Leader BIBLE STUDY King Uzziah s death marked the end of an era. His reign had been long and prosperous. Uzziah became king when he was 16, and he reigned over Judah for 52 years. Uzziah had listened to the prophet Zechariah; he feared God and God made him prosper. But Uzziah s pride got the best of him. When he became strong, he grew arrogant and it led to his own destruction. He acted unfaithfully against the Lord (2 Chron. 26:16). God struck Uzziah with leprosy. Then Uzziah died. Under Uzziah s leadership, God s people had turned away from the promises of God and trusted in the promises of the world around them. God had promised to bless the entire world through Abraham s family, but God s people were rebellious. Instead of blessing, they set themselves up to receive God s judgment. But God s plans and promises were not thwarted. God sent Isaiah to preach a message of hope. Even though God was going to correct His people through judgment, His purpose was one of grace through which God would receive glory. God planned to send a Messiah who would bring salvation to the world. Isaiah 6 opens with Isaiah worshiping in the temple. Then God gave Isaiah a vision. Isaiah saw God sitting on a throne. In the year that King Uzziah died, God was sitting on the throne. God was reigning over the universe. The magnitude of God s holiness made Isaiah realize the magnitude of his own sin. His response? Woe is me! God extended His grace to Isaiah. He took away Isaiah s guilt. God passed over Isaiah s sins because He was going to send Jesus to pay for them. In His death on the cross, Jesus paid for the sins past, present, and future of those who would trust in Him. When we trust in Jesus, God says to us, Your guilt is taken away. Your sin is atoned for. 1 Younger Kids Bible Study Leader Guide Unit 15 Session 1
Younger Kids Bible study OVERVIEW Session Title: God Called Isaiah Bible Passage: Isaiah 6 Big Picture Question: How could Isaiah stand before God? Isaiah could stand before God because God took away Isaiah s sin. Key Passage: Isaiah 53:6 Unit Christ Connection: God s promised Messiah comes out of David s family and is described in Isaiah s prophecy. Small Group Opening Welcome timeactivity page (5 minutes) Session starter (10 minutes) Large Group Leader Countdown Introduce the session (1 minute) Timeline map (1 minute) Big picture question (1 minute) Sing (5 minutes) Key passage (4 minutes) Tell the Bible story (10 minutes) Discussion starter video (3 minutes) The Gospel: God s Plan for Me (optional) Prayer (5 minutes) Small Group Leader Key passage activity (5 minutes) Bible story review (10 minutes) Activity choice (10 minutes) Journal and prayer (5 minutes) 2
The BIBLE story God Called Isaiah Isaiah 6 Isaiah was a prophet. God had chosen Isaiah to take God s message to His people. Isaiah had a special name. The name Isaiah means The Lord saves. God used Isaiah to tell His people a very important message. God s message was this: God saves sinners. God spoke through Isaiah. Isaiah had heard God s voice, but Isaiah had never seen God. One day God gave Isaiah a very special experience. In the year that Uzziah, king of Judah, died, Isaiah was worshiping God in the temple when he had a vision. Isaiah saw God sitting on a throne. God s robe was long; its edges filled the temple. Seraphim heavenly beings stood above Him, each with six wings. They called out: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord; His glory fills the whole earth. The foundations of the doorways shook at the sounds of their voices, and the temple filled with smoke. Isaiah saw that he was in the presence of God, and he said, I am ruined! I am sinful; I am no better than anyone else. I don t deserve to be in the presence of a great and holy God. Then one of the seraphim flew to Isaiah. He had in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. He touched Isaiah s mouth and said, Now that this has touched your lips, your wickedness is removed and your sin is wiped away. Then Isaiah heard God s voice saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? God had an important message to share, and He wanted someone to tell God s message to everyone. Isaiah said, Here am I! Send me. Go, God said. God sent Isaiah to preach to the people. The people will not listen to My message, God said. You will preach to them, but they will ignore you. They will turn away from you. If they would just listen to Me, they would turn from their sin and be healed. How long? Isaiah asked. How long should I preach to people who won t listen to me? How long will they reject Your message and face 3 Younger Kids Bible Study Leader Guide Unit 15 Session 1
judgment for it? God answered Isaiah. Preach until the cities are destroyed and no one lives in them. I am going to send the people far away. Some of the people will return to the land, God explained. God was going to show grace to those people like He showed grace to Isaiah. The people God would bring back to Judah would be some of the only people left in Abraham s family. God was going to keep His promise to Abraham through them. He would make their family big again, and they would be a blessing to all the nations. Christ Connection: Isaiah saw God in a vision and he knew he didn t deserve to be with God because God is holy. God forgave Isaiah s sin. One day God would send His Son, Jesus, to pay for Isaiah s sin. God forgives anyone who trusts in Jesus. When we trust in Jesus, we answer like Isaiah: Here I am. Send me. 4
