Escaping The Squeeze of Temptation
Series #2 Victory over Temptation
Pastor Glenn Newton July 10, 2005
I Cor. 10: 12-13 “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! 13 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.”
Luke 11:2-4 “He said to them, "When you pray, say:
" `Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation. ’ "
(Have ushers pass out rubber bands)
Everyone put on your Rubber band…. Double it up, make it tight… I don’t want you to lose it. If you have circulation issues, you might sit this little exercise out. In just a few minutes I’m going to ask you to tell me what it feels like to have a rubber band wrapped around your wrist, or your finger… what the sensation was, what the ultimate outcome might be if you don’t remove it… and you can tell me anything else that you think of.
You might be wondering what in the world is that crazy preacher doing? I know it’s not the first time you have probably wondered that… but this time I have a reason for my madness. This morning we are going to continue our discussion on Temptation. I want you to understand that you can personally, have Victory over Temptation. How many of you believe that this morning?
One of the most discouraging moments in life is the feeling I get right after I have given into temptation. That’s my lowest low when I realize that I have just given in “AGAIN” to whatever temptation that has been defeating me for some time… this feeling brings with it one of Satan’s biggest temptations that we can slid right into, and that is the feeling, the belief of hopelessness.
How many of you this morning know that God will forgive you when you ask Him? We have come to understand and love the fact that God, His Forgiveness doesn’t run out, right? It’s a truly an amazing thought.
But, even knowing I can be forgiven… I don’t want to have to ask forgiveness every single day for the same things do I? I mean, you would think we could break free from these things that we know are harmful to us, either physically, emotionally, and for sure, spiritually… you would think wouldn’t you? But maybe you wonder if you will ever escape temptation? Will you ever have victory over that sin that binds you and makes you feel helpless and hopeless. I want you to know this morning there is HOPE, and we are going to talk about how you can find it…. I promise you God isn’t hiding it from you.
Hey! How’s the rubber band? What does it feel like to have a rubber band wrapped around your wrist, or finger? What is the sensation? What would the ultimate outcome be if you didn’t get free from that grip? Your right, it would die and fall off.
We don’t want anyone to die and fall off because of the Squeeze of temptation do we? So let’s begin to look at what God wants us to do when we feel the Squeeze.
I Cor. 10: 12-13 “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! 13 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.”
I want to go through and explain this passage, it’s just what we need to hear this morning and apply to our life. One thing I want to remind you of this morning, we have been talking a lot about this in our Men’s meeting every Thursday evening at 7pm…. It’s one thing to hear the Word, it’s a whole other thing to obey what you have heard. So today, hear it first, and then apply it to your life and God’s power will be unleashed in you.. Amen?
Verse 12.… Read.
Let’s be honest with ourselves right now. Sometimes we think we are a lot stronger spiritually than we really are. When we have been a Christian for a month or two, we are feeling invincible right? But the truth is we are still an infant in our faith.. There’s nothing wrong with this…. This is normal, just remember it takes time and spiritual growth for real spiritual strength to emerge in a person’s life.
As long as we are being honest, let me share the other side of that illustration. I know people who have been in the church for many years, they have held positions in the church, they have heard literally hundreds if not thousands of sermons over the years… yet there is no more True Spiritual Depth, no more Spiritual Fruit, no more Spiritual Witness than those who have been in the church just a short time…. You know what the problem is I have found?
Lack of application, Lack of obedience…. There seems to be a lack of wanting to learn God’s Word.
My point is this morning don’t equate your Spiritual Strength and your Ability to defeat Temptation with how long you have been going to church, because that’s not the measure that makes the difference….
Paul is telling us that we might not want to trust our own thinking… because our own thinking can be faulty.. It can be wrong, especially when it concerns our own behavior, our own shortcomings… We don’t tend to see ourselves very clearly, especially if we are not living up to what we know God wants for us. So be careful, decide to be Honest with yourself, and others….. So that you don’t Fall.
Let’s look at v. 13 Read.
“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.”
The first think that I notice in this verse is that Paul wants me to know that I’m not alone in this. In fact, I’m not alone, but these temptations are “common” to man. What does it mean, that word Common?
* It means that it is something that is plentiful, it’s something that is widely available, found or experienced in many places. When you were in school and you ate in the Commons, that means you ate where everyone one else ate… everyone was there, a common meeting place.
I want you to stop for a second, I want you to think about your biggest temptation that you deal with… everyone of us have a weakness, a temptation that seems to be our very own. If you don’t know what your biggest temptation is, I would suggest you do some reflecting on that this afternoon, because you need to recognize it before you can defeat it.
