Defeating Temptation
#makingitreal (3)
Real Faith is grounded in the resurrection of Jesus and it results in a new life, a new purpose and a new identity (as a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ)!
Real Faith turns trials into triumphs.
When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
16 Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. 17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. 18 He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created. – James 1:13-18
Prayer
HEY– I want to begin today by taking a look at the stuff on this table. UNDERSTAND – what you see on this table, are instruments of death. I picked them up at Lowes this week.
NOW – most bugs don’t know it… BUT – they have an enemy.
AN ENEMY – that is bigger, smarter, faster, stronger and more determined than they are. AN ENEMY – that stays up late at night and invests large sums of money to figure out ways that they can lure little bugs and other pests to their death.
AND – on this table are some of the methods that this enemy has come up with.
AND UNDERSTAND – bugs will choose to enter into these things. THEY - will choose the very things that will lead to their death. QUESTION – why do they do that? WHY - would they choose to enter into something that is designed to kill them.
WELL YOU SEE – their enemy has done extensive research and in that research they have discovered that you cannot say to a bug or any other pest… “Choose death” and have them choose it… THEREFORE – everyone of these things involve deception… THEY – involve the promise of life. YEAH – a bug looks at them and thinks, “boy that sure looks good, it smells good… and I bet it tastes even better.
OKAY – let’s take a look at some of these instruments of death…
(I PUT IMAGES OF THESE PRODUCTS ON THE SCREEN)
MaxAttrax Ant Bait
HOME DEFENSE FLY BAIT DECAL
TOMCAT GLUE TRAPS
these really work…
TOMCAT MOUSE KILLER II
ROACH MOTEL (Roaches check in… but they don’t check out)
Stinger Outdoor Insect Killer…
“A 40 watt ultraviolet light excites insects and lures them into the electric grid, where they are electrocuted and fall harmlessly to the ground.” Got to love it.
YOU SEE – bugs look at the light and they think, “wow, that really is a cool looking light, it’s awesome, so beautiful. YOU KNOW - I think I’ll just cruise on over for a closer look… then zap. They are toast, literally…
OKAY – humor me for a minute…
(like you haven’t already, right? Or like you don’t every Sunday)… BUT – anyhow let’s walk down that ‘humor Steve’ path again… LET’S TRY - to get inside a bugs head and think like a bug.
NOW – you would think that after awhile, these bugs would wise up. I MEAN - you’d think, that they would notice that lying in the tray underneath the light, are the bodies of hundreds of their little friends… Other impulsive bugs who have gone before them.
AND UNDERSTAND – being electrocuted… dead… toasted… on the bottom of a bug ZAPPER is not, anywhere close to where they intended to end up.
BUT – as we know from a pervious study (many years ago)
It’s DIRECTION not intention that determines our destination.
BUT STILL – you would think that there would be at least one thoughtful bug, who would say, “Whoa!!!! Wait a minute. I’m not just going to blindly follow my desires.
YEAH - I’m starting to see a pattern here, All my friends who have flown that way, they never come back. NO - I’m not going to fly any…closer….. but it really is a beautiful light…. ZAP!!!
BUT – no bug ever does…
APPARENTLY – they all say to themselves,
“I know what I am doing. I’m strong enough. I’m smarter than they others guys lying in the bottom the bottom of the tray. I’m much too clever. I can handle this attraction without getting ZAPPED.
YEAH EVEN IF - everyone else gets ZAPPED – I never will.
AND – we know what happens, don’t we.
WE KNOW - the rest of the story, they like their friends end up at the bottom of the tray, dead – electrocuted, crispy fried - by a 40 watt ultraviolet light bulb… YES - there are ways that seem right to a bug, but they only end in death…
BUT ONLY – a bug would be that stupid, right?
Only a bug would go flying mindlessly into the same trap that countless other bugs have died in, right?
BUT - Unfortunately we know this is not the case.
I MEAN – if we listen closely we will hear it.
Hear what? The sound of the 40 watt ultraviolet light of the world crackling like a bowl of rice crispies as you pour milk on them.
Snap, crackled, pop, ZAP! ZAP!
Political leaders… ZAP!
