Leader BIBLE STUDY The Book of Isaiah contains four servant songs poems about the servant of God. (Isa. 42:1-4; 49:1-6; 50:4-9; 52:12 53:12) In these poems, the prophet Isaiah describes the working out of God s plan of redemption. We see a vision of the promised Messiah, the innocent substitute who would suffer for the sake of sinners. Through Jesus, God brings sinners back to Himself. The fourth and final servant song is found in Isaiah 53. In this passage, Isaiah provides an answer to the question, How can a just God justify the ungodly? How can He declare innocent those who are guilty? How can He treat bad people as though they are good? How can He love people like us? A just God can t just look the other way. He doesn t say, Don t worry about it, or No big deal. That s cheap grace. Sin against a big God is a big deal. God didn t just forgive our sins, He dealt with them. And this grace was costly. The price? God s own Son. Jesus fulfilled Isaiah s prophecies of a suffering servant. People assumed God had cursed the Suffering Servant for His own sins. But no; Jesus was sinless. So why did He suffer? He was pierced because of our transgressions, crushed because of our iniquities; punishment for our peace was on Him. The Suffering Servant died the death we deserve. When we trust in Jesus, our sins are wiped away paid for by His blood and His righteousness is credited to us. When Christ s work on the cross was finished, God rewarded Him. For this reason God highly exalted Him and gave Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Phil. 2:9-11). 1 Preschool Bible Study Leader Guide Unit 15 Session 4
Preschool BIBLE STUDY OVERVIEW Session Title: Isaiah Preached About the Messiah Bible Passage: Isaiah 53 Big Picture Question: Whom did Isaiah preach about? Isaiah preached 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 (15 20 minutes) Large Group Bible Study (10 15 minutes) Small Group Activities (20 25 minutes) Snack and Transition (20 minutes) 2
The BIBLE STORY Isaiah Preached About the Messiah Isaiah 53 Isaiah was a prophet. He gave the people of God special messages from God. Isaiah told the people what was going to happen in the future. Isaiah reminded them that God had a plan. God had a plan to send someone to rescue people from sin. Someone was coming, and He was called the Messiah. The Messiah would be a servant of God. The people didn t know who the Messiah was, but Isaiah told them what the Messiah would do. God s servant grew up, and He looked very ordinary. He wasn t handsome. No one paid attention to Him, and they didn t want to be His friend. They stayed away from Him. God s servant hurt. He knew how it felt to be sick, Isaiah said. Isaiah said that people saw God s servant, but they looked the other way. They didn t care about Him or love Him. But God s servant still did what God wanted Him to do. He came to help people and save them from sin, and that is what He did. The Servant was punished. People thought that He was punished because He had done something wrong. But He never did anything wrong! We were supposed to be punished, but He was punished in our place. We are the ones who do wrong things. We do not love God like we should. But instead of punishing us, God punished Him! Then Isaiah said that something bad was going to happen to the Messiah. He is going to be hurt and treated badly. But He will not say anything. People will be unfair to Him, and they will take Him away. He will be treated like a criminal, but He isn t a criminal. But even though bad people did this to God s servant, God planned this to happen. When the Servant died, He took away people s guilt so God could look at them and say, Not guilty! God would even say, You re good! God s servant would not stay dead. No, God would bring Him back 3 Preschool Bible Study Leader Guide Unit 15 Session 4
to life! God s good servant will see all of the people He saved by dying in their place, and He will be happy. He will be glad that He hurt and was treated badly because people were helped. Then God will give Him a reward, Isaiah said. God will give Him honor for doing the right thing, for saving people from sin. God will welcome His friends who walked away from Him. Christ Connection: God planned a very long time ago that Jesus would die on the cross for our sins. Many, many years before Jesus was born, Isaiah wrote about what Jesus would do. Jesus died to save people from sin. 4
Small Group OPENING Session Title: Isaiah Preached About the Messiah Bible Passage: Isaiah 53 Big Picture Question: Whom did Isaiah preach about? Isaiah preached 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. Mighty to Save song Allergy Alert offering basket favorite toys LOW PREP Find the Book Name activity page, 1 per kid colored pencils or crayons chalkboard or dry erase board dry erase markers or chalk eraser Welcome and Session Starter (15 20 minutes) Play Mighty to Save in the background. Set an offering basket near the door. Post an allergy alert, if necessary. Set out a few favorite toys such as puzzles and blocks. Activity Page: Find the Book Name Say Pick a favorite color to color each space that has a dot in it. Color the other spaces any color you choose except for the color in the dot spaces. Find the name of a very special book. Here is a hint: This book tells us about God and Jesus. Take turns using an eraser Partners take turns drawing on a chalkboard or dry erase board. Then, the other partner erases everything. Say Isaiah wrote what God told him about Immanuel, Jesus. He told the people that Jesus would come to erase our sins. Whom did Isaiah preach about? Isaiah preached 5 Preschool Bible Study Leader Guide Unit 15 Session 4
