For six months, a farmer near Regensburg, Germany, worked in vain to capture his runaway bull. The bull had escaped in the summer and hid out in the Bavarian woods. The farmer attempted to lasso the animal, but the bull would always slip away into the woods. Once, the farmer tried shooting the beast with a tranquilizer, but the darts failed to stop it.
After six months of failure, the farmer’s neighbor, Werner Dechant, succeeded in capturing the bull. Dechant saw the black bull eating grain out of a bucket on his property. He tried and failed to snare the cautious beast. But Dechant had an idea for when the animal returned. The next day, Dechant mixed a bottle of vodka with the grain. The day after, he soaked the grain in two more bottles of vodka. The bull got drunk, which made it easy for Dechant to capture it. According to one news report, “The bull has now been returned to his owner—and will not be allowed out again” (Hannah Cleaver, "Sitting Bull," WORLD, Quicktakes, 2-8-14; www.PreachingToday.com).
Vodka brought that bull down, and sin will bring you down, as well, even if you think you’re as strong as a bull.
So what can you do to escape sin in times of temptation? What can you do to get away from sinful desires? What can you do to avoid addictive behaviors, which can enslave the strongest of Christ’s followers? Well, if you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to 1 Corinthians 10, 1 Corinthians 10, where God warns those who think they are strong in the faith to be careful lest they fall into sin.
1 Corinthians 10:1-4 For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ (ESV).
God abundantly blessed His people who came out of Egypt with Moses. He protected and guided them with a cloud pillar. He miraculously parted the Red Sea, giving them a way to escape their captors. And in so doing, God baptized them into Moses. That is to say, God united them together as one people with Moses as they came to trust his leadership (Exodus 14:31). More than that, God provided manna from heaven (“spiritual food”) and water from the rock (“spiritual drink”).
In the same way, God abundantly blesses His people today! God protects (1 Peter 1:5) and guides (Luke 1:79) those who trust in His Son, Jesus. He miraculously delivered them from sin and Satan’s power (Hebrews 2:14-15; Galatians 1:4). Furthermore, God baptized them into Christ! That is to say, He united every believer into one body as they came to trust Christ’s leadership (1 Corinthians 12:13). And for every believer, God provides spiritual food, Christ Himself, who is the Bread of Life (Matthew 6:31-33). And God provides spiritual drink from the Rock that is Christ! He is the “living water” (John 4:13-14; 7:38) that follows every believer through their wilderness experiences into the Promised Land!
If you have put your trust in Christ, God has and is blessing you in tremendous ways! So start there if you want to escape sin in times of temptation.
REALIZE HOW MUCH GOD HAS BLESSED YOU.
Recall what God has and is doing for you. Focus on God’s benefits, not on what bothers you.
You see, people give into temptation when they forget how good God is to them. That’s the tactic Satan used on Eve. She was in the Garden of Eden, literally a paradise, but Satan convinced her that God was holding back on her. Satan convinced her that she could have more if she disobeyed God. As a result, She forgot how good she had it and gave into temptation.
Please, don’t do what Eve did! Don’t forget how good God has been to you! Instead, as temptation entices you, focus on God’s blessings. Transfer your attention from your craving to God’s overwhelming generosity.
Erik Raymond talks about a man who was a good husband and dad. He loved his family faithfully. He was always around, steady, and took care of them. His influence, even if nobody realized it, was central in everyone’s life.
Even so, his family failed to appreciate the scope of his love until one day when they found his journal. When they opened it, they could see the backstory to their memories. Their happy experiences were intricately planned and carefully executed. He even reflected about how glad he was that he gave his wife and children such joy.
They now saw the backstory, the previously hidden details of his planning in his journal. As a result, the family gained a new kind of appreciation and love for their dad and husband. His journal welcomed them into the quiet place of intentional planning and loving execution. They could see how they were central to everything that he had done. Thumbing through the journal, they realized his love for them engulfed their entire experience. (Erik Raymond; “Discovering a Secret Journal of Grace,” The Gospel Coalition, 8-27-19; www.PreachingToday.com).
In the same way, God’s love for you engulfs your entire experience! Ephesians 1 says, “[God] has blessed [every believer] in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.” Then it goes on to enumerate those blessings, as 1 Corinthians 10 does here.