Small Group Opening Session Title: God Called Isaiah Bible Passage: Isaiah 6 Big Picture Question: How could Isaiah stand before God? Isaiah could stand before God because God took away Isaiah s sin. Key Passage: Isaiah 53:6 Unit Christ Connection: God s promised Messiah comes out of David s family and is described in Isaiah s prophecy. black construction paper Word Search activity page, 1 per kid pencils LOW PREP Welcome time Arriving Activity: Hot coal Use a piece of black construction paper to form a paper wad. Invite the kids to form a circle. Just add kids to the circle as they arrive. Encourage them to pass the hot coal as quickly as possible. When a leader says stop, the kid holding the coal must name something he could do to serve God. Examples include pray, read the Bible, help others, send cards, and so forth. Give help as needed. Say God used a hot coal to touch a man s lips in today s Bible story. We will find out why in just a few minutes. Activity page (5 minutes) Guide boys and girls to complete the activity page. Say The words you found are all important. Listen for them in today s Bible story. Session starter (10 minutes) Option 1: The messenger Choose four volunteers. For smaller groups, allow half the kids to volunteer. These volunteers will be messengers. 5 Younger Kids Bible Study Leader Guide Unit 15 Session 1
Invite the remaining kids to close their eyes and bow their heads. Encourage the volunteers to quietly choose one of the kids with his head bowed and whisper, I have a message for you. Once each messenger has chosen someone, they should all go to the front of the room. Invite the kids to open their eyes. Invite those who were chosen to guess who had a message for them. Say In today s Bible story, God chose a special messenger to send to His people in Judah. paper plates, 1 per kid red crayons or markers marshmallows or cotton balls glue Option 2: Plate mouth Instruct the kids to turn their plates facedown, and then fold their paper plates in half. Once folded, invite the kids to make the plates look like a mouth by coloring the outside rims red. Provide some marshmallows or cotton balls for teeth. Demonstrate how to glue either of the items inside the mouth. Say A man in today s Bible story said that he had unclean lips. What a strange thing to say! Let s pay careful attention to find out what he meant. Transition to large group 6
Large Group LEADER Session Title: God Called Isaiah Bible Passage: Isaiah 6 Big Picture Question: How could Isaiah stand before God? Isaiah could stand before God because God took away Isaiah s sin. Key Passage: Isaiah 53:6 Unit Christ Connection: God s promised Messiah comes out of David s family and is described in Isaiah s prophecy. room decorations countdown video Suggested Theme Decorating Ideas: Gather small pots, metal pails, seed starter containers, and watering cans. Fill some containers with soil or vegetable and herb plantings. You may also place other farming implements such as shovels, rakes, hoes, and trowels in your decoration out of reach of the kids. Scatter old feed sacks (beware of allergies) around the stage. Countdown Show the countdown video as your kids arrive, and set it to end as large group time begins. seed packet Introduce the session (1 minute) [Large group leader enters with a packet of seeds.] Leader Welcome to Farming 101. I am going to teach you everything you need to know about being a farmer. A farmer is someone who plants and collects food that you and I can eat. The first thing you need to do to grow a plant that makes food is to plant seeds like this. All right, I m going to just pour these seeds here on the floor. Do you think these seeds will now grow into something really yummy? Why not? That s right. I need good soil to plant them in. 7 Younger Kids Bible Study Leader Guide Unit 15 Session 1
That reminds me of God s people in Judah and Israel. They were like this hard floor. They wouldn t listen to God s warnings to stop sinning. For the next few weeks we will see how God didn t give up, even though He knew they wouldn t listen. Timeline map (1 minute) Leader We are going to look at the life of one of the greatest prophets in the Bible. His name is Isaiah. Today, we will learn how God called Isaiah to deliver a special message. Do you know what that message was? Big picture question (1 minute) Leader We know a lot about Isaiah. Isaiah was a prophet to Judah. We have 66 chapters that tell us about him. Where do you think we might find those chapters? That s right. We can find the Book of Isaiah in our Bibles. Who has their Bible today? Great! We also need it to answer the big picture question and answer. Here it is: How could Isaiah stand before God? Your Love Never Fails song Sing (5 minutes) Leader Only a few people in the Old Testament actually got to see God. Can anyone name someone from the Bible who saw God? Abraham, Moses, and Jacob all saw God. Isaiah also saw God. God s people didn t need to see Him though to know that He existed and loved them. God sent prophets, performed miracles, and saved His people every time they called out to Him. God proved that His love never fails. Why don t we sing a song about God s love? It s our theme song for the next few weeks. Sing together Your Love Never Fails. 8
