Leader Guide

Video Leader Guide

Welcome (1 minute)

Welcome! Guess what time it is?

It’s time to give thanks to God by singing praises to Him! Last time we began learning how Moses followed God’s command to lead His people out of slavery in Egypt. So let’s stand up and sing 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)

Oh, how I love worshipping God with all of you! Have a seat. Does anyone remember our SuperTruth from last week? “God sees, hears and understands me.”

Yes, God sees us, He hears our prayers, and He understands us. He created us, so He fully understands that we have shortcomings and failures. Should that stop us from doing what God wants us to do? No.

Why not? He will help us.

That’s why our SuperTruth for this lesson is, “God will overcome my weakness.”

Introduce Condensed Bible Story (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.

What was Moses’ weakness? He could not talk very well.

Moses didn’t think he could speak very well, yet God called him to speak to Pharaoh, the ruler of all Egypt! Let’s see how God overcame Moses’ weaknesses to set the children of Israel free. For any children who haven’t seen our Bible story yet, we are going to watch a short version of it now. For those of you who have already seen it, watching this short version will help refresh your memories!

Play Video 4: Condensed Bible Story (10 minutes)

Condensed Bible Story

Superbook takes Chris, Joy and Gizmo to meet Moses, who is chosen by God to lead the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt. They witness the plagues, the exodus from Egypt, and the parting of the Red Sea.

Discussion (1 minute)

Moses faced many challenges as he followed God. Nine times, Pharaoh refused to let the Israelites leave Egypt, and he made them work even harder as slaves! Yet God was at work; and at the right time, He freed His people from slavery.

Introduce Bible Background Video (1 minute)

Our Bible Background Video explores this important time in history. 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 (7.5 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 (1 minute)

Let’s say our SuperVerse, Exodus 4:10-12, together:

Moses pleaded, ... “O Lord, I’m not very good with words.” ... Then the Lord asked Moses, “Who makes a person’s mouth? ... Is it not I, the Lord? Now go! I will be with you as you speak, and I will instruct you in what to say.”

Moses didn’t think he could speak very well. So God asked, “Who makes a person’s mouth?” What is the answer? God.

So, could Moses trust God to give him wisdom and strength to say the right words at the right time? Yes.

God made us, and He will help us overcome our weaknesses! 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 God, we praise You for creating each one of us in a special way. Thank You for understanding our weaknesses, then helping us to overcome them! In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Today in Small Group, you will learn more about how God overcomes our weaknesses with His mighty power! Have fun!

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

The Israelites were slaves in Egypt for many years. God heard their cries for help and sent Moses to deliver them. Moses was not confident in himself. He told God that he couldn’t speak well. God reminded Moses that He made his mouth and that He would be with him and give him the words to speak! God used Moses to warn Pharaoh about the plagues that would come if he didn’t let the Israelites go. After ten plagues, Pharaoh finally had enough! He let God’s people leave Egypt. God saw, heard and understood Israel’s situation and cries for help! God overcame Moses’ weaknesses and rescued His people! Let’s say the SuperTruth together: “God will overcome my weakness.″

Let’s name the ten plagues that God sent to Egypt. Help children with hints as necessary.

1. Water to blood
2. Frogs
3. Lice
4. Flies
5. Livestock disease
6. Boils
7. Hail
8. Locusts
9. Darkness
10. Death of firstborn

Let’s play a bowling game called the Red Sea Roll! The Israelites followed God’s dry path through the Red Sea. We have created a bowling lane here with “water″ on either side to roll the ball through. Your job is to knock over as many plagues as you can!

Divide children into two teams which will alternate turns. A player rolls one ball to knock over the bottles. After a helper clears out fallen bottles, the same player rolls a second time to try to knock over the remaining bottles. Score a point for each bottle knocked down, or 15 points for a strike—ten pins knocked down by the first and/or second roll. For fun, announce the plagues knocked over on each roll like a sports announcer. Play until each child has a turn to bowl. Tally the points. The team with the most points wins.

