Leader Guide

Video Leader Guide

Welcome(1 minutes)

Welcome back to the second lesson of our Superbook adventure, “Joshua and Caleb.” They lived by faith, not sight. That means they didn’t live according to what they saw around them, but by faith in the Lord. Joshua and Caleb believed that no matter what enemy they faced, God would give them victory. Now it’s time to praise God for the victory He gives us through Christ as we sing Endless Adventure.

Play Video: (Song) Endless Adventure(5 minutes)

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

11 Endless Adventure

SuperTruth and Discussion (2 minutes)

Our SuperTruth today is: “The battle belongs to the Lord.” What are some things that people battle in their lives today? Children answer.

We may face bullying, peer pressure, doubt, fear, loneliness, rejection, depression, failure, or shame. But never forget—God is on our side; and He will help us to overcome anything that we face, no matter how big or how small. Let’s watch how Joshua and Caleb lived by faith in a short version of our Bible story video. For anyone who has seen it before, notice how Joshua and Caleb reacted when the Israelites said they wanted to return to Egypt.

Introduce Condensed Bible Story Video (13 minutes)

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.

Play Video 4: Condensed Bible Story (7 minutes)

Superbook takes Chris, Joy and Gizmo to meet Joshua, Caleb, and 10 other spies sent by Moses to explore the Promised Land. Joshua and Caleb are amazed by Canaan’s abundance—yet their good report is undermined by the other spies, who fear giants in the land. The children learn that God blesses faithfulness, while the Israelites are punished for their lack of trust.

4 Condensed Bible Story

Discussion (1 minute)

God gave Moses a way to alert the people when something important was about to happen. How did Moses signal the Israelites? The priests blew two silver trumpets.

The trumpets were blown:  

·      To break camp and move forward on their journey.

·      To call the leaders together.

·      To gather or assemble the people.

·      To sound an alarm in an enemy attack.

·      To use for praising God in times of worship.     

God made a permanent law that only the priests could blow the two silver trumpets. Why do you think God did that? To stop false alarms; so people knew when the trumpets sounded that it was important and they shouldn’t ignore it.

How did God lead the Israelites through the wilderness? A cloud by day and a pillar of fire at night.    

The Lord was certainly with His people. He communicated with them and provided for them in the wilderness—there was no reason for them to be afraid or unfaithful.  

Introduce Bible Background Video (1 minute)

In today’s Bible Background video, we will explore the land of Canaan, which was the land God had promised to His people. We’ll also find out more about God’s faithful servants, Joshua and Caleb. In the video, Gizmo will ask some questions. Wait for him to give some answers, then call out the one you think is right!

Play Video 5: Bible Background (9 minutes)

5 Bible Background

Play Video 10B: SuperVerse Graphic

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

10B: SuperVerse Graphic

SuperVerse Discussion (1 minute)

The SuperVerse today is Romans 8:37:

Joshua and Caleb pleaded with the Israelites to trust in God’s power and promise of victory so they could possess the land of Canaan. They knew that God would give them victory—all they needed to do was believe!

Raise your hand if you like to lose.

No one wants to lose! Raise your hand if you like to have victory!

Jesus died on the cross to give us victory over sin and death. He won the victory for us; we simply need to trust Him.

Let’s stand and boldly declare the SuperVerse together. Romans 8:37:

Children will have more time to learn the SuperVerse in Small Group. If younger children are not able to memorize the entire verse, be sure they understand its meaning.

Prayer and Send-Off (1 minute)

Let’s pray. Lord Jesus, thank You for the victory we have through You. No matter what we face, we know You will fight for us because You love us. In Your victorious name we pray, Amen.     

Now, it is time to go to Small Group where we will play a game called Gather and Go! I don’t have a trumpet to sound, but it is time to move to Small Group to 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

Gather and Go! Play a game to follow God’s leading.       

In the video, how did Joshua and Caleb react when the Israelites said they wanted to return to Egypt? They tore their clothing.

In Bible times, tearing your clothing was a sign of great grief, mourning and sorrow.

Why were Joshua and Caleb so upset? The people were rebelling against God. They would miss out on God’s promises because they did not believe God. 

The people wanted to choose a different leader, someone other than Moses, God’s appointed leader, and head back in the opposite direction. That was rebellion—a serious sin in God’s eyes. God had chosen Moses as their leader. God had also made it clear that He would guide them with the cloud and the pillar of fire. He wanted them to move and stop as He guided them.    

Optional: Read Exodus 13:21:

Hold up the cloud sign. In this game, you will travel by day, so you will follow this cloud.

You are Israelites who will work in teams of two (groups of three for a larger class). When the cloud moves and the trumpets (or whistles) blow, you will work together to quickly tear down the camp, carry it to the area where the cloud stopped, and set up camp again—just like the Israelites. You will need to make more than one trip. Each team will be timed, and the team that moves and sets up camp the quickest wins.       

