The Promises of God

---

The Promises of God, Lesson 3, Page 1

The Promises of God Lesson 3: “You Have an Escape from Temptation” Leader Guide

LEADER PREP: ●Read the entire lesson ahead of time. Also read the corresponding pages in the Participant Guide, as there may be additional information provided there that will be helpful for your preparation. ●Read the “Behind the Scenes” boxes. If you’re in a hurry, it might be tempting to skip these. However, they provide Biblical commentary that will help you better understand and teach this lesson. The Participant Guide also contains the “Behind the Scenes” boxes. ●Preview the video clip that accompanies this lesson. If possible, test it on the equipment you’ll be using on Sunday. https://vimeo.com/album/3070355 (The password is “promises.”) ● Spend time in prayer asking God to help you facilitate the discussion well. Ask God to prepare the hearts of your class participants as well.

[HEADER] Greeting Welcome everyone and be sure to introduce yourself. ● Be sure everyone has a copy of The Promises of God Participant Guide. ● Let everyone know you’ll be covering Lesson 3 today, so that they can find that lesson in their Participant Guide. ● Remind class participants about the “Behind the Scenes” commentary notes found throughout the lesson. These notes can be used as helps during discussion groups or to prepare ahead of time for the lesson. ● Before class, prepare a plate of fine chocolates, preferably Lindt Chocolate. ●For extra impact: if you have access to a video projector or have an Internet-ready TV, cue the following Youtube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpLtQDbnWEs ● Ask the class how meditating on last week’s memory verse and God’s promise impacted their week. Set the plate of chocolates in a prominent place in the room. If you are prepared to show the video, play the Lindt Chocolate commercial.

The Promises of God, Lesson 3, Page 2

Say: If you’ve ever been on a diet, you notice how often enticing food commercials run on television. What about the commercial or the wrapping or the display of food makes it appealing? The advertisers are obviously trying to appeal to multiple senses. And most of us are drawn in and we do end up giving in to the sweet and tasty temptation. But the advertisers don’t tell you the whole story in the commercial. Before we indulge, let’s check some facts. For example, one small non-filling piece of Lindt Chocolate somehow counts for 10% of your daily caloric intake and 18% of daily recommended fat. We are constantly bombarded with temptation and it may sometimes feel like we are in a constant battle with our flesh to resist. Maybe your temptation is not eating too much; it’s worrying, or procrastinating, or spending too much time on social media…but we are all faced with temptations on a daily basis. We’re going to break into small groups now to share what food tempts us and to discuss three questions:   

When it comes to food, what’s your guilty pleasure? What are some strategies you’ve tried to help you resist the temptation to indulge? How do you feel when you find yourself struggling with the same temptation over and over again?

You don’t need to worry about remembering these questions. They are in your Participant Guide. Allow for about five minutes of sharing in the small groups. Then ask for a representative from each group to share their findings with the rest of the class. Say: We’re all familiar with the temptation to eat the wrong foods, or just too much food. And it can be a real struggle, one that consumes more mental space than we care to admit. But let’s think for a moment about some more serious temptations, the ones in which a wrong decision can change the course of our lives. Ask:  

What are some common emotional reactions that people have when they find themselves faced with temptation? Why do you think so many people fall to temptation, even when they are aware of the possible consequences that await them?

The Promises of God, Lesson 3, Page 3

We are certainly bombarded by temptations, and most of us know what temptations seize us the most. But God has given us a promise in 1 Corinthians 10:13 regarding temptation: The Promise “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” Ask:    

In your own words, what is God promising in this verse? And just as important, what are some things this verse isn’t promising? In other words, how have you noticed this promise being misused? What do you think Paul meant when he said that we would not tempted beyond what we can bear? Do these words feel true to you when you are in the heat of temptation? Why or why not?

These words let us know that no matter how we might feel during the struggle to resist temptation, God provides us with the means to escape. God is committed to seeing us mature into the image of his son, and he has no intention of sitting by helplessly while temptation devours us. But we’ll discover that he doesn’t expect us to sit by helplessly either.

New Story: Brian One of the ways we can explore God’s promise to provide an escape from temptation is to see how other people have struggled to apply this promise to their lives. Let’s take a look at Brian’s story. Show The Promises of God: Week 3 DVD. Ask: ● How did Brian accommodate his view of scripture to fit the shape of his temptation? ● Think about a time you wrestled with a temptation and failed a resisting it multiple times. What feelings did you wrestle with? How those feelings challenge your ability to trust God’s promise?

The Promises of God, Lesson 3, Page 4

● In practical terms, what does it look like to resist temptation in God’s strength and not our own?

God’s Story I love how God’s Word is full of real people. The Bible gives us examples of people who stood against temptation, as well as people who succumbed. Let’s ground ourselves in God’s Word so we can better understand God’s commitment to provide an escape from temptation. Read 2 Samuel 11:1-17 aloud or invite a volunteer from your class to read it aloud. Encourage everyone else to follow along in their own Bible or in their Participant Guide. Before we discuss this, I’d like each of you to take a moment to reflect. What are the first questions that come to mind? Go ahead and record your initial thoughts and questions in your Participant Guide. Allow a minute or two for class participants to record their own thoughts and questions before continuing with the lesson. Stress that this is an individual exercise — not a group exercise. Once everyone appears to be finished and ready to proceed, continue.

