Use this Children’s Sermon message and Sunday School lesson to teach kids how “self control” is a Fruit of the Spirit. We have just shared some new Bible crafts on Self Control to accompany this lesson pan. You may also enjoy our comprehensive 9-Week Curriculum on the Fruit of the Spirit for Kids.
Control Yourself! The Fruit of the Spirit Part 9: Self-Control Children’s Sermon Lesson
Main Objective: Self-Control is certainly not a virtue that comes easily for children, but it’s an important thing to discuss with them. It’s also important to explain that it is God who enables us to have and practice self-control. This message illustrates and describes self-control, and provides the example of the temptation of Jesus to emphasize where that discipline comes from.
Law/Gospel Theme: Self-control is not just a matter of gritting our teeth and resisting temptation. It doesn’t come from our own power, but through the strength of God. The greatest example we have of self-control comes from Jesus, who used Scripture to stand up to Satan and exhibited Godly control.
Note: This is the ninth in a series of lessons on the fruit of the spirit. The focus this week is on self-control, and uses the temptation of Jesus as an example.
Optional Materials: Something that might be tempting or require self-control (a treat, bubbles, bubble wrap, etc.)
Bible Passage: Proverbs 25:28, Hebrews 4:15, Titus 2:11-12, Matthew 4:1-11
Message: Note: As with most messages, the details of how you choose to communicate this are adaptable and should cater to timing as well as to your audience and student needs.
Greet children, and open with a temptation of some sort. This example uses bubbles. Bubble wrap could work, as well! Or any item children would want to play with.
Hello, children of God!
Do you know what I have here? These are bubbles. Do you ever like to play with bubbles? It can be a lot of fun! You can blow them, watch them, pop them…well, I am going to blow some of these bubbles, but I want you to make sure you don’t pop them. Even if they get close to you, don’t reach out and touch the bubbles. Start blowing the bubbles toward the kids. Actually, it might be better if you don’t even look at the bubbles. Don’t think about them at all! Just ignore them…
It’s hard, isn’t it? When you have all of these bubbles blowing in your face, you want to play with them. Even though I told you not to, it’s not easy to follow those instructions. This involves something we call self-control. Self-control means doing the right thing and obeying, even if what you want to do is different. We face a lot of daily choices that involve self-control. Self-control might mean waking up for school when you want to hit the snooze button and cuddle under the blankets. It means not having a tantrum because you didn’t get your way. It means getting along with a brother or sister instead of yelling at them. It means only having one cool, instead of four or five.
Self-control is tough, but it’s important. In fact, it’s part of the fruit of the spirit that shows God lives within us. Sometimes I think maybe it would be better if we called it “spirit control.” See, one big thing to remember is that, despite the name, self-control does not just happen automatically or by ourselves. We can’t just grit our teeth and buckle down and have perfect control. We rely on God’s help for self-control. He is the one who gives power and strength for anything, especially resisting temptation. He will always be by our sides when we need Him.
Do you know who had wonderful self-control? Jesus! He is our example and helper. Jesus went through a lot of testing during His time on Earth. Even though He was God, Jesus was still completely human (it’s hard to understand, but that’s an entirely separate discussion!). He had the same needs and feelings we all have: He got mad, glad, sad, tired, hungry, everything. Before starting His ministry, Jesus went through a time of fasting and preparation. He didn’t eat ANYTHING for forty days and forty nights! Now I don’t know about you, but I get hungry after a few hours of not eating. He didn’t eat for weeks! Toward the end of that time, Satan came to try to make Jesus disobey God. Satan told Jesus that He should turn the rocks into bread and ease His hunger. Then he told Jesus to throw Himself down off a high place, saying that if He was really God, the angels would rescue Him. Then Satan told Jesus to bow down to him instead of God! Each time, Jesus had an answer. He used the Bible! Jesus quoted scripture, showing Satan how he was wrong and shouldn’t test the Lord. Finally, the devil knew he was defeated, and left.
It’s important to see that and know that Jesus understands what it’s like to be tempted. He faced that, just like we do, but He didn’t sin. He can help us face hard challenges. And we see the weapon against them: God’s word. When we read and know the Bible, it helps us have self-control and be prepared in tight or tempting times.
So when you need a little extra self-control, whether it’s a situation that makes you angry, a conflict with someone, obedience to parents, or just wanting another cookie, be sure to turn to God. When we approach Him in prayer, He will always help us to know and do what’s right.
Let’s say a prayer now and ask God to help us have and practice self-control.
Prayer:
(Have kids repeat each line)
Dear God,
Thank you for helping us have self-control.
Thank you for resisting temptation and understanding how it feels.
Please help us to lean on you for strength, whatever comes.
