Temptation- Youth
Before service starts put a container of cookies on the counter in the youth room. Do not tell them anything about them or say they can or cannot have any. Leave them open where they will be tempted to eat one.
For one week would you rather eat bubble gum every day or would you rather have sweet potatoes?
Collect money for camp, tithes, offerings for speed the light.
Remind the kids that camp is only 4 weeks away. Let them know that if they need assistance for camp please let us know. No matter what it may be.
Pray over service
Worship
Who left here last week and took the opportunity to pray? Even if it was just one time.
This week we are going to talk about temptation. Who ate a cookie from the container by the microwave? Laugh it off and tell them they fell into the temptation of the cookies.
On a real note what is temptation?
temp·ta·tion
noun
1. the desire to do something, especially something wrong or unwise.
Have you ever been tempted? Yes, everyone has been tempted to do something either on their own or by someone else.
You are not alone. We have all been tempted and Jesus himself was tempted and tested.
Matthew 4:1-11
Have a student read 2 verses and then pick another student to read the next two verses. Then so on and so forth until it has all been read.
Jesus Is Tested in the Wilderness
4 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted[a] by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’[b]”
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:
“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’[c]”
7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’[d]”
8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”
10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’[e]”
11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.
Re read the entire scripture Matthew 4:1-11
Discussion questions. These are questions for the kids. They are to answer and discuss these together. Have them do the first question and explain to the person next to them what they think it means. Then have them switch partners for the next question and so forth and so on. You are not giving your opinion. You are listening to what the kids have to say. If someone doesn’t understand you tell them before you start that you will come and explain to them anything they have questions about.
What do we think when we hear that “Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil”? Why is that?
What questions do we have about that, and what answers do we have? Where have we gotten those answers? Which ones strike us as more satisfactory? Less satisfactory? Why?
The story lists three specific temptations posed to Jesus: to tell stones to become bread; to throw himself off the Temple (as a test of God’s promises of protection); and to gain the kingdoms of the world by worshipping the devil.
What makes these temptations … tempting?
Do they seem representative of any important categories of temptations? Which ones? (e.g., “appetite” or “self-satisfaction”? “Certainty” or “jumping to conclusions” – maybe literally, in this story or … what? Other?)
Do they seem to represent temptations that concern us? Why, or why not?
Do they represent “temptation” in general? How, do we think? (For instance, what do we think temptation is, or how do we think it works?)
Jesus and Satan both quote scripture. Do we see differences in the way these two figures use scripture? What differences? Do we see any implications for us in our answers? What implications?
What do we learn about not yielding to temptation from Jesus’s responses to the temptations in this story?
What do we notice about ourselves, and about our own responses to temptation, as we read this story?
End with prayer time.
Have them visualize with their eyes closed and worship playing. To think of all the things they are being tempted by right now. Then have them visualize a stream of water and a tall tree next to the water. Ask them to hold out their hand and place the temptations into the water. Visualizing that the stream is taking away the temptations. Think about Jesus and realize that