God’s Word 2 Samuel 11:1-17 (ESV) In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel. And they ravaged the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem. 2

It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking on the roof of the king's house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful. 3 And David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, “Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?” 4 So David sent messengers and took her, and she came to him, and he lay with her. (Now she had been purifying herself from her uncleanness.) Then she returned to her house. 5 And the woman conceived, and she sent and told David, “I am pregnant.”

The Promises of God, Lesson 3, Page 5 6

So David sent word to Joab, “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” And Joab sent Uriah to David. 7 When Uriah came to him, David asked how Joab was doing and how the people were doing and how the war was going. 8 Then David said to Uriah, “Go down to your house and wash your feet.” And Uriah went out of the king's house, and there followed him a present from the king. 9 But Uriah slept at the door of the king's house with all the servants of his lord, and did not go down to his house. 10 When they told David, “Uriah did not go down to his house,” David said to Uriah, “Have you not come from a journey? Why did you not go down to your house?” 11 Uriah said to David, “The ark and Israel and Judah dwell in booths, and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are camping in the open field. Shall I then go to my house, to eat and to drink and to lie with my wife? As you live, and as your soul lives, I will not do this thing.” 12 Then David said to Uriah, “Remain here today also, and tomorrow I will send you back.” So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next. 13 And David invited him, and he ate in his presence and drank, so that he made him drunk. And in the evening he went out to lie on his couch with the servants of his lord, but he did not go down to his house. 14

In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah. 15 In the letter he wrote, “Set Uriah in the forefront of the hardest fighting, and then draw back from him, that he may be struck down, and die.” 16 And as Joab was besieging the city, he assigned Uriah to the place where he knew there were valiant men. 17 And the men of the city came out and fought with Joab, and some of the servants of David among the people fell. Uriah the Hittite also died.

Behind the Scenes

It may seem like David sinned in a moment of weakness, but as is often the case for us, the sin occurred after several other smaller bad decisions. In verse 1 we read that David sent Joab to war instead of fulfilling his duty as king and going himself. In verse 2 we read about David’s second bad decision on the path to temptation. He went up to the roof in the evening. During that time, it was common practice for people to bathe on their roof. So the “eyeful” that King David got by venturing out on the roof was hardly a total surprise.

The Promises of God, Lesson 3, Page 6

Let’s get back into our small groups and see if we can make sense of God’s promise to provide an escape from temptation by exploring a Bible passage that illustrates God’s promise. In your Participant Guide you’ll find 2 Samuel 11:1-17 on page XX. Look at this passage and then answer the question that follows it. Talk about this for about five minutes in your small group, and then we’ll hear some reports back to the rest of us. Allow the groups to work independently for about five minutes. Have a representative from each group share findings with everyone.

Let’s work through the next few questions together.   

What poor decisions did David make leading up to his affair with Bathsheba? How did David choose to “deal” with his sin? How did this only further complicate his life? What are some ways David would have had a way out of this temptation? After he sinned and committed adultery, did he still have a way out of further sin?

Allow time for several responses.

Leader Learning King David’s sin created immense consequences; not only for David, but for the people around him that he loved. David and Bathsheba lost the son they had conceived in their sin. God, however, not only forgave them, but he redeemed them. Even though their union was sinful, it still produced Solomon, the wisest king in Israel’s history.

The Bible is filled with accounts of people who succumbed to temptation and some who successfully overcame it. However, the best example of overcoming temptation comes from the account of how Jesus was tempted by Satan.

God’s Word Matthew 4:1-11 (ESV) Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God,

The Promises of God, Lesson 3, Page 7

command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4 But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” 5

Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple 6 and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, “‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and “‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’” 7

Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’” 11

Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.

Behind the Scenes Jesus quoted several Old Testament scriptures after being led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. In Matthew 4:4, Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 8:3. In Matthew 4:7, Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 6:16. In Matthew 4:10, Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 6:13.

The Promises of God, Lesson 3, Page 8

I want to give you all a chance to share in your group about your own observations and questions. Now is the time to share anything that seemed especially meaningful to you in either 2 Samuel 11:1-17 or Matthew 4:1-11. And if you’re comfortable, share any question the passages raised in your mind. Perhaps someone else has an insight that will shed some light on your question. Allow at least 10 minutes for the groups to talk. Give a one-minute “let’s wrap it up!” warning so groups have time to finish their thoughts. You can use the remaining time to allow a representative from each group to report back on insights and questions. If you feel pressed for time, consider focusing on a “burning question” that a group was unable to answer. Just remember that you yourself are not responsible for having the final answer. It is healthy to admit what you are uncertain about and to ask the class if anyone is interested in researching the answer during the next week. ASK:  

How was Jesus particularly vulnerable at the time of his temptation? When do you feel susceptible to temptation? How equipped do you feel to use Jesus’ strategy to resist temptation? What would need to change for you to be able to imitate Jesus’ strategy?

Growing It’s easy to read about how Jesus resisted temptation. But it’s more difficult to believe that God offers that same ability to each of us, especially when we are in the throes of desire. But God’s promise is true, even when we feel like we are at our weakest. Spend a few minutes now journaling in your Participant Guide, to begin applying in your own life God’s promise to provide an escape from temptation. Write responses to these two questions:  

When, like David, have you made poor decisions that exposed you to temptation? How will Christ’s example of resisting temptation help you approach the next situation where you are tempted?

Allow for five to eight minutes of quiet reflection and journaling. End the session by thanking God for providing an escape from temptation, even when temptation seems to have overtaken us.