Leader Guide

Video Leader Guide

Welcome (2 minutes)

Welcome back for the last lesson of our Superbook adventure, “Joseph and Pharaoh’s Dream.” Can someone tell me how God showed Joseph that He had a special plan for his life? In two dreams.

God has a good plan for everyone’s life—and that includes saving us from our sins. We are going to praise God now for sending His Son to reveal His wonderful plan of salvation. Let’s all stand up and sing The Salvation Poem. As we sing, let’s think about how much God loves us—and how much we love Him!    

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

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

The Salvation Poem

SuperTruth and Discussion (2 minutes)

Our SuperTruth for today is: “God’s plan for Jesus brought salvation to all.” Let’s have the girls shout the first part of the SuperTruth, “God’s plan for Jesus,” and then the boys shout the last part, “brought salvation to all.” Are you ready? Let’s go! “God’s plan for Jesus ... brought salvation to all.”

That was wonderful! Let’s do it one more time and switch parts. The boys will shout, “God’s plan for Jesus,” and the girls will shout, “brought salvation to all.” Go! “God’s plan for Jesus ... brought salvation to all.”

Now, who did God have a plan of salvation for? All people, everyone.

God has a plan not just for some people, but for all people, from the beginning of time until the end of time!

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.

If you saw our video in Lesson 1, you’ll remember that Chris thought he had a great plan. But what happened along the way to the soccer match that caused his plan to fail? His dad stopped to help another person with car problems.

What did Chris learn from that experience? To trust more in God’s plan instead of his own.

Now, for the children who haven’t seen our Bible story yet, we are going to watch a short version of the video. If you’ve already seen it, look for answers to two bonus questions we will ask in our Small Group time:

1. Who was the brother who Joseph kept with him to make sure his brothers would return to Egypt the second time?
2. Whose grain sack contained Joseph’s silver cup?

Play Video 4: Condensed Bible Story (10.5 minutes)

Condensed Bible Story

Superbook takes Chris, Joy and Gizmo to meet Joseph, who is sold into slavery by his brothers, then rises from prisoner to governor of Egypt. The children learn to trust God’s plans instead of their own.

Play Video 10C: SuperVerse Graphic 3

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

SuperVerse Graphic 3

SuperVerse (2 minutes)

Our SuperVerse, Genesis 50:20 (cev), says,

“You tried to harm me, but God made it turn out for the best, so that He could save all these people, as He is now doing.”

Let’s stand up and say the SuperVerse together, then sit back down.

Do you remember who said these words and who he was talking to? Joseph to his brothers.

Yes, Joseph now understood how all the events of his life had been put in place by God. Sometimes, we may have no idea why certain things happen; but if we trust God, He will bless us and use us to bless others. Let’s stand up one more time and say the SuperVerse together again.

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

Introduce Signposts Video (1 minute)

Let’s watch our Signposts Video to see how God’s plan for Joseph pointed to God’s plan for Jesus—to bring salvation to all.

Play Video 6: Signposts Video (4.5 minutes)

Signposts Video

Prayer and Send-Off (2 minutes)

Let’s pray before we move to our Small Groups. Dear God, thank You for Your plan of salvation that You have for the world. Help us share Your loving plan of mercy, love and forgiveness with others in our lives. Thank You for the good plan that You have for each one of us as we serve You now. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

Today in Small Group, we are going to play a fun game about how God’s plan brought salvation to all. Let’s go!

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 find out who can answer our two bonus questions from Large Group!

1. Which brother did Joseph keep with him to make sure his other brothers would return to Egypt? Simeon.

2. Whose grain sack contained Joseph’s silver cup? Benjamin’s.

Can anyone say our SuperTruth from memory? “God’s plan for Jesus brought salvation to all.”

Good job! We are going to play a game about God’s plan today. In our game, we are going to use lots of plates. Can you guess why we would do that?

Do you remember what Joseph did for his brothers soon after they brought Benjamin to Egypt, and before Joseph revealed who he was?

Joseph gave a feast for his brothers. This must have been quite a surprise for his brothers, since they were in the midst of a famine—meaning there was little food to eat. They had probably only been eating just enough to survive each day, since they did not know when the famine would end. Now that you know why we are using plates, let’s play! Some of the plates have letters that will form a word you must figure out—but some plates are blank!