Pastors and church leaders… ZAP! Wealthy athletes… ZAP!
UNDERSTAND - Temptation is no respecter of persons.
YES - Temptation is one of the great equalizers in our world and no one escapes it’s pull.
Billy Graham’s grandson Tullian Tchividjian (June 21, 2015)
Warren Sapp
AGAIN – Temptation, Zapping is no respecter of persons…
• The Rich… ZAP!
• The poor… ZAP
• Teenagers… ZAP!
• The elderly… ZAP
• Construction workers, teachers, home makers, students, pastors, doctors, nurses, salesmen, business leaders, republicans, democrats, Christians, non Christians
ZAP! ZAP! ZAP! ZAP! ZAP! ZAP! ZAP!
OKAY – let me show you another instrument of death (apple).
DOES ANYBODY – want to guess what kind of bug this one catches?
NOW – the book of Genesis doesn’t say what kind of fruit it was (my belief is that it was an onion, which was the most delicious fruits on the planet until the fall)
BUT - we are told that there was a tree that grew fruit and that it was forbidden...
AND – in Genesis 3:6 when the woman, when Eve saw that the fruit of the tree was; good for food, pleasing to the eye and desirable for wisdom – she flew into the light and was zapped! And so was her husband (Adam) who was flying right beside her.
NOW – you’ve got to wonder. Every time you hear about another person who falls into temptation… Who destroys their life, wrecks their marriage, rocks their family, turns upside down their world and does serious damage to their soul…
WHY – does it happen…? I MEAN – WHY do we choose to violate our values? WHY do we voluntarily give in to what we know is going to be destructive? WHY do we fly into the light?
WHY do intelligent people who really do love God, engage in actions, attitudes and behaviors that they know (are destructive, pull them away from God and that they will later (most likely) be ashamed of? WHY???
UNDERSTAND – the bible says that a HUGE part of the reason is that like the bugs we talked about earlier… we have an enemy.
AND MGGG… IF – we want to defeat temptation.
ONE – of the key things is you need to…
Know Your Enemy
AND LISTEN – our enemy is bigger, faster, stronger, smarter and more determined than we are…
AND SINCE – Genesis chapter 3 he has stayed up night and day,
he stays up light at night looking for way to lure us in…
and ZAP us!
UNDERSTAND – the bible is very clear on this…
TIM… LAURIE… you may not know it. You may not like it. You may not want to think about it. You may want to ignore it. You may think this is just ‘church talk’ and no big deal… BUT - the truth is you have an enemy.
AN ENEMY - who hates you… and longs to destroy you…
AN ENEMY – who wants to see you (electrocuted, dead, toasted) on the bottom of his tray.
“I have an enemy, and he is – smarter, stronger, faster and more determined than I am…”
WE HAVE – an enemy.
THIS - church has an enemy, your marriage has an enemy – your children have an enemy – your friends have an enemy… the people around you in this room have an enemy… AN ENEMY - that is even now making plans for your destruction…
QUESTION – who here believes that the bible is true? WHO HERE – believes that we can trust what it says?
AWESOME!
OKAY – checkout what the bible says about our enemy.
The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy… - Jn 10:10
“steal” “kill” “Destroy”
LOOK UP…
THAT is what the thief,
THAT is what your enemy,
THAT is what satan wants to do to your life , and the lives of those you love (steal, kill & destroy)
AND as we look around us, as we gaze at the bottom of his tray – it obvious that he is doing a pretty good job accomplishing that purpose…
Snap, crackled, pop, ZAP! ZAP!
PETER – also talked about this enemy in 1 Pe 5:8…
Be careful! Watch out for attacks from the devil, your great enemy. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some victim to devour. 1 Pe 5:8 (NLT)
(I HAD A PICTURE OF A LION ATTACKING A LAMB)
UNDERSTAND – satan IS our great enemy… AND he prowls around like a roaring what? A roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
QUESTION - do you see the picture? A lion in the bushes, watching his prey – looking for those who are weak or straggling behind – waiting for the right moment.
