Teaching

It Is Written! Discuss how Jesus defeated Satan’s temptations in the wilderness.

In your own words, what is temptation? How would you describe it? Children answer.

Temptation is the desire to do something we shouldn’t do. Is it a sin to be tempted? No.

No, it’s not a sin to be tempted. Jesus was tempted! But did He give in to temptation and sin? No.

Let’s say our SuperVerse together. Hebrews 4:15:

Experiencing temptation is not sin—but giving in and disobeying God is!

OPTIONALILLUSTRATION to show the difference between temptation and sin: Go to the door where your assistant is positioned on the other side. Speak a little louder so the assistant can be alert for your cue: Think of temptation as someone knocking on your door. The assistant knocks three times and stops. Now we have to make an important decision. Should we open the door or not? The volunteer knocks three times again, a little louder.

Temptation will continue to knock, trying to wear you down so you will give up and open the door to sin. Volunteer knocks again, even louder.

If we open the door and do something that is displeasing to God, that’s when the temptation becomes sin. Remember how Chris wanted to play that violent video game? He was really tempted, but he learned a lesson from Superbook just in time and then he made the right choice to obey his parents. We can keep that door closed and stand strong with help from God’s Word and God’s Spirit! However, we should probably let our friend [name of assistant] back into the room. Let’s clap for a great performance as a door knocker! Open the door as children clap.

Now let’s discuss how Jesus resisted Satan’s temptation. Did Jesus go into the wilderness because He got lost? No, the Spirit led Him there.

Every step Jesus took had a purpose toward fulfilling God’s plan. The Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness so that, as a man, He could experience and resist Satan’s temptations—and to provide a way for us to overcome them, too!

Hold up image of Temptation 1. Satan started out by questioning who Jesus was. Let’s read what God declared from heaven about Jesus after He was baptized, in Matthew 3:17:

Jesus knew who He was so that He could resist the devil. It is also important for us to know that we are God’s children, and He loves us! The more we read in the Bible about what God says, the stronger our faith grows!

Satan waited until Jesus was weak from lack of food. However, Jesus had not eaten food so He could focus on God. Satan knew Jesus was weak in His body, but he underestimated Jesus’ strength in His Spirit! What did Satan tempt Jesus to do? Prove He was God’s Son by turning rocks into bread to eat.

Jesus used a weapon that we mentioned in our game to resist the temptation. What was it? God’s Word.

Hold up the Bible. Read Matthew 4:4:

The purpose of Jesus’ power was to honor God and draw people to Him, not to satisfy His body’s desire for food. Jesus knew that in God’s timing, His needs would be met.

Hold up image of Temptation 2. Satan did not give up easily. He took Jesus to a high mountain and offered Him all the kingdoms of the world if Jesus would worship him. God’s plan was for Jesus to rule over all the kingdoms of the world—but first Jesus had to suffer and die on the cross to save us. Satan was trying to tempt Jesus to take a path that seemed easier—not dying on the cross—but Jesus knew He must obey God’s plan in order to bring us salvation. (See Revelation 11:15, Matthew 28:18, Philippians 2:10.)

Hold up the Bible. Jesus used His weapon again. Read Matthew 4:10:

Satan can try to tempt us with power, popularity or success if we will turn our backs on God and follow our own selfish ways. But God’s way is always best—even if it seems hard at the moment. We must humble ourselves before God and He will exalt us in His time! (See 1 Peter 5:6.)

Hold up image of Temptation 3:

Satan still would not give up. He made one final attempt to tempt Jesus to sin. He took Jesus to the highest point of the Temple in Jerusalem. This time Satan even quoted Scripture himself—Psalm 91:11–12! He told Jesus to jump and God would order angels to protect Him. Jesus would not “fall” for it. He knew God would protect Him until it was time to give His life on the cross—and then God would raise Him to life again!

Hold up the Bible. Jesus used His weapon. Give the Bible to a child who is a good reader and have him/her read Matthew 4:7 (NLT):

We must live our lives wisely and in step with the Spirit—not carelessly and selfishly. We cannot live foolishly without purpose and expect God to protect us!

Matthew 4:11 says,

God did take care of Jesus—when Jesus had overcome!

Luke 4:13 says that the devil left Jesus until the next opportunity came. Satan does not give up easily; he is relentless and we must always be on guard and full of God’s Spirit.

While Jesus hung on the cross, people passed by and shouted for Him to save Himself and come down from the cross if He was really the Son of God! (See Matthew 27:40.) Jesus chose to die on the cross and give His own life to save the world from sin!

Jesus used the power of the Spirit and God’s Word to resist and defeat temptation and sin. Give the Bible to a good reader and have him/her read Psalm 119:11:

What do you think it means to hide God’s Word in your heart? To study the Bible, to memorize it, to obey what it says.

To recognize temptation and sin, we must know right from wrong. We must understand what is pleasing to God and what is not. God’s Word helps us identify temptation, and God’s Spirit leads us into all truth! (See John 16:13.) By using these weapons as Jesus did, we can reject any temptation before it leads to sin!

Jesus willingly laid aside His supernatural abilities and lived on the earth as a human. He was tested and tempted in every way possible, yet He never gave in to the temptations and sinned! He is the only one ever to do that! Because Jesus withstood every kind of temptation, He understands what we face in the world, and He helps us to resist and overcome!

Discipleship Challenge/Practical Application

Give each child a Spirit Headphones Craft page, scissors, craft stem, and sandwich bag, plus pencils to share. Hold up the finished craft you’ve already made as an example, while also assembling one craft with the children to show them how to make it.

Be prepared to assist any children with special needs. Have children:

1. Write their name on the blank line on the headband with the pencil.

2. Carefully cut out the ear pads from their patterns.

3. Place the first pair of ear pads (“What I Think”) on each end of their headbands, about an inch from either end, being careful not to cover any letters.

4. Tape the ear pads to the ends with two small strips of cellophane tape.

5. Place ear pads #2 and #3 in the sandwich bag to take home.

6. Turn the headbands over and place a craft stem across the headband, then tape it in place with two 6-inch strips of painters tape or masking tape. Make sure the tape extends over the back of each ear pad to secure it.

7. Bend the headphones so they arch over the heads and try them on!

Have children read aloud the writing on their headbands, including the scripture reference. Read Galatians 5:24–25:

When we choose to follow Christ, we begin to follow the Spirit and pursue what God wants for us instead of our own sinful desires. This is how our new life in Christ begins. This doesn’t happen instantly—it happens over time. That is what these headphones represent, listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit and blocking out the distractions and temptations that may hinder our walk with God and cause us to leave His path. It isn’t enough to follow the Spirit in some parts of our lives—it must be in every part of our lives: church, home, school, relationships—everywhere!

Have children read ear pad #1 attached to their headphones. What I think; Philippians 4:8.

The first part of your challenge is to listen to the Holy Spirit so you can change your thinking to remove impure and harmful thoughts—and to replace them with God’s thoughts. Doing this helps us to resist and avoid temptations to think about things we shouldn’t. Read the verse each day; and if possible, memorize it. Pray for the Holy Spirit’s help to transform your thoughts! If you can, discuss the verse with your family. Next time, I’ll ask who remembered to do the challenge and what your experience was.