The Biblical Path of Life

Author: mjross

  • Elijah and his Message for King Ahaziah

    “And as it is appointed unto men once to die but after this the judgment:”

    Hebrews 9:27

    The following is an excerpt from “The Biblical Path of Life” Year Two, Quarter One – Lesson 3:

    “Ahaziah, wicked King Ahab’s son, became king of Israel. As we begin 2 Kings, we learn that Ahaziah fell through a lattice in his chamber and was sick (injured). He sent messengers to inquire of Baalzebub, the god of Ekron, to see whether he would recover.

    “… The angel of the Lord appeared to Elijah with a word for the king’s messenger to take back to the king. He said, “Is it not because there is not a God in Israel, that ye go to enquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron?” (2 Kings 1:3b). The message continued with the words that the king would not recover, but he would die — because he sought an answer from a false god instead of the Lord. The messenger returned to the king and delivered the message from Elijah. The king wanted to know who this man was. Read the description the Bible gives us of His prophet, Elijah. “And they answered him, He was an hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins.  And he said, It is Elijah the Tishbite” (2 Kings 1:8).

    The king sent a captain with 50 men to Elijah with a message of his own. “… Thou man of God, the king hath said, Come down” (2 Kings 1:9b). Elijah’s response? “And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, If I be a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And there came down fire from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty” (2 Kings 1:10). The king sent another captain and his fifty with another message. “… O man of God, thus hath the king said, Come down quickly” (2 Kings 1:11b). Elijah’s response? “And Elijah answered and said unto them, If I be a man of God, let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And the fire of God came down from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty. response? “1b).he king sent another captain and his fifty with another message. “ng to see who answered by fire; ___ ood gushe” (2 Kings 1:12). We see that the king sends a captain with his fifty a third time. However, see the difference in this captain’s actions and the words he spoke to Elijah. “13b.… And the third captain of fifty went up, and came and fell on his knees before Elijah, and besought him, and said unto him, O man of God, I pray thee, let my life, and the life of these fifty thy servants, be precious in thy sight. 14. Behold, there came fire down from heaven, and burnt up the two captains of the former fifties with their fifties: therefore let my life now be precious in thy sight” (2 Kings 1:13b-14). When the third captain came with these words and humble attitude, the angel of the Lord told Elijah to go with him and not to be afraid. 

    When Elijah went to the king, he gave the king the same message as before: because the king had not inquired of the Lord, but of the false god, Baalzebub the god of Ekron, the king would not get up off his bed but would surely die. What happened? “So he died according to the word of the LORD which Elijah had spoken …” (2 Kings 1:17a)…

    “A Deeper Path: Aside from the fact that King Ahaziah inquired an answer from a false god, he asked the wrong question. He asked if he was going to die. He should have asked what he needed to do to be well. The question of which we need the answer is not if, or when, we will die — we know what the Bible teaches. “And as it is appointed unto men once to die …” (Hebrews 9:27a). Everyone will die sometime (unless of course Jesus returns first!). Nevertheless, see the important part of that same verse: “…but after this the judgment:” The part we should be concerned with is if we are “well” (the judgment) — whether we will live forever or spend eternity in hell. This is the question we should have answered in our hearts and lives: where will one spend eternity. To spend eternity in heaven is a gift — free; if only we will receive. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8). 

    Notice that King Ahaziah was probably angry because the message Elijah sent reminded him of the God of Israel. Most people to whom you witness will not want to be reminded of God. When one is reminded of God, they become aware of the sin in their life apart from God (“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” Romans 3:23). Does that make it harder for us to tell people about Jesus?

    Remember when the apostles were imprisoned by the religious leaders for preaching the gospel of Jesus in Acts 5? When the angel opened the prison doors and let them out of prison, he told them to “Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life” (Acts 5:20). Peter and the apostles went right to the temple, preaching the gospel of Jesus to the people. When confronted by the religious leaders who had thrown them into prison, “Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). That should always be our answer. We can see by Elijah’s response that he feared the God of Israel, not the king of Israel.”

    Do you know where you will spend eternity?

    Do you share the Gospel message with others, fearing God and not man?

    How one can be saved.

  • Lesson 5: Jesus’ Miracles: The Four Gospels

    Key Verse

    “Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.”