And when you read words like these in the Bible, it’s like thumbing through the journal of your heavenly Father. You discover that God carefully and intricately planned your happy experiences, along with the hard ones for your good. He set His love on you before the foundation of the world, and He carried it out in real time.
Please, focus on God’s goodness when you’re tempted. Thumb through the journal of your Heavenly Father and see His love for you. If you want to escape sin in times of temptation, realize how much God has already blessed you. Then…
RESIST THE DESIRE FOR EVIL.
Fight against the craving for sin. Withstand the false appeal of your addiction. God had blessed His people, who came out of Egypt…
1 Corinthians 10:5 Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness (ESV).
God overthrew that entire generation. Literally, God spread their bodies all over the wilderness, all except Joshua and Caleb.
1 Corinthians 10:6 Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did (ESV).
Despite God’s generous blessings, they desired evil. Literally, they lusted after harmful practices. Please, don’t do what they did! Specifically…
1 Corinthians 10:7 Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play” (ESV).
When Moses was on Mount Sinai, receiving the Law of God, the people were participating in a drunken orgy as part of their worship before a golden calf (Exodus 32:6).
1 Corinthians 10:8 We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day (ESV).
Later, prostitutes in Moab enticed the men of Israel to have sex with them as part of their worship of Baal. As a result, God sent a plague, which killed 23,000 Israelites in one day, and up to 24,000 before the plague finally ran its course, according to Numbers 25 (Numbers 25:1-9).
1 Corinthians 10:9-10 We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer (ESV).
On another occasion, God sent fiery serpents when His people complained about their journey to the Promised Land (Numbers 21:4-9).
Don Kitsler once said, “The person with the discontented heart has the attitude that everything he does for God is too much, and everything God does for him is too little” (Don Kistler, Tabletalk, 9-18-01, p.15; www.PreachingToday.com).
That’s the attitude these ancient Jews had trudging through the wilderness to the Promised Land, and it is the attitude you want to avoid!
1 Corinthians 10:11 Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come (ESV).
What happened to these ancient Jewish people teaches us a very important lesson today. And that lesson is this: God has blessed you with every spiritual blessing, so refrain from idolatry, immorality, and grumbling. Resist the urge to complain, to indulge the flesh, and to find your satisfaction in anything or anyone other than God.
Otherwise, God will make you sick, and He may take you home to glory before your time. In the very next chapter, the Bible declares, “That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died” (1 Corinthians 11:30). Even as a blessed, believer in Christ, you cannot turn away from God without serious consequences. So, when you’re tempted, recall how much God has blessed you, and resist the desire for evil.
Just a little over eight years ago, on August 11, 2014, Robin Williams lost his battle with depression and died by his own hands. He was 63 years old at the time with many fans and fellow actors, who loved him. Before then, he admitted abusing cocaine, which he called “Peruvian marching power” and “the devil's dandruff.” In 2006, he checked himself into a rehab center, because he had “fallen off the wagon” after 20 years of sobriety.
He later explained in an interview with ABC's Diane Sawyer that his addiction had not been “caused by anything, it's just there.” Williams continued, “It waits. It lays in wait for the time when you think, ‘It's fine now, I'm O.K.’ Then, the next thing you know, it's not O.K. Then you realize, ‘Where am I? I didn't realize I was in Cleveland’” (Dave Itzkoff, “Robin Williams, Oscar-Winning Comedian, Dies at 63 in Suspected Suicide,” The New York Times, 8-11-14; www.PreachingToday.com).
That’s the way sin works—with subtlety and cunning—and it catches you when you least expect it. So, “Be sober-minded,” the Bible says. “Be watchful. [For] your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith” (1 Peter 5:8-9).
If you want to escape sin in times of temptation, 1st, realize how much God has already blessed you. 2nd, resist the desire for evil. And 3rd…
RELY ON GOD FOR YOUR WAY OF ESCAPE.
Depend on Christ to get you out of trouble. Cry out to Jesus for help when you feel yourself giving up and giving in.
1 Corinthians 10:12 Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall (ESV).
Despite the fact that God has richly blessed you, you are not strong enough to battle temptation on your own. Please, realize you need help when your sinful craving rears its ugly head; but also, realize that you are not alone!
