2025 05 02
A Sunday School lesson by Jean posted on
https://christchurchsundayschool.blogspot.com
Monday, December
3, 2007
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON 13 December 9, 2007
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
13 December 9, 2007
Joseph Listens to the Holy Spirit
Theme: The Holy
Spirit
Theme Verse: "'Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit', says
the LORD of Hosts." Zechariah 4:6
Readings: Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 2:1-7;
Isaiah 7:14
Optional: Matthew 1:1; 1:15-16
Memory Verse: "…an angel of
the LORD appeared to him in a dream and said, 'Joseph, son of David, do not be
afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from
the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name
Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.'" Matthew 1:20b-21
(Pre-K to grade 3)
Start with Matthew
1:18-19. Mary was betrothed to Joseph. That was legally binding and could only
be broken by divorce even though they were not yet living together. The man used
this time to prepare a place for his wife and then came with great ceremony to
bring her to his house for a wedding feast. Mary was a virgin but not an "unwed
mother". In that society young women were expected to be virgins until their
husbands brought them home. Word received: Joseph was indeed a righteous man.
This is why I chose him to be an earthly father to My Son. Joseph was not only
righteous, he was kind and wanted to protect Mary but he planned to divorce her
quietly--until God intervened.
As Joseph was
deciding what to do God spoke to him by an angel in a dream. Look at the Memory
Verse. "…an angel of the LORD appeared to him in a dream and said, 'Joseph, son
of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is
conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you
are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their
sins.'"
Word received: I want My people to listen to Me, to harken to Me as
Joseph did.
Word received: I want My people to let Me come into the
center of their marriage decisions and of their marriages.
Word
received: I took care of Joseph and Mary and I took care of Jesus. I will take
care of you as well if you will receive Me into your hearts.
Word
received: I want you to have a heart for My word. Joseph received My word.
Listen, listen, My people, I AM speaking to you--who is listening? Pray for
listening ears and listening hearts. Are we listening and obeying as Joseph
did?
Word received: Joseph was more than just righteous, he was
obedient and faithful to Me. I want you to be as obedient and faithful as
Joseph.
Note: Jesus is the Greek form
of the Hebrew name Joshua, pronounced Yish-u-a. It means Yah(weh) saves.
"Then
Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and
took to him his wife, and did not know her till she had brought forth her
firstborn son. And he called his name JESUS". (Matthew 1:24-25) Word received: I
want you to be obedient to My word and My Spirit as Joseph was. He believed and
he acted.
This birth fulfilled the prophecy
of Isaiah 7:14. (I t was a greater fulfillment of a prophecy Isaiah gave for
that moment. See Note for other prophecies fulfilled by Jesus birth.) Word
received: I want to be Immanuel to you. I want to be with you and in you day by
day. I want you to know My presence in your life--actively. I AM Immanuel.
Look
back at Matthew 1:18. Word received: My Spirit was there at the beginning with
Jesus as he formed in Mary's womb. Just as My Spirit was with Jesus so I also
was with each of you. I love you.
Now look at
Luke 2:1-7. Look at God's timing and how he arranged the circumstances of Jesus'
birth to fulfill prophecy. (In Micah 5:2 it was prophesied that the promised
ruler would be born in Bethlehem, the city of David.) That didn't mean it was
easy for them. ( The trip was about 80 miles as the crow flies.) Caesar wanted
more taxes so Joseph had to go to Bethlehem and he took Mary with him. Notice
how Joseph not only obeyed initially but followed through. The date is
approximately 6-5 BC. "World" here refers to the Roman Empire. The place was
jam-packed so Mary had to give birth in a stable (probably a cave) and laid the
baby, the Lamb of God, in a manger. because there "was no room for them in the
inn." Is there room in our hearts and lives for Jesus or are we too busy for an
unexpected visit? Word received: Look at Joseph and Mary. They both trusted Me
when they couldn't understand the earthly event of Jesus' birth. They trusted Me
with everything they were and had. I want you to trust Me like that too. Notice
that they were consistent as well as obedient. Prayer: Lord, help me be both
obedient and consistent in following you.
The
genealogy in Matthew 1 is Joseph's line. He was the legal father. (Probably Mary
was also in the same lineage.) Luke has a somewhat different list. Princess
Diana could trace her connections to royalty by 8 different lines! The Matthew
list emphasizes that Jesus was of King David's line and also a descendent of
Abraham (and Isaac and Jacob and Judah). Luke traces the family line back to
Adam to show that Jesus was a savior of the Gentiles too.
Now
look at the names that are given to Jesus in this lesson. Jesus (Yishua),
Emmanuel, of the lineage of King David, and in Luke 2:11, Savior,
Messiah(Christ) and LORD.
NOTE: Some other
prophecies about Jesus and his birth.
Teaching Ideas for Lesson 13
Please
read the Study Guide first. Go over Memory Verse to make sure the children
understand it and then if they have memorized it.
Remind
them their parents need to sign a report slip monthly if they have read the
lessons, so they will get credit at the end of the year.
Make
sure they know what happened in the story. Get them to tell you.
Basic
points of the lesson for little ones:
1.Joseph
trusted and believed God when He told Joseph that Mary's baby was from the Holy
Spirit. He obeyed God at once.
2.God wants us
to trust and believe Him when He tells us the truth and the wants us to act on
it.
3.God wants to be in every part of our
lives, especially the day to day things. He wants us to LISTEN to Him and
receive Him into our hearts. He loves you!
4.
God wants us to trust Him even when we don't understand what He is doing, like
Joseph and Mary did.
Some prophesies
about Jesus and his birth
PROPHESY SUBJECT FULLFILMENT
Genesis
3:15 seed
of woman will
bruise Galatians
4:4
Satan's head
Genesis
12:3 descendent
of Abraham to
Matthew 1:1
bless all peoples
Genesis
17:19 descendent
of
Isaac Luke
3:34
Numbers
24:17 a
star & scepter out of
Jacob Matthew 1:2
Genesis
49:10 scepter
in tribe of
Judah Luke 3: 33
Isaiah
9:7 heir
to David's
throne Luke
1:32
Micah
5:2 Bethlehem
birthplace Luke
2:4-7
?(Daniel
9:24f time
of
birth Luke
2:1-2)
Isaiah
7:14 virgin
birth Luke
i:26-31
Jeremiah
31:15 slaughter
of the
innocents Matthew
2:16-18
Hosea
11:1 flight
to
Egypt Matthew
2:14-15
Albany Intercessor
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