The Proof Is in the Prophecy KEY VERSE 2 Peter 1:21 STICKY STATEMENT The proof is in the prophecy! LESSON OBJECTIVE Children will learn that the Bible is reliable and will choose to trust its accuracy. CHECKLIST 1. A PowerPoint is available for this lesson. 2. Video: “Jesus Historically fulfilled over 300 Prophecies...Accidentally? (by Intelligent Faith 315)” https://teachersource.wol.org/video s/oly18/24-1/ (1:37-4:16). 3. Ten tickets (with one marked) and a hat (Younger Adaptation) 4. Prize for choosing the special ticket (Younger Adaptation) 5. Visuals 1-3 (Body) LESSON OVERVIEW To make sure we understand the truth of His Word, God used prophets in the Old Testament to tell us what would happen in the New Testament. Mathematically, the probability of these predictions happening by chance is impossible. God alone is responsible for the promises He made. This not only gave the people of that day great hope, it 24. The Proof Is in the Prophecy (Module 7 – Not Virtual Reality) - 1
Transcript
The Proof Is in the Prophecy
KEY VERSE
2 Peter 1:21
STICKY STATEMENT
The proof is in the prophecy!
LESSON OBJECTIVE
Children will learn that the Bible is reliable and will choose to trust its accuracy.
3. Ten tickets (with one marked) and a hat (Younger Adaptation)
4. Prize for choosing the special ticket (Younger Adaptation)
5. Visuals 1-3 (Body)
LESSON OVERVIEW
To make sure we understand the truth of His Word, God used prophets in the Old Testament
to tell us what would happen in the New Testament. Mathematically, the probability of these predictions happening by chance is impossible. God alone is responsible for the promises He made. This not only gave the people of that day great hope, it also reveals to us today that the Bible is historically accurate and true. We will look at just three of these prophecies that show us how God set the stage for His Son to be revealed to the world and for the world to be saved through Him.
Younger Adaptation
Teacher’s Note: Before the lesson, fill a hat with ten tickets. Mark one of the tickets with a colored dot. Choose a volunteer.
I placed ten tickets in this hat. One of the tickets has a mark on it. How many tries do you think it would take before you pulled out the marked one? [Allow child to respond.] Do you think you can do it on your first try?
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Teacher’s Note: Have the child pull out a ticket. Make it a big deal if they were able to pull the marked ticket on the first try. If they do it, you could reward them with a small treat. If they didn’t, count how many times it takes to pull out the marked ticket.
Your chances to pick the marked ticket on your first pull is one-in-ten. It looks like this. [Write 1/10 on the board.] What if I made that a bigger number? How about if I add a few more zeros to the ten. [Add 17 more zeros. You can pause as you add the zeros to make it more dramatic.] Can anybody read this number? [Allow a few children to try reading the number.] Well, let me help you out. That number is one quintillion! Do you think you could pull out one marked ticket from one quintillion tickets? That would really be something amazing! Unfortunately, I didn’t bring enough tickets or a bigger hat to try it.
Many hundreds of years before Jesus was born, there were over 300 prophecies made about Jesus that came true. If you took just eight of these prophecies that came true, it would be like you choosing the one marked ticket out of one quintillion tickets on your first try! This shows us how amazing it was for God to make all the things that He said about Jesus come true. God proves His promises to us through these prophecies. The proof is in the prophecy.
INTRODUCTION
Teacher’s Note: You can choose the Younger Adaptation to replace the content of this Introduction.
Have you ever been promised a special gift that you have wanted for a long time? As you waited, it seemed like forever before it finally arrived. When the day came, you were so excited and couldn’t wait to tear into the package. [Hold up a Bible.] God promised us a special gift. He even gave us all the details in the Old Testament so that we would know when His promise arrived. The Old Testament is filled with prophecies all about the special gift. A prophecy is the revealing of an event before it happens.
Did you know that over 300 of the thousand prophecies that God made in the Old Testament were about Jesus’ birth, life, death, and resurrection? When God makes a promise, He keeps it. God can be trusted. I would like to show you this video which gives you the evidence for believing that everything about Jesus is real.
Teacher’s Note: Show the video, “Jesus Historically fulfilled over 300 Prophecies...Accidentally?” (by Intelligent Faith 315) https://teachersource.wol.org/videos/oly18/24-1/ (1:37-4:16).
BODY
Now it’s our turn to look at the evidence. From the very beginning, God planned to send His Son, Jesus to save man from their sin. Jesus came to this earth as a man, to die on a cross, to be buried, and to rise from the grave to give us eternal life. The evidence of these truths are found throughout the Old Testament and fulfilled in the New Testament. Let’s take a look at just three of the over 300 prophecies about Jesus.
The fulfilled prophecies we will look at are the birth of God’s Son, Jesus; the fact that He was born in Bethlehem; and the piercing of Jesus’ hands and feet on the cross. These are just a small number of the prophecies that prove the truths about Jesus. By taking a look at a few of these prophecies, we are able to prove that the Bible is reliable and can be trusted! The proof is in the prophecy.
