Leader Guide

Video Leader Guide

Welcome (1 minute)

Welcome back to the second lesson of our Superbook adventure, “The Sermon on the Mount.” It feels good to be connected to someone or something, doesn’t it? In today’s lesson, we will learn about a “divine connection” that we all need in order to live a life like Christ. Now, it’s time to stand and praise Jesus, our Savior and Helper.

Play Video Song: Free! (2 minutes)

Preview the song so you can help the children sing along with the music.

Free

SuperTruth and Discussion (1 minute)

Our SuperTruth today is: “I need God’s help to live like Christ.” Let’s say that together. “I need God’s help to live like Christ.”

Have you ever had a difficult time admitting that you needed help with something? I know I have! Sometimes, we may hesitate to ask for help because we fear others will look down on us or think we are weak. Other times, we just want to prove we can do it on our own. Living for Christ is not easy, but we can do it with God’s help!

Let’s watch a short version of our Bible story about the Sermon on the Mount. If you have seen it before, listen and watch carefully for a type of flower Jesus tells us to look at.

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.

Play Video 4: Condensed Bible Story (9 minutes)

Superbook takes Chris, Joy, and Gizmo to hear Jesus preach the Sermon on the Mount, and they see how the disciples learn to put it into practice. They also witness the remarkable faith of the Roman Centurion, who completely trusts Jesus to heal his servant. The children learn that the kingdom of God is for all who trust and obey Him.

Condensed Bible Story

Discussion (2 minutes)

Jesus taught about a lot of important things. In Bible times, Jesus’ followers had to try to remember His words. They didn’t have electronic devices to record what He said. They didn’t even have pencils and paper!

If you lived in that day, how would you remember what Jesus said? I would listen more carefully, try to take “mental notes,” try to block out distractions, etc.

We are so fortunate to have the Bible! We also have the ability to listen to recordings and watch videos of sermons on our devices. For example, we can use the Superbook Kids Bible App! We can listen or watch anytime, as many times as we want to.

In addition to having access to Jesus’ teachings in the Bible, God gives us the Holy Spirit to open our understanding of what we read and hear. God gives us all the help that we need to live like Christ!

Introduce Bible Background Video (1 minute)

Now let’s learn more about the Sermon on the Mount in today’s Bible Background video. Be ready for Gizmo’s questions! Wait for him to give some answers, then call out the one you think is right!

Play Video 5: Bible Background (8 minutes)

Bible Background Video

Play Video 10B: SuperVerse Graphic (1 minute)

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

SuperVerse Graphic 1

SuperVerse Discussion (1 minute)

The SuperVerse today is John 15:5:

Who is the vine? Jesus.

Raise your hand if you have ever wanted to be a branch. Children respond.

I didn’t think so. But the most important thing we can be is a branch attached to Jesus—the true vine! When we remain closely connected to Jesus, we can live as He did and do great things in God’s kingdom!

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

Prayer and Send-Off (1 minute)

Let’s pray. Heavenly Father, thank You for giving us Jesus. We praise You that we can connect to You by believing in Him and asking Him to be our Lord and Savior. When we live in Him, we can do anything; nothing is impossible. Help us to live like Christ every day so we can fulfill Your will for our lives. In Jesus’ name, we pray, Amen.

Are you ready to be a branch in our Small Group game? Since I’m guessing that most of you have never been a branch before, here is a hint to help you—never let go! Let’s go play!

Teachers take children to Small Group classes for Grades 1–3 and 4–6. If the combined group is small, all children may stay together for Small Group time.

Balloon Game

Never Let Go! Play a game connecting to a vine.

Before we start our game, let’s answer the question from Large Group. In our Superbook adventure, what kind of flowers did Jesus say we should look at? Lilies of the field.

Let’s say the SuperVerse together from the board. John 15:5:

To remain means to stay joined, united, or connected. When we stay joined to Jesus by choosing to walk in step with Him, the Holy Spirit produces fruit inside us. The fruit can be things like joy, peace, patience, and kindness, to name a few. We cannot produce this fruit ourselves. That is why Jesus says that without Him, we can do nothing. We must stay connected!

