Vol. 1 Iss. 1

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INDEX: New Testament Lesson - Nobleman's Son Is Healed (John 4:43-54) Old Testament Lesson - Israel Dies (Genesis 47-50) Character Lesson Memory Text Nature Lesson - Flowing Water Health Lesson - Ears Coloring Page Matching Questions & Answers 1-How many of each animal went into Noah's boat? 2-What day of the week did God make people? 3-Where in the Bible does it tell me that I have to dry the dishes? Learning Activities PICTURE: A single pillar, automatically tiled in the index box, represents "the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth." (1 Timothy 3:15)..

NEW TESTAMENT LESSON

THE NOBLEMAN'S SON IS HEALED (John 4:43-54)

Now after two days Jesus went to Galilee. The reason He went to Galilee is because Jesus said, "A prophet has no honor in his own country." A prophet is someone who can tell the future and also teaches people the standards of God. And usually a prophet that is sent to tell people to stop doing the wrong things and to do only the right things is sent at a time when the people are doing lots of wrong things and do not want to hear about doing the right thing. So when Jesus said that a prophet has no honor in his own country, He was saying that the place where a prophet is raised really does not believe that the person is a prophet. So Jesus did not go to the place where He was raised to teach the people, He went to Galilee.

Then when Jesus arrived in Galilee, the people there were glad to see Him. They saw all the things that He did at Jerusalem while He was at the feast because they also went to the feast. So Jesus visited the town of Cana again, which is in the area of Galilee. The first time He visited, He made the water turn into wine.

Now there was a nobleman, whose son was sick at Capernaum. A nobleman is a person that is wealthy. When the nobleman heard that Jesus left Judaea and came to Galilee, he went to meet him, and asked him if he would come down and heal his son. The nobleman's son was at the point of death. He was very sick.

Then Jesus said to the nobleman, "Except you see signs and wonders you will not believe." Jesus said this because he noticed that the nobleman thought Jesus would look different. He thought Jesus would be better dressed, be as wealthy as he was, and have different type of friends.

The nobleman said to Jesus, "Sir, come down or my child will die."

Jesus said to the nobleman, "Go your way. Your son will live." And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken to him, and he went his way.

As the nobleman was going down to his home, one of his servants met him, and told him about his son. The servant said, "Your son lives. He is all better."

Then the nobleman asked the servant when his son began to get better. The servant said, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him." As you see, the nobleman traveled a long way to see Jesus. It took more than a day to go from the house to see Jesus and more than a day to return. So when Jesus told the nobleman to go home because his son would live, it was a hard thing to do because if his son would had died, it would be more than two days before he could find Jesus again. But the good news is that his son was healed.

The father then knew that the time his son began feeling better was at the same time that Jesus said to him, "Your son lives." And the nobleman believed in Jesus, as well as everyone that lived at his house.

This is the second miracle that Jesus did when he left Judaea and came to Galilee.

PARENTS: Young children love repetition and so they will love to hear this story over and over again. We did our best to include something for all ages so where necessary, please assist your child or adjust it to make it more their level.

OLD TESTAMENT LESSON

Israel Dies (Genesis 47-50)

Then Joseph told Pharaoh that his father and brothers with their flocks, herds, and all that they have, are in the land of Goshen. And Pharaoh asked Joseph's brothers, "What [is] your occupation?" They said, "We are shepherds, both we and also our father." Then Pharaoh spoke to Joseph, "Make them rulers over my cattle."

And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, for the corn which they bought: and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh's house.

Then the famine continued on. The men of Egypt traded their cattle for bread to eat during the first year. During the second year, Joseph bought the land and the service of the men for Pharaoh's purpose. Then Joseph made it a law over the land of Egypt, that Pharaoh should have the fifth part, except the land of the priests.

And Israel lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years. So Israel was an hundred forty and seven years old. It was getting close to the time that Israel would die. Israel had his sons promise that he would not be buried in Egypt but in Canaan when they return.

And Israel said to Joseph, "God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and blessed me, and said, "I will make you fruitful and multiply you. I will make you a multitude of people and will give you this land to your children as an everlasting possession."

And when Israel went to bless Joseph's sons, he laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim instead of Manasseh's head, which is the tradition belonging to the firstborn son. But his father refused and said, "I know my son. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great, but the younger shall be greater than he, and his children shall become a multitude of nations.

And Israel called his sons and said, "Come, I will tell you what will happen to you in the last days." And Israel told each son what would happen. To Judah he told a prophecy about Jesus. "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come. Unto him shall the gathering of the people be." The only one to come that would gather the people to him is Jesus. Shiloh is simply another name for Him, just as the name Messiah is a different name.

All his sons are the twelve tribes of Israel. And Israel blessed them, every one according to his blessing he blessed them. Then Israel gave his sons specific instructions of where to be buried. And that is also where Abraham is buried. And shortly after that Israel died.

Now Joseph was very sad. He was sad for forty days. Even the Egyptians were sad for forty days. Then Joseph asked permission to bury his father where he requested. And Pharaoh permitted it. And many in Egypt followed Joseph to the place where Abraham was buried.

