Sermon Response Guide
PRIMARY SCRIPTURE:
James 1:2-4, 12-15 NIV
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
12 Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.
13 When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed.15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
Key Points
- God does not lead us into temptation, but he does lead us into testing, where we are often tempted.
- Temptation is always an opportunity for obedience.
- As followers of Jesus, we are not fighting against people, but against the rulers, authorities, cosmic powers over this present darkness, and spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12).
- Only God can protect and deliver us from the enemy’s attacks.
- We sin, not because we want bad things, but because we want things so badly.
- Obedience in the face of temptation is not a discipline of saying no, but an obsession of saying yes to a much greater love.
Memory Verse
Ask God to write this word on your heart this week:
“Pray then like this: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.’”
-Matthew 6:9-13 ESV*
*Note: Through the rest of this sermon series, “Patterns of Prayer,” we will be working together as a faith family to memorize and regularly pray the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13 three times each day (morning, noon, and night). We invite you to pray with us in Ellis Chapel Monday through Friday from 11am to 1pm through April 15, 2022.
Questions for Reflection
Take time to reflect and respond to these questions on your own in the presence of the Holy Spirit, or with trusted friends or family members:
1: What do you think Jesus means when he prays, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,” (Matthew 6:13)?
2: What do you see in Matthew 6:9-12 that helps you better understand verse 13? Why do you think Jesus closes his prayer like this?
3: On the topic of temptation and evil, why is it so necessary for God to lead us?
4: Have you ever thought of temptation as an opportunity for obedience? How does that perspective encourage you when you consider your own temptations?
5: Pause and reflect on the last week. How have you personally been tested and tempted in the last week?
6: Using the examples of how you were tempted last week, what practical steps can you take to welcome God’s leadership in the face of those particular temptations?
7: Besides God, who do you regularly get open and honest with about your own tests and temptations? How has that relationship proven helpful to you?
If you aren’t talking with someone else about this part of your life, who could you pursue a relationship like this with? Why do you think conversations like this are worth fighting for?
Pray
Lord, we are quick to desire so much apart from you. We confess we often believe other people and things will satisfy us more than you. And yet, when we give into the lure of disobedience, we are always left wanting. Help us remember no one and nothing can satisfy us like you. Thank you for freeing us to see and believe you are better – so much better. Lord, lead us – not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
references
For those interested in further study, our pastors want to share resources that have aided them in their sermon preparation (in conjunction with the Bible and the Holy Spirit):
· The Lord and His Prayer by N.T. Wright
· Living the Lord’s Prayer: The Way of the Disciple by Albert Haase
· Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes by Kenneth E. Bailey
· On Earth as It Is in Heaven: How the Lord’s Prayer Teaches Us to Pray More Effectively by Warren W. Wiersbe
· With Christ in the School of Prayer by Andrew Murray
· The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer
· Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference? by Philip Yancey
· The Practice of the Presence of God and the Way of Perfection by Brother Lawrence and Teresa of Avila
· Prayer: Finding the Heart’s True Home by Richard J. Foster
· The Death of Satan: How Americans Have Lost the Sense of Evil by Andrew Delbanco
· Live No Lies: Recognize and Resist the Three Enemies That Sabotage Your Peace by John Mark Comer
· The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
· The Expulsive Power of a New Affection by Thomas Chalmers
