Stand Firm

Open up to 1st Corinthians chapter 10 and listen to what Paul rights to this church that is dealing with a Temptation. That's far more impacting detrimental could cause destruction to their soul than what a couple of marshmallows could do eaten when put before you Paul says therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest. He fall no temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. Now this ever famous tattooed verse put up on your Facebook. Wall. God is faithful and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability. But with the Temptation he will provide provide a way of Escape or Exodus is the idea that Paul is Conjuring up in those. Here's mine that you may be able to end your aunt. Spray father give us wisdom in each Direction help us to understand this text in Jesus name. Amen. Amen temptation all around us. Sometimes it's outside of Us coming out of like the marshmallow that the kids are looking at. Sometimes it's something inside of us. That's a pole that causes us to want to act contrary to how we think or know that we should act the temptation to lie to avoid trouble the temptation to put somebody down to feel good about yourself the temptation to do whatever feels good in the moment regardless of right or wrong Temptation can seem incredibly harmless at the time that it's presented to us. But if I mean dangerous and Lee just as wake of Destruction around us, when we look at this idea of Temptation today, I want to do a bit of work in deconstructing what Paul Mean by that word for the modern fear of the word to tempt somebody automatically thinks of something bad a seductive evil something to seduce somebody into some sort of sin our way of living against God who won Paul uses the word hear what he's actually talking about in the Greek what he means is this is a test now test aren't necessarily bad. Are they What test do in Academia situation is it reveal? If you actually know the material that's been taught to you what test do they put us in a situation to show us how we're going to respond to how we're going to react they aren't bad in life experiences because what they do is they reveal with already in our hearts have these trials Temptations can be considered a moment of Crisis a moment of Crisis that requires a decision to be made moments of crisis in the big moments of Crisis can be small, but they're presented with some sort of decision that has to be made inside each and every person for example, Maybe you're somebody who has walkthrough is walking through our could be walking through some sort of job loss because of what's been going on in the world around us. There is a there is a trial the Temptation then it's how are you going to respond in the moment of Crisis? How are you going to speak? Are you going to be filled with anger and rage? Are you going to speak down to earth? What is going to flow out of you in those moments understanding? Yes, there can be righteous anger and upsetness about you, but there can also be an ungodly way to go about that. They can be naive ways. We just simply minimize and don't even look at the hurt and the pain and the devastation of being brought to us. How does Godly ways to move through crisis and what it looks like to embrace God in the scriptures? Jesus is constantly putting people in his moments of crisis. One of my favorite stories is found in both Matthew Mark and Luke the synoptic gospels and their there is this man. He's labeled as a wealthy or Rich Young Ruler. He's affluence. He has his life together. He's probably on the Jerusalem Times magazine at the most eligible bachelor that is available to that day. If he's not already married to society looks at him and says, you are a success and he comes to Jesus and he looks at Jesus and he says a good teacher Rabbi what must I do to inherit eternal life. Jesus begins to felicity's commands and the man says I do all of these things. This is great news. I am everything they said about me right but then Jesus moved him to a moment of Crisis and he says this one thing you lack cell photo me. In the scriptures that actually leave us hanging in that story because it says the man walks away sorrowed. He's filled with some grief inside of him and we don't know how his story and Vegeta put some in this moment of Crisis, which says you think you follow all of these commands and you think by following all the command somehow you can inherit eternal life in stock that is not the way to inherit eternal life. Jesus is pushing this man to look in a different direction in which Jesus would be the very center of his life has moments of Crisis. They reveal what's inside of us. Often when something you love is being threatened. The heat is turned up on your life. And you're forced to respond or make a decision or moments of Crisis can be Temptation outside of what God has for us there to go around What God Says is good for you to declare yourself? No, I think this is good and weird Run Away by Our Own Les. Very famous man in the Old Testament. His name is Abraham. And Abraham is promised this child and his child is not coming his way. He begins to question God and he looks to his wife and he says I don't know what God is up to you, but he certainly not doing what we want. And so what