June 25, 2023

Message Series: In the Wilderness

Week 4

Scripture: Matthew 4:1-11

Group Check in:

How is it with your soul?
Prayer Request? Praises?
How has God shown up in your life this week?

Icebreaker:

Who do you turn to when you are having a bad day? Who's that one person you call?

Overview:

What’s this message about? Jesus was tempted with physical, spiritual and temporal power, but remained faithful to his identity and provided a model for how Israel should prepare for and respond to temptation. His 40 days/nights fasting gave him the foundation, focus, and faith to persevere.
First temptation: stone into bread. Part of this first temptation isn’t just about food. It is an invitation to forget who He is in the face of His deep hunger. Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 8:2-3. Better to have a promise from God than bread in hand. Jesus is presenting a model of trusting in God for sustenance. It is the response Israel should have given in the wilderness, but didn’t. It’s a response of trust that God will always sustain us.
Second temptation: traveled to the Temple, which is the seat of spiritual power and authority for Israel: Temptation: Use your spiritual power to serve and save yourself. Quotes Deuteronomy 6:16. If the first temptation was about physical power, the second is certainly aimed at seizing control of spiritual power to serve yourself/glorify yourself .
Third Temptation- He is transported to the high mountain and shown all the kingdoms. Physical, spiritual, now political temptation. Deuteronomy 6:13 (worship/fear the lord and serve him only) The tempter tried to distract Jesus from his vocation/mission by inviting Jesus to turn inward and care only for himself rather than the world for which he came.
The wilderness shifts our focus inward. We turn inward and think only of our own survival or our own comfort. This inward then clouds our vision, closes our ears, and disconnects us from all that has come before (spiritual amnesia).
The wilderness has always been a place of temptation, which tempts us toward amnesia, hopelessness, and despair. However, Christ teaches us that the path to resisting temptation and traversing the wilderness are the same: be humble (remember that God hates arrogance), trust in God’s provision, learn that which can only be learned in the wilderness.
Jesus is going to redeem Israel’s failure to trust God in the wilderness time and again. He’s offering us a model of what faith looks like even in the face of the impossible.

Discussion Questions:

How do you resist temptation of whatever kind?
When Jesus responds to Satan, He does so by quoting Scripture, and specifically parts of Deuteronomy. This part of scripture tells the story of Moses’ last sermon to the new generation of Israelites after the people had wandered through the wildness for 40 years. How does this help us to understand what Jesus is doing?
When Jesus was faced with temptation He appeals to Scripture, the written word of God. Is your first response to temptation to turn to scripture? If not, how can you make scripture part of your daily routine, so that when temptation comes, you turn directly to God’s word?
Read Matthew 4:5-7. This second temptation has to do with God’s protection and our desire to be in control. So many of us want to be in control of our lives. Share an area of your life that has been easy or difficult to surrender control.
Does knowing that Jesus went through a season of wilderness give you comfort? If so, how? What lessons have you learned from this passage?

Share with your Groups:

FOR OUR NEIGHBORS

SUMMER CHALLENGE

PTCUMC.ORG/SUMMERCHALLANGE

There is something about summer that just brings the life out of us, isn't there? Well, those sun-filled days are here and of course you will be looking for some adventure this summer. We have you covered! We have crafted a list of activities that you, your family or a group of friends can do together this summer. Take this opportunity to get to know your neighbors!

Join our Facebook Community Group so that we can share stories and swap ideas as we go along. We also heard there might be some PRIZES given away in our Facebook group!