David Durey tells the story of small boy’s father who would occasionally sneak into a neighbor’s orchard and take some of the best fruit. He was always careful, however, to make sure that “the coast was clear.”
One day while the son was tagging along, after carefully looking in every direction, the father crept through the neighbor’s fence. Just as he was reaching for a choice piece of fruit the young son cried out, “Dad! Dad! You forgot to look UP! You forgot to see if God was watching!”
Temptation. It’s everywhere! At home, over at the neighbors, in the workplace, it even shows up at church. We cannot get away from temptation.
Today is our second Sunday in our series Bible Jeopardy: We know the answer, But what is the question: Important things to remember about Christianity. The purpose of this series is designed to help you be better established in your faith and confident of your relationship with God.
Last week we looked at assurance of salvation. We examined several passages of scripture and were given three ways of assurance that included the three of witnesses of confirmation: the witness of God’s word, the witness of the Holy Spirit, and the witness of a changed life. And our primary Bible passage was Ephesians 2:8-9, the Biblical basis of salvation, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast.”
Today our topic is closely related to assurance of salvation. It is, well, you tell me, okay? It’s time for Bible jeopardy! Ready! Here we go!
It leads us to sin. What is the answer? What is temptation?
Giving into temptation leads to this. What is the answer? What is sin?
I Corinthians 10:13 says, “When you are tempted, he will show you a way out.”
What is the answer? What is victory over sin and temptation?
Our study today is about victory over sin and temptation. God wants to help us, and can help us resist temptation and overcome sin.
Now there are three important questions that we need to ask, and answer, today in order to understand why and how we can have victory over sin and temptation.
Question number 1: What is temptation?
Question number 2: What is sin?
Question number 3: How can we have victory over both?
What is temptation?
Barb and her husband Chuck were youth leaders who had just arrived at a campground for a weekend retreat with a youth group. While Chuck unloaded the van, Barb handed out room assignments. On the bulletin board of the lobby in the main lodge was a poster declaring, “There are no problems, only opportunities.”
One boy came over to her and said, “Uh, Barb, I’ve got a problem.”
Barb pointed to the sign, “Jeff, there are not problems, just opportunities.”
“Well, if that’s the way you want it,” said Jeff, “but there’s a girl in my room.”
Someone has said, “The trouble with opportunity is that it only knocks. Temptation kicks the door in.”
What is temptation? Temptation is the surest way to sin. It is the doorway, the pathway, the opening to sin.
And where does it come from? Two passages of scripture, James 1:13-14 and 1 John 2:15-16, give us some important information about the source of temptation.
In the James passage we read “temptation comes from the lure of our own evil desires which lead to evil actions which leads to death.” What is James saying in this segment?
Now ultimately temptation comes from Satan, However, our own selfish, warped desires also create the desire to do something selfishly wrong and that causes death. What kind of death? Well I think he is speaking of two kinds of death: 1. The ultimate death – spiritual death that will lead to eternal separation in the afterlife. 2. An immediate death. An isolation that is right now!
When we give into temptation and sin, if affects our relationship with ourselves right now, if affects our relationship with others right now, if affects our relationship with God right now. Think about the opening story that I told about the father and the boy. How do you think the father felt when he heard his little boy’s question? How did it affect him? How did it affect his relationship with his son? How did it affect his relationship with God?
Last week I read the story of the prodigal son and I would have us think about the fact that the youngest son’s choice to strike out on his own and give into the temptation to live “the good life” affected his relationships – with himself, his father, and his brother. Giving into temptation has its consequences.
Then the I John 2:15-16 passage gives us some important avenues of temptation that lead to sin. In verse 16 we read, “The world offers only the lust for physical pleasure, the lust for everything we see, and the pride in our possessions.” Let’s take a look at what this verse means.
First of all there is the lust for physical pleasure. What’s that? What’s the first thing that comes to mind? Sex. God made us for physical pleasure but we do not have to go very far or look very far to see the availability of all kinds of sexual activities. All of which go against the clear Biblical standard of sexual activity only with the bonds of marriage. That’s one avenue of temptation.
Then there is the lust for everything we see. What’s that called? Materialism. Got to have this, got to have that! Materialism goes to the core of our society. Our economy is based on materialism. What happens when people stop buying things? The economy slows down! People lose their jobs. Factories close.
Then there is advertising. Advertising is not about needs it is about wants. If you want to _________ (fill in the blank) then you need to buy this product. What is the result of all of this? We become obsessed with having to have it all! And we cannot have it all! Jesus said it best, “You cannot serve God and money.” Here is another avenue for temptation.
Finally there is pride in our possessions. I would also add there is pride in our accomplishments. Now by pride, John does not mean an appropriate pleasure and satisfaction, he means an attitude of obsession with possession and status.
