Sermon Notes

Ephesians 6:10–17 NIV
¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³ Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Matthew 4:1–11 NIV
¹ Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. ² After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. ³ The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
⁴ Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
⁵ Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. ⁶ “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:
“ ‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”
⁷ Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do 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 splendor. ⁹ “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”
¹⁰ Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”
¹¹ Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

Psalm 1 NIV
¹ Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers,
² but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.
³ That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither — whatever they do prospers.
⁴ Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away.
⁵ Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
⁶ For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.

Discussion Igniters

1. What is one of your favorite Scriptures you find yourself returning to? 

2. Read Matthew 4:1–11. What are some of the ways Satan uses Scripture against Jesus? 

3. How did Jesus use the word of God to defend against Satan’s attacks? 

4. What holds you back from spending time with the Scriptures? What is something you can do to overcome that?

5. What is an area of life in which you feel you are consistently attacked by Satan’s lies? What Scripture could you use to help defend against that?