Man who flees temtation

Good Evening,

Let’s open with a word of Prayer.

Turn with me to 1 Corinthians 9:24 and we are going to read through 10:14.

1 Corinthians 9:24–10:6 “24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. 25 Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 26 So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. 27 But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified. 1 For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, 2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3 and all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. 5 Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness. 6 Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did.”

1 Corinthians 10:7–14 “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.” 8 We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. 9 We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, 10 nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. 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. 12 Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. 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. 14 Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.”

I am not sure why the author did not include all they way through verse 14, because this passage does tell us that we must discipline ourselves we must put in the work to keep our bodies under control lest we be disqualified. However if you stop at the end of chapter 9 we miss some of the warning. Paul writes that the nation of Israel, especially in the wilderness, is an example for us as believers. In the old testament, the Holy Spirit did not indwell people as it does today, sometimes it was there with a certain individuals sometimes it left them like in the case of Saul the first king of Israel. However, in the wilderness, as the nation of Israel left Egypt, God was with them like no other time in their history. They saw the hand of God work in the plagues, in the way he parted the red sea, He lead them with a pillar of smoke or fire, His presence would descend on the tabernacle in the midst of them. Yet, time and again they turned to idols, complained against God, and fell into different sins many of which are listed out in our outline. Fear of man time and time again, fear that God would let them die, bitterness against Moses for taking them from Egypt, and the appetite for amusement at Mount Sinai their party was so raucous Joshua thought there was a battle. Paul tells us they are an example written down for our instruction, because we have the very Spirit of God living inside of us and yet we easily do the same thing. We must remember that we are not by our own power any better than they are.

However, God is faithful and there is no temptation that is not common to man. Paul tells us, God will provide a way of escape, so if we sin we have no one to blame but ourselves. This is part of the discipline we as men should be developing as Paul talked about at the beginning of this, the moment we begin to feel temptations we should be looking for the way out that God has promised, so we can flee from it. Paul equates this to fleeing from idolatry. Temptation is not sin James 1:13–15 “13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. 14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.”

Temptation is more like the fishing lure that draws the fish out, however it is only the fish that goes after it or focuses on it that is caught. We too are much like the fish and the language used here gives a similar indication. We are tempted and lured out by that temptation, but we by our own desires follow after it into sin. Turn with me to Matthew 14 would someone be willing to read verse 27-31?

Matthew 14:27–31 “27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” 28 And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” 29 He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” 31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?””

Can anyone tell me how this verse connects back to sin?

Peter was willing to get out of the boat, and had his eyes on Jesus, however the moment he looked away and began to sink. Our author gives us a list of common, he calls them, portals for temptation. He does assure us this is not an exhaustive list, but this passage illustrates the first of our list excellently. The first portal for temptation and sin is fear. Fear is usually connected with self-preservation and a lack of trust in God’s provision.

Matthew 6:25–31 “25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’”

Matthew 6:32–34 “32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

We see a guiding principle for combating fear in this passage and in the one above with Peter. Can anyone tell me what it is? Seeking the kingdom of God and his righteousness first. As we seek God, we learn to lean into his provision, we can also see how He provides. As we seek Him, we also learn contentment. This is also a way to combat the second side of this coin, fear has another side the first was from a position of want the second comes more often from a position of abundance. Our tendency to become overly attached to “things” in life. In the US we have been exceptionally blessed with an abundance of things, however we must learn to hold these things with open hands. We must learn to be like Job in Job 1:21 “21 And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.””

In Luke 12, Jesus is confronted by a man who wanted Jesus to tell his brother to give him a share of an inheritance. While this man was trying to manipulate Jesus into helping him because of Jesus’s Moral authority, Jesus uses this moment to teach something about storing up for ourselves things here on earth.

Luke 12:13–21 “13 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” 14 But he said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?” 15 And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” 16 And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, 17 and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ 18 And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.” ’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ 21 So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.””

I would argue one of the best ways to combat this is through Giving and this is both in the Church and to others. God called the Israelites to tithe on the first of their harvest. So this was a complete trust exercise for an agricultural society this was the first harvest and with the weather there might not be a second or third. I would say that based on the principle found in Old Testament giving, we should be doing the same, however unlike the Israelites we are not given an amount to give. We are told in 2 Corinthians 9:7 “7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”. We must look to God and decide based on him what we should be giving.

The next portal we must guard against in the temptation to become bitter or easily offended. Bitterness is not supposed to be a characteristic of a Christian, nor are we supposed to be men who are easily offended. We are called to forgive each other. Turn with me to Ephesians 4 starting in verse 26 and we will read through chapter 5 verse 2.

Ephesians 4:26–5:2 “26 Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and give no opportunity to the devil. 28 Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. 29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. 1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”

We see here that anger is ok but we are not to sin because of anger, but also we are not supposed to dwell on our anger. This is what leads to bitterness and if we jump down to verses 31-5:2. we are supposed to let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and slander be put away from us, it then gives us the counter side of this. We are to be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God has forgiven us. We are to be imitators of God. We are to do this like a child who loves their father imitates him, then it gives us the example of how to do this. Walk in love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us.

We see an interesting trend as we continue to go through the list of things we are to guard against. The best way to guard against temptation is to look at and imitate Jesus. Temptation comes from us and our own desires, however if we are imitating Jesus and becoming more like him we are becoming less worried about our own desires.

Jesus who was God was willing to lay the glory aside so that he might become a servant, willing to lay down his life for mankind that they might come into a relationship with him.