Matthew 3:1-4:11 Surrender leads to repentance

Storyteller: Naomi Cummins

Key Points to Know 1.  True Repentance results in life change 2.  Jesus humbled Himself 3.  Jesus submitted Himself to the guidance of the Holy Spirit

Key Passage(s)

Passage: Matthew 3:1-4:1-11 Key Themes: John the tells people to repent because the kingdom of God is near -like saying grab your guns the kingdom of North Korea is coming! John is the person Isaiah said would prepare the way of the Lord John is called the Baptizer because he would ceremonially wash/baptize them in the water after they’d confessed their sins John warns the religious leaders to repent  and live with humility before God John says that a more powerful person will come after him that baptizes people with the Holy Spirit and fire Jesus comes and John recognizes Him as the Messiah Jesus is baptized and God declares that Jesus is His Son THe Holy Spirit leads Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by the Devil The devil tests Jesus with the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life Jesus endures and perseveres through the temptation and the angels minister to Him as soon as the devil leaves

Reflective Discussion Questions: What did you learn new in this story? What do we learn about John in this story? What do we learn about Jesus in this story? What do we learn about God in this story? Why does John warn the religious leaders not to presume in vs 9? What is John saying in vs 10?  How does this knowledge affect you? What does it mean to be baptized with the Holy Spirit and fire?(Within the context of this passage)  What is the fire John is talking about in vs 12? Why doesn’t John want to baptize Jesus? Why does Jesus say He must be baptized?  What does Jesus demonstrate in allowing John to baptize Him? What does God say about Jesus in vs 17?  How does Jesus relationship and example affect your relationship with God? Why did Jesus go to the wilderness?  Who led Jesus there?  What does this tell us about our relationship with the Holy Spirit? What do we learn about facing temptation from the example of Jesus?

Application

Individual Challenge Commit to asking that God would show you how to submit to the Holy Spirit for one week and what He wants you to do

Community Vision If everyone was submitted to the Holy Spirit how would we grow in our relationship with God?  How would we grow in our relationships with each other?  Where would the Spirit lead us to go?  What would the Spirit lead us to do?