TEMPTATION: The First Thing You Should Know

1 Cor. 10:13

1 Cor 10:13, 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.

THEME: Victory in our Christian Life comes after we FIRST understand and have Defined the Problem of Temptation. Once we clearly understand what the Bible teaches about Temptation, we will be more able to Triumph over the Temptations and Sins that threaten to enslave us.

A Medical Doctor cannot prescribe the correct medicine until he FIRST understands thoroughly what virus or disease the patient has. A Mechanic cannot repair a car until he FIRST completely understands what the problem is.  The same is true with Temptation, we must FIRST labor to understand it and then we can take the correct steps to conquer it. (Stanley)

INTRODUCTION: The term ‘TEMPTATION’ brings to mind different things for each of us.

  1) For some this word conjures up thoughts of a delicious Hot Fudge Sundae with whipped cream and nuts dripping off the side.

  2) For others’ it’s the Man or Woman who has become the focus of Secret Fantasies at the office. 

  3) For the Man Who Works under a great deal of Pressure, it may be the nearest Bar Room or Tavern after work each evening.

  4) For Those that Travel Often, it may be the R or X-rated Cable TV in their Hotel Room.

  5) For the Teenager, the term TEMPTATION may bring to mind a Can of Beer, a Pack of Cigarettes or even a Member of the Opposite Sex who has been declared off limits.

  6) Maybe TEMPTATION has to do with the Magazine Rack at the Local Convenience Store.

  7) Think for a moment.  What flashes into your mind when the word temptation is mentioned?  What pictures and emotions does it conjure up in your thinking?  Whatever it is that comes to mine, that is THE TEMPTATION God want to deal with first in your life.  I want you to focus on getting victory over that one temptation as we go through this series.  Now, let’s ask ourselves two difficult questions. . ..

LESSON:

I.  WHY SHOULD I TRY TO GET VICTORY OVER THE TEMPTATIONS AND HABITS IN MY LIFE?

‘Preacher, I have tried it all before and nothing worked for me.  Why should I bother frustrating myself again?’  Well there are several reasons why we must take up the struggle again: We Must Take Up the Struggle again . . .

     A. BECAUSE A DEFEATING HABIT WILL ROB YOU OF YOUR CONFIDENCE IN THE POWER OF GOD TO GIVE US VICTORY OVER SIN.

A failure to fight against temptation can lead to a great gulf of separation from God. The pattern is evident in countless lives. When we refuse to confront temptation and struggle against it, we begin to cut ourselves off from the spiritual lifeline of God's power in our lives. God loves us still. God remains available to us. But we have turned away from God so that He no longer can work in us and through us to the extent He desires.

The Believer who has been defeated by a nagging sin or relentless temptation will be hesitant to offer Christ as the answer to those who are controlled by sin.  A sinful habit will destroy our incentive to share our faith.  You would feel like a hypocrite!  People might say to you, ‘If God is so powerful, then why can’t He help you with your problem?’  As a result, you are robbed of your confidence in the power of God to deliver and give victory. (Stanley)

The condition, defeat and despair of the Israelite Army before Goliath in the Valley of Elah.  Because of Goliath’s size, the Army of Israel lost their confidence in God’s ability to deliver them out of the hand of the Philistine.  They lost their faith in God’s Power to deliver His people!  (1Sam. 17).  David, on the other hand, had mountains of Confidence in the Power of God because of his past victories over the Bear and the Lion.  (1 Sam. 17: 32-37)

If you refuse to engage in a battle against the temptation to sin and you lose confidence in God's power and presence in your life, you will be hesitant to offer Christ as the answer to others who are controlled by sin. Your witness for Christ will be deeply impacted. One of the immediate results of being set free from a controlling habit is the desire to share with others the power of God that has set you free. Satan loves to keep us in bondage to sin because our potential for the kingdom of God is greatly diminished.

     B.  BECAUSE WE COULD DEVELOP A HARDEN HEART IF WE DON’T APPLY GOD’S TRUTH TO OUR LIVES.

You will feel disheartened and may even come to believe that God does not love you or that He has abandoned you in your struggles in life. At that point, you are in danger of developing what the Bible calls a “hard heart.”

A Hard heart develops when people hear the truth, believe the truth, but refuse to apply the truth.  Developing a hardened heart is a process that takes time.  But each time Christians recognize sin in their lives, feel convicted, and yet do nothing about it, they become less and less sensitive to the prompts of the Holy Spirit.  Finally, they reach the point where they feel no conviction at all over their sin.  At the point where the person feels no conviction at all over a sin, he becomes callous and begins to “quench” the work of the Holy Spirit in his life (see 1 Thess. 5:19). That is a very dangerous position to be in. (MacDonald)

The Heart is now hardened. . ..

