Sunset Road Baptist Church Sermon Notes: February 3, 2008 - LIFE LESSONS 101: Overcoming Temptation

Sunday, February 03, 2008

February 3, 2008 - LIFE LESSONS 101: Overcoming Temptation

INTRODUCTORY REMARKS

Stephanie once told me: Daddy- I think you'd leave Mom for Diana Krall

No way! No how! Pam was, is, and always will be the love of my love
...But- I will confess that Diana's singing kind of does it for me. Love that jazz!

Hit it Ben! (Play intro to 'Temptation')

Kind of sessy- isn't it?
Makes temptation sound cool- sophisticated- alluring- enticing

TRANSITION

Actually- temptation is nothing like that at all

Temptation is spiritual warfare at its most intense
And it's something every Christian has to deal with

Consider what Jesus went through in the desert outside Jericho. The story is found in Matthew 4:1-11

Typically we'd be reading from the NIV
But not today. For a change of pace- I want to use The Message Bible

Let me make a few quick observations before we get into this morning's message

Jesus was genuinely tempted to sin against His Heavenly Father

This wasn't a 'horse-and-pony' show
The things Satan said got Jesus' attention

The fact that Jesus was tempted proves that being tempted is not a sin

Remember- Jesus NEVER sinned
...But He was tempted

Jesus endured the full fury of Satan's assault

Notice what it says in the 11th verse: The Test was over. The Devil left
Satan had run out of tricks. So he quit. He gave up. He threw in the towel

If Jesus struggled with temptation- so will we

That's why it's so important to develop a game-plan for dealing with temptation

We're going to try and do this- this morning
We're going to discover some time-tested Biblical principles for dealing with temptation

The first of these principles is...

LEARN THE GROUNDRULES

Have you ever tried to play Spades with a new group of friends?

It's almost impossible
Because nobody plays exactly the same way

So you'll spend almost as much time discussing the ground rules you'll play by
Than you spend actually playing the game!

When it comes to coping with temptation the same principle applies

Before you can develop a strategy for dealing with temptation
You've got to understand what you're up against- you need to learn the ground rules

To do that you have to go back to the Bible

Now most English translations of the Bible use one word- temptation- to describe two different ideas
The first of these concepts refers to times of testing

Deuteronomy 8:2-3
Here's what the Bible is saying:

Occasionally God allows these kinds of 'tests' or 'temptations' to come into your life
The reason is simple: God will use these experiences to strengthen your faith and help you grow in Christ

Granted- it's not always pleasant
But if you remain faithful to God throughout the test- He'll bless you in ways you can't begin to imagine

Now the second way the Bible uses 'temptation' is the one we're interested in today

In this case temptation is anything that serves as an enticement- or an inducement- to sin against God
Which obviously takes in a LOT of stuff

Including things which can be good- depending on the context. For instance- take sexual desire

Expressed within the bonds of Christian marriage sexual desire is a normal, healthy, God-given thing
It's when sexual desire turns outside of marriage that it becomes a temptation which can lead you to sin against God

So the first thing you need to do in developing a strategy for dealing with temptation is to...

Learn the ground rules
The second thing you need to do is to...

UNDERSTAND THE STAKES

You know- Jesus came to Earth fully aware of God's plan for His life

God sent Him to be the Savior of the world
And that meant Jesus would have to humble himself and (becom
obedient to death-- even death on a cross!

Now remember- Jesus was fully God and fully man

As the incarnate Son of the Living God- Jesus was determined to offer Himself as a sacrifice for our sin
But as a human being- Jesus wondered if there might be an easier way to do it

In that context- each of Satan's temptations make sense

You're supposed to be God's Son- the Savior of the world!...

And to do this You've got to suffer and die on a Cross?
Hey Jesus- I've got an easier way

Do what I'm telling You to do
And the world will make You their king

Jesus- what I want you to think about is:

How invested are You in God's plan and purpose for Your life?
What does Your relationship with God really mean to You?

Folks- whenever you're tempted to sin against God

Those are the stakes
How invested are you in God's plan and purpose for your life? What does your relationship with God really mean to you?

