Leader Guide

Video Leader Guide

Welcome (2 minutes)

I am glad that you all are here for the last lesson of our Superbook adventure called “The Fiery Furnace.” Can someone tell me how many men were thrown into the fiery furnace? Three.

Yes, and then a few minutes later, how many men were seen walking around inside the furnace? Four.

The men weren’t in the furnace alone; God was in the furnace with the Hebrew men, protecting them. Now it is time to stand up and sing The Salvation Poem. As we sing, think of how we are never alone because Jesus is always with us.    

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: “Jesus is always with me.” Let’s say it again, but this time as we say “me,” point to yourself with both hands. Let’s do it on the count of two because Jesus is always with me—that makes two of us all the time! Are you ready? One, Two! Children say the SuperTruth and point.

Good job—let’s shout it this time and point on the count of two: One, Two! Children  shout the SuperTruth and point.

No matter what we are doing or where we are, Jesus is always with us! When we go through a happy time, or a temptation, or difficulties, Jesus is right there with us.          

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.

Remember the video from our first lesson—what was Chris tempted to do? Cheat on a test.

Why was he tempted? Only students who passed the test could go on a fun trip.

Did Chris actually cheat? No.

That’s right; after seeing how the three Hebrew men risked their lives to do what was right, Chris knew that cheating was not worth disobeying God, even when many of his friends chose to do it.

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 the video, watch and listen closely for answers to two bonus questions in Small Group time: 1.How many times hotter did the king tell his men to make the furnace? 2. Count the number of musical instruments that are named in the video—and see how many of the instrument names you can remember.

Play Video 4: Condensed Bible Story* (7.5 minutes)

*Be sure to preview the video, as it may contain imagery that may be disturbing for some children.

Condensed Bible Story

Superbook takes Chris, Joy and Gizmo to ancient Babylon to meet Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. The three Hebrew men must choose whether to bow to an idol or face death. The children learn that obeying God is always the right decision.

Play Video 10C: SuperVerse Graphic 3 (2.5 minutes)

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

SuperVerse Graphic 3

SuperVerse Discussion (2 minutes)

Our SuperVerse Matthew 28:20 says,

“Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

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

Jesus said this to His disciples after He died on the cross and rose from the dead. He was about to leave Earth to return to God in heaven. Jesus told His disciples to go and spread the Gospel and teach new believers God’s Word. Jesus spoke these words of comfort to His disciples so they would know that even when they couldn’t see Him anymore, He would still be with them. Let’s say our SuperVerse Matthew 28:20 again:

“Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” 

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

Introduce Signposts Video (1 minute)

Let’s watch our Signposts video to learn how the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego pointed to the life and mission of Jesus.

Play Video 6: Signposts Video (4.5 minutes)

Signposts Video

Prayer and Send-Off (2 minutes)

Let’s pray before we go to our Small Groups.

Dear God, it’s wonderful to see how the three Hebrew men were never alone. You were with them all the time, especially in the fiery furnace! Your Word tells us that Jesus is always with us, too. Help us obey You even when it is difficult, because we know that You are with us to strengthen and help us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Today in Small Group, we are going to play a fun game that’s really hot! 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 knows the answers to the two bonus questions from our video.

1. How many times hotter did the king tell his servants to make the furnace? Seven.

2. How many instruments were played before the people worshiped the statue? Six.

How many of them can you name? Six: horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes.

Great job watching and listening to the video! Today, our game is similar to an old game called “Hot Potato.” The name of our game is “Hot, Hot, Hot!”

Before we play, let’s look at the board and practice saying the names of the three Hebrew men—Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego.

Divide the class into groups of five or six children, and give each group a ball. The game is played like hot potato, with each child catching and tossing the hot coal—ball. Hold a ball up and then juggle it, as if it is hot.

Each of these balls represents a hot coal from the fiery furnace. I will start the music and you will play until the music stops. The person who is holding the coal, or who tossed it last if no one is holding it, is out of the game. You don’t want to hold onto it very long, but before you can toss it to someone else you must say the name of one of the three Hebrew men. Does everyone understand how to play?

Now, be careful because the coals are seven times hotter than normal!

