God Called Moses

Watch the Bible story video or read all or parts of Exodus 1-4 from the Bible.

READ:  In 1939, DC Comics introduced a character that would become quite famous: Batman. Batman fought crime and enforced justice for the people of Gotham City. Whenever the peace of Gotham was disturbed by criminals, the bat signal would light up the night sky, calling for Batman to come to the rescue. 

As we open the Book of Exodus, we see God speaking to Moses—not through a bat signal but through a burning bush that never burned up. Why would God use such a dramatic sign to get Moses’ attention? Because He was calling Moses to something amazing and possibly frightening: to rescue His people from slavery in Egypt. 

In Exodus 3:10, God said to Moses, “Therefore, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh so that you may lead my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.” God promised to be with Moses and to supply the power he needed to free the Israelites. 

God saved Moses’ life and called him to rescue God’s people from slavery. The calling of Moses points to a greater calling and rescue—the call of Jesus to come to earth to save God’s people. Jesus gave up His life to save us from slavery to sin.

We all love a good rescue story like the ones from comic books, but the story of Jesus’ rescue for sinners is 100% true and even more amazing! 

PRAY:  God, we praise You because You are great. We see Your great power in the way that You used Moses to rescue the Israelites, and we see Your great love to send Jesus to rescue us from sin. Help us trust that You will be with us and give us the power we need to do what You call us to do.

UNIT 4:  OUT OF EGYPT

Many years had passed since God used Joseph to rescue His people from a famine by bringing them into Egypt. Now, however, God's people were in bondage and needed to be rescued. God raised up a new rescuer, Moses, to deliver his people out of Egypt and lead them back to the promised land.

Big Picture Question

Does God keep His promises?

Answer: Yes, God always keeps his promised because He is faithful.

Scripture Memory Verse

Numbers 23:19

God is not a man, that he might lie, or a son of man, that he might change his mind. Does he speak and not act, or promise and not fulfill?

Abbreviated for young kids: 

God keeps His promises.

God Had a Plan for Joseph

Watch the Bible story video or read all or parts of Genesis 37-50 from the Bible.  

READ:  The movie Despicable Me introduces the villain Gru, who is on a mission to shrink and steal the moon. Gru’s despicable plan includes stealing a shrink ray by adopting three orphans and using them to sneak into the base where the ray is kept. But Grus plan backfires as he falls in love with the three girls who have joined his family. Gru’s plan actually led to a happy ending and a happy family.

The story of Joseph is not exactly like Despicable Me, but the whole episode does end with a happy ending and a happy family. After Joseph is placed in charge of the food supplies in Egypt, his brothers came to buy food so that they could survive. Because Pharaoh had placed Joseph in charge, Joseph was able to save the lives of his family and all the people of Israel. Even though the story began with an evil plan, God used Joseph to save his entire family from a famine.

After the family had settled safely in Egypt, Joseph told his brothers, “You planned evil against me; God planned it for good to bring about the present result—the survival of many people.” (Genesis 50:20). Joseph’s life points us to Jesus as the greater rescuer. Jesus was hated by others. He was treated unfairly. He was punished for sins He did not commit. But every event of Jesus’ life—even His death—was part of God’s plan to save people from their sin. For those who believe in Jesus, His story has the happiest ending of all.

God had a plan for Joseph’s life. He allowed Joseph to suffer to rescue a whole nation. In a greater way, God planned for Jesus to suffer so that many—people from all nations—would be saved from sin.

PRAY:  God, thank You that we can trust You in every situation—good and bad. We know that You are always in control and nothing can stop You from doing what You have planned. Thank You for using Jesus’ death to bring forgiveness and eternal life to all who believe.

God Changed Jacob

Watch the Bible story video or read all or parts of Genesis 32:1 - 33:20 from the Bible.  

READ:  Have you ever been afraid because you felt like a duck was watching you? If so, you suffer from Anatidaephobia , which is the scientific name for that fear. And did you know that Hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia is the fear of really, really long words? It’s just cruel to give that fear such a long name. 

The truth is that we all have fears—some that might seem silly like these, and some that are very, very real. This week, we learned that Jacob’s biggest fear was meeting his brother Esau again after hiding from him for twenty years. After all of Jacob’s lies and tricks, and Esau’s threats to kill him, Jacob’s fears were not silly at all.

