During the lesson, the information for you to know is written in regular type, and what we suggest speaking or reading aloud to children is in bold. All resources for this lesson, including the Teacher Guide, Student Page, Family Connection Card, and other resources can be downloaded in a ZIP file by clicking on the following link:
In some lessons you will find "resource articles." These are articles written by experts from around the world to help equip you for your work with children and adolescents. Share them with parents or guardians if you consider it appropriate.
You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
Psalm 16:11
What brings you joy? Is it spending time with your friends and family? Enjoying nature? Cooking? Teaching? Many of the things that bring you joy are gifts from God. You can celebrate and enjoy these blessings! But sometimes the things you think are bringing joy are truly sins threatening to enslave you. They capture your heart and mind and prevent you from experiencing the true joy of having a thriving relationship with God.
What is keeping you from experiencing joy in your faith? It could be unconfessed sins, ongoing ungodly choices, or even past offenses that cause guilt and remorse. Whatever is causing you to stray from the path of life, consider taking this purity pledge your students took as part of the last lesson and recommitting yourself to making God-honouring choices:
I, ____________________, want to live a life of purity. I choose to live within God’s boundaries because His plan is best for me.
As you separate yourself from the things of the world, be encouraged that running from temptation and sin does not mean missing out on God’s wonderful gifts. In fact, turning from temptation is turning toward God—toward genuine life, complete joy, and unimaginable pleasure. Praise Him for the joy He brings!
Encourage the teens to ask their family members about how they handle temptation. The students can then share that fleeing temptation and running to God brings more pleasure than anything.
Teacher Tip: If possible, email or text the Family Connection Card to the families of your students.
Greet your students today and ask them to share the best thing that happened in the last few days. Your interest in their lives shows your care.
Today we will talk about how to resist temptation. But we’ll start with a game. Everyone line up.
Pick 2 volunteers of about the same height to hold the long stick or broom between them so it is parallel to the floor. They should hold it at each end at about shoulder height. There should be room between them for the other students to pass through. Play some music or clap a rhythm for the teens to move to. They must all go under the stick or broom without touching it or the floor. They can only lean backward, not forward, if needed.
After all the teens have gone under the stick, have the volunteers lower it to about chest high. Again have the other teens pass under the stick. Continue with the stick going lower and lower each round: to waist high, then knee high. If anyone touches the floor or cannot pass under the stick without touching it, that person is out. Anyone who is out can watch and cheer for the others. Once everyone is out, ask the students to sit down to talk about the game.
The teens may answer that it was easy at first and then got more difficult.
In our game, it was easy at first to pass under the stick. But the lower it went, the harder it was. Finally it was impossible for anyone to get under it.
Allow students to share their thoughts.
Facing temptation can be like that. At first it seems easy, but then it can get harder and harder.
Allow students to share their ideas. If they need help, explain to them that temptation is a strong desire to do something, especially something that is sinful or wrong.
When a person is tempted, he assumes the temptation will have more advantages than disadvantages, but often the opposite is true. Temptation often means choosing immediate benefits instead of long-term goals. Giving in to temptation often means doing what you want when you want and not being concerned about the consequences.
When we played the game with the stick, you were trying to avoid touching the stick. When the stick was closer to the ground, you had to get closer to it as you tried to get under it. Many people approach temptation in a similar way. They think, “How close can I get to the thing that is tempting me without giving in to it?”
Last time we discussed God’s plan to stay physically pure. Following God’s plan for purity is not always easy. His rules help you to protect yourself from being hurt physically or emotionally. They also help you to protect your body from disease and dishonour. Today we will learn ways to resist temptations that may make it difficult for us to keep God’s rules of purity.
God loves you and wants the best for you. When you resist temptation and its temporary pleasure, you are choosing God’s plan for your life, which will lead you to long-lasting joy.
I will tell you about a time when Joseph was tempted. You may remember from our perseverance lessons that his life was not always easy. He persevered through difficult circumstances, which transformed his life.
If possible, show the images from The Action Bible of Joseph and Potiphar’s wife as you tell the story.
