HOW TO DEFEAT YOUR GIANT OF TEMPTATION Luke 4:1-13 Matt. 16:21-23, Matt. 26:45, 46
The person who expects to live a life without problems is going to be as upset as the guy who thought that he was going to have a lawn without weeds. Both problems and temptations are expected! A cartoon showed a little boy in a car watching his dad outside in the pouring rain fixing a flat tire. The boy peers out and asks, "Daddy, why this is happening to us? The father looks at the boy and says, "Son, don’t you understand? This is life!"
1 SAM 17:47 “One day a soldier, charged with fleeing from the enemy was brought before Alexander the Great. Alexander the Great asked him, "What’s your name?" Dropping his head, he replied, "Alexander." Alexander the Great grabbed him by the shoulders and said, "Soldier, change your conduct or change your name!" You have been called to live a life worthy of the One whose name you carry. We will attach to each point how David overcame temptation.
Most of us might say Life is hard. Troubles and trials abound. We can’t switch to another channel like we do on TV. I COR 10:13. Now Paul says Temptations are regular to all mankind, but that’s not the final word. Paul adds a wonderful promise that we shall be able to conquer any temptation we may meet. The key is that we are able. He says we have the internal spiritual ability of either escaping or enduring the trials of life. Two examples that Jesus faced. Matt. 26:4. LK 4:1-2. Don’t let anyone tell you that they are above temptation or beyond doubt. It’s amazing that Christ was full of the Holy Spirit when he experienced his greatest temptation. Indeed, temptations may not come in our moments of weakness. They may come in the midst of our success, joy and achievement because that’s when we’re likely to have let our guard down. I COR 10:12. Temptations are ever present. Yet, certain phases and stages of life present their own special points of weakness. We’re tempted differently in our youth, than we are in our middle years and old age. We will see three different occasions when Christ was faced with tough decisions and particular temptations. We find that he was tempted in the beginning, in the middle and the end of His ministry.
I. Temptation came when He first started IN THE WILDERNESS. Luke 4:1-13
At the very beginning of his ministry Christ encountered a severe period of temptation. When we are young in our faith it is always a favorable time for temptation. We are immature; we are finding our identities; and we’re planning our life. It’s a confused and trying period. I had a time where I was not sure if I was saved and needed some older saints to help me understand what my salvation was from and that it was not based on feelings. We see that Christ faced temptations concerning His physical needs. All people have basic physical needs and it’s always tempting to try to meet these needs with easy shortcuts. It’s encouraging that Christ avoided such shortcuts, not by denying the physical need, but by going beyond them. `It is written, "Man shall not live on bread alone". Christ faced temptation concerning possessions and power. `I will give you all this domain and its glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. Therefore if you worship before me, it shall all be yours’. Now, it’s always desirable to get good things quickly, but again Christ avoided compromises. "You shall worship the Lord your God and serve him only." Then, Christ faced temptations concerning spiritual pride and opinion. “If you are the son of God, cast yourself down from here; "He will give His angels charge concerning you to guard you," It’s important to note that Christ avoided the supernatural intervention route; he had no unlikely hope of divine protection, even though there was Biblical authority for such belief. "Thou shall not tempt the Lord thy God".
When we are young in our faith there are many temptations such as: physical pleasure; choice of careers and lifestyles. Jesus faced these temptations. How to defeat your giant of temptation. From the life of David. Regardless of whether the giant you face is addiction, resentment, fear, lust, pride, envy or anger, you must realize: 1. You’re not unique. Your temptations "are no different from what others experience". Goliath wasn’t always a giant; he was fed and nurtured until he became one. Our giants are usually little things we ignore and indulge until they assume a life of their own and come back to bother us.