As he prepared to meet Esau, Jacob prayed to God for protection. That night, a mysterious man wrestled with Jacob for hours. Although the man was stronger than Jacob, Jacob prevailed. Finally, at daybreak, the man wounded Jacob’s side and then God blessed Jacob and changed his name to Israel. God changed Jacob’s name, but even more, He changed his heart. From that moment on, Jacob would look more to God for help than rely on himself.

The limp that Jacob had for the rest of his life was a gracious reminder of his need to do this. When Jacob cried out to God, God was there to help. Like God was there for Jacob, He is here for us. We do not have to fear the punishment of sin because Jesus has died in our place and paid that punishment. When we trust in Jesus, God forgives us and gives us a new identity. From that moment on, we live as chosen, forgiven, and loved children of God.

God changed Jacob’s life and gave him a new name, Israel. Jesus came so that we might have a changed life, forgiven of sin. Jesus’ death and resurrection provided sinful people the way to be adopted into God’s family. When we trust in Jesus, we also receive a new name—children of God.

PRAY: God, thank You for loving us even though we do not deserve it. You sent Jesus to die in our place so that we could be forgiven and accepted into Your family. Help us to trust in Jesus so that we can live with the new identity that You want us to have.

God Provided Isaac

Watch the Bible story video or read all or parts of Genesis 21:1-7 and 22:1-18 from the Bible.  

READ:  Do you have a favorite toy or stuffed animal that you would never want to give away? Parents, do you have a favorite item—cellphone, TV, a car—that you would never want to lose or be without?

What if God asked you to give up that special item and never use it again? We can all thank God for giving us the things that we love, but we would likely be pretty upset if He asked us to give up something so valuable or special.

That’s why Abraham’s trust and obedience are even more remarkable. When God tested Abraham’s love, Abraham was faithful to do what God said—even the unthinkable assignment of sacrificing his son. Even in such a hard moment, Abraham trusted and obeyed God. 

Abraham led Isaac up the mountain toward the place where the sacrifice would be made. As Abraham prepared to do what God had told Him to do, he was suddenly stopped by the angel of the Lord and he saw that God had provided a ram to sacrifice instead of his son, Isaac. 

Abraham’s obedience showed how much he loved God, but God showed us an even greater love by sending His Son to die for us. Like the ram that God provided to save Isaac’ s life and die in his place, God provided Jesus to save sinners like us. God sent His only Son to be our substitute and die for us. When we trust in Jesus and what He has done for us, we receive forgiveness and eternal life through Him.

Abraham showed his love for God by being willing to sacrifice his son Isaac. God provided a ram instead. This is how God showed His love for us: He sent His Son, Jesus, to die on the cross so that we could have eternal life through Him.

PRAY: God, we thank You for loving us and giving Your son to save us. Because You love us, we want to show our love for You by trusting and obeying You no matter what. Help us to obey You so that others can see how much we love You and how much You love us.

Melchizedek Blessed Abraham

Watch the Bible story video or read all or parts of Genesis 14:1-24 from the Bible.

READ:  The next time you’re in the car, try to count how many road signs you see. It will be a lot because they’re everywhere! Drivers are required to pay attention to these signs and to know the message each sign communicates. Road signs are there to help you notice what you might otherwise miss. 

As we read our Bibles, God has placed signs everywhere that are meant to draw our attention to Jesus. Long before Jesus was born, God gave us pictures of what Jesus would be like and what He would do. God did not want us to miss seeing Jesus as the hero of the story!

God placed one of these signs in the story of Abraham. After Abraham fought to rescue his nephew Lot, he was visited by a man named Melchizedek. Melchizedek was the King of Salem, and the Bible says he was also “Priest of God Most High.” Melchizedek blessed Abraham, and then he pretty much disappeared from the story of the Bible. 

These short verses that introduce us to Melchizedek are a sign meant to point us to Jesus—the better King and greater Priest! The book of Hebrews says that Jesus is the “high priest we need: holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens.” (Hebrews 7:26) Jesus gave Himself as the perfect sacrifice for our sins. Through faith in Him, we can have forgiveness and eternal life.

Melchizedek means “king of righteousness.” Melchizedek reminds us of Jesus, an even greater priest and king who lives forever. Jesus died on the cross and rose again to bless all who trust in Him by providing forgiveness and eternal life.

PRAY: God, thank You for all the signs that point us to Jesus. He is better than anything else. Help us to trust in Jesus and help our lives to be a sign that points others to Him.

God Made a Covenant with Abraham

Watch the Bible story video or read all or parts of Genesis 12:1-9 from the Bible.

