DAY 1- Encounter in the Temple—When Jesus was 12 years old, He traveled with His family to Jerusalem for the Passover Festival. After the celebration Mary and Joseph headed back to Nazareth. After traveling a full day they realized Jesus was not with them. They hurried back to Jerusalem and finally, on the third day, Mary and Joseph found Jesus in the temple. Jesus was listening to the teachers and asking questions. Everyone was amazed at how much Jesus understood at such a young age. (Luke 2:41-52) Bible Point: Jesus knew why He came DAY 2- Encounter at the River—John helped people get ready for Jesus, God’s promised Messiah. John told people to repent of their sins and be baptized. One day Jesus came to the river and John told the people Jesus was the One he had been speaking about. Jesus asked John to baptize Him to follow God’s plan. After Jesus was baptized, an amazing thing happened. The Holy Spirit appeared to Jesus in the form of a dove and God declared that Jesus is indeed His Son! (Matthew 3:1-17) Bible Point: Jesus is the Son of God DAY 3- Encounter on the Water—After a long day teaching near the Sea of Galilee, Jesus sent the disciples ahead of Him in a boat. Late at night there was a storm and the waves beat against the boat. The disciples saw Jesus walking to them on top of the water, and they were frightened. After Jesus identified Himself, Peter asked to come to Him on the water. Jesus said, “Come.” As Peter walked to Jesus, he became afraid and began to sink. Peter called out for Jesus to save him. Jesus reached out, caught hold of Peter, and got back in the boat with him. The wind immediately stopped, and the disciples proclaimed that Jesus really is the Son of God! (Matthew 14:22-33) Bible Point: Jesus proved He is God's Son DAY 4- Encounter at the Tomb—On the third day after Jesus had died on a cross and been buried, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb. As she approached the tomb, she saw that the stone had been rolled away. Mary went and told Peter and John who came to see for themselves. After Peter and John left, Mary looked into the tomb. She saw two angels. They asked why she was crying. A man standing nearby asked who she was looking for. Mary thought the man was the gardener, but when He said her name she recognized His voice. It was Jesus! He sent Mary to share the amazing news with His disciples. Jesus is alive! (John 20:1-18) Bible Point: Jesus rose from the dead DAY 5- Encounter on the Road—Two men were walking toward the village of Emmaus talking about everything that had happened during the last week. Jesus joined them, but they did not recognize Him. The men began explaining everything that had happened to Jesus and that He was a great Prophet. Jesus began telling them about Himself using Scripture to explain why all the things had happened. When they arrived in Emmaus, Jesus stayed and ate with them. As Jesus tore the bread and gave pieces to the men, they recognized Him. Jesus immediately disappeared from their sight. The men returned to Jerusalem and told the disciples about their amazing encounter with the risen Jesus. (Luke 24:13-35) Bible Point: The Bible was written so I can believe CHRIST CONNECTION- The Bible tells us what is true about God and about ourselves. Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God. When we trust in Jesus as Savior and Lord, He forgives our sin and gives us eternal life. GOSPEL APPLICATION- Why is it important to read and study the Bible? How can we discover Jesus and who He is? How can you share about Jesus with others?
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BIG PICTURE QUESTION & ANSWER WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO SIN? To sin is to think, speak, or behave in any way that goes against God and His commands. Moses reminded the people to keep God’s covenant. Moses was a good leader for God’s people. No other prophet in Israel was like Moses—until Jesus came. MEMORY VERSE READ THE STORY: Decades had passed since God used Moses to rescue the Israelites from slavery and lead them toward the promised land. The Israelites had not trusted God then and had refused to enter the land. After 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, the Israelites were once again at the edge of the promised land. But this time, it was a whole new generation of Israelites—many of whom had not even been born when the people left Egypt and came to this land the first time. Their leader, Moses, was 120 years old. Moses wrote the Book of Deuteronomy to tell the people all that God had done for them and to repeat the laws and instructions that God had given His people. At the end of the book, God told Moses that Moses would soon die, never setting foot in the promised land because of his disobedience. (See Num. 20:12.) Instead, God chose Joshua to lead Israel into the land. God also revealed to Moses that even though Israel had just endured 40 years of punishment for not trusting Him, the people would abandon God again. Having the laws written out would not be enough to keep the Israelites from breaking their covenant with God. Moses emphasized that obedience would lead to blessing and life, but disobedience would lead to curses—namely, exile from the land. Moses went up to a mountain where he could see the land that God had promised to give to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Then Moses died there. Emphasize to your children that Moses wasn’t perfect, but Moses was a good leader for God’s people. No other prophet in Israel was like Moses—until Jesus came. The Bible says Jesus deserves more glory than Moses. Jesus is our perfect leader. He died and was raised so that Moses and every believer in all of time can enter the promised land of God’s kingdom. Check this session’s Activity Page and Big Picture Card as well as the Gospel Project for Kids Family App for ways to interact with the Bible content this week. GOSPEL APPLICATION
BIG PICTURE QUESTION & ANSWER WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO SIN? To sin is to think, speak, or behave in any way that goes against God and His commands. Balaam could not curse God’s people. God had blessed the Israelites, so Balaam blessed them too. Fourteen hundred years after Balaam announced God’s promise, Jesus was born. God sent Jesus to bless the whole world by rescuing people from sin. MEMORY VERSE READ THE STORY:
God’s people, the Israelites, were in the wilderness. They had arrived at the promised land decades earlier, but the people had rebelled—refusing to trust God to give them the land. They believed it would be better to die in the wilderness than follow God (Num. 14:2), so God sent them into the wilderness for 40 years (vv. 28-29). In time, all of the adults died except for Joshua, Caleb, and Moses. The children grew up and more children were born. The Israelites disobeyed God time and again, but God still provided for them. He planned to keep His promise to give Israel the promised land. As the Israelites traveled, God gave them victory over attacking armies like the Canaanites and Amorites. Not surprisingly, when Israel set up camp in the plains of Moab, on the east side of the Jordan River, Balak—the king of Moab—was terrified. The king knew he could not defeat the Israelites on his own, so he called on Balaam, a pagan prophet, to put a curse on them. Though Balaam did not follow God, he knew of God and God spoke to him. God told Balaam, “You are not to curse this people, for they are blessed.” God’s plan all along was to bless humanity (Gen. 1:28), specifically through the nation of Israel (Gen. 12:3). So each time Balaam spoke over Israel, God did not allow him to curse the Israelites. Instead, Balaam spoke in four clear messages, insisting that God would bless the Israelites. One of the ways God would bless the Israelites is found in Numbers 24:17: “A star will come from Jacob, and a scepter will arise from Israel.” Balaam told of a powerful future king who would be victorious over his enemies. This prophecy referred to and was ultimately fulfilled by Jesus. Teach your kids that God protects His people. His promises are sure. Balaam could not curse God’s people. God had blessed the Israelites, so Balaam blessed them too. Fourteen hundred years after Balaam announced God’s promise, Jesus was born. God sent Jesus to bless the whole world by rescuing people from sin. Check this session’s Activity Page and Big Picture Card as well as the Gospel Project for Kids Family App for ways to interact with the Bible content this week. FAMILY STARTING POINTS
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December 2023
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