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Ekids - Week 6 (Sword of the Spirit)



Jesus is Tested in the Wilderness
Matthew 4:1-11

Who thinks that superheroes are really awesome? (Allow responses) I
do, too! But do you know who the most awesome hero is? I’ll give
you a hint. His name starts with a “J” and He lives in heaven! (Allow
kids to guess – “Jesus”)
Right! Jesus is our hero because He saved us from the punishment for
our sins. He was able to do this because He came to earth and lived
a perfect life. He NEVER did anything wrong!
Now, that doesn’t mean that Jesus wasn’t tempted to do the wrong
thing. In fact, there’s a time in the Bible when Jesus was tempted by
the devil. Let’s find out how Jesus was able to use God’s Word to cut
down the lies and temptations of the enemy!
Now, as I’m reading this story, I want you to test your superhero
reflexes! When you hear me say UP, I want you to reach up as high
as you can (or look up)! And when you hear me say DOWN, I want
you to reach down (or look down)




One day, the Holy Spirit led Jesus DOWN into the desert. He was
there for 40 days and 40 nights without eating anything! Do you
think Jesus was hungry? (Yes)
Well, the devil came UP to Jesus while He was in the desert and
tried to tempt Him three times.
The first time, the devil could tell that Jesus was hungry, so he tried
to use that against Him. The devil looked DOWN and saw some
stones. He said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to
become bread.”
But Jesus remembered something from God’s Word. He said, “It is
written, ‘Man must not live only on bread. He must also live on every
word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Jesus remembered a verse from God’s Word, and He used it to cut
down temptation. Have you ever learned a verse or a story from
God’s Word? (Allow responses)




Next, the devil took Jesus UP to the top of the Temple and said, “If
you are the Son of God, throw yourself DOWN. The Lord will
command his angels to take good care of you.” But Jesus could see
that the devil was trying to trick Him. So He said, “It is written, ‘Do not
test the Lord your God.’”
Again, Jesus remembered something that was written in God’s Word
to cut DOWN the devil’s lies and temptation.
Have you ever been tempted to do something, like be mean to your
brother and sister or lie by saying something you made UP? (Allow
responses)
Just like Jesus remembered what God’s Word said to cut DOWN the
enemy’s temptation, we can use the Sword of the Spirit by
remembering God’s Word. It will help us slice through the enemy’s
attacks!
Now, let’s find out what happened the third time the devil tempted
Jesus!




Finally, the devil took Jesus UP to the top of a very high mountain.
He showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and how awesome
they were. Then, the devil said, “If you bow DOWN and worship me, I
will give you all this.”
But Jesus recognized how the devil was trying to tempt Him again.
So He said, “Get away from me, Satan! The Bible says to worship
only the Lord your God!”
After that, the devil got UP and went away from Jesus. Because
Jesus remembered what the Bible said, he was able to defend
Himself when He was tempted. In the same way, the enemy will try
to defeat us by tempting us to do what is wrong. But we can defend
ourselves from the enemy using the Sword of the Spirit!
Is the Sword of the Spirit a light saber OR God’s Word? (God’s Word)
True or False: We can suit up with the Sword of the Spirit by reading
and learning God’s Word. (True)
Allow kids to sit back down.

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