The child will be able to learn how the prophets told of how Jesus fulfilled God’s promise.
Bible Story Reference: Jeremiah 33:14-16, Jeremiah 23:5-6
Memory Verse:
Matthew 1:22-23 (NIV)
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”(which means “God with us”).
Introduction
In the last lesson, we learned about Jesus’ power over death. After we die, who can we put our trust in for eternal life? (Jesus.)
Bible Story
Jeremiah was a prophet, which meant he received messages that God gave him and passed them on to God’s people. One day God gave Jeremiah an important message about something special that was going to happen. Jeremiah told God’s message to the people of Israel. Let’s find out what Jeremiah said. (Jeremiah 33:14-16.)
The message, or prophecy, referred to the promise God made to Jerusalem that he would send a Messiah. The one thing the promise didn’t include was a timeline. God’s people had to wait for an unknown length of time. And it took more than 500 years before the promise was fulfilled.
It’s hard for us to remember details of things we know happened 500 years ago, much less predict what will happen 500 years from now. But it wasn’t hard for Jeremiah, because God told him what was going to happen in the future. Jeremiah told people that the Messiah, Jesus, was coming. And more than 500 years later, Jesus fulfilled God’s promise.
Try to think of a promise you could make that might still be worthwhile in 500 years.
Jesus fulfilled God’s promise. God is so much greater than we are, and his promises show that. Seeing and understanding how God keeps his promises can help us trust him with things we don’t understand in our lives.
Review
In what ways does this promise help you trust God more in your own life?
In what ways can you show God you trust him?
What’s it like to know you’ve made a promise and that someone is waiting for you to follow through?
What difference does it make whether you keep the promises you make?
What difference does it make to you to know that God has always kept every promise he’s made?
Prayer
Dear God, thank you that we can trust you to always keep your promises. Thank you for sending Jesus to keep the greatest promise of all. Help us keep our promises, too. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Songs
Crafts
Promise Cards
What You Need
Paper
Pen / marker
Scissors
Steps
Fold the paper in half to make a card.
God promised to be with you. Think of a promise you can make to someone that will help that person see God is with him or her. This promise could be for a family member, or it could be for a friend. After you’ve thought of someone, write “Dear” and the person’s name on the inside of your card.
Then write your promise to that person.
Take the card and pray about how you want to give them to the people you wrote them to. Then take the action steps needed to make these promises turn into reality.