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[Show Visual 1.] Our first prophecy is found in Isaiah 9:6. [Read Isaiah 9:6.] Who does Isaiah say is going to be born? [Allow time for answers.] This verse tells us that a Child is born, a Son is given. This child was special. How do we know that this child is Jesus? Isaiah said that His name would be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace.
Let’s compare this verse to Luke 2:10, 11. [Read Luke 2:10, 11.] Who is this verse referring to? That’s right, Jesus. In this verse the angel announces that Jesus is born. What three titles does the angel give to baby Jesus? [Allow children to respond: Savior, Christ and Lord.] Remember that we said that God would send someone to save mankind from their sins. Jesus was born as a baby like the rest of us, but He is also God’s Son. Luke 2:10-11 tells us that the prophecy found in Isaiah 9:6 took place. The proof is in the prophecy. [Show Visual 2.] Let’s talk about the prophecy that tells where Jesus was born. [Read Micah 5:2.] Was Bethlehem a big city? No, it was a little town. However, Micah 5:2 tells us that out of little Bethlehem will come the Ruler of Israel, and He will be everlasting. The only One who lives forever is God. Since only God gives us everlasting life, that can only mean that the One coming out of Bethlehem will bring eternal life.
Joseph and Mary lived in Nazareth. Naturally, you would think that Jesus would have been born there. However, Luke 2:4-7 tells us where Jesus was actually born. [Read Luke 2:4-7.] Where was Jesus born? [Allow time for answer: Bethlehem.] The prophecy in Micah 5:2 was given over 700 years before Jesus was born! Think about that! How could the prophets have known that unless God told them? The proof is in the prophecy.
Let’s look at our third comparison. [Read Psalm 22:16b.] [Show Visual 3.] This describes the awful way that a person was crucified on a cross. However, this description was given before the cruel act of crucifixion was used. Again, how could a prophet know these facts before it was even being done? Only God knew what would take place before it happened!
Let’s compare the Old Testament prophecy to John 19:34 and John 20:27. [Read John 19:34 and John 20:27.] John 19:34 tells us that a soldier pierced Jesus’ side with his spear. In John 20:27, Jesus was talking to Thomas who had doubted that Jesus had risen from the dead. He appeared to His disciples and encouraged Thomas to place his finger in Jesus’ nail pierced hands and to place his hand in Jesus’ side and believe. This was overwhelming proof to the disciples that Jesus had fulfilled the prophecy made in Psalm 22. The proof is in the prophecy.
It has always been God’s plan to send His Son Jesus to save us from our sins. We all need a Savior. God gave the prophecies to the people in the Old Testament to help them understand and believe His promises even though they would not live to see them. They looked forward by faith to these promises coming true.
When Jesus walked the earth, He proved that these prophecies were about Him. Today, we have the whole Bible showing us all of God’s promises and their fulfillment. We can read and compare the prophecies of the Old Testament and see how Jesus fulfilled them in the New Testament. The proof is in the prophecy.
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APPLICATION
In a courtroom, the lawyers need to have evidence to prove their case. After the evidence is presented, the judge has to make a decision. We just showed you three proofs out of more than 300 prophecies about Jesus. Every prophecy that God gave to the prophets about Jesus hundreds of years earlier in the Old Testament all came true in the New Testament. The evidence is clear that God sent His Son, Jesus, to the world to save us from our sins. Have you made a decision to receive Jesus as your personal Savior? If you have already made that decision, great! However, if you haven’t made that decision or have some questions, please talk with one of the leaders today. [Close in prayer.]
PERSONAL TRAINING TIMEGoal of this Personal Training Time
Children will be challenged to rely on God’s Word knowing it can be trusted.
Discussion Questions
1. How has God revealed His Son through prophecy? (There were over 300 prophecies about Jesus in the Old Testament. The New Testament shows us the fulfillment of these prophecies.)
2. What evidence could you share with a friend that proves that Jesus is God? (Isaiah 9:6 says that a child would be born that would be called the “Mighty God.” In Luke 2:10, 11 the angel announces that the Savior has been born. 700 years before Jesus was born, Micah 5:2 says that He would be born in Bethlehem. In Luke 2:4-7 we read that Jesus was born in Bethlehem. In Psalms 22:16 it says that Jesus would be pierced. In John 19:24, and 20:27 we read how the soldiers pierced His side and also how Jesus showed Thomas and the disciples His wounds when He appeared to them. These are just a few examples to use.)
3. In what way can you apply God’s Word in your life this week? (God’s Word is true, reliable, and trustworthy. We have proof to share with a friend that Jesus is who He says He is.)
PARENT CONNECTION
This week your children learned how they can trust the reliability of the Bible. They saw how the Old Testament points to the birth, death, and resurrection of God’s Son, Jesus, and are fulfilled in the New Testament. You can find a list of Old Testament prophecies and how they were fulfilled at https://teachersource.wol.org/videos/oly18/24-2/ . On the left you will find the Old Testament source, in the middle, the prophecy is listed, and at the right the New Testament prophecy fulfillment. This would be a great family adventure to look these up and read them for yourselves!
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