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His Name Shall Be Called . . .

4/30/2017

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Opening Conversation: What would you like to know about the future? 
 
Introduction: In the times of the kings of Israel and Judah, many of the people chose to disobey God by worshipping idols and treating one another in ways that broke God’s commands. They often treated their families unkindly. They did not help people who needed it most, like the widows and orphans. They were greedy and refused to share with their neighbors like they should. Because of all of the sins being committed, God sent prophets to both Israel and Judah to tell the people they needed to change their ways. Some of the prophets spoke to the kings in their palaces. Some of the prophets spoke to the people throughout the communities. But they all spoke similar messages — “It’s time to change your ways.”
 
Read Isaiah 1:15-17
 
Devotional: Unfortunately, the nations of Israel and Judah did not change their ways after hearing the prophets. Because of this, both of the nations would be punished and be conquered by their enemies. When God warns us about what is right and what is wrong, we must remember that disobedience comes with consequences. The people of Israel and Judah learned this the hard way. However, God still showed the people mercy through the prophets by delivering a message of hope. Many of the prophets in the Old Testament end on a positive note that speak of a better day.
 
Read Isaiah 9:6-7
 
Although Isaiah told the king that times of punishment were ahead, he also revealed that something — and someone — far greater would come later in Israel’s history. This was not just a prediction of something that might happen. It was a prophecy, a promise from God of something that would happen. This prophecy speaks of a future king. Who might this king be? In the days of Isaiah, no one was exactly sure, but those who believed Isaiah’s prophecy looked to the future with hope. When we get to the New Testament, we discover that this prophecy and so many other prophecies from the Old Testament were talking about Jesus. When the angel Gabriel tells Mary that she will have a son, she learns that Jesus is the one of whom the prophets spoke. Jesus has been and always will be the hope for all of us!
 
Read Luke 1:26-33
 
DISCUSSION: What was so special about the prophecies about Jesus from the Old Testament? What do they tell us about God?

PRAYER: Thank God for giving us hope in Jesus and ask for His help to both believe in Jesus and to follow His example. 

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Chariots of Fire

4/25/2017

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Opening Thoughts/Conversation: Have you ever thought about the fact that there are angels watching over us right now? What do you think they are doing?
 
Introduction: Elisha was a prophet in Israel during the times of the kings. Prophets were special people appointed by God to reveal His will to others. Sometimes they performed miracles like providing food for the hungry or bringing the dead back to life. Even though Elisha lived at a time when many Israelites - including the kings - did not obey God, he continued to trust in God and tell others about Him. On one special occasion, he helped his servant see that God and His angels remained in control of everything around them.
 
Read 2 Kings 6:15-16
 
Devotional: The Syrians were one of Israel’s enemies, and the two nations often battled with each other. On one particular morning, Elisha’s servant woke up to discover that the Syrian army had surrounded the city of Dothan where Elisha was living. They had come especially for Elisha. The servant was very afraid because the Syrians had a strong army, horses, and chariots. It looked like he and Elisha would soon be captured or killed because they had no one to protect them. But Elisha knew something that his servant did not know.
 
Read 2 Kings 6:17-19
 
Elisha asked God to help his servant see something special. When the servant looked up again, he suddenly saw the mountains filled by an army much bigger than the Syrians. This army was not made of men. It was an army of angels and their chariots of fire! Elisha knew that these angels would protect him and his servant from the Syrians. So Elisha then prayed that God would temporarily strike the Syrians with blindness. When God did, Elisha led them into the Israel’s capital, Samaria. Now that God had given the Syrians to Israel, the king of Israel was tempted to kill them. Instead Elisha teaches the king to treat the Syrians with kindness.
 
Read 2 Kings 6:21-23
 
DISCUSSION: How would you have felt if you suddenly saw an army of angels all around you? What do we learn from how Elisha tells the king to treat the Syrians?
 
Prayer: Thank God for giving us His angels to watch over us and ask Him to help us know that He is always taking care of us.

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Listening to the Right People

4/18/2017

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Opening Conversation: When you have a difficult decision to make, who can you trust to give you good advice?
 
Introduction: King Solomon’s reign over Israel saw the country grow in wealth and fame. The Temple and other buildings he constructed were beautiful pieces of architecture that required lots of money and hard work. Some of the money came from the people’s taxes, and they provided much of the hard work too. When Solomon died, his son Rehoboam became Israel’s king. As the new leader, he had a decision to make. Do I tax and work the people just as hard as my father did or do I make things a bit easier for them now that our construction projects are complete? So Rehoboam went to some of the older, wise men of Israel to ask for their advice.
 
