Leader Guide

Video Leader Guide

Hello everyone; today is the last lesson of our Superbook adventure, “Solomon’s Temple.” King Solomon built the Temple according to God’s plan. When it was finished, God’s presence and glory filled the Temple. Today, let’s welcome God’s presence and glory among us as we worship Jesus and sing The Salvation Poem!

Play Video 7: (Song) The Salvation Poem (3 minutes)

The Salvation Poem

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

SuperTruth and Discussion (2 minutes)

Our SuperTruth today is, “We are God’s Temple.” Let’s say it together. “We are God’s Temple.”

God gave specific instructions about how to build the Temple, and Solomon carefully obeyed. When it was finished, God accepted the Temple and filled it with His presence. When we believe in Jesus and follow Him, the Holy Spirit lives inside us. We become a holy temple for God, filled with His glorious presence.  

Introduce Condensed Bible Story (1 minute)

If most or all children watched the Bible story video in a previous lesson, omit it here and go straight to the SuperVerse.

Let’s watch a short version of the video about Solomon’s Temple. If you’ve already seen it, watch carefully for what happens after the priests set down the Ark of the Covenant in the Most Holy Place in the Temple.

Play Video 4: Condensed Bible Story (12 Minutes)

Condensed Bible Story

Superbook takes Chris, Joy and Gizmo to meet young Solomon, who will soon become Israel’s king. His father, King David, has designed and gathered materials for the Temple. David isn’t allowed by God to build it, so he gives Solomon instructions on how to do it. The children learn that being part of God’s plan is best of all.

Play Video 10C: SuperVerse Graphic

SuperVerse Graphic 3

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

SuperVerse (2 minutes)

Our SuperVerse today is 1 Corinthians 3:16:

All of you surely know that you are God’s temple and that His Spirit lives in you.

When Solomon was done building the Temple, he dedicated it to God and the presence of the Lord filled it. A thick cloud filled the Temple, and God’s presence was so strong that the priests could not continue doing their service. As amazing as that was then, the SuperVerse tells us that we are now God’s Temple, and His Spirit lives inside of us!

How does it feel to know that you are God’s Temple? Humbling, amazing.

God loves us so much that He places His Spirit in us to guide us, teach us, and to give us His power. No matter where we go, we cannot leave His presence. We will learn more about this wonderful truth in Small Group.

Let’s say the SuperVerse together. 1 Corinthians 3:16:

All of you surely know that you are God’s Temple and that His Spirit lives in you.

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

Introduce Signposts Video (1 minute)

Now we will watch our Signposts video to learn more about God’s Temple.

Play Video 6: Signposts Video (4 minutes)

Signposts Video

Prayer and Send-Off (2 minutes)

Let’s pray before we move to Small Group.

Dear God, we praise You for the privilege of being Your temple. Thank You for sending Your Spirit to live in us. We don’t need to go to a particular building to enjoy Your presence because You are living inside us. Help us to follow the lead of Your Spirit to keep our temples pure, holy, and pleasing to You. In Jesus’ name, we pray, Amen.

In Small Group today, you will play a game to build a temple together. Let’s go find out how to play!

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

Let’s say our SuperTruth together: “We are God’s Temple.”

Read 1 Peter 2:4–5a:

⁴ You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by people, but He was chosen by God for great honor. ⁵ And you are living stones that God is building into His spiritual temple.

A cornerstone was the most important stone of a building. It was placed at one corner and the rest of the stones were placed next to it. If the cornerstone was not true, or straight, the entire building would be out of line or crooked. If the cornerstone was removed, the entire structure could collapse. Jesus is called a “living cornerstone.” He is our strong foundation, and our faith is built squarely upon Him. What are we called in this passage? Living stones.

God is building us together as living stones into His spiritual temple.

Give each child a cup, name card, and a pencil, plus glue sticks to share. Have them write their names and draw a picture of themselves on the card. Have them apply glue to the back of their cards and stick it to their cups. Demonstrate how to put one hand in the cup as you apply the card so the cup doesn’t break.

Hold up a cup. Your cup represents you—a living stone. Together, we form God’s glorious, spiritual temple, which He fills with His glorious presence! Let’s see how quickly you can build one united temple from your individual stones.     