Divide the class into two teams; they do not need to be equal. Have each team stand about 12–15 feet away from their set of plates that you have shuffled and placed face-down on the floor—see illustration. Start the game. The first player from each team walks quickly to their set of plates and turns over one plate. If the plate contains a letter, they bring the plate back and place it on the floor beside their team. If the plate is blank, they must show it to their team, then place it back in the same spot on the floor, face-down, then return to their team without a plate. Team members should try to remember the location of any blank plates to avoid picking them on their own turn. The next player takes a turn. Continue until one team finds all nine letters and correctly orders the plates to form the hidden word—SALVATION. Play another round if time allows.  

You did a great job of finding the word salvation! Do you know that we can bring God’s plan of salvation to others when we tell them about Jesus? God’s plan for Joseph saved many people and was a signpost showing how Jesus would fulfill God’s plan to save everyone. Now that’s the best news that anyone can receive! 

Teaching

Let’s say our SuperTruth together: “God’s plan for Jesus brought salvation to all.”

Now, let’s say our SuperVerse together. Genesis 50:20:

“You tried to harm me, but God made it turn out for the best, so that He could save all these people, as He is now doing.”

What is similar in both the SuperTruth and SuperVerse? Saving all, salvation to all.

The theme in both is God’s plan to save people. That has been His desire ever since Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden. The Signposts Video showed us how God’s plan for Joseph’s life pointed to God’s plan of salvation through Jesus. To explore this even more, we will find coins in our grain sack. Why do you think I chose to use coins and a sack? Joseph put his brothers’ money back in their grain sacks as a test.

For each signpost, hold out the “grain sack” and let a different child feel inside the sack—without looking—to find and pull out a coin. As you hold up each coin, discuss the signpost that it stands for.

Coin/Signpost 1: This coin stands for our first signpost. God had a plan for both Joseph and Jesus—to save others. God’s plans for Joseph and Jesus were misunderstood by those around them.

The plan for Joseph was revealed in two dreams, but nobody fully understood what the dreams meant until much later. God would move Joseph to Egypt and use him to save many lives.    

God had a plan for Jesus—to save the people of the world from their sins. Even the disciples did not fully understand Jesus’ mission; but He understood, and He obeyed God by dying on the cross.  

OPTIONAL SCRIPTURES FOR GRADES 4–6

Have students read and discuss Genesis 37:5,8:

One night Joseph had a dream, and when he told his brothers about it, they hated him more than ever. His brothers responded, “So you think you will be our king, do you? Do you actually think you will reign over us?” And they hated him all the more because of his dreams and the way he talked about them.

Have students read and discuss John 3:17:

“God sent His Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through Him.”

Coin/Signpost 2: This coin stands for our second signpost. Both Joseph and Jesus were dearly loved by their fathers.

OPTIONAL SCRIPTURES FOR GRADES 4–6

Have students read and discuss Genesis 37:3a:

Jacob loved Joseph more than any of his other children because Joseph had been born to him in his old age.

Have students read and discuss Matthew 3:17:

 And a voice from heaven said, “This is My dearly loved Son, who brings Me great joy.”

Coin/Signpost 3: This coin stands for our third signpost. Both Joseph and Jesus were betrayed, falsely accused, and arrested. Both Jesus and Joseph forgave those who betrayed them and treated them unjustly.   

Joseph was betrayed by his brothers, thrown into a pit, sold as a slave, falsely accused, and put into prison. He didn’t deserve any of this, yet he chose to forgive his brothers.   

Jesus was betrayed by Judas, one of His disciples, for thirty pieces of silver. When Jesus was put on trial, Pontius Pilate, the Roman ruler, said Jesus was innocent—yet he ordered Jesus to be crucified. While Jesus was suffering on the cross, He prayed that God would forgive them.

OPTIONAL SCRIPTURES FOR GRADES 4–6

Have students read and discuss Genesis 40:15:

“For I was kidnapped from my homeland, the land of the Hebrews, and now I’m here in prison, but I did nothing to deserve it.”

Have students read and discuss Genesis 50:19,21:

But Joseph replied, “Don’t be afraid of me. Am I God, that I can punish you? No, don’t be afraid. I will continue to take care of you and your children.” So he reassured them by speaking kindly to them.

Have students read and discuss Mark 14:10:

Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples, went to the leading priests to arrange to betray Jesus to them.

Have students read and discuss Luke 23:4:

Pilate turned to the leading priests and to the crowd and said, “I find nothing wrong with this man!”

Have students read and discuss Luke 23:34:

Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.”

Coin/Signpost 4: This coin stands for our fourth signpost. Joseph and Jesus both humbled themselves and became servants.

Joseph was sold as a slave in Egypt, yet he was faithful and trustworthy in all he did.

Jesus came to Earth not to be served, but to serve others. Jesus lived His life as an example of how we should live—humbly serving others.

