Leader Guide

Video Leader Guide

Welcome (1 minute)

Welcome to the last lesson of our Superbook adventure, “Jeremiah.” He was a prophet who called people back to God. Jeremiah suffered for obeying the Lord, yet he knew that he could always depend on God for wisdom, strength, and salvation. Today, we can depend on Jesus for wisdom, strength, and salvation—so let’s stand and praise Him as we sing The Salvation Poem!

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 today is “I will praise God for saving me.” Let’s say the SuperTruth together. “I will praise God for saving me.”  

God loved us so much that He sent His only Son, Jesus, to die for our sins. This was the greatest gift that we could ever receive. Through Jesus, we receive salvation and every good thing from God. So let’s stand with our arms lifted up and shout the SuperTruth together! “I will praise God for saving me.”   

Introduce Condensed Bible Story (1 minute)

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

Let’s watch a short version of the video about Jeremiah. If you’ve already seen it, watch and listen carefully to find out how many men the king sent with an Ethiopian named Ebed-melech to save Jeremiah in the cistern.                

Play Video 4: Condensed Bible Story(13 minutes)

*Caution: Be sure to preview this video, as it may be too intense for some children. You may also want to ask parents to preview the video before showing it to their children.

Condensed Bible Story

Play Video 10C: SuperVerse Graphic  

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 today is Jeremiah 17:14.  

O LORD, if You heal me, I will be truly healed; if You save me, I will be truly saved. My praises are for You alone! 

We praise God because He protects and saves us. When Jesus died on the cross, it was not a temporary fix; He died so that we can have salvation and eternal life with Him! He should receive all of our praise, worship, and devotion. 

Why did Jeremiah need God’s protection? The people did not want to hear his message, so his life was constantly in danger.  

Let’s say the SuperVerse together. Jeremiah 17:14: 

O LORD, if You heal me, I will be truly healed; if You save me, I will be truly saved. My praises are for You alone! 

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

Introduce Signposts Video (1 minute)

Let’s watch the Signposts video to learn some ways that the prophet Jeremiah pointed the way to Jesus as our Savior. 

Play Video 6: Signposts Video (4 minutes)

Signposts Video

Prayer and Send-Off (2 minutes)

Let’s pray before we move to Small Group. Dear God, thank You for sending Jesus to be our Savior. Our praises today are for You alone! In the mighty name of Jesus we pray, amen.  

In Small Group today you will play a game of rescue. It’s time to go “learn the ropes!”  

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

On the Ropes! Play a game about being saved.                    

Who remembers our SuperTruth today? “I will praise God for saving me.”

In Large Group, you were asked how many men the king sent with an Ethiopian named Ebed-melech to rescue Jeremiah. What is the answer? Thirty.

Time was running out; Jeremiah could have died, but God saved him! (See Jeremiah 1:8.)

Chances are that none of us will be thrown into a cistern or well, yet God is able to rescue us out of any situation—no matter how deep!

Read Psalm 40:2a:

God is our solid ground. When our feet are firmly planted on His Word, we can overcome anything—and help rescue others! Let’s play a game about rescuing each other from trouble! Pretend that two of these rectangles are deep cisterns or pits, and the other two rectangles are the solid ground. You will take turns tossing a rope to rescue your teammates in trouble, just like Ebed-melech and the guards rescued Jeremiah!

Divide the class into two equal teams, and have each team line up behind their “cistern.” Choose one child from each team to be the first “rescuer,” who stands with a rope on the “solid ground” across from the team’s cistern. One player on each team steps into the cistern and must keep both feet in the rectangle until he or she can catch the rope and be rescued. Each rescuer should hold one end of the rope and quickly toss the other end as many times as necessary until the player in the cistern can grab it. The rescuer then drops the rope and quickly sits down behind the solid ground. The rescued child runs to the solid ground with the rope to become the new rescuer and then throws the rope to the next teammate in the cistern. Both teams play simultaneously. If a player steps off a rectangle, play stops for that team until the player is back on again. The first team to rescue all of its players wins!

