Dear Parents, We hope the following summary of the Sunday School lesson will help you in discussing the lesson with your children and working through this booklet together. SCRIPTURE PASSAGE:
Matthew 2:1-23 BIBLE STORY SUMMARY: God knew of Herod’s plan to kill Jesus. He warned the Magi not to return to Herod, and they obeyed. God also warned Joseph to take Mary and Jesus to Egypt and to stay there. When the time was right, God spoke to Joseph again, telling him to return to Israel with Mary and Jesus. Joseph again listened to God and obeyed. LESSON FOCUS: To understand that God knows what is best for me, and He will speak to me. To learn that I must listen to God and obey immediately. WHAT WE LEARNED ABOUT GOD: God speaks to me! LET’S TALK ABOUT WHAT WE LEARNED: 1. Seeing the bright star in the eastern sky, the Magi traveled to find the newborn King of whom it was a sign. What happened when they got as far as Jerusalem? (King Herod directed them to go to Bethlehem, as his advisors knew Scripture had prophesied Bethlehem as the Messiah’s birthplace. Herod asked the Magi to return to him after they had seen the child. He said that he also wanted to worship the new King. ) 2. What happened after the Magi got to Bethlehem? (After they had found Jesus and worshiped Him, God warned them in a dream to avoid returning to Jerusalem. Herod planned to kill the Christ Child when he knew His exact whereabouts. The Magi obeyed God. When they didn’t return to him, the very angry King Herod ordered the killing of all boys in Bethlehem aged two years and younger. ) 3. What happened to Jesus – was He in danger? (God had warned Joseph to flee to Egypt to escape Herod’s deadly plan. Joseph immediately obeyed, and the family lived in Egypt until the danger had passed. ) 4. Did Jesus grow up in Egypt? (No. Joseph again obeyed God’s message and returned the family to Israel, Nazareth specifically, after the angel told him that Herod was dead and they should go back to Israel. )
Jesus The Savior of the World God Speaks To Me
Escape to Egypt This Week’s Memory Verse: I am the Lord your God,
Will you ask God for listening ears?
who teaches you what is best for you,
Will you choose to obey God when He speaks to you?
who directs you in the way you should go.
Copyright 2008 Berean Baptist Church
Isaiah 48:17
309 E County Road 42 Burnsville, Minnesota 55306 952.432.7168
January 5, 2014
Read Matthew 2:1-12
Monday—God Speaks to the Magi in a Dream
The Bible tells us about some wise me who came to see Jesus. They are called Magi. Listed below are seven events that the Magi took part in. Can you put them in the right order? Start by putting a one next to the first thing that happened. Put a 2 by what happened next, and so on until you have them all in order.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
The Magi bowed down to worship the baby and give him gifts. The Magi asked the people fo Jerusalem, “Where is the King of the Jews?”
Saturday—This Week’s Puzzle Our memory verse, Isaiah 48:17, is written below, but the words in each line are all mixed up! Can you put them in the right order? (Can you do it without peeking?)
LORD God I your am, _______ ________
the
The Magi returned to their own country and stayed away from Jerusalem. King Herod sent the Magi to Bethlehem. He told them to come back and tell them him when they had found the King. The Magi followed the star to Bethlehem. The Magi were warned through a dream not to return to Jerusalem. The Magi saw the star in the east and traveled to Jerusalem.
__________
____________ _________,
what best you Who teaches _________ ________________ you ____________ is
Herod said he wanted to go and worship the new King. Do you think he was telling the truth about why he wanted to know where Jesus was?
□Yes
□No
When it was time to go back home, who did the Magi listen to?
God Herod Themselves
___________ for _________,
you directs you Who go way ________ _______________ _____ in the __________ _________ should ______.
Friday—God Speaks To Us Through The Bible
Tuesday—God Speaks to Joseph in a Dream
Joseph was listening to God. When he heard God speak to him, he quickly obeyed. The Magi were also listening to God. They followed His star and obeyed God when He told them not to return to Jerusalem. How do you think God speaks to you today?
________________________________________________ Today, God speaks to us through His Word, the Bible. When we learn what the Bible says, we learn what God says to us. The Bible is God’s Word written down for us.
Read Matthew 2:13-15
God also spoke to Joseph in a dream. What did God tell Joseph? (Verse 13)
□Your guests, the Magi, have left. □Go back to sleep and get some rest. □Get up, take Mary and Jesus, and escape to Egypt! Why did God tell Joseph to do this? (Verse 13) “_____________________ is going to search for the child to
_____________
Read Isaiah 50:5.
Him.”
What kind of ears does God want us to have when we wake up in the morning?
_________________________________________________ When we don’t listen and obey, what does the Bible say we are like?
_________________________________________________ To be rebellious means that we won’t listen to God or obey Him. Will you read God’s word each day? Will you pray for listening ears? Will you make the choice to obey God? Will you decide to do your Sunday School take Home book each week?
□Yes □Yes □Yes □Yes
Will you ask God to help you have listening ears?
□Maybe □Maybe □Maybe □Maybe
□No □No □No □No
Do you think that God know what people will do even before they do it?
□Yes □Maybe □No
Do you think God knew what Herod was planning to do?
□Yes □Maybe □No
Joseph loved God, and he loved Mary and Jesus, too. He had just learned that Jesus was in great danger. When did Joseph do what God told him to do? (verse 14)
The next week, when he was ready. After breakfast, the next morning. Right away the say night!
Read Matthew 2:16-17
Thursday—Joseph Obeys God
Wednesday—Herod’s Plan King Herod waited for the Magi to come back and tell him where they had found the new King. He thought they would be
back soon. How do you think Herod felt when each day passed without the Magi returning to him (circle the face)?
What did Herod order his soldiers to do?
□Find Jesus and bring him to the palace □Find Jesus and kill Him □Kill all the boys in Bethlehem who were two years old or younger Why did Herod make such an evil plan? (Mark any that are true.)
□Herod wanted more girls than boys in his kingdom. □Herod knew that the star had appeared to the magi less than two years before, so the new King would have to be two years old or younger.
□Herod was furious and decided to take his anger out on all the babies in Bethlehem. Hundreds of years earlier, God knew exactly what Herod would do. God told Jeremiah the prophet about this, and Jeremiah told the people. He said, “You will hear weeping and crying, mothers weeping for their children and too sad to be comforted.” (Jeremiah 31:15)
Read Matthew 2:19-20
Joseph, Mary and Jesus lived in Egypt while Jesus was very young. While they lived there, Joseph had another dream with an angel. What did the angel tell Joseph?
□King Herod died. □Those who had wanted to kill Jesus were dead. □Joseph should move back to Israel with Mary and Jesus. □All of the above. Read Matthew 2:23. Unscramble the letters to spell the name of the town where they went to live. R A N H E Z A T
___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ Joseph was a man who listened to God and obeyed Him. Draw a line from the verse where God spoke to Joseph to what He told him. Matthew 1: 20-21
Take Mary as your wife. She will give birth to a son and you are to name Him Jesus.
Matthew 2:19
Do not go back to Judea because Herod’s son is now king.
Matthew 2:22
Take the child and His mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you.
How do you feel when you hear about Herod’s sinful plan?
Check the word that best tells how Joseph acted each time God spoke to him.
___________________________________________________
□Unsure □Fearful □Obedient □Surprised
King Herod’s plan brought great sadness. But God’s plan brought great joy— salvation and eternal life!
How are you coming with memorizing this weeks verse?