Remember the man who was having an incestuous relationship with his step mother in 1 Cor. 5:1-5. No doubt the Holy Spirit dealt with this man and tried to get him to depart from such awful sin, but he apparently ignored the Spirit and as a result his heart was hardened.  He knew truth, understood the truth but refused to obey the truth and thus his heart was hardened.   

The person who develops a hard heart is a person who loses all moral and ethical direction, insofar as the Holy Spirit is concerned. To be adrift, without a moral compass, is a highly unsatisfying way to live. It truly is a life without meaningful reward.

      C.  BECAUSE ONE LITTLE SIN CAN LEAD TO GREATER SIN AND SIN ALWAYS BRING FORTH DEATH.

If you fail to engage in a battle against temptation to commit one type of sin, you likely will find yourself more prone to engage in still other types of sin. We've all heard the phrase, “One sin leads to another.” So often that is the case. Sin is like a cancer in that it spreads. One undealt-with area opens up other areas as well. Once you become accustomed to a sin and it becomes entrenched in your lifestyle, it is only a matter of time until other areas become problems. (Anders)

If you fail to engage in a battle against temptation, you ultimately will experience death of some type.

           1)   One Thing Leads to Another

A once fine Christian man began stopping at a local bar after work to spend time with his buddies.  He never had any desire to drink, but he figured one beer wouldn’t hurt anything.  He even convinced himself that by drinking one beer he would be able to relate to his friends better and maybe get an opportunity to share Christ with them.  Before long one beer became two, then three.  Soon he was going home drunk, and eventually he lost his wife and kids.  As he told his story he felt that every man had his weaknesses or vices, but in his heart, he knew he was wrong.  And now he would give anything to go back and change the past.  But it’s too late, the damage has been done!

A little leaven will leaven the whole lump! (READ 1Cor. 5:6-7)

            2)   Sin Will Bring Forth Death

James 1:14-15, But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.  15, Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

ILLUSTRATION:  Temptation + Sin = Death

Example of pharaoh, Moses and the children of Israel.  Pharaoh’s hardened heart lead to the death of his son, the death of Egypt’s political influence, the death of their idol god’s, the death of the elite of the Egyptian military, the death of the firstborn both of man and beast, the death of their fields and crops and even the death of their economy. (Stanley)

APPLICATION: 

    1)   The Husband who is insensitive and emotionally abuses his Wife will destroy any remaining affection she might have for him and that relationship dies essentially.

    2)   If an Employer neglects his Employees, treats them unfairly, shows no sensitivity to their needs and family responsibilities, in time he will destroy their loyalty to him and his company.

    3)   If Parents neglect children, that relationship will gradually disintegrate until it no longer exists.

   

    4)    If a Father continues to brake the traffic speed laws with his children in the car, he will eventually destroy their respect for the law.  By example they are taught, “As long as I don’t get caught, there is nothing wrong with breaking the law.”

Whenever sin manifests itself, some type of death results. Destructive habits take root. The result may be a physical death, over time usually. The sin may bring about a death to a relationship, a death to part of the person's emotional or psychological capacity, a death of reputation, a death of integrity, a death of a career, a death of loyalty or respect. Something is always destroyed when sin is allowed to go unchecked. TEMPTATION PLUS SIN EQUALS DEATH!

II. HOW CAN I EVEN HOPE TO GET VICTORY OVER MY HABITS AND TEMPTATIONS?

If temptation has such deadly consequences, why is it that so many people do not take temptation more seriously?

Let’s think for a moment.  Are your weaknesses slowly sapping the life out your relationship with the ones you love the most?   Do you find it extremely difficult to even imagine having victory over the sin presently in your life?   Have you given up the struggle?   Are you making excuses for your sin?   Are we ready now to allow God to change us?

    A.  WE CAN HAVE VICTORY WHEN WE STOP MAKING EXCESSES FOR OUR SINS

Have you ever heard someone say, “I’m just human, and besides, nobody is perfect?”

