Turning Temptations into Triumphs
Notes
Transcript
Handout
You don’t have to be a Rocket Scientist or look around too hard to know that temptation is all over the place. You don’t have to go looking for it, it will find you. Now listen, we are not tempted because we are sinful people… Jesus was tempted and he never sinned.
Handled correctly, temptations can actually bring us closer to God. So tonight, we are no just going to learn how to deal with temptation, we are going to learn how to Turn Temptations into Triumphs. We will learn how to actually use temptation as a means to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus.
Now, most people will try to handle or even overcome temptation in one of three ways.
Many people give into temptation.
Many people give into temptation.
These people are like the man who said, I can overcome anything but temptation. They just give in to it. If it feels good, just do it.
We have a culture today that says whatever is natural is beautiful so it must be right. So these folks live like animals. They eat, drink, sleep and mate when they want to with whomever they want to. An animal lives for self gratification, self preservation and self propagation.
We have a culture that lives like they want to live without any moral absolutes to guide or curb their behavior.
Many people fight temptation
Many people fight temptation
But they fight it their own strength and energy. These folks are the opposite of those who always give in. They spend all their energy and strength fighting the temptations. They are constantly fighting and failing.
They are like the little boy that was staring at the farmer’s apple tree. He said son, are you trying to steal one of my apples? No sir the boy replied. I’m trying not to steal one of your apples.
Now, the way to triumph over temptation is neither of these. Write this down.
Other People overcome temptation though Jesus Christ.
Other People overcome temptation though Jesus Christ.
The way to overcome temptation is with the help of Christ. Listen, there is help. You can live in victory whether your temptation is in the realm of overeating, whether it’s in the area of lust… laziness… anger… addictions. Whatever it is, you do not want to remain a slave to the world, the flesh or the devil. Check out what Paul says in 1 CO 10:12-13
12 If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. 13 The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.
So let’s look at this verse. The first thing I want you to see is
1. Who can be tempted?
1. Who can be tempted?
Who is it that can be tempted? The Bible tells us in verse 12 that we can all be tempted. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 10:12 If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall.” Thats a warning to all of us.
We are all subject to temptation.
We are all subject to temptation.
We are all subject to temptation. Jesus was tempted. Satan aims his biggest guns at leaders because it does the most damage. All of us face temptation in all kinds of areas… pride, materialism, dishonesty, greed, lust of the flesh, … all sorts of temptations. Temptations are always there and being saved doesn’t make us immune.
Let me say this.
It is not a sin to be tempted.
It is not a sin to be tempted.
We know Jesus was tempted but he never sinned. The Bible says this about Jesus …
15 This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin.
But Paul is warning against pride in the previous passage. A proud person dares the devil to tempt him. And listen… if you think that you can’t fall? You are headed for a fall. Any person who is fighting temptation by their own strength is also headed for a fall… It’s a fight you will not win on your own.
This brings up an interesting question. If God really loves us, why doesn’t God make it impossible for us to be tempted? If God really loves us, why doesn’t he just go ahead and kill the devil? Why doesn’t God remove the attraction to sin so we would never be tempted?
If God made it to where you could not be tempted, you would lose the ability to be overcomers through Jesus.
If God made it to where you could not be tempted, you would lose the ability to be overcomers through Jesus.
Suppose you are playing a football game. You are trying to get the football into the end zone for a touchdown. The only problem is that there is another team on the other side of the ball that says, No you are not going to score. It’s hard. Just look at the Saint’s game Sunday.
Now here is the thing. Why don’t they just come out to the field when the other team isn’t there? They could score touchdowns at will. Why don’t they do that? It’s not a victory. They didn’t have to over come anything. If there is no opposition, there is no victory.
God has not called you or I to a life of ease, but He has called us to a life of victory through Jesus Christ.
God has not called you or I to a life of ease, but He has called us to a life of victory through Jesus Christ.
14 But thank God! He has made us his captives and continues to lead us along in Christ’s triumphal procession. Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume.
So remember, we are all subject to temptation. Now let’s look at where Temptation come from.