Conclusion: Read Jeremiah 1:19:

God was with Jeremiah; even so, he faced strong opposition to his message. God is with us, too; yet, we may also experience difficult times and even persecution for our faith. God is more than able to save us in all circumstances. When He saves us, we are truly saved! That’s why we praise God for His love, mercy, power, and strength!

Teaching

Appointed by God: Jeremiah points to Jesus.

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

Signpost 1 Honor God’s Temple             

Jeremiah’s life and words point us to Jesus. The words that Jeremiah spoke to the people of Israel and to leaders of different nations were not his own. Who gave Jeremiah the words to speak? God.   

God touched Jeremiah’s mouth when He was a young man and said, “Look, I have put My words in your mouth!” Through Jeremiah, God called His people to repent and return to Him. God called Himself the potter; what did He call His people? Clay.

God loves His people and wants to form us according to His plan and purpose. He longs for His children to honor and worship Him. Instead, the people in Jeremiah’s time worshiped idols and dishonored God and His Temple. They believed they could do as they wished and still be safe from God’s anger, simply because the Lord’s Temple was in their midst. The people turned God’s Temple into a market place!        

Jeremiah warned the people as they brought goods into the city gates to sell on the Sabbath day. He called the Temple a den of thieves. Do you remember who also called the Temple a den of thieves many years later? Jesus.

Jesus entered the Temple and turned over the tables and chairs of the merchants and moneychangers. He drove out everyone buying and selling animals for sacrifice. Both Jeremiah and Jesus were bold and took action to purify God’s temple!

Because they were not afraid to speak the truth, both men were falsely accused, arrested, and punished. Both were persecuted by their own people!

OPTIONAL VERSES FOR GRADES 4–6

Jeremiah 7:8-11 (NLT): 

Matthew 21:12-13 (NLT):

Jeremiah 20:1-2 (NLT):

Luke 22:13-18 (cev):

Signpost 2 True Predictions

Jeremiah also points us to Jesus through the prophecies and predictions he made about the future—events that only God could reveal. Jeremiah predicted that the Messiah would be both human and God. How did Jesus come into the world? He came into the world as a baby born to Mary.  

The angel of God named Gabriel announced to Mary that the Holy Spirit would come upon her and she would bring forth a child named Jesus, the Holy one—the Son of God!

OPTIONAL VERSES FOR GRADES 4–6

Jeremiah 33:15-16 (NLT):

Luke 1:28-33 (NLT):

Romans 1:3-4 (NLT):

Signpost 3 The New Covenant

Jeremiah points us to Christ by talking about God’s agreement with His people, called a covenant. The people were angry that Jeremiah was pointing out their sins. He reminded them that they were ignoring the covenant and living in disobedience to God. He warned them that God would punish them for their sins.

However, this was not the end! Jeremiah prophesied that God would make a new promise to Israel. This covenant would be different. He would place His instructions deep within them and write it on their hearts. God would forgive them and no longer remember their sins. What an amazing love God had for His people—and also has for us today!

Sin ruined Israel’s relationship with God. They turned their back on Him to worship false gods and to follow their own ways. It is the same today; sin can ruin our relationship with God. Yet, just like in Jeremiah’s day, God calls us to repent and return to Him. Through Jesus, we have a new covenant or agreement with God. Jesus died for the sins of all people. When we trust in Him, we are forgiven. Our sins are washed away, and He no longer remembers them.  1 John 1:9 says:

Jeremiah predicted Jerusalem’s downfall. He also spoke of their bright future in Jeremiah 29:11:

As Jesus, God became man. He lived a sinless life and suffered death on the cross to pay for our sins. He rose to life again to give us a new life here and forever in heaven.

Through Jesus, we share in the hope of the new covenant. John 3:16 says:

OPTIONAL VERSES FOR GRADES 4–6

Jeremiah 31:31-34 (NLT):

Luke 22:20 (NLT):

Give any child who missed Lesson 1 a Life Ring Bookmark page and a six-inch length of string, twine, or yarn. Show children the sample craft made in Lesson 1 and have them assemble the craft at home.

Hold up the sample craft.

In the past two lessons, our challenge was to learn the first two parts of Jeremiah 29:11 written on the Life Ring. Who can close their eyes and say it?

