Sunday Spotlight is where we share our Calvary Kids Bible lesson topic each week for kids of all ages. Use this lesson for a Family Night devotion or a preview/review time to talk about what your children are learning at Calvary on Sundays. These lessons correspond to the take-home cards your child receives each week. We post a new lesson here every Wednesday.

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Sunday, July 19

Lesson Title: Jesus Was Tempted

Bible Passage: Matthew 4; Mark 1; Luke 4

Key Passage: John 1:14

Big Picture Question: Is Jesus God or a human? Jesus is fully God and fully human.

Lesson Summary

Jesus’ temptation by Satan is a showdown with redemptive implications. Had Jesus not been able to withstand Satan’s attacks, Christ would not have been the spotless Lamb of God and would not have made for a sufficient sacrifice for sinners. The gospel hinged on Jesus’ ability to stand firm in the face of temptation.

Thankfully, Jesus was indeed strong enough to withstand Satan’s scheme. Though we as sinful humans fall daily into sin’s temptations, Jesus never sinned.

Just as the Old Testament figures Moses, Elijah, and Noah spent 40 days in difficult, faith-testing circumstances, we read that Jesus was full of the Holy Spirit and that the Spirit led Him into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. This event took place just after Jesus’ public baptism and demonstrates the truth of Hebrews 5:8: “Although he was the Son, he learned obedience from what he suffered.” If Jesus had to learn obedience, how much more do we have to learn?

We read that Jesus was well-informed with Scripture and used it in His fight against the lies of the enemy. Though the omnipotent Jesus had the power to perform miracles and escape the wilderness, He remained in the desert to reveal His power to overcome the temptations of sin.

Likewise, though Jesus had the means to flee from the temptation He faced, He remained dependent upon His Father, showing us what it means to endure. It is in the testing of our faith and through our reliance upon His Spirit that Christians are constantly being made into the image of the Savior. It is not through our obedience and good works that we receive a righteous standing before God; rather, it is by grace through faith in the only righteous One, Jesus, that we are credited with Jesus’ perfect life.

As you teach the kids in your care this week, emphasize that we cannot obey our way into salvation. Instead, we must place our faith in the only One who has been tempted yet remains sinless. Lead boys and girls to see that faith in Jesus is the only way to receive and experience everlasting life.

 
Christ Connection

This is the big idea of how this week’s Bible story points to Jesus.

• Babies & Toddlers: When we are tempted to sin, we can ask Jesus to help us say no to sin.
   
• Younger Preschool: Jesus always did the right thing. He died on the cross to rescue us from sin. When we are tempted to sin, we can ask Jesus to help us say no to sin.
   
• Older Preschool: The devil tried to get Jesus to sin, but Jesus always did the right thing. Jesus died on the cross and rose again to rescue us from sin. When we are tempted to sin, we can ask Jesus to help us say no to sin.
   
• Kids: Like us, Jesus experienced temptation. But unlike us, Jesus never sinned. When we repent and believe Jesus died on the cross to pay for our sins and rose again, God credits us with Jesus’ perfect life.

Big Picture Question & Answer

This is an important biblical truth that your child will encounter each week of this unit.

• All: Is Jesus God or a human? Jesus is fully God and fully human.

Key Passage

John 1:14  This is a Bible verse that relates to what your child will encounter each week of this unit.

• Babies & Toddlers: The Word became flesh and lived among us. John 1:14
   
• Younger Preschool: The Word became flesh and lived among us. John 1:14
   
• Older Preschool: The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. John 1:14
   
• Kids: The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14

Next week: Jesus’ First Followers (John 1)

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And check out our playlist on Spotify — these songs are featured in our Kid Zone and Zone 345 worship time on Sundays. Sing along at home or on the road!

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