Dgw Pr 2-1: Birth And Early Life Of Jesus

BIRTH & EARLY LIFE OF JESUS

DISCOVERING GOD’S WAY - PRIMARY YEAR 2, BOOK 1

© Religious Supply Center, 2008. All Rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission of the publisher. Illustrations © 2008 Randi Roberts, Sean Sullivan, Angela Hudgins Used by permission. Selected ClipArt from Corel Draw; Broderbund Clickart; Logos; Nova Art Explosion. Copyright © 2008 Religious Supply Center, Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved. Photos © 2008 Leon Mauldin. Used by permission. Unless otherwise stated, scriptures quoted from the International Children’s Bible® copyright © 1986, 1988, 1999 by Tommy Nelson™, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc. Nashville, Tennessee 37214. Used by permission. Scriptures designated by “NIV” taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. The “NIV” and “New International Version” trademarks are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by International Bible Society. Use of either trademark requires the permission of International Bible Society. IT IS ILLEGAL AND UNETHICAL TO DUPLICATE COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL. The material in this book represents a sizable investment in time and finances on the part of the publisher. If lessons from this book are photocopied and distributed to avoid buying a book for each class member, the publisher does not sell enough copies to continue publication. Printed in the United States of America.

BIRTH & EARLY LIFE OF JESUS Written by Vikki Kline

Editors:

Photos:

Robert Harkrider Arline Harkrider

Leon Mauldin

Layout & Design: Artists:

Lauren Mayeux

Randi Roberts Sean Sullivan Angela Hudgins

Special Thanks: George Hudgins

Published by:

RC S ©

Religious Supply Center, Inc 4001 Preston Highway Louisville, KY 40213 1-800-626-5348

Contents /HVVRQ‡7KH%LUWKRI-RKQWKH%DSWLVW /HVVRQ‡7KH%LUWKRI-HVXV /HVVRQ‡-HVXVWKH%DE\9LVLWRIWKH:LVH0HQ....................................15 /HVVRQ‡-HVXVWKH&KLOG /HVVRQ‡7KH0LQLVWU\RI-RKQWKH%DSWLVW /HVVRQ‡6DWDQ7HVWV-HVXV /HVVRQ‡-RKQ%HDUV:LWQHVVWKDW-HVXVLVWKH/DPERI*RG /HVVRQ‡-HVXV·0LQLVWU\VW0LUDFOHDQGVW3DVVRYHU /HVVRQ‡-HVXV7HDFKHV1LFRGHPXV /HVVRQ‡-HVXV7HDFKHVWKH6DPDULWDQ:RPDQ /HVVRQ‡-HVXV+HDOVWKH1REOHPDQ·V6RQ /HVVRQ‡-HVXV3LFNV$SRVWOHV /HVVRQ‡-HVXV+HDOVD0DQZLWK/HSURV\DQGD3DUDO\]HG0DQ

The Birth of John the Baptist Lesson 1

rse e V y r Memo :13 Luke 1 But the angel said to him, “Zachariah, don’t be afraid. Your prayer has been heard by God. Your wife Elizabeth will give birth to a son. You will name him John.”

Words to Know Barren Nazarite Priest Prophecy Prophet Vow

Not able to bear children A person dedicated to God who does not do certain practices One who speaks to God or relates to God on behalf of another A message from God A messenger from God Promise

Lesson 1: The Birth of John the Baptist | 1

We will begin this quarter studying about “Jesus Our Savior” or “Immanuel,” which means “God with Us.” It will be a study about the life of Jesus Christ. These lessons will help you SEE and FEEL how much our Savior loves each and every one of us and how He wants us ALL to go to heaven. FUN S T FAC

One of the reasons the Bible has been given to us is to study and learn more about our Savior Jesus. We ALWAYS should turn to the Bible first to find out what God commands and for how we should live our lives and treat others.

