Lesson three: prophet

Lesson three: prophet Main Point: Jesus, as the Prophet, perfectly communicates God s Word to us. Bible Verse: The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers it is to him you shall listen Deuteronomy 18:15 Bible Story: Moses Foretells Jesus Deuteronomy 18:15-18; Acts 3:22-26 This Lesson contains: Evidence: Numbah 93 Crack the Code Unlocking the Clues Investigation: Key Bible Story On the Case In the Field Something to think about before teaching: Debriefing: The Gadget Lab Creative Thinking Craft Tricks of the Trade Games Secret Message Bible Memory Express Yourself Daring Disguise Snack Code Deciphering Cards Family Lab Report Moses was the preeminent prophet in the Old Testament. It is through him that covenant with the Israelites was made and through him that the law was given. However, Moses could never perfectly communicate God to the people. Other prophets that came after Moses would continue to speak to the people what God wanted, however, they too could only reveal His word to them. Jesus would become the one Prophet who could not only perfectly reveal God s word to the people, but He would actually reveal God to the people as He is the Word. He would institute a new covenant. He would fulfill the law. Jesus would perfectly communicate God s word to us. Kids will learn that even though Jesus was called a prophet, He was greater than all the prophets. He was different than the prophets in that He was not only a spokesperson for God, He was also God. 1

Evidence Numbah 93 Supplies: costume, Theme from Pink Panther (optional), pen *Download the Theme from Pink Panther from itunes. Numbah 93 enters spying on the area. After looking around a bit, he pulls out his pen and talks into it. Numbah 93 reporting in. Yes, sir. The suspicious characters have not left the building. I will, sir. (Looks at the kids.) They are all present and accounted for. Every. Single. One. Of. Them. (Points to one of the kids.) Even that one. (Puts away pen and looks at the audience.) I ve just returned from my assignment. (Shakes head.) That was rough. Really rough. But a good agent will go where no one else will go. A good agent will endure what no one else will endure. A good agent will scale tall buildings if needed, will ride on the tail of a speeding airplane and will tramp through waist high sewer water when called. I just never imagined I would be dealing with sewer water when I first reported to that assignment. That possibility was NOT in my report. You are probably wondering what I mean by a report. When I first get to an assignment I must give a report to the other agents. I must tell them what Numbah One has told me. I have to be careful to communicate what the top agent wants. I try my best to report it perfectly but it isn t easy. It would be much better if he just told them himself. However, because that is not possible, I am the messenger. (Pulls out his pen.) Yes, sir. I will, sir. Right away, sir. (Puts pen away.) Numbah one wants to see ME. Now. (Music plays as Numbah 93 disappears.) Crack the Code Supplies: For optional display-plastic ear, Prophet sign Preparation: If doing the display, print Prophet sign. Fold it into a tent sign. 2

As the pieces of the Top Secret envelope disappear, let s try to guess what is under it. (Have all the kids work together, divide into teams or choose two people to compete.) What do you think a picture of an ear has to do with the name of Jesus, The Prophet? (Give the kids some opportunities to guess.) A prophet is someone who speaks for another. In the Bible, the prophets had a responsibility to speak to the people on behalf of God. They were to communicate to the people what God wanted spoken. The people were then to listen to what the prophets said. A prophet has the job of revealing God and His word. Jesus is called a prophet. He perfectly communicates God s word to us. It is our job to listen and to pay attention to what He is telling us. Options: Display: Place the ear in the display. Make sure to print out the name Prophet to label the ear. No Power Point: If you do not have access to power point, put the ear in a box and have the kids guess what might be in the box. Give clues to help them. Unlocking the Clues Read Deuteronomy 18:15 together: The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers it is to him you shall listen Let s say the verse again with some motions to help us remember it. The Lord your God (Point up.) Will raise up (Put hands out with palms up and raise them.) For you (Point index finger out.) A prophet like me (Put hands around mouth as if speaking.) From among you, from your brothers (Make a sweeping motions with your arm outstretched.) It is to him you shall listen (Cup ear with hand.) 3