Count the number of players. Determine the number of cups for the bottom row of the “Temple” to form a pyramid shape or similar shape. See the illustration. Stand at the table and direct players where to place cups to form the desired shape.   

Have players form a single line about 15 feet from the table.

Start the time. The first player will quickly carry a cup to the table and place it in position, and then will quickly return to the team line. The next player then takes a turn. Play until all players have taken a turn and stop the time. Play additional rounds to achieve the fastest time.

Options:

• Call out various ways to travel back and forth: hopping, skipping, tiptoeing, etc.
• Specify a different shape to build, for example, the first row of cups sit right side up, the second row of cups are set upside down; alternate each row.     

Conclusion: That looked fun! Jesus is the only true foundation to build our Temple on to serve and honor God with our lives. Now let’s find out more about how Solomon’s Temple was a signpost to our Temples built upon Jesus, today! 

Teaching

Have a child select the first Signpost card and read it aloud. Tape the card to the wall or prop it up so children can see it. Lead a discussion with the information below. Repeat for the two remaining Signpost cards. Additional material is included for Grades 4–6 to look up and discuss.

Signpost 1  God’s Great Temple

King David’s desire was to build a great house for God where He would be honored and worshiped. Why did God not allow King David to build the Temple? King David had fought too many battles and killed too many men. Solomon was a man of peace. ( See 1 Chronicles 22:6–10.)

The Temple was an important structure, yet it was more than just a building for worship. The Temple became the house of God where His presence would dwell. When the Temple was completed, Solomon realized that as great as the structure was, it could not possibly contain God who fills heaven and earth.

OPTIONAL VERSES FOR GRADES 4–6

1 Chronicles 22:5a (cev):

“The temple for the Lord must be great, so that everyone in the world will know about it.”

1 Kings 8:27:

“But will God really live on earth? Why, even the highest heavens cannot contain You. How much less this Temple I have built!” 

Acts 7:49–50:

⁴⁹ “Heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool. Could you build Me a temple as good as that?” asks the Lord. “Could you build Me such a resting place? ⁵⁰ Didn’t My hands make both heaven and earth?”

Signpost 2  We Are God’s Temple  

Jesus said He is the Temple. (See John 2:19–22.) When we ask Him to be our Lord and Savior, His Spirit lives in our hearts, so that means we are part of God’s Temple, too! The Bible calls us living stones that God Himself is building into His spiritual Temple!

Just think of that for a moment; we are His masterpiece. He designed and created us to do good works for His purpose. God handpicks and places each living stone into the perfect position in His Temple. We all fit together and have a purpose in Christ. Let’s praise God right now for making us His masterpiece by saying a Psalm together that King David wrote. (See Psalm 139:14 (nkjv).)I will read a phrase of the verse and you repeat it aloud:  

“I will Praise You,” … Children repeat.

“For I am fearfully” … Children repeat.

“And wonderfully made.” … Children repeat.

OPTIONAL VERSES FOR GRADES 4–6

John 2:19–21:

¹⁹ “All right,” Jesus replied. “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” ²⁰ “What!” they exclaimed. “It has taken forty-six years to build this Temple, and you can rebuild it in three days?” ²¹ But when Jesus said “this temple,” He meant His own body.

1 Corinthians 3:16 (cev):

All of you surely know that you are God’s temple and that His Spirit lives in you.

1 Peter 2:5:

And you are living stones that God is building into His spiritual temple. What’s more, you are His holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God.

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.

1 Corinthians 12:27:

All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it. 

Signpost 3  Christ Dwells in Us  

The Temple was the permanent home for the Ark of the Covenant. The ark is a wooden chest. Who remembers what is contained in the ark? The stone tablets of the Ten Commandments—God’s law.

Since we are God’s Temple, we should also have a special place for God’s law inside our hearts. The law that we hold is not made of stone—it is His living Word, which we can read in the Bible. The Bible tells us that God writes His laws on our minds and hearts.

At the Temple dedication, Solomon humbly asked God to watch over His Temple, to hear the prayers of His people, and to forgive their sins. Solomon’s Temple was a place where sacrifices were offered for the forgiveness of sins.

