The Devil Went Down to the Desert
Bible Story: The Devil Went Down to the Desert (Jesus is tempted in the desert) Luke 4:1-13
Bottom Line: When I discover what God says, I can make wiser choices.
Memory Verse: “And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.” Luke 2:52, NIV
Virtue: Knowledge—discovering something new so you can be better at whatever you do.
Basic Truth: I need to make the wise choice.
SATAN FIRST “A-TEMPT”
STORYTELLER: “Great job! I think you got the hang of it. Let’s get started. Last week, we learned that Jesus was baptized by whom? (Get responses.) Great listening, you guys! John the Baptist. After Jesus was baptized, as we discover in the book of Luke (open Bible to Luke 4:1-13), the Holy Spirit led Jesus out into the desert. Jesus was fasting—which means He didn’t eat anything—in the desert for 40 days. But Jesus wasn’t completely alone. Satan was in the desert and tempted Jesus three times. The first time Satan tempted Jesus, he pointed to a stone and told Jesus to turn it into bread. To discover what happened next, let’s play ‘What Happens Next?’
STORYTELLER: “You see, Satan told Jesus to make that stone become bread because Jesus hadn’t eaten anything in many, many days. Satan knew Jesus was very hungry, so he thought he could catch Jesus when Jesus was weak. But then Jesus quoted the Bible to Satan. That means Jesus knew and had memorized Bible verses. He quoted a verse from Deuteronomy—that’s one of the first five books in the Old Testament—to answer Satan when he tried to tempt Him. Jesus said, ‘Man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.’ (Deuteronomy 8:3b, NIV)
WORSHIP WHOM?
STORYTELLER: “Next, Satan showed Jesus all the kingdoms in the world. Satan told Jesus He could have all of the power and splendor that Satan had—IF Jesus would worship him. Let’s find out: ‘What Happens Next?’
STORYTELLER: “Satan wanted Jesus to bow down and worship HIM! Can you believe that? But Jesus really knew His Bible verses! He answered Satan AGAIN by quoting a Bible verse. He said, ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’ (Deuteronomy 8:3) You guys are doing great at this game!
SATAN’S TWIST
STORYTELLER: “Then Satan led Jesus to Jerusalem. He had Jesus stand on the highest point of the temple. Satan said, ‘If you’re God’s Son, then throw yourself down from this high place.’ But then Satan did something unusual—well, unusual for Satan. Satan quoted a Bible verse. Satan tempted Jesus by misusing Psalm 91:11 and 12, telling Jesus that if He were God’s Son, God would send His angels to save Him. Let’s discover, ‘What Happens Next?’
“Jesus did it again! He knew just the right verse; He had the right knowledge at just the right time so He could give a good answer and make the wise choice! You all did a great job playing ‘What Happens Next?’ Let’s give our volunteers a hand while they return to their seats.
Wrapping up the story
STORYTELLER: “So, what had Jesus memorized? (Get responses.) That’s right—Bible verses! By having the knowledge of those Bible verses, Jesus knew better than to be tempted to do what Satan told Him to do. Jesus had discovered what God says in His Word—the Bible. And just like Jesus did, when I discover what God says, I can make wiser choices.
“We all have choices to make every day. For example, what if a friend has a game your parents told you not to play and your friend is BEGGING you to play it with him? I mean, your parents might not ever know. No one else is around to see you do it. Or, what if a classmate wants to cheat off of your paper? How do you know what choice to make? How do you know what the wise choice is? Remember, when I discover what God says, I can make wiser choices.
“So, if you’ve been reading your Bible, when a friend begs to play a game that your parents told you not to play (open Bible to Exodus 20:12), you can say, ‘The Bible says to honor your father and mother.’ Or, let’s say a classmate wants to cheat off your paper. You can remember that the Bible says (open Bible to Proverbs 16:13), ‘Kings take pleasure in honest lips; they value a man who speaks the truth.’ Jesus knew Bible verses because He memorized them, read the Bible, and listened to other people who knew and loved God. All of this helped Him make wise choices. Did you know you guys are doing that too? Think about it. Raise your hand if you know your memory verse for this month. (Get responses.) See, you’re doing what Jesus did. Let’s all say our memory verse together.”
STORYTELLER and KIDS: “‘And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.’ Luke 2:52.”
STORYTELLER: “When we’ve memorized our memory verses and when we know some Bible stories, it helps us make the wiser choice. When I discover what God says, I can make wiser choices. When we know what God’s Word says, we can also encourage others to know what God says, too. Maybe some of our friends who don’t know God or don’t go to church will want to know more about Him and discover what He says, too. When I discover what God says, I can make wiser choices. Let’s all say that together.”
STORYTELLER and KIDS: “When I discover what God says, I can make wiser choices.”
Pray
STORYTELLER: “Let’s pray. Dear God, thank You for showing us how important it is to memorize what Your Word—the Bible—says. Help us to memorize and learn what it is You want us to know so we can make wise choices when it matters most. We love You, God. Amen.”