EXPLORE THE TEXT
We must acknowledge God alone as worthy of our worship.
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.
Briefly discuss Satan’s authority to make this offer.
Summarize this content from page 17 of the PSG:
“[Satan] showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the world.
These kingdoms represent all that Satan controlled-
the governments, the economies, and world systems that God allows Satan to rule.
Their splendor would represent that which was glitzy and appealing
about all the worldly things these kingdoms possessed.
These would be Satan’s to give since he was the ‘ruler of this world’ (John 12:31).”
Remind adults that Satan was offering kingdoms that will belong to Jesus one day anyway,
according to Revelation 11:15.
Highlight that the real issue was not authority over kingdoms,
but becoming King without the suffering of the cross.
Jesus again used Scripture to defeat Satan.
encourage adults to reflect on how they can pray the truth of Matthew 4:10 using the prayer prompts.
Review these points from Apply the Text on page 19 of the Personal Study Guide:
Emphasize that baptism is the first step of obedience after salvation and that if anyone has questions you are available to talk with them. Also, remind adults that Scripture memory is a vital tool for fighting temptation. Suggest they reflect on the first set of questions (PSG, p. 19) during the week and consider how they can encourage one another to resist temptation.
Draw attention to the second set of questions on page 19 of the PSG. Encourage them to consider how they can begin memorizing Scripture more effectively. Remind them that they can start with this session’s memory verse, Matthew 3:17.
Encourage adults to continue using Pack Item 9 (Handout: Praying Scripture in Matthew’s Gospel) to pray through this session’s passages. Close the session in prayer, asking God to help adults move forward in obedience and to rely on the power of Scripture each day.
Email or text the group and share that you are praying for them this week. Remind them that while this session largely focused on using Scripture to fight temptation, a well-rounded Christian also uses it proactively. Consider praying Philemon 6 for the group: “I pray that your participation in the faith may become effective through knowing every good thing that is in us for the glory of Christ.”
Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer’s faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Savior, the believer’s death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus.
(See Acts 2:41-42; Romans 6:3-5.)
Create a compare/contrast chart to study a passage.
Make a chart with two columns. Title one column “Temptations” and the second column “Responses.” In the first column, describe aspects of each of Satan’s temptations. Do the same with Jesus’s responses in the second column. List ways Satan tempts believers today. Find Scripture you can use to meet each of the
listed temptations.