You were really on a roll there! Let’s all say the SuperVerse together. Exodus 4:10–12:

Moses pleaded, … “O Lord, I’m not very good with words.″ ... Then the Lord asked Moses, “Who makes a person’s mouth? … Is it not I, the Lord? Now go! I will be with you as you speak, and I will instruct you in what to say.” 

Yes, God overcame Moses’ weakness to rescue the Israelites!

Teaching

Note: You may substitute a container of colored water or other safe, colored liquid for the baking soda and vinegar. Modify the presentation wording and simply pour the colored liquid into the glass of water and talk about how the coloring changes the water.

Our SuperTruth today says: “God will overcome my weakness.”

God wants us to focus on His strength, not our weakness! In the video, Moses only saw his weakness at first, not God’s strength to do what He was calling him to do. God knew Moses’ weakness and reminded Moses that He alone gives life and ability to His creation! When Moses trusted and obeyed God, He gave him words to speak and filled him with His authority and power! God’s supernatural power overcame Moses’ human weakness!

When we invite Jesus into our hearts, God sends His Holy Spirit to live inside of us. His Spirit overcomes our weakness and replaces it with His ability, power, wisdom, and direction!

Listen to what Jesus told the disciples just before He left them to return to heaven. They were sad that He was leaving, but here is what He said.

Read Acts 1:8:

“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be My witnesses, telling people about Me everywhere — in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.″

How cool is that? The disciples had witnessed Jesus’ power; but now He was leaving them, and they felt weak and powerless. They didn’t know what they would do without Him. Jesus told them that He was sending the Holy Spirit to give them His power! Just like with Moses, the Holy Spirit would give them the words to speak. God gave them the power to tell others about Jesus!

Bring out the materials on the baking tray and place them on the table. Stand behind the table as you do the demonstration. Hold up the empty water glass.

Let’s say this glass represents me.

Pour in about 4 ounces of water so the glass is about 2/3 full. What’s inside me?

Just some plain water—nothing special, right? In fact, I have a lot of fears and weaknesses—represented by this baking soda.

Place the glass on the baking tray, then add a tablespoon of baking soda into the glass and stir. I’m not very good at talking, and I’m afraid of what people think about me.

Show how the liquid is swirling in the glass. See? I’m all stirred up about my weaknesses. I want to share Jesus with a friend at school, but I don’t have the courage and confidence to do that. I feel weak in this area.

What should I do? Pray, ask God for help, etc.

Oh! That’s a great idea! I will ask God to help me and give me His power.

Pour in some vinegar to activate the ingredients in the glass. It will overflow the glass. You can activate the ingredients a second time by pouring in some more vinegar, if you wish. Wow! God’s power is activated in my life! The Holy Spirit fills me with power and overcomes my weakness!

In Acts, Christians were being persecuted and imprisoned for their belief in Jesus. The believers gathered and prayed for boldness to continue to share the Gospel. Listen to what happened!

Read Acts 4:31:

After this prayer, the meeting place shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they preached the word of God with boldness.

God wants us to be bold, not weak! He will overcome our weakness in every area of our lives and supply what we are lacking! Now, let’s shout our SuperTruth with boldness: “God will overcome my weakness.”

Discipleship Challenge/Practical Application

Let’s talk about our Chain Link Challenge from the last lesson. Hand out Chain Link Challenge Patterns to any children who were not present for Lesson 1. Do you remember the SuperTruth from last lesson? “God sees, hears and understands me.”

Would anybody like to share the results of your challenge? Were you able to help anyone with a job or burden?

Allow children to share their challenge experience. The second Chain Link Challenge is to pray about a weakness you struggle with and ask God for His power to overcome it. Let’s all do this before our next lesson, and I’ll ask how God answered your prayer.

