Passages: Matthew 1, 2, 3, 8, 14, 19, 26, 27
Big Idea: Jesus is the King God promised would come.
Ages: 3-4
Ten lessons for 3 and 4 year olds getting to know God's great king, King Jesus, in the book of Matthew.
Matthew has more Old Testament references than the other three gospels. Each time he states that what had happened took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophets (Matthew 1:22, 4:14, 8:17…). He wants his readers to have no doubt that Jesus is the one whom God promised would come. Jesus steps in and fulfills them all.
Jesus is God's perfect King, whose perfection is tested by Satan’s temptations. He has to clean up his people so they can enter his Kingdom. Jesus demonstrates his authority as King by calming a storm, walking on water and providing generously for his people.
Ultimately Jesus would be betrayed and the people turn against him - just as the prophets predicted. But this was all part of God’s plan. God’s promised King would be the perfect sacrifice to take away sin.
The unit comes complete with the following resources:
1. Leaders Manuals
2. Active Play & Games Ideas
3. Songs & Action Rhymes
4. Bible Stories (full scripts, with sets of pictures for each story)
5. Small Group Time & Prayer Time Guides (complete with resources)
6. Take-Home Crafts (for children to use to retell the Bible story at home)
7. Story Booklet (full of the stories they've heard over the ten weeks, for parents to read at home with their child)
8. Parent Flyer (detailing what children will learn - Bible story, big ideas, memory verse, action rhymes, song list)
9. God's Great King Banner (to display)
This unit is one of four units in two-year cycle for this age group.
Cycle A includes:
1. God's Amazing World
2. God's Big Kingdom
3. Our God Rules
4. God's Great King