AND when he finds what he is looking for he pounces and devours them…
HEY – here is a warm and not so fuzzy thought…
THIS LION – is prowling around our lives, this room at this very moment…
IF – you want to defeat temptation you must KNOW your enemy and you must KNOW that
Death and destruction is his goal
Sin, when it is full-grown,
gives birth to death… James 1:15
Death = Separation (spiritual death is separation from God)
We must know our enemy and that death and destruction is his goal
And that…
Temptation is his game
Temptation is how he gets it done.
AND – in our text James tells us how temptation works, how it always follows the same pattern…
"...but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and sin when it is full-grown, gives birth to death...."
Step 1: The Bait is dropped (always involves deception)
Step 2: Your inner desire is attracted to the bait.
Step 3; Sin occurs when we yield - when we bite the bait.
Step 4: Sin when full grown gives birth to death
AND NOTICE – that this path to death always begins when the bait is dropped…
NOW - the word "dragged away" carries with it the idea of the baiting of a trap, and the word "enticed" in the original Greek meant "to bait a hook."
AND LISTEN - when it is important to use a bait that interests and entices the fish you are trying to catch.
Bluegills – worms/insects
Bass – crayfish
Crappie – minnows
Carp/catfish – dough balls
Bestbaitforfishing.com
Sexual sin
Anger
Greed for money
Bitterness
Gossip, slander, malice
OKAY
Here is this fish, safe casual doing what ever fish do, then the bait is dropped. And the fish thinks "wow, that sure looks great...I’d like to have me some of that" Now at this point the fish has a decision to make, he can stay away, or he can go after the bait. AND LISTEN - if he chooses the later we all know where he ends up... on a hook then on a plate at Red Lobster or Bone Fish Grill
MGCC
That’s exactly the way temptation works with us - the bait is dropped and it is something that looks good to us, appeals to us, interests us.
We want to have it, we want to behave that way.
And we have a choice to make as we look at the bait dangling on the hook.... To bite or not to bite....
Now notice when sins occurs - it occurs at step 3.
IF - we cut it off before then, we are okay...
For you see, to be tempted is not a sin..... (Heb 4:15)
NOW - in the Old Testament we find 2 men (2 fish) who both had bait dropped right in front of their eyes; a bait that looked good to them, interested them, appealed to them.......one saw the danger and swam away, the other bit the bait and ended up in the frying pan.
2 Samuel 11:1-4 - (David bite the bait)
In Genesis 39:1-12 - (Joseph ran from temptation)
AGAIN - The bait is dropped. Here is a single man, alone in Potiphar’s house. And she wants him Nothing subtle about Mrs Potiphar! But Joseph refused
I like that! He took off. He ran like mad. She got the garment and he (eventually) got his reward. By the way there is a name for folks who linger and try to reason with temptation - VICTIM.
AGAIN – to defeat temptation you have to know your enemy.
AND – know that…
Death and destruction is his goal
AND temptation is his game
Know Our Responsibility
When Tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but Each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. – James 1:13,14
God is perfectly sinless, he permits temptation but he never directs temptation. James is saying that the responsibility for our sin and our response to temptation, lies fully on us. There is no one else to blame. Not even satan. It is all on us.
How are you at accepting responsibility for your actions? When you do something wrong do you admit it, or do you blame someone else?
You get a bad grade in school -- it was the teachers fault....
You get angry and lose control -- it was their fault.... (they made me do it)
There is an epidemic in our society of people failing to take responsibility for their actions, and inactions.
Everyone blames everyone -- it really wasn’t my fault…
Understand that it is not an accident that James right after talking about trials talks about temptation.
Writer & speaker Joni Erickson Tada was paralyzed from the neck down in a diving accident. In her book Secret Strength, Joni wrote about facing temptation.
"I was in my late 20’s, single, and with every prospect of remaining so. Sometimes lust or a bit of fantasizing would seem so inviting and so easy to justify. After all, hadn’t I already given up more than most Christians just by being disabled? Didn’t my wheelchair entitle me to a little slack now and then?"
Joni went on the ask her readers;
"When God allows you to suffer, do you have tendency to use your trials as an excuse for sinning? Or do you feel that since you’ve given God a little extra lately by taking abuse, that He owes you a "day off?"