Key Passage Slide or Poster All We Like Sheep (Thank You, God) song God Called Isaiah video Bibles, 1 per kid Bible Story Picture Slide or Poster Key passage (4 minutes) Leader God gave Isaiah messages for the people of Judah, but Isaiah s messages were not just for them. Isaiah lived hundreds of years before Jesus came to earth as a baby boy, but God wanted His people to know then that a Savior was coming. Let s read one of the verses where Isaiah talks about that Savior. Show the slide or poster of the unit s key passage, Isaiah 53:6. Lead the boys and girls to read the verse together. Leader Why don t we work on memorizing this verse over the next few weeks? It s important that we know Jesus came to take the punishment for our sins. Let s put our key passage to music to help us remember it. Sing together All We Like Sheep (Thank You, God). Tell the Bible story (10 minutes) Leader Let s all open our Bibles to Isaiah 6. Let s see how God called Isaiah. Also, don t forget to listen for the answer to the big picture question, How could Isaiah stand before God? Show the God Called Isaiah video, or choose to tell the Bible story in your own words using the script provided. For a shorter version of the story, read only the bold text. Leader While worshiping at the temple, Isaiah saw God in a vision. God was sitting on the throne while seraphim, angel-like beings, worshiped Him. Isaiah knew right away that he wasn t worthy to see God. Just like each of us, Isaiah had sinned. God is holy and can t be around sin. One of the seraphim took a hot coal from the altar of the temple. The altar was where a sacrifice for sin was offered. The seraph took the coal and used it to touch Isaiah s lips. Doesn t it sound like a bad 9 Younger Kids Bible Study Leader Guide Unit 15 Session 1
thing to have a hot coal touch your lips? It wasn t! God used the coal to take away Isaiah s sin, so he could stand before God. How could Isaiah stand before God? Isaiah could stand before God because God took away Isaiah s sin. God wanted someone to deliver a message to His people. Isaiah volunteered. God told him to tell the people to repent even though they wouldn t listen. God told Isaiah He would drive the people from the land, but He would not forget His promise to Abraham. God would bring Abraham s family back to the land, and they would become a blessing for all nations. Ask the following questions: 1. Where was Isaiah when he saw God? (in the temple, Isaiah 6:1) 2. How could Isaiah stand before God? Isaiah could stand before God because God took away Isaiah s sin. 3. What did the seraph use to remove Isaiah s sin? (a hot coal from the altar, Isaiah 6:6) 4. What did Isaiah say when God was looking for someone to send to the people? ( Here I am. Send me ; Isaiah 6:8) 5. How long did God ask Isaiah to tell the people to repent? (until all the cities were destroyed and the people were sent away, Isaiah 6:11-12) Unit 15 Session 1 discussion starter video Discussion starter video (3 minutes) Leader Are you willing to let God use you like He used Isaiah? Watch this video. Show the Unit 15 Session 1 video. Leader We shouldn t try to play hide-and-seek with God. We should always be available to share His message of 10
forgiveness. Who died and rose again so our sins could be forgiven? God still forgives people for their sin, and He still uses people to share the message of forgiveness. We don t need a hot coal to stand before God. Jesus death and resurrection allow us to stand before God. When we repent and trust that Jesus paid for our sin, God removes our sin and sends us to tell others about Jesus. The Gospel: God s Plan for Me (optional) Use Scripture and the guide provided with this session to explain to boys and girls how to become a Christian. Assign individuals to meet with kids who have more questions. If this is not possible, encourage boys and girls to ask their parents, small group leaders, or other Christian adults any questions they may have about becoming a Christian. Big Picture Question Slide or Poster Prayer (5 minutes) Show the big picture question slide or poster. Leader Let s take a moment to review the big picture question and answer. How could Isaiah stand before God? Isaiah could stand before God because God took away Isaiah s sin. As you ask the question, invite the kids to stand when you say the word stand. Follow up the answer with, Who took away our sins? (Jesus) Before transitioning to small group, make any necessary announcements. Lead the kids in prayer. Pray that God will give us a special desire to tell others about Him. Dismiss to small groups 11 Younger Kids Bible Study Leader Guide Unit 15 Session 1