Hold up a section of rope and a balloon. This is what our game is about today. Each team will stay joined to the vine, represented by this rope. You must not let go of the vine! You will all work together to move the three fruit balloons from one end to the other. As long as you are connected to the vine, the fruit will flow! But if you let go of the vine, you can’t do anything. So if you let go of the vine, you’re out of the game for that round!

Divide the class into two equal teams. A teacher or an assistant can play to even out teams if necessary.
Each team makes a separate line, standing side-by-side with space between each child.
Give a rope to each team and have them stretch it out.
Players must hold the rope with at least one hand at all times.
Give a balloon to the first player of each team. The goal is to move the balloon to the other end of the line before the other team does.
Each player must bounce or bat the balloon in the air with either hand to the next player beside them. Players cannot be skipped. If the balloon touches the floor, it must be picked up and returned to that player—all while each player holds the rope with one hand.
A new balloon can be started once the previous balloon reaches the other end.
Anyone who lets go of the rope is out of the game for that round.
The team that passes all their balloons to the other end first is the winner.
Play again as time permits, allowing children who let go of the rope earlier to rejoin the game.

Conclusion: Was it tempting to let go of the rope? Why? Children respond.

Sometimes we may think we can live for Christ on our own. However, we need God’s help to be successful and to produce good fruit. We can’t do what is pleasing to God on our own. Let’s learn more about staying joined to Jesus.

Teaching

Free to Join! Discuss being connected to Jesus—the vine.

In the game we played, each player needed to stay joined to the rope, or the balloon “fruit” could not continue to be passed down the line. When we stay joined to Jesus, the Holy Spirit produces good fruit in us.

Let’s read the SuperVerse from the board together:

Hold the apple (or another piece of fruit) against your arm or side. Let me see. If I understand the verse correctly, we will produce fruit like this, right? No!

Hold the orange (or another piece of fruit) against your arm or side. Okay, it isn’t an apple, maybe it’s an orange? No!

Well, now, I am confused! What kind of fruit will be produced in us? Spiritual fruit, the Fruit of the Spirit.

Ahhhhh, now I get it! Galatians 5:22–23 says:

Jesus consistently displayed this fruit during His ministry on the earth. This fruit cannot be produced on our own. If we want to live like Christ, we must stay joined to Him—the true vine.

Hold up the branch. Do you think this branch can produce fruit or even leaves? Why or why not? No, it can’t because it is broken off of the tree. No, it is not connected or attached.

Here is what Jesus said about this in John 15:4:

This branch is severed or cut off from the tree. It cannot receive the food or nourishment that it needs to grow and produce fruit. Apart from the tree, it can do nothing.

Hold up the Grapevine Image and the branch. The branch in this picture is producing grapes or fruit. How is it different than this branch? It is connected to the main vine or trunk.

It is receiving nourishment from the main vine or trunk so it can grow and produce fruit. As long as the main trunk is alive and the branch stays connected, it will continue to grow and produce fruit.

It is the same with us. Jesus calls us branches. We must stay connected to Him to receive the proper food and nourishment to be spiritually healthy and to grow and produce spiritual fruit. Jesus said in John 15:8:

To be Jesus’ disciple is to live like Christ. To fulfill our purpose in God, we must stay joined to Jesus. Apart from Him, we can do nothing!

What are some ways we can stay attached to the vine and close to Jesus? Prayer, worship, going to church, communion, listening to and obeying His Word, etc.

Jesus wants to know us in a deep and intimate way. He wants to be united—to be one with us as He is one with His Father, God. (See John 17:20–23.)

In John 15:16, Jesus said:

Isn’t that awesome? Each one of us has been chosen by Jesus to go and produce lasting fruit. Lasting fruit means fruit with purpose—spiritual fruit that is fresh and alive and continues to bring praise to God!