Start the music and stop it after about 10–15 seconds. Continue starting and stopping the music at longer and shorter intervals. Play until there is one person left in each group. Play additional rounds as time permits so children who were eliminated early get another chance to play.   

Options:

• Play the game with each child saying only half of a name: “Shad-rach, Me-shach, Abed-nego.”
• Play the game saying the SuperTruth instead of the names.
• Have all the children who won the first round assemble into a new group for the next round to determine the grand champion.  

Teaching

Can you tell me your favorite part of the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego?

Thank you—those were some of my favorite parts, too! This is our last lesson about the “Fiery Furnace.” As we learned in our Signposts video, the events of this story tell us a lot about the nature of Jesus. Let’s take a look at our Fiery Furnace poster on the wall.

For each of the four signposts, select a child to go the poster and carefully pull out the numbered figure in the proper sequence. Have the child read aloud the information on the figure, then give the corresponding presentation.

Signpost 1—Shadrach

Shadrach is our first signpost today. The three Hebrew men received strength from knowing that God was with them no matter what happened to them. God did not keep them from the fire, but He kept them safe IN the fire.

One of Jesus’ names is Immanuel. Does anyone know what Immanuel means?

Immanuel means “God is with us”—just like our SuperTruth says, “Jesus is always with me.” 

OPTIONAL SCRIPTURES FOR GRADES 4–6

Isaiah 7:14b:

“The Lord Himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a Son and will call Him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).”

Isaiah 43:2b:

“When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.”

Matthew 28:20:

“Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Signpost 2—Meshach

Meshach is our second signpost. The three Hebrew men were in the fire but not consumed or burned by it—that is an amazing miracle!  When Moses was in the wilderness, God appeared to him in a burning bush. The bush was on fire but did not burn up! Moses was amazed and asked God what His name was. God told Moses that His name is, “I AM.” That may sound like a strange name, but it describes our wonderful God! He says, “I am your creator. I am your Savior. I am your healer. I am your friend.”       

Jesus also called Himself, “I AM.” While teaching the people in the Temple, He told them that He had met Abraham—who had died about 2,000 years earlier. The people didn’t understand how this was possible. John 8:58 says:

Jesus told them, “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was even born, I AM!” 

In this way, Jesus was saying He is equal to God. Jesus existed with God the Father from the beginning of time. He was there at creation, making the world! He came to Earth as a little baby, grew up, died on the cross, and rose from the grave. He is here with us now, living in our hearts by His Spirit, and He will continue to live for all eternity!

Can you think of some other times that Jesus said “I AM”? I am the way, the truth and the life. I am the Good Shepherd. I am the light of the world. I am the bread of life. I am the gate. I am the resurrection and the life. I am the vine, etc.

OPTIONAL SCRIPTURES FOR GRADES 4–6

Exodus 3:2–3:

² There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the middle of a bush. Moses stared in amazement. Though the bush was engulfed in flames, it didn’t burn up.³ “This is amazing,” Moses said to himself. “Why isn’t that bush burning up? I must go see it.”

Exodus 3:14–15: 

¹⁴ God replied to Moses, “I AM who I AM. Say this to the people of Israel: I AM has sent Me to you.”¹⁵ God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: Yahweh, the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has sent Me to you. This is My eternal name, My name to remember for all generations.”

John 8:56–58:

⁵⁶ Your father Abraham rejoiced as he looked forward to My coming. He saw it and was glad.” ⁵⁷ The people said, “You aren’t even fifty years old. How can you say you have seen Abraham?” ⁵⁸ Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was even born, I am!”

Signpost 3—Abednego

Abednego is our third signpost. This is about worshiping God and not idols. The three Hebrew men refused to bow down to a man-made statue and false god. They trusted and worshiped the One True God!      

Read John 14:6:

Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through Me.”

When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, Satan tried to get Jesus to worship him instead of God! What do you think Jesus did?

Jesus refused to bow down to Satan, just as the three Hebrew men refused to bow down to a false god! Jesus quoted God’s Word and told Satan that only God is worthy to serve and worship!

OPTIONAL SCRIPTURES FOR GRADES 4–6    

1 John 5:20:

And we know that the Son of God has come, and He has given us understanding so that we can know the true God. And now we live in fellowship with the true God because we live in fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ. He is the only true God, and He is eternal life.

