the three leading supervisors in the kingdom. Daniel was very good at his job. So good, in fact, that King Darius planned to put him in charge of the entire kingdom. The other supervisors and governors were jealous of Daniel. They watched for him to do something wrong so they could complain to the king. Read Daniel 6:4. Daniel was trustworthy, and no negligence or corruption was found in him. Through the malevolent persuasion of the king s leaders, King Darius passed a law that no one could pray to anyone but him, the king, for 30 days. Daniel continued to pray boldly to God. Even the king s threat of death did not stop Daniel from praying. The jealous officials turned him in, and Daniel was thrown into the lions den. Daniel was in the lions den all night long. When morning came, the king rushed to find out what happened to Daniel and discovered that Daniel was alive and unharmed! God s protection of Daniel served to show all the people that the God of Daniel is the living God, and He endures forever; His kingdom will never be destroyed, and His dominion has no end (Dan. 6:26).

7 God showed His power to rescue Daniel from the lions, but Daniel was just a small part of a much bigger story. God ultimately rescued us from a much bigger problem sin and death through His Son, Jesus. Help your kids understand that God also calls us to trust and obey Him no matter what. God sent His Son, Jesus, to rescue us from something much more dangerous than lions. Jesus rescues us from sin and death. Pray that through your faith, and that of your kids, may the name of God be praised forever and ever (Dan. 2:20). Check this session s Activity Page and Big Picture Card as well as the Gospel Project for Kids Family App for ways to interact with the Bible content this week. FAMILY STARTING POINTS Babies and Toddlers God helps us obey Him. Daniel would not pray to anyone but God. God kept Daniel safe from the lions. Jesus was hurt to keep us safe. Preschool How can we obey God? We trust God to help us obey Him. God rescued Daniel. Kids How can we obey God? We trust God to give us strength to obey Him. Daniel was faithful to God, and God rescued him. UNIT KEY PASSAGE Daniel 2:20 21 (Preschool: Daniel 2:20 ) NEXT WEEK God Brought His People Home (Ezra 1:1 2:2; 2:64 3:13)

8 Unit 16, Session 4: God Brought His People Home TWEETS One day, Jesus will return to restore a greater home for all of God's people, and we will spend eternity with Him. #thegospelprojectkids ( Christ Connection 136 Characters) Zerubbabel led God's people to rebuild the temple. The temple was the place where God met with His people on earth. #thegospelprojectkids ( Content 137 Characters) STATUS UPDATE Zerubbabel led God's people back to the temple to rebuild it. The temple was the place where God met with His people on earth. Jesus came to earth to rescue God s people. One day, Jesus will return to restore a greater home for all of God's people, and we will spend eternity with Him. E MAIL Unit 16, Session 4: God Brought His People Home Dear Parents, God s people had been living in Babylon for 70 years. Some of God s people had died in Babylon. Some of their children and grandchildren were born in Babylon and grew up there. But Babylon was not their home. Before the people of Judah were exiled, God had spoken through the prophet Jeremiah. These are the words of the Lord: These nations will serve the king of Babylon for 70 years (Jer. 25:11). Then the Lord said, When 70 years for Babylon are complete, I will attend to you and will confirm My promise concerning you to restore you to this place (Jer. 29:10). The time had come for God s people to go back home. Cyrus, the king of the Persian empire, overthrew Babylon. Cyrus took over the kingdom, including the lands of Israel and Judah. In the following year, the Lord did something miraculous in Cyrus s heart. He prompted Cyrus to issue a decree: All the Jewish exiles are free to return to their ancestral homes. The exile was over! God s people were free to return to their own land. They were free to live as God s special people. The first group of Judean exiles returned home under the leadership of Zerubbabel. Zerubbabel was the grandson of King Jehoiachin, who had been taken to Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar. (See 2 Kings 24:8 13.) Ezra 2:64 65 says nearly 50,000 people traveled back to Judah. When they got to Jerusalem, they began working to rebuild the temple that the Chaldeans had destroyed.