Do you have it? I want you to assume with me that most likely there are other people in this room, probably more than a few that are dealing with the very same temptations. I want you to know and understand this morning that you are not alone…. These temptations are common to man…. Wouldn’t it be great to have a place where you could share out loud with caring people your temptations, and they would pray with you and tell you that they are dealing with some of the same issues? Wouldn’t that be great?
Friends, that’s what the Church is! This is what we do at our Men’s Group, this last Thursday was a great example of that…. It’s private so I’m not going to share it with you, but what a great place to grow… I know our other Life Groups are sharing and praying for one another…… We are sharing our lives with each other… that’s the purpose. Find a life group if your not attending…. What a great place to have other Christians encourage you and lift you up… and many times be the very thing you need to overcome Temptation.
The Next part of our verse…. “God is faithful;” Will you say that with me? God is Faithful. That means He won’t ever be tempted to give up on you… We are tempted by Satan to give up on ourselves, give up on our marriages, give up on everything that has meaning in life…. But God never gives up on us…. Amen?
One way that He is faithful is that He won’t allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear. How should you interpret this passage? God will always give you a choice. In other words the temptation that comes your way will never be so heavy, that you can’t choose to say no, and find a way clear. It’s always your choice.
If you say you don’t have a choice, your lying to yourself, Satan has sold you a lie.
Look at what the last part of verse 13 says, “But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”
* God so loves you that He allows you to choose how your going to live your life, so because of this great freedom that He has given us, He allows us to choose everyday, every second what we will think about, what we will look at, what we will do with our bodies, how we will talk, how we will think about others…. He, God has made us Free.. Free to choose which way we will walk.
And when those temptation come to do wrong, to sin against what we know is right, the Word of God says very plainly, “he will also provide a way out to that you can stand up under it.” You always have a choice.
Let me give you an analogy, these always help me understand just a little better.
Real, physical pressure is a lot like the pressure of temptation.
Do you think a submarine, since it’s watertight, can go down as deep as it likes? It cannot. Even the atomic submarines built strongly enough to batter through the ice at the North Pole have a maximum depth. A submarine known as the Thresher exceeded that depth some years ago. When the pressure became too great, the seawater crushed the sub’s heavy steel bulkheads as if it were a plastic model. Searchers found only little pieces of that huge submarine. The tremendous weight of the sea had smashed it’s strong steel hull. That is pressure.
You would think that nothing could survive at that depth, survive under such pressure. Researchers in special made crafts have been lowered into the depths to research, and they have found fish. You might expect these fish, living at such depths, to be built along the lines of an army tank. They are not. Where the little submarine has inches of steel to protect it, these fish have normal skin, a fraction of an inch thick. They swim freely and curiously about the craft. They sometimes flash neon lights. They have huge eyes. They are as exotic as any fish you will ever see. How can they survive under such pressure? They have a secret: Equal and opposite pressure inside themselves.
What does that mean? God has put something on the inside of that fish that can keep the pressure of the water from crushing it… that fish is free from the perceived pressure.
Guess what God wants to do with us? He wants to put something inside of us that can make us free from the pressure that comes with temptation….. We can keep our shape as a Christian by God’s Spirit, who gives us inside strength to deal with each pressure point in our lives.
Friends, the Key to escaping the Squeeze of Temptation is to have something of greater strength on the inside when the pressure from the outside shows up.
Romans 12:1-2 tells us how we should approach this life,
RO 12:1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship. 2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Another way you could translate verse two is, “Don’t be squeezed into the mold of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind,”
The Pressure from the outside wants to make you conform -- to be just like everyone else. The Spirit of God counteracts that from the inside, through your mind.
Our Freedom from the Squeeze of Temptation if found in the power of the Holy Spirit who lives in our hearts. It is through our walking with the Spirit, obeying His leading that we can avoid giving into temptation…. Be reminded I didn’t say we wouldn’t be tempted, because as long as we live, temptation will be with us… The key is, through the power of the Holy Spirit, His Strength in us can be such that the pressure from the outside will not be overwhelming, in fact we can be free… Free… I wonder today.. Are you Free today through the Power of the Holy Spirit in your life?
Or have you felt like that submarine who was led to deep, and the pressure has crushed you? Remember, we have all been there, you are not alone… we know what it is to be crushed by our own sin…. That is a common condition… The Key is that this morning you don’t have to stay there, you can be Free.. Free from your past Sin, and you can invite the Holy Spirit into your life through Jesus Christ, and the very Spirit of Christ will help you deal with the pressure of temptation… He will empower you to overcome the temptations as they come your way…. Today, will you have the courage to invite God into your life, ask Him to forgive you, and put your faith in Him and allow His Spirit to help you supernaturally in those areas of temptation? Today.. We are not gauranteed tomorrow or next week… It’s your choice… Let’s come today and pray for God’s Spirit, Lets be honest with God and ask forgiveness, Let’s be obedient this morning. Close.
