Understanding Temptation
Various Scriptures
ACS Chapel Service
March19, 2009, revised and expanded for March 29, 2009
NOTE: THE ME/WE/GOD/YOU/WE IS BORROWED FROM ANDY STANLEY’S BOOK, "COMMUNICATING FOR A CHANGE."
Me: The Wesleyan Church is what is called a “holiness” church. In other words, we believe and teach that personal holiness is a hallmark of what it means to be a Christian, and we believe and teach that the Holy Spirit makes it possible for us to lead holy lives.
We believe and teach that because Scripture says we’re supposed to be holy, for example in 1 Peter 4:7 –
God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.
The problem is that society all around us tells us that being holy is not practical, or even possible in our day and age.
And from what I see in the church around the world, I think that they may have a point.
And so I thought I’d just come up here and tell you to just give it up – there’s no hope to live holy and pure lives in today’s world.
Society is right. Except for one thing: Without God, there is no hope for purity and holiness in our lives. But with God, all things are possible.
Board members, you can relax and not worry about looking for another pastor right away, okay?
Can I just tell you something? Pastors struggle with purity and holiness, just like anyone else.
We’re tempted just like anyone else, and if we’re not careful, we sin just like anyone else. We’re not given some sort of “Pastor vaccine” to keep us from being tempted.
So I’m not up here today pretending that I’m the model of virtue today, because I’m not. I’m a struggler just like all of you.
We: Here’s the thing. We all struggle for holiness and purity in our lives. We’re going to look at a passage of Scripture in just a moment that tells us that.
But let me ask you something: are you tired of giving in to temptation? Are you tired of feeling like the devil’s got your number and there’s no way you’ll ever gain victory in whatever area you’re struggling with?
Are you tired of looking around and seeing people who claim to be Christians but do the same things the world is doing because they think that since the world is doing it, it’s okay?
Are you ready to move on to a greater degree of holiness and purity?
Well, I hope that today I can give you some hope, because God has lots of it to give as we struggle against sin in our lives.
God: The main passage of Scripture I want to share with you is one you’ve probably known for quite some time, but it’s a great reminder to us as we seek to live lives of purity and holiness before God.
1 Corinthians 10:13 (Please read aloud with me) –
No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
Have you ever noticed something about temptation? Temptation makes sin look really good.
Temptation is always pleasurable. It’s never ugly.
For instance, you’re probably not going to be tempted to treat open wounds on HIV patients.
You’re probably not going to be tempted to eat cold canned spinach. And if you are, we’re going to have special prayer for you right after church today…
I want to use this passage today to point out a few facts regarding temptation so that you can make even more progress in your striving for holiness and purity in your lives.
The first thing is this:
> You’re not unique in your temptations.
Everything you’re tempted by, just about everyone in the world has been tempted by.
There’s nothing new in regard to temptations, only new ways for those temptations to get to us.
I love it when I hear teenagers tell their parents, “You don’t understand.”
Wanna bet? You think temptation originated with your generation? Hello!! Anyone ever heard of Adam and Eve?
Your parents may not have faced exactly the circumstance you find yourself in, but believe they know what it’s like to be tempted by something that looks good and know they should walk away.
They know the struggle you have. Don’t sell them short. Instead, you need to learn from them and seek the wisdom they’ve gained from their own struggles.
And you grown-ups know because you said the same things when you were younger, but now you know better, don’t you?
Your temptations are not unique to you.
This next point isn’t in the passage, but I think it needs to be addressed.
> Temptation is not sin.
Temptation is the opportunity to sin.
If temptation were a sin, then Jesus would be a sinner, because He was tempted.
In fact, listen to this from Hebrews 4:15 –
15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin.
Jesus is familiar with our temptations because He’s been there!
The gospels relate four specific temptations Jesus faced in the wilderness before He began His public ministry, but I’ll guarantee you that He faced temptation to the very end of His life, even when He was hanging on the cross.
You wanna bet that He was tempted to come down and pass up the suffering He was going through? I’ll bet was tempted.
One of the temptations I face sometimes is to grab one of my kids by the throat on a Sunday morning and say, “Hurry up and get ready for church so we can go and learn about the love of Jesus!”
And I can almost hear Jesus say, “Believe me, I know what that’s like. I was tempted to do that to a few of my disciples from time to time…”
Just understand that temptation itself is not sin. It’s the opportunity to sin. Got it?