READ:  Who is your favorite athlete? Your favorite athlete is probably a star player on your favorite team or someone who is one of the best in the world in your favorite sport. Few people, probably, have a favorite athlete who sits on the bench and never plays or is way far down on the list of top players in the world. Why would someone choose an athlete like that?

When God chose Abraham and promised to make his family as big as there are stars in the sky, it seemed like an odd choice. At this point, Abraham was an old man who didn’t have any children. How would Abraham be the father of a great nation? Why would God choose someone like that?

Abraham did not seem like the best choice to carry out God’s plan, but God’s plan did not depend on Abraham’s ability. This plan was up to God, and it could not fail because God is faithful and true. He will always do what He says He will do. And God can do what no person can do.

God chose Abraham because He is the God who makes all things possible. God showed His faithfulness and power by giving Abraham and Sarah a son when they were almost 100 years old! Through that son, God built the nation of Israel, His chosen people. From this nation, just as God had promised, Jesus was born.

God is faithful. He will always keep His promises. First John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” God kept His promise to bless the world through Abraham, and He will keep His promise to save all who believe in Jesus. 

God promised to bless all the world through Abraham. God sent Jesus from His home in heaven to be born on earth into Abraham’s family. Through Jesus, all the nations of the earth are blessed because Jesus saves people from their sins.

PRAY:  God, all things are possible with You. You are faithful and we can trust You to always keep Your promises. Help us to trust You more and to know all the ways You have blessed the world through Jesus. 

UNIT 3: GOD'S RESCUE PLAN

God’s solution for sin, which He promised in Eden, became clearer when God made a covenant with Abraham. God promised to bring the Rescuer through Abraham’s family. This family was far from perfect and endured great adversity, but through it all, God remained faithful, revealing that nothing could stop His plan.

Big Picture Question

Who is in control of everything?

Answer: God is in control of everything. 

Scripture Memory Verse

Younger Kids: Psalm 135:6

The LORD does whatever he pleases in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all the depths.

Older Kids:  Psalm 135:5-6

For I know that the LORD is great; our Lord is greater than all gods. The LORD does whatever he pleases in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all the depths.

People Rebel Against God

Watch the Bible story video or read all or parts of Genesis 11:1-9 from the Bible.

READ:  A polyglot is someone who can speak fluently in multiple languages. The world record was held by Powell Janulus, a Canadian polyglot who spoke 42 languages. That’s impressive, but still a long way from knowing the roughly 6,500 different languages spoken in the world. Have you ever wondered where all those languages came from? 

After the flood, God had told Noah and his family to “be fruitful and increase in number and fill the whole earth.” (Genesis 9:1) This was the same command that God had given to Adam and Eve. Even though the world was starting over in a way after the flood, God’s plans had not changed. 

As the number of people grew, they disobeyed God’s command to spread out and fill the whole earth. Instead, they clumped together and decided to build a tower to show how great they were. 

The people of Babel seemed to be accomplishing some amazing things, but these accomplishments actually showed how sinful their hearts had become once again. In the garden, Eve believed the lie that the fruit would make her like God. The people of Babel believed their tower would make them as great as God. The people wanted glory for themselves, but all glory belongs to God. 

So, God mixed up the words of the people so that they spoke in different languages. The different languages made it impossible for them to continue building, so they spread out across the world as God had originally commanded. The many languages of our world are a reminder that God is great, and all glory belongs to Him! 

People wanted glory for themselves instead of God. They ignored God’s plan, so God confused their language and scattered them all over the earth. One day, Jesus will gather together all of God’s people—from every tribe and language—and they will worship Him together.

PRAY:   God, all glory belongs to You. Help us to honor You in everything we say and do. We look forward to the day when people of every language will know You and worship You together.

God Spared Noah

Watch the Bible story video or read all or parts of Genesis 6-10 from the Bible.

READ:  When God told Noah to build a big boat called an ark, it must have seemed like a pretty challenging command. The ark Noah was to build was going to be huge. And he had to build this giant boat with just the help of his family. That’s a lot of work that would take a long time. 

But there was a reason for it all. God was ready to send out His punishment for the sin that had spread across the whole world. Everything had been infected by sin, and therefore everything would be destroyed. Everything, that is, except Noah, his family, and the animals inside the ark. Because they were inside the ark, they were saved from the flood. God showed His overwhelming love and kindness by giving them this way to be saved from the punishment of sin. And he showed other people the same kind of kindness by giving them the opportunity to turn from their sin while Noah took all of that time to build the ark.