are they do? Why don't you take my handmaiden my servant and why don't you go ahead and birth a child through her and that child and will be the air this is wrong on so many levels. How do I have a say in this? No, she did not We get outside of God's intended plan for Abraham and Sarah. Absolutely. It was put in a moment of Crisis this great man of Faith does God you're not doing it how we want you to do it. Therefore we're going to take it into our hands to accomplish what we think needs to be accomplished and they give in to Temptation in those moments. Your Christian in here a follower of Jesus. No doubt at some point your life has been met with a moment of Crisis you stood in opposition to who God is and it was brought to your attention the depravity of your own heart your own soul the bankruptcy of your own life and it's not just a broken this life for me. Nothing in. My life is working out. It is an absolute utter Brokenness that without God you can never be made whole hand. Begins to move on your heart and response to this crisis you respond to who Jesus is but here's the problem much like Corinth who has responded to this good news of Jesus much like the Israelites who Paul is linking The Story 2 who have been delivered from the clutches of pharaoh, they've been rescued they pass through the sea there under the clouds there still. In the wilderness and there's Temptation there's trials and his crisis but are presented before us in each and every moment and for Corinth this temptation was external. Something coming from outside that would cause them to be enticed to ignore the commands of God to participate in an activity that was sinful and testing involves the allurement of idolatry. You see what they wanted to do is there is a temple in the temples were a little bit like Corner Market it's where you would actually go and you sit down and you order your burger need hang out with family need to have a birthday party. But in the process of that there was sacrificing meet to these Idols impulsive. I know that you guys have a little statues. Those are nothing behind those Idols. There is a dark reality still goes on in 1st Corinthians chapter 10 to say there is something wicked demonic behind them and you are participating with them when you join in the speech we should do not go there don't participate in that there was an Allure meant to be a part of that culture. Not only To turn your back on that would be just somewhat ostracize yourself from your community from your neighbors. That's where they went to hang out. That's where they went to eat. That's probably where the business transaction happened password deals. Made. That's where all the connections to get you further in life. The backdoor deals could take place in the social setting in the social atmosphere. You think about Corinth been the very stocks that those that became followers of Jesus were turning their back on their old way of life. They would still have family and friends that would come into town maybe like some of you guys But don't believe that looks the other way and you yourself know what tension that can bring in your life in the way that even presented here in our culture and I would suggest to magnify that a bit for Corinth because if they were making these decisions they were actually cutting ties with so many relationships because they could not participate in the idolatry that was around them and 1st Peter. We look at this a long time ago. But in Chapter 4 verses 3 through 4, it says for the time that is past the spices for doing with the Gentiles want to do living in sensuality passions drunkenness Ortiz drinking parties Lawless idolatry with respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery in the gnu. Sugar surprised that you Christian follower of Jesus are not engaged in the same way as they are to actually put you on the outskirts of their society. They mock you they want nothing to do with you. So there's this inward pressure to join in and to participate with them. Don't need you to be one of our lives. I'm not sure what this looks like, but I Dollar Tree which is really break. It down is really the worship of anything. Even a good thing to the extent that it becomes the God thing in our lives. You can make a person into somebody that you live for and worship in that they were taken from you. Your whole life would be absolutely crushed. I'm not saying that it wouldn't cost sorrow or some bum Nest or some sense of lost but I'm talking about to the point to where you would feel like you have nothing left to live for this can be jobs. This can be people as can be events that we live for idolatry in our lives can look a little bit like the story I shared with you guys months ago. Now when some dude in Hawaii invited us to Little Beach to go dance naked around a fire and worship His Idol Hard pass. No, thank you. It can look like the kingdom of God without wanting the king in our lives because look like wanting all the benefits that Jesus might bring without actually having to have Jesus as the one and then we submit and come underneath of some sort of Utopia society in which we all just kind of get along without having Jesus at the center of it for the Jews. It looks very much like this nationalistic worship of because