As followers of Christ, God hears our prayers that we send up to Him from our “living temples.” He watches over us day and night because we belong to Him—we are His children. Because of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, we no longer need to offer sacrifices for our sins in order to be forgiven. When we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful to forgive us and cleanse us by His blood. (See 1 John 1:9.)  

In religions that worshiped false gods, their temples contained an idol or image of a god to worship. God’s Temple did not have any kind of image or idol. Solomon’s Temple wasn’t designed to hold a representation of God. God Himself would actually dwell in the Temple. In the same way, God dwells or lives inside us through the Holy Spirit! This is what it means to be a living Temple! 

OPTIONAL VERSES FOR GRADES 4–6

Hebrews 10:16b (cev):

“I will write My laws on their minds and hearts.”

Psalm 119:11:

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

1 Kings 8:30 (cev):

“I am Your servant, and the people of Israel belong to You. So whenever any of us look toward this temple and pray, answer from Your home in heaven and forgive our sins.”

Ephesians 3:17a:

Then Christ will make His home in your hearts as you trust in Him.

Matthew 26:28:

“For this is My blood, which confirms the covenant between God and His people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many.”

Hebrews 10:11–12:

¹¹ Under the old covenant, the priest stands and ministers before the altar day after day, offering the same sacrifices again and again, which can never take away sins. ¹² But our High Priest offered Himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time. Then He sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand.

Discipleship Challenge/Practical Application

Give a God’s Temple page to any children who missed the previous lessons.

In our Discipleship Challenge, we are exploring what it means for us to be God’s Temple. We are learning about the items or furnishings of Solomon’s Temple and comparing them to the work of Jesus and the Holy Spirit in our lives. All of this is only possible through Jesus Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.   

In the last challenge, why does the lampstand represent Jesus? He is the light of the world.

We were challenged to let His light shine brightly in us so others can see Him and come out of darkness, too!

What does the Altar of Incense represent? Our prayers that rise to God.

Our challenge was to offer prayers to God daily. Would anyone like to share anything you learned about this at home?

Today’s challenge is “God Lives in My Temple,” and the two items we’ll study are the Ark of the Covenant and the Table of Showbread, which is also called the Bread of His Presence.

The Ark of the Covenant rested in the Holy of Holies in the Temple. The ark was a large wooden box covered with gold. Inside it were the two tablets with the Ten Commandments that God gave to Moses. The cover of the ark was called the mercy seat. Only the High Priest was allowed to enter the Holy of Holies—and he could only do that once a year. He sprinkled blood on the mercy seat to cover or atone for the people’s sins. The Ark represented God’s presence. At home, read Hebrews 2:17 to find out who is our High Priest.     

The Table of Showbread, which is also called the Bread of His Presence, was used to hold twelve loaves of bread in the Holy Place next to the lampstands. The bread represents God’s provision and nourishment. The priests would eat the bread and replace it on each Sabbath. At home, read John 6:35 to find out who is our Bread of Life.     

Your challenge is to read God’s Word each day to help strengthen your temple. God is present in His Word and feeds us so our faith can grow and become strong in Him. 

SuperVerse

Let’s read the SuperVerse on the cards. 1 Corinthians 3:16:

In the Old Testament, God’s Spirit came upon individuals, enabling them to do mighty works for Him. After Jesus rose up to heaven, God sent the gift of His Spirit to live inside Christ’s followers.

Have children stand to face the board.

Have them turn around with their backs to the board before you remove a card or cards.

Remove a card and have the children turn around to face the board.

Have children raise their hands if they know what word is missing.

Choose a child to answer. If correct, replace the card and repeat the process. If incorrect, choose another child to answer.

As children become familiar with the game and verse, remove two or more cards at a time in random places.

Optional: to conclude the activity, remove all of the cards and call on children to say one word at a time to complete the verse.   

Conclusion: Great job everyone. Remember, we are God’s Temple and the Holy Spirit lives in us, so we take Him everywhere we go! Because He is in us, we are empowered to do mighty things for God!

Let’s say the verse together now. 1 Corinthians 3:16:

Prayer

Have the children sit in a circle.

Let’s say our SuperTruth together. “We are God’s Temple.”

What an awesome privilege to be God’s Temple. This also means that we should honor God in everything we say and do.

