February 16, 2020

Matthew 4:1-11

1. At the beginning of the message, we began with 4 statements concerning temptation: temptation is part of the human experience in a fallen world, temptation doesn’t come from God as God does not tempt (James 1:13; Eph. 6:11-12), God is sovereign & can use what’s intended for evil to bring about good (Gen. 50:20; 1 Pet. 1:6-7), & temptation has 2 paths. Of these 4 statements, which is most difficult to grasp fully? Which statement was most helpful in clarifying certain aspects of temptation?

2. We then looked at Matthew 4:1-2. One of the main points of this section was on the fact that Jesus took the time to prepare through fasting. We were encouraged to consider our own lives & spiritual discipline…what areas of spiritual discipline would you most like to see growth in during this year? Here are a few just to get you started: reading the Bible, prayer, fasting for godliness, evangelism, worship.

3. After this, we moved into Matthew 4:3-4. This temptation concerned doubt that leads to denial that leads to self-gratification. Why is self-gratification (believing the thing I want/deserve is so vital to my identity & I know better than God…that I’m going to pursue it no matter what) such a serious temptation? How does caving to this sin reveal doubt in the authority of God?

4. In Matthew 4:5-7, we looked at the 2nd temptation. We heard that this temptation focused on self-promotion…one of the interesting parts is that the devil manipulates Scripture in this temptation…what are ways we can be intentional to guard against manipulating Scripture? What helps us to be careful in our understanding & application of the Bible?

5. Another part of this second temptation is that the passage Jesus quotes is Deuteronomy 6:16, which is a word in light of Exodus 17:1-7. TAKE TIME TO READ EXODUS 17:1-7 & DEUTERONOMY 6:16. How do these passages continue to serve as a warning to us today?

6. Next, we covered Matthew 4:8-10. This temptation focused on self-glory…when we put our own good, our own glory as the chief end of life. If this final quoted Scripture from Jesus in Matthew 4:10 reveals the true chief end of life…how then should this word shape our time, energy, & relationships?

7. The final verse covered was Matthew 4:11. We talked about how Jesus could’ve called for help at any point, but waited on the Father’s timing. One of the major themes of the message was that Jesus trusted God the Father to be faithful & caring. How can you live with a focus on trusting more regularly on the faithful care of our gracious God?

8. We ended with 2 final points concerning temptation: temptation should remind us of the Cross as temptation is connected to the work of the Cross, & temptation can be resisted because Jesus is the victorious King. Why is it important to understand that this passage reveals 2 things simultaneously: that Jesus is our example for fighting temptation & that Jesus is the sole basis for our hope in fighting temptation? What happens if you miss one or the other?