1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it (ESV).
You are not alone, and God is faithful to limit your temptation and to provide a way of escape from it. You can depend on Him, so do it! Rely on the Lord to help you escape sin when temptation seizes you.
Jerry Kirk, founder of the National Coalition for the Protection of Children & Families, describes a time when he was flipping through channels in a hotel room, trying to find the World Series. While flipping, he came across a channel with half-nude women. He flipped over to the baseball game. Then, ten minutes later, he flipped back to the movie, and then quickly back to the World Series. He did that four or five times before he shut off the TV.
He was unnerved at the power of temptation, especially since he’s given his life to combat pornography. He had to come face to face with the Lord and plead for mercy: “Lord, how is this possible?” He pleaded with God and began to lose confidence in his prayers.
Then God reminded him, “Jerry, I'm not surprised by your sin. I've known all along you were a sinner. I've known all along that you were weak. I needed YOU to know that you were weak. And I need you to know that I alone will make you strong” (Jerry Kirk, Men of Integrity, Vol. 1, no. 1; www.PreachingToday.com).
Please, when you are battling temptation, know that you are weak, but God is strong. Then come face to face with Him and plead for mercy.
Michael Gerson, a former presidential speechwriter, talks about his battle with depression. He says, “Depression is a malfunction in the instrument we use to determine reality. The brain experiences a chemical imbalance and wraps a narrative around it. So, the lack of serotonin, in the mind’s alchemy, becomes something like, “Everybody hates me.” Over time, despair can grow inside you like a tumor.
“But then you reach your breaking point—and do not break,” he says. “With patience and the right medicine, the fog in your brain begins to thin.… Over time, you begin to see hints and glimmers of a larger world outside the prison of your sadness.
It’s a “metaphor for the human condition,” Gerson says. “All of us — whatever our natural serotonin level — look around us and see plenty of reason for doubt, anger and sadness. A child dies, a woman is abused, a schoolyard becomes a killing field, a typhoon sweeps away the innocent. If we knew or felt the whole of human suffering, we would drown in despair.”
“[However], the answer to [despair] is not an argument — though philosophy can clear away a lot of intellectual foolishness.” The answer, Gerson says, “is the experience of transcendence we cannot explain, or explain away…” Then he talks about “the difference for a Christian believer: at the end of all our striving and longing we find, not a force, but a face… [For] when strength fails, there is perseverance. And even when perseverance fails, there is hope. And even when hope fails, there is love. And love never fails (Michael Gerson, “I was hospitalized for depression. Faith helped me remember how to live,” The Washington Post, 2-18-19; www.PreachingToday.com).
Please, in your times of doubt and temptation, rely on God’s love for you, which will never fail! Don’t look for a force to help you overcome. Look for a face, the face of God, full of love for you.
If you want to escape sin in times of temptation, 1st, realize how much God has blessed you; 2nd, resist the desire for evil; 3rd, rely on God for your way of escape. Then take that way of escape and run!
RUN FROM IDOLATRY.
Flee from those substitutes for God in your life. Hurry to get away from anything that distracts you from your relationship with the Lord.
That was Paul’s admonition to the Corinthian believers. They were using their freedom in Christ as an excuse to sin, forgetting that God set them free FROM sin. He did not set them free TO sin.
Their particular issue was eating meat offered to idols, which Paul began to address in 1 Corinthians 8. He told them that they are free to buy the meat in the marketplace and eat it at home unless it causes a weaker believer to violate his or her conscience (1 Corinthians 8). He also told them to limit their liberty for the sake of winning the unbeliever to faith in Christ (1 Corinthians 9). Yes, they are free to eat meat offered to idols, with certain limitations, but some of them were going too far.
They were going into the pagan temple itself, participating in the orgiastic worship of the pagan gods, and offering meat with their friends as part of that worship. They’d enjoy steak and sex in the temple on Saturday night with their pagan friends. Then they’d partake of the Lord’s supper on Sunday morning with their Christian friends.
Paul says to these people, “Flee from idolatry.” Don’t meander your way through the pagan temple. Run! Get out of there as fast as you can! Take a look.
1 Corinthians 10:14-17 Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. I speak as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread (ESV).
He’s talking about communion here.
