Leader Guide

Teaching

Have three different children select one of the three Signpost cards in order and read it aloud, then discuss the information below. Additional material is included for Grades 4–6 to look up and discuss.

Today, we are going to discuss the Signpost video about the many ways that Elijah pointed to Jesus. Elijah lived over 800 years before Jesus was born. That’s a very long time; yet Elijah points us to Jesus in many ways!

Signpost 1—The Appearance

Jesus took three disciples—Peter, James and John—to a mountain to pray. While they were there, suddenly Jesus’ face shone like the sun and His clothes became unbelievably bright. This is called the Transfiguration. Two prophets from the Bible appeared with Jesus. One was Moses, and the other was Elijah! They appeared on the mountain and spoke with Christ. This is amazing, because Elijah and Moses had lived hundreds of years before Jesus was born! A voice came from heaven saying,

“This is My dearly loved Son, who brings Me great joy. Listen to Him.”

Can you imagine being one of Jesus’ disciples and seeing all of this? They were terrified and amazed at this glorious sight!

OPTIONAL VERSES FOR GRADES 4–6 TO LOOK UP AND DISCUSS

Matthew 17:1–6:

¹ Six days later Jesus took Peter and the two brothers, James and John, and led them up a high mountain to be alone. ² As the men watched, Jesus’ appearance was transformed so that His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as light. ³ Suddenly, Moses and Elijah appeared and began talking with Jesus. ⁴ Peter exclaimed, “Lord, it’s wonderful for us to be here! If You want, I’ll make three shelters as memorials—one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” ⁵ But even as he spoke, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is My dearly loved Son, who brings Me great joy. Listen to Him.” ⁶ The disciples were terrified and fell face down on the ground.

Signpost 2—John the Baptist: Image of John the Baptist

Elijah points us to Jesus through John the Baptist. The prophet Malachi predicted Elijah would return before the Messiah’s arrival. Jesus explained to His disciples that John the Baptist represented Elijah in Malachi’s prophecy. Before John the Baptist was born, an angel appeared to his father, Zechariah. The angel said that John the Baptist would be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah, and that he would prepare people for the coming of the Lord.     

Although they lived centuries apart, John the Baptist and Elijah dressed alike, preached in the wilderness, and called people to repent for their sins. Both men spoke God’s Word boldly—even to kings! King Ahab’s wife, Jezebel, was angry with Elijah. She had soldiers search for Elijah to kill him—but God hid him and protected him. King Herod’s wife was so angry at John the Baptist for preaching the truth that she persuaded her husband to kill him. These two men trusted God and refused to be silent, even when their lives were in danger!   

Important people got angry at Jesus, too. The religious leaders were furious with Jesus’ claims to be God’s Son and to have the ability to forgive sins. Jesus willingly came to Earth, knowing that He must suffer and die on the cross to fulfill God’s plan of salvation for us.  

OPTIONAL VERSES FOR GRADES 4–6 TO LOOK UP AND DISCUSS

Malachi 4:5–6:

⁵ “Look, I am sending you the prophet Elijah before the great and dreadful day of the Lord arrives. ⁶ His preaching will turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and the hearts of children to their fathers. Otherwise I will come and strike the land with a curse.” 

Matthew 17:11–13:

¹¹ Jesus replied, “Elijah is indeed coming first to get everything ready. ¹² But I tell you, Elijah has already come, but he wasn’t recognized, and they chose to abuse him. And in the same way they will also make the Son of Man suffer.” ¹³ Then the disciples realized He was talking about John the Baptist.

Matthew 3:4:

John’s clothes were woven from coarse camel hair, and he wore a leather belt around his waist. For food he ate locusts and wild honey.

2 Kings 1:8:

They replied, “He was a hairy man, and he wore a leather belt around his waist.” “Elijah from Tishbe!” the king exclaimed.

Matthew 3:1–3a:

¹In those days John the Baptist came to the Judean wilderness and began preaching. His message was, ² “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.”³ The prophet Isaiah was speaking about John.

1 Kings 18:20–21:

²⁰ Ahab summoned all the people of Israel and the prophets to Mount Carmel. ²¹ Then Elijah stood in front of them and said, “How much longer will you waver, hobbling between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him! But if Baal is God, then follow him!” But the people were completely silent.

