WHAT ABOUT SIN

1. "Where Sin Came From - The Temptation of Eve"

2. "Jesus' Answer to Sin - The Temptation in the Wilderness"

3. "The Christian and Sin - Overcoming Everyday Temptation"

The text of these lessons is written for teaching children but could easily be adapted to accommodate teens or adults. The objective of this set of lessons is that the Christian might recognize temptation in his life of which he was not previously aware and be able to resist it. Even though these lessons are for Christians, it would be appropriate to give an invitation for salvation as well as for confessing sin and for consecration.

LESSON ONE

"Where Sin Came From - The Temptation of Eve"

OBJECTIVES -

1. To teach the origin of human sin.

2. To teach the three kinds of temptation to sin.

3. To reveal the devil's methods when he tempted Eve.

4. To reveal why Eve did eventually sin.

MEMORY VERSE:

I Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

INTRODUCTION:

Boys and girls, today we are going to talk about something horrible - sin! Sin is the cause of hurricanes and tornadoes. All those huge snowstorms and cold, cold temperatures are caused by sin. Mosquitoes and cockroaches, weeds and thorny roses are all the result of sin. Animals that fight and eat each other, and attack and kill people, do it because of sin. Stomachaches, earaches, toothaches, and chicken pox all come from sin. Cancer, AIDS, booze, and cocaine are all here because of sin. Any bad, horrible, unhappy thing you can think of is here because of sin. Worst of all, because of sin, there is DEATH! Plants die, animals die, and people die. And when lost people die they go to a horrible place - HELL. Today you will learn about where that horrible thing - sin, came from.

When God made the first two people, Adam and Eve, he placed them in a beautiful garden, (Put up visual #1) Because there was no sin at that time, all the animals were tame and friendly; the weather was always perfect; there was free food to eat; and Adam and Eve never had even one fight. The devil hates God, and he hated Adam and Eve. He wanted them to sin and destroy themselves.

God had told Adam that he and Eve could freely eat the fruit from all of the trees in the garden except ONE, and that's when the devil made his plan.

Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

When the devil approached Eve, he was friendly and smiling, and he was probably very beautiful to look at. Sin always makes itself look good. The first word he said to Eve was "Yea." That word means "yes." The devil is a very positive fellow and will try to trick you with a smile. He asked Eve: "Yea, hath God said, Ye shall eat of every tree of the garden?" The devil always questions God's words because he wants you to question them too. (Put up visual #2)

Has your Dad ever told you "Clean the garage while I am gone," and then a few minutes later you went to your Mom and asked "Do I REALLY have to clean the garage?" You are questioning your father's words and looking for a way to get out of the work. Your father said what he said, and he meant it; but because you didn't want to obey, you wanted to change what the words meant. (Put up visual #3). The devil did the same thing with Eve. He wanted her to doubt these words.

Genesis 2:16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

When Eve answered the devil, she misquoted God's words.

Genesis 3:2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:

She left out a word - "freely." If you go to Pizza Hut you can eat pizza, but is it free? No! So the word Eve missed was very important. Then she misquoted God by adding words to what he said.

Genesis 3:3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.

Listen again to what the Lord really said. (Teacher, repeat Genesis 2:16b,17 from above) Did you hear that word "freely" that she forgot the first time? Did you hear God say that she couldn't touch it? NO! Eve didn't say what God said, and she sinned because of that! How important it is to know what the Bible says!

The devil is very smart, and even if Eve didn't know she had misquoted God, the devil did! He added only one word to what God said, and he fooled her. I'll read what he said. See if you can hear the extra word he added.

Genesis 3:4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:

Did you hear that extra word? The devil told Eve that she would "NOT surely die," and he lied! God's words are God's words, and no one is allowed to change them. (Put up visual #4) All the words in your King James Bible are God's words. God says what he means, and it's your job to find out what that is. If you don't know what the Bible says about something, you may be tricked into believing a lie! And the devil is very tricky because the rest of what he told Eve was absolutely true!

Genesis 3:5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

Eve's eyes would be opened. She would know good and evil, and in that way she would be like a god. Now the devil will try to deceive a person by using three different kinds of temptation. He used all three on Eve.

1 John 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

The three kinds of temptation are (1) the lust of the flesh, (2) the lust of the eyes, and (3) the pride of life. All temptation to sin falls into one of these three categories. These are the temptations the devil presented to her.

Genesis 3:6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

First, he presented the "lust of the flesh." That is the sin of "Oh, it FEELS so good, I just HAVE to do it!" In this case "Oh, it TASTES so GOOD." (Put up visuals 5 & 6) Eve saw that the tree was "good for food." The devil probably popped some fruit into his mouth and smacked his lips. (Teacher, you could demonstrate with a bunch of grapes - put up visual #7 )

For you boys and girls this temptation comes in the form of candy, and ice cream, and cake, and cookies. You can't get enough of those, can you? Now sweets aren't sinful by themselves. The sin comes, from that "gimmee, gimmee, I've got to have it" attitude. Have you ever whined and begged for a sweet? That was the "lust of the flesh" and that was a sin.