2. The Sources of Temptation
2. The Sources of Temptation
13 The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.
Look at what Paul said here. The temptations in your life are the same temptations everyone else is having. Now, you may think that what you are facing is different, but it’s not. That’s what the devil does. He tries to convince you that NO ONE ELSE can understand. We are all tempted the same way.
Actually, there are only three sources of temptation. The World, the Flesh, and the Devil.
We need to understand this. Everything that tempts people comes from one of these three.
1 thess 5:23
23 Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again.
Understand this.
The devil is going to tempt you in each of these areas: Spirit, Soul and Body.
The devil is going to tempt you in each of these areas: Spirit, Soul and Body.
The way he will tempt your spirit, your soul and your body is with the world, the flesh and the devil. So let’s look at this.
Some temptation comes from the World.
Some temptation comes from the World.
Some people think this refers to the people of the world. It doesn’t. Jesus told us in John 3:16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” So if God loves the people of the world, we should love the people in the world as well.
Well, is he talking about the planet? No. He created the world and said that it was good when he created it. When I was a kid we sang a song… this is my father’s world…
The planet is not bad but the Bible says in 1 John 2:15 “Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you.”
Look at Romans 12:2 “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”
James 4:4 “…Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God.”
So, it’s not the people. It’s not the actual planet. What is the world then? The actual word in the Greek is Cosmos and it means a system or order. IOW, it is the culture. It’s this that the bible says is evil… the culture… or the system of the world.
Let me see if I can illustrate it.
Look at 1 Peter 3:3
3 Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes.
The Greek for this phrase “outward beauty” is translated cosmos. He is saying not to let cosmos be your hair, jewelry or make up. Is it wrong for a woman to wear make up? Absolutely not. It might be wrong for some not to wear makeup. He is just saying, don’t let your clothes be your adornment… be your cosmos…. your world. If it was wrong for a woman to wear makeup, you would have to say that it’s wrong to wear clothes. He is certainly not saying that we are to run around naked.
He is telling them and us
Don’t let the world squeeze you in.
Don’t let the world squeeze you in.
2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
We are not to copy the behavior and the customs of this culture. IOW, we are to be different.
Some temptation comes from our flesh.
Some temptation comes from our flesh.
When the bible talks about the flesh, it’s not talking about your skin and bones.
When the Bible uses the word Flesh, it’s talking about our sinful nature.
When the Bible uses the word Flesh, it’s talking about our sinful nature.
17 The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.
The flesh or the sinful nature means that we have an inclination to do the wrong things… and sometimes to do evil things. We inherited it from Adam. Another name for it is our Adamic nature.
We all have a sinful nature so don’t look at me like you don’t.
Look at James 4:1
1 What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you?
The devil will use our own sinful nature to get us to sin.
One day a little boy called is little sister a bad name, hit her with a broom stick and spit on her. His mother told the boy that he should not have done that to his sister. He replied that the devil made him do it. She said then why did you hit her with the stick? He said, the devil made me do it. She then said, then why did you spit on her? He replied, that was my idea.
I think you would be surprised by how much sin is our idea. It comes from the Adamic Nature … our old nature or our flesh… whatever you want to call it.
Some temptation comes from the devil.
Some temptation comes from the devil.
The world is an external enemy. The Flesh is an internal enemy. The devil is infernal enemy. The devil is a real being and he wants you to sin. So he will use the flesh to tempt you to sin.
Think of the world as a match. Think of your flesh as a pool of gasoline. Now think of the devil as the one who lights the match and throws it.
The devil will use the world and your flesh to get you to sin. So when you are tempted, you will be tempted in the area of the flesh, the world or the devil.
Now think about this.
3. Where will you be tempted?
3. Where will you be tempted?
Remember 1 Thessalonians 5:23 “Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again.” You are a spirit, soul and a body. Sitting in your seat is a spirit, a soul and a body.
You were made in the image of a triune God so you have a triune nature. You are one individual but you are made up of three parts, a spirit, soul and body.
You will find out that when you are tempted, you will be tempted in one of these three areas.
When you are tempted, you will be tempted in your spirit, soul or your body.
When you are tempted, you will be tempted in your spirit, soul or your body.
Let’s look at this.