Read 1 Kings 12:6-7
 
Devotional: The older men gave Rehoboam good advice. In fact, their words sound very much like what Jesus told his disciples in Matthew 20:26-28. There Jesus said, “Whoever would be great among you must be your servant.” Rehoboam would have been wise to accept the advice of the older men. But he didn’t like what they had to say. Sometimes the people who love us the most and want the best for us will tell us things that we don’t want to hear. But they tell us those things because they want things to go well for us. Even the Bible sometimes tells us things that we might not want to hear. In times like that, it is very important to think about what is best instead of just what we want to do. Unfortunately for Rehoboam, he refused to listen to the good advice of others. Instead he turned to people his own age to see what kind of advice they would give. They told Rehoboam what he wanted to hear.
 
Read 1 Kings 12:8-11
 
Instead of being a good and kind king like the older men said he should, Rehoboam decided to make life even more difficult for the people of Israel. That is the advice that his so-called friends gave him, and that is what he wanted to hear. As a result, most of Israel rebelled against Rehoboam and became their own nation. Sadly, the twelve tribes of Israel would never ben united again.
 
DISCUSSION: What would you have done if you were Rehoboam? Who would you have listened to?
 
Prayer: Thank God for giving you people in your life who want the best for you and ask God to help you listen to the right people.

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The Way of Wisdom

4/9/2017

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Opening Conversation: What does it mean to be wise? Who are wise people in your life whose example you should follow? Why do you want to be like them?
 
Introduction: Some people say they want to be the richest person in the world. Others want to be the strongest or fastest or most beautiful. The Bible tells us that King Solomon of Israel was the wisest man in the world during his times of the Old Testament. 1 Kings 3:28 says that all of Israel “stood in awe of the king, because they perceived that the wisdom of God was in him.” 1 Kings 4:34 tells us that “people of all nations came to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and from all the kings of the earth, who had heard of his wisdom.” One time even the Queen of Sheba traveled to Israel so that she could learn from Solomon’s wisdom.
 
Read 1 Kings 10:1-9
 
Devotional: Solomon was not just wise because of the books he read or the smart people around him. Solomon was wise because he believed wisdom ultimately comes from God. When he had the opportunity to ask God for anything, he asked for wisdom (1 Kings 3:9). He used that wisdom to lead his people. He also used that wisdom so that he could help other people look to God and be wise in their lives. The books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes share Solomon’s wisdom with us. They are given to us so that we too can look to God for the wisdom we need in life.
 
Read Proverbs 2:1-5
 
The book of Proverbs teaches about the importance of living with wisdom. It talks about choosing the right kinds of friends, speaking kind words to others, using your money to do good, and working hard. It also tells us how to be good children, husbands, wives, fathers, and mothers. Making good decisions is what wisdom is all about. In Solomon’s book of Ecclesiastes, we are taught about the best decision we can ever make — to put God first all the days of our lives. That is a wise decision everyone can make every day!
 
Read Ecclesiastes 12:1, 13-14
 
DISCUSSION: As you grow up, how can you grow in wisdom? What are some wise decisions you can make every day?
 
Prayer: Thank God for giving us the Bible to help us know how we should live and ask God to help you grow in wisdom.

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A Heart for Worship

4/3/2017

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Opening Conversation: What does it mean to worship? Why do we worship? What are some ways we worship God?
 
Introduction: David is most famous for defeating the giant Goliath when he was young and for becoming a great king over the nation of Israel. He was a brave warrior and a great leader. But there is something else about David that is more important than his courage and leadership — David was someone who loved to worship God. David wanted to build a permanent place in Israel where the nation could celebrate their special times of worship together. Even though David’s son Solomon would build the temple, David helped get everything ready for building it.
 
Read 1 Chronicles 22:1-5
 
Devotional: The book of Psalms is a collection of songs that Israelites would have sung during the times of the Old Testament. There are a total of 150 Psalms, and we are told that David wrote at least 55 of them! That tells us that David not only loved to worship but that he also loved to help others worship God too. The last Psalm that is said to be written by David is Psalm 145. That Psalm shows us just how much David loved God, loved worshipping God, and how much he wanted families to worship God together.
 
Read Psalm 145:1-4
 
The Psalms that David wrote show us that he was someone who wanted to worship God no matter how he was feeling. When he was sad, he worshipped God. When he was scared, he worshipped God. When he did something wrong, he worshipped God. When he was happy and thankful, he worshipped God. No matter what you have done and no matter how you are feeling, we can all be like David and worship God at all times. Of all the Psalms that David wrote, the most famous is Psalm 23. It shows that no matter where we go in life, we can follow God and worship Him.
 
Read Psalm 23
 
DISCUSSION: Why do you think David loved worshipping God so much? What is so special about worshipping God together as the church? Why is it important to be with your church family for worship? What are some of your favorite worship songs?

Song: Sing one or two of your (or your family's) favorite devotional songs.
 
Prayer: Thank God for giving you the opportunity to worship Him and for giving you a church family to worship with.

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    Blaine Kelly

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