Victory!
Matthew 6:13
First Baptist Chenoa
Pastor Jefferson M. Williams
3-31-19
Marshmallow Test Video
This morning, we come to the end of our series on what we call The Lord’s Prayer.
Like the disciples, we have sensed our need to grow in the area of prayer and intimacy with the Father.
We have learned that we are a part of a huge family, that God chose to adopt us as His children, and that He is the mighty and majestic King. Daily we ask that His Name be hallowed, exalted, and revered in our lives and the world. We have prayed for His kingdom to come in our lives, in the world, and in our churches. We have go all in and ask that His will be done in our lives as it already is in heaven.
We’ve learned to depend on Him for our daily bread and all that we need. And last week, we experienced an incredible move of the Spirit as we sought forgiveness for ourselves and the strength to extend that same amazing grace to people who have sinned against us.
This morning, we will be studying the last petition:
“Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the Evil One.” (Matthew 6:13)
Standing on the Promises
We are going to look to at several passages of Scripture and answer some very practical questions this morning.
* Is being tempted a sin?
* Why is temptation so powerful?
* What’s the root cause of temptation?
* What are some practical ways of avoiding temptation?
* Can we actually have “victory” over temptation in this life?
Join me as I pray for the Spirit to do His work today.
What is Temptation?
The Greek word for temptation means “a test.” Temptations come through trails, tests, and disappointments. God does not tempt us, we’ll see that in just a minute, but He does allow us to experience testing to grow our faith and strengthen our resolve to serve Him.
But these trials can be used by the Evil One to tempt us. These temptations serve his purpose to draw us away from God and, ultimately, destroy us.
John MacArthur paraphrases this verse:
“Lord if you can spare me from this trial, please do it. But if I have to go through the trial then please deliver me from the evil potential that is there.”
This is shepherd language. Lord, lead us…
Temptation is an ever-present reality. But it’s been that from the beginning. When Cain was seething with anger and thinking about killing his brother, God says,
“Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.” (Gen 4:7-8)
The World, the Flesh, and the Devil
Throughout the centuries, theologians have focused on three areas that can bring temptation into our lives – the world, the flesh, and the devil.
When we talk about “the world,” it does not mean the earth or the globe. The word is “cosmos” and means system or order. Literally, it’s the system of thinking that permeates this world that is opposed to God.
The apostle John wrote:
“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world – the craving of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does – comes not from the Father but from the world.” (I John 2:15-16)
James, the brother of Jesus wrote:
“Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.” (James 4:4)
When we hear the word “flesh” we often think of our skin but the Bible defines our “flesh” in terms of our inclination to do evil. It is in our nature to sin. To paraphrase Lady Gaga, we are all born this way!
It is so easy to blame God, or anyone else, for our own evil desires. James makes it clear that God does not tempt us but that our own evil desires often lead us to the path of destruction:
“When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’ For God can not 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. Then after desire has conceived it gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” (James 1:13-15)
The third source of temptation is a person the Bible calls, “The Devil.” Some of you are old enough to remember Flip Wilson’s old line, “The Devil made me do it!” That’s funny, but just not true. The devil cannot make us sin. He can entice us, he can bait the hook, he can whisper in our ear, he can arrange circumstances, and he can accuse us, (in fact that one of his main hobbies – he’s called the “accuser of the brethren”), but he cannot force us to sin.
Satan, another name for the Devil, is not a mythical creature in a red jumpsuit with horns and a pitchfork.
Peter describes him as a “roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (I Peter 5:8)
Jesus describes him as a “thief who comes only to steal, kill, and destroy.” (John 10:10)
I read an interesting article this week that tried to put Dante’s concept of satan into modern day thinking. He said that satan is like Katy Perry’s song “Roar.” Satan likes to hear himself roar and he wants you to roar against God. He is also like Michael Scott of The Office – absurdly self-important. And finally, we is like the self-help guru Tony Robbins – he wants you to trust in the goodness inside of yourself.
He wants to steal your dreams, kill your hope, and destroy your soul. He wants you to take the bait of temptation. He’s patient and tactful.
But he’s also woefully uncreative.
The same temptation he used to bait Adam and Eve, he still uses today.
The same temptations he attempted to bait Jesus with, he still uses today.
As Solomon wrote in his journal, there is truly “nothing new under the sun.”
Turn with me quickly to Genesis 3.
Introducing Doubt
The scene is one of absolute pristine purity. The man and his wife were “naked and not ashamed.” This implies that they had no secrets, from each other or from God, no shame, nothing to hide. God had given them the best present He could give – His Presence with them in the garden. He had given them only one prohibition – “do not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.” (Gen 2:17) I’m sure that Adam looked at Eve and said, “What’s die mean?”
