“JESUS BEGINS HIS MINISTRY”
YEAH! CHURCH - SUNDAY, JANUARY 23, 2022
"Doing Life with Jesus”
2022 Theme verses: Colossians 2:6-7, NLT – “And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.”
Today’s Lesson - “Jesus Begins His Ministry”
Video Story/Resource:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrZaOuSnm7g (Kids on the Move – Jesus is Tempted)
When Jesus was thirty years old, he knew it was time to begin the special work God had sent him to do. He went to the Jordan River to be baptized and God spoke from heaven! He said, “This is my Son and I am very pleased with him.” Amazing, right? But then Jesus went into the wilderness to spend time with God and he came face to face with his enemy…the devil.
Satan Tries to Trick Jesus
Matthew 4:1-11 – “Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. 2 For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry. 3 During that time the devil came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.”
4 But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, 6 and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say, ‘He will order his angels to protect you. And they will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’”
7 Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the LORD your God.’”
8 Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 “I will give it all to you,” he said, “if you will kneel down and worship me.”
10 “Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the LORD your God and serve only him.’”
11 Then the devil went away, and angels came and took care of Jesus.”
The devil had been watching for an opportunity to get Jesus to disobey God. After Jesus had gone without food for forty days, what better way to tempt Jesus than with some yummy bread. He told Jesus he should make some bread for himself, but Jesus knew that he needed to rely on God to provide. He had gone to the wilderness to fast and pray; he didn’t want to eat because he knew that his time with God was more important than food…when it was time to eat, God would let him know.
Next, the devil challenged Jesus to prove he was God. He told him to jump off a high place…if Jesus really was the Son of God, God would keep him safe. Jesus told the devil that was wrong, because we shouldn’t expect God to save us from natural consequences…he can, but we should never think that God has to prove anything to us.
Finally, the devil told Jesus that if he bowed to him, he’d hand over control of the world to Jesus. Jesus knew that this was absolutely wrong; the devil was suggesting Jesus didn’t have to follow God’s plan…here was a shortcut. Jesus wasn’t even tempted and told the devil to take a hike. After Satan left, God sent angels to take care of Jesus…he had passed the test.
Engage:
• Jesus knew that it was time for him to begin the work God had sent him to do. What was the first thing he did? Why?
• After being baptized and hearing God’s voice telling him how very proud of Jesus he was, Jesus went into the wilderness. What reason did he have for going?
• Jesus went forty days without eating to spend time with God. How long have you ever gone without eating? Why was this important for Jesus to do?
• The devil tried to trick Jesus into doing something wrong. Why do you think Jesus was able to see the danger in the devil’s suggestions? How can we come to recognize when some ideas, even though they may not seem bad, aren’t really good for us?
Weekly verse:
Matthew 4:17, NLT – “From then on Jesus began to preach, ‘Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.’”
Prayer – Dear God, thank you that Jesus didn’t fall for the devil’s tricks. Help me to be able to know right from wrong and be able to recognize when something that doesn’t sound bad, still isn’t a good idea.
~ Pastor Jane