binoculars or telescope Look through binoculars Invite kids to take turns looking through the wrong end of binoculars or a telescope. Suggest things in the room to look at from both ends of the binoculars. Talk about how different they appear. Play I Spy by describing something obvious in the room for a boy or girl to find while looking through the wrong end of the binoculars. Say God knows everything that will happen. When He told Isaiah things about the Messiah, those things would not happen until much, much later. For Isaiah and the people who listened to him, the things Isaiah said about Jesus, the Messiah, were far away, somewhat like looking through the wrong end of binoculars or a telescope. Isaiah lived about seven hundred years before Jesus was born. Whom did Isaiah preach about? Isaiah preached Transition to Bible study Transition cue: Ring the bell, show the countdown video, flip the lights, or clap a simple rhythm for children to copy to gain attention. 6
Large Group BIBLE STUDY Session Title: Isaiah Preached About the Messiah Bible Passage: Isaiah 53 Big Picture Question: Whom did Isaiah preach about? Isaiah preached 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. Large Group Bible Study (10 15 minutes) props for different activities: soccer ball, rake, tie, crown Timeline Map Isaiah Preached About the Messiah video Introduce the Bible story Give several boys one prop each, such as a soccer ball, rake, necktie or bow tie, and crown. Examine each one, answering questions such as those below. Say What does a king look like? Does (child s name) look like a king? Why not? God told His people that One was coming who would be their king, but God said He would not look like a king. Watch or tell the Bible story Show Isaiah 53. Show the timeline. Point to the long gap between Isaiah s message and Jesus birth. Say Whom did Isaiah preach about? Isaiah preached People didn t really understand what Isaiah was telling them They did not understand that the Messiah would not be the leader of a powerful army but would be a servant. Find out what Isaiah told them Tell (or watch) today s Bible story, Isaiah Preached About the Messiah. If you tell it, use your own style, and tell it 7 Preschool Bible Study Leader Guide Unit 15 Session 4
with your Bible open. Make eye contact and use expression in your face and voice to hold kids attention. Key Passage Slide or Poster All We Like Sheep (Thank You, God) song Big Picture Question Slide or Poster Talk about the Bible story Say Did Isaiah say the Messiah would be impressive and famous? (No, He would look ordinary and be a servant.) Did the Messiah do what God wanted Him to do? (yes) Did God plan for the Messiah to die? (yes) But what wonderful thing would happen after the Messiah died? (God would bring Him back to life. He will be happy to have been punished for our sin because people who trust Him will live with Him in heaven.) Read the key passage and sing All We Like Sheep (Thank You, God). Point out that the passage is found in the Bible in Isaiah 53. Talk about it. Ask: Whom did Isaiah preach about? Isaiah preached Say God planned a very long time ago that Jesus would die on the cross for our sins. Many, many years before Jesus was born, Isaiah wrote about what Jesus would do. Jesus died to save people from sin. Transition to small groups Do activities one of these ways: as a group, all at the same time in small groups that rotate through each activity set up as centers, allowing preschoolers to browse and choose 8
Small Group ACTIVITIES Session Title: Isaiah Preached About the Messiah Bible Passage: Isaiah 53 Big Picture Question: Whom did Isaiah preach about? Isaiah preached 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 Activities (20 25 minutes) LOW PREP plastic spoons plastic or aluminum disposable bowls and plates Play and sing Give each boy and girl a plastic spoon. Send them around the room to find something they can tap with the spoon to make a rhythm instrument plastic or aluminum dishes, blocks, boxes, or books. Say Whom did Isaiah preach about? Isaiah preached Sing Jesus Loves Me to (or with) kids as they tap with the rhythm. Talk about the words. [They are true for leaders, too!] Sing again; choose a volunteer to direct the musicians, moving her hand back and forth in rhythm. Verse 1: Jesus loves me! this I know, For the Bible tells me so; Little ones to Him belong; They are weak, but He is strong. Chorus: Yes, Jesus loves me, [Sing line 3 times.] The Bible tells me so. Verse 2: Jesus loves me! He who died Heaven s gates to open wide! He will wash away my sin, Let His little child come in. 9 Preschool Bible Study Leader Guide Unit 15 Session 4
