And Lead Us Not Into Temptation Pray Series February 17/18, 2018 Main Idea: Through reliance on God, we can have victory over sin, temptation, and the attack of the evil one. Discovery Questions 1. What s the sweetest thrill of victory or greatest agony of defeat moment in your life? Think of Little League teams you (or your kids) have been part of, great moments of sports teams you follow, contests at school, at work, etc. that you ve been a part of. This week, we close out our series on the Lord s Prayer. In order to do that, we ll take a look at the last line of the Lord s Prayer where Jesus said, Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one (Matthew 6:13). From this passage, we ll talk about the evil one, temptation, and how to experience victory in our lives. 2. a. Read Matthew 6:13, John 8:44, 2 Corinthians 11:14 and 1 Peter 5:8. What do we learn about our b. Read 1 Corinthians 10:13, 1 John 5:18 and James 4:7. What do we learn about both sin and our 3. a. C.S. Lewis once said about Satan, There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. React to that quote. In your experience where do you think most people fall in our world today? What is the danger about taking such extreme positions? b. This week we learned that long-term sin always leads to destruction. How have you witnessed the truth of that statement? 4. a. Has there been a time in your life when you felt the truth of 1 Corinthians 10:13 that God provided a way out of sin for you in a moment of temptation? Share that experience with your group. b. When do you feel most susceptible to Satan s temptation to sin in your life? What circumstances and situations does Satan know he can use where you are most vulnerable? c. How can you resist Satan s attack in those moments? What habits and practices have you in the past found successful to say no to temptation and Satan s attacks? 5. In our Rooted experience, we spend time talking about strongholds. Strongholds are areas of our lives where we are weakest and prone to sin; they are areas in our lives where Satan consistently attacks us. On the following page is a list of strongholds along with the truth of God that counteracts them. Read through that list. Where does Satan know that you are weakest? What truth do you need to remember and claim? Consider breaking up in pairs in your group and confess those strongholds to each other, then pray the prayer on the following page with each other.
STRONGHOLD TRUTH Bitterness resentment, hate, unforgiveness, anger, violence, revenge Forgiveness Control manipulation, lack of trust, worry, seeking recognition Surrender Idolatry selfishness, greed, financial mismanagement, misdirected goals/decisions, spiritual blindness, apathy, distractions, pride, stubbornness, divisions, unteachable spirit, vanity, self-righteousness, selfcenteredness, materialism, seeking recognition Heaviness depression, hopelessness, despair, self-pity, loneliness, addictions, suicidal thoughts/attempts Jealousy spitefulness, gossip/slander, betrayal, critical/judgmental spirit Sexual Impurity lust, seductiveness, fornication, adultery, frigidity, homosexuality, pornography Contentment Hope Gratefulness Purity Prayer: Father, I come before you in the name of Jesus. I recognize the power you have given me by the shed blood of Jesus to demolish spiritual strongholds in my life. I confess that I have given a foothold to sin and I renounce the stronghold of. I claim the truth of by the authority of the Name of Jesus Christ. Through your power, I take back the ground I have surrendered to the enemy. I pray you will enable me to trust and obey your Holy Spirit so that this area of my life will be in conformity to the image of Christ. Amen. False Teaching & Religions occult, Ouija board, telepathy, invoking evil or dead spirits, fortune-telling, tarot cards, palmreading, astrology, blood pacts, fetishism, cults, other religions God s Word Insecurity inferiority, inadequacy, timidity, withdrawal, pleasing people/not God, lack of trust/worry, wrong relationships Security in Christ Rejection seeking acceptance, feeling unworthy, withdrawal, Acceptance
addictions, compulsions Deceit lying, delusions, rationalizing, wrong doctrine, misuse of Scripture Fear phobias, compulsions, perfectionism, fear of failure Pride controlling, boasting, belittling, conceit, taking credit, selfishness, self-righteousness, vanity Truthfulness Trust in God s Sovereignty Humility Leader Guide Starts on Next Page