For teens and adults, this temptation includes rock and roll, dancing, booze, drugs, cigarettes, and doing wrong things with girlfriends and boyfriends. It is a very strong kind of temptation and many people are caught by these sins. It FEELS so good in the beginning. That is why it is so important that as boys and girls you determine in your heart that you will never even once try these sins. One drink of booze can easily lead to a drunkard's unhappy life. One puff of a cigarette can easily lead to lung cancer in the hospital. One pill of illegal drugs can easily lead to a scrambled brain so a person can't even tie his own shoes. It may FEEL good in the beginning but sin ALWAYS hurts you in the end - ALWAYS - in EVERY case!

Eve's next temptation was the "lust of the eyes." That is the sin of "Oh, it LOOKS so good, it must be all right." She saw that the tree was "pleasant to the eyes." It was probably very beautiful. (Put up visuals #8 & #9.) The more you look at something, the more you want it. When your parents take you to the mall, where is the first place you want to go? The TOY store. You want to LOOK at the toys. (Put up visual #10) But the next thing you know, you don't want to just look, you want to BUY something. You just have to have it. That "have to have it" feeling is called "lust," and it is a sin. How many of you have dragged your mom or dad down the aisle to see a toy that you just had to have! Looking and lusting after something you can't have is a sin. It is called coveting. God hates it so much that he made it the tenth commandment - "Thou shall not covet." The television is the devil's tool for the "lust of the eyes." Both children and adults LOOK at things advertised again and again. Maybe a man decides he "has to have" a new car, or a woman "has to have" that wonderful kitchen appliance. And of course how would you know about all those new toys if it weren't for TV? Do you know you can't really lust after a new toy if you haven't seen it? The devil uses TV to fuel covetousness.

Eve's last temptation was "the pride of life." That is the sin of "Oh, it SOUNDS right, so it can't be wrong." or "It SOUNDS like fun. I'll do it." She saw that the tree was "to be desired to make one wise." (Put up visuals #11 & #12) NOW, that sounds like a good thing, doesn't it? Everyone wants to be wise. (Put up visual #13) But this wisdom would allow her not only to know about good, but to know also about evil. The Lord knew that once a person knows about evil, eventually he will do something wicked. Eve did not know that the "pride of life" says - "I can decide for myself." "You can't tell me what to do!" "I don't have to obey you." Those all SOUND good, don't they? But they aren't! Especially when you are talking to God! They ALWAYS lead to sin.

Have you ever made fun of another boy or girl? Have you ever talked back to your parents? Have you ever refused to let someone play in your group? Have you ever talked about a friend behind his back? Are you ever a "know it al?l" All those sins are "the pride of life." You think you are SOMEBODY SPECIAL! Well, you're not! Especially when you act like that! The Bible says that God HATES pride, that it is an abomination to him. That's pretty bad. He hates it in adults as well. They are just as prideful as you boys and girls. The devil is so smart, and you can so easily be fooled, if you don't know what the Bible says. He will pat you on the back and tell you how great you are, and if you are not careful you may believe him.

CONCLUSION:

The devil had a very easy victory over Eve because she didn't know God's words. All the things he told her sounded so right. The fruit was good for food. It was delicious. And the tree was so beautiful to look at. How could something that pretty be bad? And besides all that it would make her wise. Wise is good, right? There is just one problem. God said DON'T eat! You'll DIE!

Genesis 2:16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

But that's not what Eve told the devil. She thought the words she quoted were "close enough" to God's words. That is why she was deceived when the devil quoted words that were very "close" to what God had really said. But adding or subtracting just a little can kill a person.

Suppose you came home from school one day to smell that wonderful smell of spaghetti sauce cooking. There, in the kitchen, was your mom stirring a big pot of bubbling sauce, and your stomach growled for supper. You watched as she stirred in the hamburger meat. It was just perfect. "Wait a minute," she said, "I have one more thing to add." Then you watched as she took a box labeled "RAT POISON" and poured some into a spoon and then mixed it into the sauce. It disappeared and you couldn't even see it anymore, but did you still want to eat spaghetti for supper? NO! That little spoon of poison ruined the whole pot of sauce.

That is how important it is to know God's words from his book - the King James Bible. The devil added one little word, and because of that addition, sin has infected all the things in the world and every person born. Adam loved Eve, so he also ate of the fruit. They both died spiritually that day. Through Adam everyone born is with a sin nature. Everyone born is spiritually dead inside and has a body that will die too.

