God Is Faithful REMEMBER VERSE

March 3, 2019 Bible Passage: Isaiah 40:3; Matthew 3 (John the Baptist) God Is Faithful 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

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. Download the following resources to help you plan and lead TruStory lessons: Customizable copy of Lesson 1 2016 17 Scope and Sequence TruStory How It Works document HomeFront Weekly: Lesson 1 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 In a television series I watched, humanity lived through a yearlong occupation by hostile foreigners. During the occupation, people made difficult choices. Some chose to collaborate with the foreigners in order to obtain and deliver covert information, turning on their own people. Others organized a resistance movement and sacrificed members as suicide bombers. All felt justified, no matter their actions. Later, trials convicting people of treason or murder began. The penalty for these crimes was death. However, just as they began, the president stopped the trials, as it was clear that if every person who had committed a crime was tried, the trials would last for years. After thinking it over, the president stood ready at her microphone to give her decision about who should be tried, in what order, and when. But when she spoke, she shocked everyone listening. She declared a general pardon. No one would be tried. Everyone would be forgiven. Hearing this, I burst into tears. I thought of the sin in my life and how I d been forgiven. I deserve to go to trial before God as a result of my sin, but instead I ve been offered forgiveness through the sacrifice Jesus made for me once and for all. The Bible says, If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). God made the way for us to be forgiven and to receive the gift of eternal life. God promised thousands of years ago to do this, and He did! He is faithful. Tori Funkhouser ROCKHARBOR Church Equip Offers perspective and context to the lesson's Bible passage Born in the hill country of Judah to Elizabeth, a relative of Mary the mother of Jesus, John the Baptist was the cousin of Jesus. He came preaching in the spirit and power of Elijah (Luke 1:17). In a sense, John the Baptist bridged the gap between the Old Testament and the New Testament. 2

John s first testimony to who Jesus was came before his birth. When Mary, who was pregnant with Jesus, came into the room, John leaped in his mother s womb (Luke 1:41). This foretold what lay ahead for John s future. His life s goal and mission would be testifying to who Jesus was. Taking the Nazarite vow, John was set apart to God. He wouldn t drink wine or strong drink, cut his hair, or go near a dead body. His unique appearance and dress added to his likeness to Elijah. Jewish tradition holds that after Elijah s death, his mantle was stored in a small chamber in the golden altar in the temple. Hundreds of years later, when John was born, this tradition tells that Zechariah, John s father, took the mantle for his son to wear during his ministry. John paved the way for Jesus by calling people to repent and be baptized as a symbol of turning away from their sin. Multitudes flocked to the wilderness to hear the message of John. When Jesus, too, came to be baptized, John acknowledged that this was indeed the Messiah Israel had been waiting for. Even in the face of death, John maintained his witness to King Herod. In Luke 7:28, Jesus described John as the greatest man who had ever lived. The faithfulness of John reflected the faithfulness of our God. John provided a witness to the coming of God s Son, and John took the responsibility of fulfilling that mission. Support Provides reflection and assessment through encouragement, prayer, and time in God's Word Each of us has a sense of what it means to prepare. Preparation requires planning and considering various possibilities. This week, as you're preparing to welcome children to learn more about The Big God Story, consider how God has been faithful in your life. Look back at His promises and how He has worked in ways both expected and unexpected. You may want to make a list of each category to help remind you of His faithfulness in the past. Then, look ahead. What is He calling you to do in the future? In your home? At church? In your community? How can you be a light and a voice that directs people to Jesus? Take time to share what you're hearing from God with someone you trust. Ask that person to pray for you and encourage you in the days and weeks ahead. First Thessalonians 5:24 says, "The one who calls you is faithful, and He will do it." Watch together as He works in your life and the lives of those around you to accomplish His plans, in His timing and in His way. CONNECT// 10 min. Children develop relationships with their leaders and one another through simple activities and conversation starters. Would You Rather? In this activity, children will vote with their feet to indicate their unique choices to questions. 3

None CONNECT QUESTION: Welcome and greet children. Open your time by asking this question: What is something different or unique about you? Today, we are going to hear about someone named John the Baptist, who was very different from most of the people alive at that time. He had long hair, wore funny clothes made out of camel s hair, and ate locusts and wild honey. John the Baptist lived in the desert where he preached a message of repentance. Many people came to him to be baptized. Lead your kids in a game of Would You Rather? Have kids use their feet to decide which option they would rather choose. For the first option, have them vote with their left feet, and for the second, their right. Would you rather live in the desert or the mountains? Would you rather wear camel hair or sheepskin? Would you rather eat honey or sugar cubes? Would you rather never cut your hair or never cut your fingernails? Would you rather eat bugs or worms? 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: Pass the Coin Coin Upbeat music ( Jesus Saves, TruWorship Sincerely Yours) Review the Remember Verse with the children for a few minutes. Then invite everyone to stand together in a circle. Turn on the music, give one child a coin, and have kids begin to pass the coin around the circle. After a little while, stop the music. The child holding the coin will then recite the Remember Verse. Turn on the music again and continue the game until each child gets a chance to recite the verse. Storytelling 4

