Warning and Escaping Temptation
Notes
Transcript
Ensample - Warning by stamp or scar
Admonition - Instruction
Warning Sign - Slippery When Wet - Floor Sign
Nathan - We had put up the sign, told him the floor was wet, and seconds later - he went sliding and fell
Paul was teaching this young church that was full of division, strife, and sin about the warnings of a Christian backsliding and walking away from God
What did he teach them? What were the instructive warnings to help them not fall?
Distaste for the Bible and crave for what the world has to offer
1 Cor 10:1-6
Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; And did all eat the same spiritual meat; And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness. Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.
Christ is replaced by some kind of worldly religion, idolatry
1 Cor 10:7
Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.
Immorality in some form - spiritual or moral sin
1 Cor 10:8
Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand.
Skepticism and some form of tempting God
1 Cor 10:9-10
Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents. Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.
The Warning is Displayed
The Warning is Displayed
Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
Paul states that these things are given as warnings stamped out before us to warn us of the danger that lies ahead
Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.
One of the great devices that Satan uses is to convince us that we will be careful and that is cannot happen to us
Know how long I’ve been saved?
I’ve seen so much; I know what to avoid.
I can handle this. I’ll walk carefully
Take heed - blepo - bleh - po - Look to it! Beware! Watch out!
Peter - self-assurance - follower of Jesus - heard personally the truths taught by Jesus and watched Christ as He led by example
Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended. Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. Peter said unto him, Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. Likewise also said all the disciples.
Jesus said - Satan wants your life and testimony destroyed
And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.
Within hours of this conversation Peter had denied Jesus Christ with cursing and swearing
None of us are above temptation
The Temptation is Exposed
The Temptation is Exposed
Common temptation
1 Cor 10:13a
There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
Temptation has 3 schemes:
Lust of the flesh - feels good
Lure of the world - everyone is doing it
Lies of the Devil - no one will know - you can cover this up
The lures of temptation are:
1 John 2:16
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
Lust of the flesh
Lust of the eyes
Pride of life
Satan does not show favouritism in his temptation schemes
All are tempted
He trusts his schemes and lures so much that he used these very things on Jesus hoping God Himself would sin
God has unveiled for us:
The wiles of the Devil
Eph 6:11
Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
Not ignorant of his devices
2 Cor 2:11
Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.
There are no new tricks. Every temptation is common to man, and God has wonderfully exposed them to us so we may avoid temptation
Satan knows us and knows what is effective in temptation
Controlled Temptation
1 Cor 10:13b
There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
God knows us even better than Satan does
God knows the strengths and weaknesses of our heart
Job - God knew exactly what Job could handle
Job 1:8
And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?
God would not allow Satan to tempt above what Job could handle
Exploring 1 Corinthians: An Expository Commentary Part 4: Difficulties in the Church (1 Corinthians 7:1–14:40)
Not ’til the looms are silent
And the shuttles cease to fly,
Will God unroll the fabric
And explain the reasons why;
The dark threads are as needful
In the Weaver’s skillful hand
As the threads of gold and silver
In the pattern He has planned.
The Escape is Possible
The Escape is Possible
Harry Houdini - With amazement wondering how he could escape such difficult traps
There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
Eve - Innocent, unconscious of the malice of her visitor, unversed in sin, and blissfully ignorant of the subtlety and wickedness of Satan
Satan - greatest of all created intelligences, possessed great gifts and unsurpassed wisdom which was now warped and twisted by sin into diabolical cunning
Eve’s way of escape was what the Lord had said. All she had to do was to say, “thus saith the Lord.” She had the Word of God, so long as she held fast to that, she was invulnerable. Satan knew this!
Eve had the one weapon that Satan fears - the Word of God
Satan still fears this weapon. No weapon against the Word of God shall prosper.
God has given us access to escape temptation through Himself:
Flesh tempts:
Holy Spirit
Gal 5:16-17
This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
World tempts:
Father
1 John 2:15-16
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
Devil tempts:
Jesus
Heb 2:14
Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
1 John 3:8
He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
Our enemies are opposed against Almighty Omnipotent God!
For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
James writes
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Paul taught a young pastor names Timothy:
For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.
Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
Just as Joseph did in Genesis 39 - Flee the temptation and run to God!
Paul reminds the Corinthian church:
Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.
The moments that we fail to run teach us what are idols are
Satan will make certain that we are tempted often. Each and every day, multiple times each day, we will face temptation.
Use the Word of God.
Flee temptation.
Run to God!
One of the largest freshwater turtles is the alligator snapping turtle. Found primarily in the southeastern United States, these massive turtles have been known to weigh close to 250 pounds. They are carnivorous, and while their diet is primarily fish, they have been known to eat almost anything else they can find in the water—even in a few cases small alligators! The alligator snapping turtle relies on a uniquely deceitful method of foraging for fish.
The turtle will lie completely still on the floor of a lake or river with its mouth wide open. At the end of the turtle’s tongue is a small, pink, worm-shaped appendage. The turtle wiggles the end of its tongue so that it looks like a worm moving through the water. When a fish comes to eat the worm, the turtle’s jaws rapidly close, trapping the fish so that it cannot escape.
Similarly to the snapping turtle’s lure, temptation comes in the guise of something desirable, but it always carries destruction with it in the end. If we could see the end result rather than the tempting part, it would be far easier to resist. But Satan knows this, so he cleverly disguises what is deadly in the guise of something pleasurable.