Romans 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

Lost sinners die and go to hell. But praise the Lord, Jesus died to save sinners so that they could go to heaven instead. Are you a saved sinner or a lost sinner? Have you ever asked Jesus to come into your heart and wash your sins away? Or perhaps you are a saved sinner. Do you need to tell the Lord you are sorry for some sins you are doing or to ask him to help you to do right? Today is the day to do it. Don't delay!

Teacher, after the invitation you may want to tell them a little about the next lesson.

Boy and girls, in the next lesson the devil is at it again, but this time he doesn't stand a chance! He presents Jesus with the same kinds of temptations that he tried on Eve. Next time we will see exactly how Jesus wins over temptations.

LESSON TWO

"Jesus' Answer to Sin - The Temptation in the Wilderness"

OBJECTIVES -

1. To compare the Lord's temptations to Eve's temptations.

2. To reveal the devil's methods when he tempted the Lord.

3. To teach how Jesus overcame the devil's temptations.

MEMORY VERSE:

Hebrews 2:18 For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.

INTRODUCTION:

Last time, boys and girls, we learned about how the devil tempted Eve with the three kinds of temptation - the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. Today we are going to learn how the devil tempted Jesus with those same three kinds of temptation. Eve gave in to the temptations and sinned. Do you think the Lord Jesus did?

Jesus' temptations didn't take place in a beautiful garden like Eve's had. He was in a wilderness by himself. He had just revealed himself to Israel by being baptized by John the Baptist, and God had called him "My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."What a wonderful day it had started out to be. Finally, Jesus could begin his job of redeeming his people. But just after his baptism he went to the wilderness.

Matthew 4:1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.

He was there, alone, for forty days. That is a long time. It is longer than the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas. That is a very long time, isn't it? Not only that, but during those days he didn't have ONE thing to eat! You eat a lot at Thanksgiving, but would you like to wait until Christmas before you ate again? No! The Bible says:

Matthew 4:2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.

You'd be hungry too. This was the time the devil saw his chance to tempt the Lord.

Matthew 4:3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.

(Put up visual #14) Did you hear the name the devil was called? Yes, he is the "tempter." That is exactly what he does because he wants everyone to sin. He thought he could get the Lord to sin, too. The first thing he did was place doubt on God's words. He said, "If thou be the Son of God." (Put up visual #3) He knew Jesus was God's Son, but he tried to make him doubt it by changing God's words. It didn't work with the Lord like it did with Eve, but he kept on trying.

Jesus was very hungry, and there was nothing to eat anywhere around. When Eve was tempted she was in a garden full of delicious, free food; and she still sinned. Do you remember the name for this kind of temptation? It is the "lust of the flesh." It says "If it FEELS good, do it!" (Put up visuals #5 & #6) Eve probably wasn't even hungry, but Jesus was; and the devil presented him with a way to get rid of that hunger. But Jesus knew that he was being tested, and he knew that if he resisted the devil that God would help him to be strong.

Remember how Eve answered the devil's temptations by misquoting God's words? Because she misquoted them the devil was able to deceive her by misquoting others to her. The devil had already tried misquoting God's words to Jesus before he tempted him with food. See how Jesus answered back.

Matthew 4:4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

Jesus resisted the devil by quoting the Bible to him, and it was a verse about the perfect words of God! Listen to it again. (Teacher, read Matthew 4:4 again; put up visual #4)

The devil was trying to get Jesus to DISTRUST God and provide the food for himself, (Put up visual #15) The devil knew it would FEEL so good when Jesus got some food into his hungry stomach, and that he would FEEL much better when he had eaten. All that was TRUE. Jesus' body would have felt better, but his heart would have been heavy with sin. Jesus knew he was supposed to let God, the Father, take care of him. The devil didn't want Jesus to believe that. He wanted Jesus to turn the stones to bread himself and that would have been a sin.

I'll tell you a story about a boy who wanted to "do it himself." (Use "Sam" flash cards.)

One day Sam wanted a cookie from the cookie jar that was high on top of the refrigerator. He asked his mom and she said she would get him one in a minute or two when she got off the phone in the bedroom. He waited and waited for what seemed like a long time, and then from somewhere inside he heard, "I can get it myself." So he pulled a kitchen chair over to the counter and climbed up. He stood on the counter and reached way back on the top of the refrigerator to get the jar. It was a special pottery clown that Grandma had made for him. It was heavy so he pulled it slowly to the edge. But he still couldn't reach inside because it was too tall. He heard "I can do it," so he slowly tipped the jar on its side and reached in to get his prize. Boy, did that cookie taste good! Sam realized that he couldn't stand the jar back up, but he'd ask his mom to do it when she got there. With his mouth full of cookie, Sam stepped backward on the counter - and KICKED the toaster. It fell into the sink with a loud bang. "Oh, no!" he thought, "I'd better get down." He turned around and stepped quickly down onto the chair, but he missed the seat with his first foot. He grabbed the back of the chair but it was too late. Down he fell with the chair on top of him. Ouch! That really hurt.

