Vol. 1 Iss. 1

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INDEX: New Testament Lesson - Jesus Not Welcomed (Matthew 4:12, Mark 1:14-15, Luke 4:14-30) Old Testament Lesson - Moses and Aaron Are Sent (Exodus 4) Character Lesson Memory Text Nature Lesson - Wind Health Lesson - Fingernails Coloring Page Matching Questions & Answers 1-How did Jesus survive forty days and forty nights without eating? 2-Why is it important to know that the temple veil was torn from top to bottom? 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

Jesus Not Welcomed (Matthew 4:12, Mark 1:14-15, Luke 4:14-30)

Now when Jesus had heard that John was put into prison, He departed into Galilee. When Jesus came into Galilee, He was preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand! Repent and believe the gospel!" Then the fame of Him went out through all of the region round about. Jesus taught in their synagogues.

Jesus then went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. As his custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up to read.

There was given him the book of the prophet Isaiah. When He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written,

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord."

Jesus closed the book, gave it back to the minister, and sat down. The eyes of all of them that were in the synagogue stared at Him. He began to say to them, "This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears."

All witnessed this and wondered at the gracious words, which He spoke. And they said, "Is this not Joseph's son?"

Then Jesus said to them, "You will surely say to me this proverb, 'Physician, heal yourself. Whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in your country.' I tell you that no prophet is accepted in his own country. But I tell you the truth. Many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when it did not rain for three years and six months and when the great famine was throughout all the land. But to none of them was Elijah sent, except to a woman that was a widow in the city Sarepta. And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them were cleansed, except Naaman the Syrian."

And all of them in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, rose up, and thrust Him out of the city. Then they led Him to the brow of the hill where their city was built, so they could throw Him down headlong. But he passing through the midst of them, Jesus went His way.

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

The Burning Bush (Exodus 4)

Remembering from last time, God spoke to Moses through a bush that was on fire, yet the bush did not burn. God told Moses to lead His people out of Egypt.

But Moses answered, "They will not believe me nor listen to my voice. They will say, 'The LORD did not appear to you.'"

The LORD said to Moses, "What is in your hand?" Moses said, "A rod." God said, "Through it on the ground." Moses threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent. Then Moses ran away from it, at which time the LORD said to Moses, "Put out your hand and take it by the tail." When Moses put forth his hand and caught it, it became a rod in his hand. This sign will help them believe that I appeared to you.

Then the LORD said, "Put your hand in your bosom." And he put his hand in his bosom. When he took it out, his hand was leprous as snow. Then God said, "Put your hand in your bosom again." And Moses put his hand in his bosom again and pulled it out; it was turned again as his other hand.

Then God said, "If they do not believe the first or the second sign, then take water from the river, pour it on the dry land, and it will become blood."

Then Moses said unto the LORD, "O my Lord, I cannot speak very well." The LORD said to him, "Who made man's mouth? Or who makes the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? Have not I the LORD? Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what to say."

Then Moses said, "Send me with somebody." Then the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses and said, "Is not Aaron the Levite your brother? I know he can speak well. And he is coming to meet you. When he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. And you shall speak to him. I will be with your mouth and with his mouth and will teach you what you shall do. And he shall be your spokesman for the people. You will take this rod in your hand and do signs."

Moses went and returned to Jethro his father in law and said to him, "Let me go, I pray, to return to my brethren, which are in Egypt, to see if they are yet alive." And Jethro said to Moses, "Go in peace."

And the LORD said to Moses, "Go, return to Egypt for all the men are dead, which were trying to kill you."

Moses took his wife and his sons, setting them upon a donkey to return to the land of Egypt. And Moses took the rod of God in his hand.

Then the LORD said to Moses, "When you go to return into Egypt, do all those wonders before Pharaoh, which I have put in your ability, but Pharaoh will harden his heart because of the message I send. He will not let the people go. You will say to Pharaoh, 'Thus saith the LORD, Israel is my son, even my firstborn. I say to you, "Let my son go that he may serve me. And if you refuse to let him go, I will slay your firstborn son."'"

The LORD said to Aaron, "Go into the wilderness to meet Moses. And he went, and met him in the mount of God, and kissed him."