Now let’s move to our Discipleship Challenge, where we are building a house on a solid foundation to bring glory to God!

Discipleship Challenge/Practical Application

Give any child who missed Lesson 1 a Lighthouse Craft. Show children the sample craft made in Lesson 1 and have them assemble the craft at home.

Use the model craft as you discuss the challenge.

Who can tell me what the challenge was about for the previous lesson? Jesus, my foundation to build on.

Who would like to try to say Matthew 7:24 from memory? Children respond.

Why is it important to only build our lives on Jesus as our foundation? We base our lives on the truth. It is the only way for eternal life. We will grow strong spiritually. We will live like Him and become more like Him over time. Jesus never changes.

The second part of our challenge last time was to begin reading the book of John in the New Testament. Was anyone able to do that? What do you remember most from reading it?

For this lesson’s challenge. You will need to look up and try to memorize the verse on the main structure of your lighthouse. Will someone read it? Matthew 7:25 (NIV):

The second part of this challenge is to continue reading the book of John. Try to read a few verses or—if you’re up for it—a chapter each day! Think about the words Jesus says and how you can apply them to your life.

The next time we meet, I will ask for volunteers to say the memory verse and also if you would like to share something that Jesus said from your reading.

SuperVerse

Superbook Replacement: Memorize the SuperVerse with a group activity.

What kind of fruit is the SuperVerse talking about? Spiritual fruit, the Fruit of the Spirit.

Who can produce this fruit? God, the Holy Spirit.

What can we do apart from Christ? Nothing!

There are countless things in this world that we can choose to join, like clubs, online groups, organizations, and teams. However, the wisest choice we can make is to join the one true vine—Jesus.

Read the SuperVerse together from the board. Have the children lower and/or cover their eyes so they cannot see the board. Using the list below, change one word of the SuperVerse on the board at a time 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. (You may vary the order of the list.) Write in the correct word, then repeat the process.

• Change “I” to “You.”
• Change “vine” to “branch.”
• Change “branches” to “sticks.”
• Change “remain” to “leave.”
• Change “Me” to “strangers.”
• Change “produce” to “eat.”
• Change “fruit” to “trouble.”
• Change “apart” to “parallel.”
• Change “can” to “can’t.”
• Change “nothing” to “anything.”

If children cannot memorize the SuperVerse, be sure they understand its meaning. Remind them to keep working on the verse at home.

Prayer

Oneness Prayers: Communicate with God.

Have the children stand in a circle, with all of them holding onto the rope from the earlier game.

In the SuperVerse, Jesus talks about remaining in Him and He in us. One version of the Bible (CEV) says it this way: “If you stay joined to Me and I stay joined to you.” Jesus wants us to know how important it is to be continually connected to Him. I am going to read a prayer that Jesus prayed. Listen closely for how He prays not only for His disciples but also for everyone who would become His followers—that includes us!

Read John 17:20–23 (NLT): 

Keep the Bible open to the passage. Jesus still prays for us today! His desire is that we be one with God. Isn’t this a beautiful and powerful prayer of love for us?

This rope represents Jesus as the vine, and we are the branches joining Him. Now close your eyes and imagine being joined to God as I reread part of Jesus’ prayer. Slowly read the prayer as everyone holds the rope, pausing after each phrase:

Close in Prayer: Dear God, thank You for being our vine and giving us life as we stay joined to You. We want You to produce good fruit in our lives so the world can see Your love, Your forgiveness, Your mercy, and Your power. In Jesus’ name, we pray, Amen.

SuperVerse Game

It’s a Vine Time to Branch Out! Play a game to build the SuperVerse.