Then, in chapter three, we see a slithering snake coiled around Eve’s feet. Look at verse one, “Did God really say?”
Satan is introducing Eve to a temptation that, up until that time, she had not even fathomed. He calls into question…God’s goodness.
Listen to his response to Eve:
“’You will not surely die,’ the serpent said to the woman. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Gen 3:4-5)
In other words, “God is holding out of you, Eve. He doesn’t have your best interest at heart. He wants to keep you down. He’s not really as good as He says He is.”
Adam and Eve took the bait, hook, line, and sinker and plunged the human race into mud pit of sin and selfishness. She believed the lie. Satan didn’t make her eat the apple. He just dangled the bait out in front of her.
“When the woman saw the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some of it and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened…” (Gen 3:6-7)
Adam and Eve questioned God’s goodness. This is still one of Satan’s primary schemes. If he can get us to question God’s goodness, then we will be more prone fall to temptation. If we don’t really trust that God has our best interest at heart, that He loves us unconditionally, and that He is Good, with a capital “G,” then we will be blinded from the way of victory.
Desert Temptations
Fast forward with me to the New Testament book of Luke, chapter four.
In the previous chapter, John the Baptist had baptized Jesus in the Jordan and “heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on Him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, whom I love; with You I am well pleased.” (Luke 3:22)
Luke four begins, with Jesus, still dripping wet from the baptism, being “lead by the Spirit into the desert, where for forty days He was tempted my the devil.” (Luke 4:1)
Although Jesus was tempted the entire forty days in the wilderness, we are given three specific temptations that satan throws at Him. These temptations are the same areas of temptations that he still tries to hook us with even today.
The Devil begins with the same temptation strategy that he used in the garden again the first Adam.
Look at verse three:
“If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” (Luke 4:3)
If you are…
Again, trying to introduce doubt. Mark Driscoll says, “Identity determines biography.” Satan was saying, “Jesus, are you sure about this thing? Are you sure God really loves you? Are you sure about the mission you’ve been sent on?”
Jesus had not eaten in forty days. Although He was fully God, He was also fully man. Jesus was hungry.
Obviously, Jesus could do this. He turned water into wine not long after this event. But there was something deeper going on than just bread.
There is nothing sinful about eating bread. But the temptation is real because the stuff is so good! Think of Jesus’ day and what they ate. Jesus probably ate bread on a daily basis. He probably could close His eyes and smell the aroma of warm bread cooking over the fire. It was a legitimate desire.
But, Satan wanted Jesus to use His powers to satisfy his hunger. He wanted Jesus to see God as a means to an end.
Adam and Eve had obeyed him, now he was expecting Jesus to do the same.
Jesus’ answer is powerfully simple:
Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone.” (Luke 4:4)
Jesus recognizes that man does live on bread. He knows the pangs of being hungry. He knows that we have desires that are strong. But He also knows if we don’t fulfill these desires God’s way, then they can become very destructive. That’s why He added the word, “alone.”
Adam was in a Garden. Jesus was in a desert. Adam was surrounded by food. Jesus hadn’t eaten in forty days. Adam took the bait. Jesus did not!
He quoted Scripture. Not off an index card or out of a concordance. From deep inside His soul, Moses’ words bubbled to the surface.
He provide the example for us. Martin Luther, in my favorite hymn, wrote:
And thought this world with devils filled, should threaten to undo us, we will not fear, for God hath willed, His truth to triumph through us. The prince of darkness grim, we tremble not for him, his rage we can endure, for lo his doom is sure, one little word shall fell him.
Jesus did not take the bait. What’s the bait?
To try to fulfill our desires outside of the way God intended them to be fulfilled. Food is good but can lead to gluttony. Sleep is good but can lead to slothfulness. Sex is good but can lead to broken hearts and broken lives.
The second temptation seemed to follow right on the heels of the first one.
“The devil took Him up to a high place and showed Him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And he said to Him, ‘I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. So if you worship me, it will all be yours.” (Luke 4:5-7)
Satan controls this present age, and he offers Jesus a cut of the power. Satan made Adam an offer and he bit, literally. Satan made Jesus the same offer.
“Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’” (Luke 4:8)
Again, there is something much deeper going on here than just whose going to over some earthly kingdoms. It is all about the worship issue.
Satan is offering Jesus a kingdom without the cross. He’s saying, “This “whole dying on the cross for everyone’s sins” thing is too much for you. It’s not fair that your Father would ask you to do that. Forget that and rule with me.”