Investigation Key Bible Story Moses Foretells Jesus Deuteronomy 18:15-18; Acts 3:22-26 Supplies: Two copies Names of Prophets, two Top Secret envelopes, two rolls of tape, timer Preparation: Cut apart the Names of Prophets, mix them up and place in the Top Secret envelope. See lesson one for instructions on making the Top Secret envelope. Make sure there is a place where kids can tape the names in order. (Wall, posterboard, room divider) Today we are going to play Minute to Win It. (Divide group into two teams and choose leaders for each team. Give each team leader an envelope.) Inside these top secret envelopes there are names of Prophets. You have one minute to put these prophets in order according to who lived first to last here on earth. When you think you have it right, ask me and I will give you a thumbs up or thumbs down. You can have a total of five tries and your team can help you figure out the order using words but not touching the cards. Correct order: Moses, Samuel, Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, Daniel, Jesus After one minute is completed or both teams complete the order, have the contestants sit down. Let s look at the prophets here. Remember that a prophet communicated a message from God. We are going to play a multiple choice game to see if we can deduce something about each prophet. We will hear the prophet s name, then decide which letter describes something he did. Moses A. Led the Israelites out of Egypt B. Brought the Ten Commandments down the mountain C. Told the Israelites they were wrong for making a golden calf D. All of the above Answer: D Samuel A. Was placed in a basket in a river B. Anointed David to be king C. Rode on a tornado D. All of the above Answer: B 4

Elijah A. Was fed by a raven B. Brought fire down from heaven C. Went up to heaven in a whirlwind D. All of the above Answer: D Elisha A. Healed a child B. Was thrown in a lion s den C. Was on a boat that sunk D. All of the above Answer: A Isaiah A. Found a treasure in an old palace B. Went on a 1000 mile journey to find treasure C. Told about Jesus future birth and crucifixion D. All of the above Answer: C Daniel A. Refused to bow down to an idol B. Told the future C. Was thrown into a lion s den D. All of the above Answer: D Jesus A. Performed miracles and healed people B. Taught people the way to live C. Told the future D. All of the above Answer: D 5

Moses was the first prophet and God worked miracles through him. He also was a messenger from God telling the Israelites what God wanted them to hear. And he spoke truth to them when they got off track. The prophets that came after him also performed miracles, warned the people when they were doing wrong, told the future and taught the people the right way to live. Did you know that Moses actually talked about Jesus? Our Bible verse today is Moses talking. Let s read Deuteronomy 18:15 again: The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers it is to him you shall listen Jesus was that prophet. He was like Moses. He was like the other prophets that came after Moses. He worked miracles. He was a messenger from God. He spoke truth. He warned the people. He told the future. He taught the people. He did what prophets do; He communicated God s Word. But Jesus was more than these prophets. He could perfectly communicate God s Word to the world because He is God s Word. He did not have to say Thus says the Lord which is what prophets would often say. Instead He could say, But I say to you. After Jesus death and resurrection, He left this earth with instructions to His disciples to spread the Word. One day Peter was speaking to a group of people and he told them what Moses had said about a prophet coming. The Jewish people knew about this. They had been looking for this prophet. Peter told them, God, having raised up his servant, sent him to you first, to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness. Acts 3:26 He told them that the prophet that Moses spoke of was Jesus. Many people accepted that Jesus was a prophet but they had a hard time believing that He was also God. They looked at Him just like Moses. Today many people have that same thought. They think that Jesus was a great man. That he was a prophet who taught a wonderful way to live. However, they will not recognize that this prophet was above all other prophets. Jesus did not come to earth to just teach us about God s Word. He came to earth as God s Word. He perfectly taught us all we know by His life while here on earth. It is our choice whether we will choose to listen to Him or not. What choice will you make? 6