This next thing I want to point out is that…
> No temptation is too great for you to bear.
No temptation is so great that we can’t say no. We don’t have to fall into sin. It’s not required by God for us to sin when we’re tempted.
God commands us to be holy, so that implies that there is a way for us to be holy and avoid sinning on purpose.
As I mentioned at the beginning of the message, we can’t do it our own. We need the help of God Himself, which He is only too glad to give us, which He does in a variety of ways.
But one of the best ways He helps us when faced with temptation is the last thing I want to point out from this verse, and that is that…
> God always provides a way out.
I love that. God doesn’t just leave us hanging out in the world saying, “Hey good luck facing all the sin and muck in the world. Don’t screw up because then I have to punish you, okay? Be a good boy, be a good girl!”
No! God says, “Hey, I’ve got your back. Whaddya say we get outta here? Here’s a way out. Take it.”
He provides a way out every time. Every time. Actually, He only provides a way out on days that end with “y.”
When you’re in a situation and find yourself tempted in some way, you can always walk away from that temptation in one form or another.
Sometimes that might mean getting rid of your internet service or putting filter on it that you can’t disable.
It might simply be turning off the TV and reading a book or your Bible.
It might mean taking drastic measures like changing your job because that’s the source of your temptations.
One of the ways God helps us is to put His Holy Spirit in us to change our hearts and minds.
I love how the Living Bible puts Philippians 2:13 –
13 For God is at work within you, helping you want to obey him, and then helping you do what he wants.
Isn’t that cool?
No matter the situation, there is a way out, if you’ll just take it.
That takes strength that you may not have on your own, so God will provide that strength if you want it.
If you don’t see the way out, then ask God to show it to you. And He will. The Bible promises that He’ll give us that way, and He’s not going to hide it from us.
But it’s up to us to take that way out, with the help of God.
So the four facts about temptation are that:
* Your temptations aren’t unique.
* Temptation is not sin itself.
* No temptation is too great for you to bear with God’s help.
* God always provides a way out.
You: Three actions you can take when faced with temptation.
1. Drop the rope.
(Have Noble come up and grab the end of the rope)
Here’s how most people think of temptation: it’s something to fight against, like it’s some sort of tug-of-war against temptation.
But I’m of the opinion that rather than keep up this kind of struggle, the best thing to do is drop the rope.
If you keep struggling against the temptation like this, you’re going to lose more often than you win. So drop the rope.
Leave the temptation behind by taking whatever way you can find that God has given you to get out from under that temptation.
Then after you drop the rope, the second thing to do is to…
2. Run.
Remember that God provides a way out. It’s up to you to take it and move on.
That’s not being a sissy; it’s not being a coward.
It’s simply realizing that the best way to resist temptation is to get away from it as fast as possible.
Paul told Timothy to flee youthful temptations to sin. He didn’t say, “Saunter away,” “Mosey away,” “Shuffle away,” or even “Dance away.” He said, “Flee!”
One of my favorite lines from “The Karate Kid” is when young Daniel is asking about blocking a punch from his opponent, and Mr. Miagi says, “Best block: not be there when punch comes.”
Leave the temptation folks.
3. Call on Jesus.
I read Hebrews 4:15 a few moments ago, but listen to the whole paragraph –
14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin. 16 Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Not only does Jesus know what you’re going through, He wants to help you through it.
He’ll give you the grace, the mercy, the strength to flee the temptations and live for Him.
I said in the beginning that with God, everything is possible. Let Him prove that to you by helping you when you’re facing temptation.
Wants to do that. But you’ve gotta let Him.
We: Folks, it’s just a plain fact of life that the devil hates you. He hates you because Christ loves you. And he’ll do anything he can to make you stumble and fall, so that you can be hurt, and so that the cause of Christ might be damaged through you.
So he tempts us to sin. He makes sin look good and even beautiful so we’ll fall into the trap.
And when it comes to temptation, we’re all in the same boat. We all struggle with this.
So let’s encourage one another and pray for each other.
Be understanding with someone’s struggles and remember that you’re no different than they are.
You might struggle with something different than that person, but you both face the same enemy, and you can both use the same strategies.
So pray for each other, lift each other up, and encourage each other to drop the rope, run, and call on Jesus.
And then we can show the world that holiness can truly be a reality in our day and age, because with God, all things are possible.
Let’s pray.