Hard times can often lead to temptation... In our suffering the evil one is quick to come to our aid and offer one of his solutions; pursuing pleasure to numb the pain, coping an attitude, becoming bitter, getting even, feeding anger...
It’s you responsibility to…
Starve Temptation, Don’t Feed It
"Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life, and offer your the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness..."
- Romans 6:13
UNDERSTAND - this as an active thing. God does not only give us a negative command, "Do not offer the parts of your body to sin as instrument of wickedness..."
BUT - He also gives us a positive command, "present yourselves to God...offer the parts of your body to him!" Don’t just try to peacefully co-exist with temptation come out against it...
NOW – if we are honest most of us would have to admit that we tend to play around with things that lead to sin....
A mother told her son not to go swimming. However, when he came into the house his mother noticed that his hair and bathing suit were wet. "Johnnie," his mother scolded, "I told you not to go swimming." "I couldn’t help it mom," he defended himself. "The water looked so good." "But why did you take your bathing suit with you?" "In case I was tempted."
It’s like the overweight guy who decided that it was time to lose weight. He took his new diet seriously, even changing his driving route to avoid his favorite bakery. One morning, however he arrived at work carrying 3 boxes of donuts.
He explained. "I accidentally drove by the bakery this morning and there they were ‘hot and fresh’ in the window. I felt this was no accident so I prayed, `Lord if you want me to have on of those donuts, let me find a parking place directly in front of the bakery.’
"And sure enough," he continued, "the 8th time around the block, there it was!"
On the TV show "Hee Haw" (yeah I know it was before your time)... But in one clip Doctor Campbell is confronted by a patient who says that he broke his arm in 2 places... And Doctor Campbell had some simple but wise advise, "well then stay out of those 2 places..."
YEAH - there are places we need to stay out of too... amen?
IF – you miss around with fire long enough, eventually you will get burned.
Again we tend to play around with temptation; brining our bathing suit, hanging out near it’s edge, driving around the block 8 times.
Let me be more specific;
If certain movies make you weak and bring within you certain desires that you can’t handle, you’re not counteracting temptation, you’re feeding it! Fertilizing it! Promoting it!
(Internet - pornography) a big problem today for many Christian men..
If you are weakened by relationships that you have with certain people - you need to avoid them.
Young people & single people; if you place yourself in a vulnerable situation with someone of the opposite sex, alone in a house or somewhere…
If you have a problem with drinking don’t go to certain parties
Temptation to sin (which when full grown leads to death) is nothing to play around with - there are places, and situations you need to stay out of. David didn’t counteract temptation he tolerated it - he knew exactly what he was going to see when he went up to that roof top (he even took his bathing suit with him in case he was tempted)- David played around with the things that made him weak.
Listen to the words of Dag Hammarskjold , Secretary General to the United Nations in the mid to late 1950’s;
You cannot play with the animal in you without becoming wholly animal, play with falsehood without forfeiting your right to truth, play with cruelty without losing your sensitivity of mind. He who wants to keep his garden tidy doesn’t reserve plot for weeds.
It’s you responsibility to…
Use The Right Resistance
UNDERSTAND - just as all sickness is not cured by the same medication, not all temptation is handled by the same resistance. We must fit the resistance to the attack.
When dealing with sensual temptation we are told to flee, run, to get out of Dodge (busy cattle town late 1900’s full of gunfights) as quick as you can there!
That is what Joseph did.
If we stay and try to fight it, if we kid ourselves and say that we can handle it we will fall victim to it...
Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body but he who sins sexually sins against his own body... - 1 Cor 6:18
Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. - 2 Tim 2:22
If we are tempted to gossip and slander someone, God has an answer for that too, don’t do it – keep your mouth closed.
You say, "well, that’s one way." No that’s the only way!
A bridle isn’t an answer for gossip-you need a muzzle.
Stop talking about them.
Say nothing…
Later in James we read…
If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless. – James 1:26
The tongue is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. – James 3:8
Don’t kid yourself into saying, "we just need to do it so we can pray more intelligently" or because you are so concerned for them that you feel it’s your duty to tell someone about those awful things happening in someone’s life. No you tell the Lord. He will keep it a secret.