Moses then told Aaron all of the words of the LORD who sent him, and all of the signs, which he had commanded him. Then Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel. Aaron spoke all the words that the LORD had spoken to Moses and did the signs in the sight of the people. The people believed, and when they heard that the LORD had visited the children of Israel and had looked upon their affliction, they bowed their heads and worshipped.

CHARACTER LESSON

Jesus going around preaching the gospel shows how much He loves us. He wants all of us to hear the gospel and end up living with Him forever. Today, Jesus is not in the human form. He relies on people like you to show others you have accepted the gospel. You can do this by obeying your parents and doing that which is right and not that which is wrong (based upon Romans 10:16).

Jesus had a custom of going to church on the Sabbath day and participating in church by reading. You can be like Jesus and form your custom of going to church regularly as well as on the Sabbath day, and if asked to do something, agree to do it.

The people that did not like to hear the truth is an example of the wrong thing to do. Instead of getting upset when someone tells you that you are doing something wrong, it is better to stop doing the wrong thing.

God told Moses what to do, but Moses answered God with, "They will not believe me nor listen to my voice. They will say, 'The LORD did not appear to you.'" God knew that Moses was the right person for the job. Just like your parents usually know what you can and cannot do. Thinking of excuses to get out of doing something is disobedience. A happy reply of "Yes" is the correct thing to do. A happy response is the only correct way to do what has been asked. Saying, "Yes" but being upset or mad is not. If you love your parents, you will happily do as they ask.

Did you know that when God told Moses to grab a serpent by its tail that it was one of the most dangerous ways to pick up a serpent, yet Moses obeyed without question. That is because He trusted that God knew best. So when you disagree with your parents, keep in mind that they probably know best, especially since they were once your age.

When Moses said unto the LORD, "O my Lord, I cannot speak very well," he once again was looking for an excuse to not do the job. Did you know that it takes more energy to avoid doing a job then it would be to do it happily? The right thing to do is to simply do the job.

When Moses agreed to go, he still hesitated by saying, "Send me with somebody." Your parents may ask you to go to another room and get something or do something. Begging your parents to go with you is very similar to Moses asking someone to go with Him. The right thing to do is to know that Jesus and your guardian angel go where you go. So you are not alone.

Moses asking Jethro permission to leave shows that he did not want to let anyone down. Jethro depended upon Moses. If anyone depends upon you for something and you cannot do it, the right thing to do is to go to that person and tell them that you cannot do it.

Jethro telling Moses that he could go reveals that Jethro knew that Moses had an important job from God to do. Sometimes you may see your parents moving quickly or having a thinking face on. It is best not to ask unimportant questions. It is better to keep silent and be content with what you are doing and wait for a better time.

When the elders of Israel realized that God sent the messengers, they bowed their heads and worshipped. God works in your life too. It is a very good idea when you see things happening that are from God that you stop and thank Him.

NEW TESTAMENT MEMORY TEXT: Luke 4:16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.

OLD TESTAMENT MEMORY TEXT: Exodus 4:31 And the people believed: and when they heard that the LORD had visited the children of Israel, and that he had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped.

NATURE LESSON

WIND

Jesus said in John 3:8, "The wind blows where it will, and you hear the sound of it, but you cannot tell where it has come from, and where it is going." Yet, we see the affects of wind such as objects blowing in the air, trees falling over, and hair being blown.

God used the wind to dry up the earth after the flood (Genesis 8:1). Wind also can destroy, like in the dream Joseph interpreted (Genesis 41:6) where corn was destroyed by wind.

The wind, for the most part, blows objects. In addition to trees, even smaller plants are affected by the wind as well as the seas.

The Bible says in James 1:6 "But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavers is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed." Here we are told that when we pray, we ought to pray with the faith that God hears our prayer and answers them. Otherwise, we will not be in control of our lives as we continue to live each day. We would be controlled by circumstances instead.

John the Baptist was compared by Jesus to a plant called a reed. Jesus said, "What went ye out into the wilderness for to see? A reed shaken with the wind?" (Luke 7:24). A reed in the wind, which John was not, is affected so much so that it can easily snap. We are not to be like that. We are not to be affected by the wind, which represents those that challenge the truth. Stand firm like a strong tree instead.

