The Gospel Project® for Adults

POINT 3 THE SON OF GOD TRUSTS IN THE FATHER'S PLAN (MATT. 4:8-11).

8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain
and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor.
9 And he said to him,
"I will give you all these things if you will fall down and worship me."
10 Then Jesus told him,
"Go away, Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord your God,
and serve only him."
11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and began to serve him.

Read:

Ask a volunteer to read aloud Matthew 4:8-11 from his or her own Bible.

Explain:

Verses 8-9 (the bold words fill in blanks in the DDG):

Jesus was tempted to use His power and position pridefully,
to claim the kingdoms of the world apart from God's plan.

Discuss:

• What are some occasions when we might be tempted
  to use our power and position pridefully?
• (if we are a leader, getting what we want without considering others;
• if we have authority, not humbling ourselves to do minor tasks;
• if we are part of the majority, not considering the situations
  of the minority;
• not grieving with those who grieve)

Explain:

Verses 10-11 (the bold words fill in blanks in the DDG):

Jesus responded to Satan's temptation by directing worship
to God alone and telling Satan to leave.

Transition:

Jesus set Himself apart as God by facing Satan in the wilderness
and winning. It was head-to-head combat but was no contest.
Jesus fought and overcame temptation with the Word of God,
the same weapon the Lord has given to us as well.

MY RESPONSE

Pack Item 8:

help group members in their faith-fueled, Spirit-empowered fight
and resistance against temptation for the glory and worship of God.

Because we have been credited with Christ's righteousness,
we resist temptation by relying on the power of the One
who overcame temptation in our place.

HEAD:

Jesus is God, and He proved He is God through His sinless life.
The temptation episode in the wilderness was not the only time
that Jesus experienced temptation, but it was a focus for Matthew
as an introduction to Jesus's earthly ministry.
Three times Satan tempted Jesus, and each time Jesus responded
with the Word of God to fight sin. Because of His victory over sin,
Jesus proved Himself to be worthy of our worship,
and He provided a model for Christians as to how they should fight sin.

• What encouragement do you find in the sinlessness of Jesus?

  HEART:

  Jesus is a man, and He faced temptation as a man.
  Satan used against Jesus the same kinds of allurements
  that cause humans to fall to sin and the same temptations
  that led to Israel's failure in the Old Testament.
  Since Jesus faced temptation as a man and He did not sin,
  He is uniquely able to sympathize with our weaknesses
  and to know what it's like to face and fight temptation.
  Because He knows, Christians should be able to turn to Him
  when we face temptation and find help in our own fight against sin.
  When we do sin, we also can turn to Jesus because He understands
  the difficulty of standing strong in the face
  of compelling temptation to sin.

  • What steps will you take to fight against temptation in your own life?

  HANDS:

  Christians need to know the Word of God.
  It is critical whenever we face temptation to sin,
  but it is true for all situations we face in life.
  Jesus shows in this passage that He fought temptation
  with the truth of God's Word. If anyone had a reason to fight
  in another way, it was Jesus since He is God. But He knew that the best means of protecting Himself from sin
  !
  was to answer Satan with the truth of God's Word.
  Christians should do the same today.
  Whenever we face temptation to sin, or we need a word of truth,
  or we want to share with others the love and work of Christ,
  we need to proclaim what's written in God's Word.

  • What will you do to grow in your knowledge of and love
    for the Word of God so that you may share it with others?

  VOICES FROM CHURCH HISTORY

  "His whole life and death were nothing else but perfect obedience
  to the will of his heavenly Father, and he was always fully occupied
  in that task. He teaches us that if we look to be children and co-
  heirs by adoption along with Christ of his Father's kingdom,
  we must also along with our Master and Lord
  yield ourselves up wholly to the will of our heavenly Father
  and always be occupied in his business." 2

  -- Bernard Gilpin (c. 1517-1583)

  References

  1. Jackie Hill Perry, Gay Girl, Good God (Nashville, TN: B&H, 2018), 171.

  2. Bernard Gilpin, A Sermon Preached in the Court at Greenewitch, quoted in Luke, ed. Beth Kreitzer, vol. 3 in Reformation Commentary on Scripture: New Testament (Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 2015) [Wordsearch].

  3. Craig Blomberg, Matthew, vol. 22, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 83.

  4. Douglas Sean O'Donnell, Matthew: All Authority in Heaven and on Earth, ed. R. Kent Hughes, Preaching the Word (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2013), 82.

  5. Craig Blomberg, Matthew, vol. 22, The New American Commentary, 84-85.

  6. Gregory the Great, Forty Gospel Homilies 16.2-3, as quoted in Manlio Simonetti, ed., Matthew 1--13, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2001), 63.

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