of who we are we have these blessings and we have all of this coming our way and God is owing this to us and that's what we put our Hope and Faith is in Jesus is trying to push them to see outside of that and it's either own need for him. In America in the eighties and nineties and up till now it's materialism its success. It's Comfort. It's being tempted to replace any and all of those things of the gospel for your life the thing if I get I will be made what Paul says in this letter and he says no temptation has seized you that is not human that is not common to man. Temptation is not a unique situation in which you're the only one. But he goes on to say but God is faithful God is faithful never many people you hear this and you probably seen this you won't be tempted beyond what you can handle anybody heard that. I got to tell you something my family's watch through a lot of camps coming up on 8 years of losing my wife's mother very painful very difficult losing in the womb for children to miscarriage. He's very slow and broken moments. There's pain and Devastation that is in each and every one of our lives and we hear this very cliche think God won't give you what you can't handle actually a lot of stuff will come piling out of but the scripture says God is faithful not to Simply remove it but you allow you to endure under the pressure. That's the promise of the verse it gets soaked taken out of context that he won't give you anything. You can't handle Ron sure is a lot of you that are pretty Fed Up in order to place you like. I don't know how much more I can handle and God says, yes. I'm faithful and more might come I am with you. That's the promise and this verse gets put out. There is some Christianity cliche some bit of white trials and whatever it might look like and the reality is is God is promising his present in the midst of difficulty in trouble. Now if we were to take a poll, do you want a crisis free or a crisis proof life? Which one would you want? I would want a crisis free life to be honest. No more travels. No more struggles. That is not what is being talked about it. It's the Christ is proof wise. What does that mean? God is with you. Sweating through the Old Testament not too long ago and was reading the story of Jeremiah the prophet stick it just he drew straws and it did not go well for him him and Isaiah. They had some pretty rough things to do that. We're awful awful. Maybe Jose has the other one. I delink into that group as well. If you know his story the reality is for Jeremiah and nobody responded nobody receive and it only cost him to end up in prison ostracize and put out people mocked him laughed at him. I didn't want to have anything to do with them. We continue to remain faithful to what God had for him. I think you're John the Baptist there is In prison under Herod and he gets word that Jesus is preaching to me since his disciples to Jesus and asked this question. Are you the one are you the Messiah and what is Jesus do he goes in for Phil's idea and it begins to heal people in The Blind begin to see it against to preach the good news of the Kingdom that has come and I'm sure that in John the Baptist heart what he's hoping for in prison as the world is going to be coming back him is that Eddie sets the captives free, but that is not what Jesus said in that moment his idea that looks very different instead John the Baptist remains in prison and things don't go very well for him. But then Jesus speaks of him is born of a woman. Not a better man than he he was faithful crisis will come Temptations are presented. And it allows for us to say in the midst of this what in me what's going to come out of me? That's a very important stock process right now for each and everyone of us what is being put in you? What are the things that Paul is warning out of is this church that they have overconfidence when go to the temples? You know what the younger brother that with your brother didn't got to get over it. But I need to care for them. We can do this or why can't we just purchased the meat so much better there. Anyways, why not and they have his overconfidence David prior said in the spiritual life. One never rest on one's Laurels is a sure recipe for failing attainments are like Manna given to the Israelites in the desert good for only the day pass to tainment. Do not Place us in a position of Merit that permits us to let up in the Hot Pursuit Of God for today for now Paul knew that and he knew that the others missed it or forgot it to their great harm what he saying is if they were looking at past victories and saying because I did it then I'll do it again. And instead what we ought to be doing is being in Hot Pursuit of who God is in the moment. He saying that you actually need to be taking care of your soul and the Soul Care is not something that just happened on Sunday morning when you get this thing a few songs and be encouraged by some brothers and sisters in the Lord and maybe hear a message. That's may or may not inspire you this week. That's not my goal. My goal is that you would see Jesus to see Jesus clearly because only by coming daily as we Face trials and troubles and struggled every pursue him and begins to reorient how we're going to handle ourselves in those situations.