Are you willing to submit your Will to His plan and purpose for your life?
Do you love Him more than anything- or anyone- else in your life?

For instance

Let's say you struggle with an addiction to drugs or alcohol

When you feel a craving for that substance the real issue is this:
Does your desire for God exceed the desire for your drug of choice?

Or let's say you're a person who's consumed with money- and the things money can buy

You may be a workaholic or a shop-aholic but for you temptation means:
What's more important: My stuff? Or my relationship with God?

Let's say you're filled with animosity towards people of other races or ethnic backgrounds

Your prejudice may be expressed towards blacks- Jews- Hispanics- whatever- but the real question is:
Are you willing to let go of that cultural baggage in order to have a better relationship with God?

Do you begin to see what we're driving at?

No matter what tempts you
The stakes are always the same

How invested are you in God's plan and purpose for your life?
What does your relationship with God really mean to you?

So in developing a strategy for overcoming temptation

First- you've got to know the ground rules
Then you need to understand the stakes
And third you need to:

KNOW YOUR ENEMY

In the battle with temptation you've got to know what you're up against

And understand the strategy he uses against you

1 Peter 5:8
Folks- the Bible says that Satan is your enemy

If you don't know Jesus as your Savior his goal is to prevent you from accepting Christ so you'll spend eternity in hell with him
If you're a Christian-

Satan's goal is to trip you up and make you fall into sin
Robbing you of the abundant life God promised in His Word

See here's bottom line:

Satan HATES you and will use temptation to try and destroy you!
Now let me explain how Satan uses temptation to lure you into sinning against God

And here's where you need to remember that Satan isn't stupid

He knows if he came at you dressed in a red suit with a pitch fork in his hand

You know who it was
And you'd reject him every time

That's why Satan is subtle

In fact- Paul says Satan will masquerade himself as an angel of light. (2 Corinthians 11:14)
In other words: Satan pretends to be a messenger from God! And that is the ultimate deception!

Now once Satan has confused you as to his true identity- he'll begin his attack

But again- he'll be subtle about it

He won't start by tempting you with...say... a full-blown affair
It may start with a few phone calls- or a racy e-mail...or a secretive lunch

But eventually Satan will up the ante. That's why today's...can become tomorrow's

Innocent flirtation...sordid affair
Social drinker...alcoholic
Little white lie...pathological liar
One small sin...spiritual disaster

In Galatians 5:9 Paul conveys this spiritual principle when he notes: A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.

So let's review what we've got so far

In the battle against temptation you need to...

Learn the ground rules
Understand the stakes
Know your enemy

And then you need to...

STOP PLAYING THE BLAME GAME

You know whenever I preach about Satan I got a little nervous

My fear is that somehow I'll make more of him than he deserves
What I mean is that...

While he's diabolical, devious and highly intelligent
He's not particularly powerful

In fact- if you're a born-again child of God Satan ultimately has NO power over you

Romans 6:3-7

What all this means is that once you've accepted Jesus as your personal Savior and Lord

The only power Satan can have over you- is the power you let him have!
Satan can entice with temptation- but you're the one who chooses to do the sinning!

The Bible describes this process in James 1:14-15
Let's say you're a man who struggles with pornography

Satan might cause you to remember the web address of a porn site
But you're the one who has to type in the address- and click the mouse- and spend time fantasizing about the women who are depicted there

Now once you're able to understand this truth

You'll stop playing the blame game

Satan is so mean! He won't leave me alone!
He makes me do things I don't want to do!

And start focusing on the real issue: The control you are allowing sin to exert in your life

So in overcoming temptation-

You need to:

Learn the ground rules
Understand the stakes
Know your enemy
Stop playing the blame game

And then you must...

AVOID THE THINGS THAT TEMPT YOU

Young people: I'll bet you know someone in your school who is pregnant- or has already had a baby- right?

Now think about this with me:

Do think that girl- or the guy who got her pregnant
INTENDED for that to happen?

Of course not!

Most people don't PLAN to wind up pregnant after having premarital sex
The problem is they put themselves in a vulnerable position

It might have started out with a little French kissing- then proceeded to some heavy petting
And before they knew it- they'd gone too far!