God has shown us the same overwhelming love by sending Jesus to save us from our sin. Romans 8:1 says, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” We can escape God’s judgment against sin only through faith in Jesus Christ. Like Noah and his family found safety inside the ark, we find our hope and salvation in Jesus.

God rescued Noah and his family from the flood. The story of Noah points ahead to a greater rescue. God’s Son, Jesus—the only perfectly righteous One—came to take the punishment for our sin. By trusting in Him, we are saved from the punishment our sin deserves.

PRAY:  God, You promised Noah safety in the ark, and You promise us eternal salvation in Jesus. Help us to remember that You always keep Your promises.

Sin Spread to People

Watch the Bible story video or read all or parts of Genesis 4-5 from the Bible.

READ:  Genes are the parts of a person’s DNA that determine things like hair color, eye color, height, or whether we’ll be allergic to cats! Half of a person’s 20,000 genes come from the mother and the other half come from the father. When Adam and Eve had children, they passed down more than just the color of their hair and eyes and how tall they would be. Adam and Eve passed down their sin and all the consequences to their children. It didn’t take long for the effect of sin to be seen in the lives of their sons, Cain and Abel.

As the two boys made offerings to God, God showed favor to Abel’s sacrifice. The sin in Cain caused him to become furious. God had not responded the way Cain thought or wanted God to respond. God warned Cain not to let the power of sin rule over him, but sin continued to have power over Cain. Just as sin had caused their parents to blame one another in the garden, Cain became jealous of Abel and turned his anger towards his brother. The anger grew until Cain attacked and killed Abel.

Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” When sin rules, as it did in Cain, the consequence is death. But God has provided salvation through Jesus. The power of sin has been broken for all who believe in His perfect life, death, and resurrection. When Christ rules, the gift is eternal life!

Adam and Eve’s sin and its consequences spread to all of their descendants. But God did not forget His promise to send a Rescuer. At just the right time, God would send His Son to save sinners.

PRAY:  God, thank You for remembering Your promise to send a Savior. Give us strength to live in a world broken by sin, and help us to believe in Jesus so that we can experience eternal life with You.

Sin Entered the World

Watch the Bible story video or read all or parts of Genesis 3 from the Bible.

READ:  Did you know that it is against the law for anyone to use a fork to eat fried chicken in Gainesville, Georgia? There is also a law in Arkansas that says alligators cannot be kept in your bathtub! Where are we supposed to keep our alligators then?

These are real laws, but they’re obviously very silly rules that aren’t necessary. When God gave Adam and Eve the rule not to eat the fruit of one tree, it wasn’t a silly rule though. God gave that rule so that Adam and Eve could continue to enjoy an amazing relationship with Him.

Even though God had provided everything they needed, Adam and Eve believed the lie that maybe there was something better. So, they ate the fruit and disobeyed God. Instead of finding something better, Adam and Eve lost the perfect world God had created for them. They were cast out of the garden and forced to live in a world broken by sin.

When Adam and Eve broke that rule, sin broke their relationship with God. From that moment on, all people became sinners who are separated from God. We live in a world that is noticeably broken by sin. Like Adam and Eve, we are guilty of choosing our own way instead of God’s way.

But God still loves us! The whole Bible points us to Jesus as the promised Savior who would save sinners. Through faith in Jesus, we can once again have an amazing relationship with God that will last forever and ever.

Ever since Adam and Eve sinned, all people have been born as sinners. Sin separates us from God, but God still loves us. God promised a Rescuer would come from Eve’s family. God sent His Son, Jesus, to rescue people from sin and bring them back to God.

PRAY:  God, help us to see that Your rules are perfect and for our good. We have all sinned and disobeyed You. Sin has broken our relationship with You, but we thank You for sending Jesus as the Savior we need. Help us to trust in Him so that we can experience the relationship we were created to have with You.

UNIT 2: CREATION IS RUINED

Everything was perfect when God created it, but it didn’t stay that way. Adam and Eve rebelled against God. From that time on, creation was ruined and everyone has been born a sinner. But God would not leave people to remain dead in sin. He would provide the solution for sin: His Son, Jesus Christ.

Big Picture Question: What does it mean to sin? 

Kids Answer: To sin is to think, speak, or behave in any way that goes against God and His commands.

Preschool Answer: We sin when we disobey God. / To sin is to go against God and His commands.

Scripture Memory Verse: Romans 3:23

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.