Jesus Was Tempted
(Matthew 4, Mark 1, Luke 4)
October 4, 2026
Sunday Recap
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Sunday Recap •
Hey Fams!
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.
***Next Week: Jesus’ First Followers (John 1)
Family Discipleship Plan
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Family Discipleship Plan •
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Read Matthew 3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; and
Luke 3:21-22; John 1:29-34 from the Bible.
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Jesus lived a sinless life, died on the cross, and rose from the dead. The Bible tells us that anyone who believes these truths about Jesus and confesses that He is Lord will be saved. The Bible also says that those who believe should demonstrate their faith in Jesus by being baptized.
Baptism is a beautiful picture of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. Baptism symbolizes a person’s faith in Jesus as the perfect sacrifice for their sin and how His death was the punishment that should’ve been our own. As the person is lowered in the water, they are showing that Jesus’ death was a substitute for their own.
As the person is raised up out of the water, it symbolizes that Jesus’ resurrection guarantees eternal life for all who believe. Just as their sinful life is buried with Christ, the person raised from the water is showing that Jesus has given them new life! Baptism is an outward expression of how the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus brings new life to all who believe in Him!
Jesus obeyed His Father by being baptized. Later in life, He obeyed His Father by dying on a cross for our sins and rising again, so that all who trust in Him will receive eternal life.
***Pray: Jesus, You are the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Help us understand that faith in Your life, death, and resurrection is the only way to have eternal life. Amen.
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Preschool:
“The Word became flesh and lived among us.”John 1:14
1st-5th:
“The Word became a human being. He made his home with us. We have seen his glory. It is the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father. And the Word was full of grace and truth.” John 1:14 NiRV
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Mornings
Take time to think about the symbolism of baptism and the story it tells about Jesus. Thank Jesus for living a perfect life to be our righteousness and for dying on the cross to be our substitute. Thank Him for rising again to show us that we too can have eternal life in Him.
Evenings
Ask God to show you ways you can publicly share your faith with others. Like baptism is a public way of identifying with Christ, think about how your words and actions can point others to Jesus. How is baptism a way of publicly declaring our faith in Jesus? How can our words and actions declare our faith and point others to Jesus?
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For Fun
Bake chocolate chip cookies for the family. Allow each family member to eat one cookie, but set aside the rest of the batch to eat later in the week. During the week of waiting, acknowledge the temptation to eat the cookies. Talk with kids about how sin looks and feels enticing to us, but it always leads to consequences. Remind kids that Jesus has defeated sin and given all who believe in Him the power to say no to sin.
To Serve
Work together as a family to create a Scripture mural of John 1:1-5. Each day, write one of the verses from John 1:1-5 on a large piece of paper and decorate around the words. As you decorate the words, talk with your kids about how Jesus used God’s Word to battle Satan’s temptation and how Jesus became the Word who conquered sin for us. At the end of the week, give the mural to a friend or family member to share the truth of who Jesus is.