Leader Guide 1. What s the sweetest thrill of victory or greatest agony of defeat moment in your life? Think of Little League teams you (or your kids) have been part of, great moments of sports teams you follow, contests at school, at work, etc. that you ve been a part of. This is a lighter question designed to get the conversation going. Spend about 5-7 minutes on this question. This week, we close out our series on the Lord s Prayer. In order to do that, we ll take a look at the last line of the Lord s Prayer where Jesus said, Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one (Matthew 6:13). From this passage, we ll talk about the evil one, temptation, and how to experience victory in our lives. 2. a. Read Matthew 6:13, John 8:44, 2 Corinthians 11:14 and 1 Peter 5:8. What do we learn about our b. Read 1 Corinthians 10:13, 1 John 5:18 and James 4:7. What do we learn about both sin and our In part a, from these passages we learn a few things about our enemy. We learn: - Satan is real; he exists (Matthew 6:13). - Satan is evil, as Jesus says he is a murderer and a liar, speaking nothing but lies (John 8:44). - Satan is deceptive and cunning; when he appears to us, he doesn t appear as an enemy but as a friend who entices us with good things (2 Corinthians 11:14). - Satan is intent on our destruction; he is like a roaring lion seeking to devour us (1 Peter 5:8). In part b, what all passages have in common is that God is victorious over Satan and gives us the ability to have that victory as well, which includes a victory over every type of sin (1 Corinthians 10:13). In some senses, the only power Satan has over us is the power we yield to him when we don t resist him. Spend 10-12 minutes on this question. 3. a. C.S. Lewis once said about Satan, There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. React to that quote. In your experience where do you think most people fall in our world today? What is the danger about taking such extreme positions? b. This week we learned that long-term sin always leads to destruction. How have you witnessed the truth of that statement? For part a, if we ignore or disbelieve Satan, we are ignorant to his attacks and the ways he tries to go after us, making us more susceptible to his schemes. If we see Satan in everything that happens, we can, among other things, fail to take personal responsibility for our own actions, or credit to Satan things that God may be doing in our life to teach us i.e. putting a roadblock in our path to keep us from doing something we shouldn t do.
For part b, we see sin s very obvious destruction in how alcoholism can destroy a family or how an affair can destroy a marriage. We can also see it subtly in how it can fill our minds with untrue things (seen on television for example) that can shape how we think and respond to situations in an ultimately unbiblical way. Spend 7-10 minutes on this question in its entirety. 4. a. Has there been a time in your life when you felt the truth of 1 Corinthians 10:13 that God provided a way out of sin for you in a moment of temptation? Share that experience with your group. b. When do you feel most susceptible to Satan s temptation to sin in your life? What circumstances and situations does Satan know he can use where you are most vulnerable? c. How can you resist Satan s attack in those moments? What habits and practices have you in the past found successful to say no to temptation and Satan s attacks? For part b, a good acronym to think about temptation is HALT. We often feel most tempted when we are Hungry, Angry, Lonely or Tired. Satan tends to go after us in these areas. For part c, going to prayer is a great way to help in these situations. Reading God s word is also helpful. A lot of people have also found help in listening to worship songs, calling up a friend as an accountability partner, etc. The key is to do something and not just give in to sin in that temptation. Spend about 10-12 minutes on this question in its entirety. 5. In our Rooted experience, we spend time talking about strongholds. Strongholds are areas of our lives where we are weakest and prone to sin; they are areas in our lives where Satan consistently attacks us. On the following page is a list of strongholds along with the truth of God that counteracts them. Read through that list. Where does Satan know that you are weakest? What truth do you need to remember and claim? Consider breaking up in pairs in your group and confess those strongholds to each other, then pray the prayer on the following page with each other. This is a sensitive question that requires more vulnerability, which is why we suggest breaking up in pairs. We would encourage people to break up according to gender men with men, women with women. Invite people to be as open and as vulnerable as they want to be. You may want to have each person pray for the other person as you share. Spend 10-12 minutes on this question.