Sermon Notes - Escape pt 2
Sermon Notes – Escape pt 2
Subtitle: Breaking Free from the Power of Temptation
Purpose: To equip Believers with 3 commitments to help them resist temptation
Passage: 1 Corinthans 10:12-13
Main Point: What is the one thing I want my audience to know? What do I want them to do about it? (Should be an application, an insight, or a principle)
Exegetical Outline – 1 Corinthians 10:12-13
1. Paul’s conclusion to the Corinthians was a warning to those who thought they were safe from God’s judgment simply because they had identified themselves with God through some outward action only (12).
2. Paul’s encouragement to the Corinthians who were facing temptation was threefold:
a. You are not alone in your temptation (13a).
b. God will not allow you to be tempted beyond your ability (13b).
c. God will provide a way of escape from the temptation so that you may endure it (13c).
Homiletical Outline
INTRODUCTION
Consider one of the following question sets when shaping the introduction:
What is the question I am answering with this sermon? What can I do to help my audience want to know the answer to that question?
What is the tension this message will resolve? What can I do to help my audience feel that tension? (personal example, illustration, scenario, etc)
What mystery does this message solve? What can I do to help my audience want a solution?
Intro
Last week we learned a vital principle about temptation. If we continue to give in to it, it will greatly damage our life. Even if we are Christians. God expects us to live by faith in Him. He has revealed how we are to live and provided for us to live as such. When we fail to do so by giving in to temptation, we damage our future, we damage our family, we damage our faith. God will severely discipline those who continue in ignorance and rebellion. In particular those who think they are safe just because they are associated with God’s people and participate in religious activities. See verse 12.
We: You see, there is really only one difference between a person who consistently falls to temptation and one who does not. Both of them face the same temptation. Both of them are equally susceptible to giving in. Both of them have to make a decision concerning the temptation. Both of them will experience consequences from their decision. Both of them are demonstrating trust when they decide. The only difference is the object of their trust! The person who gives in to temptation trusts something or someone other than God. The one who does not give in trusts God. You do not have to give in. You are not helpless against temptations power. We fall to temptation because we choose to. We fall to temptation because we do not know the truth about it. Today, you are going to learn the truth. Today, you will see a passage that is so rich and so powerful you won’t believe that all this truth could be packed into just one verse. I can’t wait to share this verse with you. I am so excited, I’m tempted to just share with you my excitement. I would love to share with you all the ways this verse has saved me from temptation. I’m tempted to do so. But I won’t. Why, because this verse has taught me that I do not need to give in to my temptations. So there you have it. I’m a living, breathing example of the power of God’s Word!
I want people to understand that we are not victims to temptation. We only fall to temptation because we choose to. God has provided everything we need to resist.
Today, I want you to see that you are not hopeless nor helpless to the power of temptation. If you are a Christian, you can overcome temptation. To believe otherwise is to believe a lie.
HEART
1. I will not face my temptation ALONE (13a).
a. Believing you are alone will leave you trapped.
Illus: My struggle as a pastor.
Illus: Christian School Helps Students overcome Sin.
b. When you share your struggle with others, you will find strength & freedom.
c. When you hide it, you will find discouragement and defeat.
i. What do you need to share? With whom will you share? When will you share? Spend time this week with God praying and working through this. Next week we’ll apply this to common temptations.
ii. This is why small groups are vital. CR, WOW, MONTE, small group.
2. I am not a HELPLESS VICTIM to temptation (13b).
a. Turn to your neighbor and say, “I am not a helpless victim”
b. You are helpless if you have not believed in Jesus Christ for eternal life.
i. Share Gospel.
c. You will remain trapped if you continue to believe you can’t change.
i. This is the lie that society has sown into us. They teach us that we are victims and that sin issues are really diseases we cannot control. This contradicts God’s Word. You must choose whom to believe. If you believe you are helpless, you will be helpless. If you believe God’s Word is true, you will find victory.
Illus: Can Alcoholics overcome their addiction?
Illus: Some of you are currently trapped by bitterness and unforgiveness
d. Two possible scenarios
i. Embrace God’s truth and experience God’s freedom.
ii. Reject God’s truth and experience God’s judgment.
3. I will PURSUE God’s way of escape from temptation (13c).
a. Know the Truth! (I am not alone. I am not a victim).
i. Do you have a daily/weekly habit of growing in God’s Truth?
b. Plan for and pursue an escape:
i. Think ahead to tempting situations & consider damage above (future, family, faith).
ii. Everyone stand up. Here’s something that will help you pursue your escape. The next time you begin to feel tempted, get in the ready position and begin scanning the area for your escape route (model for them and have them repeat after you J).
iii. Where do you face your greatest temptation? How will you prepare?
c. Escape at first glance of temptation (Don’t linger and “think you can stand.”)
d. Ask others to give you advice. We can always see others vulnerability to temptation better than our own. Use this to your advantage.
