AGE GROUP: elementary (ages 6-11)
TIME REQUIRED: 45 minutes
This is lesson 16 of 42in our study on the Attributes of God called “Can you tell me what God is like?” Visit the series index to view all the lessons and get more ideas for using this curriculum in your children’s ministry.
LESSON 16: JESUS IS IMMANUEL (GOD WITH US)
- Key Verse:“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call Him Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14
- Teaching Passage: The birth of Jesus – Matthew 1:18-24 & Luke 2:1-20Genesis 50
- Supporting Texts: Isaiah 7:14, Isaiah 9:6-7, John 1:1-5, Philippians 2:5-11, Galatians 4:4-5
SUPPLIES NEEDED:
Bibles, previous attribute of God posters, a large piece of paper with the words JESUS IS IMMANUEL: GOD WITH US written on it, key verse (Isaiah 7:14) printed on a piece of paper, blank paper and markers or colored pencils for each child in the group
LESSON OUTLINE:
REVIEW PREVIOUS LESSONS:
Ask one of the kids in the group to remind you what you’re learning this year. Remind them that each week we’ll be looking into the Bible to answer the question… “Can you tell me what God is like?” and will be learning one of the many truths about God that we see in His Word.
Play a quick review game where you read one of the attribute definitions and have someone stand and say which attribute that is. Keep playing until all the children in the room are standing.
- God is Almighty= He has absolute power or is all powerful
- God is the Alpha and Omega= He is the beginning and the end, the first and the last
- God is Awesome = He inspires awe and amazement
- God is Compassionate = He shows a deep concern for His people & a desire to meet their needs
- God is the Deliverer = He is the rescuer or savior
- God is Exalted = He is noble, elevated and lifted up
- God is Faithful = He is reliable, trustworthy, true to His Word & keeps His promises
- God Forgives = He grants pardon and cancels the debt of sin
- God is Glorious = He is full of glory (praise, honor & distinction)
- God is Good = morally excellent, virtuous or righteous
- God is Gracious = merciful, benevolent, kind & compassionate
- God Guides His People= He leads, accompanies, assists and gives direction/ guidance
- God Heals = make healthy & whole & free from ailments
- God is Holy = He is sinless, perfect and set apart
- God is our Hope = He is the One in whom our expectations are centered
TEACH- JESUS IS IMMANUEL (GOD WITH US):
Start out by reading this week’s memory verse (Isaiah 7:14) from the poster. Act all confused and say, “but I thought we were learning about who God is in this study. And, it sounds like this verse is about Jesus…what’s this Immanuel business, who’s he?” Hopefully someone in the group will saying something like Jesus is God – to which you can respond, yes He is and today we’re going to talk about how God came to live with His people.
Ask if any of the kids in the group know what the word Immanuel means. Briefly define “Immanuel” as meaning God with us.
Walk the kids through a brief Bible overview asking kids to help answer the question of where was God in relation to His people in each of these situations….
~ Genesis 1-2- In the Garden of Eden ~ God was with His people- walking in the garden
~ after Adam & Eve sinned and were kicked out of the garden ~ they were kicked out of God’s presence/ separated from Him because of sin
~ as they wandered through the wilderness (Exodus) ~ God was in the midst of His people but separated from them- remind kids of the curtain in the tabernacle and how only once a year one priest could enter God’s presence.
Then, ask the kids to tell you what changed from the time in the garden to the time during the exodus. Remind kids of a few weeks ago when we learned that God is holy (He is sinless, perfect and set apart from sin). Explain that because of sin the people were separated from God because God is set apart (holy). But, thankfully God did not stay separated from His people….
Explain that you’re going to tell them part of one of the most famous stories in the Bible, the story of Jesus birth. But, that this is a part of the story that you don’t hear very often. Choose 3 children to be Joseph, Mary and the angel and ask the to act out the parts while you read Matthew 1:18-24.
After reading the text, review the story with the following points:
(1) Joseph was engaged to a young girl named Mary, but they weren’t married yet.
(2) Mary got pregnant and Joseph decided it would be best to divorce her quietly to keep their from being a public scandal.
(3) An angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and told him that the baby was the Son of God and that he should marry Mary.
(4) The angel told him that Mary would have a son and that they should name Him Jesus because He would save His people from their sin.
(5) The angel explained that this baby was the Immanuel promised in Isaiah 7:14 and that He was God coming to live with His people.
(6) Joseph woke up and married Mary as the angel commanded.
(7)…. after going through this text, briefly tell “the rest of the story” from Luke 2:1-20 in your own words or have one of the kids tell the Christmas story.
Then, have one of the kids in the group read John 1:1-2 & 14. Briefly explain how this text helps us to understand what it means that Jesus is Immanuel (God with us)….
(1) Jesus was there in the beginning,
(2) Jesus is God,
(3) Jesus took on flesh,
(4) Jesus came from God the Father.
DEFINE AND REMEMBER:
To help the kids remember this truth about God, take a few minutes to define the attribute.
IMMANUEL = GOD WITH US
EXPLAIN: Talk about how God was always separated from His people because of sin, but that by coming to earth, Jesus not only came to live with His people, but He came to live as one of His people and live the perfect live that none of us could ever live on our own.
Since motions & actions help kids remember, choose an action for IMMANUEL. A good motion might be to rock a pretend baby or point up then point to yourself to show God becoming a man.
MEMORY VERSE:
SAY: “This week our memory verse is Isaiah 7:14. This verse was written 400+ years before Jesus was born and yet it teaches us one of the most important truths about Jesus we’ll ever learn~ that Jesus is Immanuel or God with us. The whole point of the Christmas story is that God became a man and lived with His people and died to pay the price for sin.”
Then get a piece of paper and write the word Immanuel down the side of it. Work together as a group to make an acrostic poem using the word Immanuel (which means God with us). Have kids help you fill in each line of the poem with words or phrases that describe Jesus.
Read the memory verse (Isaiah 7:14) a few times together and do the motion for Immanuel.
CROSS CONNECTION:
Explain to the kids that we’ve seen this morning what it means that Jesus is Immanuel: God with us, so now we need to think about why Jesus came to earth. Read Philippians 2:5-11. Talk through the truths that this familiar passage teaches us about Jesus… (1) He is fully God, (2) He humbled Himself, (3) He became a man….the creator became part of His creation, (4) He obeyed His Father to the point of death, (5) He died on the cross in our place, (6) God exalted Him to His rightful place and gave Him the name above every name, (7) one day all knees will bow before Him.
Talk briefly about why Jesus came to earth according to this passage, and looking back at Matthew 1:21. Jesus came to die on the cross to pay the price for our sin and thereby to save His people from their sin. That’s what it means that Jesus is Immanuel: God with us. Jesus opened the way for salvation and forgiveness of sin by taking our place on the cross.
REVIEW:
Give each child a blank piece of paper provide markers or colored pencils. Encourage them to write the word Immanuel somewhere on the paper and then write or draw something to help them remember that God became a man. They could write the definition for Immanuel or the memory verse or they could illustrate any of the passages you read today. After a few minutes, bring the group back together and give kids time to share what they have drawn or written.
PRAYER:
Pray that the kids in the group would come to know God more and more each week through this study and that they would remember that all of us are sinners who need to be saved and that they would turn to this good God for salvation. Thank God for sending Jesus to earth pay the price for our sin.
Thankyou for this lesson- I will be using it for our Sunday school tomorrow.
May the Lord bless and encourage you in this ministry.
Jeremy Richards