SuperVerse

Let’s all say our SuperVerse, Exodus 4:10–12:

Moses pleaded, … “O Lord, I’m not very good with words.″ ... Then the Lord asked Moses, “Who makes a person’s mouth? … Is it not I, the Lord? Now go! I will be with you as you speak, and I will instruct you in what to say.″ 

Have children look up and read Exodus 4:10–12 in their Bibles. Explain that class members will act out the Scripture. Choose three children who are good readers to play the parts of Moses, God and Narrator, and give them each their section of the SuperVerse Script.

Narrator: Moses pleaded...

Moses:"O Lord, I’m not very good with words..."

Narrator: Then the Lord asked Moses,

God: “ Who makes a person’s mouth? … Is it not I, the Lord? Now go! I will be with you as you speak, and I will instruct you in what to say.″

Have the three children read their parts out loud, then say their lines again with great feeling and expression—the way they imagine God and Moses may have actually spoken these words. Have the class clap for their efforts, then give the “scripts″ to three other children to read. Repeat until everyone in the class has had a chance to act out the verse.

Moses was honest with God and confessed his weakness. God gave Moses what he was lacking to do the job God called him to do! God wants us to bring any weaknesses we have to Him so He can overcome them with His strength!

Note: Do not expect younger children to memorize the SuperVerse. Grades 1–3 may simply repeat it several times, while Grades 4–6 may memorize it. Be sure all children understand its meaning.

Prayer

Let’s read Exodus 14:10–16 to see what happened when the Israelites in our story prayed. I will pause during the reading to discuss your thoughts.

As Pharaoh approached, the people of Israel looked up and panicked when they saw the Egyptians overtaking them. They cried out to the Lord …

Pause to discuss: Was the Israelites’ prayer long and elegant with carefully chosen words to impress God, or just, “Lord, help us, we are terrified!”

... And they said to Moses, “Why did you bring us out here to die in the wilderness? Weren’t there enough graves for us in Egypt? What have you done to us? Why did you make us leave Egypt? … It’s better to be a slave in Egypt than a corpse in the wilderness!”

Pause to discuss: How did the people feel, with the sea in front of them and the Egyptian army behind them? Were the Israelites speaking out of faith or fear—out of strength or weakness? 

But Moses told the people, “Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. The Lord Himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.”

Pause to discuss how these promises all came true—and God answered their prayers with a miracle!

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the people to get moving! Pick up your staff and raise your hand over the sea. Divide the water so the Israelites can walk through the middle of the sea on dry ground.”

Discuss how there is a time to pray and then there is a time to take action after God answers.

God has the power to do anything! So when we are feeling weak, fearful or discouraged, we can rely on God’s strength and watch it overcome our weaknesses!

Our prayers are not answered based on the big words we use or how well we speak. Prayer is simply communication with God that might be through tears or excitement, a whisper or a shout. Don’t forget that prayer is not only us talking to God, but God talking to us, too! God instructed Moses what to do after the Israelites cried out for help. Had Moses not listened, he would have missed God’s instruction!

Pray this prayer and pause following each line so the children can repeat it after you.

Dear God, ...

We praise You for being a loving Father who wants to communicate with Your children. …

We are so glad we can come to You in times of weakness or fear, …

And simply tell You what is on our minds and hearts. …

We know You will answer every prayer, …

And our weaknesses will be overcome with Your strength. …

Thank You for Your love and protection, Father. …

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Action Game

We have been learning about how God can overcome our weaknesses. Moses had weaknesses that God overcame with His strength. Moses felt he lacked the ability to speak well. God overcame that weakness by sending Aaron to talk for Moses. If we are willing to admit that we are weak and frustrated in an area and can’t do it on our own, God will help us to overcome that weakness with His strength.

Let’s play a game about overcoming and knocking out our weakness! Each can -or bottle—represents a weakness that we might need God’s strength to overcome.

The first player steps to the line and throws one sock to knock down a can—it doesn’t have to fall off the table. When a can is knocked over, read the corresponding numbered weakness from the list. Ask the children to prayerfully consider if this is an area of weakness or strength for them.

Whether or not the player hits a can, the turn ends and the next player takes a turn. Sixth grade helpers or other volunteers should return the socks after each turn. If more than one can is knocked over on a throw, stand the additional cans back up. Continue the game until all cans are knocked over and all weaknesses considered.