Prayer Thank Jesus for the miracles that He has performed, for teaching us about the right way to live and for pointing us in the direction we should go. Thank him for telling us about the future. Ask Him to help the kids listen to Him as He perfectly communicates God s Word to them. On The Case: using our senses Supplies: Metal pan, wooden spoon, drinking straw, drinking glass, water, balloon, needle, coins, glass jar, piece of paper Preparation: Fill the glass with water. Place the straw in the glass. Blow up the balloon. A good spy must use different senses in order to understand a situation. One sense that is important is hearing. They must listen closely so they do not miss anything. We are going to do an experiment with listening. I am going to make different noises and you will try to guess what is making that noise. You must be still, not make noise, and listen carefully. Have the kids close their eyes so they can concentrate on the sounds. After each sound have them guess until the correct sound is named. Sounds to make: Hit the bottom of the metal pan with a wooden spoon. Blow bubbles in a glass of water with a straw. Pop the balloon using the needle. (IMPORTANT: Make sure the pieces are picked up. Balloons are choking hazards.) Drop coins into the jar. Quickly rip the paper in half. Was it hard to guess the sounds? Would it have been harder if you were talking while the sounds were being made? What about if you were day dreaming or not paying attention? When we listen to Jesus, we need to also make sure that we are still. We need to be quiet. We need to pay attention. We can hear Him through the words in the Bible, through music, through our teachers or parents and through praying. He does not speak out loud to us but rather inside us where we know what is right and wrong. 7

Let s say our Bible verse again to remind us. The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers it is to him you shall listen Deuteronomy 18:15 Remember that Jesus is the Prophet who perfectly communicates God s word to us. In The Field: making a cover Supplies: dress up clothing- wigs, hat, sunglasses, ties, jackets Note: If you do not have access to dress up clothing, give each group a stack of newspaper or roll of paper, tape, and scissors. They should design a costume from these materials. Preparation: Place all the dress up clothes on a table for easy access. Divide the kids into smaller groups. In your group, I want you to choose one person to disguise. Create a cover for the person so that if they were met on the street, they would not be recognized. Work together to make up a story about them. Include who they are, what they do, and where they live. Give the kids 5 minutes to pick a disguise and come up with a story. When they are finished, have them present the person in disguise plus the story about them to the group. Sometimes people disguise the truth. They dress up what they say so that it is not true or is only partly true. They might add things to a story to make it sound like they are cooler. They might make up something that is not true thinking that people will like them. They might even disguise the truth about someone else because they do not like that person. Jesus as the perfect communicator of God s word will never disguise the truth. He will never make it seem to be something it is not. He will never lie to us. He will never make a story better than it is. He will never tell us something so we will not like someone else. We can trust Him to always communicate what is true to us. 8

Debriefing The Gadget Lab: Rubber Band Secret Messages Supplies: Wide rubber band (1/2 inch or more) for each child, hardback books, ball point pens There are many different ways to send secret messages. Can you think of any? Today we are going to use a rubber band to send a message. Have the kids stretch the rubber band as much as possible and then wrap it around the book. Using the pen, write a message on the band. Take the rubber band off the book. Once everyone is finished, shoot the rubber bands at a wall or a target (NOT EACH OTHER). Pick up a rubber band. Have the kids look at the band and try to read the writing. Can it be read? Now stretch it out and read it. Were you able to hit the target with your rubber band? Was someone able to read your message once you sent it? One of the things that a Prophet does is send a message from God. The target is people. Jesus, as the Prophet, sends us a message also. However, to receive the message we have to act. Just like you had to pick up a rubber band, we must listen to Jesus to get the message. Creative Thinking Craft: disguises on a stick Supplies: Craft sticks (or dowel rods cut into shorter sections), disguises patterns, colored paper, tape, scissors, camera Tip: Polaroid cameras are fun. They do cost more for film but worth it. Look online for ideas of photo booths to take pictures. Pinterest.com is a great place for ideas. Preparation: Print disguises patterns so each child has one. Have the kids cut out the patterns. These may be taped directly on the sticks or used as patterns to make disguises using different colored paper. Hold the sticks up to the faces and take pictures of each child or groups of kids. Review how Jesus will never disguise the truth but perfectly communicates it to us. 9

Tricks of the Trade Game: who is saying that Supplies: Who is saying that page Preparation: Make copies of the Who is saying that? page for each group of 5-6 kids. Divide the kids into groups. Give each group the who is saying that? cards. The group members take turns drawing a card. During their turn they must talk like the person on the card. The other group members try to guess who they are talking like. They should say things that will give clues such as the President of a country might say, And when I am elected, I will outlaw homework. Remind the kids that in order for people to have guessed their person they had to listen carefully. We need to listen carefully to Jesus. Secret Message Bible Memory The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers it is to him you shall listen Deuteronomy 18:15 Secret Symbols Supplies: Secret Symbols page, pencils Preparation: Make enough copies of the Secret Symbols for each child. Have the kids use the symbols to fill in the blanks to the Bible verse. Practice saying the Bible verse when they are finished. If time permits, have them design their own code and write a message to someone with it. 10

