IT DOESN’T COST A THING: There are so many things in life that don’t cost a thing. The wind blowing through your hair on a warm spring April day. The sounds of the ocean, as the waves dance and play. The laughter of a child, those are heaven sent. See there are so many things and it doesn’t cost a cent. The lullaby you can hear if you listen to the birds sing, The shimmer of the stars, on a crisp cool evening. The whisper of the trees, when the wind blows through its leaves. Can you see it? Can you feel it? Unbelievably, it doesn’t cost a thing! We all take for granted what was given for free we seek true meaning or purpose in our lives. We see and feel our pain but neglect to see and feel one thing. The best things in life are free! It doesn’t cost a thing!
We are to stand against temptation as Jesus did Luke 4:8
Do you find like I do that when I am mentally or physically spent it is easier for temptation to appear as something that would not be wrong? The Bible says that the Word of God is the “Sword of the Spirit.” It is God’s Word that keeps us pure and even when we are spent mentally and physically as we get into God’s Word and his Word gets into us we are able to overcome temptation. In the Prayer the Lord Jesus gave us He said, “And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil (one).” Jesus did not want us to be lead into temptation and He wanted us to be protected from the evil one.
I have used information from the book "Faith Under Fire" by Steven Lawson as a backgrond forthis message. I have added my own illustrations.
A note of history tells us back in 1940, May 26 the allied troops 330,000 made a dangerous withdrawal across the English Channel and the British celebrated as though they had won the war. Winston Churchill made a speech on June 4 that “Wars are not won by evacuations.” He told them they needed to fight and said, “We shall never surrender!” On June 18 Hitler invaded by air and Churchill said, “Upon this battle depends the survival of Christian civilization.” A victory in war does not belong to the fearful. Nor does it belong to the weak. It does not belong to the indifferent. We can only win by facing the enemy head on with fearless courage. We need to fight with enduring, stubborn determination. We see that Jesus did this in His battle in the wilderness with the Devil. He never gave up; He never bowed under and showed persistence. Jesus did not evacuate. Martin Luther stood before the council that want him to take back what he had said and he said, “My conscious is captive to the Word of God, here I stand, I cannot do otherwise.
If we choose to overcome temptation we must have uncompromising determination to stand against anything the Devil throws at us. JAM 4:7 “So humble yourselves before God. Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you.” 1 PT 5:9 “Be firm in the faith and resist him.”
Are you hearing the words “Resist, Stand firm, Fight back, hold your ground, never retreat, attack.” “Jesus answered and said to him.” From these words we have our first point in overcoming temptation.
1. we are to stand firm against Him without delay.
When Satan came after Christ, Jesus resisted him immediately. He did not hesitate or take time to think about it or to reason with him. He answered him with powerful words. He did not ignore the Devil. He did not debate with him. He did not reason with him. He did not go to a counseling session with him. He did not call on others to give a word of advice. He said, “It is written.” We are to resist and stop the Devil as soon as he makes a move on us. If your family was asleep at night and you heard a bugler trying to break in would you just pull the covers over your head and hope he would go away? You would get up and make sure all the doors were locked. You would check to see that all the windows were shut. You would turn on the lights and call the police. You would do all that you could to resist him from coming in. When the Devil comes we must also take action. If we do not take action the temptation will not go away.
1. We can just say no. Do your children understand that word? My son at one time came home from a friend’s house and was crying saying he was sorry. He was walking with a limp. I asked what had happened and he said he had fallen out of the friend’s tree house. I was concerned about his hurt ankle but he said, “You told me I should not go to my friends and play in his tree house and I am sorry, Dad.” Though he was hurting he was more concerned that he had done something I had told him not to do. We need to say no to wrong things and hold our ground. When a salesman is pressuring us to buy we need to say NO! When the telemarketer keeps telling us this is a good deal we need to say NO! When we get that great ad in the mail for a terrific object we need to say NO!