    —Matthew 9:29

    Key Verse Thought: After reading the key verse, try to understand the word faith. Faith means “faith in Christ as able to work miracles, healing the sick; the means of appropriating what God in Christ has for man resulting in the transformation of man’s character and way of life – also called Christian faith.” Today we are going to learn what Jesus was able to do in the lives of the people who had faith in Him.    

    Emphasis: We are to remember the compassion Jesus had for the lost world, and that he revealed the need for forgiveness of sin. Christians are to have the same compassion for the lost world, wanting to see them come to know Jesus. We are to live a Christian life, and bring our friends to meet Jesus.

    Lesson Summary: In our last lesson, we learned about Jesus’ disciples (specifically the 12 apostles). They were to be Jesus’ ambassadors in this world. Jesus sent them out preaching and healing. More than that, Jesus spent time teaching and training these men.

     In this lesson, we will look at a few of the miracles of Jesus. There are too many miracles of Jesus to talk about in one lesson, so we will only look at a few: Jesus healed a leper; Four friends and a man with palsy; The man with a withered hand; The centurion’s servant; The raising from the dead of the widow’s son in Nain; Jesus stilled the tempest; Raised Jairus’ daughter and healed the woman with an issue of blood; Made two blind men to see; Jesus walked on water; A gentile woman’s daughter healed; Feeding of 4000; Jesus healed ten lepers; and Jesus gave sight to blind Bartimaeus.

    As we look at some of the miracles of Jesus, notice that He did them for a reason. As we read these events, we will learn some of those reasons. Sometimes Jesus had compassion on the people. In other instances, they were to draw attention to the faith: either the presence of faith, the lack of faith, or even no faith at all. Nevertheless, in most of these instances, we will recognize the call to action – to believe, or not to believe. That decision comes from not only the person, or persons, directly involved, but also the bystanders. We will then witness the transformation of lives that had faith.

    Remember: Keep in mind that these lessons will not necessarily be in a chronological order of the life of Christ. We will focus on a few of the miracles of Jesus.

    Y3Q1 – Lesson 5 Questions

    Y3Q1 – Lesson 5 Children’s Worksheets

    If you are teaching this to younger children, the following is a craft idea. We made a coloring book of a few of Jesus’ miracles. This is to help them remember some of what was read in this lesson.

  • Wicked Kings of Israel

    “Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart.”

    Ephesians 4:18

    The following is an excerpt from “The Biblical Path of Life” Year Two, Quarter One – Lesson 2:

    “We read about the first three kings of Israel in our last lesson. See they are described as kings whom: “…did evil in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the way of his father, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin” (1 Kings 15:26). Remember that King Jeroboam made two golden calves, one in Dan and the other in Bethel, for the people to worship so that they would not return to the Temple in Jerusalem. This was sin in God’s eyes. Notice that each king after Jeroboam was compared back to him. … We will meet five more kings of Israel from 1 Kings 16.

    “Elah: When Baasha died, his son Elah became king (see 1 Kings 16:8). Elah’s servant, Zimri, conspired against him. Zimri was captain of half his chariots. After conspiring against him, Zimri killed him, becoming king in his stead (see 1 Kings 16:9-10).

    “Zimri: As soon as Zimri became king, he killed the entire house of Baasha, according to the word of the Lord (1 Kings 16:11-13). Why did he do this? “For all the sins of Baasha, and the sins of Elah his son, by which they sinned, and by which they made Israel to sin, in provoking the LORD God of Israel to anger with their vanities” (1 Kings 16:13). Zimri was king for seven days. When the people heard that he killed Elah to become king, they made Omri their king. When the people did this, Omri went (and all of Israel with him) to besiege Tirzah. When Zimri saw the city was taken, he went into the palace of the king’s house and burned it — while he was still inside, killing himself (see 1 Kings 16:18). It was the Lord’s will that he die. Why? “For his sins which he sinned in doing evil in the sight of the LORD, in walking in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin which he did, to make Israel to sin” (1 Kings 16:19). However, there was a division among the people.

    “Tibni: Half of the people followed Tibni to make him king, but the other half followed Omri. “But the people that followed Omri prevailed against the people that followed Tibni the son of Ginath: so Tibni died, and Omri reigned” (1 Kings 16:22).

