Leader Guide

Video Leader Guide

Hello everyone! Today, we’re continuing with the story of creation, called “In the Beginning.” It’s amazing to think that God created the entire universe and every living creature on Earth! God is an awesome God! Let’s celebrate and worship the Lord by singing, Follow Jesus.

Play Video 11: (Song) Follow Jesus (3 minutes)

Be sure to preview the song so you can sing along and do the motions with the children.

Follow Jesus

SuperTruth and Discussion (1 minute)

Have a seat! Today our SuperTruth is, “God created me to do good things.” Shout it out when I say “Three!” One, two, three!

Introduce Condensed Bible Story Video (1 minute)

If all children watched the Bible story video in the previous lesson, you may skip it here and go straight to the Bible Background Video.

Last time, what happened when Chris disobeyed his dad, Professor Quantum? 

Chris was tempted to go into the lab, he gave in to that temptation, and the result was a huge mess. Let’s watch a short version of our Superbook story as Chris, Joy and Gizmo go back in time to visit the Garden of Eden.

Play Video 4: Condensed Bible Story (6 minutes)

Condensed Bible Story

Superbook takes Chris, Joy and Gizmo to the Garden of Eden. There, they meet Adam and Eve, who give in to Satan’s temptation and bring sin into the world. The children learn the importance of obedience and that actions have consequences.

Discussion (1 minute)

God wanted to be in a close relationship with people, so He created a perfect place for them to live. What happened when Adam and Eve disobeyed Him?

They had to leave the garden. Their perfect friendship with God was broken.

Introduce Bible Background Video (1 minute)

Have you ever wondered where the Garden of Eden was located? Let’s dig deeper and discover more as we watch our Bible Background Video. When Gizmo asks a question in the video, wait for him to suggest some answers, then call out the one you think is right!

Play Video 5: Bible Background (8 minutes)

Bible Background

Play Video 10B: SuperVerse Graphic 2

Graphic loops 2.5 minutes without audio; turn off or freeze video after children repeat verse.

SuperVerse Graphic 2

SuperVerse Discussion (1 minute)

Our SuperVerse from Ephesians 2:10 says:

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.

When we’re tempted to do things our way, it’s like saying, “God, I know You want me to obey and do what You ask, but I think my way is better.” Are we smarter than God?

God is our Creator, so He knows what is really best for us!

Children will have more time to learn the SuperVerse in Small Group.

Prayer and Send-Off (1 minute)

Let’s pray. Dear Father God, thank You for all the beautiful things You created in this world. We praise You for the wonderful plans You have for our lives. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Today in Small Group, you’ll learn how God gives us His mighty power to beat temptation and follow Him. Have a great time.

Teachers take children to Small Group classes for Grades 1–3 and 4–6. If the combined group is small, all children may stay together for Small Group time.

Game

In our last lesson, we talked about the importance of honoring God, our Creator, by obeying His Word so we would not sin. Do you remember what sin means? Missing the mark; disobeying God’s ways; purposely doing something you shouldn’t do; or not doing something you should do.

Is it a sin to make a mistake—like tripping and breaking something or getting a bad grade on a test? No.

But is it a sin to disobey your mother and not study for a test? Yes.

Now here’s a tricky question: is it a sin to be tempted to do something wrong? No—but we sin if we give in to temptation and do the wrong thing.

Today, we will focus on how to resist temptation and do only the good things God created us to do. God created us with the ability to make choices, so we can choose whether to obey or disobey—like Adam and Eve.

Read Genesis 3:1–6:

The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?” “Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied. “It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’” “You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.” The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. 

Why do you think Adam and Eve were tempted to eat the fruit? It looked delicious; they believed the serpent’s lie that it would make them wise; they thought they knew better than God what would be best for them.

Why does God want us to obey Him? He created us and loves us, so He knows what is best for us, and wants us to do the good things He created us to do.

Has there ever been anyone who never sinned? Jesus.

Do you think Jesus was ever tempted to sin? 

Yes—the Bible tells us in Matthew 4:1-11 that Jesus was tempted by the devil. But Jesus never sinned because He did not give in to temptation. Do you know how He resisted Satan? He quoted Scripture.

This is why we want to memorize Scripture—to build our faith and give us strength to fight temptation.

Last time, we talked about Psalm 119:11 (nlt), which says:

I have hidden Your word in my heart, that I might not sin against You.

To help us understand how God’s Word protects us from temptation, we are going to play a fun game! 

Choose someone who is not shy. Tell the child to stand in the front of the room. Have the other children stand at the far end of the room behind the line, and give each child one or two balled-up socks or ping pong balls. On “GO!” tell them to toss their socks at the child in front of the class, who will try to dodge them. GO!

Ask the child: It was hard to avoid all of those, wasn’t it? 

Tell children to collect the socks and get ready for round two. This time, however, give the child up front the large cardboard shield to use! Play again.

Ask the child: Did the shield help protect you? 

God’s Word can shield us from temptation, so we have strength to resist temptation and do what is right! Let other children play the role of the target as time allows. God gives us a number of ways to fight temptation that are listed on this Temptation Shield. 