OPTIONAL SCRIPTURES FOR GRADES 4–6

Have students read and discuss Genesis 39:4:

This pleased Potiphar, so he soon made Joseph his personal attendant. He put him in charge of his entire household and everything he owned.

Have students read and discuss Matthew 20:28:

“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give His life as a ransom for many.”

Coin/Signpost 5: This coin stands for our fifth signpost. Joseph and Jesus trusted God and submitted to God’s plan until it was completed. Both were left to die. Joseph was rescued from the pit. Jesus died on the cross and was raised from the dead by God.

Joseph’s brothers meant to harm him, but Joseph came to understand that all the events in his life were for God’s purpose to save others.

Jesus died on the cross to pay the price for our sins, then rose again so we can serve Him here on Earth and live forever with Him in heaven!  

OPTIONAL SCRIPTURES FOR GRADES 4–6

Have students read and discuss Genesis 50:20:

“You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.”

Have students read and discuss 1 Peter 2:24:

He personally carried our sins in His body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By His wounds you are healed.

Conclusion: Now that is Good News for everyone! Let’s say our SuperTruth together: “God’s plan for Jesus brought salvation to all.”

Discipleship Challenge/Practical Application

It is time for our Discipleship Challenge! Would anyone like to share their challenge results for trusting God and responding in a way that was pleasing to Him?

Give a Trust Necklace Pattern to any children who missed the first two lessons of this module.

We are using these Trust Necklaces to remind ourselves to trust God when we don’t know what to do, or when things seem to be going wrong. Did anyone remember to do that? What happened when you did?

Let’s continue to ask God to show us how to please Him in difficult situations—like Joseph did. Because he followed God’s plan, his life was filled with favor and blessing, and many other lives were blessed, too.      

SuperVerse

Have the children sit on the floor facing the board.

Let’s say our SuperVerse together. Genesis 50:20:

“You tried to harm me, but God made it turn out for the best, so that He could save all these people, as He is now doing.”

Joseph spoke these words to his brothers after their father’s death. The brothers were afraid that since their father was gone, Joseph would punish them for all they had done to him. Yet Joseph assured his brothers that he held no grudge against them. He explained that God took what they had done out of anger and jealousy and turned it around for good to save people’s lives in the famine.    

Say the SuperVerse again, then have the children turn around and cover their eyes so they cannot see the board. Using the list below, change one word of the SuperVerse on the board to alter the meaning of the verse, then have the children look at the board and raise their hands to tell you what word should be fixed. Write in the correct word, then repeat the process. 

• Change “God” to “Pharaoh.”
• Change “harm” to “help.”
• Change “now” to “finished.”
• Change “best” to “worst.”
• Change “save” to “punish.”
• Change “people” to “Egyptians.”

Very good! You know the SuperVerse very well already. Let’s say it the correct way together. Genesis 50:20:

“You tried to harm me, but God made it turn out for the best, so that He could save all these people, as He is now doing.”

Prayer

We have been talking about God’s plan for Jesus. God’s plan is found in the Bible in John 3:16 (nkjv). His plan is the biggest and best plan of all time. 

Read John 3:16:

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

Yes, this is the plan our SuperTruth is talking about. When we believe in Jesus, we receive salvation. And we have the opportunity to share Jesus and God’s plan with other people so they know it, too! Yes, we play a big part in sharing God’s plan with all!

When Jesus died on the cross, Satan thought he had won. But God turned what was meant for harm for the best! Jesus rose from the dead and defeated sin and death, opening the way for all people to be saved!

Salvation is for all people, but not everyone has heard about Jesus! Right now, let’s ask God to show us people who need to know about Him. They may be people at school, in your neighborhood, or in your family. Allow a few moments for children to think. Now, let’s pray quietly for those people, that they will come to know Jesus. Allow time for children to pray silently.

Close in prayer. God, thank You for sending Jesus to save all people. Show us ways that we can share Your wonderful plan of salvation with others. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

Object Lesson

Who can say our SuperTruth from memory? “God’s plan for Jesus brought salvation to all.”

Good! Now, let’s all say it together: “God’s plan for Jesus brought salvation to all.”

Hold up the different groups of objects as listed below. Discuss briefly to reinforce the meaning of all to the children. End with the world map or globe.