John who was three walked up to his mom and said with a tootsie roll Pop in his hand, “Can I eat it now?” “No,” said his mom for it was close to lunch time. We can wait until after lunch so put it away until it is time for dessert. “Well, I promise I will just keep it in my pocket.” Mom was talking with a friend when she noticed John hold the Pop to his nose and sniffing it. She asked, “What are you doing?” “I’m just seeing what it smells like.” “Do not eat that sucker.” John wrapped it back up and put it in his pocket. She kept talking but then noticed John had the wrapper off and touching it with the tip of his tongue. “What are you dong now, John?” I’m just seeing if it will be good.” Another warning and John had it wrapped and back in his pocket. This happened a third time but this time the wrapper was off and juice was coming out of his lips. She said, “I told you not opt eat that Pop. John said, "I’m not eating it I am just holding the juice in.” Temptation has just been illustrated by a 3 year old and his sucker. It is a look, then a sniff and then it is a full taste. We have to say no or we find out to late the sucker is in our mouth.
Some are good at playing mind games such as the following when it comes to temptation.
God wouldn’t want me to be unhappy, would he? Why fight the feeling? Everyone else is doing it. This won’t cause harm to anyone else. I have always wondered what this would be like. It will just be this once. No one will ever know. I can just confess it and it will be like I never did it. God will surely top me if He doesn’t want me to go further.
JAM 1:14-15 “But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it brings forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, brings forth death.” It starts with a thought, then action and then death. Temptation starts with a small thing like a sniff of a tootsie roll pop but can end with the sucker in your mouth holding the juice in.
2. we are to use the word of god purposefully.
I am sure you have heard what the Bible stands for. Basic Information Before Leaving Earth. Do you know your Bible? Jesus used the Word of God to fight off temptation and can we do better? He depended on the word of God to defeat the Devil and the Devil left him. We need to recognize that he Devil is a supernatural power and we need a supernatural weapon to defeat him. It is not enough for you to own a Bible or to carry one to church or have it on a shelf at home in a safe place or on the coffee table under a magazine. DT. 6:16 “Never test the Lord your God.” In the book “A short history of the English people,” John Green wrote, “England became a people of one Book. It was read in the churched, it was read in the home and it sparked enthusiasm (God’s activity) in the people. The Bible affected the character of the people and the whole temper of the nation felt the change. A new moral and religious impulse spread in every area.” I have found that England today is not a country we look up to for moral and religious character. Could it be that they have left off reading the Book? Does this make you want to be in the Book? It matters little what people think of us when we will stand before God, He will say what did you do with my Book? When temptation comes what are you going to do? PS 119:9 How can a young person stay pure? By obeying your word and following its rules. 11 “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” Col. 3:16 “Let the words of Christ, in all their richness, live in your hearts and make you wise. Use his words to teach and counsel each other. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.” Let me say very pointedly that if we do not have God’s Word in our heart when temptation comes we will not have defense and the word says if we give in we will sin and it leads to death. If we have no weapon we cannot resist and the Bible says the Devil will devour us.
3. we are to worship god only.
Jesus said You are to worship the Lord your God only.” DT 6:13 “You must fear the Lord our God and serve him. You must use only his name.” 13:4 “Serve only the Lord your God and fear him alone. Obey his commands, listen to his voice, and cling to him.” 6:4 "Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. Exodus 20:3 "Do not worship any other gods besides me.” 1 COR 10:31 “Whatever you eat or drink or whatever you do, you must do all for the glory of God.” Matthew 22:37-38 Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and your entire mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.” We are not going to escape temptation in this life. We need to be alert as one would be in going through place that has landmines placed in it. We need to be discerning. MT 26:41 “Keep alert and pray. Otherwise temptation will overpower you. For though the spirit is willing enough, the body is weak!" We need to filled with the Holy Spirit. Form the hymn A mighty fortress is our God we sing the word, “Did we in our own strength confide our striving would be losing.” We need to be armed with God’s word. We have to be committed to obey God in everything. We need to be wise. MT 6:13 And don’t let us yield to temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” We need to be in prayer. We need to stay away from the places we know would cause us to be tempted. MT 26:41 Keep alert and pray. Otherwise temptation will overpower you. For though the spirit is willing enough, the body is weak!"
Temptation is a Trial; a being put to the test. Ordinarily, however, the word means request to that which is evil, and hence Satan is called "the tempter" (Matt. 4:3). Our Lord was in this way tempted in the wilderness. That temptation was not internal, but by a real, active, subtle being. It was not self-sought. It was submitted to as an act of obedience on his part. "Christ was led, driven. So long as we are in this world we are exposed to temptations, and need ever to be on our watch against them.
Do not give in for a lick of a tootsie roll lick.
