Sunday,
July 13,
2014
Kidzone Large Group
TEACHER BIBLE STUDY
Genealogy of Christ
Matthew 1:1-17; Luke 3:23-38
The prophecies concerning Jesus’ birth are numerous, and many of them refer to Jesus’ lineage. Old
Testament prophecies tell of the promised Messiah being born from the seed of a woman (Gen.
3:15); from the seeds of Abraham (Gen. 22:18), Isaac (Gen. 21:12), and Jacob (Num. 24:17); from
the tribe of Judah (Micah 5:2); from the line of Jesse (Isa. 11:1); and from the house of David (Jer.
23:5). The prophecies said He would be born of a virgin (Isa. 7:14) and would be the Son of God (1
Chr. 17:13-14; Ps. 2:7). Jesus fulfilled all of these prophecies.
In Bible times, Jews took great care to accurately record family genealogies. The family a person
belonged to was directly linked to property rights. Matthew 1:1-17 and Luke 3:23-38 both chronicle
the genealogy of Jesus. The account in Matthew presents Jesus as the king of the Jews—the legal
heir to the throne of David. The account in Luke was written to Greek Christians and focuses on
Jesus’ descent from Adam.
Jesus was born as a baby in Bethlehem. He had earthly parents, Mary and Joseph, but His true
Father is God. Jesus is fully God and fully man.
As fully God, in Him “the entire fullness of God’s nature dwells bodily” (Col. 2:9). As fully man, Jesus
has a human body, human mind, and human emotions. (See Luke 2:7,52; Matt. 26:38.) He is our
sinless representative (2 Cor. 5:21), sympathetic high priest (Heb. 4:15), and substitute sacrifice (1
John 4:10).
Use this Bible story with the kids you teach to review Jesus’ ancestors and their stories in the Old
Testament. Help kids recognize that God had been working out His plan to send Jesus over
hundreds of years—through Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Jesse, David, Solomon, and Josiah.
God sent Jesus to earth to save people from their sins.
LARGE GROUP LEADER OVERVIEW
Session Title: Genealogy of Christ
Bible Passage: Matthew 1:1-17; Luke 3:23-38
Big Picture Question: How is Jesus different from any other man? Jesus is fully God and fully
man.
Key Passage: Luke 1:76-77
Unit Christ Connection: As prophesied in Isaiah 40:3 and Malachi 3:1, John the Baptist prepared
the people for the coming Messiah.
Unit 23 Session 1 – Large Group
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Sunday,
July 13,
2014
Kidzone Large Group
Suggested Theme Decorating Ideas:
• room decorations Decorate for a birthday party! Make a Happy Birthday banner, hang balloons and streamers
around the room, and cut triangles to hang from string as a birthday pennant banner. Consider
covering some empty boxes with gift wrap and positioning the presents at one side of the large
group area. If you wish, invite kids to help you decorate.
Sing (5 minutes)
• “Ready or Not”song
Leader •All of the Old Testament leads us to the birth of Jesus. When Adam and Eve sinned,
God promised to send a Savior as part of her family. God promised Abraham that his family
would be blessed and that a king from
his family would rule forever. God continued to tell His
people that this King and Savior was coming. It would happen whether the people were ready
or not. That reminds me our new theme song. Sing together “Ready or Not.”
Introduce the session (2 minutes)
Option #1:
• crepe paper streamer
• party invitations
[Large Group Leader enters wearing a crepe paper streamer as a scarf and carrying a stack of
invitations.]
Leader • Hi, everyone! My name is [your name], party planner extraordinaire. How are you? Are
you here
for the birthday party? Well, the party isn’t today; I’ve just started planning. As a
party planner, I have a very important job. I ... well, I plan the party. Would you like to help me?
I have a few decorations up already. What do you think, should we add more decorations?
[Invite a few kids to help arrange streamers or balloons.]
I just have to tell you that I love birthday parties! Your birthday is the one special day every year
that people get together and celebrate you! On my birthday, my whole family gets together to
eat cake and ice cream.
Speaking of family, do you know how many people are in Jesus’ family? A lot. More than just His
parents, Mary and Joseph. In today’s Bible story, we are going
to hear about Jesus’ ancestors.
Ancestors are people
in your family who came before you, like your great- grandparents, greatgreat-grandparents, great-great-great grandparents, great-great-great-great ... well, you get the
idea. Jesus’ family goes way back to Adam and Eve.
Unit 23 Session 1 – Large Group
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Sunday,
July 13,
2014
Kidzone Large Group
Option #2:
• wrapped gift
[Large Group Leader enters with a birthday gift.]
Leader • Hi there! Are you here for the big birthday party? That’s a silly question. Why else
would you be here? Do you like birthday parties? What is your favorite thing about birthday
parties? Well, I love the gifts. I love getting gifts, and I love giving gifts. I think I enjoy the
excitement of not knowing what each gift is until you open it. Even though the gifts may be
wrapped the same, each one is different. Did you know God gave us a gift? Romans 6:23 and
Ephesians 2:8 tell us that salvation is a gift. Jesus offers salvation to people who trust in Him.
God didn’t have to send Jesus to save us from sin, but He did because He loves us.
Big picture question (1 minute)
Leader • That leads me to our big picture question. Our big picture question is, How is Jesus
different from any other man? Hmm. I know that everyone is different. People have different
hair colors and eye colors and heights and weights and hobbies ... but something about Jesus
makes Him different from anyone else. Let’s hear our Bible story to find out.
Timeline map (2 minutes)
Leader • The Bible stories we have heard so far have been from the Old Testament. The Old
Testament tells us
the history of the Jewish people. We learned about God creating the world
and sin entering the world when Adam and Eve disobeyed God. God promised to bless the
world through Abraham’s offspring, and then God rescued the Israelites from slavery in Egypt.
We learned all about the Israelites being ruled by judges and kings. Sometimes they obeyed
God, and a lot of the time they disobeyed God. God sent prophets to warn the people, and He
punished the people by sending them into exile. Then God brought His people back to their
land.
God had a plan to save His people from the curse of sin. He promised to send a Messiah. God
planned for His Son, Jesus, to be part of a Jewish family, and today we will learn about Jesus’
earthly family.
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Sunday,
July 13,
2014
Kidzone Large Group
Tell the Bible story (9 minutes)
• “Genealogy of Christ” video
• Bibles, 1 per kid
• Bible Story Picture Slide or Poster
• Big Picture Question Slide or Poster Tip: A Bible story script is provided
at the beginning of every session. You may use it as you prepare to
teach the Bible story in your own words. For a shorter version of the Bible story, read only the bolded
text.
Open your Bible to Matthew 1:1-17 and Luke 3:23-38 and tell the Bible story in
your own words, and then show the Bible story video “Genealogy of Christ.”
Use costumes, puppets, objects, drawing or other creative ideas to act out or tell the story.
THE BIBLE STORY
Genealogy of Christ
Matthew 1:1-17; Luke 3:23-38
Jesus is the Son of God, which means that He is fully God. But when Jesus was born on earth as
a little baby, He had human parents too. Their names were Mary and Joseph. Jesus is fully
human, too. Jesus is both fully God and fully human; that makes Him different from any other
man.
Like all people on earth, Jesus’ family had a history—a family tree. Jesus had parents,
grandparents, great-grandparents, great-great- grandparents ... all the way back to Adam and
Eve in the garden of Eden.
The Bible says Adam and Eve had children. Three of their sons were named Cain, Abel, and
Seth. When Seth got older and had a family, his wife had a baby. Seth named his son Enos (EE
nahs). Enos grew up and had a family too, and his great-great-grandson was named Enoch (EE
nuhk). Enoch loved God, and he was part of Jesus’ family.
Then there was Noah! Noah obeyed God and built an ark to save his family from a great flood.
Noah was part of Jesus’ family too. Abraham was in Jesus’ family, and so was his son Isaac.
When Isaac had a family, one of his sons was named Jacob. Jacob was part of Jesus’ family.
Years later, a man named Salmon (SAL mahn) was born into Jesus’ family tree. He married
Rahab (RAY hab), who had hid the Israelite spies when they came to Jericho. Rahab had a baby,
and his name was Boaz (BOH az). Boaz was a farmer, and he married Ruth. Boaz and Ruth had
a son named Obed (OH bed).
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Sunday,
July 13,
2014
Kidzone Large Group
Obed’s son was Jesse. Jesse had many sons, and the youngest was David. David was just a boy
when he was chosen to be Israel’s king. King David liked to write. He wrote songs—called
psalms—and some of them were about the time when Jesus would come to earth.
Other people in Jesus’ family were kings too. David’s son Solomon was a king. King
Jehoshaphat (jih HAHSH uh fat) was part of Jesus’ family, and so was Uzziah (uh ZIGH uh), Ahaz
(AY haz), Hezekiah (HEZ ih kigh uh), and Josiah.
Then came Matthan (MAT than). Matthan’s son was named Jacob, and Jacob’s son was
named Joseph. Joseph is the man who took Mary to be his wife. Mary and Joseph were the
earthly parents of Jesus, God’s Son—the Messiah.
Christ Connection: Jesus came to earth as a baby in Bethlehem. Jesus had earthly parents, Mary
and Joseph, but His true Father is God. Jesus was still God the Son when He came to earth, but
He also took on the form of a man. Jesus was born to save people from their sins.
Discussion:
Leader •You probably know the story of Jesus’ birth. God chose Mary and Joseph to be Jesus’
parents on earth. For many years, God had promised to send a Messiah to save people from sin.
When God kept His promise, He sent Jesus to earth as a baby.