    “Omri: The people made Omri king and he reigned for twelve years. He bought a hill in Samaria and built a city. “25. But Omri wrought evil in the eyes of the LORD, and did worse than all that were before him. 26. For he walked in all the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin, to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger with their vanities” (1 Kings 16:25-26). Omri died and his son, Ahab, reigned in his stead.

    “Ahab: Ahab, son of Omri, reigned over Israel for 22 years. “30. And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD above all that were before him. 31. And it came to pass, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshipped him. 32. And he reared up an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he had built in Samaria. 33. And Ahab made a grove; and Ahab did more to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him” (1 Kings 16:30-33). As we will find in our study, Ahab was a wicked king with a very wicked wife.

    “A Deeper Path: Notice that each generation seemed to be worse than the generation before them. When they rejected God and His commandments, the land filled with “darkness.”  See what Jesus said in John 3:19: “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” 

    “Remember that Jesus came to set us free from that darkness to walk as His dear children in Him (the Light). “For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light” (Ephesians 5:8).

    “A Christian cannot walk in “darkness” (sin).  “If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth” (1 John 1:6).

    “As Christians (God’s people), we are to be different — not like the “nations” around us (as Israel’s kings chose to be). “17. This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, 18. Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart” (Ephesians 4:17-18).”

    Are you like the wicked kings of Israel with their understanding darkened, because of the blindness of their heart?

    Or

    Are you light in the Lord, walking as children of light?

  • Lesson 4: Jesus’ Disciples: The Four Gospels

    Key Verse

    “And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.“

    —Matthew 4:19

    Key Verse Thought: Read today’s key verse. Have you ever been fishing? Did you have to fish a long time before catching any fish? Did you have the patience? Was it easy? Jesus called some men to leave their fishing nets to go and tell people about Jesus. Instead of fishing for fish, Jesus would teach them how to fish for men. They had to understand it would take a lot of time and patience. It wouldn’t always be easy.

    Emphasis: We are to recognize Jesus is God’s Son and follow Him. It is then important to share the good news of Jesus with our friends and family – just as Jesus’ disciples did. Christians are to be fishers of men.

    Lesson Summary: In our last lesson, we watched as John the Baptist’s ministry began to decrease, and the fame of Jesus began to spread. Jesus had declared to the people in his hometown of Nazareth that He was the Promised One. They rejected Jesus, and He left Nazareth but continued preaching. 

    In this lesson, we will read that when John the Baptist saw Jesus again, he declared that Jesus was the Lamb of God. When some of the followers of John heard this declaration, they followed Jesus. Andrew was one, and he found his brother, Simon, and brought him to Jesus. Jesus also called Philip (who brought Nathanael to Jesus). Herod threw John the Baptist into prison. Other men who had followed John chose to follow Jesus instead. In Galilee, many people followed Jesus, listening to His teachings. Jesus came to the shore and saw empty fishing boats. Jesus had Simon take Him out from the shore – so He could preach to the crowds. While out on the boat, Jesus told the fishermen to cast out their nets. They had fished all night and caught nothing, but at Jesus’ words, they cast out the nets. They caught so many fish the nets broke and the ships were sinking. Jesus called these men to leave their fishing nets to follow Him, and He would make them fishers of men. They followed Jesus.

    Jesus went on to call Philip (who brought Nathanael to Jesus), and Matthew (who invited Jesus to dinner – along with many of his lost friends). However, the religious leaders of the day began to show their hatred for Jesus and started planning what they might do to Him.

    Jesus saw the need of the people, and He recognized many laborers were needed. He prayed all night, and then called twelve apostles (who would be His witnesses to the world). After Jesus instructed the apostles, he sent them out to preach and heal. Jesus went out with his disciples preaching and healing.

    In this lesson, we will learn some of the things Jesus taught His disciples: when Jesus told them to feed the crowd of more than five thousand with five loaves and two fishes, and also when Jesus asked who people said He was.

    Y3Q1 – Lesson 4 Questions

    Y3Q1 – Lesson 4 Children’s Worksheets

    To help them remember today’s lesson, we made this to remind them that Jesus called His disciples to become fishers of men.

  • A Divided Kingdom

    “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise.”

