Fighting Temptation

Intro

What is one sin that you are regularly tempted to do even though you know it’s wrong?

Possible sins or some you didn’t think of:

Cussing

Disrespecting teachers

Consuming substances/drugs

Disobeying your parents

Bullying or Disrespecting peers because they are different

Sexual immorality

Text

Matthew 4:1–11 CSB

1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 After he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 Then the tempter approached him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” 4 He answered, “It is written: Man must not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” 5 Then the devil took him to the holy city, had him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written: He will give his angels orders concerning you, and they will support you with their hands so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.” 7 Jesus told him, “It is also written: Do not test the Lord your God.” 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 And he said to him, “I will give you all these things if you will fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus told him, “Go away, Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.” 11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and began to serve him.

Body

Jesus was truly tempted.

This wasn’t just some game, Jesus knows what we are going through when we are tempted.

Satan doesn’t think anyone is too holy to tempt.

If Satan thought he could tempt Jesus, surely he thinks he can tempt me or anyone else in this room because I am WAY MORE capable of falling to temptation than Jesus!

Jesus fought and overcame temptation by the Word of God.

Jesus’ battle plan was simply relying on the Word of His Father to know what is right.

**Fighting temptation with the Word of God must be preceded by a relationship with God. I’m not asking you to be good people and obey a big set of rules. Instead, I am asking you to LOVE GOD by letting your actions be defined by His will rather than your own will.

Conclusion

Possible sins or some you didn’t think of:

Cussing

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 3

10 Blessing and cursing come out of the same mouth. My brothers and sisters, these things should not be this way.

Disrespecting teachers

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 2

13 Submit to every human authority because of the Lord, whether to the emperor as the supreme authority 14 or to governors as those sent out by him to punish those who do what is evil and to praise those who do what is good.

Disobeying your parents

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 3

20 Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.

Disobeying your parents

Bullying or Disrespecting peers because they are different

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 2

8 Indeed, if you fulfill the royal law prescribed in the Scripture, Love your neighbor as yourself,,g you are doing well. 9 If, however, you show favoritism, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.

Sexual immorality

Sexual immorality & Consuming substances/drugs

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 6

18 Flee sexual immorality! Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the person who is sexually immoral sins against his own body. 19 Don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought at a price. So glorify God with your body.

Let’s finish our time in prayer.

Pray for each other to be able to resist temptation and to show the world how great God is by your obedience to Him.