presents
Lesson 22: The Temptation to be "Large and In Charge"
SCRIPTURE PASSAGES
(All Scripture quotations are from the NET Bible)
Isaiah 14:14 - "I will climb up to the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High!"
Romans 5:12 - "So then, just as sin entered the world through one man and death through sin, and so death spread to all people because all sinned..."
Matthew 8:5-13 - "When he entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him asking for help: 'Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, in terrible anguish.' Jesus said to him, 'I will come and heal him.' But the centurion replied, 'Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. Instead, just say the word and my servant will be healed. For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I say to this one, ‘Go’ and he goes, and to another ‘Come’ and he comes, and to my slave ‘Do this’ and he does it.' When Jesus heard this he was amazed and said to those who followed him, 'I tell you the truth, I have not found such faith in anyone in Israel! I tell you, many will come from the east and west to share the banquet with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, but the sons of the kingdom will be thrown out into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' Then Jesus said to the centurion, 'Go; just as you believed, it will be done for you.' And the servant was healed at that hour."
Ephesians 1:22-23 - "And God put all things under Christ’s feet, and he gave him to the church as head over all things. Now the church is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all."
Hebrews 13:17 - "Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls and will give an account for their work. Let them do this with joy and not with complaints, for this would be no advantage for you."
Ephesians 5:22-23 - "Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord, because the husband is the head of the wife as also Christ is the head of the church—he himself being the savior of the body."
Ephesians 6:1-4 - "Children, obey your parents in the Lord for this is right. 'Honor your father and mother,' which is the first commandment accompanied by a promise, namely, 'that it may go well with you and that you will live a long time on the earth.' Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but raise them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord."
Romans 13:1-7 - "Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except by God’s appointment, and the authorities that exist have been instituted by God. So the person who resists such authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will incur judgment (for rulers cause no fear for good conduct but for bad). Do you desire not to fear authority? Do good and you will receive its commendation, for it is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be in fear, for it does not bear the sword in vain. It is God’s servant to administer retribution on the wrongdoer. Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of the wrath of the authorities but also because of your conscience. For this reason you also pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants devoted to governing. Pay everyone what is owed: taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due."
Ephesians 6:5 - "Slaves, obey your human masters with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart as to Christ..."
John 13:13-15 - "You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and do so correctly, for that is what I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you too ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example—you should do just as I have done for you."
Ephesians 5:21 - "...submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ."
Hebrews 11:6 - "Now without faith it is impossible to please him, for the one who approaches God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him."
1 Samuel 16:1-4 - "The Lord said to Samuel, 'How long do you intend to mourn for Saul? I have rejected him as king over Israel. Fill your horn with olive oil and go! I am sending you to Jesse in Bethlehem, for I have selected a king for myself from among his sons.' Samuel replied, 'How can I go? Saul will hear about it and kill me!' But the Lord said, 'Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ Then invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you should do. You will anoint for me the one I point out to you.' Samuel did what the Lord told him. When he arrived in Bethlehem, the elders of the city were afraid to meet him. They said, 'Do you come in peace?'"
Daniel 1:1-20 - In the third year of the reign of King Jehoiakim of Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon advanced against Jerusalem and laid it under siege. 1:2 Now the Lord delivered King Jehoiakim of Judah into his power, along with some of the vessels of the temple of God. He brought them to the land of Babylonia to the temple of his god and put the vessels in the treasury of his god. 1:3 The king commanded Ashpenaz, who was in charge of his court officials, to choose some of the Israelites who were of royal and noble descent – 1:4 young men in whom there was no physical defect and who were handsome, well versed in all kinds of wisdom, well educated and having keen insight, and who were capable of entering the king’s royal service – and to teach them the literature and language of the Babylonians. 1:5 So the king assigned them a daily ration from his royal delicacies and from the wine he himself drank. They were to be trained for the next three years. At the end of that time they were to enter the king’s service. 1:6 As it turned out, among these young men were some from Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. 1:7 But the overseer of the court officials renamed them. He gave Daniel the name Belteshazzar, Hananiah he named Shadrach, Mishael he named Meshach, and Azariah he named Abednego. 1:8 But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the royal delicacies or the royal wine. He therefore asked the overseer of the court officials for permission not to defile himself. 1:9 Then God made the overseer of the court officials sympathetic to Daniel. 1:10 But he responded to Daniel, “I fear my master the king. He is the one who has decided your food and drink. What would happen if he saw that you looked malnourished in comparison to the other young men your age? If that happened, you would endanger my life with the king!” 1:11 Daniel then spoke to the warden whom the overseer of the court officials had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: 1:12 “Please test your servants for ten days by providing us with some vegetables to eat and water to drink. 1:13 Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who are eating the royal delicacies; deal with us in light of what you see.” 1:14 So the warden agreed to their proposal and tested them for ten days. 1:15 At the end of the ten days their appearance was better and their bodies were healthier than all the young men who had been eating the royal delicacies. 1:16 So the warden removed the delicacies and the wine from their diet and gave them a diet of vegetables instead. 1:17 Now as for these four young men, God endowed them with knowledge and skill in all sorts of literature and wisdom – and Daniel had insight into all kinds of visions and dreams. 1:18 When the time appointed by the king arrived, the overseer of the court officials brought them into Nebuchadnezzar’s presence. 1:19 When the king spoke with them, he did not find among the entire group anyone like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, or Azariah. So they entered the king’s service. 1:20 In every matter of wisdom and insight the king asked them about, he found them to be ten times better than any of the magicians and astrologers that were in his entire empire.
Acts 25:9-11 - "But Festus, wanting to do the Jews a favor, asked Paul, 'Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and be tried before me there on these charges?' Paul replied, 'I am standing before Caesar’s judgment seat, where I should be tried. I have done nothing wrong to the Jews, as you also know very well. If then I am in the wrong and have done anything that deserves death, I am not trying to escape dying, but if not one of their charges against me is true, no one can hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar!'"
Acts 5:28-29 - "'We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name. Look, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man’s blood on us!' But Peter and the apostles replied, 'We must obey God rather than people.'"
Matthew 26:36-46 - "Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to the disciples, 'Sit here while I go over there and pray.' He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and became anguished and distressed. Then he said to them, 'My soul is deeply grieved, even to the point of death. Remain here and stay awake with me.' Going a little farther, he threw himself down with his face to the ground and prayed, 'My Father, if possible, let this cup pass from me! Yet not what I will, but what you will.' Then he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. He said to Peter, 'So, couldn’t you stay awake with me for one hour? Stay awake and pray that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.' He went away a second time and prayed, 'My Father, if this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will must be done.' He came again and found them sleeping; they could not keep their eyes open. So leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same thing once more. Then he came to the disciples and said to them, 'Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour is approaching, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Get up, let us go. Look! My betrayer is approaching!'"
Philippians 2:8-9 - "He humbled himself, by becoming obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross! As a result God exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name..."
James 4:6-7 - "But he gives greater grace. Therefore it says, 'God opposes the proud, but he gives grace to the humble.' So submit to God. But resist the devil and he will flee from you."
