BIG PICTURE QUESTION & ANSWER WHO IS IN CONTROL OF EVERYTHING? God is in control of everything in heaven and on earth. Nothing is outside of God's good plan. God promised to bless all the world through Abraham. God sent Jesus from His home in heaven to be born on earth into Abraham’s family. Through Jesus, all the nations of the earth are blessed because Jesus saves people. MEMORY VERSE READ THE STORY:
Think about all of the choices that we have each day. Just in the morning, we have dozens of different cereals to eat, perhaps that many varieties of milk to pour on top of the cereal, and nearly as many ways to make coffee to go with it. All of these are choices that we often take for granted. Now think about all of the choices God had as He took a significant step in redemptive history and chose a couple to start a new people from whom the promised Rescuer would come. (Gen. 3:15) We see some of those choices at the tail end of Genesis 11, but we need to remember that God is not confined to choices like we are. He is all-powerful and sovereign; God had an infinite number of choices for this critical couple. So whom did God choose? A man named Abram and his barren wife Sarai. Now that’s a curious choice, isn’t it? This is the couple whom God would give descendants as numerous as the stars? (Gen. 15:5) From the world’s perspective, this was a curious choice at best—and a laughable choice at worst. But from God’s perspective, Abram and Sarai were a brilliant choice. First, God made it clear from the inception of this new people that He was the One bringing everything to pass. This family was special because God clearly worked in them to bring forth children. This is what Sarai understood when she said, “Who would have told Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne a son for him in his old age” (Gen. 21:7). That the son of promise, Isaac, married a wife, Rebekah—who was also barren—is not a coincidence. (Gen. 25:21) Nor is it a coincidence that Jesus would be born to a virgin. (Luke 1:34) God is the God who makes possible that which is impossible, including rescuing people from sin. Second, it took a while, but in the end, Abram’s faith in God came to fruition because of his wife’s barrenness. This was his barrier to faith in God. This is what he struggled with for so many years. But in the end, Abram’s greatest struggle became the greatest kindling of his faith. God didn’t just begin a people through barrenness; He began a faithful people through it. God’s covenant with Abram was certainly amazing. But perhaps His choice of Abram in the first place is even more amazing. GOSPEL APPLICATION
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BIG PICTURE QUESTION & ANSWER WHO SAVES US FROM OUR SIN? Only Jesus saves us from our sin. Jesus died on the cross for our sins, but He didn’t stay dead. God was pleased with Jesus’ sacrifice and miraculously raised Jesus from the dead to prove He is the Son of God and salvation is found in Him. MEMORY VERSE READ THE STORY:
The Bible is a supernatural book filled with accounts of supernatural events. Dozens of miracles are recorded in the Bible. Each miracle points to a greater reality and reveals to us what God is like. In his book Miracles, C.S. Lewis said, “The central miracle asserted by Christians is the Incarnation. They say that God became Man. Every other miracle prepares the way for this, or results from this.” All of Scripture reveals the kind of God who comes close, who miraculously took on flesh and lived a perfect life among us. God the Son died in our place and rose from the dead. In His death, He conquered both sin and death. He came back to life and ascended to the right hand of the Father, where He lives to make intercession for us. (Heb. 7:25) We should be moved when we consider that not only do we have a God who hears us, but who sees us, lived among us, and lives to make intercession for us. Through the miracle of Christ’s finished work, we can be forgiven and reconciled to God. We who were far off and without hope in this life have hope because of the miraculous birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. As you prepare to teach, pray and ask the God of miracles to move in the hearts of your kids as they hear the gospel proclaimed. Finally, say a prayer of thanksgiving to a miracle-working God who sees, hears, and acts for His glory and our good. GOSPEL APPLICATION
BIG PICTURE QUESTION & ANSWER WHO SAVES US FROM OUR SIN? Only Jesus saves us from our sin. During Jesus’ triumphal entry, the people welcomed Him as King. Jesus was the Messiah spoken about by the prophet Zechariah: “Look, your King is coming to you; He is righteous and victorious, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey” (Zechariah 9:9). One day, Jesus will return to earth on a white horse as King over everything. (Revelation 19:11) MEMORY VERSE READ THE STORY:
The Sunday before Easter is Palm Sunday—the day Jesus entered Jerusalem as the King of kings the week of Passover. Many of God’s people traveled to Jerusalem for Passover. Jesus and His disciples traveled to Jerusalem as well. Near Bethphage (BETH fayj) and Bethany near the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples ahead into a village. Jesus told them, “You will find a young donkey tied there. No one has ever sat on it. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone says to you ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it.’” Jesus would fulfill Zechariah’s prophecy: “Look, your King is coming to you … humble and riding on a donkey” (Zech. 9:9). Jesus made a spectacular entrance into the city. He rode a donkey, and people laid branches and their robes on the ground in front of Him. The people welcoming Jesus into Jerusalem believed He was the promised Messiah, but they expected Him to overthrow Roman oppression and set up an earthly throne. Jesus sent a different message. The next day, Jesus entered the temple and turned over the tables of the money changers and those selling doves. Jesus referred to Isaiah 56:7, declaring that His kingship would not just be over the Jews but over all people. While Jesus was in the temple, He healed the blind and the lame. Jesus’ actions declared, “I am not just your King; I am also your God” (Isa. 35:4-6). Finally, the priests and the scribes heard the children in the temple worshiping Jesus as their King. “Do You hear what these children are saying?” they asked. Jesus replied, quoting Psalm 8:2. Jesus gladly received their praise because He was worthy of their praise. Jesus is the Son of God who came to overthrow sin and set up an eternal throne. As you prepare for and celebrate Easter, help your kids connect the dots between God’s promises of a Messiah and Jesus’ coming. Help them understand why Jesus came: to save the world from sin! During Jesus’ triumphal entry, the people welcomed Him as King. Jesus was the Messiah spoken about by the prophet Zechariah: “Look, your King is coming to you; He is righteous and victorious, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey” (Zechariah 9:9). One day, Jesus will return to earth on a white horse as King over everything. (Revelation 19:11) GOSPEL APPLICATION
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December 2023
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