Sam's mom came running into the kitchen. "Sam, are you all right?"she asked as she helped him off the floor. "What have you been doing?" Just then Grandma's special cookie jar slowly rolled off the refrigerator and smashed into a million pieces on the floor. Sam began to cry. "I just thought I could do it myself," he said.

Sam should have obeyed his mom and waited until she came. Have you ever tried to do something alone when your mom or dad told you to wait so they could do it for you? Did you do it? Or did something go wrong? Even if you did it alone, and nothing went wrong, it was still a sin because you had been told to wait. You disobeyed your parents, AND you disobeyed GOD because the Bible says "Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right." Ephesians 6:1. That is how the devil works. He will tempt you to distrust God's words and to try to figure things out by yourself. That always ends in sin.

Jesus knew that God, the Father, would take care of him; and he knew what God had said about it. That was what he quoted to the devil, and that was how he resisted sinning. Don't distrust God's words. Your King James Bible is perfect and God always knows best.

The devil doesn't give up easily, however, so next he tried the "pride of life" to tempt the Lord. (Put up visual #12)

Matthew 4:5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, 6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.

(Put up visual # 16) The devil tried again with "IF thou be the Son of God." He was casting doubt on God's words and trying to make Jesus puffed up and proud of himself. He said, "IF you're the Son of God, then PROVE it! Jump off the temple! IF you are the Son of God, the angels are supposed to catch you. Go on, do it!" The devil presented Jesus with a DARE!

Now remember, the temptation for the "pride of life" always SOUNDS good. (Put up visual # 11) Jesus was God's Son, so why shouldn't he prove it? And this time the devil quoted scripture correctly. The Bible does say that the angels watched over Jesus. But they only did what God the Father, told them to do. The devil wanted Jesus to CHALLENGE God and make him prove the Bible is true. (Put up visual #17) Now that SOUNDS good, doesn't it?- proving the Bible. But to sin on purpose, and then to challenge God to prove his words, is another sin! Again Jesus answered the devil from the scripture.

Matthew 4:7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

It would have been a sin to accept the devil's dare and challenge God to prove his words.

Let me tell you another story about a girl who accepted a dare. (Use "Sharon" flash cards)

Sharon's mother had made her a beautiful new dress for Easter Sunday. The fabric was white with tiny pink dots, and the collar was white with ribbons and lace. Sharon was so happy with her dress. It was the prettiest one she had ever had. That morning after the resurrection story her Sunday school teacher passed out chocolate candy for them to eat. Sharon loved to eat chocolate, and she didn't notice when pieces fell on her new white collar. Her friend Susie pointed them out. Quickly, Sharon brushed them off, but OH, NO! the chocolate had streaked across the collar. It was even on the lace and ribbons!

After church Susie waited with Sharon for her mother to come from the main auditorium. Tears were in Sharon's eyes when she arrived. "Oh, Mother," she said, "I've ruined my beautiful dress. It was an accident. My teacher gave us chocolate to eat. I didn't mean to get any on my collar."

Her mom gave her a big hug. "That's all right, sweetheart," she smiled, "I know it was an accident, and I have some special laundry soap that will clean it just like new." Sharon felt very relieved. Mom would fix it. Everything would be all right.

A few weeks later there was a wedding at their church and Sharon and her mom were going. Susie had stayed overnight so she could go too. The girls were very excited. They always liked to see the bride and bridesmaids in their beautiful dresses. Sharon decided to wear her Easter dress.

It had rained hard the night before, but this morning the sun was shining brightly. The girls were dressed and ready early, and asked if they could go outside to wait. "You can wait on the porch," said Mom. "Be sure you stay clean." Susie and Sharon admired each other's dresses, straightened thier hair bows, and then just stood there to wait. The sun was very hot, and the wet grass sparkled from the rain. Sharon's dog, Cheery, was lapping water from a big puddle at the end of the driveway.

"Wouldn't it be fun to splash in the water?" Susie asked Sharon. "If we took our shoes and socks off it would cool our feet so we wouldn't be so hot on the way to the wedding."

"I don't know," replied Sharon. "It SOUNDS like a good idea. I am hot. But Mom said to wait on the porch and stay clean."

"Aw, come on," dared Susie. " We'll be careful. And besides, if you get a drop or two of water on your dress, your Mom said she could wash anything out of it to get it clean. Come on. I dare you!" Susie already had her shoes off and was headed for the puddle. Sharon pulled hers off and came right behind. At first they stood in the water. It felt so cool between Sharon's toes. Just then Cheery came bounding around the side of the house. "Here were some friends to play with," he thought. He charged into the puddle, leaping and splashing. He ran up to Sharon, put his big muddy paws on her collar and licked her face. "Oh, Cheery, get down," laughed Sharon. Then she looked at her dress. It was filthy. It was covered with mud and black streaks. Sharon was scared.

