GOD S WORD OUR TREASURE OF TRUTH

UNIT 1#3 PROPHESIES & PROMISES 2 ND GRADE MAIN POINT GOD S WORD OUR TREASURE OF TRUTH God is truth. PASSAGES: Luke 2:1-20; Luke 2:25-36; Micah 5:2; Matthew 2:23 Key Verse: God will not lie. He does not change His mind. What He says He will do, He does. What He promises, He makes come true. Numbers 23:19 PRE-CLASS CHECKLIST Activity Stations Letter-size copy paper, 1/student Cootie Catcher instructions, 1/student Scissors Markers Pencils, pens, 1/student Printed promise/bible verse stickers, 5 sets/class The Promise Bible 12 index cards each with a red, yellow, blue, or green X 1 sheet each of red, yellow, blue & green paper Introduction 1 small ball 1 piece of candy Play money 2 pieces of jewelry Jolly Pirate treasure box Lesson Large laminated Jesus In His Land map Prophecies poster Game Jolly Pirate treasure box Bible 10 Main Campus maps For clarity, the shaded areas in the Pre-Class Checklist section indicate supplies that are in and should be returned to SHARED SUPPLY bag. Items followed by an asterisk* are supplied by the teaching team. XENOS CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP 1999/00 rev ' 14 LIFE & MINISTRY OF JESUS 2 nd grade Unit 1#3 Page 1

BACKGROUND INFORMATION / TEACHER HELPS It is the fulfillment of specific detailed prophesies that provides the Bible with its divine seal a seal that can never be counterfeited, since it is affixed to the truth which it attests, namely, that God s foreknowledge of the actions of free and intelligent agents is one of the most incomprehensible attributes of Deity and is exclusively a Divine perfection. We readily concede that the prophets themselves may not have understood the full import of the predictions they gave when they pictured beforehand the expected Messiah, yet the language they used could not refer to anyone else in history. It was thus that Paul was able to persuade the Jews that Jesus was the predicted One out of the prophets (Acts 28:23). "The drama of fulfilled prophecy is most evident in connection with the birth of Jesus, the details of which were exactly accomplished when He was born of Mary. Men must be blind if they cannot see that the identification between the One predicted and the One presented is most positive and complete. Then said the Lord unto me,... I watch over my word to perform it. (Jer 1:12, R.V.). Thus having spoken, and guarding all, He inspired the prophets to set forth the truth carefully and accurately, for nothing short of absolute accuracy will suffice in the fulfillment of all He spoke concerning the Son He promised to send into the world. 1 The Bible certainly does have a divine seal a seal that can never be counterfeited. This is exactly what we want the students to understand as we lay out a few of the fulfilled OT prophecies of Christ s birth. God s word is the one and only truth. The children will be amazed as they realize the incredible time gap between God s prophecies about Christ s birth and His actual birth. The compelling evidence that the prophecies were totally and accurately fulfilled should convince the children that God s word can be trusted as the one and only truth. 1 All the Messianic Prophecies of the Bible, Herbert Lockyer, 1973, Zondervan Publishing House, p. 59. XENOS CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP 1999/00 rev ' 14 LIFE & MINISTRY OF JESUS 2 nd grade Unit 1#3 Page 2

LESSON PLAN PRE-CLASS PREPARATION Secretly put the items in the Jolly Pirate treasure box for the INTRODUCTION. Look through and remember exactly the items in the treasure box. You will need to know and exactly describe the contents. For the TRUTH TREASURE HUNT, put the Bible in the second treasure box and hide the box. Put an X on the ten Main Campus maps, i.e., treasure maps, to indicate the location of the treasure box. (If weather permits, hide the treasure box outside.) Hang the laminated map of Israel on the white board with large magnets. Evenly distribute the four colored pieces of paper on the white board tray. ACTIVITY STATIONS Game Prophecy Instructions: Place the stack of 12 index cards face down on a table. Ask the students to stand. On each index card is an x" red, yellow, blue or green. Point out the four pieces of colored paper hanging on the white board. They are going to try to be prophets, to predict what color the next x will be, as you draw from the top of the stack. They are to stand under the color of paper that they believe represents the color of the next x. Once a person makes one wrong guess, he must sit down. This will be repeated 12 times or until no students are left standing. (For example, before you draw the first card, say, Okay, go to your color. Once every student is standing under one color, draw the card. If the x is red, then everyone standing under blue, yellow, and green must sit.) Craft Prophecy Cootie Catchers Instructions: Give each student a sheet of copy paper and printed cootie catcher instructions. Have the students use The Promise Bible to find God s promises/prophesies for His children, e.g., go to heaven when they die, forgiven, always loves His children, works in His children s lives, protects His children, etc. They can write their own verses in the spaces as they make their catchers or cut out the verse stickers if they prefer. INTRODUCTION Guessing Game What s Inside? Today we re going to play a quick guessing game called What s Inside? I am holding on to this beautiful, priceless treasure box and I want you to guess exactly what treasures are inside. You need to be as specific as possible. If anyone guesses exactly, you may have the things inside the box. I ll let you know when someone has XENOS CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP 1999/00 rev ' 14 LIFE & MINISTRY OF JESUS 2 nd grade Unit 1#3 Page 3

