Teaching

Let’s say today’s SuperTruth together: “I will do the work God calls me to do.”

In the video, how did Chris react when the boys mocked him and wouldn’t cooperate with the task he had been given to do? He was frustrated and discouraged.

Was Chris upset when Superbook appeared to take him on an adventure? No, he said it was a perfect time for a trip and wanted Superbook to get him out of there! He had quit and didn’t want to deal with the task any longer.

Nehemiah was Jewish, yet he lived in Persia. That’s because many Jewish people had been forced from their homes when Jerusalem was destroyed. Nehemiah served the king of Persia in an important position. Hold up the cup.

Can you remember Nehemiah’s job? Nehemiah was a cup-bearer.

What did a cup-bearer do? One of the most important duties was to choose the king’s wine and taste it before the king drank, to make sure it was not poisoned!

Even though Nehemiah was a captive in a foreign land, he was faithful in his service to the king. Because of this, the king trusted Nehemiah, even with his own life!

Optional question for Grades 4–6: Can you think of other people in the Bible who were captives or slaves and were trusted and promoted by leaders or kings? Joseph, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, Esther.

No matter how big or small the task, when we faithfully serve God, He will bless us. He may give us a more important job to do when we demonstrate that we can be trusted to finish a task.

Hold up the cup. Nehemiah’s job working for the king was important, yet he was about to trade in the king’s cup for a much bigger job, working for God! Put down the cup then put on the construction hat.

Nehemiah learned about the condition of his people and the walls of Jerusalem. He wept and mourned for his homeland! The distance from the Persian capital, where Nehemiah lived, to Jerusalem was about 900 miles. Today, if you drove that distance in a car, it would take about one very long day. How long do you think it took in Nehemiah’s time?

After a few guesses are given, hold up the monthly calendar and slowly flip the pages as you speak. Let’s see; 1 month, 2 months, 3 months—4 months! It took about 4 long months for Nehemiah to travel to Jerusalem so he could begin to do God’s work!

Nehemiah trusted that God would never leave him and that God would give him success. How could he be sure? When Nehemiah received the news about Jerusalem, he prayed and fasted for days. What does it mean that he fasted? He didn’t eat food for a certain time so he could focus on praying.

Nehemiah spent time in God’s presence and received God’s call to go to Jerusalem. Nehemiah asked God to give him favor with the king, and his prayers were answered! When we see God move in our lives, our faith grows stronger and we can trust God for success!

Before we begin any work for God, what should we do? Seek God, pray, and ask God for favor and success so we may complete His work.

Did everything go smoothly for Nehemiah as he worked for God? No, he faced opposition from people who resented him.

When we do God’s work, He does not promise it will be easy. We are promised that He will go before us, that He will be with us, and that He will never leave us. He also promises us that He will give us peace in the midst of trials and sorrow. (See John 16:33; Deuteronomy 31:6,8.)

Even though Nehemiah faced many challenges, he kept his focus on God and did not give up! Four times Sanballat tried to get Nehemiah to meet him outside the walls of Jerusalem. Sanballat wanted to harm Nehemiah and stop God’s work! Yet all four times, Nehemiah refused to stop the great work of God.

Did Nehemiah succeed in completing God’s work? Yes.

And Nehemiah achieved an even greater success. Read Nehemiah 6:16:

When our enemies and the surrounding nations heard about it, they were frightened and humiliated. They realized this work had been done with the help of our God.

In everything we do, our goal should be to bring glory to God! Many years after Nehemiah, a man lived on the earth and was mocked as He did God’s work. Can you guess His name? Jesus.

Jesus refused to give up, and He finished God’s work. In John 17:4, Jesus said,

“I brought glory to You here on earth by completing the work You gave Me to do.”

And just before He died on the cross, He said, “It is finished.” (See John 19:30.)

In all that we do for God, our goal is to finish His work and bring glory to Him! Let this prayer and blessing go with us as we do God’s work. Read Hebrews 13:21:

May He equip you with all you need for doing His will. May He produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to Him. All glory to Him forever and ever! Amen.

Discipleship Challenge/Practical Application

Display the model craft that you made. Give each child a Faith Wall Pattern, Stones Pattern, pencil, and children’s scissors. Demonstrate how to carefully cut the slits in the wall. Then, have children cut apart the three strips of the Stones Pattern. Show the children how to weave a strip into the Wall Pattern so they can weave their three strips 1–3 from top to bottom. Check that all three Bible verses are visible in the wall and in the right order. Verify the discussion questions are visible on the back of the Wall Pattern. Have children write their name on the line at the bottom of the wall. Assist any children with special needs.

Nehemiah repaired all of the holes and gaps in the wall. It was solid and could now stand against any enemy’s attack. As followers of Christ, we want to build a rock solid faith in God with Jesus Christ as the foundation. We must not have any holes or gaps in our faith to leave us unprotected! When we do this, our faith can stand against any temptation, trial or attack! We build on our foundation by learning and applying God’s truth. When we do this, our “wall of faith” grows and becomes even stronger. For each lesson, your challenge will be to read a Bible verse in the wall and fill in the blanks to complete the verse. Then, discuss the questions on the back. Have children turn over their finished crafts to see the questions.

For Lesson 1, you will look up 2 Timothy 2:19. If time permits, you may have children look up the verse and fill in the blanks on their patterns. Talk about the discussion questions with your families. Next time we get together, you will have a chance to share your answers.