    Proverbs 12:15

    The following is an excerpt from “The Biblical Path of Life” Year Two, Quarter One – Lesson 1:

    “… We must remember what God had told King Solomon before he died: because he had allowed his heart to be turned from God to idols, God would rend the kingdom away from his son – all but two tribes. His son would only be allowed to rule two tribes because of the promise God had made to David. “13b. … I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever. 15. But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee. 16. And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever” (2 Samuel 7:13b, 15–16). Even before King Solomon died, he knew and understood that his son would only be allowed to rule over two tribes. God had already chosen Jeroboam to rule the other ten tribes (see 1 Kings 11:29–37).

    “When the people came together to make Rehoboam king, Jeroboam and all of Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam. They wanted Rehoboam to lighten the burden that King Solomon had placed upon the people. If he would lighten that burden, the people would serve him. Rehoboam sought counsel; first from the old men who had advised King Solomon, and then with the young men he had grown up with — his friends. The old men’s counsel was to lighten the burden upon the people. The young men’s advice was to make the people’s burden much heavier. Read 1 Kings 12:3–19 for the complete events. Especially take not of 1 Kings 12:19: “Wherefore the king hearkened not unto the people; for the cause was from the LORD, that he might perform his saying….” From that verse, we understand this was God’s plan — the people would revolt against Rehoboam, but we can also understand that is was because of the foolishness of Rehoboam’s decision. “So Israel rebelled against the house of David unto this day” (1 Kings 12:19).

    “It was at this time in history that the kingdom divided becoming two separate kingdoms — the Northern Kingdom (Israel) and the Southern Kingdom (Judah). Rehoboam ruled over the Southern Kingdom, Judah (containing only two tribes) because that was the tribe from which Rehoboam, Solomon, and David came. Jeroboam ruled over the Northern Kingdom, Israel, which were the remaining ten tribes.

    “In the New Testament Jesus tells us, “And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand” (Mark 3:24).

    “A Deeper Path: After learning of King Rehoboam, we can see that one of the foolish things he did that cost him the majority of his kingdom was taking the wrong counsel. He chose the counsel of his friends instead of the counsel from the older, wiser men who had counseled his father. Read some of the words his father had written before Rehoboam even became king — words Rehoboam had probably read, or at the very least, had heard:

    • “Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety” (Proverbs 11:14). Do you think Rehoboam would have lost most of his kingdom if he had taken the older men and the people’s counsel?
      • “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise” (Proverbs 12:15).
      • “Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end” (Proverbs 19:20).
      • Do you remember what we learned in Psalm 1:1a? “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly …”

    “… We continue learning about King Rehoboam in 1 Kings 14:21-31. King Rehoboam began to reign when he was 41 years old, and he reigned 17 years in Jerusalem “… the city which the LORD did choose out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there …” (1 Kings 14:21). And Judah did evil in the sight of the Lord. They continued worshiping idols and “… they did according to all the abominations of the nations which the LORD cast out before the children of Israel” (1 Kings 14:24b). In the fifth year of King Rehoboam’s reign, Shishak, king of Egypt, came up against Jerusalem and stole the treasures of the king’s house and all of the shields of gold that King Solomon had made. Another interesting thing to note: “And there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all their days” (1 Kings 14:30). King Rehoboam died, and his son, Abijam, reigned in his stead. Abijam ruled Judah for three years. The next king was Abijam’s son, Asa (see 1 Kings 15:8).

    “A Deeper Path: See the fool Rehoboam became in disregarding his father’s teachings. Remember that we learned that much of the Proverbs was written from a father (King Solomon) as instruction to his son (Rehoboam). “7. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction. 8. My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother: 9. For they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck” (Proverbs 1:7-9).”

    Do you learn from history, recognizing the importance of seeking counsel from God’s Word?

  • Lesson 3: John the Baptist Introduces Jesus: The Four Gospels

    Key Verse

    The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

    —Isaiah 40:3

    Key Verse Thought: After reading today’s Key Verse, remember the baby John that we learned of in our last lesson. In this lesson, we will learn that he was the one Isaiah wrote about hundreds of years earlier: the voice of one crying in the wilderness. We will begin to understand that he was sent by God to do a special job – to prepare the way for Jesus.

    Emphasis: God has a plan for each Christian’s life. We may not understand exactly why God has us do something (remember John baptizing), but we are to obey anyway – just as John did. Moreover, we have Jesus as our example of how to defeat temptations – by knowing God’s Word.

    Lesson Summary: In our last lesson, we looked at the births of John and Jesus. God sent angels to tell about both of these special births. We also learned about Jesus’ childhood. In this lesson, we will find out more about John that was born. 