correctly guessed and listed all the items. (Allow the students to guess one at a time for a minute or two.) Would you like to know what really is inside it? (Yes.) Nobody guessed exactly what is inside this treasure box. I ll tell you what is inside before I open the box. There are (Open the box and carefully show each item.) How do you think I knew what was inside? (Accept various answers.) I knew what was inside the treasure box because I put the items in there. I didn t need to guess. I knew before the game began exactly what and how much of each item was in this treasure box. Some of you said you thought there was money in here, but nobody said there was exactly << >>. I knew the contents of the box before the game started just like God knew about Jesus birth and life way before Jesus was born. Over the last few weeks we ve learned about Old Testament prophecies concerning the birth of Jesus. A prophecy tells about something before it actually happens. There were many things written about Jesus' birth hundreds of years before He was born and today we re going to see just how true the prophecies were. God told us all the way back in Genesis the very first book in the Bible that He was going to send us a messiah, and He did. If God tells us something will happen, it will. This is why God s word, the Bible, is called the truth. This is what our key verse says. God will not lie. He does not change His mind. What He says He will do, He does. What He promises, He makes come true (Numbers 23:19). This verse says God is not a liar, He doesn t change His mind, and He sticks to His promises. God is truth. Today as we review the story of Jesus' birth, we re going to see in great detail that God's word is exactly true. As you see that God s word is true, we hope you will decide to depend on His truth and His words for your own lives. Transition: Look up here on this poster. LESSON Instructions: Use the provided poster as you go through each prophecy. Read the scripture from your Bible. Who can tell me our key verse for this week? God will not lie. He does not change His mind. What He says He will do, He does. What He promises, He makes come true (Numbers 23:19). Numbers 23:19 "God will not lie. He does not change His mind. What He says He will do, He does. What He promises, He makes come true." Born to a young woman Isaiah 7:14 Born in Bethlehe m Micah 5:2 XENOS CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP 1999/00 rev ' 14 LIFE & MINISTRY OF JESUS 2 nd grade Unit 1#3 Page 4