In 1 Timothy 6:9-11 Paul offers Timothy this advice
Notice what Paul has told Timothy to do in the struggle with temptation- he says to flee from all this

In other words: When you confront something that might tempt you to sin against God run in the opposite direction as fast as your legs can carry you
Or better yet- Avoid those kinds of things in the first place

This is one of the most important principles for dealing with temptation on a day-to-day basis

If you KNOW that you're vulnerable to a particular type of temptation
You ought to be smart enough not to put yourself in a position where you might be overwhelmed by sinful desire!

Illustration: Sam Malone

One of my favorite old TV sitcoms is Cheers

Love that show!
It's still 'laugh-out-loud' funny

Remember Ted Danson's character- Sam Malone?

On the show Sam owns Cheers and is its head bartender
He's also a recovering alcoholic

Now think with me: Does this really make sense?

Could a recovering alcoholic spend ten hours a day in a bar and remain sober?
It's possible- but it's not very likely

In the Lord's Prayer Jesus says: lead us not into temptation- but deliver us from the evil one

If you ask Him to- God will give you the wisdom to recognize those things that might drag you into sin
But you've got to be smart enough to avoid them when you can

So in dealing with temptation-

You need to:

Learn the ground rules
Understand the stakes
Know your enemy
Stop playing the blame game
Avoid the things that tempt you

And finally you must...

DRAW ON THE POWER YOU POSSESS

Read what the Bible says in 1 John 4:4
Folks- as a Christian you have three resources available to you that will overcome any temptation Satan lays at your feet
One- You have the Word of God

Remember what Jesus did when Satan was tempting Him in the Wilderness?

In every case Jesus quoted Scripture
Jesus said: It is written- and Satan had no answer!

In Ephesians chapter 6 Paul describes the weapons you can use to defeat the schemes of Satan: In addition to all this, take up... the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (16-17)
Folks- the Bible is an offensive weapon against ALL the temptation Satan can offer

You don't have to hide behind the Bible like this (Demonstrate)
You can use the Word of God to deliver a death blow to Satan and all his schemes!

Two- you have the Cross of Christ

You know, a lot of people misunderstand the Cross

They think that even though God had the final victory
The Cross represented a temporary triumph of Satan over Christ

NOTHING could be further from the Truth!

The last place Satan wanted Jesus to be was hanging on the Cross
See- Satan understood that by dying on the Cross Jesus was fulfilling God's plan of salvation

Folks- when Jesus died on the Cross Satan received a mortal wound

The Cross staggered Satan- and will ultimately destroy him
So Satan lives in horror of the Cross- he doesn't want to be reminded of the time, the place, or the event of Calvary

Three- in fighting the battle with temptation you have prayer

I once heard a preacher say: We prepare for spiritual battle on bended knee

At one time I believed that was true
But the more I think about it- the more I realize that's not quite right

You don't PREPARE for the battle when you pray- you FIGHT the battle when you pray!
Again Paul lists prayer as an offensive weapon to use against Satan in Ephesians 6
Satan is TERRIFIED by prayer because he knows that God LISTENS when His children pray!

Satan wants to do his dirty work in the shadows- hidden from the power of God
Prayer causes the Almighty God to join the battle on your behalf- and Satan has NO DEFENSE in the face of the power and majesty of God!

So let's review our strategy for overcoming temptation. In battling temptation you need to:

Learn the ground rules
Understand the stakes
Know your enemy
Stop playing the blame game
Avoid the things that tempt you
And finally- Draw on the power you possess

CONCLUSION

Illustration: A Fire Rescue

A few years ago a large Chicago hotel caught fire late one night

Turns out a woman was trapped on one of the upper floors of the hotel
As she looked around at the wall of flame- she was convinced she was going to die in that place

But then she heard a voice call out: Over here maam- this is the way to safety

It was the voice of a fireman- who had come to rescue her
By following his voice she was saved

Folks- if you're feeling trapped by the flames of temptation- there's a voice calling out to you saying: Over here- this is the way to safety

It's the voice of Jesus
And it leads past the Cross- right to the safety of God's love

Let us pray

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