In Luke 12:16 – 19 Jesus shared this story, “A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. In fact, his barns were full to overflowing. So he said, ‘I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store everything. And I’ll sit back and say to myself, my friend; you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!’
“But God said to him, ‘you fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get it all?’ “Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.”
Now, God has given us talents and abilities and the means to have a meaningful life. But, these talents, abilities, and means are not to be worship or pursued as an end in themselves. That is idolatry! They are to be used to serve God. However, so many people given into this temptation by saying, “Look at what I have done!” And the pride that develops within them causes them to set their abilities on the altar of their heart and leave God off of His rightful place, and out of their lives.
Then there is sin. A young boy was explaining basic Christian Theology to his younger sister: “You see, it was Jesus’ job to die for our sins; it’s our job to sin.”
A Sunday School teacher had just concluded her lesson and wanted to make sure she had made her point. She said, “Can anyone tell me what you must do before you can obtain forgiveness of sin?” There was a short interval of silence and then, from the back of the room, a small boy spoke up, “Sin,” he said.
What is sin? That is a very good question. We can see it. We can describe it. We certainly experience it. But, how do we define it?
I looked in a Bible dictionary and the definition was quite long. It contained several different quotes from various Bible scholars. But it also contained words like “character,” “action,” “attitudes,” and “conduct.”
Maybe it is good that there is not a common definition of sin because we would probably get hung up on the definition. However, for our benefit here is a working definition: “It is our attitudes and actions which lead us away from God.”
Sin is the basic reason our world is in the condition that it is in. Sin, the attitudes of our hearts and the actions of our lives that say, “ME FIRST! ME FIRST!,” has created havoc in the human race from time of Genesis 3.
Anger, resentment, hatred, envy, jealousy, judgmentalism, have all contributed to the war between countries, between groups of people, between families, between individuals, and with God because back in Genesis 3 the first humans decided they wanted to be like God. And since then, hell broke out all over.
At its core sin is basically a self-centered attitude that says, “I want to be God! I want to be first! I want to be at the center of the universe!” And God hates that attitude. It is an attitude that has led throughout human history to all sorts of problems that I have already mentioned.
God hates sin. Have you ever stopped to consider that the anger of the crowd at Jesus’ trial was whipped up by a group of people who did not want the Son of God, Jesus Christ, to be God because they wanted to be God?
John 12:19, the concluding verse of the Triumphal Entry segment says, “Then the Pharisees said to each other, “We’ve lost. Look, the whole world has gone after him!”
But, the Pharisees did not give up that easy did they? No, the found a traitor and in their sinfulness, their pride, their selfishness, their anger, they crucified Jesus Christ! And sin reared its ugly head one more time. But, for the last time! Easter Sunday came and sin lost.
Now we still do battle with sin. And we will continue to do battle with sin for as long as we live. We will never live perfectly sinless lives. However, we do not throw our hands up in frustration and say, “It’s no use!”
God expects us to seek forgiveness when we sin. I John 2:1 “But if you do sin, there is someone to plead for you before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who pleases God completely.” I John 1:9 “But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong.”
We can have victory over sin and temptation! God does not want us to live defeated and discouraged lives! He wants us to win victorious lives!
So how can we have victory over temptation and sin? Here are some ways.
In Philippians 2:12 Paul wrote, “Dearest friends, you were always so careful to follow my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away you must be even more careful to put into action God’s saving work in your lives, obeying God with deep reverence and fear.”
Put into action God’s saving work in your lives. Older translations say, work out your salvation with fear and trembling.
One of the ways that we begin to have increasing victory over temptation and sin is by putting into action God’s saving work. In other words, obey God; practice what you claim to have experienced. Live it out! The best defense is often a good offense. Read the word! Pray daily! Tell others about Jesus! Worship regularly! Serve God!
Another way we have increasing victory over temptation and sin is by resisting it. That’s hard! I remember the pastor during my teenage years saying, “If sin was not so attractive, we wouldn’t want to do it!” But, scripture is clear! Resist the devil! Cling to what is good! Reject what is evil! In other words, “Hang on to God!”
Finally, be aware of the connection between temptation and sin. Temptation is the direct link to sin. We are first tempted, then we can choose whether or not to sin. Notice I said “choose.” Our main text, I Corinthians 10:13 says “When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you will not give in to it.” In other words, just because we are tempted, and we will always face temptation until the day we die, does not mean that we automatically give into the temptation and sin. God will show us the way out. But, we have to choose to take the way out. And sometimes that is, and will be, a very hard thing to do. But it will always be the right thing to do.
I simply want to close with this thought: God wants to forgive us. He wants us to live the right way. He will help us learn to live the right way. He will help us resist temptation and thereby avoid sin. Victory over sin and temptation is possible. But, we have to make a decision, “Do we want it, or not?” The choice is ours. Amen.