Here's what we need to know in these moments, but upon coming to Christ Our Hearts our lives have been changed and filled with the spirit and we need to lean in and pressed into that reality the problem with any sort of overconfidence. I've always been successful in the past with sexual Temptation. I've always been Festival in the past with my anger by Justin 3 counting to 10. I've always been successful with the problem of greed in my life. I sent out just turning my back on it and walking from it at some point those victories don't play into the present trial's and we've got a doomed future that we will participate in which is why Paula saying you need to lean in to who God is I'm going to share three quick things that looks like they're going to worship and praise Jesus number one number one. the scriptures scriptures that show classic right after Jesus's baptism and he's assured there to the ghost of the Wilderness and he's tempted three times there. It says Satan comes and says, I'll give you the kingdoms. I'll give you the world. Basically a serpent father's plan. The plan is for Redemption take the easy pass and each time Jesus quotes scripture. Now when I was a 15 year old man why I think you're just a boy 15th, though. All right. I remember hearing that. I'm thinking okay, you know, I'll set no unclean thing before my eye and the Temptation didn't go away.

Bad Company corrupts good morals with my friends with bad morals or a heck of a lot more fun to hang out with we just did things that were stupid like surf on top of my Jeep and while going 60 and I don't need any more land to get caught sing. Crab, king good morning. I always had the idea that I just had the right scripture to be like your smartphone like this is skin, or some sort of Wizardry year with a chant that would then make the thing vanished and go away Jesus being God In The Flash. Can knowing the very word embodying the word whenever you see Jesus any situations, you'll see all the sudden him. Just quoting portions of scripture. And I love this. I didn't mean that things cannot vanish and flew away are the Temptation dissipated and it drowned out what it does. Is it fixes or mine or I are hard or whole being on who is God in the situation? When pushed to a place where I don't feel really good right now and I'm reminded of poop God is and what God has done and how God has given him. God is kind. What I can recall those kinds of scriptures in that moment. It reorients me to go. You know what I want to walk in generosity or I want to give the $20 back that just fell out of the guy's wallet in front of me. This is what knowing scripture and hiding it in our heart.

Not just make something vanish Into Thin Air, but it's in the midst of its remember that he is faithful and we and do her it's funny. You can look up the video but it sounds like 25. I got millions of views and then are there different but they did this study and one of the things that was revealed in the study is that kids who had more than one of them in the room or less likely to eat the marshmallow, why are encouraging each other each other? What does it mean for us? We need a scripture. Community community you want to fight Temptation you want a battle against it be in community with one another someone there that is spurring you on and is encouraging you in the things of Jesus. The exhortation is telling the Corinthian don't be overconfident. Don't think so much of yourself. Listen you and your own West cannot do it on your own or we need one another to encourage each other and Hebrews that says for the day and still today that we hard and not our hearts and we enter into the promises that God has for us exhort yourself gay lie with one another This looks different for everyone in here. If you're single you need to present deeply into the community that God has placed around your life connected with friends and being encouraged.

If your married what are the primary places that can happen is in your relationship with your spouse, but sometimes it's the last thing we actually went to do because at some point in our marriage that sometime we think that our spouses turned and now is against us so they try to encourage us were like somehow you're just trying to manipulate me, aren't you just to get what you wanted?

the community that your children friends the people in the church and be connected cuz there are trials and there is a difficulty and there is struggles. There's one thing we've seen and read a whole lot on Sims.

Hear the isolation. I've got people freaking out on all different fronts. I'm not just talking about some polarizing political garbage with all going on all around us. I'm talking about people internally. For hurting you need you to come around and then I just said we say, how are you? Not have a discussion that just argues and debates and goes in circles but to check in because we need Community to stand strong and what God is doing here lies the third thing that God does if he actually brings trouble allows for trouble and that were trouble is a bad word really that idea of a test of a moment of Crisis because no temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful. He will not with you cuz we have said to be tempted Beyond this ability, but with the Temptation he will also provide the way of Escape that you may enjoy it. James and James one is a harder. Look he says count it all joy my brothers when you meet various trial that word is the same word for temptation.

Were you know the testing of your faith produces steadfastness?

These trials is test these times. We can look at them under two lenses.

Valencia which is James purchases towards to say you know, what? I'm in this moment of Crisis and God is putting me in a place to send one to trust you. Love you and Faithfully follow you. That's the call. That's the cry. That's what we ought to be doing in this place. There's a couple things I want to leave you with before we get into a time of worship and praise what areas are going unchecked in your life because you think you are strong.

What areas are going unchecked in your life or not examine you cuz you think you're strong what started as a liberty Freedom like the Corinthian Church, but is now in slaved you owned you controls you.

Do the things you do bring glory to God, do they cause you to give thanks to God or the in opposition to God. how to clear secure if you are in Temptation in trial in crisis go to the word. Indian Community Mau change really the Paradigm and what you actually see the Tron the crisis and say may this moved me. To place across close to you God rather than pushing me further from you made us. Move me to place where I see that you are what I need for. Thank you for your word. Truth for the hope that we have in Jesus I pray today that we could just enter into this place with Thanksgiving and praise in our hearts. But our mouths with our minds with our lives that would be laid out before you surrendered trusting that you are at work in the midst whatever it is. We're going through God we give ourselves to you in Jesus name. Amen.