Now that Israel was dead, the brothers of Joseph thought Joseph would seek revenge for selling him to be a slave. They sent a messenger to Joseph saying, "Your father did command before he died, 'Forgive your brothers and their sin even though they did evil to you.'"

Then Joseph wept when they spoke to him. And his brothers fell down on their faces in front of Joseph and said, "We are your servants."

Then Joseph said to them, "Fear not. Am I in the place of God? You thought evil against me but God meant it to do good. He meant it to save many people alive during the drought. Now fear not. I will nourish you and your little ones. Joseph comforted them and spoke kindly unto them.

Joseph dwelt in Egypt and lived an hundred and ten years. Then Joseph said to his brothers, I will die but God will bring you out of this land to the land, which he promised to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. You shall carry my bones from here.

Then Joseph died, being a hundred and ten years old.

CHARACTER LESSON

Jesus left is hometown and went to a place called Galilee for several reasons. The first reason is that the people did not want to hear about God's way. God's way requires a changed life. People on God's side, by the help of God, will stop doing bad things and do only good things. People who do not want to hear about the good things are choosing to not go to heaven. So this is an example of a wrong choice. The right choice is to always be willing to hear what the right thing is to do, especially from Godly parents.

The second reason Jesus left His hometown is that by staying there, He would have just caused arguments and people to be angry. One time, these people tried to hurt Jesus, but He escaped before getting hurt. This teaches us to walk away from unkind people to avoid a fight. Greater is the person that avoids a fight than one who tries to fight the fight for toys, for bragging, or for any reason that heaven does not approve.

The third reason Jesus left His hometown is that Jesus was not being successful. The longer He would stay, the more the people did not want to hear the truth. So to not close the opportunity for His hometown completely, He left allowing some hope. This teaches that though we may be right about something, especially about God, it is not always to the benefit of the other person to continue to convince them they are wrong. It is better to wait for another day when they are more willing to listen.

The people of Galilee being glad to see Jesus, teaches us that we should also be glad to see Jesus, not only when we go to heaven but also in all that Jesus would have us to do to worship Him. We should be glad to go to church once a week at least. If your church offers a service during the week, we should be glad to go to it. If your family prays as a family in the morning and in the evening, we should be glad to spend time in prayer. Before eating, we should be glad once again to pray. We should be glad always to think about heaven.

The nobleman not accepting Jesus at first unless a sign or wonder was given teaches us to do the right thing, which is to accept Jesus without a sign or wonder. This includes things we read in the Bible. Sometimes people think that what they read in the Bible does not work today or apply today when in fact they do. We should not have to have a doctor or scientist tell us if the Bible is right or wrong. If we accept Jesus, we should accept what is in the Bible as the right thing.

Jesus healing the nobleman's son teaches us to be kind to one another especially if someone does not feel well.

Joseph was very careful to take care of the amount of food, the land, and the money realizing that it was not his money but that of Pharaoh's. Our money, our food, and even our land is not ours. We ought to take care of it for it is God's.

Joseph and his brothers buried their father exactly where he said that he wanted buried. When we agree to do something, even if that person would not find out, we ought to do exactly as we agreed or we should not have agreed in the first place.

The Egyptians and others being sad because of the death of Joseph's father shows how kind and loving Joseph and his father was. Unkind people are forgotten very quickly when they die. Israel is an example of what we should be like towards one another.

Joseph forgiving his brothers, even after the death of his father shows how forgiving we ought to be towards one another. His brothers thought that since their father was dead that Joseph would not be afraid of disappointing their father since he would not know anyways being dead. But Joseph really did forgive. So we should not forgive only while other people are looking but be forgiving even when alone with the person that has hurt us.

NEW TESTAMENT MEMORY TEXT: John 4:45a Then when he was come into Galilee, the Galilaeans received him.

OLD TESTAMENT MEMORY TEXT: Genesis 49:10 The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him [shall] the gathering of the people [be].

NATURE LESSON

FLOWING WATER

Water is either still or flowing. These provide lessons about people.

Water that is still is usually found in a puddle, pond, or some lakes. Many ponds are not fit for swimming in them. That is because of the things such as plants and bugs that grow in still water that makes the water unusable. Some bugs are so small that you need a microscope to see them. Because it is still is what makes these harmful bugs and plants grow so easily. Even the water changes color. Being in a pond also feels very slimy.

Water that is not still is usually found in streams, creeks, other lakes, and rivers. The water appears clearer. Rivers are usually places where people will swim if it is not at a swimming pool. People fish mostly from waters that are flowing. The harmful plants and bugs are less likely to grow and exist because they would be washed away. Dirty water is eventually cleansed away as the water flows by.

People who are like the still water do not like to be very helpful; they do not like to share; they are not too concerned about others; and they think mostly of themselves. People who are like the flowing waters will take what God has blessed them with and see how they can help others. The most popular blessing is that of money and time. As people find that they do not have need for so much money, they will choose to help others with it instead of spending it on themselves for things that really do not need. When they find that they have extra time, they will find ways to help, like visiting someone that can not get out of the house or a nursing home.

