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Object: some crayons and scissors


Good morning, boys and girls. Today we are going to talk about a word that I am sure all of you have heard many times but you may not be sure what it means. The word is tempted or temptation. How many of you have heard that word used before? (let them answer) How many of you know what it means? (let them answer) Those are very close answers. Let me see if I can help explain it a little better.

I brought with me some crayons and some scissors. How many of you have crayons at home? Almost all of you. What do you do with crayons? (let them answer) That's right, you color pictures. Sometimes we use them in coloring books and sometimes we use them just on a piece of paper. That is the right place to use them. No problem and no temptation.

But have you ever used them anywhere else, or thought about using them somewhere else? Have you ever colored a wall in your house, or thought about coloring the wall or maybe a table or your bed? If you thought about it, and you wanted to do it, then you were tempted. You could almost hear a little voice that said, "Go ahead and color the table, or go ahead and color the wall. It's all right, no one will ever know." That is temptation. Of course, if you color it, then the temptation is over. You have done something wrong. But if you just think about it and you want to do it and you think it might be all right, then you are being tempted.

Jesus was tempted. Did you know that Jesus was tempted? He was. The Bible tells us how the devil tried to get him to follow him rather than the Father in heaven. Jesus knew it was wrong but he listened to the devil tell him how he would make him wonderful, and how he would give him land and all the food he could eat. Jesus listened to the devil and he was tempted. How many of you knew that Jesus listened to the devil, or as the Bible calls him, Satan? (let them answer)

That's a true story. Jesus was high on a mountain and that devil came and tried to get Jesus to follow him just like that little voice tries to get you to color the table.

But Jesus did not give up. He was tempted, but he told the devil to get away for he was not going to do anything that was a sin against God. After three times of the devil offering Jesus everything he had, the devil left Jesus and went away.

We must often do the same thing. There are things that we know are wrong, but they sound wonderful. That is temptation and we must be strong and put it away. Temptation is strong, but God is even stronger. If you listen to both voices and ask God for his help, you will do it God's way.