Jesus was God’s plan to bring salvation to the world, and God had been working out His plan
since the beginning. Many prophets told about Jesus’ coming. God promised that Jesus would
be part of Abraham’s family, Isaac’s family, Jacob’s family, and King David’s family.
God kept His promise! The family records of Jesus show that Jesus’ family line stretches all the
way back to Adam and Eve. Jesus is a part of Noah’s family too. Jesus’ family tree includes
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It includes Jesse, his son David, and David’s son Solomon.
The Old Testament prophets also said that Jesus would be the Son of God. Jesus did not use His
status as God to make His life on earth easier. Jesus gave up everything He had in heaven, came
to earth, and took on the form of a man. Jesus did not stop being God the Son when He came to
earth, but He also became human. Jesus is both fully God and fully man. He was born to save
people from their sins.
What is our big picture question? How is Jesus different from any other man? Jesus is fully God
and fully man. Say the big picture question and answer with me. How is Jesus different from
any other man? Jesus is fully God and fully man.
Unit 23 Session 1 – Large Group
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Sunday,
July 13,
2014
Kidzone Large Group
Questions:
Ask the following review questions:
1. Who were the first two people in Jesus’ family? (Adam and Eve, Luke 3:38)
2. Who in Jesus’ family built an ark? (Noah, Luke 3:36)
3. Who in Jesus’ family hid the Israelite spies in Jericho? (Rahab, Matthew 1:5)
4. What king from Jesus’ family wrote songs and was the son of Jesse? (David, Matthew
1:6)
5. How is Jesus different from any other man? Jesus is fully God and fully man.
The Gospel: God’s Plan for Me (optional)
Using Scripture and the guide provided, explain to boys and girls how to become a Christian.
Tell kids how they can respond, and provide counselors to speak with each kid individually.
Guide counselors to use open-ended questions to allow kids to determine the direction of the
conversation.
Encourage boys and girls to ask their parents, small group leaders, or other adults any questions
they may have about becoming a Christian.
Key passage (5 minutes)
• Key Passage Slide or Poster
Leader • Our key passage is from the Book of Luke. Let’s read it together.
Lead girls and boys to
read Luke 1:76-77 aloud. Explain that these verses are about someone God said would come
before Jesus, someone who would get people ready for Jesus. Can kids guess who?
Leader •Yes, it’s John the Baptist. We will learn more about him soon. Let’s practice saying the
key passage so we can memorize it.
Read the key passage one line at a time, pausing for kids to echo each line.
Unit 23 Session 1 – Large Group
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Sunday,
July 13,
2014
Kidzone Large Group
Prayer (2 minutes)
Leader • I am glad you came to visit me today. Thanks for your help with the decorations. I
hope you’ll come back next time; I am going to be planning a birthday party menu!
Close in prayer. Thank God for working out His plan to send Jesus from the beginning—through
many generations. Thank Him for loving and remembering His people.
DISMISS TO SMALL GROUPS
Please be VERY slow and orderly with dismissing to small groups to keep kids safe:
 Kindergarten
 First Grade
 Second Grade
 Third and Fourth Girls
 Third and Fourth Guys
Unit 23 Session 1 – Large Group
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Sunday,
July 13,
2014
Kidzone Large Group
The Gospel: God’s Plan for Me
Ask kids if they have ever heard the word gospel. Clarify that the word gospel means “good
news.” It is the message about Christ, the kingdom of God, and salvation. Use the following
guide to share the gospel with kids.
God rules. Explain to kids that the Bible tells us God created everything, and He is in charge of
everything. Invite a volunteer to read Genesis 1:1 from the Bible. Read Revelation 4:11 or
Colossians 1:16-17 aloud and explain what these verses mean.
We sinned. Tell kids that since the time of Adam and Eve, everyone has chosen to disobey God.
(Romans 3:23) The Bible calls this sin. Because God is holy, God cannot be around sin. Sin
separates us from God and deserves God’s punishment of death. (Romans 6:23)
God provided. Choose a child to read John 3:16 aloud. Say that God sent His Son, Jesus, the
perfect solution to our sin problem, to rescue us from the punishment we deserve. It’s
something we, as sinners, could never earn on our own. Jesus alone saves us. Read and explain
Ephesians 2:8-9.
Jesus gives. Share with kids that Jesus lived a perfect life, died on the cross for our sins, and
rose again. Because Jesus gave up His life for us, we can be welcomed into God’s family for
eternity. This is the best gift ever! Read Romans 5:8; 2 Corinthians 5:21; or 1 Peter 3:18.
We respond. Tell kids that they can respond to Jesus. Read Romans 10:9-10,13. Review these
aspects of our response: Believe in your heart that Jesus alone saves you through what He’s
already done on the cross. Repent, turning from self and sin to Jesus. Tell God and others that
your faith is in Jesus.
Offer to talk with any child who is interested in responding to Jesus.
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