Week of 1.23.2022 | Day Three
This week’s lesson from The Gospel Project for Kids finishes up Exodus and focuses on building the tabernacle. What is the tabernacle? Be sure to define this for your kids. A tabernacle is a portable tent where God met with His people. The word tabernacle means “dwelling place.” God wanted to dwell among them. (See Ex. 29:45-46.) Wherever the Israelites traveled, they would set up the tabernacle in the center of camp as a powerful reminder that God was with His people.
God has always wanted to be with His people. Even when sin separated Adam and Eve from God in the garden, God had a plan to be with His people. God sent His son, Jesus, to live on earth with the people. Through Jesus, all who believe can be reunited with God, and one day they will dwell with Him for all eternity.
Weekly Challenge
Throughout the week, make a point to think about God’s presence dwelling with His people, both in the Old Testament in the Tabernacle then the Temple, in the New Testament as Jesus, and now through the Holy Spirit. God loves us so much He wants to dwell with us! (For added fun, consider making a visual reminder with your kids. You could color a flag that you put up in your home, make bracelets with your favorite colors to remind you of the details God put into His tabernacle, or even light a candle as you have your family devotional time.)
Big Picture Question
What is worship? Worship is celebrating the greatness of God.
Christ Connection
God told the Israelites to build a tabernacle where He would dwell with them. God wants to be with His people. As part of His plan to save sinners, God sent Jesus to dwell on earth with people.
Key Passage
Come, let’s worship and bow down; let’s kneel before the LORD our Maker. For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, the sheep under his care.
Psalm 95:6-7
Read
Today’s reading is going to look in the New Testament to see Jesus speaking about the Holy Spirit’s coming, and the first account of the Holy Spirit coming to dwell with those who had faith. Read Luke 23:44-46 and 24:45-49, John 15:26- 27, Acts 1:8 and 2:1-4,
Discuss
Why don’t Christians use a tabernacle to meet with God?
Discuss the purpose of the tabernacle’s parts—such as the outer courtyard, holy place, and most holy place—as levels of closeness people could experience with God. Only the high priest could enter the most holy place, and even then it was only once a year. Help the kids understand that Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection paid the penalty of sin and made it possible for all barriers between God and people to be removed. Everyone who has faith in Jesus has the Holy Spirit inside himself, and thus doesn’t need a special place to meet with God. Christians live with God no matter where they go.
How do we receive the Holy Spirit to dwell in us?
This is a great time to make sure your kids understand the Gospel message! It is our faith in Christ that saves us from our sins, and gives us the Holy Spirit! There isn’t anything we can do to get the Holy Spirit, but believing in what God did for us. (Read Romans 3:21-26, 4:24-5:1, 7:4-6 for specific scriptural references.)
Pray
Emmanuel, God with Us, we thank you for loving us enough to make a way for us to be with you forever! Thank you for saving us from our sins through Jesus and giving us the gift of your presence through the Holy Spirit. We long for the day when we will get to dwell with you in perfect fellowship for eternity.