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Overcoming Opposition.
Spring Term 2025.
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Our topical series in Spring 2025 will look at how we overcome the things that oppose us in the Christian life. Playing football without an opposing team on the pitch would be easy, but that would be an unusual scenario! If we try to live for Christ but ignore the fact that we have an opposition, it’ll come as a surprise when we get tackled. On the other hand, if we know the opposition is there and are aware of their tactics, we can be well equipped to stand up to them. So in this preaching series, we’ll think about sin, temptation, the devil, and Jesus’ victory.
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​The questions and activities below are suggested ways of engaging with this outside of the Sunday service: individually, with a friend, or as a basis for City Group discussions. You should be able to use these questions even if you haven’t heard the sermon.
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You may not have time for all of the questions in a City Group evening, so consider them as a menu of options to pick from, either in advance or in the moment as you see how the discussion progresses. Make sure you include some of the “respond” section so that the discussion isn't just theoretical.
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Quick Links
Tips for leading | 26 Jan | 2 Feb | 9 Feb | 16 Feb | 23 Feb | 2 Mar | 9 Mar
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Tips for Leading Bible Discussions.
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In advance, try to at least read the passage, pray for the group, and decide which of the suggested questions and activities you’re going to prioritise.
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You want to help the group to have a discussion with each other, so don’t talk too much yourself, and do encourage them to respond to each other’s contributions (“That’s an interesting point; what does everyone else think about that?” – especially useful if someone’s said something unhelpful.)
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Encourage people to discover things in the Bible passage, not just share their own ideas (“It’d be great if you could share which verse you’re looking at when you answer this question.”)
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Generally speaking, ask one question at a time, and keep it simple to understand (even if it’s not simple to answer!)
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Make sure everyone gets a chance to participate. Discussing something in 3s and 4s is a great way to do this.
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Don’t be afraid to leave silences, nor to call time on a side-track that’s gone on for longer than is helpful.
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Suggested questions and activities.​​​​
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w/c 26th January: Victory
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Are you more likely to ignore the devil or be scared of the devil?
Explore
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In 3s and 4s: What are the key things God tells us in scripture about the devil? Can you find any relevant passages? (Hint: think back to the sermon if you heard it!)
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What questions do you have about the devil?
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KEY: In what way is Jesus’ death a victory over the devil?
Respond
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As we embark on this series on overcoming opposition in the Christian life, what changes do you think God might want to bring about in you?
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In 3s and 4s: Do you ever feel afraid of the devil or demons? What is it about them that you’re afraid of?
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Pray for one another that confidence in Jesus’ victory will overcome our fear.
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w/c 2nd February: Schemes
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Do you hear people talking about the devil much? In what contexts does he get mentioned in your experience?
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Explore
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In 3s and 4s: What does the Bible say the devil and evil spirits do to oppose us? (You could give each group one of these passages to look at: Matt 4:1–11, Mark 5:1–20, Luke 13:10–17, John 8:42–47, 1 Cor 7:3–5, 1 Cor 10:19–20, 2 Cor 2:5–11, 1 Thess 2:17–20, 1 Pe 5:8–9, 1 Cor 7:3–5.)
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Collate your finding onto a big sheet of paper.
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Why might it be important that we recognise the devil’s activity behind these things?
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KEY: In what way does the work of Christ give hope that we can overcome these different forms of opposition?
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Respond
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Have a few moments of quiet and ask God to speak to each person about which of the devil’s schemes they need to be more aware of in their life.
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In 3s and 4s: Which of the devil’s schemes do you need to be particularly aware of in your life? What can you do to overcome it more? Pray for one another.
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w/c 9th February: Stand
Start
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How are you finding this teaching series so far?
Explore
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Recap: what are the schemes of the devil?
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Ask someone to read Eph 6:10–18. Ask someone else to read it again.
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Quickly draw a cartoon soldier on a big piece of paper and work together to label the different parts of the Christian’s armour.
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Get into pairs and give each pair one verse from the passage to look at. Ask them to identify one thing we really need to know from that verse to help us stand against the devil’s schemes.
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Feed back to the group and add the key ideas to your drawing.
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Divide into different pairs and ask each pair to discuss what connections they can find between the two verses they were looking at before.
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KEY: In what way does the effectiveness of our armour rely on the work of Christ on our behalf?