Read 1 Corinthians 6:19–20:

¹⁹ Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, ²⁰ for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.

In the Old Testament, the work of the Levites (from the Tribe of Levi) was to assist the priests (who were descendants of Aaron) as they served in the Temple. The Levites did many different tasks to maintain the Temple to keep it pure and operating according to the instructions God had given. Every day they faithfully performed these tasks to care for the Temple to ensure that it was acceptable to God. (See 1 Chronicles 23:28–32.)

It is our responsibility to honor God daily with our body—His temple. We want to keep ourselves pure and acceptable to God every day. God’s Spirit lives in us and helps us to live according to His Word. However, we are human and not perfect. When we choose our way over His, we can make foolish choices, which may lead to sin. Does this mean that our temple is ruined forever? No!

We simply come to Jesus and ask Him to forgive and cleanse us—His Temple—again. Let’s take some time right now to close our eyes and silently ask the Holy Spirit to reveal anything that needs to be cleansed from our temple. Allow time for children to pray.

Close in prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for the Holy Spirit who lives in us. Remind us to come to You each day for cleansing. We want to be a holy and acceptable temple for You, and to bring glory and honor to Your name. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Match Game

We are going to play a matching card game. On the cards are objects from Solomon’s Temple and characters from the Bible story. Let’s say our SuperVerse together. 1 Corinthians 3:16:

All of you surely know that you are God’s Temple and that His Spirit lives in you.

When two identical images are matched during the game, we will briefly discuss the image and what it represents to us today.   

Divide the children into two teams. Teams will alternate turns. A team’s turn consists of one child choosing two cards. Flip over each card as it is guessed to show the children, and read it aloud. If the cards don’t match, place the cards back down. If the cards match, remove them from the board and give them to the player who chose them. For each match, lead a brief discussion with the information provided below. Play until all pairs are removed from the board and discussed. The team with the most pairs wins.  

Altar of Incense—Priests burned incense to the Lord. The incense represents our prayers. (See Exodus 30:1–2; Psalm 141:2.)

Temple veil or curtain—Separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies. When Jesus died He gave us access to God’s throne and presence. (See Exodus 26:33; Matthew 27:50–51.)

Ark of the Covenant—Represented God’s presence among His people. God is always in us today through Jesus. (See Exodus 25:10–22; John 14:23.)

Lampstands—Represented God’s light. Jesus is the light we walk in today. (See 2 Chronicles 4:7; 1 John 1:7.)

Bronze Altar—Used for sin sacrifices to the Lord. (See 2 Chronicles 7:7; Hebrews 10:1–12.)

The Sea—Used to cleanse the priest’s hands and feet. Jesus cleanses us today. (See 1 Kings 7:23–26; 2 Chronicles 4:6; 1 John 1:7.)

Table of Showbread or Bread of the Presence—Twelve bread loaves were always kept on the table in the Temple. The loaves represent God’s provision. Jesus is the bread of life today. (See 1 Kings 7:48; Exodus 25:30; John 6:35.)

High Priest—Jesus is our high priest, cleansing us from sin and presenting us to God. (See Leviticus 16:28-34; Hebrews 2:17.)

Temple—A home for the Ark and a place to worship God. We are His temple. (See 1 Kings 7:51; 1 Corinthians 3:16.)

God’s glory—God’s presence and glory filled the temple. God’s Spirit lives in us today. (See 2 Chronicles 5:14; 1 Corinthians 3:16.)

Activity

Have an older child look up Ephesians 5:1–2 and be ready to read the passage during the activity.

Let’s close our eyes and say the SuperTruth on the count of three—1,2,3!: “We are God’s temple.”

What is a role model? A person you look up to and try to copy, follow or imitate.

Do you think that Jesus had a role model that He followed when He was on earth; if so, who? Yes, God, His Father.

Read John 5:19:

So Jesus explained, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by Himself. He does only what He sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does.”

Let’s do a fun activity and practice being a model and a follower.

Pair-up children. If there is an uneven number, you can be someone’s partner. Stand facing one another. Choose one child to be the lead and the other child to be the mirror. The leader should very slowly make a facial expression or move a hand, foot, leg, or head; jump in place, hop. etc. The “mirror” child must duplicate the same actions as closely as possible. After a few moments, switch roles.