Weakness list corresponding to numbers written on cans:

1. Arguing with a brother or sister.
2. Disobeying instructions.
3. Doing homework only when asked several times.
4. Putting off chores.
5. Forgetting to pray or read the Bible.
6. Being selfish and not sharing.
7. Lacking confidence to share the Gospel.
8. Making fun of others.
9. Gossiping.
10. Showing impatience toward others.

As our SuperTruth says, “God will overcome my weakness.” In 2 Corinthians 12:9, the Apostle Paul was struggling with a weakness, and God told him:

“My power works best in weakness.”

When we are honest about our weaknesses and don’t try to cover up our failures, God can show His mighty power by helping us. God wants us to bring our weaknesses to Him so He can overcome them with His mighty power!

Pray a short prayer and lead the children in asking God to strengthen any areas of weakness that they have identified.

Fulcrum Object Lesson

Who remembers our SuperTruth today? “God will overcome my weakness.”

Weakness is the opposite of strength isn’t it?

In other words, if you are strong in an area, you aren’t weak, correct? 

Have children look up Nehemiah 8:10 in their Bibles, then have one child read the last sentence of the verse aloud:

“Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

One way we can turn our weakness into strength is by filling ourselves with the joy of the Lord! What is the joy of the Lord? 

It’s knowing that Jesus loves us so much that He died and rose from the dead. It is knowing that He forgives our sins and that one day we can live in heaven with Him, forever! Now, that should fill everyone with joy! No matter how weak we feel or how bad things seem at the moment, the joy of the Lord can give us the inner strength we need! What are some things we can do to allow God to fill us with His joy? Pray, read the Bible, sing praise songs, think of all the blessings God has given us, spend time with other Christians, help others.

Listen to what Jesus told His disciples in these verses. Have children look up John 15:10–11:

“When you obey My commandments, you remain in My love, just as I obey My Father’s commandments and remain in His love. I have told you these things so that you will be filled with My joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!”

What did Jesus say was another way you could have joy? By obeying God’s commandments, obeying His Word.

Jesus said when you live according to God’s Word, you experience God’s love and the joy of the Lord. Here is the really cool part—not only will you receive joy, but joy overflowing—joy that you can’t possibly contain! And think about this—if joy brings God’s strength, then overflowing joy also means overflowing, unlimited strength! Wow, can you imagine unlimited joy and strength!

Place the fulcrum you constructed, or the children’s balance scale, on the table so the children can read the writing on the cups. Hold the water bottle in place with one hand.

Take a look at this! Let’s say that this bottle of water -hold the opened water bottle—is God’s joy. As you follow Jesus and obey God’s Word, you are filled with the joy of the Lord. Begin to pour water into the “JOY” cup slowly. As you are filled with joy, watch what happens to your strength. It goes up! Continue pouring until the cup overflows. This is just what Jesus said would happen—your joy would overflow!

Pray a prayer over the children, thanking God for surrounding us with His love and filling us with His joy that brings strength to overcome our weakness!

Question Game

Ask if anyone has questions after watching the condensed version of “Let My People Go!” Play this simple review game by providing up to two hints per question. Divide the class into two teams—Team Moses and Team Miriam, Moses’ sister. Each team lines up in single file. 

Scoring:

If you can guess who or what I’m thinking of, you will win points.

A correct answer after Hint 1 earns ten points.

A correct answer after Hint 2 earns five points.

A Team Takeaway earns two points. When one team fails to give a correct answer after both hints, the other team has one opportunity to answer correctly. This is called a Team Takeaway.

Game Play:

Teams alternate turns. Give Question 1, Hint 1 to Team Miriam. The first child on that team gets one chance to answer within 5 seconds.

Count down the seconds out loud. The other team can join in the countdown for more fun!

Award ten points to Team Miriam for a correct answer—see scoring above.

For an incorrect answer—give Question 1, Hint 2 to Team Miriam’s second player.