The Gospel: God s Plan for Me Ask kids if they have ever heard the word gospel. Clarify that the word gospel means good news. It is the message about Christ, the kingdom of God, and salvation. Use the following guide to share the gospel with kids. God rules. Explain to kids that the Bible tells us God created everything, and He is in charge of everything. Invite a volunteer to read Genesis 1:1 from the Bible. Read Revelation 4:11 or Colossians 1:16-17 aloud and explain what these verses mean. We sinned. Tell kids that since the time of Adam and Eve, everyone has chosen to disobey God. (Romans 3:23) The Bible calls this sin. Because God is holy, God cannot be around sin. Sin separates us from God and deserves God s punishment of death. (Romans 6:23) God provided. Choose a child to read John 3:16 aloud. Say that God sent His Son, Jesus, the perfect solution to our sin problem, to rescue us from the punishment we deserve. It s something we, as sinners, could never earn on our own. Jesus alone saves us. Read and explain Ephesians 2:8-9. Jesus gives. Share with kids that Jesus lived a perfect life, died on the cross for our sins, and rose again. Because Jesus gave up His life for us, we can be welcomed into God s family for eternity. This is the best gift ever! Read Romans 5:8; 2 Corinthians 5:21; or 1 Peter 3:18. We respond. Tell kids that they can respond to Jesus. Read Romans 10:9-10,13. Review these aspects of our response: Believe in your heart that Jesus alone saves you through what He s already done on the cross. Repent, turning from self and sin to Jesus. Tell God and others that your faith is in Jesus. Offer to talk with any child who is interested in responding to Jesus. 12
Small Group LEADER Session Title: God Called Isaiah Bible Passage: Isaiah 6 Big Picture Question: How could Isaiah stand before God? Isaiah could stand before God because God took away Isaiah s sin. Key Passage: Isaiah 53:6 Unit Christ Connection: God s promised Messiah comes out of David s family and is described in Isaiah s prophecy. Key Passage Slide or Poster dry erase board and markers (optional) Bibles, 1 per kid Small Group Visual Pack Big Picture Question Slide or Poster Key passage activity (5 minutes) Make sure the key passage, Isaiah 53:6, is visible for each child, either as the printed poster or written on a dry erase board. Read the verse together. Say Isaiah 53 tells us about a Suffering Servant. Does anyone want to guess who the Suffering Servant is? The Suffering Servant is Jesus. Our key passage tells us that we all have sinned, but Jesus was punished for our sin so that we wouldn t have to be punished. Explain that the seraphim repeated the word holy three times. Invite the kids to repeat the key passage three times. Encourage them to follow the rule of three. Give them three seconds to read the verse, use your hand to cover every third word in the verse, and then choose three kids to say the verse together. Bible story review (10 minutes) Encourage the kids to find Isaiah 6 in their Bibles. Help them as needed. Say Is Isaiah in the Old Testament or the New Testament? (Old Testament) It s the first book in the division called Major Prophets. Once again, this isn t because Isaiah was more important than other prophets. The Younger Kids Bible Study Leader Guide Unit 15 Session 1
books of the Major Prophets are just longer than the Minor Prophets. The first half of Isaiah talks about how God s people should obey Him. The second half gives God s people hope for the future, the promise of a Savior. Who is the promised Savior? (Jesus) Use the small group visual pack to show kids where today s Bible story is on the timeline. This Bible story is only 13 verses. Form groups of two or more. Make sure each group has a Bible. Encourage each group to choose a volunteer to come to the front of the room and read one or more of the verses. The volunteer must say, Send Me. I ll go. Once the entire text is read, repeat one of the verses aloud without the reference. The first group to stand up and tell the verse number gets a point. Play as time allows or until you ve read all the verses. The group with the most points wins. Say Isaiah knew he was not worthy to stand before God. God made a way for Isaiah s sins to be paid. God used a hot coal from the altar to remove Isaiah s sin. How could Isaiah stand before God? Isaiah could stand before God because God took away Isaiah s sin. Our sins are removed when we repent and trust in Jesus. We are not worthy to stand in front of God either, but Jesus is. He took our sin. He was punished for our sins when He died on the cross. God said Jesus payment was enough when He raised Him from the dead. Because of that we can seek God, pray to God, and spend time with God. Once Isaiah saw how awesome God is and how God had removed his sins, he volunteered to be a messenger for God. When we understand what Jesus did for us, we should want to be a messenger, telling all people about Jesus. Show the big picture question slide or poster. 14