Matthew 4:8–10:

⁸ Next the devil took Him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.⁹ “I will give it all to You,” he said, “if You will kneel down and worship me.” ¹⁰ “Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only Him.’”

Signpost 4—Jesus

Jesus is our fourth signpost, and He is the One who was with the men in the fire! He was their rescuer and deliverer. The three Hebrew men faced death for their obedience to God and their refusal to obey the king. They knew God was their Savior and believed that He was able to rescue them!   

Jesus chose to go to the cross to take the punishment for our sins. He could have said “No” to God, but He obeyed—and He suffered and died for us. However, God brought Jesus back to life, and He is alive today! Jesus holds the power over life and death. Aren’t you glad that He came to Earth to save us! 

OPTIONAL SCRIPTURES FOR GRADES 4–6

John 11:25:

Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in Me will live, even after dying.”

Daniel 3:17–18:

¹⁷ If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty.¹⁸ But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.”

If you ever wonder what Jesus is like, think of the fourth Man in the fire with the three Hebrew men. Jesus is always with us, too! He is beside us in every situation we face. He is with us to talk to, to comfort us, to strengthen us, and to give us peace, joy and hope! Jesus is the Son of God, our Deliverer, our Savior, the Resurrection and the Life. We can never be alone, because through Jesus, God is with us!   

Discipleship Challenge/Practical Application

Now it is time for our Discipleship Challenge and craft!

Give a Holophone pattern to any child who was not present for the previous two lessons of this module, and explain how to assemble the craft at home.  

Our Discipleship Challenge for the Fiery Furnace lessons is to learn about other people in the Bible who risked everything to obey God. How many of you looked up some Bible verses on your Holophone Memory Cards?

Who would like to share how the Bible characters risked everything to obey God, and what happened when they obeyed?

Continue with this challenge and look up the remaining Bible verses. Remember, the most important part of our challenge is to pray about ways that God would want you to stand up for Him! Does anyone want to share a way that you were able to stand up for God recently and obey Him, even if others didn’t want you to obey Him?

SuperVerse

Our SuperVerse today is Matthew 28:20:  

“Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Jesus spoke these words to His disciples before He left Earth and ascended to heaven. He wanted to encourage them and to give them peace. Why do you think they might be troubled?

Yes, put yourself in their place. They had spent two or three years with Jesus during His ministry on Earth. Now, Jesus had just told them to spread the Gospel, baptize new believers, and teach them God’s word—without Him! How do you think you would feel if you were one of them?

Jesus wanted them to know that He would still be with them, but not physically or in human form. Jesus would send His Holy Spirit to be with all of His disciples all over Earth! Jesus said they could be sure of it; there was to be no doubt in their minds.   

Now, here is the exciting part for us. We are His disciples today, so He is with us! He said He would be with us until the end of the age, when the Gospel has been preached to all nations, and He comes back to Earth!

Divide the children into two groups. Try to mix older children with younger children. Give them a minute or two to memorize their section of the SuperVerse. They may use hand motions if desired. Bring the groups back together and then have them say their sections of the verse in order. Once they are proficient, have the children turn their backs to the board and say the whole verse together.    

Great job everyone! Whenever you face a challenge or feel alone, remember that Jesus is always with you.

Prayer

Our SuperTruth says, “Jesus is always with me.” Do you wonder if Jesus is with you sometimes? Can you share why?

Yes, the main challenge is that we don’t see Jesus with our eyes like the disciples did. Jesus was in human form on Earth—He was flesh and blood—but He is now Spirit. This is what Jesus wanted the disciples to understand when He left Earth, that though they couldn’t see Him standing beside them, He was still with them—inside their hearts.   

Read John 20:29:

Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen Me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing Me."

Jesus said this to His disciple Thomas, shortly after Jesus rose from the dead. Thomas knew Jesus had died, and he was having a hard time believing he was really seeing Jesus, alive again. Jesus allowed Thomas to touch His wounded side and hands that were pierced by the nails on the cross, then Thomas believed. Let me read that verse again:

Read John 20:29:

Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen Me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing Me.” 