• Coins—discuss the various sizes and how much each one is worth. Remove a few and hold up the rest, asking if this is all of the coins. No.
• Hold up all the coins then and repeat the question. Yes.
• Crayons—show the box and read several of the colors. Pull some crayons out of the box and hold the box up, asking if the box contains ALL of the colors. No.
• Place all of the crayons back in the box, then hold it up and repeat the question. Yes.
• Shapes—hold up the shapes, words not showing, and ask the children to tell you the name of each shape. Remove some shapes from the pile and hold up the rest, asking if this is ALL of the shapes. No.
• Add the shapes back to the pile, hold them up again, and repeat the question. Yes.
• Slowly spin the globe or hold up the map. Point to some countries/continents, have children try to identify them, and ask if they have ever traveled to any other countries. Point to the country where you live and then to other countries at the appropriate time as you complete the presentation.

This represents the whole world—ALL of it. When God sent Jesus to Earth to die for people’s sins, He didn’t just die for SOME people. He died for ALL of the people in ALL of these countries!

In the Bible, some religious leaders wanted to limit God’s blessings and salvation to the Jews, but Jesus made it clear that He came to save ALL people! 

When you look at people in your school or in your neighborhood, ask God to show you how He sees them. It doesn’t matter if they are rich or poor, old or young—all people need to know the Lord!

Activity

The SuperVerse is divided into four parts on grain sacks as seen below: 

You tried to harm me,
but God made it turn out for the best,
so that He could save all these people,
as He is now doing. 
Genesis 50:20 (cev)

In this world, there are harmful and evil influences. Yet when we serve and trust God, He works in our lives and turns things around for good to strengthen us and to help other people. We will face difficult times, and things may not seem fair, yet we can trust that God is working for our good. Now, let’s play our game to help us learn this powerful memory verse so we can remember it when we are having a tough time!     

Take the pile of grain sack patterns that you have shuffled, and hand out one sack pattern to each child. Children should look at their own cards, but they cannot show them to anyone until the activity begins. Explain that no one may speak during the game, and children cannot hold their cards up so everyone can see. Each child will silently move around and show their card to other children—one at a time—looking for those who have other parts of the verse, until they find three children with sacks that complete the SuperVerse. Once four children hold the complete verse, they will stand in front of the board, holding their sacks in the correct order. To begin the game, start the time and play until all groups have formed the SuperVerse. Stop the time and record it. Have the children shout the SuperVerse together.

Have children exchange cards with players from other groups, then play another round to try and beat the previous time. 

Crossword Puzzle

This activity works best for children who can read. If you have any nonreaders in your class, pair them with readers to do the puzzle. Give each child a Joseph puzzle and a pencil, and have Bibles available for children to look up verses and find answers. Allow time for children to complete the puzzle, then discuss the answers.

Bible Study

Joseph and Jesus both willingly submitted to God’s plan as it unfolded. These two men serve as powerful examples of how we are to treat those who mistreat us.

Have the children look up the verses and read them aloud. Then lead a discussion with these questions. Add additional questions or other Bible verses as desired.

Matthew 5:43–45:

⁴³“You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. ⁴⁴ But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! ⁴⁵In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For He gives His sunlight to both the evil and the good, and He sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.

• Does Jesus say it is okay if we just show love to those people we care about? No.
• In verse 44, what does Jesus tell us to do? Love and pray for our enemies.
• Do you think we can do this on our own? No.
• Why or why not?
• Who can produce that kind of love inside of us? Holy Spirit—God.
• Have you ever prayed for an enemy or someone you disliked?
• Is it difficult?
• Who do we represent when we obey God in this way? God, our Father.
• What do you think verse 45 means? We should treat believers and non-believers the same—show the love of God as He does to all people.
• How does the story of Joseph and God’s provision during the famine relate to this verse? God saved the lives of Egyptians, as well as Joseph’s family. Joseph showed love to his brothers.

1 Peter 3:9:

Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and He will grant you His blessing.

• Why is it so easy to insult someone who has insulted you?
• How can the Holy Spirit—and our Discipleship Challenge—help us here?
• Have you ever done something nice for someone who treated you badly or said something hurtful to you?
• How did Joseph and Jesus answer those who mistreated them?
• Why should we do this? God calls us to do it.
• What will He do if we obey Him? Bless us.

Romans 12:19–21:

¹⁹ Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord. ²⁰ Instead, “If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.” ²¹ Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.

• Do you think Joseph ever thought about the day he could take revenge on his brothers, or do you think he forgave them early in his captivity?
• According to verse 19, when is it acceptable to take revenge on someone? Never.
• Who should we trust to handle the situation? The Lord.
• Why is this hard when you are mistreated?
• What do you think verse 20 means?
• How can it make someone feel bad when you show kindness?
• How do you think doing good conquers evil?
• Have you ever done what this verse tells us to do? What happened?
• How do you think these verses would change the world today if people lived by them?