Wind in the desert causes sand to be scattered everywhere. This action of the wind in the desert is like little pieces of the gospel truth scattered all around the world by the power of the wind or Holy Spirit.

HEALTH LESSON

BODY PARTS: Fingernails

Nail biting, nail tearing, and oversized nails are three common, unhealthy practices regarding fingernails.

Fingernails are used to protect the most exposed parts of the finger - top and outside. The finger nail is used to scratch, remove sticky objects, pick up slippery objects, and such. So since they have a purpose, it is a good idea to take care of them.

Nail biting and nail tearing are both means of removing extended amounts of nails but in a manner that draws the nail length below where they should be, which is right before the point of extending over the edge of the tip of the finger. This area also makes the excess amount of fingernails to turn a different color than the rest of the nail. Both actions should be avoided at any cost. Use nail clippers and maybe a file to smooth out the nail.

Speaking of a file and nails, it is a good idea to smooth rough or accidental small tears with a file. Snags on objects is a common accidental method of tearing the nail. Smooth nails do not snag as often as rough edged nails.

Another discoloring may occur when the fingernail or just below the fingernail gets smashed. Black and blue may appear but also days or even weeks later, a scratchy white section may appear and eventually grow out. That is the injury sustained weeks earlier. It is normal.

Too long of nails is not practical. There are people that cannot type, write, or do simple tasks because their nails are too long. Also, nails that are longer than normal tend to snag more. So keep the nails at a reasonable length.

Also, clean under the nails. Dirt under the nails can cause finger nail diseases.

And one last note to consider and that is fingernail polish. The gloss may look good, but it causes the fingernails to not breath as easily or at all causing long term damage to the nails overtime.

So take good care of your nails.

Mark 1:14-15 Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

MATCHING

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

___ 1. Blood ___ 2. Leprous ___ 3. Preach ___ 4. Reading ___ 5. Serpent ___ 6. Speaking ___ 7. Went to prison

A. Right before Jesus went to Nazareth, what did John do? B. What ability did Moses think he lacked? C. What did God tell Moses the water from the river if poured on the dry land would become? D. What did Jesus do in the Synagogue on the Sabbath in Nazareth? E. What did Moses' hand become when pulled from his bosom? F. What was Moses to pick up? G. What was one of the things Jesus was anointed to do?

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

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Question #1 - How did Jesus survive forty days and forty nights without eating?

Answer #1 - Forty days and forty nights without eating is actually not only something that Jesus did, but the Bible says in Exodus 24:18, "And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and gat him up into the mount: and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights." How did Moses survive, a miracle from God. Did Jesus work a miracle for Himself? Jesus said in regards to His entire life, "I can of mine own self do nothing" (John 5:30). So the answer is no. There is no recorded miracle that Jesus performed upon Himself. The Bible says in John 6:57, "I live by the Father." This is what Jesus said. That means He depended upon the Father in all cases. He made it through the forty days and forty nights of fasting by His relationship with the Father.

Question #2 - Why is it important to know that the temple veil was torn from top to bottom?

Answer #2 - Matthew 27:51 says, "And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom". It is important because if a person would have torn the veil, it would have been from the bottom up. Instead, it is from the top down identifying a heavenly pair of hands were involved. That being the case, that means the tearing of the veil by the heavenly hands signals the end of the animal sacrifices. No longer do people have to sacrifice an animal for the forgiveness of sins because the purpose was completed. What was the purpose of it? The animals were used to point forward to Jesus dying on the cross. Now with that done, we simply look in our minds back to the cross.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES:

1. Visit a reptile house and look at the large snakes and then remember that Moses picked one up by its tail, which is not safe at all, but God worked a miracle to protect him. So never pick up a snake, especially by its tail.

2. Visit a river and try to get to the edge of the river with adult supervision. Scoop out a handful of water and pour it on the ground as Moses did. Remember, the water he poured out became blood, but at least you will experience the action that Moses performed.

3. Read or have someone read Isaiah 61:1-2. These were the verses that Jesus read on the Sabbath day in Nazareth.

4. Go to church regularly remembering that that was Jesus' custom as well.

5. Memorize the verses on page 3.

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Vol. 1 Iss. 1

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