We are some of the blessed people Jesus is talking about in this verse, because we have not seen Him with our eyes but believe by faith that He is here with us in Spirit!

Today, we are going to thank Jesus for always being with us and never leaving us. Remember, as our Bible verse says, blessed are those who don’t see Jesus, but still believe! Now, please bow your head and close your eyes, and we will each have a chance to say a short thank-You prayer to Jesus. If you are not sure what to say, just say, “Thank You, Jesus” or “I believe.”

Go around the circle and allow each child to say a short prayer, then close in prayer.

Dear Jesus, we believe in You even though we can’t see You with our eyes. Thank You that You live in our hearts. Bless each believer here today and make Your presence real to them. Thank You that we can have peace, knowing that we are not alone because You are with us as we walk through each day. In Your name we pray, Amen.

If you have never asked Jesus to be your Savior and would like to do that today, please talk to me after class. I would love to pray with you!

Bounce Game

Divide the class into two teams. They do not need to be even. Have each team stand at opposite ends of the table—see illustration. Have an assistant, such as a sixth grade helper, stand with one team at one end of the table and you stand with the other team at the opposite end. Teams alternate bouncing the ball on each round. Each player receives two chances to bounce the ball into a cup. The first player for Team One bounces a ball on the table between the two sets of cups to try and get it to land inside a cup on the opposite end. Points are added together for that player’s total score. The player from Team Two takes a turn in the same way. The teams only receive these points if they answer the review question correctly.     

Now, ask the same question to both players. Both players get five seconds on the timer to tell the assistant or teacher their answer, without the other player hearing it. Both answers are revealed and if correct, both teams are awarded the points they scored from the ball bounce. If an answer is incorrect, no points are scored for that team. If a player did not bounce a ball into the cup but answers the question correctly, they receive one point.

Optional: for Grades 1–3, you may have the children try to toss the balls directly into the cups without bouncing them.

Questions and Answers

1. Name one of the Hebrew men’s names. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.

2. Name the King of Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar.

3. What did the king build to worship? Idol, statue.

4. What was the material the statue was made of? Gold.

5. How did the people know when to worship the king’s statue? Instruments/music played.

6. What was the punishment for not worshiping the statue? They would be thrown into the fiery furnace.

7. Why was the king angry with the three Hebrew men? They would not worship the statue.

8. Who did the three Hebrew men worship? God.

9. True or False—the Hebrew men told the king that if God would not save them from the furnace, that they would worship the statue. False.

10. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego said they would not worship the king’s statue or serve his _____. Gods.

11. Who did the Hebrew men say could save them from the furnace? God.

12. How much hotter was the furnace heated than normal? Seven times.

13. What did the king order to be done to the three Hebrew men before they threw them into the furnace? Bound or tied up.

14. What happened to the king’s men who threw the three Hebrew men in the fire? They were killed by the heat.

15. How many men did the king see in the fiery furnace? Four.

16. Who was the fourth man? Jesus, the Son of God, God.

17. True or False: the men came out of the furnace with their clothes smelling like smoke and fire. False.

18. Did the fire burn the Hebrew men’s hair? No.

19. What is the SuperTruth today? Jesus is always with me.

20. Today’s SuperVerse says that Jesus is always with us even to what? The end of the age.

21. Name the book of the Bible where our story can be found. Daniel.

22. Is the book of Daniel in the Old Testament or the New Testament? Old Testament.

Object Lesson

Hold up the video game. Will this game be the same in the next few months, or how about next year? How can you ever be sure there won’t be an update and newer version released?

You can’t; video games change constantly, and so do other kinds of technology. Whatever is the latest phone, computer, or other gadget today will soon become outdated.

Ask the younger volunteer to come up and talk briefly about how he/she has changed while growing up. Discuss things he/she used to like or do as a preschooler or toddler, such as TV shows, books, games, music, or toys. etc.; and compare them to things he/she likes today and how much things have changed.

Next, invite the older person to come up and talk about how things have changed during his/her lifetime, and what things are different now.

I am sure that each of you could tell us how much you have changed over the years—and you will continue to change!    

Have a volunteer such as a sixth grade helper look up and read Hebrews 13:8–9a:   

⁸ Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.⁹ So do not be attracted by strange, new ideas.