    John grew up in the wilderness, and at about thirty years of age, he came out of that wilderness preaching, “Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2).  His job was to prepare the way for the Promised One. Although John did not know who the Promised One was, God instructed him to baptize, and He would reveal that One to him. And John obeyed. He became known as “John the Baptist.”  God revealed the Promised One to him with the Spirit of God in the form of a dove which lighted upon Jesus as he came up out of the water after baptism. Jesus, too, was about thirty years of age.  

    Immediately, Jesus was driven into the wilderness where Satan tempted him with three specific temptations. Jesus defeated each of those temptations by quoting God’s Word. When Satan left Jesus, angels ministered to Him. When John the Baptist saw Jesus again, He introduced Him to all as “the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). At this point, John’s ministry started to decrease, and Jesus’ ministry began.

    Jesus went to Galilee where his fame was spread abroad. He then returned to his home town of Nazareth where He went to the synagogue. Once there, Jesus stood to read. He was given the book of Isaiah. He read the Scripture that was a prophecy of the Messiah who was to come. When Jesus finished reading, He declared that those words had been fulfilled in their ears – in other words, Jesus was that One promised. This angered the people, and they tried to kill Jesus. “From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17).

    Y3Q1 – Lesson 3 Questions

    Y3Q1 – Lesson 3 Children’s Worskheets

    If you are teaching this to younger children, this is an idea of a craft to help them remember this lesson.

  • Joseph, God’s Plan

    “And his master saw that the LORD was with him, and that the LORD made all that he did to prosper in his hand.”

    Genesis 39:3

    No matter what happened in Joseph’s life, the presence of God was revealed in his life. The LORD was with Joseph. Remember some highlights from Joseph’s life:

    Joseph came from a dysfunctional family – Jacob (his father) was a trickster most of his life (until God got a hold of him).

    Joseph’s mom died while he was a teenager.

    Joseph was his father’s favorite (probably because he was born of Rachel – his father’s true love).

    His father gave him a special coat of many colors.

    Joseph had two amazing dreams. God revealed to Joseph that all of the world’s resources would be in his control and all of the world rulers would bow down to him.

    His brothers were wicked, ungodly, jealous of Joseph (remember the coat), and resented him (because of the dreams).

    Joseph’s brothers stripped him of his coat, threw him into a pit, and sold him as a slave.

    When Joseph made it to Egypt, he was bought by Potiphar as a slave. “2. And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man… 3. And his master saw that the LORD was with him, and that the LORD made all that he did to prosper in his hand” (Genesis 39:2-3).

    After Joseph became the head over Potiphar’s entire household, Potiphar’s wife began to entice him, falsely accusing Joseph.

    Potiphar had Joseph cast into prison. “But the LORD was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison” (Genesis 39:21).

    Joseph became the head in the prison. “The keeper of the prison looked not to any thing that was under his hand; because the LORD was with him, and that which he did, the LORD made it to prosper” (Genesis 39:23).

    While in prison, Joseph interpreted the dreams of Pharaoh’s butler and baker.

    After two years, the butler remembered Joseph in prison when Pharaoh had a dream he needed interpreted.

    Pharaoh called Joseph out of prison, Joseph interpreted the dreams, and Pharaoh put him in charge of collecting and storing the grain for the future famine, making Joseph ruler only under Pharaoh. “And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is?” (Genesis 41:38). 

    Because of the famine, Joseph’s brothers appeared before Joseph, whom they did not recognize, and asked for grain.

    Joseph eventually revealed himself to his brothers. Remember what Joseph acknowledged: “Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life” (Genesis 45:5). Joseph recognized that God had planned all of these things.

    Joseph prospered no matter what happened to him, because God’s presence was evident in Joseph’s life. Joseph chose to be different. He told the truth, when his brothers were doing what was wrong (see Genesis 37:1-2). Even when his brothers hated him the more for his dreams and his words (see Genesis 37:5-8). However, Joseph did not conform to the wickedness of his brothers. This was revealed early in his life. As he followed God, living an honest life of integrity, God worked.

