Leader Guide

Teaching

Three Signpost Cards
Three sheets of cardstock or paper
Optional: tape
Bibles or the Superbook Bible App
The Lord’s Prayer Bookmark, and materials for any children who missed the previous lessons
Sample craft from Lesson 1

Copy the three Signpost Cards onto cardstock if possible, in color or black and white.

Make copies of The Lord’s Prayer Bookmark for any children who missed the previous lessons. See Lesson 1 for details.

Our Perfect Model: Learn how Jesus taught and fulfilled the Lord’s Prayer.

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 Our Heavenly Father

One of Jesus’ disciples asked Him to teach them how to pray. They had seen Jesus spend time alone with God many times in prayer. Who better to teach about prayer than Jesus! Jesus taught them what is called the Lord’s Prayer. It has become the most well-known of all Christian prayers. Jesus not only taught The Lord’s Prayer, He fulfilled it! Every line of the prayer reminds us of Jesus. Jesus tells us to begin with “Our Father.” The word used for father is “Abba” which can be translated as Daddy.

On the mountain, God spoke from a cloud; what did He say about Jesus? Jesus was His dearly loved Son and to listen to Him.

Can anyone remember another time that God said that Jesus was His dearly loved Son? When Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist. (See Matthew 3:17.)

Through our relationship with Jesus, we are part of God’s family and He is our heavenly Father. That is why we can say “Our Father,” too! Romans 8:15 says:

So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when He adopted you as His own children. Now we call Him, “Abba, Father.”

By calling Him Father, we acknowledge that He is near to us, and we can have an intimate relationship with Him. He is not a distant God who is far away and cannot be touched. The Bible says that in Him we live and move and have our being; we are His offspring! (See Acts 17:28 (NKJV).)

Jesus told us to pray “Our Father,” not just “My Father.” Through Jesus, we are all united as a family. He wants us to pray for all people, not only ourselves.

Next, Jesus said our heavenly Father’s name is to be kept Holy. His name is above all names, and we need to set it apart as special and unique. Jesus also said to pray:

“Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

That means we are to pray for Earth to be like heaven. In heaven, there is no sickness or pain—no sadness or death. When God created the earth, He put Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and made it perfect. Sin brought evil and all that isn’t God’s will into the world. Jesus tells us to pray for God’s Kingdom to be enlarged by sharing the Good News and to pray for change on the earth.

Jesus came to do the will of God on Earth. John 6:38 says:

“For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent Me, not to do My own will.”

Jesus calls us to be His hands and feet and to do God’s will on the earth.

OPTIONAL VERSES FOR GRADES 4–6

Luke 11:1 (CEV):

When Jesus had finished praying, one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his followers to pray.”

John 1:12:

But to all who believed Him and accepted Him, He gave the right to become children of God.

Philippians 2:9:

Therefore, God elevated Him to the place of highest honor and gave Him the name above all other names.

Signpost 2 All We Need in Christ

Jesus tells us to pray for our daily bread. Does this just mean bread that we eat? No.

Bread means everything that we need spiritually, physically and emotionally—including healing, salvation, peace, love, joy. Just as we would come and ask a loving earthly father for something, we can come to our heavenly Father without fear, knowing He will not turn us away. We have all that we need through Christ. Jesus is our Daily Bread and calls Himself the Living Bread who gives life to the world. (See John 6:33,35.)

Next, He tells us that He will forgive our debts as we forgive our debtors. What does this mean? Children answer.

Debts are sins, so we must forgive those who sin against us if we want to be forgiven. Jesus paid the price for our sins, and He tells us to forgive as He has forgiven us. Jesus gave us the ultimate model of forgiveness by praying and asking God to forgive those who crucified Him.

OPTIONAL VERSES FOR GRADES 4–6

Philippians 4:19:

And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from His glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 1:3:

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ.

John 6:33,35:

³³“The true bread of God is the One who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” ³⁵Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in Me will never be thirsty.”

Ephesians 4:32:

Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.

Signpost 3 Victorious in Christ

Jesus then said to pray,

“And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”

Does God tempt us? No!

The Bible tells us that God cannot be tempted and He never tempts us! (See James 1:13.)

So what does Jesus mean when He tells us to pray this? Tempt in this verse means to test. We are to pray that God does not allow us to be put to the test. Jesus was tested by the devil in the wilderness. He passed this test by doing what? By prayer and quoting God’s Word.

Jesus told Peter that Satan would test him; yet, He had prayed for Peter that his faith would not fail. (See Luke 22:32.) Jesus also told Peter, James and John to watch and pray in the Garden of Gethsemane so they would not give in to temptation. (See Matthew 26:41.) In the video, Jesus prayed for His disciples to be kept from the evil one.

Read John 17:15:

“I’m not asking You to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one.”

There is power and authority in Jesus’ name today, the same as when the disciples went forth into God’s harvest to heal, deliver, and to share the Gospel. Through Jesus, we have the victory over evil and the devil. We are called to enlarge God’s kingdom on Earth! We do this all not for our own glory but for His!

“For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”

OPTIONAL VERSES FOR GRADES 4–6

1 Corinthians 10:13:

The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, He will show you a way out so that you can endure.

Psalm 37:39–40:

³⁹The LORD rescues the godly; He is their fortress in times of trouble. ⁴⁰The LORD helps them, rescuing them from the wicked. He saves them, and they find shelter in Him.

James 1:13:

And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted to do wrong, and He never tempts anyone else.

Romans 8:37:

No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

Discipleship Challenge/Practical Application

Give The Lord’s Prayer Page and materials to each child who missed Lessons 1 and 2, so they may assemble it at home. Hold up the sample craft.

Who was able to do the challenge from our last lesson?

Would you like to share how it felt to pray for God to forgive others; even those who have hurt you and sinned against you?

Did you learn the second section of the Lord’s Prayer, Matthew 6:11–12? Can anyone say it from memory now?

Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

Give the bookmark to a volunteer to read section 3, Matthew 6:13.

“And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”

For this lesson, your challenge is to pray that verse each day, and if possible, memorize it. Then add it to the first two sections you are memorizing, Matthew 6:9–12. You can use your bookmark for this, or read it in your Bible or the Superbook Bible App. Think about what you are saying as you pray and don’t rush through it.

The second part of this challenge is to pray this verse in your own words. Ask God to protect and strengthen you and help you be victorious through any test or trial that may come. Pray that He would protect you from evil and provide a way out of any temptation. Ask Him to help you walk in step with the Holy Spirit. Pray that you will choose what is good and pleasing to God instead of selfish or evil thoughts and actions. Then humbly thank and praise God for who He is and all He has given you.

Continue to learn the Lord’s Prayer and use it as a pattern for all of your prayers. Would anyone like to say all three sections—the whole prayer—from memory right now? Children answer.

Note: The Lord’s Prayer that appears on the bookmark is from the NKJV of the book of Matthew. You may teach the Bible book and version that your church prefers.

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