We change in a few short years. Jesus never has and never will. He has remained the same since the beginning of time! The writer of the book of Hebrews in the Bible was encouraging Jesus’ followers to stay true to the Lord and avoid any false teachings that came along. Nothing can replace Jesus and nothing ever will! As followers of Christ, we can be strengthened in our faith to know that He will never change, His Word will never change, and our salvation is secure in Him.

Have a volunteer look up and read Hebrews 12:2:

We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting Him, He endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now He is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.

In the SuperVerse today, Jesus told His disciples that He was with them always, even until the world ended. We can be sure, that because Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever that He is always with us, too!   

Drawing Activity

Give a pattern plus pencils, markers or crayons to each child. Have them draw a picture in the top section of themselves doing something they typically do in a day, like playing sports, riding the bus, learning at school, doing chores, etc. It’s very important that the children do not draw below the line, where you have secretly written “Jesus” in white crayon. Allow children to share their drawings with the class.

We have been talking about how Jesus is always with us. No matter what we do or where we are, He is always there.

Pass out a highlighter or washable marker to each child. Tell the children to leave the cap/lid on until you tell them to remove it. It is important that “Jesus” is revealed by everyone at one time to be effective. Tell the children to remove the cap and to color the bottom section below the line to reveal the secret word.  

What do you see in your picture now? Jesus.

Yes, even though we don’t actually see Jesus, He is still with us by faith! You didn’t see Him in your picture, but He was there the whole time!

Read 2 Corinthians 5:7:

For we live by believing and not by seeing.

Let’s shout our SuperTruth by faith: “Jesus is always with me!”

Activity

Read Daniel 3:24–25 (nfcu):

Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished; and he rose in haste and spoke, saying to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” “Look!” he answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.” 

Show the cup without the lid. Hold up the stick, but be careful to not show “Jesus” written on the back of the stick. Let’s say this cup represents a trial, temptation, or any difficult situation we might face. This stick represents us. 

Put the lid on the cup and tap the top of the lid with the stick, showing it can’t be placed inside. Now, nobody prefers to go through these times, right? Our prayer most of the time is for God to keep us out of danger and to protect us from these situations—like asking God to put a lid on any difficult situation so we don’t end up in one.

In our Bible story, did God remove the three Hebrew men from the difficult situation? Did He put a lid on the top of the fiery furnace so the men could not be thrown inside?

No, He certainly could have, but this was not God’s plan. What do you think might have happened if God had kept the men out of the furnace?

Do you think that the king would have seen God’s power and ability to save His faithful followers who refused to bow down?

Do you think he would have ordered that all people worship only the Hebrew men’s God?

Take the lid off the cup and place the stick inside, being careful not to show “Jesus”. You see, for God’s will and plan to be done, we will find ourselves in uncomfortable situations at times. We will deal with suffering and trials. Jesus and His disciples certainly did, as they submitted to God’s plan. Yet we know for certain that we will not go through the trial or difficulty alone! Jesus said in our SuperVerse that we can be sure that He will be with us always! Yes, He didn’t promise to remove us from every difficulty, but He promised to be with us always, no matter what!

Turn over the stick in the cup to reveal “Jesus” and rest it on the inside of the cup. In the verses we just read, the fourth person in the furnace is the Son of God—Jesus! Yes, Jesus was with God from the beginning—long before He was born as a baby in Bethlehem. Jesus was present when Earth was created. And at different times in the Old Testament, Jesus appeared to leaders God chose, such as Abraham, Jacob and Gideon. With Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, God did not remove the Hebrew men from going through their trial, yet He was right there with them to accomplish a much greater end as part of His master plan.

Lead a discussion with the following questions.

Ask:

• What is the most difficult part of trusting that Jesus is with you? There is no right or wrong answer here!
• Imagine yourself as one of the three Hebrew men. How would it feel to be in the fire, alive, and then see Jesus beside you?
• Have you ever been in a difficult situation and you knew Jesus was with you through it?
• How could you tell He was there with you?
• Have you ever trusted God in a difficult situation and seen how God affected others through your faith, like the king was affected by the Hebrew men’s faith?
• Do you think that now you can better stand up for God and do what is right, knowing that Jesus is with you all the time?