9 (See 2 Chron. 36:19.) Zerubbabel led God's people back to the temple to rebuild it. The temple was the place where God met with His people on earth. Jesus came to earth to rescue God s people. One day, Jesus will return to restore a greater home for all of God's people, and we will spend eternity with Him. Help your kids understand that the temple was designed to point to Jesus. We meet with God not through a building now, but through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Check this session s Activity Page and Big Picture Card as well as the Gospel Project for Kids Family App for ways to interact with the Bible content this week. FAMILY STARTING POINTS Babies and Toddlers God helps us obey Him. God brought His people back to their land. Zerubbabel led the people to build the temple. Jesus brings us to God. Preschool How can we obey God? We trust God to help us obey Him. God brought the Israelites back home. Kids How can we obey God? We trust God to give us strength to obey Him. God changed the king s heart so the Israelites could go home. UNIT KEY PASSAGE Daniel 2:20 21 (Preschool: Daniel 2:20 ) NEXT WEEK The Temple Was Completed (Ezra 4:1 7; 5:1 5; 6:13 22)

10 Unit 16, Session 5: The Temple Was Completed TWEETS God no longer dwells in the temple, but directly with His people. Because of Jesus, we don't need a temple anymore. #thegospelprojectkids ( Christ Connection 137 Characters) God's people rebuilt the temple which was destroyed during Jerusalem s fall so they would have a place to worship God. #thegospelprojectkids ( Content 140 Characters) STATUS UPDATE God's people rebuilt the temple so they would have a place to worship God. Years later, God sent His Son, Jesus, to be with His people. Now God dwells not in the temple, but directly with His people. Because of Jesus, we don't need a temple anymore. E MAIL Unit 16, Session 5: The Temple Was Completed Dear Parents, Some time after the temple s foundation was laid, the work stopped. With the encouragement of the prophets Haggai and Zechariah, God s people resumed the work of rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem. Approximately 15 years had passed without progress. At this time, Darius was king of Persia. The Persian Empire was vast, so Darius appointed governors over the provinces. A man named Tattenai watched over the province that included the land of Judah. Tattenai noticed the work of God s people, and he was concerned. He sent a letter to King Darius. Is this allowed? he asked. The people say that King Cyrus said they could rebuild the temple and the city. Please investigate this matter. King Darius did investigate, and Cyrus s decree was located in the Babylonian records. Darius instructed Tattenai to allow the people to rebuild the temple and the city. God had turned the heart of the king for His people s favor. (See Prov. 21:1; Ezra 6:22.) The people completed the temple. They dedicated it joyfully and observed the Passover. God declared in Haggai 2:9 that the glory of this second temple would be greater than the first. This prophecy was fulfilled by the presence of the Messiah, the Son of God. Jesus said that He is greater than the temple. (Matt. 12:6)

11 God's people rebuilt the temple so they would have a place to worship God. Years later, God sent His Son, Jesus, to be with His people. Now God dwells not in the temple, but directly with His people. Because of Jesus, we don't need a temple anymore. Help your kids see that in Christ, we find the substance of which the temple was a shadow. The Lord was not confined to a building, yet deity lives fully in Christ. (See Col. 2:9.) Jesus is our High Priest. He entered the most holy place for us. (Heb. 6:19 20) The priest offered the blood of animals, but Christ offered His own blood once and for all. (Heb. 9:25 26) He gives us access to the throne of grace. (Heb. 10:19 22) Check this session s Activity Page and Big Picture Card as well as the Gospel Project for Kids Family App for ways to interact with the Bible content this week. FAMILY STARTING POINTS Babies and Toddlers God helps us obey Him. God helped His people rebuild the temple. Darius wrote a letter to help God s people. Because of Jesus, we can worship God anywhere. Preschool How can we obey God? We trust God to help us obey Him. God helped His people rebuild the temple. Kids How can we obey God? We trust God to give us strength to obey Him. God helped His people rebuild the temple. UNIT KEY PASSAGE Daniel 2:20 21 (Preschool: Daniel 2:20 ) NEXT WEEK Esther Became Queen (Esther 1 4)