The World Tempts you in the area of your Soul
The World Tempts you in the area of your Soul
Inside your body is a soul. The Greek word for soul is psyche. We get the word psychic and psychiatry and psychology from it.
Your soul is the psychological part of you. It’s made up of you mind, will and emotions. Your soul is what makes you the wonderful person that you are. It’’s your sense of humor, your intellect, your taste, your idiosyncrasies. Another word for soul is ego as coined by Sigmund Freud. Whatever name you want to call it, it’s a seat of temptation.
Here is what happens. The world or the culture will tempt you in the area of your ego. You are tempted to be worldly. If you are worldly, you are on an ego trip.
If you remember Abraham. There was a time when their workers were arguing with each other over gazing lands and water. So Abraham, told him, Lot, we are kin to each other and we ought not to be arguing. Abraham told him to choose which way he wanted to go and Abraham would go the other.
Lot chose the direction of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah but it wasn’t just the cities, there was more grass down there so he could have more cattle. Here is the thing, Lot was already wealthy. Why did he want more? He just wanted to have more than anyone else. It was ego. He was trying to feed his soul on the things of the world.
Thats a temptation. It’s why the world says that you have to have just a little more, you have to do just a little more and you have to be a little more. Look at 1 John 2:16
16 For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world.
Those things didn’t come from God, but they war against our souls.
The Flesh will tempt you in the area of your body.
The Flesh will tempt you in the area of your body.
Remember, the Flesh is the predisposition to sin. It wars against your body.
Your body will be subject to physical temptations… appetite, lust, laziness, violence, the flesh.
King David looked over the wall of his palace and saw a beautiful woman taking a bath. He didn’t turn away, he watched her.
There was something inside him… that sinful nature that he inherited from Adam, that caused that lust to rise up inside of him, that sexual temptation … This was an incredible sexual temptation to David and he gave in. And he fell.
Lot was on a ego trip, David passions were under attack.
So the external foe, the world attacks our soul and the internal foe attacks our flesh.
The devil tempts you in the area of your Spirit.
The devil tempts you in the area of your Spirit.
The devil, the infernal enemy, attacks your spirit. He is not primarily trying to get you to do stuff like lie, steal, commit adultery. The devil attacks your spirit.
Your soul is your self consciousness, but your Spirit is your God consciousness. We know God through our spirit.
Plants have a body, but they don’t have a soul. Animals have a body and a soul but don’t have a spirit.
Only humans have a spirit. That’s what makes us different from the rest of creation. People can know God. Look what Jesus told the woman at the well in John 4:24
24 For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.”
An then God’s spirit joins with our spirit.
16 For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.
Our spirit is a vehicle of communication, worship and praise and spiritual knowledge. The devil doesn’t like this, so he tries to cut you off from God.
The devil doesn’t necessarily want you to get drunk or loaded or anything else, unless it draws you away from God. Think about it. A drug addict in the gutter is bad advertisement for the devil, but a CEO that doesn’t follow God is great advertisement for him.
The devil doesn’t mind people being successful. He doesn’t mind people being part of civic clubs and doing good things. He doesn’t even mind of you attend church as long as you don’t really know God.
Example: Lot was and example of the world tempting the soul. David was an example of the Flesh tempting the body. Peter is an example of the devil tempting the spirit. Remember what Jesus said to Peter in Luke 22:31-32
31 “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift each of you like wheat. 32 But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail. So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen your brothers.”
Jesus prayed for his faith. Peter’s temptation wasn’t his soul or the flesh, it was his spirit because his faith faltered. Satan wanted to sift him like wheat.
So how do we overcome Temptation? How do we subdue temptation?
4. How to Subdue Temptation
4. How to Subdue Temptation
We want to look at how to Subdue and triumph over temptation. Look at 1 CO 10:13
13 The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.
Paul basically is saying there are three ways to handle it. Fight, Flight, and Faith. So let’s look at these.
Against the flesh: flight
Against the flesh: flight
Against the Lust of the flesh, we run… we remove ourselves. The flesh is our sinful nature and the devil will use it to tempt us. the WOG says
18 Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body.
Paul says to run… then he said
22 Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts.
Paul doesn’t say to fight these temptations. He says to flee from them.
