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Weekend Lesson Guide
to continue the conversation at homelesson 1— October 18
WONDER TRUTH: God Is in Charge
SCRIPTURE: 1 Samuel 8–10; 13; 15
GOD’S BIG STORY: Instead of trusting God to be in charge, the Israelites ask for a king. God grants their request, and Saul becomes king. When Saul’s heart turns away from God, God removes the kingdom from him.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
Who asked God for a king? (the Israelites; God’s people)
Why did the Israelites want a king? (They wanted to be like the other nations.)
What did God do for His people? (He gave them a king.)
Who was the king that God gave the Israelites? (Saul)
What makes God a good leader? (God is all-powerful; God is loving; God is in charge; God is wise)
What else is God is in charge of, besides people? (God is in charge of everything; all of creation; God’s kingdom.)
Who is a good leader in your life? What makes that person good?
lesson 2— October 25
WONDER TRUTH: God Helps Us
SCRIPTURE: 1 Samuel 26
GOD’S BIG STORY: After Saul, God chooses a new king named David. Saul is jealous and tries to kill David. With God’s help, David spares Saul’s life as a way to honor God.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
What did Saul keep doing to David? (chasing him; trying to kill him)
What was Saul doing when David got into his camp? (sleeping)
What did David take? (Saul’s spear and jug)
What could David have done while Saul was sleeping? (hurt Saul)
What did David decide to do? (not hurt Saul; take the spear and water jug)
How did God help David? (God protected David from Saul; helped David not hurt Saul; helped David show mercy)
What can God help you with?
Share about a time when someone helped you.
lesson 3— November 1
WONDER TRUTH: God Dwells with His People
SCRIPTURE: 1 Kings 8
GOD’S BIG STORY: Solomon fulfills the wish of his father, King David, to build God a temple. The Israelites celebrate the completed temple—God’s presence forever dwells with His people!
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
Who was Solomon? (David’s son; the king of Israel after David)
What did Solomon build? (God’s temple)
Why did Solomon build a temple? (so God would have a place to dwell with His people)
What does dwell mean? (to be with)
Where does God dwell today? (with His people; with us; inside us through His Holy Spirit)
Do we have to go to a temple, or to church, to be with God or talk with Him? (No, God is with us everywhere we go, all the time! We can talk with Him wherever we are, whatever we’re doing, any time!)
How can we “be still” and remember that God is with us?
What can help you remember that God is with you?
lesson 4— November 8
WONDER TRUTH: God Is the Only True God
SCRIPTURE: 1 Kings 18
GOD’S BIG STORY: Elijah challenges the prophets of Baal to a showdown, and God shows up in power. He defeats Baal and proves that He is the only true God.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
What was the evil king’s name? (Ahab)
How many prophets of Baal were there? (450)
What fake god did the people believe in? (Baal)
What did Elijah do to his offering to make it even more impossible for a fire to start on its own? (poured water on and around it)
How did God show that He is all-powerful and the only true God? (God burned up the offering, even when it was wet.)
How would you feel if you were watching the offering and all the water burn up?
What does this story tell us about God? (God is powerful; God can do anything; God wins; God is the one true God.)
What kinds of things get in the way of worshiping God as the only true God today? (being busy; things we love, such as sports, toys, friends, family, shows, etc.)
How can you remember that God is worthy of our worship all the time and that He is the only true God?
lesson 5— November 15
WONDER TRUTH: God Delights in Our Obedience
SCRIPTURE: 2 Kings 22–23; 2 Chronicles 34
GOD’S BIG STORY: After many years of ungodly kings, King Josiah leads God’s people in obeying God. God is delighted in their obedience and protects them from the future consequences of previous generations’ disobedience.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
What is the name of the king who chose to obey God? (Josiah)
What did the priest find while cleaning up the temple? (a scroll—part of God’s Word)
In what ways did Josiah obey God and do the right thing? (He took down fake gods, or idols, and helped the people celebrate God, then told them to follow and obey God.)
Is it hard or easy to obey God? What makes you think so?
What are some ways you can obey God this week?
Why do you think God delights in our obedience?
How do we know what God wants us to do? Has the Bible ever helped you know God and follow Him?
lesson 6— November 22
WONDER TRUTH: God Invites Us to Respond to Him
SCRIPTURE: Jeremiah 36
GOD’S BIG STORY: God gives the prophet Jeremiah a warning for King Jehoiakim and the people of Judah, calling them to turn from their wicked ways and be forgiven, but the king ignores the message, cuts up the scroll, and burns it in the fire.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Who did God tell to share His message? (Jeremiah)
What did King Jehoiakim do when he heard the words on the scroll? (He burned the scroll.)
What was God trying to tell the people? (to stop sinning, listen to Him, and worship Him)
Why do you think the king didn’t want to listen to God? (Possible answers: He didn’t like the message; He didn’t believe it; He want to keep sinning.)
How can we listen to God? (by listening to the Bible, praying, listening to godly leaders, being still in God’s presence, etc.)
Have you ever heard from God? If so, what did God say?
Each week we read/watch GOD’S BIG STORY.
GOD’S BIG STORY teaches us a new WONDER TRUTH.
The WONDER TRUTH points us back to THE WORD OF WONDER.
THE WORD OF WONDER is our unit memory verse.