Thank you for your love
We love you, God!
In Jesus name, Amen!
Bible Verses/story to Reference:
A man without self-control
is like a city broken into and left without walls. -Proverbs 25:28
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age -Titus 2:11-12
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. -Hebrews 4:15
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, “‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and “‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’” Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God
and him only shall you serve.’” Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him. -Matthew 4:1-11
Control Yourself! Sunday School Lesson on Self-Control
Lesson focus: This lesson focuses on self-control. Self-control is something that we encourage in young people, but it’s also important to remind them that it doesn’t just come from our own power. We can have self-control because the Spirit of God lives within us, and we ask for His help to do the right thing.
This lesson is the last in a nine-week series on the Fruit of the Spirit. It considers what self-control is and how we can have it. The account of Jesus and His temptation in the wilderness is given as an example of how we can have and practice self-control.
Passage: Proverbs 25:28, Hebrews 4:15, Titus 2:11-12, Matthew 4:1-11
Target Audience: Kindergarten-6th grade
Optional Materials Needed: Bubbles or bubble wrap; treats; oranges; blocks; paper; pencils; Bibles.
Lesson Opening: This lesson focuses on self-control, and how self-control helps us resist temptation, with God’s guidance. Here are some activities to get kids thinking (select the best ones for your audience and age group):
- Orange peel relay (this has to do with the fruit of the spirit as a whole): Have students partner up or team up to grab an orange from a bin and peel it, with each person using only one hand to encourage teamwork. Once the orange is peeled, note how each segment is part of the whole fruit. In the same way, the fruit of the spirit has several components, but they make up one whole “fruit.” Ask students if there are some parts of that fruit that are easier to follow than others.
- Temptation: provide each student with a treat or piece of candy, but ask them not to eat it right away. If they can resist the temptation to eat it, give them another candy later as a reward.
- Use blocks or magnatiles to build a protective wall around something. Try to see if the wall can withstand outside “bombardments.” Explain that self-control protects us against temptation.
- Breaking through: invite a student to poke a hole through a piece of paper, using a pencil or pen (or other pointy, but not too sharp object). It should pierce through easily. Have them try again, but place a Bible behind the paper. It’s much harder to break through with the Word of God behind it!
Explain that self-control involves being able to stand up against things that are tempting, and doing the right thing when we might rather do something else. Self-Control doesn’t just come from us, but from Scripture and the power of the Holy Spirit.
Bible Lesson: Begin the lesson with a general verse or two describing self-control, and then go into the Bible account of Jesus’s wilderness temptation. For the story, encourage children to get involved by acting out the action in the story as you read or describe it.
A man without self-control
is like a city broken into and left without walls. -Proverbs 25:28
This verse reminds us that self-control is like a wall, protecting us from doing wrong. This wall is built and maintained by God’s power.
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age -Titus 2:11-12
This verse reminds us that self-control comes through God’s grace, and allows us to live in a way that honors Him.
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. -Hebrews 4:15
Jesus Himself was tempted (as the story will show). He is all the more able to help us when we deal with temptation, because He went through it, too, but did not give in.
Ask: What kinds of things are tempting for you? What do you normally do if you feel like yielding to temptation?
The Self-Control of Jesus
There are multiple accounts of this temptation, but Matthew’s contains good detail regarding the events.
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” -Matthew 4:1-4
It might seem obvious to say that Jesus was hungry after not eating for forty days, but this verse reminds us that He was human, and had the same needs all humans do. At this vulnerable point, Satan came and tempted Him to disobey His fast and make bread out of the rocks. Note how Jesus responded: He quoted the Bible, remembering that food is not the only thing that’s important.
Ask: What’s the longest you’ve gone without eating? Do you get “hangry?”
Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, “‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and “‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’” Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” -Matthew 4:5-7
The devil here tested who Jesus was, asking Him to prove that He is God’s son by doing something mortals shouldn’t survive doing. Jesus again resisted, using Scripture verses to point out that God should not be tested. But Satan still tried one more time!
Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’” Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him. -Matthew 4:7-11
The Devil had won when tempting Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. But here in the wilderness, he lost. Jesus was too powerful, and always will be! After successfully combatting three temptations, Jesus was left alone, and the angels came and helped Him. Satan is powerless to Scripture. We can remember that the Bible is our weapon when it comes to temptation. We can also pray, asking for God’s help and strength when we need to practice self-control. He is always near!
Ask: What can you do next time you feel tempted?
Review questions about the lesson:
- When do we need to practice self-control?
- Can you think of someone you know who shows self-control?
- What did Jesus use to fight Satan’s temptations?
Close with prayer, asking God for help in having self-control, and thanking Him for being with us.