Have a sixth grade helper or leader hold up the umbrella or the cloud sign. Have two other helpers blow the trumpets, horns, whistles or kazoos during the game.

Divide the children into teams of two or three. For larger classes, have more children on each team. One team will play at a time and start by standing in the camp. Move the cloud to the opposite end of the room. When it stops, the horns will blow and the time begins. When the team has moved every piece of camping equipment and positioned them into place in the new location, stop the timer and record the time on the board. Play until each team has taken a turn; the team with the shortest time wins.   

Conclusion: That really looked like fun! As followers of Christ, we must be ready and willing to move as He leads. When we follow Him, He will lead us to victory!   

Teaching

It’s Our Battle, Too: Discuss how God brings us victory.                     

The Israelites were in the wilderness, yet they were not alone. The people could see symbols of God’s presence to remind them He was there. Can you name three of the symbols that represented God’s presence as they traveled? Cloud, pillar of fire, and Ark of the Covenant.

Read Numbers 10:33–35: 

The Ark of the Covenant brought encouragement and strength to the people as it went before them into battle. We are even more blessed today because of Christ. The Holy Spirit goes before us and with us. He guides, protects, and gives us victory in all the battles we may encounter. Who can say the SuperTruth we learned in Large Group? “The battle belongs to the Lord.”

If the battle is the Lord’s, do you think it means we can just kick back, relax, and forget about it until it is over? No!

That’s right; we can’t just play games and ask God to let us know when it’s all over. We have a very important job.

When the Israelites first escaped from slavery in Egypt and began their journey to the Promised Land, Pharaoh and his army came charging after them. Moses and the Israelites were trapped between their enemies and the Red Sea. Was this the end?

Have two volunteers read aloud Exodus 14:13–16:   

Did Moses just relax on the shore? No. What did God tell him to do? To raise his staff over the sea so it would divide.  

Have children raise their arms as if they’re pointing over the Red Sea. When Moses raised his staff, a great wind blew and opened up a path of dry land through the sea. The battle was the Lord’s, yet Moses had to obey and do his part. And when all the Israelites had finished crossing through the sea on dry land, God told Moses to raise his arm again. This time, the waters of the sea fell back into place, drowning the Egyptian army! The Bible tells us in Exodus 14:25 that the Egyptians shouted:

They were terrified when they realized God was fighting for the Israelites. When we ask for God’s help, we must be ready and willing to do what He asks—no matter how big or small the part is.

Forty years later, when the Israelites finally crossed into the Promised Land, Joshua led them into battle against the great city of Jericho. It was a well-fortified, walled city that was impossible to defeat without God’s help. God gave Joshua and the Israelites a very unusual part to play in the battle. Have volunteers read Joshua 6:1–5:

What did God tell the people to do? March around the city. 

Let’s stand up and march in place as I read what happened on the seventh day. Read Joshua 6:20:

Have the children shout, “Praise the Lord” then sit down.

God has given us invisible battle gear to wear, which we call the armor of God. This armor protects and equips us so we can stand firm while Jesus fights our battles for us.

Optional: Have children take turns reading aloud Ephesians 6:13–18: 

Let’s try to name all seven pieces of the armor of God. Belt of truth, body armor (breastplate) of righteousness, shoes of peace, shield of faith, helmet of salvation, sword of the Spirit/Word of God, prayer.

During a battle, God may tell us to not say a word, and other times the Holy Spirit may give us words to speak. As He fights for us, we must listen to His Spirit and obey.  

Discipleship Challenge/Practical Application

Give a Promise Pouch and Heart Promises Page to children who missed Lesson 1 so they may assemble it at home.

Hold up the challenge craft. Who remembers what the Discipleship Challenge is about? Putting God’s promises deep in our hearts.

The challenge last time was to look up and learn the verse on Heart #1, James 4:10. Can anyone say it from memory?

What does God promise to do if we humble ourselves? He will lift us up! 

Would anyone like to share your family discussion about the verse? Children answer.

Would anyone like to share a new promise you discovered in the Bible? Children share.

Our next challenge is to look up and memorize the verse on Heart #3: Proverbs 30:5.

Optional: If time permits, have the children look up and read Proverbs 30:5:

At home, look up this verse, discuss it with your family if possible, and try to memorize it. The second part of this challenge is to set aside time each day to read the Bible to discover a new promise from God. Write it on Heart #4 and put it into your Heart Pouch. We want to keep all of God’s wonderful promises deep in our hearts!

SuperVerse

Superbook Champion: Memorize the SuperVerse with a group activity. 