If there is a website, a magazine, a movie, a song, a video, anything that arouses in you things that are wrong… Paul says to get away from it.
There is a saying that says…
He who would not fall down ought not to walk in slippery places.
He who would not fall down ought not to walk in slippery places.
That’s what we are talking about… stay away from it. Stay off the sites. Don’t put yourself in places where the temptation will be. If you are dating, never be in the bedroom alone or even in the house alone. Don’t watch trash on TV. You can’t watch it without being impacted. Solomon said in Pro 6:27
27 Can a man scoop a flame into his lap and not have his clothes catch on fire?
You would not put garbage in your mouth? Of course not. So why would we put garbage in our minds…
We have been learning lessons from Joseph’s life. When he was tempted by Potiphar’s wife, he didn’t try to fight it, he ran. He removed himself from the temptation. Today there are some people who would be dumb enough to say, “Now Mrs. Potiphar, you ought not to act that way… let’s just kneel by the bed and pray.” That’s stupid but it’s what to many people do.
Flee sexual immorality.
Against the world: Faith
Against the world: Faith
We flee the temptations of the flesh, but use our faith to fight the temptations of the world. The disciple John said in 1 John 5:4
4 For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith.
We don’t fight worldliness but we are to use our faith to make God real in our lives. In 1 John 2:15
15 Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you.
The reason someone becomes worldly is that they do not have the love of the Father in them.
Worldliness is a symptom that the love of the Father is missing.
Worldliness is a symptom that the love of the Father is missing.
So how do we overcome worldliness?
Just like you have a warning light on your car that says something is wrong, worldliness is a warning light in your life that something’s wrong. It’s time to fix it.
If you find yourself being worldly and this world is trying to squeeze you into it’s mold, you need to fall in love with Jesus. You are not seeing Jesus Christ and that’s why you are having problems with worldliness.
We used to sing an old song that went…
Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in his wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of his glory and grace.
When you are feeding on Jesus and the things he offers and then the devil comes along and offers you stale crumbs, you can tell him… No thanks. I am satisfied.
So if worldliness is your problem, then faith is your answer. Let Jesus satisfy you.
Against the devil: fight
Against the devil: fight
Flesh: Flee World: Faith
But with the devil, we fight. Look at 1 Timothy 6:12
12 Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have declared so well before many witnesses.
We fight the fight of faith. James said it this way in James 4:7
7 So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
We are not told to run from the devil, we are to fight the devil, but not in our own strength. We fight the devil with the Lord’s strength. James says to humble or submit to God first.
Have you ever thought about the devil fleeing from you? Most of us just want a stand off. Devil if you will leave me alone, I’ll leave alone. It doesn’t work. Israel - Hezbollah… Hamas - hasn[t worked It won’t work. The devil will not leave you alone.
We are to resist him in the power of Jesus. How can we do that?
11 And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony. And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die.
The devil is not afraid of your resolutions… your goodwill… your intentions… But he is scared to death of the Blood of Jesus.
The devil fears the Blood of Jesus.
The devil fears the Blood of Jesus.
When the devil comes and he gets on your case, you bring the blood of Jesus against him. You bring the Word of God against him. You bring that commitment to the Lord Jesus against him. And when the devil knocks on your door, and the devil comes after you, you don’t have to take it.
So many are like a cat that had his tail stepped on so many times. Somebody would come into the room, and he’d just turn around, stick it out, and wait. I mean, just expecting, just expecting the devil to do what he’s going to do.
You don’t have to take that stuff from the devil. I’ll tell you what you can do. I’ll tell you what: You put your sin under the blood of Jesus, and understand the power of the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. And when temptation comes to you, don’t be on the defensive.
You be on the offensive. And you say, “Satan, I bring the Word against you. I bring the blood against you. I bring Jesus Christ against you. I resist you in the name of God Almighty. My body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. It belongs to God. You’re trespassing on my Father’s property. And in the name of Jesus, you be gone.”
Remember James 4:7 “So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
Conclusion
Remember, against the Flesh the word is flight. Against the world, the word is faith. But against the devil, the word is fight. Eph 6:10
10 A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
Prayer