    We should take note of this. As Christians, Joseph is a great example of allowing God to be revealed in our lives. We should be truthful, not conforming to the wickedness that is around us. We should understand that God has a plan for each Christian’s life. How do you find out what that plan is? Pray and read your Bible. Remember what we learn in Romans. “1. I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:2). These verses will help you understand God has a plan for you, and how to find out what that plan is. First, a Christian should present that life to God, allowing Him to work in that life. Pray, asking God to transform your life. You must understand that “be ye transformed” has to come from within. What is the inner nature of a Christian? Because Jesus is in the heart and life, the influence of Jesus is what should come out. Christians are to have the mind of Christ. “For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16). Christians can only have the mind of Christ when we read our Bible. As we obey God’s Word, we find ourselves obeying God’s will. We are to allow God to be real in our lives. Remember what happens to a butterfly. The worm after entering the cocoon, exits a beautiful butterfly. In the same way, as Christians follow God’s Word (by renewing our minds to God’s ways), our lives will become what God wants them to be. Take note, Christians need to refuse the world’s conformity that does not let that new nature (born of Jesus) to come out into our lifestyles. When we refuse that conformity, becoming transformed, it is then that we can begin to see God working in our lives, recognizing God’s will revealed in our lives. This is how we know the will of God for us. Joseph revealed this in amazing ways. Joseph followed God, and God worked in his life. As you follow God, ask Him to continue speaking to your heart through His Word. Understand that the devil does not want you to walk in the paths God has for your life, so it will not always be easy (remember Joseph’s life!).

    Joseph did not find God’s will for his life. God’s will found Joseph. Because Joseph willingly trusted God, God was with Him, and God’s plan for Joseph’s life was revealed. This was the plan for Joseph’s life.

    Have you trusted God, recognized him working in your life, then seeing His plan to revealed in your life?

  • Lesson 2: Jesus’ Birth and Childhood: The Four Gospels

    Key Verse

    “I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee.“

    —Job 42:5

    Key Verse Thought: Read today’s Key Verse. Have you ever heard of something that you have not yet seen (i.e.: the Statue of Liberty, Mount Rushmore, the Grand Canyon, etc.)? After reading this lesson’s Key Verse, understand that all through the Old Testament the people had heard God’s promise of One who would come. Nevertheless, they never saw Him with their own eyes, they had only heard of Him. In our lesson today, we will find that God kept His promise, and many people recognized just who it was they saw – Jesus, the Promised One.

    Emphasis: Christians are to recognize that God kept His promises: He sent the “messenger” and gave Jesus to the world as a baby. Jew and Gentile alike recognized the Savior had been born.  Moreover, Jesus grew: He waxed strong and increased in wisdom. Jesus had to strive to be what God expected Him to be – and we must, too!

    Lesson Summary: After four hundred years, the silence from God ended. Angels began appearing to different people: Zacharias, Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds. Jesus, the Savior, was born. 

    In this lesson, we begin by remembering the birth of John the Baptist. The angel of the Lord told Zacharias just whom this child would grow up to be – the one who would “make ready a people prepared for the Lord” (see Luke 1:17). He was to be the “messenger” in the spirit of Elijah that would come to prepare the way for Jesus (see Malachi 3:1 and 4:5).  

    We then remember what we call the “Christmas Story.” But instead of just retelling it as we have done so many times before, we want to hear it anew in relation to our study of the Bible as a whole. We need to understand that it is not just another “Bible Story,” it is the fulfillment of the promise God made immediately after man sinned in the Garden (see Genesis 3:15). It is the same promise God consistently reminded His people in the Old Testament to watch and wait for. 

    God revealed the birth of Jesus, the Savior of the world, to more than just the people directly involved. The shepherds were watching their sheep when the angel of the Lord appeared to them in the night. God had promised Simeon that he would not see death until he witnessed the salvation of the Lord. Anna, too, waited at the temple for the promise from God. The wise men witnessed a new star in the sky and followed it until they met the new king. Although each of these saw Jesus, King Herod and the chief priests and scribes who heard the new king had been born did not take the time to go see for themselves.

    Even today, there are many who hear that Jesus has come and is the only way for salvation, yet fail to go and see for themselves.

    Y3Q1 – Lesson 2 Questions

    Y3Q1 – Lesson 2 Children’s Worksheets

    If you are teaching this to younger children, the following are a couple of craft ideas to help them remember this lesson:

  • The Problem

    “And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.”

    1 John 5:19

    What is The Problem in the world today?