Ten spies were afraid of giants in the land, but Joshua and Caleb believed God would give the people victory if they would simply trust Him. Later, Joshua would lead Israel’s army to conquer their enemies with God’s help. Do you remember another man in the Bible who trusted in God to defeat a giant? David.

David was a champion for God and so was Joshua. They acted by faith not by sight.

Divide the class into two equal groups. You may choose to have boys against girls. Today, we are going to have a contest to see who can memorize the SuperVerse. Everyone on your team will work together to memorize the verse. Then each team will choose a champion to represent the team in saying the verse in front of the whole class.

Give the teams a minute or two to memorize the verse, have them choose a champion, and let each champion try to recite it to the class. 

Christ loves us and empowers us; He gives us victory over all things—even giant problems!   

Younger children may not be able to memorize the entire SuperVerse, simply have them repeat it several times and be sure they understand its meaning.

Prayer

Victory Prayers: Communicate with God.

Joshua was a man of prayer as he led the Israelites into battle in the Promised Land. In one battle with five Amorite kings, God told Joshua not to be afraid, for He had given him the victory. The battle was the Lord’s! He sent a great hailstorm to destroy much of the enemy’s troops. As Joshua and his troops fought, Joshua prayed for God to help him in an unusual way. Have a child look up and read aloud Joshua 10:12–14:

What was the last sentence? Surely the Lord fought for Israel that day!

God answered Joshua’s bold prayer. It was the first and only time the sun stood still! Joshua knew that the battle was the Lord’s, not his. He was fighting for God’s cause and victory was assured—not because of his own strength, but because of God’s power!  

We face battles every day that we need God’s help to win. But remember that because we trust in Jesus, He gives us the victory over all of these things! God kept the sun and moon in their place so Joshua could defeat his enemy. He will stop at nothing to help us win the battles we face. The Bible says that nothing is impossible with God! 

So take a moment and silently think about any battles you are facing. As we discussed in Large Group, it could be bullying, peer pressure, doubt, fear, temptation, depression, shame, jealousy, or something else. No matter what you are facing, give it to the Lord today and ask Him to fight your battle! Let’s pray silently. Allow children time to pray. 

Close in prayer: Heavenly Father, we rejoice that we can win every battle we face through Jesus Christ, who gives us the victory! Forgive us for the things we have done wrong. Thank You for giving us a new start whenever we humbly come to You to repent and ask for help. We praise You that You always love us, and we never need to fight our battles alone. Let us take courage knowing that You will give us strength to defeat whatever comes against us. In Jesus’ mighty name we pray, Amen. 

Let’s all stand and shout, “My battle belongs to the Lord!” Ready? Go! Children shout.   

Battle Game

Victory in Christ: Play a game to defeat your giants

We may not have to worry about giants in the Promised Land, but what are some giant fears that we may face today? Heights, darkness, snakes, spiders, speaking in front of people, taking tests, being bullied, being teased for following God’s Word instead of the crowd.

These fears may seem huge to us, and we may think we are small in comparison, but we can do all things with the Lord! He gives us His Holy Spirit to live inside us, so we can overcome every fear and accomplish what we are doing!

Hold up your sample “giant,” then give each child a washable marker and paper bag or cup. They should write their names on the bottom and sketch a mean-looking giant on one side, leaving the top two inches of the bag blank. On the other side, they should write one of the “giant” fears mentioned earlier. Have them crumple the newsprint and stuff the bags, then fold over the top edge and staple or tape shut. There is no need to stuff the cups.

That’s a lot of nasty-looking giants! How can we defeat all of them? With Christ we win; He gives us the victory over everything.

Hold up a penny with the words “In God we trust” on it or a pebble marked “Trust God.” You may think this tiny thing can’t do much, but it has a powerful message that can change your life. Do you know what it says? In God we trust; or, Trust God.

When we trust in the Lord, we can do great things! So let’s use our trust in God to defeat all of these scary-looking giants! Remember—the battle belongs to the Lord.

Divide the class into teams of several children each. Each team should place their “giant” bags on a table or the floor, then stand behind the starting line. Give the first child on each team five pennies or pebbles to try to knock down all of the team’s giants. Other teammates should collect the pennies, give them to the next player, and set up the giants again. Play continues until everyone has an opportunity to throw. The scorekeepers keep a running tally of each team’s downed “giants.” The highest-scoring team wins.

After all children have had a turn and a winning team declared, allow teams to “combine forces” together to defeat all of the giants.

As we experience victory in Christ, we must be willing to help others defeat their giants, too! 

Optional: give each child a penny or pebble to take home with his or her giant bag as a reminder to trust God to do great things.

Conclusion: We can defeat our giants because of Christ who loves us. We just need to trust in Him, not our own strength.

Binocular Craft

Look at That! Make a Gizmo gadget for secret missions.

