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Sermon Series: We are currently going through a sermon series in the Gospel of Matthew. Today, we’re talking about a moment where Jesus teaches His disciples an important lesson on dealing with temptation. 

Temptations to Sin

⁷ “Woe to the world for temptations to sin!^[a] For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes!⁸ And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. ⁹ And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell^[b] of fire.

Temptations are all around us, more so than ever before. So how do we deal with it? In this part of God’s Word, Jesus teaches His disciples how to deal with temptations to sin. By taking a close look at what He taught them, we can learn what we are to do…

 

In the midst of temptation:

 

1. Recognize that temptations are necessary.

Matt. 18:7, 4:1-11, Ps. 51:5, Deut. 30:19-20, John 1:12-13

2. Remember that temptations are not sin.

1 Cor. 10:13, Mark. 7:20-23, Eph. 1:7, Col. 1:14, Ps. 111:9, 130:7

3. Realize how sin affects yourself

Rom. 3:23, 6:23, John 10:10, 1 John 3:4-10, John 8:34

4. Reflect on how your sin will affect others.

Matt. 18:7, Ex. 20:5-6, Joshua 7, Num. 32:23, Luke 18:17)

5. Resolve to cut out anything that causes you to sin… and don’t look back!

Matt. 18:8-9, Gal. 2:20, Phil. 3:8-9, Rom. 13:12, Luke 14-13

6. Replace sin with righteousness

Luke 18:23-24, Ez. 18:31, 2 Cor. 5:17, Gal. 2:20

7. Ruminate on eternity

Matt. 6:33, 25:46, Rev. 20:15, 21:8

Reflecting on God’s Word

Getting Started

• Take some time to read over Matthew 18:1-6 and pray. 
• Have you ever read or heard about this before? What stood out to you as we were talking about it? 
• What surprised you as we talked about it?
• Have you ever struggled to have a Biblical understanding of sin and temptation? If you have, what have you struggled to understand, and why is that?

 

Diving In 

1. Read John 10:10. Jesus wants you to experience life to the fullest right here and right now, not just in eternity. What specific aspects of this life are damaged when you sin?

 

2. Take some time in prayer and thought, asking the Lord who in your life is affected by your sin. How would keeping this list handy help you in the midst of temptation?

 

3. Read Matthew 18:8-9 again. What do you need to cut out that is causing you to sin? Do you need to delete an app? Close an account? Cancel a subscription? Stop a relationship? Change your route home? Spend some time in prayer asking for the Lord’s wisdom in this manner (see James 1:5).

 

4. Oftentimes, the best way to cut something out, is to replace it with something better. Looking at your answers from the above question, what can you replace these things with?

 

5. Read Matthew 25:46, Revelation 20:15, and Revelation 21:8. How would thinking about eternity help you in the midst of temptation?

 

Applying the Scripture

What are your biggest takeaways from this passage of God’s Word? 

• What practical step(s) do you need to implement in your life to apply what God has taught you in this passage of Scripture? 
• How would applying this affect your life and your relationship with the Lord? 
• Who can you ask to keep you accountable to applying this to your life?

Small Group Guide: