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LESSON 15 Total SurrenderBible Basis: Daniel 3; Acts 6:8 – 7:60Key Verse: Romans 12:1: “When you offer your bodies to God, youare worshiping him in the right way.”Key Question: How do I grow a life of sacrificial service?Key Idea: I dedicate my life to God’s plan.Resource: Believe Storybook Bible, Chapter 15, “Total Surrender”or story script (below)Master Supplies List Believe Storybook Bible (optional) PowerPoint slides or printable posters of illustrations Family Page (one per child)Optional SuppliesYou will need the following supplies based on which option(s) youchoose in STEP 3 Explore More: OPTION 1: Clear plastic disposable cups (one per child), redand yellow tissue paper cut into strips (several per child), gluesticks, crayons, Boys in the Fire sheet (one per child) OPTION 4: Crayons or markers, Let’s Color! sheet (one per child) OPTION 6: Two puppets, toys, donation box

STEP 1 Come Together (10 min)THE ICE-CREAM SACRIFICE GATHER the children. SAY, Today we are going to learn about a group of friends who we willcall the “three Hebrew children.” They lived in a country where everyone in the entire country worshiped a false god, but they didn’t. Theyrefused to pray to this false god. Instead, these three brave Hebrewchildren had to make some hard choices. ASK, Have you ever had to make a hard choice? (Take responses) SAY, Sometimes choices are easy, and sometimes they are hard. Forexample, when you go to the ice-cream store, you have to choosebetween many different flavors. But whatever choice you make, you endup with ice cream, and usually every flavor choice is yummy. ASK, What flavor ice cream do you always choose? (Take responses) SAY, Sometimes we have to make hard choices in life. We have to giveup something or not get something we want. Let’s say that I gave eachof you one dollar to spend at the ice-cream store. On your way into thestore, you see a little boy who is crying on the step outside because hismom can’t afford to buy him ice cream. The hard choice is this: Do yougo inside and buy ice cream for yourself, or do you give your dollar tothat boy? EXPLAIN, We call a hard choice a sacrifice. (Write this word on theboard) ASK, Can you say that word with me? (Sacrifice) SAY, If you choose to give your only dollar to the boy, then you make asacrifice. You give up something you want — the ice cream — in orderto show kindness to a stranger. That’s a sacrifice.REVIEW SAY, Today we learned that when you have to make a tough choice, itis sometimes called a sacrifice. Later we will learn more about how thethree Hebrew children had to sacrifice.KEY VERSE REVIEW this week’s Key Verse. You may want to repeat the verse slowlya few times until the children are able to say the verse from memory. NOTE: You may also choose to review last week’s Key Verse together.LESSON 15: Total Surrender PRESCHOOL2

Romans 12:1(Stand up straight and tall)When you offer your bodies to God,(Lift hands before God)You are worshiping him in the right way. (Move hands back and forth)STEP 2 Hear the Story (15 min)Supplies: Believe Storybook Bible (optional), PowerPoint slides or printableposters of illustrationsINTRODUCTION TELL the children that they will be learning more about making toughchoices and about sacrifice. SAY, We already learned that people must make tough choices, and wecall these choices “sacrifices.” CONTINUE, We’ll also learn more about the sacrifice the three Hebrewchildren made and some sacrifices made by other people in the Bible.READ CHAPTER 15 READ aloud the story script below or chapter 15, “Total Surrender,”from the Believe Storybook Bible. SHOW the illustrations included with this curriculum on PowerPointslides or printable posters.THE STORY OF THE FIERY FURNACE Have you ever helped clean up your home when you wouldrather be playing instead? When you choose to do somethingthat you don’t want to do, you are making a sacrifice! Godwants us to always choose to do the right thing, even if we don’tfeel like it. He wants us to make the sacrifice of putting himfirst, just like the three Hebrew children did. Long ago, the Hebrew people were slaves in Babylonia. Theirking, King Nebuchadnezzar, wanted everyone to worship agolden statue. He made a law that said anyone who doesn’t worship the golden statue will be thrown into a fiery furnace. The three Hebrew children loved God and worshiped him.They would not worship a golden statue. King NebuchadnezzarLESSON 15: Total Surrender PRESCHOOL3

became angry. He ordered his soldiers to throw the threeHebrew children into the fiery furnace! The fire was hotter than ever. King Nebuchadnezzar lookedinto the furnace. He didn’t see three people, but four! “Come outof the furnace,” he called. The three Hebrew children were notburned or hurt. They didn’t even smell like smoke! King Nebuchadnezzar was amazed. “Your God sent an angelto save you! He is a great God! From now on, no one will sayanything bad about your God.” The three Hebrew children had made a very tough decision – asacrifice. They did not worship the golden statue. They wentinto the fiery furnace. They chose to put God first and Godrescued them!THE STORY OF STEPHEN Jesus knew about making sacrifices. He always did what Godwanted him to do. He put us first and himself last. He evengave his life for us. Some of Jesus’ followers gave their lives, too.Stephen chose to follow Jesus, even though it cost him his life. After Jesus went to heaven, Stephen helped the new church togrow. He told people about Jesus and even performed miracles.This made some people angry. They wanted Stephen to stop, sothey told lies about him. The leaders asked Stephen to explain himself. But Stephendidn’t talk about himself, he talked about God! He said, “Longago, our leaders listened to God, but you do not listen to God.You do not obey God’s law. You’ve even killed the men whotaught about Jesus.” Now the leaders were angry, too! They chased Stephen out ofthe city. The crowd of people threw rocks at him. Even as hewas being hurt, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!”Stephen put God first, even when it was very hard. He died andwent to heaven to be with Jesus. How can you put God first? Spend time with God and get toknow him. Learn what God wants you to do and obey him.Putting God first is always the right choice.LESSON 15: Total Surrender PRESCHOOL4