Proverbs 18:4 The words of a man's mouth [are as] deep waters, [and] the wellspring of wisdom [as] a flowing brook.

Isaiah 66:12 For thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream.

HEALTH LESSON

BODY PARTS: Ears

[The medical information below is supplied by a New York doctor.]

Matthew 13:43 "Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear."

Matthew 13:16 "But blessed [are] your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear."

Revelation 2:7 "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God."

God has given you two ears to help us be better listeners, but we need to take care of our ears.

The ear has three parts: the outer ear, the middle ear, and the inner ear. The inner ear is where the hearing actually occurs while the outer and middle parts of the ear direct the sounds to the sensing organs.

The best way to keep your ears healthy outside and in is to wash them every day. Wash them with warm, soapy washcloth, or take a shower and hold your head under the shower spray so the water goes in your ear. Then shake it out afterward.

If you think you have wax or dirt on the inside of your ear, you can drip hydrogen peroxide (say: hi-druh-jen puh-rock-side) mixed with a little bit of water into the ear. Ask your mom or dad to do this. It will help dissolve and rinse out whatever is bothering you.

There's an old saying that you shouldn't put anything smaller than your elbow in your ear. Not all old sayings are true, but this one is! Some people stick cotton swabs or other stuff like their fingers into their ear because they want to scratch it or get something out. But if you do that, you can easily hurt your ear. You can irritate it, cause it to bleed, push wax deeper inside where it gets stuck, or even cause an ear canal infection.

An important part of keeping your ears healthy is protecting them from very loud noises - even the noises that you really like, such as loud music. If you listen to loud noise over a long period of time, you can actually damage your hearing.

When swimming, be sure to dry your ears carefully when you get out of the water. If you have been in a lake, or other body of water that may contain bacteria, rinse them out with regular water.

Remember, if you have any pain in your ear, tell an adult right away. If you are at school or away at camp, tell a teacher, the school nurse, or camp counselor. Your doctor will figure out what the problem is so you can help your ear return to normal.

Genesis 47:5-6 "And Pharaoh spake unto Joseph, saying, Thy father and thy brethren are come unto thee: The land of Egypt [is] before thee; in the best of the land make thy father and brethren to dwell; in the land of Goshen let them dwell: and if thou knowest [any] men of activity among them, then make them rulers over my cattle."

MATCHING

For each item in the first column, write in the letter for the description from the second column.

___ 1. Israel (Jacob) ___ 2. Joseph ___ 3. Judah ___ 4. Nobleman ___ 5. Nobleman's servant ___ 6. Nobleman's son ___ 7. Pharaoh

A. Who blessed Ephraim and Manasseh? B. Who came to Jesus asking for help? C. Who gave his cattle to be watched by others? D. Who needed healed? E. Who reported that the healing took place? F. Who traded food for money, cattle, and land for Pharaoh? G. Who was told that Shiloh was to come through their descendants?

[Answers to April 2003 matching: 1=E, 2=D, 3=G, 4=F, 5=A, 6=C, 7=B]

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Question #1 - How many of each animal went into Noah's boat?

Answer #1 - All animals went on the ark according to Genesis 7:9 "There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah." But this does not tell us how many of each animal, only that they went in pairs. Genesis 7:2-3 "Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that [are] not clean by two, the male and his female. Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth." So Noah brought onto the ark seven of the animals that are considered clean and seven each of the different birds. Then he brought on two of each animal that was not clean. So animals are in two groups - clean and not clean or unclean. Clean animals are healthier animals that can be used for food while the not clean are animals that are more like God's living garbage disposals.

Question #2 - What day of the week did God make people?

Answer #2 - God calls the days of the week by number according to Genesis 1 and the beginning of 2. People were made on the sixth day. The seventh day was then the Sabbath day or a rest day. To figure out which day people were created, we look to Jesus who died on the preparation day (Luke 23:54). The preparation day is the day before the Sabbath or the sixth day. It is accepted by most that Jesus died on a Friday and rose on Sunday. Seeing that the same seven days in a week have not changed, we conclude that people were created on a Friday.

Question #3 - Where in the Bible does it tell me that I have to dry the dishes?

Answer #3 - It does not, but it does say in Ephesians 6:1 "Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right."

LEARNING ACTIVITIES:

1. 1. When someone does not want to play nice with you, think of Jesus having to leave His hometown because the people were not very nice.

2. 2. Visit a farm when the crops are very fruitful, then remember that Joseph's family lived in the fruitful land of Goshen in the country of Egypt.

3. 3. Plant some vegetables to share with others and that would be like Joseph managing the grain during the drought.

4. 4. When your mother or father tell you exactly what to do, think of Israel telling Joseph exactly what to do just before he died and that Joseph did exactly what he was asked to do.

5. 5. Memorize the verses on page 3.

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Vol. 1 Iss. 1

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