II. Temptation came when He was ON THE MOUNTAIN.
In the middle of his ministry Christ faced another set of temptations. Matt. 16:21-23. in our Mid-life we run into a period of examination and review. Christ was tempted toward living less than He should. Peter suggested the lesser path. He advised against the costly choice. We can get tired and upset after long periods of battling problems and difficulty. It becomes tempting to say, "Who needs this? I’ll just slow down and take it easy"; but Christ sharply rejected this suggestion. The transfiguration experience took place a few days later and Christ was tempted toward idealism. It’s easy to confuse dreams with accomplishment. It’s easy to simply rest on our success and accept minor praise instead of pushing on; but Christ rejected this suggestion. Matt: 17:4-9. Christ was also tempted toward carelessness. Sometimes we’d like to duck the tough decisions and shirk the ordinary duties. We’d like to retire into ivory towers and forget the people in the valley; but again Christ rejected this luxury. He returned to the valley and served the people. Matt. 17:14-15, 18. Some people talk of mid-life crises. This is a time when we realize we’re not everlasting. We don’t have limitless time. Youth is fleeting. Many people make mistakes at this point. They "grab for the gusto," and compromise their principles. Jesus stayed on course and served his Heavenly Father. From the life of David. Regardless of whether the giant you face is addiction, resentment, fear, lust, pride, envy or anger, you must realize: 2. You can’t do it alone. Your giant will defeat you anytime you tackle him in your own strength. David told Goliath, "This is the Lord’s battle, and he will give you to us". You need divine help to overcome old habits and establish new behaviors. So, declare with Paul Phil 4:13.
III. Temptation came when He was In the Garden.
At the end of Christ’s ministry he faced a tremendous night of temptation. The end of our lives can be a time of bitterness and guilt. We can feel sorry for ourselves and slump into laziness and give up. Christ faced the temptation of loneliness. You se He was deserted by family, betrayed by a friend, and abandoned by His disciples. It was overwhelming. Yet, Christ refused to become weary and critical. He was forgiving and understanding of his weak brothers. Christ faced pain and discomfort. These times are predictable in our lives. Christ’s emotional and mental agony was real. Anxiety and fright were present, yet he refused to yield. Christ faced fear and death. These final moments were real and hard. They weren’t pleasant or disturbing. Death is not desirable and Christ didn’t desire it, yet, even in the face of death, he refused to give up. From the life of David. Regardless of whether the giant you face is addiction, resentment, fear, lust, pride, envy or anger, you must realize: 3. You must confront your giant head-on. The Bible says: "As Goliath moved closer to attack, David quickly ran to meet him" Don’t run away, don’t try to negotiate, don’t compromise and don’t excuse. Force your giant out into the light and don’t let him back into your life. Establish boundaries and make yourself accountable. Stay out of the wrong company. Above all, don’t look at God in the light of your giant, look at your giant in the light of God. Old age is a problem. Often we lose our health and our independence. It would be easy to have a "pity party" and give up; but Jesus remained faithful. Yes, temptations are real and constant. We’re all faced with difficult decisions and it’s so tempting to take the easy road. We yield little by little. We miss a worship service; we get lax about our Bible study; we cut a few corners and we neglect our prayer life. But these excuses won’t work.
Don’t wait until everything is just right. It will never be perfect. There will always be challenges, obstacles and less than perfect conditions. So what. Get started now. With each step you take, you will grow stronger and stronger, more and more skilled, more and more self-confident and more and more successful. Mark Victor Hansen
So, when we face temptations with tough choices and vital decisions, Let me suggest 5 things we can do: 1st, we can avoid them. This means we must know our personal weaknesses and circumstances and just don’t get into those situations. 2nd, we can escape them. We must be able to identify bad conditions and get away at once. 3rd, we can resist them. This means refusing to go along. face the problem. Reason, study and express your fixed belief concerning the issue. 4th, we can switch an activity. This means we must divert ourselves with a positive action. Do something else. Replace the negative behavior with a positive behavior. 5th, we can use the temptation. This means we must rescue the insights and learn the lessons involved. Remember Paul said, II COR. 11:30; 12:9-10.
If we stay close to God we can let temptations teach us and strengthen us. But if we stray away from God, temptations will destroy us. Dr. Robert Schuller said, "I have a favorite radio station that I listen to. When I’m traveling, one of the things I miss most is that I can’t pick up my favorite station. Now, is the station dead? Has it quit running? Is my radio not broke? No! The station is still on the air, and my radio I okay. I’m just too far away to pick up the signal." That’s what happens to us. To overcome temptation we must stay in tune with God’s Spirit. Jesus descended from the peak of glory to that lowly position that he might raise us from our lowly position to his glory. He endured a human birth to give us a new, spiritual birth. He occupied a stable that we might occupy a mansion. He had an earthly mother so that we might have a Heavenly Father. He became a servant that we might be free. He left his glory to give us glory. He became poor that we might be rich. Shepherds welcomed him at his birth so that we might be welcomed by angels at ours. He was hunted by Herod that we might be delivered from the grasp of Satan. That is the great paradox of the Christmas story: the reversal of roles at God’s cost, for our benefit." Gary Vanderet