Bible = 2 Parts O.T. & N.T. O.T. = 39 Books N.T. = 27 Books Total Books = 66

The last book of the Old Testament contains a prophecy that says God would send another ELIJAH to Israel. Remember, Elijah was a well loved prophet that took a stand for God against false religious leaders and kings (1 Kings 17:1; 18; 21:17-29). Now after about 400 years without a prophet speaking to Israel, a man appeared on the scene who claimed to be a PROPHET of God. Do you know WHO this man is? His name is ________ ________. We will learn about his birth and what he did to help tell man about the coming of our Lord.

The New Testament begins with the books UN Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. All four books FFACTS tell about the same events which are the Matthew, Mark, Luke and John also are called birth, life, ministry, and death and resurrection the “Four Gospels.” of Jesus. Each book tells these events in a different way and does not include all the same facts. So as we study about the life of Jesus, we can put together all the events mentioned in each book and get a bigger picture of what really happens. We want to have all the pieces that we can to get the complete picture like you would a puzzle.

2 | Birth & Early Life of Jesus

Let’s look at Luke 1 to learn about the story of John’s birth. During the days of Herod, the King of Judea, there was a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division Abijah. His wife was one of Aaron’s daughters and her name was Elizabeth.

Write in the circle above WHY Zacharias and Elizabeth were both righteous before God. (Hint: Luke 1:6)

Zacharias and Elizabeth had no children because Elizabeth was barren and both were very old. They lived in Jerusalem because Zacharias had duties in the temple which was located there. One day as Zacharias was serving as a priest before God, it was his turn, as was the custom, to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. Lesson 1: The Birth of John the Baptist | 3

Read at Luke 1 and see if you can answer the following questions.

1. WHO was John’s Father? (Hint: vs. 5) _______________________________ 2. WHO was John’s Mother? (Hint: vs. 5) _______________________________ 3. WHAT was John’s father’s job? (Hint: vs. 5) _______________________________ 4. WHO appeared to Zacharias in the temple? (Hint: vs. 11 and 19) _______________________________

Birth Announcement Father: Zacharias Mother: Elizabeth 6 Months before Jesus

Name FOUR things that the angel said this child would do when he was older:

When Zacharias was in the temple, an angel of the Lord appeared to him and said,“Your prayer is heard and your wife Elizabeth will bear a son, and you shall call his name JOHN.” (Luke 1:13)

1. ______________________________________ ______________________________________ 2. ______________________________________ ______________________________________ 3. ______________________________________ ______________________________________ 4. ______________________________________ ______________________________________ (Hint: Luke 1: 15-17)

4 | Birth & Early Life of Jesus

Zacharias couldn’t believe his ears. He said to the angel,“How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.”

Do you think Zacharias believed that his wife was REALLY going to be able to have a baby at her age? Gabriel gave what sign to Zacharias to prove his prophecy was true? _________________________________________ (Hint: Luke 1:20)

Zacharias was NOT ALLOWED to speak until his baby was eight days old. He was asked what they were going to call their new baby and, after he wrote on a writing tablet, “His name is John,” his tongue was loosed and he spoke, praising God!

The Bible does not tell us details about John as a child. It does say that he grew up to be strong in spirit. John was born six months before Jesus. God planned a special relationship for John and Jesus. As John became an adult, he began preaching everywhere, preparing the people for the coming of the Messiah and His kingdom. Lesson 1: The Birth of John the Baptist | 5

FUN S T FAC

?

Can you name another Bible character who was a Nazarite?

John was under at least one of the restrictions of the Nazarite vow, but he was never called a Nazarite.

______________________

John’s Message “Change your hearts and lives because the kingdom of heaven is near.” Matthew 3:2

6 | Birth & Early Life of Jesus

Matching Zacharias

The Four Gospels

John

Prophet in the Old Testament

Elizabeth

John’s Mother

Gabriel

God’s Son

John’s Father

Priest

Elijah

The Angel who told Zacharias that he would have a child

Jesus

I prepared the way for the Lord

Matthew, Mark, Luke & John

One who speaks to God

Lesson 1: The Birth of John the Baptist | 7