Respond
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Have a few moments of quiet and ask everyone to identify one thing from this passage they need to take on board to more effectively stand against the schemes of the devil.
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Share with the group and pray for one another.
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w/c 16th February: Sin
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What makes it hard to talk about sin?
Explore
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Divide into two groups. Ask one group to come up with a definition of what makes an action/word/thought sinful and find a scripture or two to support their answer. Ask the other group to come up with a definition of Sin (the spiritual power) and find a scripture or two to support their answer (hint: Rom 6:15–23, 8:1–4).
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Compare the two definitions. How do these two ways of talking about sin fit together?
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KEY: In what way does the death of Christ deal with our sinful actions/words/thoughts?
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KEY: In what way does the death of Christ deal with Sin (the spiritual power)?
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Respond
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Have a few moments of quiet and ask God to speak to each person about an area of sin in their life He wants to deal with.
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In 3s and 4s (single-sex groups might be helpful): What areas of sin in your life is God highlighting to you at the moment? What do you need to do to respond? Pray for one another.
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w/c 23rd February: Temptation
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What has particularly encouraged you in this teaching series so far?
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Explore
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What is temptation?
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Why do we experience temptation?
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Temptation comes to us from the world, the flesh (the bit of us that wants to live the old way) and the devil. Can we think of an example of what that might look like for each of the three?
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Read 1 Cor 10:6–13. God promises that we will be able to bear temptation. In 3s and 4s: what can we do to successfully resist temptation (think back to the sermon and other things you’ve found helpful)?
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Read Matt 4:1–11. Why does Jesus use scripture when He’s tempted?
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What scriptures do you use to resist temptation?
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Respond
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In 3s and 4s (single-sex groups might be helpful): In what ways are you facing temptation from the world/flesh/devil at the moment? What strategies can help you bear it (give each other ideas!)? Pray for one another.
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KEY: Take some time to praise Jesus for resisting temptation Himself and so going to the cross that we might be forgiven when we give in to temptation.
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w/c 2nd March: Repentance
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Does the culture we live in have a concept of repentance?
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Explore
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Read Prov 28:13 & Acts 20:20–21. How would you explain repentance to someone who wanted to become a Christian?
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What problems would arise if we ignored the place of repentance in the Christian life?
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If I’ve confessed my sins to God and know He’s forgiven me, do I need to confess them to anyone else? (You might like to look at Acts 19:18–20, Jas 5:15–16, 1 John 1:5–10.)
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How can confession be a path to joy?
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KEY: read 1 John 5:1–10. How does the gospel give us confidence to confess our sins?
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Respond
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Have a few moments of quiet where each person can confess to God whatever sins He brings to mind and express their repentance to Him.
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In 3s and 4s (single-sex groups might be helpful): What areas of sin in your life is God highlighting to you at the moment? What do you need to do to respond? Pray for one another.
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w/c 9th March: Deliverance
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Would you say you’ve ever seen something that was obviously demonic?
Explore
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What do you think of this statement? “Everything we experience has both a natural cause and a spiritual cause.”
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Read Eph 4:26–27. What do you think it might look like to give the devil an opportunity?
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Ephesians appears to link ungodly anger with giving the devil an opportunity. What else do you think might give him an opportunity to oppress us?
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Ask people to read out Mark 5:1–8, Mark 9:20–25, Luke 13:10–13. What do you notice about how Jesus deals with evil spirits?
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KEY: Why does Jesus have authority over the demonic? And/or: How does Jesus’ death and resurrection represent a victory over the demonic?
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We overcome the demonic by choosing to believe Biblical truth instead of the devil’s lies, and by receiving specific ministry exercised in the power and authority of Jesus…. What would be the vulnerability of majoring on one of these and neglecting the other?
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Respond
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Stay together as a whole group and take some time to sing and/or pray in praise of Jesus for the cross and for His authority over the demonic.
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Have a moment of quiet and encourage people to confess to God and repent of any ways they think they might have given the devil an opportunity in their lives. Does anyone need to confess out loud?
(If demonic oppression becomes obvious as you are praying then encourage the group to speak out the authority of Jesus over the situation and tell any demons to be quiet in His name. Take great care to look after the person concerned and preserve their dignity. Don’t feel like you necessarily have to completely deal with the situation there and then but group leaders should make sure the individual is given the opportunity to receive ministry in a smaller context (the Pastoral Coordination Team can support with this).)
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