Prayer: more Dallas Willard

(This was a teaching/small group lesson I recently prepared).

Introduction (5 Minutes): Welcome and prayer. Today we are going to look at the phrase, “lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one”; it is found in the midst of the Lord’s prayer in Matthew 6.

Small Group Discussion (5 minutes): I want you to discuss in your small groups what are your initial thoughts about this phrase? What does it mean?

Large Group (5 minutes): I want to read some excerpts from Dallas Willard”s book The Divine Conspiracy (each person will have a copy of the quote).
“The final request [of the Lord’s Prayer] asks our Father not to put us to the test. ‘Don’t bring us into temptation.’ The ‘temptation’ here is not primarily temptation to sin. Trials always tempt us to sin, however. And temptation to sin is always a trial, which we might fail by falling into sin…This request is not just for evasion of pain and of things we don’t like, though it frankly is that. It expresses the understanding that we can’t stand up under very much pressure, and that it is not a good thing for us to suffer. It is a vote of ‘no confidence’ in our own abilities…God expects us to pray that we will escape trials, and we should do it. The bad things that happen to us are always challenges to our faith, and we may not be able to stand under them. They are dangerous.” (The Divine Conspiracy, pg 265)


Small Groups (25 Minutes):
Each small group will be given a scripture reference; they are to use the Dallas Willard quote as a tool to for interpretation. Each group will have specific questions to answer. They will, after their discussion, will come back and report.
Small Group #1
Matthew 26:36-46
36Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." 37He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38Then he said to them, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me."
39Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will."
40Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. "Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?" he asked Peter. 41"Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak."
42He went away a second time and prayed, "My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done."
43When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. 44So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.
45Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour is near, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46Rise, let us go! Here comes my betrayer!"

(Remember to refer to Willard’s quote!)
1) What does this story say about Jesus?
2) God allows Jesus to continuing suffering, is this the normal way that God acts with humans? Explain your answer.
3) Why do you think the Father does not answer his son’s prayer?
4) Do you think that this account contradicts Willard’s excerpt?
5) What other observations do you have as you consider the Dallas Willard quote and the account from Gethsemane ?


Small Group #2
2 Kings 20:1-6

1 In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, "This is what the LORD says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover."
2 Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, 3 "Remember, O LORD, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes." And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
4 Before Isaiah had left the middle court, the word of the LORD came to him: 5 "Go back and tell Hezekiah, the leader of my people, 'This is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the temple of the LORD. 6 I will add fifteen years to your life. And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for my sake and for the sake of my servant David.' "
(Remember to refer to Willard’s quote!)
1) Do you think this is the “normal” way that God deals with his people?

2) What do you think motivates the Lord to give Hezekiah fifteen more years of life?

3) Does this biblical account cause you to agree or disagree with Willard?

4) What other observations do you have as you consider the Dallas Willard quote and the account from II Kings ?



Small Group #3
Exodus 32:1-14
1 When the people realized that Moses was taking forever in coming down off the mountain, they rallied around Aaron and said, "Do something. Make gods for us who will lead us. That Moses, the man who got us out of Egypt—who knows what's happened to him?"
2-4 So Aaron told them, "Take off the gold rings from the ears of your wives and sons and daughters and bring them to me." They all did it; they removed the gold rings from their ears and brought them to Aaron. He took the gold from their hands and cast it in the form of a calf, shaping it with an engraving tool.
The people responded with enthusiasm: "These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up from Egypt!"
5 Aaron, taking in the situation, built an altar before the calf.
Aaron then announced, "Tomorrow is a feast day to GOD!"
6 Early the next morning, the people got up and offered Whole-Burnt-Offerings and brought Peace-Offerings. The people sat down to eat and drink and then began to party. It turned into a wild party!
7-8 GOD spoke to Moses, "Go! Get down there! Your people whom you brought up from the land of Egypt have fallen to pieces. In no time at all they've turned away from the way I commanded them: They made a molten calf and worshiped it. They've sacrificed to it and said, 'These are the gods, O Israel, that brought you up from the land of Egypt!'"
9-10 GOD said to Moses, "I look at this people—oh! what a stubborn, hard-headed people! Let me alone now, give my anger free reign to burst into flames and incinerate them. But I'll make a great nation out of you."
11-13 Moses tried to calm his GOD down. He said, "Why, GOD, would you lose your temper with your people? Why, you brought them out of Egypt in a tremendous demonstration of power and strength. Why let the Egyptians say, 'He had it in for them—he brought them out so he could kill them in the mountains, wipe them right off the face of the Earth.' Stop your anger. Think twice about bringing evil against your people! Think of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants to whom you gave your word, telling them 'I will give you many children, as many as the stars in the sky, and I'll give this land to your children as their land forever.'"
14 And GOD did think twice. He decided not to do the evil he had threatened against his people.

(Remember to refer to Willard’s quote!)
1) Do you think God would have destroyed Israel if Moses wouldn’t had prayed for mercy?

2) What do you think motivates the Lord to listen to Moses?

3) Moses prays for Israel that God would not destroy them and God listens. Do you think that Christians can pray that God would not judge evil people and that He will listen? Does it apply to the next life as well? Why or why not?

4) What other observations do you have as you consider the Dallas Willard quote and the account from Exodus?
Large Group Discussion and Sharing (15 Minutes)
Each group will share their findings. From there, there will be then an open discussion about Willard’s quote and whether the students believe Willard’s excerpt.

Closing and prayer (5 minutes)
Allow students to pray. Encouraging them to pray as if what Willard says is true. Encourage them to take time in the weeks to come to think through, imagine what their lives would be like if what Willard says is true. What would change? How would their prayer life change?