    Sin. “And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness” (1 John 5:19). Those who belong to Jesus live in a world that lies in wickedness. Recognizing this, Christians are to warn those who do not know Jesus, while understanding that we are not to be a part of this world.

    One must remember that God created man without sin. However, since sin entered into the world (when Adam sinned in the garden), all people have sinned and fallen short. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

    Once we hear the problem, we often quit with that verse. However, the verses immediately following give the solution to this problem. “Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24). One can be justified freely because Jesus came to take the penalty of that sin. Justified means “to render (that is, show or regard as) just or innocent: be righteous.” Who can be regarded as just or innocent? Any one who will just believe in Jesus.

    How and why is this possible? “25. Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; 26. To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus” (Romans 3:25-26). God sent His only Son, Jesus (remember John 3:16) to be a propitiation. Propitiation means “a place of conciliation, expiation, what the ancients called altar or place of sacrifice. It does not refer to the expiatory sacrifices themselves. Jesus Christ is designated not only as the place where the sinner deposits his sin, but He Himself is the means of expiation (expiation means ‘the act of making amends or reparation for guilt or wrongdoing: i.e. sin; atonement’)…” This is explained well in the following verse. “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus, who never sinned, took man’s sin, so that whoever trusts in this act (the expiation) can be made righteous.

    Notice: It is a choice – to accept this gift or reject it. Do you remember what the Bible declares is the penalty for sin? “For the wages of sin is death …” (Romans 6:23). However, notice that there is an offering of eternal life. “… but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). This eternal life can only be obtained because of Jesus’ death on the cross for sin. Jesus paid the penalty for anyone who would just believe upon Him. The Bible is full of verses declaring that Jesus is the only Way. And if these few verses were the only ones that declared this truth, they would be enough.

    Nevertheless, many choose to remain in that sin, refusing to believe what Jesus did for them. What happens to them? Jesus said, “I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins” (John 8:24). He also said, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned” (Mark 16:16). Damned means “to judge against, that is, sentenced: condemned.”

    For those who choose to trust in Jesus’ expiation by His death, has everlasting life. “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him” (John 3:36). On the converse, those who reject Jesus will have the wrath of God upon them – forever.

    It is as simple as this: “11. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life” (1 John 5:11-12). If you have Jesus, you have life. If you choose to reject Jesus, you will not have life (having been judged, condemned to eternal death). “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death” (Revelation 21:8). It only takes unbelief to spend eternity in the “lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death”.

    Have you chosen to believe, and then to warn any other unbelievers of the second death?

    Watch the following five-minute video, and then share it with someone: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANvaqeBVELc

  • Lesson 1: 400 Years of Silence and An Overview of the New Testament

    “These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:”

    —John 17:1

    Key Verse Thought: Read today’s key verse. Glorify means “to render the divine character and attributes of God.” This verse was the beginning of Jesus’ prayer in the garden just before He was arrested to die on the cross for the sin of mankind. In our study of the Old Testament, we understood that God had promised to send One into the world to restore the relationship between God and man. In this lesson, we will begin to understand that this person was revealed in the New Testament. It is Jesus. Therefore, it is with this verse that we will begin our study of the New Testament and understand why it was written.

    Emphasis: It is important to understand how the New Testament fits and belongs with the rest of the Bible. The Old Testament is the just the beginning, and the completion is found in the New Testament. With the New Testament comes the fulfillment of the promise God made when man first sinned in the beginning.

    Lesson Summary: In completing our study of the Old Testament, we found many promises left unfulfilled, and the beginning of a story without the ending. In this lesson, as we begin our study of the New Testament, we will understand that this part of the Bible answers many questions, and fulfills the promises God made. 

    First in our study, we will remember what happened in the four-hundred years between the Old and New Testaments. Next, we will learn how the New Testament is arranged, so that we can understand it better. Understanding how the New Testament fits will help us as we learn about the life of Jesus and the establishment of the church. Since this is an overview, the information will be very limited. We will study each book deeper as we come to them. In this lesson, the idea is to just become somewhat familiar with each book, their order, and the connection they have with one another.     

    Especially begin to understand: the hope of the “Promised One to come” found throughout the Old Testament is revealed in the New Testament as Jesus.

    Year Three Quarter One – Lesson 1 Questions

    Year Three Quarter One – Lesson 1 Children’s Worksheets

    We made a hanging with the verse John 17:1.