Signpost 3—Miracles: Rainstorm scene

Elijah and Jesus both performed mighty miracles by the power of God. When Elijah prayed that it wouldn’t rain, God answered by stopping any rain for over three years! 

While Elijah was hiding from Jezebel, he stayed with a widow and her son. He performed a miracle to feed the mother, her son, and himself for many days. Hundreds of years later, Jesus performed great miracles by feeding a crowd of over 4,000 people, and later another crowd of over 5,000 people!

Elijah performed another miracle for the widow who helped. When her son died, Elijah prayed to God and raised him to life again! When Jesus walked on Earth, He also raised a widow’s son back to life. It happened at the young man’s funeral! Can you imagine how everyone felt to see a dead boy come to life? The Bible tells us that Jesus raised other people to life, as well. One was a man named Lazarus, and another was a young girl, the daughter of Jairus, a synagogue leader.

As amazing as these miracles are, the best news is that Jesus came to earth to save us from the power of sin and death. After Jesus died on the cross to pay the punishment for our sins, God raised Him to life again—giving us new life when we trust in Him! Jesus said that He was the resurrection and the life—anyone who believed in Him will never die! We have eternal life through Jesus. That is the best miracle of all!

OPTIONAL VERSES FOR GRADES 4–6 TO LOOK UP AND DISCUSS

1 Kings 17:1:

Now Elijah, who was from Tishbe in Gilead, told King Ahab, “As surely as the Lord, the God of Israel, lives—the God I serve—there will be no dew or rain during the next few years until I give the word!”

Matthew 14:17–21:

¹⁷ But we have only five loaves of bread and two fish!” they answered. ¹⁸“Bring them here,” He said. ¹⁹ Then He told the people to sit down on the grass. Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, He gave the bread to the disciples, who distributed it to the people. ²⁰ They all ate as much as they wanted, and afterward, the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftovers. ²¹ About 5,000 men were fed that day, in addition to all the women and children!

1 Kings 17:13–16:

¹³ But Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid! Go ahead and do just what you’ve said, but make a little bread for me first. Then use what’s left to prepare a meal for yourself and your son.¹⁴ For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: There will always be flour and olive oil left in your containers until the time when the Lord sends rain and the crops grow again!” ¹⁵ So she did as Elijah said, and she and Elijah and her family continued to eat for many days.¹⁶ There was always enough flour and olive oil left in the containers, just as the Lord had promised through Elijah.

1 Kings 17:17–22:

¹⁷ Some time later the woman’s son became sick. He grew worse and worse, and finally he died. ¹⁸ Then she said to Elijah, “O man of God, what have you done to me? Have you come here to point out my sins and kill my son?” ¹⁹ But Elijah replied, “Give me your son.” And he took the child’s body from her arms, carried him up the stairs to the room where he was staying, and laid the body on his bed. ²⁰ Then Elijah cried out to the Lord, “O Lord my God, why have You brought tragedy to this widow who has opened her home to me, causing her son to die?” ²¹ And he stretched himself out over the child three times and cried out to the Lord, “O Lord my God, please let this child’s life return to him.” ²² The Lord heard Elijah’s prayer, and the life of the child returned, and he revived!

Luke 7:12–15:

¹² A funeral procession was coming out as He approached the village gate. The young man who had died was a widow’s only son, and a large crowd from the village was with her. ¹³ When the Lord saw her, His heart overflowed with compassion. “Don’t cry!” He said. ¹⁴ Then He walked over to the coffin and touched it, and the bearers stopped. “Young man,” He said, “I tell you, get up.” ¹⁵ Then the dead boy sat up and began to talk! And Jesus gave him back to his mother.

John 11:25–26a:

²⁵ Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in Me will live, even after dying. ²⁶ Everyone who lives in Me and believes in Me will never ever die.

Discipleship Challenge/Practical Application

Hand out a My Time Wheel Pattern to children who were not present for the previous lessons and explain how to make it at home. Display the model you made.

Who can share an experience of what happened when you put God first since our last lesson?

Remember, there is nothing more important than our relationship with God. That’s why we made our Time Wheels—because time belongs to Him and we belong to Him! Continue to use your Time Wheels as a reminder to put God first in your lives!