REVIEW THE FIERY FURNACE ASK, What does sacrifice mean? (Choosing to do something we mightnot really want to do; making hard choices that put other people first) ASK, What kind of sacrifice did the three Hebrew children make?(They chose to be true to God; they didn’t bow down or pray to thefalse god) ASK, Were the three Hebrew children hurt when they were thrown intothe furnace? (No) ASK, Who saved them? (God sent an angel to save them)REVIEW STEPHEN ASK, Who was Stephen? (He was a follower of Jesus) ASK, Why were people angry with him? (They did not like the miracleshe did or the things he said about Jesus) ASK, What sacrifice did Stephen make? (He chose to keep sharing thegood news about Jesus even though people told him to stop and wantedto hurt him) PRAY, God, please help us as we make hard choices and sacrifices inorder to love you and love others. Amen.STEP 3 Explore MoreChoose from these activity options, depending on your available time frame,to help the children explore the lesson further.Option 1: Boys in the Fire (15 min)Supplies: Clear plastic disposable cups (one per child), red and yellow tissue paper cut into strips (several per child), glue sticks, crayons, Boys in theFire sheet (one per child)Teacher Prep: Print and photocopy the Boys in the Fire sheet (one perchild). Prepare a sample to use as an example. SAY, Today we learned how the three Hebrew children (Shadrach,Meshach, and Abednego) were saved from the flames in the fiery furnace. SAY, We are going to make a craft that helps show this. PASS out the plastic cups, tissue paper strips, Boys in the Fire sheet,crayons, and glue sticks. INSTRUCT the children to begin gluing the tissue paper strips to theoutside of the cups.LESSON 15: Total Surrender PRESCHOOL5

INSTRUCT the children to use crayons to color the Boys in the Firesheet. HELP the children loosely roll up their coloring page, with the boysfacing outward, and place the page inside their paper cup. SAY, Just like we learned today in our story, Shadrach, Meshach, andAbednego weren’t scared. They surrendered themselves to God’s care,and he saved them from even the fiery furnace! SHOW the children how they can place the picture of the boys in thefiery furnace and then take the picture out, showing that the boys wereunharmed.Option 2: Fiery Furnace Memory Game (10 min)Teacher Prep: This game is played exactly like “Duck, Duck, Goose,”except instead of saying, “duck,” you will say, “fire”; and instead of saying “goose,” you will use one of the names of the three Hebrew children.When a child is tapped as “Shadrach,” “Meshach,” or “Abednego,” theymust enter the middle of the circle (the fiery furnace) and recite theirmemory verse (help prompt the children if they have trouble saying all thewords). When finished, that child can continue the game by going aroundthe circle to choose another child to do the same. SAY, Today we will play a game to help us with our memory verse. REPEAT the verse together several times.Romans 12:1: “When you offer your bodies to God, you are worshiping him in the right way.” SAY, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego sacrificed their bodies to God,and he was very pleased. He saved them from the fire because they surrendered themselves to him. EXPLAIN the rules of the game to the children. PRACTICE saying the names of the three Hebrew children: Shadrach,Meshach, and Abednego. PLAY the game until every child has had a turn.Option 3: “Three Good Boys” Action Song (5 min) The song is sung to the tune of “Three Blind Mice.”Three good boys, three good boys (hold up three fingers)Prayed to their God, prayed to(clasp hands in prayer)their God.LESSON 15: Total Surrender PRESCHOOL6

And then the king got really mad.He threw them into a giant fire.(make angry face and shake pointedfinger)(make motion as if tossingsomething)(raise hands to praise God)But God saved them and keptthem safe.Three good boys, three good boys. (hold up three fingers)Option 4: Let’s Color! (10 min)Supplies: Crayons or markers, Let’s Color! sheet (one per child)Teacher Prep: Print and photocopy the Let’s Color! sheet (one per child) GIVE each child a coloring page. PROVIDE a selection of crayons and/or markers for the children to share. DISCUSS this week’s Key Idea as the children color.Option 5: Praise and Worship (15 min)“My God Is So Big” by Ruth Harms Calkin 1959, 2002 by Nuggets of TruthCCLI #2501437“Trust and Obey” by Daniel Brink TownerPublic domainCCLI #5252415Option 6: Act It Out (10 min)Hard to GiveUse two puppets, or a teacher and teacher’s helper, to act out the following short skit.CharactersJordanMcKellPropsTwo puppets (optional)ToysDonation boxLESSON 15: Total Surrender PRESCHOOL7