Go over each item on the Shield Pattern, but do not read the scripture references unless you have a lot of time. They are used in the additional activity, “Temptation Shield Verses.”  

Let’s say today’s SuperTruth together: “God created me to do good things.”

Teaching

Temptation happens to everyone. What can we do when we are tempted? Pray; read the Bible; get advice from an adult you trust; spend time with Christian friends; think about the bad things that would happen if you gave in.

God created us to do good things; but our enemy, Satan, wants to stop us. The Bible gives us instructions to fight back against the devil. Hold up the white flag. Do you know what it means to hold up a white flag in a battle? Surrender!

Wait a minute, do you think God really wants us to surrender? That doesn’t sound like something God would tell His children to do! We’d better read a scripture in the book of James to clear this up! 

Read James 4:7 (cev):

Surrender to God! Resist the devil, and he will run from you. 

So when the devil tempts us to sin, do we throw our hands up? Hold hands in air with the flag. Do we wave our white flag to surrender to him? NO!

Well, it says to surrender, doesn’t it? 

OH!—we should surrender to God, not the devil! What else does this verse say we must do to win the fight against temptation? Resist the devil.

This verse tells us to do two things—surrender to God and resist the devil! To fight against temptation, God gives us this powerful one-two, knockout punch. Do left, right punching motion with hands.

If we use this powerful combination, what does our verse tell us will happen? The devil will run from you.

This is a very important verse to hide in your heart for times when you are dealing with temptation!

If time is limited, use the cube that you have already made for the game. If time allows, distribute the Temptation Cube Pattern page to each child. Have them cut out the pattern, fold on each of the dotted lines to form a cube, and tape the edges.

Read the temptations below, and have everyone toss their cubes to see what options appear for each situation. Discuss the options and possible consequences—good or bad. If you are using just one cube for the group, have several children toss it for each situation.

Ready?

List of temptations: 

• Cheat on a test to get a good grade.
• Lie when you did something wrong.
• Play a video game you are not allowed to play.
• Hit someone who is mean to you.
• Gossip about someone who is different.
• Take something that doesn’t belong to you.
• Delay obeying your parents, hoping they’ll forget what they asked you to do.
• Use a computer site your parents told you not to use.

Explain that although the movie ended with Adam and Eve separated from the Garden of Eden, that is not the end of the story.

What did God do to provide for our future? He sent His Son, Jesus, to die for our sins.

When Jesus died on the cross, He paid the price for our sins. He forgave us so we can live in heaven with Him someday. This is God’s wonderful plan.

Discipleship Challenge/Practical Application 

The last time we were together, I challenged you to notice things in God’s creation that you especially appreciate using the telescope we made in class if you wanted, and to praise God for what He has done. Give children who were absent a telescope pattern to make at home.

For those of you who have already started our challenge, what bugs or insects did you observe during the day?

What bugs or insects did you notice at night?

What makes them special, and why are you thankful for them?

It’s good to be thankful for the great things God has made! And YOU are His masterpieces!

Let’s continue the challenge to observe and appreciate God’s creation. This time, look for animals during the day and also for other animals that are only active at night. This type of animal is called nocturnal. Be sure to take an adult with you when you observe at night. Remember to praise God for His awesome creations! Make a list of your observations and bring it to class so we can discuss the cool creations God has placed on Earth.

SuperVerse

Now it’s time for our SuperVerse. Let’s read it out of our Bibles together. Ephesians 2:10:

For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.

Can anyone recite it from memory?

Let’s make up motions to help us memorize the verse. 

Divide the children into three groups. If your class is small, you can do this activity as one group. Provide each group with one of the following parts of the verse. Tell them to create motions to communicate that message. They do not need to make up an action for every word.

All groups: Ephesians 2:10

Group 1: For we are God’s masterpiece.

Group 2: He has created us anew in Christ Jesus,

Group 3: So we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.

Give the groups a few minutes, then ask them to teach their motions to the rest of the class. Practice saying the verse with all the motions several times together.

Explain that this verse is a reason to celebrate because God made each of us special and unique. He has a wonderful plan for our lives, and He has blessed us with the skills and talents we need to fulfill His plan.

Today, our SuperTruth and SuperVerse both tell us that God created us to do good things! But why does God want us to do good works? Do we do good things to earn our way to heaven? No!

No, the only way to go to heaven is to trust in Jesus as our Savior! Should we do good things to bring attention to ourselves? No!

For the answer, I will read what Jesus said in Matthew 5:16 (cev):

“Make your light shine, so that others will see the good that you do and will praise your Father in heaven.”

The reason God created us to do good things is not to earn our way to heaven or to bring attention to ourselves. When people see us do good things, it brings glory and praise to God!

Prayer

Last lesson, we learned about Praise Prayers. Who remembers what they are? Thanking and praising God for who He is and what He can do, rather than asking Him for things.

Today, we will concentrate on praying for others. It’s easy to focus on ourselves when we pray, and God wants us to go to Him for all of our needs. Yet God also wants us to remember others when we pray. 