Say Who would like to answer the big picture question and answer? How could Isaiah stand before God? Isaiah could stand before God because God took away Isaiah s sin. LOW PREP tongs, 2 (optional) buckets or other containers, 2 tape black construction paper, 1 sheet per kid red and green foam squares, 1 per kid scissors, 1 pair per kid large wooden craft sticks, 1 per kid glue permanent markers stapler and staples (optional) Activity choice (10 minutes) Option 1: Coal pickup Form two groups. Provide each group with a pair of tongs, or instruct the kids to use their hands. Invite the kids to line up single file with their groups. Tape a start line and place a bucket or other container for each group at an equal distance from the start line. Provide each kid with a piece of black construction paper. Let each kid crumple the paper into a paper wad. Each group must pile the coal at the start line. The first kid in line must grab one of the pieces of coal with the tongs and race to the bucket, successfully dropping the coal into the container. She must then race back and hand the tongs to the next player. The next player takes a turn. If a player drops the coal or doesn t drop it into the container, that player must return the coal to the start line and begin again. See which team can move all its coal first. Say Each group was trying to get the coal into the container. God used a hot coal to take away Isaiah s sin. How could Isaiah stand before God? Isaiah could stand before God because God took away Isaiah s sin. Who takes away our sin? (Jesus) Option 2: Stop and go sign Provide each kid with a red 9-inch foam square and a green 9-inch foam square. Make sure each kid has a pair of scissors, permanent markers, and a large wooden craft stick. Demonstrate how to cut the four corners off one of 15 Younger Kids Bible Study Leader Guide Unit 15 Session 1
the squares to form a stop sign shape or octagon. Invite the kids to cut the other square using the octagon they cut as a guide. Encourage the kids to write STOP on one side of the red square and GO on one side of the green square with Isaiah 6:8 underneath. Glue or staple the craft stick in between the squares, making sure the two squares are bonded together with the words to the outside. Say Isaiah stopped and realized just how holy God is, and Isaiah knew he wasn t. God provided a way for Isaiah to be forgiven and stand before Him. How could Isaiah stand before God? Isaiah could stand before God because God took away Isaiah s sin. journals Journal Page, 1 per kid markers or crayons Bible Story Coloring Page Journal and prayer (5 minutes) Distribute each child s journal and the journal page provided with this session. Instruct the kids to draw a picture of Isaiah s vision in the temple. Writers can write the big picture question and answer. Say Let s all say the big picture question and answer together. How could Isaiah stand before God? Isaiah could stand before God because God took away Isaiah s sin. Make sure each child puts this week s sheet in the journal, and then collect them. Keep the journals in the classroom so they will be available every week or as often as you wish to use them. If time remains, take prayer requests or allow kids to complete the coloring page provided with this session. Pray, thanking God for the price Jesus paid for our sin. Pray for each child by name, asking God to use each kid to do mighty things for Him. 16
Journal Page Key Passage: Isaiah 53:6 Session 1: God Called Isaiah Isaiah 6 Session 2: Isaiah Confronted Ahaz Isaiah 7 Session 3: Hezekiah, Judah s Faithful King 2 Kings 18 20 Session 4: Isaiah Preached About the Messiah Isaiah 53 OK to print
All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. Isaiah 53:6 UNIT 15 Key Passage Poster (NKJV) OK to print
We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. Isaiah 53:6 UNIT 15 Key Passage Poster (NIV) OK to print
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. Isaiah 53:6 UNIT 15 Key Passage Poster (KJV) OK to print
We all went astray like sheep; we all have turned to our own way; and the LORD has punished Him for the iniquity of us all. Isaiah 53:6 UNIT 15 Key Passage Poster (HCSB) OK to print
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. Isaiah 53:6 UNIT 15 Key Passage Poster (ESV) OK to print
How could Isaiah stand before God? Isaiah could stand before God because God took away Isaiah s sin. Unit 15 Session 1 Big Picture Question OK to print
Word Search Instructions: Find and circle the listed words. God coal almighty lips holy temple send P N Q R Y T L A U T A L M I G H T Y L Y T Y L O H K Q T I U E E B J X H Q X P I X J M J G H X Y S G P K P P I D P Z C F G U X L L C V D N Q O N A K O E I E D P D O Y O Q Y W F S N C U A S E N D V B P Unit 15 Session 1 Younger Kids Activity Pages
God Called Isaiah Isaiah 6
Unit 15 Session 1 God Called Isaiah OK to print
Today we will be tasting/ touching/sniffing: Please notify the leader if your child should not participate. Instructions: Print this poster. You may laminate it and reuse it throughout the quarter. Use a dry erase marker to fill in the necessary information. Display the poster where parents and kids can see it before class. UNIT 15 Allergy Alert OK to print