Matt Zainea                                                       Rockford Campus                                             January 21, 2024

 

Storytellers: Faith Over Pleasure

SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION GUIDE

 

REMINDERS

Ignite (Feb 25, 5:30pm) – Please join us for a time of refreshment and encouragement as we Ignite our hearts with HOPE this coming February. We’re gathering all of our volunteers at each campus together to worship, learn, grow, and be refreshed. Please RSVP for the new date of this very special and fun night together!  https://magnifychurch.org/event/ignite/

Leader Development Class – Classes resume tonight! Please plan to join us from 6–7pm to continue to be sharpened as a leader!

Group Status Check – If you haven’t checked in yet, please give us an update on where your group is at. How are things looking? What’s going well and what’s not? Are you open to new people joining or looking to establish new leaders? Give us a holler so we can support you well!

 

TOGETHER IN LIFE

Can you think of a mistake you made as a kid that you can laugh about now?

 

TOGETHER IN THE WORD

THIS WEEK’S KEY PASSAGE: Luke 4:1–13

Note: We encourage you to read the entire text together as a group out loud.

 

Big Idea

Just like Adam and Eve, Jesus faced temptation from the devil as a test of His character—but unlike Adam, Jesus passed the test. He refused to accept shortcuts to the good gifts God had provided, and refused to collapse the spiritual significance of life into mere material concerns. Because Jesus was faithful in the wilderness, He is the Bread of Life for those of us who will come to Him with our needs and desires.

 

Temptation in Culture

Our culture is full of stories about facing temptation, and about the power of self-sacrifice. These point back to the two greatest temptations: Adam and Eve in the Garden, and Jesus in the wilderness.

QUESTIONS

• Is there a story from the broader culture about either temptation or self-sacrifice that resonates with you or has stuck with you through the years? What stands out to you about it?
• What vices or virtues do you detect in the character of that story?

 

Testing and Desires

Read James 1:12–17. God allows trials and tests in our lives, with the desire that we should overcome the problem and grow in our faith and character. The devil tempts us hoping to see us fail, fall into corruption, and drift from the Father.

QUESTIONS

• What does this passage teach about God’s goodness?
• What is the root of our temptation? Where might the devil find a foothold? (Hint: see verse 14.)
• What does our desire promise? What does giving in to temptation actually produce, according to verse 15?
• Can you think of a time in your life where temptation promised something good but giving in didn’t deliver?
  • Did you experience other consequences that you didn’t foresee, or that you downplayed beforehand?
  • Looking back, can you identify a good desire behind the temptation? Is there something that could have satisfied that desire the right way?
• Can you think of a time when you experienced forgiveness and restoration after falling to temptation? What was hard about that process? What do you appreciate about the person/people who offered forgiveness and restoration to you?

 

Facing Temptations

From the moment we place our faith in Jesus to the day we die, we continue to face trials and temptations on a regular basis. As the Holy Spirit works in us, we can expect year by year to see new freedom from sin and new strength for the fight. Sometimes it’s easy to see growth. At other times it can be discouraging to think about how long a struggle has lingered, or about how weak we feel at the moment. And as Matt said, sometimes temptation gets sneakier as we get older. Wherever you are at today, and wherever you have been, know that there is forgiveness in Christ and power in the Word, Spirit, and People of God. He will provide what we need if we continue to come to Him.

Note: if this is a mixed group, consider dividing into smaller groups of just men and just women before talking about ongoing struggles.

QUESTIONS

• Is there any area of your life where you feel particularly pressured or weak at the moment?
  • Are there specific circumstances when this temptation feels strongest?
  • Pause and pray for one another, for renewed strength and hope.
• Is there any area of your life where you need to confess sin but haven’t?
  • If you’re not prepared to do that in group, is there someone else you can go to?
  • Remember that our forgiveness comes from Christ and what He did on the cross. But one of the ways God reminds us of that forgiveness is when we hear it from our brothers and sisters in Christ. 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Make sure anyone who has confessed knows God’s forgiveness.
  • If this sin affects someone else, Jesus says to go and be reconciled (Matt. 5:23–24). Sin thrives in darkness, so don’t give it the opportunity.
  • Pause and pray for one another about anything shared. Thank God for the cleansing we have from Jesus Christ
• Is there anything you hope to do differently the next time temptation arises?

 

TOGETHER IN PRAYER & ACTION

When Adam failed in the Garden, the ripple effects of that sin produced death, destruction, rebellion, and suffering throughout the world. But because Jesus Christ was faithful in the wilderness, He was able not only to pay for the sins we committed but to offer His perfect righteousness to us, credited to our account. When we face temptation today, we do it knowing that the devil has been defeated. We face it knowing that God has separated our sins from us “as far as the east is from the west” and chooses not to remember them. We face it knowing that God is on our side, within us, to help us in our time of need. We face it knowing that the Bible is full of stories of people who overcame sin—and of sinners forgiven. Spend some time thanking God for all the great things He has done.