In Luke 10 Jesus sent 72 of His disciples out to the towns to share the Gospel and minister to the needs of the people.
• Luke 10:17 “The seventy-two returned with joy and said, "Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”
• Jesus replied in verse 18: “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. 20However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
Billy Graham says it right: “The will of God will not take us where the grace of God cannot sustain us.”
• Where God leads you, He will keep you. He will enable you. He will not lead you to a place to see you FALL.
• James 1:13-14 “When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.”
• It will not be God, it will not be the circumstances, but our own desires. We are not victims of the circumstances; we are just victims of the bad choices we make.
1 John 4:4 “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”
• In the next chapter - 1 John 5:4 “…for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.”
• God has given us the assurance of victory in Christ. Our faith in Him will ensure victory, because the One who is with us is greater than the one who is in the world.
We are overcomers in Christ. You are not becoming one, you ARE one.
• We can win over temptations and be victorious.
We all face temptations in life – situations that cause us to lose faith in God, stray from what is right and into sin, away from doing the will of God.
• Temptation is a fact of life for everyone, including Jesus. His first experience when He started ministry was temptations in the wilderness.
Temptations need not have to be baits that lures us into something blatantly evil or sinful.
• A look at Jesus’ experience and Adam and Eve’s experience, tell us temptation can come in very subtle forms – deceiving us into mistrusting God.
• When people face a tragedy or are stricken with a horrible disease (like Job), they can be led to resent God. They ends up hating God and blaming Him for their misfortunes.
• If that happens, they have fallen into the devil’s ploy.
Yet there are those who, despite the tragic events and the urge to “curse God”, have chosen to remain faithful.
• They have chosen to think otherwise, and rely instead on God for the strength to pull through.
• They weathered through the storm and came out with an even stronger love for God.
Why the difference? Why are some people able to withstand temptations better (or so it seems)? Why some come through the ordeal unscathed while others can be badly ruined by it?
• The answer lies in our understanding of the truth of God’s Word, revealed in 1 Cor 10:13 - the memory verse for lesson 3 – Assurance of Victory.
• “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.”
God has given us what we need to “overcome all the power of the enemy” (Luke 10:18)
Those who remain strong are the ones who cling on to this truth – they know God is faithful and that in Him, victory is assured. They can overcome.
While those who fall, do so because they believe otherwise. They believe in the devil’s lies, the opposites to what is being said here.
• Satan has been doing that since the fall in the Garden of Eden - twisting God’s truth, telling us lies and making them sound true.
• Turn these 3 lines around and we can expose his lies.
Lie #1: NO ONE ELSE GOES THROUGH WHAT I’M GOING THROUGH
“No temptation has seized you except what is common to man.”
I am the only one suffering, and to such a degree. You pity yourself.
Firstly, this thought not only cast doubt on God’s goodness – that He puts you through something that no one else goes through.
• Satan would love to convince you that you are alone in it. This thought will distant you from God.
Secondly, it “justifies” your fall. It gives you the excuse you need.
• “I am like this because of the situation you put me through. I fall because my temptation is greater. Don’t blame me, I’m quite helpless in this.”
• When we justify our actions, we are absolving ourselves from guilt. If there is no sense of guilt, we are not going to repent.
• It drives a wedge between you and God. Consequently, we are not going to experience God’s forgiveness and His love.
• We are spiralling away from God. The devil wins.
Listen to what God says. You are never the odd one out. Everyone faces the same challenges, at different times, and in different ways.
• And that is still not the most important part. We all have the same resource.
• God has made Himself available in Jesus Christ. You are not alone. And you are not without help.
• No one can say he is all alone in this. So don’t pity yourself, don’t make yourself the special one, don’t ostracise yourself. We are falling into the devil’s trap.
God has given us the church, the Body of Christ. His Body of believers is our help and protection. By His grace, we shall overcome. No one needs to fall.
RENEW YOUR MIND WITH THE TRUTH OF GOD’S WORD
Lie #2: THE TEMPTATION IS TOO STRONG FOR ME TO RESIST
“God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.”
God puts it straight to you here – no temptation is ever going to be overpowering.
• He puts limits on the extent of the temptations you face. There is a ceiling, there is a cap, a lid on what He will allow in the life of one of His own.
• This is the good news - God knows exactly what your breaking point is. And because He is merciful, He will never let the temptation get beyond that point.
• All our breaking points are different, but God knows YOUR breaking point!
Warren W. Wiersbe: “When you are in the furnace, your Father keeps His eye on the clock and His hand on the thermostat. He knows just how much we can take.”
• In other words, if you are being tempted, it will be a temptation that you are strong enough to resist and overcome! Otherwise, God would not have allowed it.
• He would be lying here if it happens otherwise. God is faithful. He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.
The reason why we fall is because we have gotten to believe otherwise. We believe the lie that we cannot, that we will never make it.
• The battle is already over even before we fight, because you believe you are going to lose!
• We have chosen to believe the lie, and not what God says. Faith will be our victory.
Why do we fall for such a lie so easily?
• We fall for it because we were once like that before we come to know Christ.
• We were sinners enslaved to sin. We could not help it (in the past). We were then completely helpless in fending off the evil one and sin.
But then Jesus came! Jesus came to redeem us and set us free, which He did. We are now set free from the bondage of sin.
• Not everyone believes that. The ones who believe will win the fight.
• It’s like the Japanese soldier who fought in World War II on the island of Guam. The war was over but not for him. He stayed in the thick of the jungle until his commander came looking for him. From 1945 to 1982, he stayed for another 37 years! It was a self-imposed bondage. He refused to believe the good news.
The ones who don’t will feel powerless and weak, because they’ve already convinced themselves that they cannot.
• Circus trainers understand this. In the circus, you’re see huge elephants tied to a pole. When the elephant was young, she tried but could not break free. She tried many times, but finally resolved to her fate. Over the years, she grew and became strong. She is now a huge elephant and can easily break free from the pole that holds her. But she makes no attempt. Her past experience has made her to believe that this is never going to be possible.
What do you really believe today?
• The temptation is not great. We MAKE IT LOOK great because we succumb to it by choice.
• We have decided that the power of Christ is no match for it. So we give in to it.
• The more I give in to it - one time, two time, a third time - the more I am reinforcing the lie that I cannot. I really cannot, you see, I’ve already failed 3 times!
Don’t blame God for the fall. We are the ones who allow it by giving in to it.
EXERCISE FAITH IN WHAT GOD HAS REVEALED
Lie #3: THERE IS NO WAY OUT, EXCEPT TO GIVE IN
“When you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”
Who provides? God. In every temptation, there will also be a path to victory. God assures it.
• God did not promise us there won’t be any temptations. We are in a spiritual war, with the devil working against us.
• There will be trials and temptations, but God has assured us we can overcome.
• He will see us through, because He will make a way out for us.
Joseph had this experience first-hand. When he was serving in the Potiphar’s house, Potiphar’s wife tempted him but he ran away. He was framed and imprisoned for 14 years, eventually.
You see, the choice to stay faithful to God does not mean it is easy. God did not say the way out is the easy way. Joseph paid a price for his integrity. But it doesn’t matter. It’s the right way, the blessed way.
We see how God rewards his faithfulness. He was elevated to become the second-in-command of all of Egypt. God showed him the need to prepare for a great famine and that saved his entire family. And they were reunited. God rewards the faithful!
TAKE THE WAY OUT THAT GOD HAS PROVIDED in every tempting situations. Look for it. It is there!