"Oh, don't worry," shrugged Susie. "Your mom said she'd clean it, didn't she?"

Just then Sharon's mom came out. "Girls, what are you doing?"she called. "Get up here to the porch. Why are your shoes and socks up here?"

The Sharon and Susie that climbed back onto the porch did not look like the same ones that had climbed down just a few minutes before. Sharon felt ashamed and sad, but she remembered what Susie had said.

"My dress is dirty again, Mom, but you said you could always clean it and make it like new," said Sharon. But she couldn't look her mom in the eye.

"No, Sharon, I didn't say that," replied her mom in a sad voice. "Your daddy worked on the car last week and there was grease and oil in that puddle along with the water. I can't clean grease and oil out of your dress. It is ruined. If you had obeyed me and stayed on the porch this wouldn't have happened. It is nobody's fault but your own.".

Sharon should have obeyed her mother and not taken Susie's dare. Have you ever accepted a dare that got you into trouble? Boys and girls, almost all dares are to do wrong. Sharon sinned twice. First, she splashed in the puddle, and then she expected her mom to overlook her sin and clean her dress just as if it had been an accident.

This is how the devil tempted Jesus. He dared him to sin by jumping off the temple. If Jesus had done that, it would have been a challenge to God to overlook his sin to prove the Bible. But God has rules of his own, and he can't SIN to prove something that is right.

Jesus overcame this temptation because he knew that it is never right to do wrong, even if doing wrong will prove something that is right.

There is still one more temptation. Jesus has been tempted with the "lust of the flesh," and the "pride of life." Which one is left? Yes, it is the "lust of the eyes." (Put up visual #9) This is what the devil said.

Matthew 4:8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; 9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.

Can you imagine seeing all the wonders of the world pass before your eyes! (Put up visual #18) You could see the Grand Canyon, and Mt. Everest. You could see kangaroos in Australia and Panda bears in China. You could see the beautiful rain forests in Africa and the penguins in the Antarctic. That doesn't even include seeing all the huge cities with all those people.

Remember that the "lust of the eyes" makes everything LOOK good. (Put up visual #8) All those kingdoms did belong to the devil, at least for the time being. He could have given them to Jesus right then. This is the temptation to ABANDON God and let the devil do it. (Put up visual #19) Certainly all the sights the devil showed him were beautiful to look at. But Jesus knew that if he was patient, God would give him the entire world; and he wouldn't have to sin by worshipping the devil, in order to get it.

I have one more story about a boy who looked, lusted, and sinned. (Use "Tommy" flash cards)

Tommy felt like he was the only boy in school who didn't have a Walkman cassette player. All his friends had their headsets glued to their ears as much as possible. He'd been saving his allowance but the one he wanted was very expensive. He knew it would be a long time before he could save enough. His parents had promised to get him one for his birthday; but that was months away, and he didn't think he could stand to wait.

To earn money he helped Mrs. Green who lived next door. She gave him odd jobs to do but couldn't pay him much. One day she came home from the mall with a lot of bags and packages. She had been buying gifts for missionary children with the money her ladies' church group had collected. Her back seat was full, and she asked Tommy to help her bring the things in the house.

"If you don't mind helping," she smiled at Tommy. "I had trouble in the mall parking lot. Two of the bags broke and things went all over the place. Thank the Lord nothing seemed to be broken. We really got some nice gifts for the missionary children this time, and I'm excited about getting them off in the mail. Our ladies' group meets tomorrow morning to start wrapping them."

Tommy thought Mrs. Green was chattering a bit much, but he liked her, and carrying in packages was an easy job. He picked up another bag and things fell out onto the driveway.

"Oh," said Mrs. Green, "that was one that broke at the mall,"

"That's OK," said Tommy, "I'll get everything." He picked up the gifts and carried them into the house. It was the last load.

"Thank you, Tommy." smiled Mrs. Green. "You were a big help." She gave Tommy a dollar, which was more than he expected, and asked him to check to see that the car door was shut tight before he went home.

Tommy walked down the driveway and pushed on the car door. It was tight he decided. Just then he looked down and saw a small, white corner, of what seemed to be a bag, sticking out from under the car. He got down to look, and there was a small bag with a small box inside. This was a gift that he had missed picking up. On the box was a picture of a Walkman. It was an inexpensive one, not like the one he really wanted, but it was a Walkman. Tommy's heart was pounding.

"It wasn't bought with Mrs. Green's money." he thought. "The ladies' group can buy another one. Besides, she'll think she lost it in the mall parking lot. That missionary kid probably wouldn't like it anyway."

Tommy shoved the box under his shirt and flew home as fast as he could. He ran to his room, closed the door, and took the Walkman out of its box. He examined it more closely. "It's really a cheap one," he thought, "but it's better than nothing." He put in the batteries and a tape, and lay back on his bed to listen.