Did anyone face a difficult situation and choose to take hold of your lifeline instead of worrying? Children respond.

Our final challenge for this course is to learn the last part of Jeremiah 29:11:

Everyone wants to be filled with hope. If we have hope, we can endure hard times. God is our future, our hope, and salvation; we have a bright future in Him! When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we know that He is living inside us, giving us power and strength and peace. And we also know that someday, He will take us to heaven to live with Him forever!

So let’s say the whole verse together.

SuperVerse

Superbook Group Praise: Memorize the SuperVerse with a group activity.

In the world, people and products make claims and promises to do specific things. Sometimes they do what they say; other times, the results fall short of the promises. Yet God keeps all of His promises—every single one!

Let’s read Jeremiah 17:14 on the board together.

Have the girls stand side by side in a row. Have the boys line up the same way directly across from the girls with several feet between the two rows. Assign the #1 lines to the girls and the #2 lines to the boys. Have the girls say the first line and the boys answer with the second line. Have everyone shout the last line together, jumping with hands in the air. Do this two times, then have the boys and girls switch lines and repeat.

Optional: read the verse together from the board one time, and then have the children try to say the verse with their eyes closed.      

Conclusion: What God promises, He does; inside, outside, and completely. For this, we praise Him!

If any children are not able to memorize the entire verse, be sure they understand its meaning.

Prayer

Praise Prayers: Communicate with God.

Have children sit in a circle.

Jeremiah was surrounded by people who had turned their hearts away from God to worship idols and put their trust in human strength. Jeremiah was sent by God to warn them about His coming judgment if they didn’t turn back to Him. In Jeremiah 17:7–8, God encouraged His prophet.

Jeremiah’s hope and confidence were focused on God alone. This is why he declared that God alone was worthy of his praises!      

In this time of prayer, we will go around the circle and give everyone an opportunity to praise God for something. On the board are three short praise sentences to help you. Or, you can thank God in your own words. Remember, you can thank God in advance by faith for something you ask Him to do—even when you have not seen the results yet!  

Begin the prayer and then have the child next to you follow in prayer. Continue in one direction until all children have had a chance to praise God.

Let’s pray. Dear God, when we place our hope and confidence in You, we will never be disappointed. No one else can truly heal us and save us. Our praises are for You alone! In Jesus’ name we pray, amen!   

Review Game

“Prophet-able” Review: Play a game to remember the Bible lesson.

This is the last lesson about the prophet Jeremiah. We are going to play a fun review game to remind us of the important truths we have learned. This is a True and False question review. Hold up the True and False Sign. To answer a question, you will hold up the sign to choose either true or false. The side that you show will be your answer. Five points are scored for a correct answer. You will also have two more chances to score points for your team. Each player will be given two balls to try to bounce into the trash can. You receive one point for each ball that lands in the can.       

Divide the children into two teams—they do not need to be even.

Have each team line up a few feet behind the line/mark.  

A player from each team steps up to the line and answers the same question by choosing which side of the sign to show you.   

The players have a chance to bounce two balls into the trash can.  

The players will retrieve the balls for the next players after the score is tallied.

The team with the most points wins.  

Optional: when the answer is “false,” ask teams for the true answer and award a bonus point if it’s correct. You may also ask additional bonus questions related to the original one.      

True or False Review Questions

1. God called Jeremiah to be the Messiah. (False—a prophet to the nations.)

2. Jeremiah told God he was too old to speak for Him. (False—too young.)

3. God knew Jeremiah before he was even born. (True.)

4. God told Jeremiah not to be afraid because He would protect him. (True.)

5. God reached out and touched Jeremiah’s shoulder. (False—his mouth.)

6. Jeremiah was called to sit down against the nations. (False—to stand up.)

7. God told Jeremiah that the people of Judah would fight him and win. (False—they would fail.)

8. Jeremiah warned the people to repent of their sins to avoid being punished by God. (True.)

9. The people were upset with Jeremiah because he reminded them of their broken covenant or agreement with God. (True.)

10. Jeremiah was sent by God to make clay pots. (False—to watch the potter work with the clay.)

11. God is represented by the clay. (False—the potter.)

12. God told Jeremiah that he could not even trust his own family. (True.)

13. Hananiah was a true prophet who supported Jeremiah. (False—he was a false prophet who said that the people were not in danger.)

