📖

Malachi: The Messenger Is Coming

Rebuilding: Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi

Day 55of 180
Week 11of 36
30Minutes
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🖨️ Download Worksheet (PDF)

Learning Objectives

1

Understand Malachi's prophecy about the coming messenger

2

Identify how John the Baptist fulfilled this prophecy

3

Recognize God's faithfulness in keeping His promises

Malachi 3:1

'Behold, I will send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me; and the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, behold, he will come,' says Yahweh of Armies.

Malachi 3:1 (WEB)

Prophetic promise of John the Baptist's role in preparing for Jesus

📦 Materials Needed

  • Bible (World English Bible)
  • Notebook
  • Colored pencils
  • BibleMouse Resource Guide: Grade 4 Bible

Lesson Plan

1Opening (3 min)

In today's BibleMouse lesson, we'll discover an amazing prophecy about a special messenger who would prepare the way for Jesus!

💭 Review Question: What did we learn about Zechariah's prophecies yesterday?
2Teaching (10 min)

Malachi was the last prophet before a long silence from God. He shared an incredible promise about a messenger who would come before the Messiah.

📌 Key Talking Points:
  • Malachi means 'my messenger'
  • God promised to send someone to prepare people's hearts
  • This messenger would be like a herald announcing a king's arrival
💬 Discussion Questions:
  • Why do you think God wanted to send a messenger?
  • How might people prepare their hearts to meet Jesus?
3Activity: Messenger Mission Map (12 min)
connection to John the Baptist

Create a visual map showing Malachi's prophecy and how John the Baptist fulfilled it

📝 Instructions:
  1. Draw a timeline on notebook paper
  2. Mark Malachi's prophecy on one end
  3. Mark John the Baptist's ministry on the other
  4. Draw connections between the prophecy and its fulfillment
🔄 Variations:

Simpler: Use pre-drawn timeline with stickers

Challenge: Include additional historical context and Scripture references

4Closing (3 min)

Review key points about God's faithful promises

📝 Review Questions:
  • Who was the messenger Malachi talked about?
  • How did John the Baptist prepare the way for Jesus?
🙏 Prayer:

Thank God for keeping His promises and sending Jesus

Coming up: Tomorrow we'll start learning about Job, a man who trusted God during difficult times

Haggai 2:9

The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house, says the LORD Almighty.

Haggai 2:9 (WEB)

🎯 Activity: Messenger Relay: Children form a line and pass the memory verse from one to another, each child repeating a word until the entire verse is recited

Teaching Notes

📚 Background:

Malachi prophesied around 430 BC, the last Old Testament prophet before 400 years of silence before Jesus' birth

💡 Teaching Tips:
  • Use the BibleMouse Resource Guide for additional visual aids
  • Encourage children to ask questions about the prophecy
  • Connect this lesson to the bigger story of Jesus' coming
🤔 Common Struggles:

Children might find it hard to understand prophetic language

👀 Signs of Understanding:

Child's ability to connect Malachi's prophecy to John the Baptist

Extension Activities

  • Research John the Baptist in the BibleMouse Read-Aloud Library
  • Listen to BibleMouse Song Collection tracks about prophecy and promises

Ready for Tomorrow?

Great job completing today's lesson!

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