Sermon Tone Analysis

*Thomas** S. Myers*

 

*How to win The war of temptation*

*Exodus 17:8-16*

 

            We take the miracle of the seedless orange for granted, but years ago there were none of the sweet, seedless oranges that we know today.

A navel orange tree was imported from Brazil and planted at Riverside, California, where old orange trees were topped, leaving short trunks into which cuttings from the Brazilian navel orange trees were grafted.

The grafting was successful and soon the character of the orange tree was completely changed.

From the graft down, the orange tree had its old nature and could produce the old orange that had seeds.

But from the graft up was a new nature that produced the new seedless orange.

The orange rancher had to constantly cut off the shoots that sprouted from the old nature of the tree.

These shoots had to be removed or they would bear fruit from the old nature.

The Christian has two natures.

We have an old sin nature that wants to sin, and we have a new nature that wants to do good.

Just as the orange rancher had to constantly cut off the shoots from the old nature of the orange tree, we as believers have to constantly cut off the old nature that produces sin.

In Exodus chapter 17 we see a picture of our old sin nature.

Let's take a look at:

 

*Exodus 17:8-16*

*8 **The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim.

9 Moses said to Joshua, "Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites.

Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands." 10 So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill.

11 As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning.

12 When Moses*

*1'hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it.

Aaron and Hur held his hands up -- one on one side, one on the other -- so that his hands remained steady till sunset.

13 So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.

14 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Write this on a scroll as something to be remembered and make sure that Joshua hears it, because I will completely blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven."

15 Moses built an altar and called it The LORD is my Banner.

16 He said, "For hands were lifted up to the throne of the LORD.

The LORD will be at war against the Amalekites from generation to generation." (NIV)*

 * *         

*FIRST -- WHO IS AMALEK?*

I took  every book I could find in my library and tried to find information on the Amalekites.

I found that Amalek was the grandson of Esau (the son of Abraham) by a concubine.

I also found that the Amalekites were always at war with the children of Israel.

Moses' generation had to fight the Amalekites.

Joshua's generation had to fight the Amalekites.

His grandchildren had to fight the Amalekites.

King Saul had to fight them.

King David had to

fight them.

As a matter of fact, King Hezekiah had to fight them in 1 Chronicles.

But I want you to notice the last verse of Exodus 17, verse 16, because it illustrates an important truth about our old sin nature.

Notice that it says:* *

 

*"The LORD will be at war against the Amalekites from generation to generation."*

Just as the Israelites will be constantly at war against the Amalekites from generation to generation, so we as believers will be continually at war with our old sin nature.

That is, there will never be a time when we will be free from the temptation of sin.

We

will always be at war with the temptation to sin.

The apostle Paul confirmed this when He said in Romans chapter 7 that he had a constant warfare with the old sin nature.

*Romans 7:18-19**, 21 & 24*

*18 **I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature.

For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.

19 For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do -- this I keep on doing...21 So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me... 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?

(NIV)*

* *

*            *When you were born, you were born with a s-i-n nature that makes it very easy for you to sin.

Sin comes very natural for us.

It is just as easy for us to sin as it is for a dog to bark, because

that is its nature.

Amalek is a picture of our old sin nature.

Just as Amalek will be at continual war, so we will be in continual warfare with our old sin nature.

When you trust Jesus Christ as your Savior, your old sin nature is not done away with.

Some religions teach that when you become a Christian, you will not sin again.

That just isn't the case.

You don't get rid of your sin nature when you become a Christian.

You can be a Christian for 100 years, pray 8 hours a day, read the Bible for 8 hours a day, witness 8 hours a day, and you still would not get rid of your sin nature.

The Bible says this:

 

*1** John 1:8** *

*8 **If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.

(NIV)*

* *

            Now when you became a Christian, God gave you a new nature to do right.

Christian's  have 2 natures living inside them:  One is the old sin nature (Amalek) and the other is new nature (the Holy Spirit).

You need to look at Galatians 5:17: 

 

*17 **For the sinful nature desires what is *

*contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature.

They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.

(NIV)*

 

*      *You can live to be 1,200 years old and you still will have to do battle with the old sin nature (Amalek).

The Lord said, there will be "War with Amalek for generation to generation."

Now in war they say if you can identify the enemy, you are 50% on the way to victory.

Your enemy is not your wife, or your husband.

It is not your boss or your neighbor.

The biggest problem is your old sin nature, Amalek-that is your flesh.

You will never reach the place where it will leave you alone.

Just as Amalek will always be at war, so will you always be at war with your old sin nature.

That is who Amalek is, a nation that is in constant warfare.

*SECOND -- WHEN DID AMALEK APPEAR?*

I want you to see not only who Amalek is (the old sin nature), but I want you to see when he appeared.

Notice Exodus 17:8

 

*Exodus 17:8** *

*8 **The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim.

(NIV)*

 

      In the first 7 verses of Exodus chapter 17, the children of Israel became very thirsty and began to complain.

God told Moses to take his rod and strike a rock and water would flow out of the rock.

In 1 Corinthians 10:4, it tells us that the children drank water from that rock, and that the rock is a picture of Jesus Christ.

Now when did the children of Israel meet Amalek?

As soon as they drank water from the rock.

Here is the point: as soon as you trust Jesus Christ as your Savior, as soon as you are born again, you do battle with the old sin nature.

When you became a Christian, what happened 2 or 3 days later?

You had a battle with the old sin

nature.

You had a battle like you have never had before.

Did you say,