You: Every single one of us has and will face temptation. Every single one of us is equally susceptible to giving in to temptation. Every single one of us faces temptations that are like those others face. Every single one of us is left with a choice each time we face a temptation. That choice can be based on a lie, or on the truth. Today, you have heard the truth about temptation. Should you choose to fully embrace it, your life will never be the same regarding temptation. Some of you are in the midst of tremendous temptations right now. It may involve an inappropriate relationship. It could involve a financial decision. It could involve a physical addiction. It could involve a sexual addiction. It could involve how you choose to raise your children. It could involve who you’re choosing as friends. It could involve your willingness to forgive those who have deeply hurt you. Up to this point, you have given in either because you were believing a lie, or because you were rebelling against the truth. Today can mark a distinct change in your life regarding temptation. Today, you can begin breaking free from sin patterns that have damaged your future, damaged your family, and damaged your faith. To do so, you must realize that continued failure will bring tremendous destruction. To do so, you must realize you cannot face it alone. To do so, you must realize you are not helpless. To do so, you must realize that God has provided a way out and you must find it.
We: What might your future look like if you were free from the bondage sin has caused in your life? How might your family look if you were willing to break free from harmful sin in your life? How would your faith in God change if you were to witness Him deliver you from something that has held you in its grip for so long? Jesus Christ died to forgive our sin and to set us free from sin. Today we have heard the Truth, and the Truth will set us free. No more must we give in to temptation. No more must we damage our future. No more must we damage our families. No more must we damage our faith. We are the people of God. We have been rescued from the kingdom of darkness and brought into His kingdom of light. We have been filled with the mighty presence of God Himself, in His Holy Spirit. No longer are we slaves to sin. Don’t you dare forget whose you are. Don’t you dare forget the freedom we have from sin. In the next 3 weeks we will look at the 3 most common temptations we face, apply what we have learned, and discover how to break free from their grip in our lives.
Illustrations
My Struggle as a Pastor
Starting to fall into the “woe is me, no one can understand what its like to be in my shoes” mentality.” I used to have my weekends off, now I don’t. Holidays used to be slow times, now they are busy. I was feeling the weight of difficult decisions that impacted many people. I was facing the challenge of not being able to please everyone, but seeking to please God. I would have fallen had I not engaged other men and begun to see the same struggle in them. This gave me hope and removed my excuses. If I would have faced it alone, I would have fallen victim like so many. I am no stronger than any other man. If I fail to trust God’s provision, I will fail to accomplish my mission. However, if I trust God’s Truth and obey its principles, I do not need to fall to temptation.
Christian School Helps Students overcome Sin.
As associate Dean of Students at Trinity International University, it is Matthew Perrault's job to help his students grow closer to Jesus. It's also his job to discipline those students who fall short of the University's moral guidelines. Amazingly, Perrault has come up with a system that allows him to accomplish both at the same time.
"No one is expected to come to Trinity perfect," he says, "but in the past, there has been a misconception that you cannot be open about your struggles, or you'll get into trouble. For example, a student who entered Trinity and tried to quit smoking at the same time might try really hard, then fail and be in violation of our community expectations. This left many students feeling scared, guilty, and alienated from the very community they needed to help them."
In the fall of 2003, Perrault and the Student Development staff officially included the "Restoration Program" in the Student Handbook. If a student has broken community expectations or has a behavioral pattern that is in violation of Scripture, the student can approach any staff or faculty member and ask to enter into the program. The new policy states that, rather than facing normal disciplinary procedures, the student will work with Student Development to determine the relationships and accountability measures that they need to face the problem. As part of the program, the student will enter into an intentional mentoring relationship for a set period of time.
Perrault has noticed a shift in students' attitudes about discipline in response to the program. Increasingly over recent years, instead of trying to hide their struggles, students trust the dean's office as a safe place. "What a humbling privilege it is to be entrusted with these fragile lives and their desire to grow in Christ," he says. "Through this process, they're committing to us, but we're also committing to them."
"Invested Time," Trinity Magazine (Spring 2006), p. 11
Emergency Services Center Rejects Hope for healing.
Can alcoholics overcome their addiction? Seattle's Downtown Emergency Services Center doesn't seem to think so. It's spending $11 million on permanent housing for homeless alcoholics.
Seattle taxpayers were fed up with spending $50,000 per alcoholic, every year, on recovery programs, prison, and emergency room visits. The solution is 1811 Eastlake, a housing complex that accommodates 75 alcoholics. The residents are allowed to drink all they want, and they don't have to be in a recovery program—as long as they're off the streets.
Bill Hobson, the program's executive director, believes most alcoholics can't change. "Once you're an alcoholic, you're always an alcoholic," he says, citing the example of an alcoholic who got drunk 10 minutes after leaving a detox facility he had been in for two months. Hobson and his group reject the transforming power of Jesus Christ and believe some people are beyond hope and help.
Some of you trapped by bitterness or unforgiveness
toward someone who has hurt you. Your unwillingness to forgive them has made you a victim of your own emotions. Your unwillingness to forgive has given someone else control over your life. God has empowered you to “do good to those who hurt you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” Should you choose to resist the temptation to hate them, you will be released from the control of your emotions and other peoples actions.