After Joseph was sold into slavery, he served in the household of an Egyptian official named Potiphar. Because of his integrity, perseverance, and hard work, Joseph eventually became the manager of Potiphar’s household.
Joseph was a handsome young man, and Potiphar’s wife was attracted to him. One day, she told Joseph to have sexual relations with her.
Students may answer that he might have been afraid of her being angry with him and causing problems for him in his work. She might have been pretty, and he might have been flattered by her or attracted to her. He might have wanted to give in to the physical pleasure.
Allow students to share their thoughts.
Joseph refused to have sex with Potiphar’s wife. Listen to what he then said to her.
With me in charge,” he told her, “my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care. No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?
Genesis 39:8–9
Allow students to share their thoughts.
The Bible says that we can stay pure by guarding our hearts and bodies. Listen to this verse from Psalms.
How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands.
Psalm 119:9–10
Students may answer that guarding ourselves can help us to make godly choices or that it will help us understand that sexual relations outside of marriage will have negative consequences.
Joseph knew that God’s way would be the best for his life. So he did not give in to temptation. He guarded his heart and his body. But in spite of Joseph’s refusal, Potiphar’s wife continued to pursue him. Day after day, she approached him to have sexual relations. And day after day, Joseph said no. He even tried to avoid being around her.
One day, when no one else was in the house, Potiphar’s wife found Joseph alone. She insisted that Joseph have sex with her. She even grabbed him by his garment.
Allow students to share their thoughts.
Joseph was a man of God, and he knew he needed to run from this temptation. When Potiphar’s wife grabbed his garment, he pulled away and ran out of the house. Potiphar’s wife was left with his garment in her hand.
Allow students to share their thoughts.
Potiphar’s wife accused him of trying to rape her. Joseph was thrown in prison, even though he had done nothing wrong. In Joseph’s situation, choosing purity caused hardship. In our lives today, we may also face hardship when resisting temptation.
Physical relationships with others can tempt you to allow sin into your life. It is not wrong to be attracted to someone or have feelings for that person. But when those feelings cause you to make impure choices, your choices can hurt you and others. Let’s learn some tips for resisting temptation.
Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
2 Timothy 2:22
Temptations can affect us in many areas, not just sexual ones. We may be tempted to steal, lie, treat others unkindly, or do other things that hurt us and others. These steps will help you to resist them. Resisting temptation is not just about saying, “I will not do this thing.” Instead, it is saying, “I choose not to do this thing because I want the best for my life.”
Resisting temptations and choosing to live in purity require making choices every day. Will you choose to keep your words pure or say things that hurt others? Will you look at something you should not let yourself see or choose to look away from it? Will you choose to remain pure or do what feels good? When you give in to temptation once, it is easier to do it again.
Let’s practice resisting temptation. Everyone get in groups of 4. I will read a situation where someone is facing a temptation. Your group will discuss the best way to avoid the temptation.
Allow the teens to get in groups. Read each situation, and then pause for about 5 minutes for the groups to talk about it. Then ask 1–2 groups to share their responses with the whole class. Repeat this process for each situation.
You all came up with good responses to resist temptation. Joseph protected his purity by guarding his heart and body and by running from temptation when he needed to. What will you choose to do?
Optional: If you are using the Student Pages, your students can use the pages to write about or draw pictures of themselves resisting temptation.
Think quietly think of a situation when you were tempted.
When you are faced with a tempting situation, you can flee from it and run to God, as Joseph did. God will help you. Listen to His promise.
Show the Memory Verse poster, if you are using it.
No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.
1 Corinthians 10:13
Have all the teens repeat the verse with you a few times so they can begin memorizing it. Encourage them to think of it when they are faced with temptations. Close with a blessing based on Psalm 16:11:
Blessing: May you keep yourself pure of heart and body. May you run from temptation. And may you see God’s path for your life—one that will fill you with joy in His presence and allow you to experience eternal the pleasures He has planned for you.
Lead the teens in singing this quarter’s song, if possible.
Life on Life ©2020 David C Cook. Reproducible for home or classroom use only. All other uses require written permission from David C Cook [email protected]. All rights reserved.