Chorus: Yes, Jesus loves me, [Sing line 3 times.] The Bible tells me so. puzzles about Jesus construction paper strips gift bag tape rubber balls, 7 Key Passage Poster or Slide Work puzzles and spell JESUS Work puzzles about Jesus that you have or that you have made from Bible story pictures. Make word strips from construction paper to spell JESUS, and cut out letters from a few extra word strips. The letters on the word strip should be spread wide enough apart for kids to match letters to them easily. Make enough letters to match with each word strip so that more than one child can play at a time. Kids pull a letter from a bag and match it with their word strip. Put letters that have already been matched back into the bag and draw again. Say Whom did Isaiah preach about? Isaiah preached Play sheep billiards Place six rubber balls, sheep, in a taped square on a table. Kids may take turns assembling the balls in a group inside the square and then rolling one ball to send the sheep off in all directions. Read the key passage and connect it to the sheep going astray. Say Our sheep go astray. Some fall off the table. People go astray. They do what they want to do and do not pay attention to what God tells them to do. They get themselves into trouble. Whom did Isaiah preach about? Isaiah preached 10
hula hoops, 1 for every 2 kids cotton balls chenille stems Key Passage Poster or Slide Play Dough Recipe food color ziplock bags hand wipes Herd sheep Place hula hoops on floor. Children will work with a partner. One child will stand or sit inside a hoop. Offer cotton balls as sheep and chenille stems as crooks. The child inside a hoop tries to move sheep out, and the child outside the hoop tries to move sheep into the hoop. Partners must take turns being inside the hoop. Read the key passage after everyone has had a turn. Say Shepherds guide sheep where they need to go. Sometimes shepherds lead sheep into fresh pastures. Sometimes sheep need to be inside a pen or barn. Do you think it is safer for our sheep to be inside the hoop or outside? (Inside at night. The sheep can stay safe and happy inside the hoop. Outside in the daytime. They are safe wherever the shepherd takes them.) Another place in the Bible calls Jesus our shepherd. Whom did Isaiah preach about? Isaiah preached Make surprise play dough Hide food color inside balls of plain play dough prepared before class. Place a ball of dough into a ziplock bag for each child to knead. As a child kneads the dough within the bag, the color will be revealed. Keep hand wipes nearby. Say Isaiah preached that Jesus was coming, even though nobody knew exactly when Jesus was coming. It was a surprise that would not happen for a long time. Whom did Isaiah preach about? Isaiah preached 11 Preschool Bible Study Leader Guide Unit 15 Session 4
countdown video (optional) Allergy Alert snack food paper cups and napkins Journal Page Bible Story Coloring Page books, puzzles, and play dough crayons Snack and Transition (20 minutes) Play the countdown video to signal the end of activities time and gather for snack time. Take a bathroom break and wash hands or use hand sanitizer. Choose volunteers to help set up for the snack; remind kids during snack time to say please and thank you. Thank God for the snack. If Christmas cookies are available, consider serving Christmas cookies and milk for the snack. Isaiah said that Jesus would be born. Transition When a child finishes his snack and throws away the trash, he may select a puzzle or book to examine, play quietly with the surprise play dough or a favorite toy, or color the Bible story coloring picture. Offer the journal page for drawing something related to the Bible story. If parents are picking up their children at this time, tell them something positive about their child s day. Inform incoming leaders if there is something they need to know about a child. 12
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
Find the Book Name Instructions: Color each space with a dot in it to find the name of a very special book. Use the same color for all spaces with dots. Color other spaces in different colors. Hint: This book tells us about God and Jesus. Unit 15 Session 4 Preschool Activity Pages
Isaiah Preached About the Messiah Isaiah 53
Whom did Isaiah preach about? Isaiah preached Unit 15 Session 4 Big Picture Question OK TO PRINT
Unit 15 Session 4 Isaiah Preached About the Messiah OK TO PRINT
Play Dough Recipe Instructions: Make play dough according to the instructions below, or use your favorite recipe. Play Dough Recipe Ingredients: 1 cup flour ½ cup salt 1 tablespoon cooking oil 1 cup water 2 teaspoons cream of tartar food color Directions: Mix together all ingredients over medium heat, stirring constantly, until a ball forms. Turn onto waxed paper and knead immediately for one minute. Store in an airtight container. Variation: To add color and scent, substitute powdered unsweetened instant fruit drink mix or a packet of gelatin dessert mix for the food color. UNIT 15 Session 4 Play Dough Recipe OK TO PRINT
Today your child will be tasting/touching/sniffing Please notify a teacher if your child should not participate in this activity. Instructions: Print this poster, or laminate it and reuse it throughout the quarter. Use a dry erase marker to fill in the necessary information when bringing food, animals, things to smell, or nature items that might cause allergic reactions. Display the poster where parents can see it when they arrive with their children. UNIT 15 Allergy Alert OK TO PRINT