He took the Walkman to school every day for the next two weeks. It seemed awfully heavy, hanging off his belt and the headset felt like it weighed a ton on his head.

At supper on Friday his parents seemed to be in an especially happy mood. "Tommy," smiled Mom, "your Dad and I have a surprise for you. I been saving a little from the grocery money each week and have saved enough to buy you a special gift."

"Yes," said his father, "we know that you have been working and trying hard to earn money for that Walkman. Well, I found one at a real discount, and Mom and I thought you deserved a special surprise instead of waiting for your birthday."

Dad pulled a package out from an empty chair at the table. There was the Walkman that Tommy had wanted all along! Tears came to his eyes. If he had only waited!

"Mom and Dad," cried Tommy, "I have something to tell you..."

Tommy gave in to the "lust of the eyes." He just couldn't wait, even though he had been promised he would eventually get his Walkman. Jesus overcame his temptation and was content to wait. It has been almost 2000 years since the devil tempted him with the kingdoms, and it is almost time for God the Father, to take them from the devil and give them to Jesus. He has waited a long time, but he will get them without having sinned by worshipping the devil...........................

CONCLUSION:

The devil couldn't get the Lord Jesus to sin. When Jesus quoted the scripture to him there was nothing he could say. The scripture always has the answer to help a person overcome temptation. That is why it is so important for you to listen carefully in Sunday School and church. But that is not all. You should learn your memory verses and read your King James Bible for yourself. Even by reading a chapter or two a day, the Lord will really bless you. Do you want to be like Eve who didn't know God's words and got deceived into sinning? Or do you want to be like the Lord who knew the scripture and defeated temptation? The choice is yours. Only you can decide.

Teacher, you can give an invitation for salvation and consecration. After the invitation you can tell them a tittle about the next lesson.

So far, boys and girls, we have learned about Eve and Jesus and how each handled their temptations to sin. Next time we will learn about the sins that YOU commit and how to overcome temptation. You may be surprised, so don't miss it.

LESSON THREE

"The Christian and Sin - Overcoming Everyday Temptation"

OBJECTIVES:

1. To teach that doing wrong is sin.

2. To teach that not doing right is sin.

3. To teach that doing right with a bad heart is sin.

4. To make the child aware of these sins in his life.

5. To teach what the Bible says about overcoming sin.

MEMORY VERSE

1 Corinthians 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

INTRODUCTION:

Our topic again today is"sin." But this time it is not Eve's sin or how the Lord's refusing to sin. This time we are going to talk about sin in our own lives. You may be surprised to find that there is more sin in your life than you thought there was. We will also learn what the Bible says about resisting temptation to overcome our sins.

We have learned about the three kinds of sin, but can anyone here tell me what sin is? (Teacher, listen to a number of responses. Unless you have an unusually knowledgeable student, all the answers will fail into the category of doing something wrong. This is an acceptable answer at this point.) Yes, one way of sinning is doing something wrong. (Put up visuals #20 & #21) The Bible says:

I John 5:17a All unrighteousness is sin.

If it is wrong, it is NOT right; and if it is NOT right, then it is a sin. You just told me a lot of things that were not right. All those things were sins. You know that stealing is a sin, or talking back to your parents. A boy or girl doesn't even need to know what the Bible says about these things to know that they are wrong. God put in your hearts a conscience that tells you when you sin. (Romans 2:13-15) A boy or girl, who has never heard of Jesus or the Bible, will look over his shoulder when he is stealing something to see if someone is watching, because he knows it is wrong.

You boys and girls know about Jesus, and you know about the Bible. You do wrong, sinful things every day. I'm sure you can think of several things you have already done today that are wrong, can't you? (Teacher, pause at this point for five seconds of so to let them think.) That is bad enough, but the Bible says that sin is more than doing wrong things. (Put up visual #22)

James 4:17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

It is also a sin NOT to do something that is good when you know you are supposed to do it. (Put up visual #23) For instance, maybe your mom hasn't told you to clean your room, but it is a mess. You look around and think, "I really should clean up this place." You know that is the right thing to do. If you don't clean it, that will be a sin for you, even if your mom said nothing. And

it's right to read your Bible every day. Do you read it? It's a sin if you don't, even if no one tells you to. And sometimes the Holy Spirit inside you will tell you to do something that is right, like helping your mom or dad. Sometimes you already know a thing is right, like reading your Bible or learning your memory verse. If you disobey the urging of the Holy Spirit or ignore doing something you should automatically do, then it is a sin for you.

So now there are two ways of sinning in your life and there is still one more. The Bible says:

Romans 14:23b Whatsoever is not of faith is sin.