14. The people mocked Jeremiah because God’s judgment did not happen right away. (True.)

15. Jeremiah told the priest named Pashhur that God changed his name to “The Man Who Lives in Joy.” (False—The Man Who Lives in Terror.)

16. Jeremiah said that God’s Word was like ice on his feet. (False—fire in his bones.)

17. Jeremiah wore an ox yoke to symbolize that the people of Israel would be freed by their enemies. (False—they would become slaves to their enemy.)

18. An Ethiopian named Ebed-melech threw Jeremiah into the cistern. (False—he rescued him.)

19. Ebed-melech used a ladder to rescue Jeremiah from the cistern. (False—ropes.)

20. Jeremiah prophesied to Ebed-melech that God would punish him along with the others. (False—God would spare his life.)

Action Game

He Alone Is Worthy! Play a game about praising God.

Let’s say our SuperVerse together. Jeremiah 17:14:  

God told Jeremiah that the people of Israel had placed their trust in humans and turned their hearts from Him. Even the children worshiped false gods! As a result, God’s anger blazed like fire! Jeremiah responded by declaring, “My praises are for You alone!” 

Hold up the paper balls. These balls represent your praises. Each player will have four chances to send your praises to the only person they should ever go—to God, in the middle container. You will score one point for every praise that goes to God. You will lose one point for every praise that goes in another container. If a ball does not go into a container, no points are lost or scored.  

Divide the class into two equal teams. One player may need to play twice.

The teams line up behind the line and across from a set of containers.

Younger children and those with special needs may stand closer to the containers.

Teams play at the same time—it is not a race.

Each player tosses four balls one at a time toward the containers.

When all players have taken a turn, count the balls in the containers for each team.

The team with the highest score wins. 

Optional play:

Play as a large group. Use three boxes and play for the highest score with all children talking one turn. Play a second time to try and beat the first score.

Move the containers further away or place the “HUMANS” and “IDOLS” containers in front of the container labeled “GOD.” Make the point that we cannot place anything in front of God 

Conclusion: David declared in Psalm 86:10:

Let us always remember that He alone is worthy of our praise and worship!

Coloring Page

Pull! Color a picture about Jeremiah’s rescue from the cistern.

Give a coloring page to each child. Provide crayons, colored pencils, or washable markers to the children. Lead a discussion with the questions below as the children color their pictures.

Jeremiah was thrown into a cistern, an underground storage place for water. Why was he put there? For preaching the words that God gave him. For telling the people they had sinned and warning them of God’s judgment if they didn’t repent.

Who went to the king to save Jeremiah from death? The king’s servant, an Ethiopian named Ebed-melech.  

How was Jeremiah rescued by Ebed-melech and the king’s guards? They threw ropes to Jeremiah and pulled him out.

While Jeremiah was in prison, God gave a message to him to tell Ebed-melech. What did God promise to Ebed-melech for trusting in Him and being loyal? That he would see the city destroyed but his life would be spared. God would rescue him and keep him safe.

Conclusion: Jeremiah was underground where no one could see him. Even so, God knew where he was all the time. Take your pictures home as a reminder that God always knows where we are. He can protect and rescue us no matter where we are or what circumstance we are in.

Puzzle Activity

God Alone: Look up verses in the book of Jeremiah to complete the crossword puzzle.

Divide the children into pairs. Try to place experienced Bible users with inexperienced ones. 

Give each child a pencil, and give one Bible and a copy of the Crossword Puzzle to each pair of children.    

Let’s say the SuperTruth together. “I will praise God for saving me.”

You are going to look up Jeremiah 17:1–14 in your Bibles. The answers to the crossword puzzle appear in these verses. You will work with a partner to complete the puzzle.    

Note that the answers are from the New Living Translation. If children are using different translations, their answers may not match the puzzle.

Conclusion: The people in Jerusalem wanted to silence Jeremiah and his message. He was a constant reminder of the covenant with God that they had broken. Yet God’s plan cannot be stopped. Jeremiah was rescued, and his message from God came to pass.