How did you do? Was it more difficult to lead or follow; why?

Why is it important to carefully choose who we follow? Following people who don’t follow Christ can lead us down the wrong path to disobey God and lead us away from His will.

In our activity, the follower just did what the model did without thinking about it. We must be careful to give the Holy Spirit time to speak to us and guide us.

Jesus was faithful to do only what God did. As Christians, it is important to have good role models. We want to become more and more like Jesus. In 1 Corinthians 11:1, the Apostle Paul wrote: You should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.

Even more important, we must imitate our perfect role model—Jesus!

Have the volunteer read Ephesians 5:1–2:

¹ Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are His dear children. ² Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered Himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.

Conclusion: We are privileged to be God’s Temple. We must always follow the leading of the Holy Spirit in every part of our lives. When we do this, we will keep His Temple holy and offer a pleasing aroma to Him, as Christ did!

Coloring Page

Give a coloring page to each child, along with crayons, colored pencils, or washable markers to share.

Lead a brief discussion with the information below as children color their pictures.

What does this picture show? The Temple is finished and the people gathered for Solomon to dedicate the Temple.

Solomon dedicated the magnificent building that he built according to God’s plan. This means that Solomon committed the building to God for His purpose and to bring glory and honor to Him. The building was a place of worship and belonged to God.

Let’s say our SuperTruth together. “We are God’s temple.”

Did you know that you can also dedicate your temple to God? Yes, that is what our Discipleship Challenge is all about. When you dedicate yourself to God, you belong to Him!

When we dedicate our bodies—our temples—to God and live according to His Word, it is an act of true worship that is pleasing to God.

Allow children to share their finished pictures with the class if they desire.

Conclusion: Take your pages home as a reminder that we are God’s temple—dedicated to Him! 

Active Object Lesson

Let’s say our SuperVerse together. 1 Corinthians 3:16:

All of you surely know that you are God’s temple and that His Spirit lives in you.

How awesome it is to be God’s Temple! As His Temple, we are to be noticeably different from the world. Just as God’s Spirit was present in the Temple, His Spirit lives in us today. The temple that Solomon built was to be kept pure and holy by the priests. The priests needed to cleanse their feet and hands before they served. Priests sprinkled blood on the Mercy Seat—the lid of the Ark of the Covenant—to purify the sins of the people. Sweet-smelling incense was burned on the Altar of Incense, symbolizing the prayers of the people rising up to God. Special oil was used to anoint all the furnishings in the Temple to set them apart for God’s use. (See Exodus 30.) We have a responsibility to keep our Temple cleansed and holy for God’s use, too!

Read Romans 12:1:

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all He has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind He will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship Him. 

Give each child a chunk of dough of the same color. Demonstrate how to flatten out the dough so the cookie cutter can be placed on it and fill the mold. Use the mold to make the shape and take it out to show the class. Give two children two of the same shaped cookie cutters. Have each child press the mold into the dough, remove it, and then pass the mold to another child.

When all children have finished, have them hold up their shapes. Discuss how all they are the same.   

To conform means to be shaped by a pattern or mold—to be identical or similar. It also means to act according to stated standards or customs.

Read Romans 12:2a:

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world.

To conform means to look and act like everyone else in the world. This becomes a problem when we begin to follow the world’s standards that disagree or are in conflict with God’s standards. This can lead us to sin and defile God’s Temple.  

Place toothpicks and/or pencils on the tables. Give the different colors modeling dough to the children. Have children crush the last “cookie cutter” dough shape. Have them now create a figure of themselves that is unique and special using the different colors and the toothpicks and pencils to add details. Emphasize that they should be creative and unique! When finished, have children hold up their figures for all to see.

Read Romans 12:2b:

But let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

Transform means to make a complete or dramatic change in form, appearance or character. Look at everyone’s figure—no two are alike. God wants to transform each of us into what He created us to be, to follow His plan for us, and to live according to His standard—not to conform to the standards of the world.  

Conclusion: Only by the blood of Jesus can we cleanse our Temple and keep it holy and acceptable for God’s Spirit to dwell in. Let us be transformed, unique, and set apart to bring Him glory and to be a light in a dark world.