If it’s confidential, if you can’t trace the source of the information, if you don’t have the okay from the person you are taking about, then keep your mouth shut!
Sensual sin --- run
Gossip, slander --- hold your tongue
Laziness --- work
Bitterness --- forgive
Hold back and not give the Lord what is his ---- give
It’s your responsibility to…
Remind Yourself Of The Final Pain That Will Soon Replace The Passing Pleasure
That is exactly what Moses did when he choose life with God’s people over the luxury of life with the Egyptians;
"By faith Moses when he had grown up, refused to be know as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He choose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time...." - Heb 11:24,25
Is sin pleasurable? You bet it is. So much so that people will risk their reputations, their careers, even their families just to taste it’s flavor. If the bait on the hook did not look like something good to eat then the fish would never bite the hook. Sin is fun - does feel good.
You see, though pleasurable this enjoyment lasts only a short time - you have your kicks and then your kick backs. You sow and then you reap what you sow.
Committing adultery or having pre-marital sex may seem pleasurable at the time; but when the marriage is ruined, you see the kids just on weekends, OR you contract a STD, OR you have an unwanted pregnancy at 16, OR you are hooked up to life support in the final stages of aids... you find out that the pain sure has out weighed the pleasure.
Getting trashed on the weekends may seem like a good time, "party on" but when you see the blue flashing lights, or wrapped you car around a tree killing your friends and the mother and the three children in the car next to you, or you are spending 2 months in a rehab center - the pleasure was not worth..
Do you think David experienced pleasure that night with Bathsheba? Sure he did, but do you think it was worth it to him when, his child died and the guilt ate him stealing his strength, energy and joy. "Then after desire is conceived, it gives birth to sin, and sin when it is full grown gives birth to death"
"Death" Have you ever seen someone slowly die from a disease, it is not pretty - that’s what sin does to you spiritually...
"It is your evil that separated you from God. Your sins cause Him to turn away from you, so he does not hear you..." Is 59:2
When sin looks so appealing to us - when it’s pleasure is tangling on a hook right in front of us we have to remind ourselves that the pleasure of sin is temporary – and laying on the bottom of the bug tray is not a good time. And we need to use this truth to help control the desire.
Dietrick Bonhoeffer a German Lutheran theologian was hung by the Nazi SS Black guards on April 9, 1945 at the ag of 39. He was devoted to Christ and a distinguished scholar. He wrote a manuscript on temptation and desire here he part of what he said;
"Once desire is kindled it burns like a raging fire and seizes mastery of the flesh. It makes no difference whether it is sexual desire, or ambition, or vanity, or desire for revenge, or love of fame and power, or greed for money or finally that strange desire for the beauty for he world, at this point joy in God is extinguished in us and we seek only our own joy. Satan here does not fill us with hatred of God but with forgetfulness of God....
I think we all have been there more than once - with God on one side and sin with it’s pleasures on the other side... And we are standing smack dab in the middle... And we begin to yield to temptation and we forget about God... the scales are tipped and satan wins. We must at these times remember the pleasure of sin is temporary. AND the pain of sin is deadly..
Ask Adam & Eve, they desired the fruit because of what it could do for them and because it looked liked it tasted good... Was it worth it?
It’s your responsibility to…
Fill Your Mind With Scripture
When the devil launched his full scale attack on Jesus (Mt 4:4-11), Jesus withstood temptation by using scripture.. "It is written....."
"How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according your word....I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you..." Ps 119:9,11
These are familiar but strong words. When the Word of God is stored up in our minds, it stands ready to strike. No weapon can stand against the truth.
"...each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not like the heathen who do not know God...for God did not call us to be impure but to live a holy life." 1 Thess 4:4,5,7
"For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Some people eager for money have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many grief’s." 1 Tim 6:10
If you struggle with a particular sin, find a verse that deals with it - memorize it and use it to quench the flames of temptation.
Know Your God
He Is Holy (tests but never tempts)
When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone…
He is the source of every ‘good’ thing
Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. 17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights… -
He is steady, sure and unchanging
who does not change like shifting shadows.
His goal for us is new birth and salvation
He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits of all he created.
