Matthew 4; Luke 4-5
"The Spirit of the Lord Is Upon Me"
Opening Song: "I Need the Every Hour" (Hymnal, 98)
Opening Prayer:
Scripture: "And now, my beloved brethren, I would that ye should come unto Christ, who is the Holy One of Israel, and partake of his salvation, and the power of his redemption. Yea, come unto him, and offer your whole souls as an offering unto him, and continue in fasting and praying, and endure to the end; and as the Lord liveth ye will be saved." (Omni 1:26)
Attention Acitivty:
Set a plate of marshmallows in front of your family. Tell them they can't have the marshmallow right now. If they are good and listen to the entire lesson, you will have a special treat for them at the end of FHE. Explain by putting the marshmallows right in front of them, you are tempting them. They will want to eat the marshmallow, but they will get a greater blessing if they are obedient and wait until the end of the lesson.
Lesson:
"After He was baptized, Jesus left the Jordan River and went to the wilderness of Judea. There He would be alone and prepare to begin His mission.
In the wilderness Jesus fasted for 40 days and nights. It was a time when He could feel close to His Heavenly Father. By the end of the 40 days Jesus was very hungry, and Satan came to tempt Him.
Satan taunted Jesus. He said that if Jesus really was the Son of God, He should turn stones into bread so He could eat. Jesus did not listen to Satan. Instead, He answered Satan with the words of a scripture: “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”
Next, the Spirit took Jesus to the top of the temple in Jerusalem. Satan came again to tempt Jesus. Satan dared Jesus to prove He was the Son of God by jumping from the top of the temple and calling for angels to catch Him.
“Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God,” Jesus told Satan.
Satan tempted Jesus a third time. From the top of a high mountain Jesus saw all the lands and peoples of the earth. Satan said that Jesus could have power over the whole world if He would worship Satan.
“Get thee behind me, Satan,” Jesus answered again with scripture. “For it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.” Jesus had overcome all of Satan’s temptations." ("Jesus Begins His Ministry" The Friend, March 2011).
What did Jesus do for 40 days in the wilderness? What does it mean to fast? Explain fasting is when we chose to go without food or water for a length of time. Heavenly Father has commanded us that we need to fast. Read Omni 1:26 "Yea, come unto him, and offer your whole souls as an offering unto him, and continue in fasting and praying, and endure to the end"
Why do you think Heavenly Father wants us to fast? Have the following strips cut and placed into a bowl or bag. Have each member of your family read a reason Heavenly Father wants us to fast.
Ancient and modern prophets have commanded us to fast.
We gain control of our mortal body and our appetites when we fast.
Fasting humbles us.
Fasting elevates our spirit. We can feel the Holy Ghost more easily when we fast.
Fasting and paying fast offerings helps the poor and needy.
Fasting helps remind us of the poor and needy.
Fasting helps elevate our prayers.
Fasting is a way we can ask Heavenly Father for a specific blessing.
Explain that even though Jesus was physically week in the desert because of His fast, He was spiritually strong. He was strong enough to tell the Satan to "not tempt the Lord they God" and "Get thee behind me Satan."
Fasting is more than just going without food and water. In order for it to be a true fast, we need to pray at the beginning of the fast. Adults and youth have been instructed to fast for 2 meals or 24 hours. When we pray, we should tell Heavenly Father the purpose of our fast. Sometimes we fast for someone who is sick, or a member of our family who needs help or guidance. Sometimes we fast for ourselves so we can feel the spirit more strongly. While we are fasting, we should try not to complain about our hunger even though it is hard. We should try to remember Jesus Christ as well as the purpose of our fast. We can pray and read the scriptures when we are having a hard time with our hunger.
Share a story from your own life about how fasting has helped you or a member of your family. Or use the following story from The Friend (July 2013)
Before the closing song, remind the family about the marshmallows. (Hopefully your children resisted temptation.) Explain that like Christ resisted temptation to eat the bread Satan told him to, you didn't eat the marshmallows. We will be blessed as we fast and resist temptation. Heavenly Father's blessings are always worth waiting for. Explain the marshmallows, although sweet, are even better in s'mores!
Closing Song: "I Pray In Faith" (Children's Songbook, 14)
Closing Prayer:
Refreshment: S'mores
Have enough graham crackers, chocolate, and marshmallows for your entire family. You can roast the marshmallows over a fire, on the stove, or just stick the whole s'more in the microwave and melt it all together!