(Put up visual #24) That verse means that when you do something, even a good thing, if you aren't trusting God, it is a sin. (Put up visual #25) What do you think, is it a sin for a farmer to plow his field to get it ready to plant seed? It is if he is not trusting God. Proverbs 21:4b The plowing of the wicked is sin. If that farmer is plowing his field and saying things like "I've got the best topsoil around. It will grow better crops than anywhere else," "I'm the best farmer in these parts. I know more about farming than any other farmer." "I've got the newest equipment that is guaranteed to give the very best results." That farmer is trusting his soil, and his equipment, and his knowledge. He isn't giving God the credit for anything, and he doesn't understand that God can wash his topsoil away with a terrible storm, or have his equipment break down, or even take away his knowledge. A wise farmer would plow and pray to the Lord for good weather, and good crops, and give God the glory for it all. That foolish farmer is sinning while he is doing a perfectly good thing.

Now what about you? Have you ever done a chore with a bad heart? What if your mom made you clean your room when you wanted to play outside with your friends. Did you bang around, throwing your toys and slamming your drawers? Or did you just mumble and grit your teeth? In the end your room did get clean, but the whole cleaning experience was a SIN. Maybe your mom didn't even know how mad you were, but God did. You are going to have to clean your room anyway. Why sin when you do it? Put a smile on your face. Say, "Yes, Mom," and get to it. You will be a lot happier and that will be one less sin you will have to confess.

Sometimes you might do a good thing with a smile on your face and still sin. Maybe you see some work that has to be done and decide to do it. All the while you are working you are thinking, "Boy, I'm sure a good kid for doing this. Maybe Mom will give me a reward for being so helpful." "She is sure to remember I've done this when I ask if I can stay overnight with my friend." If you puff yourself up, thinking you are special for helping; or if you help because you think you will get a reward, that is still SIN. You should be thanking the Lord you have a mom that loves you. You should be thanking the Lord that you are ABLE to help and are not sick in bed. Why don't you help your mom because SHE helps YOU. She does, doesn't she? Don't expect anything. Just help her because you love her. That will gain a true reward in heaven.

So now you know that you have three ways of sinning that you probably commit every day.

1. Things you do that are wrong are sins.

2. Good things that you don't do are sins.

3. Things you do with an untrusting or proud heart are sins.

That is a lot of sin, but thankfully, the Bible tells a Christian how to overcome temptation and sin, and that is what we'll learn next.

God wants to help Christians to win against temptation. Eve gave in and sinned, but the Lord Jesus overcame the temptation. Does anyone remember how he did it? Yes, he quoted the Bible to the devil.

There are six Bible ways to fight against temptation, and the first and most important is to know God's words. (Use "Temptation" flash cards)

( flash card #1)

Psalms 119:105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

Psalms 119:11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

Psalms 119:9 Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.

If you obey God's word, hide it in your heart, and let it light your daily walk, it will never lead you to sin. As you reach to steal a quarter or a pen, you'll hear: "Thou shall not steal." When you're ready to pass on some wicked gossip you'll hear: "Thou shall not bear false witness." If you get mad at your parents, you'll hear: "Honour they father and thy mother." The Bible is the most effective tool to fight temptation in your life, but if you don't know God's words, they can't help you. It is your responsibility to read your King James Bible and learn your memory verses. No one else can do it for you.

The second way to fight temptation is to ask the Lord to help you. (flash card #2) He understands when you are tempted because he was tempted too.

Hebrews 2:18 For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.

Hebrews 4:15 [He] was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

Jesus wants to HELP you when you are tempted, but you must ask for his help.

Psalms 50:15 And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.

Jeremiah 33:3 "Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not."

Jesus is waiting to hear you call when you are in trouble.

Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

You are not the first or the last Christian to be tempted. EVERYONE is tempted. If you give in and don't let God help you, you'll be a weak and ineffective Christian. If you fight temptation, you'll grow stronger for God.

The third way to fight temptation is to take the way out that God gives. (flash card #3) There is never the excuse that the temptation was just too strong.

There are three exits you can chose to fight a temptation. First, you can just SUBMIT to God. (flash card #4)

James 4:7a Submit yourselves therefore to God.

When you submit to the Lord, you pray about things, but you don't worry. You trust God to do what he knows is best. Maybe someone in your family is really sick. You are tempted to WORRY. Worry is a sin. There is nothing you can do but submit, "Not my will, but thine." Only God can handle it. Your worry doesn't help anything. It only hurts you, and it is a sin. Or maybe a friend has hurt your feelings and won't talk to you. Don't be grouchy or upset. Let the Lord take care of it when there is nothing you can do.

The second exit to fight temptation is to RESIST. (flashcard #5)

James 4:7b Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Ephesians 6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit.

You all have a "will." That means that on many things you make your own decision. "Do you want chocolate or vanilla ice cream?" You might answer, "I will have chocolate." God wants you to choose freely to obey him, so that when some temptations appear, your own will can say "no." By doing this you flex your spiritual muscles and make yourself a stronger Christian. Someone may say:

"Take a puff of this cigarette." You answer, "I will not."