Satan knew that the cross was his defeat and he would offer Jesus anything to keep Him from going to the cross and winning us back!
He still baits this hook today. Again, as I said above, it is a worship issue. Satan wants us to worship him. He offers us the world on a silver platter; the only cost is our souls. He wants us to be dazzled by the lights and miss out on the cross. He’s like a great magician; great at misdirection.
Forget the suffering path, he whispers, take the party path.
The last temptation takes place on the highest point of the Temple in Jerusalem:
“If you are the Son of God…throw yourself down from here. For it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; they will lift you up in their hands; so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.” (Luke 4:9-11)
Jesus and satan stood on the top of the Temple building in the heart of the bustling city of Jerusalem. Satan then does a very scary thing – he quotes Scripture! Specifically, he quotes Psalm 91. This Psalm is a Messianic Psalm and point to a Savior that God will protect.
Satan says, “Ok, I know you think you are the Son of God. Let’s put it to the test. God says that he will not allow you to be hurt. So, prove it! Jump!”
There’s another, more insidious, temptation here that every one of us as experienced one time or another – the desire for vindication.
Satan whispered in Jesus’ ear: “Look at all those poor smucks down there. They don’t know you are the Messiah. In fact, they are going to mock you once you go public. It’s going to be brutal. Why not give them a show? Why not throw yourself off this roof and let them see the angels catch you? Then you could say, ‘See I TOLD you I was the Messiah!!!” They would just have shut up after that, wouldn’t they?”
Jesus answered his whisper with a deafening yell, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.” In other words, “I will do it my Father’s way. I do not need to vindicate myself. I believe God will do that, in His way, in His time, for my good, and his glory.”
He still baits that hook today and tempts us to run ahead of God and trust our own plan instead of His.
Satan still uses these temptations:
* The temptation to misuse human desires in ways that do not honor God
* the temptation to take the easy way out, avoid suffering, and worship satan for the fleeting gifts of power and glory.
* The temptation to want to be vindicated, to be proven in the right, instead of trusting God’s plan for us.
The first Adam failed the test miserably. Jesus, the second Adam, won the victory. (I Cor 15:45)
Russell Moore, in his very challenging book, “Tried and Tempted,” makes a point about Jesus’ desert temptations that had never occurred to me. In all three of the temptations, Satan was trying to step into the Father role, even to the point of offering Jesus an “inheritance” of all the world's kingdoms.
He Gets it!
Before we move on to our last section of Scripture, let’s stop and look a couple of questions:
Is it a sin to be tempted? Well, after our review of Luke 4 it’s obvious that being tempted is not a sin because Jesus was tempted, but did not sin.
More than that, the fact that Jesus was tempted, is actually really good news for us.
When we are tempted to shake our fist at heaven and yell, “You don’t know how it feels!” we can turn to the words from Hebrews that prove otherwise:
“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet was without sin. Let us approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Hebrews 4:14-16)
Jesus knows how you feel when you are tempted. He’s been there, done that. But He didn’t succumb to the temptation. He won the victory and through Him, we can as well.
We All Have Our Own Skittles
Let’s get down the practical steps of dealing with temptation. Turn with me to I Corinthians 10:13.
Paul is writing to a church that is plagued with problems. Chapter ten begins with a recap of some of the worst events in Israel’s history – stories of idolatry and rejection of God.
Paul said that these things happened as examples and were written down as warnings to us. He then gives them a warning against self-deception:
“So if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall.” (I Cor 10:12)
Let’s look carefully at the next verse:
“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind…”
Let’s stop there and dig in. Remember the word temptation means a “test.” Satan can use it as a temptation but God always uses such situations to test our resolve to follow Him.
Paul says that no temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind.
In other words, there’s nothing new under the sun!
To be tempted is to be human.
I remember talking to a young person who told me that he thought he wasn’t a “real” Christian because he keeps being tempted by the same things over and over again.
I just reminded him of the word, “sanctification,” which means that God is working in us to make us more like Jesus. He, and you and I, are all “in process” and will not be free from temptation until we die.
There is a very real temptation, (hey, another temptation!), to think that our temptations are different, are unique. When we think that way, then we can say that our temptations are harder to avoid.
But, Paul deflates that argument. We all experience the same areas of temptations. I may not be tempted by what you are tempted by and you may not be tempted by what I’m tempted by but we are all tempted by basically the same things. As a friend of my once said, “We all love our skittles. You may like the red kind and I like the blue kind, but it’s still all Skittles.
This is good news! Guess what? You are not as weird as you thought you were. Others have experienced what you are tempted by. You are not the only one.
