Family Time…Heavenly lineage and prophecy’s purpose
As a Mom, starting a conversation about Jesus can be difficult with your kids, how do you know the best time to share very important beliefs with the most important people in your life? If it is approached too often or not enough, it can be difficult to engage your kids in a discussion. What is the right balance? The new “Sky Ranch Devotional: Follow the Leader” is designed to help you start the conversations and give your family a weekly opportunity to share your faith with each other. On the calendar, plan a weekly family time one night after dinner. Then begin with the devotional topic such as this week’s topic on “Jesus is God “and the weekly discussion is on “Heavenly lineage and prophecy’s purpose.” Most people, especially kids, think prophecy is interesting and are very interested that God is able to tell you what will happen before it does. Explain to your family that the Bible is split into two sections: the Old Testament and the New Testament. Let your kids see these sections by looking in the Bible themselves. The Old Testament contains many prophecies, history and all kinds of good information to learn from. The New Testament contains many places where the Old Testament prophecies are fulfilled; plus, more prophecy, history and more great information for learning. One of the neatest things to see is learning an Old Testament prophecy and then finding the New Testament fulfillment. And then discovering how many years were in-between. But as Mom, you will have to set the stage for them and explain why this is unusual. God has amazing knowledge, and knows much more than you or I do. Explain how you or your kids cannot tell the future, especially not 1000 years from now. But God can and already did. Below in the family devotional you will see prophecy in Isaiah which was almost 1000 years before Jesus and Micah was about 400 years before Jesus’ arrival. Then In Matthew, you see that the child named Immanuel or “God with us” would be born from a virgin and in Luke, you see the same virgin gives birth to her son in a town called Bethlehem, just like the earlier prophecies said would happen.
As a young Mom, I joined a ladies Bible study and did not know much about prophecy. I knew that people had said that prophecy was fulfilled but had never searched for it myself and read it with my own eyes. During one of the Bible study courses, our class went through a series of lessons listing the Old Testament passages and finding the New Testament fulfillment. I was shocked! There were so many prophecies that had been fulfilled between the Old and New Testaments. It is worth it to see it. Today, you can search the internet, but back then I had to do it the old fashioned way with a book. If your kids seem interested in prophecy after this devotional, you could look together on the internet to see what other prophecies were fulfilled.
This week in your family time, I would encourage you to prepare by praying for your family by asking God to show you the best way to explain God’s amazing ability that tells the future. He loves you and wants you to know His plans. Pray that this is relayed to your family. Pray and ask if there are any worries or fears about the future in your family. If family members do worry, pray for God to help you explain that God gives His people a future and hope…Jeremiah 29:11 (NASB) says 'For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.” Encourage your family to share what they look forward to in their futures and enjoy the conversation.
Do you have questions or need prayer for your family? Email me at SkyMoms@skyranch.org.
I will be praying for you!
Stacy
Stacy A. Davis
Sky Ranch Family Devotionals and
Teach Intentionally Author
This week we are in the 1st Topic and 2nd Family Time (or page 14) of the Sky Ranch Devotional “Follow the Leader”…
Family Time 2:
Topic 1: Jesus is God…Heavenly lineage and prophecy’s purpose
Talk with God: Read…Scriptures and questions below.
Isaiah 7:14 (Prophecy) "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.”
Micah 5:2 (Prophecy) "But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, [Too] little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity.”
- In Isaiah 7:14, what is the name of the Jewish Messiah?
- In Micah 5:2, what is the birthplace of the Jewish Messiah?
Matthew 1:23 (about Jesus) "Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel, which translated means, ‘God with us.’"
Luke 2:4, 7, 10-11 (about Jesus) And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, ...7 And she gave birth to her first-born son… 10 And the angel said to them, …11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
- In Matt. 1:23, what is the name of Jesus?
- In Luke 2:4, what is the birth place and family name of Jesus?
Walk with God: Discuss… Ahead of time, why do you think God would tell you the birth location and birth family of God’s Son?
Prayer suggestion… Pray for God’s help to understand prophecy.
Family Time 2:
Leader Answers:
- Immanuel
- Bethlehem Ephrathah
- Immanuel
- Bethlehem, family of David
- Discussion ideas: God is showing you that this special child will be called “God with us” and come from King David’s family. He will be born in the Bethlehem named for King David, which is Bethlehem Ephrathah. In Isaiah 48:5, 7, God tells you things before they happen so that you will know the situation or happening is from Him and He planned it, so, you won’t claim it is a coincidence. God leaves you clues in scripture that point to who the Messiah will be and Jesus fits the clues. Do you know of other clues?
© 2012 Stacy A. Davis, Inc. All rights reserved.
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