We have been learning our SuperVerse a few different ways today. It’s important for all believers to understand our relationship with Christ. When we stay joined to Him, we can do all things through Him. The Holy Spirit gives us all the help we need to follow His teaching and to live as He did in the world. The Apostle Paul said in Philippians 4:13:

In this game, you are going to work with your teammates to build a vine and branches with the words of the SuperVerse. Let’s say John 15:5 together:

Erase the board. Divide the children into teams of two to four, depending on the class size. Try to pair older with younger children.
Give a vine to each team.
Have each team find a place at a table or on the floor to build their vine and branches.
Place the shuffled branches in a pile in the middle of the room. 
Start the game. One player from each team will walk quickly to the pile and find branch #1, bring it back to the team and use a clothespin to attach it to the vine in the proper place. Once attached, a different player repeats the process for branch #2, and so on until the vine is completed. Important: the branches must be attached to the vine in order, from 1–8. 
Once finished, the team must carefully lift their vine for all to see. The first team to do this is the winner. If a branch falls off, it must be reattached before the team is declared the winner!
After all teams are done, have them hold up their vines and say the SuperVerse together.
Disassemble the vines and play more rounds if time allows.

Activity Page

Remarkable Faith: Connect the dots to reveal a scene from the video.

When the children complete their pictures, engage them in the discussion questions below.

Who is this person you revealed in the picture? The Roman centurion.

What did the centurion ask Jesus to do? To heal his servant.

In the video, what was the crowd’s reaction when Jesus took the time to talk with him? They were surprised, shocked, and angry.

Why did they react this way? He was a Roman soldier and a Gentile (non-Jew), considered enemies of the Jewish people.

Read Matthew 5:43–48:

Based on this Scripture, do you think God was pleased with the crowd’s reaction? Please explain. No, Jesus said to love and pray for our enemies. We must be kind to all people, not just those who are like us or are kind to us.

Why is it easier to love our friends instead of our enemies? They don’t mistreat us or say mean things to us. We have fun together and share things. 

Have you ever been tempted to avoid people who may be different than you? What do you think Jesus would have you do? Children respond.

Conclusion: The crowd was shocked to see Jesus walking and talking with the Roman soldier. After all, he was considered unclean by their Jewish laws and traditions! Jesus not only taught about loving your enemies—He showed us by His example how to do it!

Matching Game

Good or Bad: Play a game to match fruit.

Read Galatians 5:22–25:

When we choose to live like Christ, we cannot possibly do it on our own. Only the Holy Spirit can produce the kind of fruit in us that pleases God. In our human nature, we can produce rotten fruit that doesn’t reflect Christ. That is what our game is about. Under these plates are two kinds of fruit: Fruit of the Spirit that God produces and some bad fruit that we are likely to make on our own. This happens because we are not joined to Jesus.

Each player on their turn will walk to the plates, turn one over, and show it to everyone. Then the player will choose another plate to try and match the first plate. If they do not match, the plates are returned face down to the same spot. If the plates match, the player carries them back to the team. The team with the most matches after all the plates are removed wins.

Divide the children into two teams. Try to mix each team with a variety of ages. Have the teams sit together and alternate turns. (It doesn’t matter whether a team has a match or not; the other team takes a turn next.) As different plates are chosen, discuss whether it is a Fruit of the Spirit or a “human” fruit we might produce apart from Jesus. This type of fruit would displease God and not bring praise to Him.

Conclusion: Without fail, Jesus showed God’s love, mercy, and kindness to all people. This is not possible to do on our own. To live like Christ, we must commit to follow the Holy Spirit’s leading every day and choose to display the good fruit that He produces inside us.

Vlog

Watch Superbook Vlog: Poor Spirit; Rich Life

Let’s watch a short Superbook Vlog about what it means to be poor in spirit.

Show the video “Poor Spirit, Rich Life” (3 minutes):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSWyv3DSZOQ

Afterward, hold a group discussion. Ask questions such as:

Have you ever been sure that you could do something all by yourself, but then you ran into trouble?

Can you give an example?

When do you feel that you need God the most?

When you ask God for His help, do you think He is mad that you asked—or do you think He loves you so much that He’s glad you asked for His help?

Pray: Lord God, we need You, even when we don’t realize it. Remind us that we need to stay connected to the vine, or we can do nothing. Help us to be humble and to depend on You for wisdom, understanding, courage, and guidance. In Jesus’ name, we pray, Amen.