Let me make one distinction. While the same things tempt us all, the specifics of those things change as we move toward Jesus’ return.
Let me give you an example. All humans are tempted in the area of sexuality. Men are tempted with their eyes, women with their hearts. While we may be tempted by different specific things, we are all tempted in this area. It’s part of being human and living in a fallen world.
But, the temptations are a little different for the students. They really are? Want proof?
In order to see hard-core pornography when I was 13 years old, I had to go to a shop downtown and buy a magazine in a brown paper bag. Now, obviously I didn’t do that, but my friend’s older brother did!
Now, a thirteen year old need only to sit in front of a computer screen and click his mouse and millions of hard core images are at his disposal.
It’s still a common temptation but it’s packaging is getting more user-friendly.
Let’s look a the next phrase:
“And God is faithful; he will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you can bear.”
Paul now deflates the lie that some temptations are just impossible to resist. God is faithful; you can trust Him. He knows your limits. He knows what you can take.
“But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”
Notice the word, “when.” Paul doesn’t say “if” you are tempted. Experiencing temptation is inevitable.
Paul says that God will provide you a “way out.” This word literally means “escape hatch.” God will provide you with an exit strategy. He will help you “get under the temptation and carry it,” which is what the word “endures” means.
Just Say No?
In the 80s, Nancy Reagan started a campaign against drugs whose motto was, “Just say no!” It was an overly simplistic solution to a very complicated problem. It gave kids something to say no to but not something to say yes to instead.
That’s why just encouraging people to “just say no” to their temptations is a prescription for failure. This approach presupposes that we have what it takes to beat the temptation. We don’t have it in us.
But Jesus won the victory for us and by saying yes to Him, His power is made available in our lives to deal with temptation.
Remember the world, the flesh, and the devil? Donald Barnhouse, a powerful preacher from the 1800s, gave his church three ways to deal with each of these.
When dealing with temptations of the world, the word is FAITH:
“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” (Romans 12:2)
It is by faith in God and immersing yourself in His Word that you drown out the clamoring of this world.
A young lady that use to attend our church and student ministry, was recently flown to LA to meet with the heads of Comedy Central and MTV. Both these corporations wanted to buy a sitcom she had recently written. She got to meet Hollywood stars and see the party scene up close. She was able to tell them that she was not interested in their offer. If they thought that scene would interest her, they don’t know her very well. Her sitcom was but by the Canadian Broadcasting Company and she’s moving to Toronto to start production this fall!
When dealing with the temptations of the flesh, Barnhouse’s word is “FLIGHT.”
In other words, run away!
Paul wrote to Timothy:
“Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” (2 Tim 2:22)
When Joseph was being pursued by Potiphar’s wife, Scripture said he ran away.
I was finishing up an in service to a room full of nurses, when Mike, my marketing representative, grabbed my by the arm and nearly drug me out of the room. He literally put me in the car and drove away. When I asked him what in the world was going on, he told me this story.
One of the young nurses had started asking Mike some personally questions about me. She asked him if I was married, and when he said yes, she asked, “Happily?”
At that, Mike grabbed me and drove me away from her.
If you have issues with alcohol, stay away from the bar. If you are tempted to gossip, stay away from the that group that gossips as a hobby.
When dealing with the temptations from the devil, Barnhouse’s word is “FIGHT!”
James gave us our fighting orders:
“Submit yourselves then to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Come near to God and He will come near to you.” (James 4:7)
In Ephesians, gives us our fighting weapons:
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (Ephesians 6:10-17)
John, writing in the book of Revelation, wrote:
“They [Christians] overcame [Satan] by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony…” (Rev 10:10)
Sometimes you have to do battle!
Strategy Session
To have victory over temptation, you need to prioritize what you value. We need to learn to “play it out.” Satan wants to get you stuck and make you forget everything you have to lose from saying yes to the temptation:
If I do something unethical…I could lose my job.
If I look at porn…I could lose my ability to see God clearly.
If I commit adultery…I could lose my family.
We need a strategy. We need accountability. We need the understanding that we are weak.
“Prone to wander / Lord I feel it / prone to leave the God I love
We don’t have it in us. We need accountability.
We need to be delivered. This is a word of desperation. This is a cry for rescue. He can rescue us from taking us out of temptations way, or taking the temptation out of our life, or giving us the strength to stand through it.
We need to dive deep into God’s amazing grace:
“For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.” (Titus 2:11-14)
We need to daily pray, Father, please, please help me not believe the lie than anything is better than Jesus. And help me, through your Spirit’s power to do whatever it takes to avoid temptation.
Fireproof clip
Benediction:
“To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.” (Jude 24-25)