We are going to see how He exactly sent His Son, Jesus Christ, down to earth just as He said He would. Most of you know the Christmas story. Baby Jesus was born to a young Jewish woman named Mary. This was prophesied in the book of Isaiah hundreds of years before even Mary was born. God told the prophet Isaiah, A child shall be born to a young woman. And she shall call him Emmanuel. This means God is with us (Isaiah 7:14). In Matthew 1:23 an angel said to Joseph, Mary s fiancé, in a dream, Listen! The young woman shall conceive a child! She shall give birth to a Son, and he shall be called 'Emmanuel' (meaning 'God is with us'). The words in these two verses are very much the same, and yet the verse in Isaiah was written hundreds of years before Jesus' mother, Mary, was even born. Like the teacher who put all the items in the treasure box and knew exactly what was in it, God planned and knew from the beginning of time that Mary would be this girl. (Look under the first door of the poster.) The words God spoke to Isaiah are the truth. Remember our verse, God will not lie. He does not change His mind. What He says He will do, He does. What He promises, He makes come true (Numbers 23:19). So far we ve seen that every promise and word that God has spoken about Jesus' birth has been the truth. Everything happened exactly as He said it would. Let s look at the Bethlehem prophecy door on our poster. According to another prophet from the OT, Micah, God's chosen ruler of Israel would be born in Bethlehem. This prophecy was spoken by God through Micah over 700 years before Jesus was born. So where was Jesus born? Listen to what the Bible says. Luke 2:1-7 says, "At that time, Augustus Caesar sent an order that all people in the countries under Roman rule must list their names in a register...{3} And all went to their own towns to be registered. {4} So Joseph left Nazareth, a town in Galilee, and went to the town of Bethlehem in Judea, known as the town of David. Joseph went there because he was from the family of David. {5} Joseph registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was now pregnant. {6} While they were in Bethlehem, the time came for Mary to have the baby, {7} and she gave birth to her first son..." Jesus most certainly was born in Bethlehem. This was not an accident or a lucky guess. God is such an awesome God that He controlled the circumstances of Jesus' birth all the way down to the last detail. Mary and Joseph lived in Nazareth, so why was Jesus born in Bethlehem? (Show Nazareth and Bethlehem on the laminated map.) A law ordered everyone to return to the land of their ancestors in order to collect taxes. Since Joseph was of the house of David, or in the family line of King David, they had to leave Nazareth and go to Bethlehem, David s city, a 3-day trip from Nazareth. Once again we see that God s word is the truth. He said the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem and He was. Isn't that amazing? Mary and Joseph didn't live in Bethlehem. Bethlehem was three days away from their home of Nazareth. And just as they arrived, Jesus was born. Nobody but God could have planned this. Just like XENOS CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP 1999/00 rev ' 14 LIFE & MINISTRY OF JESUS 2 nd grade Unit 1#3 Page 5

Numbers 23:19 says, What He promises, He makes come true. God said hundreds of years ago that this would happen. God said Jesus would be born in Bethlehem and He was. GOOD NEWS Why was Jesus born? (He was born so He could die on the cross for our sins.) We are sinners and need to be forgiven for all our sins. Jesus took the punishment for all our sins when He died on the cross. Does the Bible say that everyone is forgiven? (No.) So, who is forgiven? (Those who ask for Jesus death to pay for their sins are promised forgiveness.) Transition: Earlier when we played the game What s Inside? we found money, candy and jewelry inside the box. Some people think those are really great treasures. I know of something else that is an even better treasure and we re going to go find it. GAME Truth Treasure Hunt Instructions: Give the 10 maps of the building to the students. Together they will study the map to find the real treasure. The treasure is at the spot you marked with an X before class. When they find the treasure box, have one of the students open the box and take out the Bible. God s word is the truth and a great treasure. Debrief Why is the Bible a treasure? (Accept various answers.) As we have learned in the past few weeks, God has kept His promises and His words have always been totally true. If His promises about the birth of Christ have been perfectly fulfilled, don t you think we can trust the rest of the Bible to be true, too? Transition: Let's get into small groups to think about how this can help us in our lives. SMALL GROUP God s word is the only thing we can depend on to always be true because God never lies. The more you know God s Bible the more you ll know God. So, if someone told you that nature (the wind, trees, plants, etc.) can tell you things, what would you say? XENOS CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP 1999/00 rev ' 14 LIFE & MINISTRY OF JESUS 2 nd grade Unit 1#3 Page 6

How many of you saw the movie Pocahontas? Pocahontas is the story of a real Indian woman. In the movie, Pocahontas said that in her world, every rock and tree and creature had a life and a spirit. Pocahontas would often speak to a tree, Grandmother Willow, for advice. Does God say that rocks and trees can help us make decisions or tell us what to do? Who can repeat the key verse? (Numbers 23:19). What promises did you put in your cootie catcher? How do you know they re true? God makes lots of promises to His children. How can you be sure you are His child? Let s pray OPTIONAL ACTIVITY Game God Says Instructions: This game is very much like Simon Says. If the teacher says, God s word is truth... then the kids should do the action that follows. If the teacher does not precede the command with God s word is the truth... then the kids should not do the action that follows. If they do, they re out. Teachers be tricky! God s word is truth, so... Jump up & down on your right leg Pat your head Pat your belly Clap your hands Jump in circles Wave your right hand in the air. XENOS CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP 1999/00 rev ' 14 LIFE & MINISTRY OF JESUS 2 nd grade Unit 1#3 Page 7