Bible Passage Isaiah 40:3; Matthew 3 Storytelling Technique: Acting Out the Narrative God Is Faithful Optional: Investigate Questions (see Resources) Bibles Card stock (2 sheets) Marker PREPARE AHEAD Choose children to play the roles of a prophet and John the Baptist. Write each character s name on a sheet of card stock, and have the actors hold the signs as they act out the narrative. Try to meet with the children a few moments before the Storytelling time to go over their roles. Lead children in a Prayer of Release to pause, be still, and ask the Holy Spirit to quiet their hearts and minds. What s a covenant? Pause for answers. Good thoughts. A covenant is a very special promise, and when God makes a promise, He keeps it. What were some of the covenants God made with His people? Invite answers. God made several covenants with His people throughout The Big God Story. For one covenant, God promised to send a king through David s family line a king who would reign forever. That King was Jesus, God s Son. After King David s son, King Solomon, chose to disobey God and not give God his whole heart, the nation of Israel divided into two different nations: Israel and Judah. Have the class break up into two different groups. During that time, God continued to speak to His people. How did God speak to people in the Old Testament? Invite answers. Right! God spoke through the prophets. Have the prophet hold his sign and pretend to be listening to God. God reminded the people of His faithfulness and His promise to send the Redeemer. God even said He would send someone to prepare the way for the future King. Read Isaiah 40:3. But a time came when God didn t speak to the people through a prophet, judge, or king. The people waited for God to fulfill His promises. For 400 years they waited and waited and waited. Can you imagine having to wait 400 years for something? What do you think it would have been like to wait so long? Pause for answers. Do you think God forgot about His covenant? Invite answers. Four hundred years was a long time, but God is faithful and did not forget His people or the covenant He had made with them. After 400 long years, the time had come. Invite children to open their Bibles and follow along as you read from Matthew 3. In the wilderness outside of Judea, a man was preaching to large groups of people, telling them to repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near (Matthew 3:2). Have John come forward and shout, Repent! The man s name was John. He was actually the cousin of Jesus! John was a little bit strange. As we talked about earlier, he wore funny-looking clothes made of camel s hair and ate wild honey and locusts. John told the people to repent. Does anyone know what it means to repent? Pause for answers. Good thoughts. To repent means to turn away from your sins and toward Jesus. People would confess their sins and repent, and then John would baptize them with water to prepare them for the Messiah. The water baptism was an outward symbol of their decision to repent of their sin. Can you think of any examples of symbols we use to represent a commitment we ve made? Pause for answers. Have John 5

pretend to baptize a child. When John baptized people, he reminded them that someone even greater was coming. Read Matthew 3:11 while the children follow along. Whom do you think John was talking about? Invite answers. Right! John was talking about Jesus. John was calling people to repent and baptizing them to prepare them for the arrival of Jesus just like the prophecy said! God was faithful to bring the new covenant He had promised His people long ago. This was the covenant that came through Jesus Christ and His death and resurrection the covenant that invites us to trust and obey Jesus to be forgiven of our sins and enter into relationship with Him. God is faithful. He chose the right time in history to send John to prepare the world for Jesus. God entrusted John with sharing a message with the people around him, and John was able to encourage people to repent before God. We ve been given the opportunity to choose to follow God, who is always faithful to us. All we have to do is repent and turn toward Him who is faithful. Share a time when God showed His faithfulness in your life. Discussion Questions Whom was John to prepare the way for? Isaiah 40:3; Matthew 3:3 What does it mean to repent? Why was John calling people to repentance? Matthew 3:2 How did God show His faithfulness by sending John? Matthew 3:1 3 What are some other examples of God s faithfulness throughout The Big God Story? RESPOND// 15 min. Children reflect on what the Holy Spirit is teaching them and respond to God through creative activities and games. Experiencing God s Faithfulness Children ponder God's faithfulness throughout The Big God Story and share how God has been faithful in their lives too. Poster board (black) Various colors of chalk (1 piece per child) Tape SET UP Tape a black poster board to a wall in the classroom at a height the kids can reach. God is always faithful. From the beginning He had a plan to bring us into a restored relationship with Him through Jesus. At just the right time He sent John the Baptist to prepare people for the arrival of Jesus. 6

Invite kids to spend a few minutes pondering how God was faithful to His people in The Big God Story. What are some ways that God was faithful to His people? Pause for answers. How was God faithful to John? Invite answers. Those are great thoughts! Just like we can see how God was faithful to John and faithful to His people throughout The Big God Story, we can also see how God has been faithful in our lives! Invite kids to spend a few minutes pondering the ways they have seen God s faithfulness in their own lives. Pass out a piece of colored chalk to each child, and have children write down on the black poster board some of the ways they have experienced God s faithfulness in their lives. (Optional) Turn Away John the Baptist preached a message of turning away from sins. In this game, kids will practice turning away from something. Masking or painter s tape SET UP Using masking tape, make a 10-foot-long start line where kids will line up. John the Baptist preached a message of repentance to help prepare people for Jesus. To repent means to turn away from sin. Today, invite your kids to play a game where they will practice turning away from something. To play, invite kids to line up on the line. Choose one child to be It. The other children will begin to walk away from the line in the same direction. The child who is It will stay at the line. As the children continue to walk away from the line, It will yell, Turn! and that will cue all of the kids to run back to the start line. The first child to arrive at the line will be the next child who is It. Developmentally Speaking Third and fourth graders can be competitive and love to be challenged. In this activity, the children will have the opportunity to race each other and compete to be the first one back to the line. As they race, make sure children have plenty of room and any harmful obstacles are moved out of their way so everyone is safe. 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 2 (see Resources) Bible 7

Pitcher of water Disposable cups (1 per child plus 1) SET UP Fill one disposable cup with water. Pass out one empty disposable cup to each child. Invite students to stand together in a group as you read the following from Deuteronomy 7:9: Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments. Pray the following blessing over your group: May you know that God is faithful. May you know that He always keeps His covenants. Once you have read the blessing over the class, take the disposable cup with water and pour it into the cup of a child. Then say, (Child s name), may you know that God is faithful. Once you have filled his cup, have him go to another child and use the water from his cup to fill another child s cup as he says the blessing over her. Continue until all of the children have been blessed. Send home Remember Verse cards and the HomeFront Weekly with your kids. 8