Moses made excuses when God called him to go back to Egypt to lead the children of Israel out of bondage.  Praise God he stopped making excuses and got on with the mission God had given him!  We must be like Moses and get rid of the excuses and trust God for a great deliverance. (Ex.3)

     B.  WE CAN HAVE VICTORY WHEN WE START REALIZING OUR POTENTIAL TO OVERCOME TEMPTATIONS.

What people seem to be saying when they make excuses is that they are not perfect internally, so don’t expect perfect behavior externally.   This seems to be the reason behind the excuses.  This kind of thinking has only one thing about it. . ..  This thinking is totally wrong because it fails to acknowledge the POTENTIAL that every believer has to do right.

1 Cor 10:13, 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.

Every time we are tempted to sin we must look for the way of escape.  Ask God to help us identify His escape route every time we are tempted. If we are tempted to lose our temper, look for the escape route.  If we are tempted to eat, drink, or do something that is sinful to us we must look for the WAY OF ESCAPE!  

When JOSEPH was working in Potiphar’s household, the wife of Potiphar began to lust after and proposition Joseph day after day.  But Joseph did not fall in Sin because he Knew the WAY OF ESCAPE!  He Resisted Temptation, He Refused Temptation, Then He Ran from Temptation!   It is always appropriate to run!  Joseph understood his potential to do right and he did it!

     C.  WE CAN HAVE VICTORY WHEN WE UNDERSTAND THAT OUR STRUGGLES WITH TEMPTATIONS CAN MAKE US STRONGER CHRISTIANS

James 1:2-4, My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; 3, Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. 4, But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect [Spiritually Mature] and entire, [Complete in every way] wanting nothing.  [Without need]

2 Cor 12:9-10, And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10, Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

ILLUSTRATION: DOWN THE CHATTOOGA RIVER

In the mountains of northern Georgia there is a white-water river called the Chattooga.  People travel from all over the Southeast to paddle down this river.  The last two sections are especially treacherous, and many people have drowned as their canoes broke up on the rocks and they were sucked helplessly under by the powerful current. 

I want you to image a skilled paddler in his kayak making his way through the rocks and hydraulics of the Chattooga River.   As he maneuvers himself along, something is taking place that onlookers may not be aware of.  The potentially destructive force of the river is actually helping the paddler develop his balance, coordination, strength, and concentration.

But imagine that as the paddler approaches the next stretch of rapids, he thinks to himself, I’m tired of paddling.   This is getting old.  My arms hurt.  My legs hurt.  I’m tired of concentrating.  With that he tosses his paddle into the water and lets the river take control.  You can guess what will happen.  But here is the point.  The force that at one point was aiding in the development of his skill and strength has the potential to destroy him once he refuses to struggle against it.

So, it is with the power of sin.  As long as we take a stand against temptation, even if we fall momentarily, God will use the struggle to make us into men and women He wants us to be.  But once we throw in the paddle, once we give up and allow the forces of sin to dictate our behavior, it will only be a matter of time until we are swept away and our lives destroyed. (Stanley)

Conclusion:

Let us not throw in our paddle---let’s get back in our spiritual kayaks and work our way through the rapids of temptation that come our way.  And as we do, it will build our spiritual strength and prepare us for the next occasion.

Let us yield to what God wants to do in our hearts through this message.  Let us also prepare ourselves to experience the power of God at work in our lives.

The first thing that we should know about temptation is, that we are tempted to give up and permit sin to dominate our lives.  Ultimately these sins will destroy us and the people we love the most!

I am calling you to enter the battle of a life time---the victory can be ours if we first understand that we have the potential and power to say no when temptation calls.

 1 Pet 1:7, That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

Most people I know believe they have a fairly good grasp of what it means to be tempted. They have felt temptation in their lives. They also know in their minds the right response to temptation: Say no! Most people I know want to say no to temptation.

But … most people I know also admit that they frequently give in to temptation, and they bear guilt about doing so. What these people do not know, in part, is the whole of what the Bible has to say about temptation and how to overcome it.

The Bible is not only a book of “do's” and “don'ts,” but a book of “how tos.” It is an extremely practical book with truth that can be applied directly to daily situations and circumstances. The Bible not only tells us to “yield not” to temptation, but it tells us how to avoid yielding and how to avoid tempting circumstances in the first place.

It is also a book of spiritual inspiration. The Bible motivates us, compels us, and encourages us. It gives us the “want to” outlook that we need if we are to overcome temptation. There simply is no better resource book on the temptation to sin and how to overcome temptation than the Holy Bible.

As you begin this study, I encourage you to set aside, to a degree, what you already believe the Bible says about the subject of temptation and inner struggles. As much as possible, approach the Scriptures with fresh spiritual eyes and ears. Let the Word of God speak to you in a new way.