Gizmo uses many gadgets on his Superbook adventures. He has used a telescope and an x-ray scanner to take a closer look at something from a safe distance. Can you name another gadget that can be used to take a closer look? Here is a hint (if needed). This gadget is often used for bird watching. Binoculars.   

Today, you will make your own Gizmo binoculars to use on secret missions. Show children the craft model. Guide and assist the children as needed to assemble their binoculars using the instructions on the pattern. 

Have children share their binoculars for all to see. If the glue has dried by the end of class, children may wear their binoculars as they leave. Tell children to share how Joshua and Caleb saw giants in the Promised Land and still trusted God for victory!     

Game and Song

Twelve or a Dozen: Children learn the tribe names of Israel.

Grades 1–3 Activity

The Jewish people are descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Abraham was the father of Isaac, who was the father of Jacob, who had twelve sons! Jacob was given a new name by God: Israel. This is why Jacob’s descendants are called the children of Israel. His twelve sons became the twelve tribes of Israel. Some tribes had very well-known descendants! King Saul came from the tribe of Benjamin. Other kings came from the tribe of Judah: King David, King Solomon, and the King of kings—Jesus! All of the priests of Israel came from the tribe of Levi. Moses and Aaron were both descendants of Levi. 

Point to each name on the board; have children say the names aloud with you to help with the pronunciation before they learn the song, “The Sons of Jacob.” Then teach the children to sing it to the tune of “Ten Little Indians.” Music is under the Get Ready tab of this activity.

Grade 4–6 Activity 

Divide children into teams of 2–3 depending on the size of the class. Give each team a Bible Passage Page and the envelope or bag with the twelve Tribe Cards.   

God had a specific order in which the twelve tribes of Israel marched to move their camp or to go into battle. In this activity, you will work in teams to put the tribe cards in the correct order according to Numbers 10:13–28 on the Bible Passage Page. 

To play the game, teams will dump their cards on the floor or table, read Numbers 10:13–28 in their Bibles or the Bible Passage Page, and assemble the cards in the correct order. The first team that does this wins. Allow each team to complete the task and then check the order according to the Bible Passage Page.   

Optional: place all the cards in one pile in the center of the room. Teams must send a player to pick one card at a time and bring it back to the group to assemble in order.

Bible Activity

We Win! Race to find verses about victory in Christ.

Let’s say the SuperVerse together. Romans 8:37:

As followers of Christ, we do not face our battles alone. We can experience victory in every area of our lives as we rely on His strength—not our own! We probably won’t encounter actual giants. However, we will face giant problems like troubles, hardship, loneliness, fear, and temptation. In this activity, you will look up verses about victories we can experience through Jesus.

Have the children sit in pairs. Try to pair an experienced Bible user with a child who isn’t as familiar with the Bible. Give each pair a Bible. The experienced Bible user can quickly look up the verse while the other player writes the answer on two sticky notes. The notes are then stuck to both of the player’s foreheads. This represents that Jesus gives the victory to each one of us. If both players are experienced Bible users, the players can alternate looking up a verse and writing down the answer. Have children close their Bibles before you announce the next verse.

Note that the suggested answers are from the New Living Translation. If children are using different translations, their answers will vary.

I will say a verse reference and write it on the board. You may start to look it up, and I will then read a fill-in-the-blank question for that verse. One player in each group will write the answer on two sticky notes and stick them on both players’ foreheads. You have 30 seconds to do that. The first team scores 10 points for the correct answer; all other teams score 5 points for the correct answer stuck to their foreheads in time. Every pair will have a chance to finish. The pair with the most points wins.      

Allow spelling errors because of the fast pace of the game. Do as many verses as time allows. Be prepared to help any children with special needs.

1. Psalm 34:19 in the Old Testament. Jesus gives us victory over the _____ we face. (Troubles) 

2. 1 John 2:14b in the New Testament. God’s Word gives us victory over the _____ one. (Evil)

3. John 16:33 in the New Testament. Jesus gives us the victory to overcome the _____. (World)  

4. 1 Corinthians 10:13 in the New Testament. Jesus gives us victory over _____ by showing us a way out. (Temptation) 

5. Revelation 21:4 in the New Testament. Jesus gives us victory over death, sorrow, crying, and _____. (Pain)

6. 2 Corinthians 12:9 in the New Testament. The power of Christ gives us victory over our _____. (Weaknesses)  

7. 1 John 4:18 in the New Testament. Jesus’ perfect love gives us victory over ______. (Fear) 

8. Two victories: 1 Corinthians 15:57 in the New Testament. Jesus gives us victory over _____ and _____. (Sin and Death)  

9. Romans 8:1 in the New Testament. We have victory over _____ when we belong to Christ. (Condemnation) 

10. Luke 10:19 in the New Testament. Jesus gives us authority over the _____ of the enemy. (Power)