Bible Activity

Full or Empty? Discuss Bible passages about being poor in spirit.

If you were here last time, Chris said that the first and most important step in living like Christ is to realize that we need God’s help and that we have nothing to offer Him. As Chris, Joy, and Gizmo found out, we can make a big mess out of trying to live like Christ without His wisdom and power! In this activity, we are going to look up Scriptures about being poor in spirit, so we can more clearly understand this important first step in walking like Christ. You may discuss one or all scriptures, depending on time available.

1. Matthew 5:3 (NKJV):

Let’s review what we have been learning about this verse today. What does “poor” mean in this verse—does it mean you don’t have any money? No, it means spiritually poor.

Now, let’s read what Jesus told a young man about entering the Kingdom of God. Matthew 19:16–22 (NLT):

• What did the young man want to know? How to receive eternal life.
• What did Jesus tell him he must do in verses 17–19? He must keep the commandments.
• Did the young man think that was too difficult to do? No, he said he obeyed them all.
• Do you think this is really possible? No, not on our own; no one is without sin or perfect. Everyone has sinned except Jesus.
• Based on verse 20, do you believe the man was poor in spirit? No, he believed he was good and had so much to offer Jesus.
• The young man thought eternal life came by doing good works. What did Jesus tell him to do in verse 21? Sell all his possessions, give the money to the poor, and follow Him.
• Was the young man happy to hear this? No, he was sad and walked away.
• What did Jesus recognize was his issue? His wealth and possessions; he trusted in them; they meant more to him than following Christ.
• Can our possessions become too important to us? Yes.
• This is a good example of someone who is wealthy but still doesn’t realize the need to follow Jesus.

• Why did the two men go to the Temple? To pray.
• In verse 11, what did the Pharisee thank God for? That he wasn’t like other people: cheaters, sinners, adulterers, or the tax collector.
• In verse 12, what did the Pharisee brag about? He fasted and gave God a tenth of his income (tithed).
• Based on verses 11–12, would you say the Pharisee was poor in spirit? No, he boasted about all he had to offer God. 
• Boasting about what we do is not a sign of being poor in spirit! In verse 13, did the tax collector boast? No, he couldn’t even lift his eyes toward God and stood far away.
• In verse 13, what else did he do to reveal the condition of his heart? He beat his chest in sorrow, admitted his sins, and asked for mercy.
• How would you describe his spiritual condition? He was poor in spirit.
• This man was humble and recognized his need for God’s help. In verse 14, who went away forgiven and right before God? The tax collector, not the Pharisee.
• When Jesus told that story to the religious leaders, what do you think they felt? Shocked, angry.
• No matter who you are or what you have done, everyone needs God’s help to live a life that is pleasing to Him and to enter His kingdom.

• In verse 3b, what does Paul put his trust in? What Christ has done.
• What does Paul NOT put his trust in? Human effort, his own efforts or works.
• How is this different or the same as the Pharisee in Jesus’ parable? It is the opposite. The Pharisee trusted in his own efforts or works, not in Christ.
• Why is Paul’s trust so remarkable when you read verses 4–6? He strictly followed the law and Jewish traditions. He was born a Jew from Jewish parents and a citizen of Israel, he was from the tribe of Benjamin, and he was a Pharisee. He followed the law without fault. It would have been easy to boast about himself.
• Paul was so passionate about his faith that he persecuted the Christians, believing it was God’s will! So, if anyone had reason to trust in their own efforts, Paul did. In verse 7, what did Paul say about the things that were once valuable or important to him? He saw them as worthless compared to the incredible value of knowing Christ.
• Paul gave away everything to gain Christ. How does this compare to the young man Jesus asked to sell everything, give to the poor, and follow Him? It is the opposite. The young man was sad and couldn’t give away his things to follow Jesus. Paul willingly gave up everything and saw it as worthless compared to following Christ.