"Have some beer. A little beer won't hurt you." "I will not."

"Your mom will never know if you do." "I will not."

"Please give me the answers to the test." "I will not."

Each time you refuse to sin, you grow stronger in the Lord.

The last exit in taking God's way out is to RUN. (flashcard #6)

2 Timothy 2:22a Flee also youthful lusts.

Some things need to be submitted to God. Some things need to be resisted. But there are some things that God says to run from. If you go to a friend's house and he gets out cigarettes, or booze, or dope, or dirty pictures, RUN. This is not a time to JUST resist when you are alone with a temptation in front of you. Don't even stop to think about it. Say "NO" and LEAVE. If you stick around, your friend will be just like the devil when he tempted Eve. She watched him and he seemed to be fine. You will watch your friend and eventually you will think: "He seems fine, I think I'll try it too." That is how your flesh works. Your flesh WANTS to sin. If you stick around long enough, instead of running, your flesh will talk you into sinning EVERY TIME. Remember, the Bible says RUN.

Those are the three ways: SUBMIT, RESIST, and RUN; but there are three other ways to help you fight temptation.

Always fill your mind with GOOD THINGS. (flash card #7)

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

If you watch bad TV shows or video tapes, those are what you will think about. If you listen to rock music, that is what you will sing. All those bad things will stay in your mind forever, and the devil will be able to remind you of them whenever he wants.

As a Christian you should fill your mind with good things like missionary stories, devotional stories, and good music. And of course you should be reading your King James Bible and attending church and Sunday School. These good things will help to push out the bad things that are already there.

Another way to fight temptation is to PRACTICE living a life that is pleasing to God. (flash card #8) If an athlete wants to get better at his sport, he practices. If a boy or girl wants to be a better Christian, he has to practice too. Exercise those spiritual muscles and read your Bible even if you don't feel like it. Doing right even when you don't feel like it is one of the best ways to grow stronger. You are saying "no" to your lazy, wicked side and "yes" to God. And of course the more you practice, the stronger you'll grow.

Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

Practice praying. Practice giving out tracts. Practice witnessing. Practice doing good things. Practice, practice, practice. Don't ever quit.

The last way to help in fighting temptation is to FELLOWSHIP with good, strong Christians. (flash card #9) Lost friends or other Christian boys and girls who are not doing right will always drag you down into sin.

1 Corinthians 15:33 Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.

That verse means if you associate with people doing sinful things, that you, too, will get dirty. If you lie down with dogs, you will get up with fleas. On the other hand good Christians encourage and help each other.

Hebrews 10:24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:

25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

The Lord Jesus Christ will be back very soon to take his children to heaven. There is little time left to work for the Lord. Don't stay around others who will drag you into sin instead of building you up to be a better Christian.

CONCLUSION:

In this lesson we have learned there are three ways to sin.

1. Doing wrong

2. Not doing right

3. Doing right with a bad heart

And we have learned that there are six Bible ways to fight temptation.

1. Know God's word.

2. Ask God to help.

3. Take the exits God provides.

4. Put good things in your mind.

5. Practice living for God.

6. Fellowship with good Christians.

You may think that fighting sin is hard, but could you fight just ONE sin? What do you think? Could you fight ONE? Well, then just fight ONE. Whatever sin you are being tempted with at any particular time, THAT is the one to fight! Just ONE! Just the one that's bothering you right then. Just ONE. Don't worry about the others. If you can fight them one at a time you'll grow strong and you'll be a winner for the Lord!

(Teacher, give an invitation.)

To obtain the visuals and four sets of flashcards for these lessons, please e-mail me at AV1611Root@JUNO.com The price for these is MINIMAL to cover photocopying and postage only, and they may be copied by you and freely given to anyone else who wants them.

List of visuals to be used on a flannel board or other flat surface:

1. Adam & Eve

2. grapes - "Yeah, hath God said?"

3. "?" -"Doubt God's Word"

4. Bible "King James..."

5. "Feels Good"

6. ice cream - "lust of flesh"

7. "Good for Food"

8. "Looks Good"

9. girl - "lust of eyes"

10. "Pleasant to the Eyes"

11."Sounds Good"

12. ribbon - "pride of life"

13. "make one wise"

14. stone - "stone to bread"

15. "Distrust God..."

16. temple - "jump"

17. "Challenge God..."

18. globe - "kingdoms of world"

19. "Abandon God..."

20. "Doing Wrong"

21. I John 5;17a

22. James 4:17

23. "Not doing right"

24. Romans 14:23b

25. "...Bad heart"

"Sam" flash cards numbered 1 through 6.

"Sharon" flash cards numbered 1 through 6.

"Tommy" flash cards numbered 1 through 6.

"Overcoming temptation" flash cards 1 through 9.

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