Express Yourself Supplies: Copy of questions for each small group 1. How would you describe a prophet? 2. What makes Jesus different than the other prophets we talked about? What makes Him like them? 3. When do you find it hard to listen to what Jesus is communicating to us? 4. What are some steps you can take so that you will listen better to what He is communicating? 5. Can you think of some examples from the Bible of what Jesus communicates to us? (Think of His teachings, how He lived His life, His death and resurrection.) 6. There are false prophets- people who say they are from God but who are not. How could you tell if someone is a false prophet? 7. How can Jesus perfectly communicate God s Word to us? (What is it about Him that allows this communication to be perfect?) Daring Disguise Snack: apple ears Supplies: apples, caramel or yogurt dip, plates Preparation: Wash and slice the apples. The slices should resemble an ear. Give each child a few slices of apple and dip. Review how the ear symbolizes that we should listen as Jesus, the Prophet, communicates to us God s Word. 11

Code Deciphering Cards Supplies: printed card for each child, markers or crayons (optional) Name: Prophet Symbol: ear (Jesus came to earth as a Prophet. We are to listen to Him.) Verse: The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers it is to him you shall listen Deuteronomy 18:15 Give each child the card. If using the coloring cards, use markers or crayons to decorate them. Go over the verse together and review the symbol. 12

Supply List Numbah 93: Costume Pen Theme from Pink Panther (optional) Crack the Code: For optional display- Plastic ear Prophet sign Key Bible Story: Two copies Names of Prophets Two Top Secret envelopes Two rolls of tape Timer On the Case: Metal pan Wooden spoon Drinking straw Drinking glass Water Balloon Needle Coins Glass jar Piece of paper In the Field: Dress up clothing- wigs, hat, sunglasses, ties, jackets The Gadget Lab: Wide rubber band (1/2 inch or more) for each child Hardback books Ball point pens Creative Thinking Craft: Craft sticks (or dowel rods cut into shorter sections) Disguises patterns Colored paper Tape Scissors Camera Tricks of the Trade Game: Who is saying that page Secret Message Bible Memory Verse: Secret Symbols page Pencils Express Yourself: Copy of questions for each small group Daring Disguise Snack: Apples Caramel or yogurt dip Plates Code Deciphering Cards: Printed card for each child Markers or crayons (optional)

family lab report 3 Name of Jesus: prophet Main Point: Jesus, as the Prophet, perfectly communicates God s Word to us. Bible Verse: The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers it is to him you shall listen- Deuteronomy 18:15 Family Debriefing: Read the verse Deuteronomy 18:15 1. Moses is speaking in this verse. Ask your child who the prophet is that Moses was speaking. (Jesus) 2. What are ways that your family can make sure that you are listening to Jesus? 3. Can you think of one practical thing you can do this week to pay more attention to Jesus? Bible Story: Moses Foretells Jesus Deuteronomy 18:15-18; Acts 3:22-26 Family Imaginative Thinking: Take turns going to different parts of the house and making a noise. The family has to listen and then guess where you were and what kind of noise was made. Family Activity: Come up with disguises for everyone in the family. Take a fun family photo wearing the disguises and hang it on the refrigerator. Remind everyone that Jesus will never disguise the truth but will always communicate it perfectly to us.

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Express Yourself 1. How would you describe a prophet? 2. What makes Jesus different than the other prophets we talked about? What makes Him like them? 3. When do you find it hard to listen to what Jesus is communicating to us? 4. What are some steps you can take so that you will listen better to what He is communicating? 5. Can you think of some examples from the Bible of what Jesus communicates to us? (Think of His teachings, how He lived His life, His death and resurrection.) 6. There are false prophets- people who say they are from God but who are not. How could you tell if someone is a false prophet? 7. How can Jesus perfectly communicate God s Word to us? (What is it about Him that allows this communication to be perfect?)