Tell the children to pair up to be prayer pals. Preferably, boys are with boys and girls with girls. If there is an odd number, you can be a child’s prayer pal. Children should share the best thing that happened to them recently and a prayer concern that they have. Give examples from your own life, and tell children not to share anything that would be embarrassing or uncomfortable. They can provide very general information such as having a family member who is ill or a hard school assignment. Children may jot down notes to remind them how to pray for their prayer pals this week.

Pray for the group, thanking God that He answers our prayers.

Guessing Game

Let's say our SuperVerse together! Ephesians 2:10:

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago. 

Have each child think of something amazing that God created that they can also draw. Select a child to be the first artist and provide a pencil and a piece of paper. Then, blindfold the child! The artist must draw his or her creation while blindfolded, and the other children must guess what is being drawn. If, after a short time, the children are not able to decipher what the artist is drawing, remove the blindfold and let the child finish. Let kids try to guess as the child draws. If no one can guess, the artist can tell what the picture was intended to be. Have other children take turns, as well.

Just as a blindfold prevents our artists from doing their best, sin stops us from doing our best—and separates us from God. Once sin is removed, we can function as God intended us to. That’s why we must resist temptation and stay strong in our faith—to do all the good things God planned and created us to do!

Let’s say our SuperTruth together: “God created me to do good things.”

Drawing Activity

Have children say the SuperVerse. Ephesians 2:10:

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.

Distribute a copy of the God’s Masterpiece Pattern and several markers to each child. Tell the children to use each square to make a simple drawing or symbol of something that describes them. In the first corner, children should write and decorate their names to express their personalities. In the next square, they should draw a picture of their family. In the bottom left corner, they should draw a picture of a hobby or something they like to do. In the last corner, they should write or draw a picture of something good that they do. Remind children that by doing good things, we are not trying to earn our way into heaven, because Jesus did that for us on the cross. We do good things in thankfulness to God, to obey Him, and to follow His plan for our lives!

Allow children to briefly share their “masterpieces” with the entire group. They can take them home, or you may post these pictures in the classroom for future lessons, if your site allows.

Craft/Game

Tell children to trace their hands on a piece of white paper, then cut out their hand shape and the stop sign pattern on the red cardstock with the words JUST SAY NO TO TEMPTATION. Glue the handprint onto the center of the sign and a craft stick onto the lower back center of the sign. Use the signs in the following activity.

It’s important to prepare ourselves to face temptation. After reading each of the following situations, ask the children to choose whether to hold up their signs and say, “Just say no to temptation,” or to stand and say, “I will do the good things God created me to do!”

• Worship God on Sundays.
• Hit someone when you are angry.
• Cheat on a test at school.
• Go to bed on time and get a good night’s sleep.
• Set the table for dinner.
• Watch a television show you are not supposed to watch.
• Help a neighbor.
• Pray every day.
• Fight with a brother or sister.
• Gossip about someone.
• Read the Bible.
• Steal some candy at the store.
• Encourage someone who is feeling down.
• Use bad language.
• Stick up for someone who is being bullied.

If you have time, allow a child to be the leader and name some temptations and good things for children to respond to. End with a short prayer asking God to help us stand firm when we face temptation.

Action Game

Have one child leave the room with an adult or teen helper while the remaining group forms a circle and chooses one person to be their leader. The leader begins doing a simple activity such as patting his or her tummy, clapping hands, or stomping a foot. The rest of the group must follow whatever the leader is doing. After about 10 seconds, the leader changes the activity to something else. As soon as the rest of the group notices the change, they follow whatever the leader is doing.

Have the child who left the room return and try to figure out who is beginning each new activity. The group tries to keep this a secret for as long as possible. If you have a sharp group, tell the leader to wait until the guesser isn’t looking before an activity is changed. Once the leader has been identified, that child must leave the room with a helper while someone new is chosen to be the next leader. If time permits, continue until everyone has a chance to lead and guess.

When the game is over, remind children how easy it is to follow others who choose to disobey, especially when there are a lot of them. 

We are very fortunate to have a wonderful leader we can follow all the time. That person is Jesus! Jesus is a great model of how God wants us to act. When children are faced with a tempting decision, encourage them to think about Jesus and how He would guide them to make the right choice.

Life Application

Distribute Bibles and temptation shield papers to the children, and have them write their names on the papers. Ask them to look up the verses on the shield and write them out, then discuss what each one means.

Contest

Let’s have a contest. Begin inhaling and exhaling deeply. Encourage the children to do the same. Refer to the segment of the show when God created Adam. How did Adam start breathing? 

Read Genesis 2:7:

Then the Lord God ... breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils. 

Every breath we take today is a gift from God!

Time the children, as a group, to see how long they can hold their breath. If each breath we take is a gift from God, how can we use our lives to honor Him and show our gratefulness? 

Tell the children to turn to a partner and discuss different ways to do this. After a couple minutes, ask the pairs to share some of their ideas. By being obedient, only saying kind words, serving and helping others.