Award five points for a correct answer to Team Miriam.

For an incorrect answer to Hint 2, the other team (Team Moses) gets a chance for a Team Take Away! Team Moses can "huddle" and decide on only ONE answer. If the answer is correct, award two points to Team Moses! If incorrect, no points are awarded to either team. Reveal the correct answer.

Continue play in this fashion with Question 2, Hint 1 given to the first player on Team Moses.

Game play continues until all the questions are asked. The team with the most points wins.

Note: Always begin with the next player on a team who hasn’t had a turn. Do not begin again with player one, until all have played on that team.

Add your own questions and hints to extend play if you desire.

Who or what am I? Questions and hints, with answers:

Who am I?

Hint 1:

I am an Egyptian.

Hint 2:

At first, I refused to let God’s people go.

Pharaoh.

Who am I?

Hint 1:

I am Moses’ brother.

Hint 2:

God used me to be Moses’ voice.

Aaron.

What am I?

Hint 1:

I blocked the way of the Israelites in the wilderness.

Hint 2:

I divided in two to form a path.

Red Sea.

What am I?

Hint 1:

I turned into a snake.

Hint 2:

Moses stretched me out over the Red Sea.

Moses’ rod.

Who am I?

Hint 1:

I was a shepherd.

Hint 2:

I led God’s people through the wilderness.

Moses.

Who are we?

Hint 1:

We followed the Israelites in the wilderness.

Hint 2:

We drowned in the Red Sea.

Pharaoh’s army.

Who are we?

Hint 1:

We made bricks.

Hint 2:

God rescued us out of Egypt.

Israelites, or Hebrew people.

What am I?

Hint 1:

I was the first plague.

Hint 2:

I am red.

Plague of blood in the river.

What am I?

Hint 1:

God ordered that I should be put on the door posts of the Israelite’s homes.

Hint 2:

The angel passed over when he saw me. 

Lamb’s blood.

What am I?

Hint 1:

Moses stopped to see me in the wilderness.

Hint 2:

I was on fire but did not burn up.

Burning bush.

Battery Object Lesson

Our SuperTruth today is: “God will overcome my weakness.”

Do you think Moses needed God’s strength to overcome his weakness in speaking to Pharaoh? 

Did he need God’s strength to overcome his weakness to lead God’s people and to push back the water of the Red Sea?

Yes, he did! Moses had weaknesses and struggles like all of us do. The Israelites needed God’s help too, didn’t they? They were tired and weak from all of the hard work in Egypt. Then they gathered up their belongings quickly and traveled for miles in the wilderness. They really needed God’s strength!

But what is this strength? Let’s all flex our arm muscles and see how big they are! Encourage children to hold up their arms and flex their muscles. Moses didn’t need big muscles to cross the Red Sea. He just needed faith to believe God—and obedience to do what God said! Moses obediently lifted his rod, and God’s strength flowed through his weakness!

The strength we most often receive from God is called inner strength in the Bible. It’s inside us, not an outer, physical change in our body. The Apostle Paul prayed this prayer of encouragement for followers of Jesus.

Have a child look up and read Ephesians 3:16:

I pray that from His glorious, unlimited resources He will empower you with inner strength through His Spirit.

That excites me, to think of being empowered with unlimited, inner strength through God's Holy Spirit!

Hold up the toy.

Let me show you how this works. Turn it on and look perplexed that nothing happens. Hmmm, something is wrong here. Maybe a battery is weak or dead.

Change out the battery and demonstrate that the toy works now. Then take the batteries out and hold up both the charged and dead batteries.

Now, look at these batteries. Do you see a difference on the outside? 

No, they look the same to me. But, one is filled with power, good and strong; the other is weak or uncharged. You can’t tell that by looking at the outside, but inside there is a big difference; there is strength or power INSIDE the good battery.

When we ask God to help us overcome our weakness, He fills us with His strength—an inner strength, just like this charged battery powered the toy! Let’s say our SuperTruth again: “God will overcome my weakness.”