Cootie Catchers 1 What you need: Scissors Rectangular sheet of plain paper Pen or Markers What you do: Follow these step by step instructions. Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Fold the bottom of the paper to the side of the page to make a triangle. Use scissors to cut off the flap at the top. Open the triangle and you will have a square. Step 4 Step 5 Step 6 Fold one corner of the paper diagonally to the other corner. Open your paper. You will now have a center point marked on the paper. Fold each corner of the paper towards the center. Step 7 Step 8 Step 9 When all four corners have been folded, your Cootie Catcher Turn the paper over so that the folded sides are face down. Then fold all the corners to the center diagonally 1 http://www.squiglysplayhouse.com/artsandcrafts/crafts/cootiecatchers.html XENOS CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP 1999/00 rev ' 14 LIFE & MINISTRY OF JESUS 2 nd grade Unit 1#3 Page 8

should look like this. Step 10 Step 11 Step 12 Once you have folded in the four corners, write the numbers one through 8 on each of the triangles. Hold the paper in front of you as shown and fold it into a square. Now unfold and fold the square in half horizontally. Step 13 Step 14 Step 15 Open each flap and write something on each triangle. What you write depends on the type of Cootie catcher you have made. Flip the Cootie Catcher over and write the name of a color, animal, person or place on the flap. Flip the Cootie Catcher over so that the numbers are face up. Fold the square in half and slip your thumbs and pointer finger under the four flaps. How to play: Find a friend and ask them to pick a color, animal, person or place that you have written on one of the flaps. Moving the flaps in and out and side to side in time with the letters, spell out the word they have chosen. Open the Cootie Catcher to reveal the numbers and ask them to pick one. Count out the number they have chosen by moving the flaps in and out and side to side. Ask them to pick another number and count it out in the same manner. This time ask them to pick a third number and reveal the answer you have written on the inside flap. XENOS CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP 1999/00 rev ' 14 LIFE & MINISTRY OF JESUS 2 nd grade Unit 1#3 Page 9

LESSON OUTLINE INTRODUCTION Guessing Game What s Inside? o Guess exactly o Want to know? Nobody guessed exactly How did I know exactly? Put items in box God knew before world started about Jesus life & birth Have learned about OT prophecies (tells about something before it happens God told about Jesus in 1 st book of Bible Genesis Why Bible is called the truth Key verse: Numbers 23:19 God is not a liar, doesn t change His mind & sticks to promises Hope you will decide to depend on His truth all your life LESSON Key verse? Isaiah 7:14 written hundreds of years before Matthew 1:23 Matthew 1:23 GOOD NEWS Key verse everything happened exactly as God said Bethlehem prophecy door, Micah 700+ yrs. before Jesus o Luke 2:1-5 o Show Nazareth & Bethlehem on may o Lived in Nazareth, but had to go to Bethlehem Why was Jesus born? TREASURE HUNT Debrief o Why is the Bible a treasure? SMALL GROUPS God s word is the only thing we can depend on to always be true because God never lies. The more you know God s Bible the more you ll know God. If someone told you that nature (the wind, trees, plants, etc.) can tell you things, what would you say? Movie Pocahontas, story of a real Indian woman. In the movie, Pocahontas said that in her world, every rock and tree and creature had a life and a spirit. Pocahontas would often speak to a tree, Grandmother Willow, for advice. Does God say that rocks and trees can help us make decisions or tell us what to do? Who can repeat the key verse? (Numbers 23:19). What promises did you put in your cootie catcher? How do you know they re true? God makes lots of promises to His children. How can you be sure you are His child? Let s pray OPTIONAL ACTIVITY Game - God Says XENOS CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP 1999/00 rev ' 14 LIFE & MINISTRY OF JESUS 2 nd grade Unit 1#3 Page 10

OASIS ELEMENTARY CURRICULUM FEEDBACK FORM Name: Unit #: Lesson #: Classroom: 1. Is the main point of this lesson stated in a simple and clear way? 2. Is the information in this lesson simple enough to understand and communicate to the children? 3. Was the application of the main point age-appropriate? 4. Was the outline of the lesson clear and easy to follow? 5. What should be changed about or added to the, content, teacher preparation of this lesson? 6. Did the lesson challenge the children to think or learn? If so, in what way? XENOS CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP 1999/00 rev ' 14 LIFE & MINISTRY OF JESUS 2 nd grade Unit 1#3 Page 11