Scripture:
Luke 4:1-13
Quick Summary:
After Jesus was baptized, he went out
to the desert and didn’t eat for 40 days. He was tempted to turn rocks to food,
but he didn’t. He was tempted to worship Satan for power over the world, but he
didn’t. He was tempted to test God by acting dangerously, but he didn’t. The
same Holy Spirit that helped Jesus resist temptation can help us say no to
temptation too.
The Point:
Jesus
says no to temptations. Saying no to temptations is the virtue temperance.
Questions for Family
Time:
1.
What does Temperance mean?
a. Saying
no to temptations.
2. Who was tempted in today’s story?
a.
Jesus
3.
What temptations are the hardest for you to say no to?
a.
(taking things that aren’t mine, lying, being mean to
people who are mean)
Deeper:
It is not a sin to be tempted, but it is a sin to
say yes to that temptation. Temptation is a very personal thing, too. Jesus’
temptations were around using his power for self gratification from physical
needs to political power, to taking unnecessary risks just because he could.
How could he resist them?
The answer comes in the story that comes before
this one. During Jesus’ baptism, the Holy Spirit came down and took up
residence in Jesus. That same Spirit (the third person of our Triune God) takes
up residence in us when we decide to follow Jesus. When we say “I let Jesus
into my heart” that Spirit is the resident. Throughout the Bible, we find the
Holy Spirit give us power to overcome sins that we just can’t resist by
ourselves. Sin can hold us hostage, and make us feel like prisoners forced to
give into temptation. The Holy Spirit breaks those chains and gives us the
power to say, “No!”
Perhaps there is a temptation in your life, that no
matter how hard you try, it just keeps leading you into sin. God calls us to
stop relying on our own will power alone to resist those temptations, and to
rely on his Holy Spirit to see us through. This is why the first steps in 12
Step programs like AA and NA include asking a higher power for help. Even if
your temptation isn’t drugs or alcohol, if you really want to conquer it, I
encourage you to ask the Holy Spirit to reside within you and help you to say no.
Only through the Spirit’s power can any of us find lasting temperance, and with
that temperance freedom and peace.
Personal Reflection:
What temptation am I struggling to
say no to? Have I asked the Holy Spirit to help me overcome it?
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