1 Corinthians 10:18-20 Consider the people of Israel: are not those who eat the sacrifices participants in the altar? What do I imply then? That food offered to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons (ESV).
When you participate in idolatry, you open yourself up to demonic influence.
1 Corinthians 10:21-22 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he? (ESV)
You cannot party in the pagan temple on Saturday night and partake of the Lord’s Table on Sunday morning. Please, don’t fight God on this, because you’ll lose every time.
That’s what Paul told Corinthian believers, and that’s what God would say to you and me today! Flee from idolatry. Run for your life before some demon takes control of you or the Lord opposes you.
Gavin Peacock talks about his struggle with idolatry. He was a pro soccer player, who admits, “Professional soccer was my god.” Here’s what he says:
“I was never going to be tall, so my dad (who was also a pro soccer player) would take me into our backyard in Southeast London and teach me how to quickly switch directions with the soccer ball at my feet. ‘The big guys won't be able to catch you!’ he said. For hours,” Peacock says, “I would practice turning to the left and right, dribbling in and out of cones, spinning this way and that. My dad was right: the art of turning served me well. Many of the goals I scored in the years to come were a result of that lesson.”
At age 16, Peacock left school and signed a professional contract with [English] Premier League Queens Park Rangers (QPR). He had achieved his goal, but he wasn't happy. He says, “It wasn't long before I broke into the starting eleven at QPR. But I was an insecure young man in the cutthroat world of professional sport.” Peacock says, “Soccer was my god. If I played well on a Saturday, I was high. If I played poorly, I was low. My sense of well-being depended entirely on my performance. I soon realized that achieving the goal wasn't all it was cracked up to be.”
Then, when he was 18, God intervened in his life. He was still struggling to find purpose, so he decided to attend a local church. Then later, he participated in a weekly Bible study at the pastor’s home. That first night, he rolled up in a car he had recently bought, a 1980s icon, the Ford Escort XR3i, trying to impress his new friends. However, they impressed him. Peacock says, “When they spoke about Jesus, they displayed a life and joy that I did not have. They talked about sin as if it had consequence and about God as if they knew him.”
Peacock decided to return to the Bible study the following week and the next, and he began to hear the gospel for the first time. He realized that his biggest problem wasn't the disapproval of 20,000 fans on Saturday; his biggest problem was his sin and the disapproval of almighty God. Peacock says, “I realized that the biggest obstacle to happiness was that soccer was king instead of Jesus. Over time, my eyes were opened through that Sunday meeting, and I turned, repented, and believed the gospel. My heart still burned for soccer, but it burned for Christ more.
At the age of 35, Peacock retired after playing professional soccer for nearly 20 years. He currently serves as a pastor in Canada from where he says, “All those years ago, my earthly father taught me the art of turning, but it was my heavenly Father who turned me first to Christ and then helped me turn others to Christ by preaching his gospel” (Gavin Peacock, “Professional Soccer Was My God,” Christianity Today, 6-23-16; www. PreachingToday.com).
My dear friends, turn from your idols (whatever they may be) to Christ. Better yet, RUN from your idols to Christ; and in Him find real satisfaction in life.
If you want to escape sin in times of temptation, 1st, realize how much God has blessed you; 2nd, resist the desire for evil; 3rd, rely on God for your way of escape. Then 4th, take that way of escape and run! Please, run from the idolatry that will eventually destroy you.
Just a little over a year ago (March 2021), Kaylin Phillips posted a video on TikTok that went viral. It showed her unknowingly holding “one of the [world’s] most dangerous animals” in her palm while studying abroad in Bali. It was a “highly venomous” cephalopod, which carries “enough venom to kill 26 adult humans within minutes.” Their bites are “tiny and often painless,” so victims don’t realize they have been bitten “until respiratory depression and paralysis begins.”
“Cheers for still being alive,” Phillips wrote at the end of the viral clip. “Called my dad crying 3 hours later” (Chelsea Ritschel, “Woman goes viral on TikTok after unknowingly holding one of the ‘most venomous octopus species’ in the world,” Independent, 3-23-21; www.PreachingToday.com).
Sin often seems harmless, even attractive, but it will kill you in the end. Please, don’t indulge it any longer. Instead, with God’s help, take that way of escape and run! Run to Him and find real life.
