Sex & Drugs & Rock 'n Roll

Facing Temptation

The current preaching programme series title ‘Sex, Drugs and Rock & Roll’ comes from a reply by Mick Jagger to the question “What are the three most important things in life” to which he replied “Sex, drugs & Rock and Roll”

It’s difficult to preach on a subject of which you have no experience, however I could claim to be one of the leading world authorities speaking on our subject!

Facing Temptation
Before you settle down to a juicy resume of my past misdemeanours, we need to clarify some Theological principles about temptation.

Temptation is not sin.
If it was, then Jesus could not have been the perfect, sinless sacrifice because he was tempted!
Heb 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathise with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are-yet was without sin.

Temptation + Yielding of our will = Sin
‘Yield not to temptation, for yielding is sin’
Every Christian will know temptation, right up to the day they die.
Listen to what one Bible expositor, Clarke, wrote, many years ago
‘The process of temptation is often as follows: 1st. A simple evil thought. 2ndly. A strong imagination, or impression made on the imagination, by the thing to which we are tempted. 3dly. Delight in viewing it. 4thly. Consent of the will to perform it.

Who does the tempting?
The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread." Mt 4:3

Satan is the ‘tempter’
The devil is a reality! The Bible says so again and again.
1 John ch3 v8-10 "He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared, was to destroy the devils work.

His titles or names tell us much about him.
Satan means 'adversary'. From Genesis to Revelation.
He is the 'angel of light'.
He is the deceiver'.
He is the 'father of lies'.
He is the 'serpent'.
He is the 'accuser'.
He is the 'god of this world'.
The 'ruler of the kingdom of the air'.
The 'prince of this world'.
He is the ‘Tempter’

Why does Satan tempt us?
To keep non-Christians away from the truth.
2Co 4:4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

To stop Christians receiving their ‘Heavenly reward’
1 Cor 3.13 the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work.14 If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward.

If you know Jesus as your Saviour, Satan can not snatch you away from Eternal Life in Christ, but he can seek to make your Christian life totally ineffective. And temptation is his only weapon. Satan has no power of his own, only when we hand over our will to him does he have power.

It was his ‘modus operandi’ from the beginning.
Genesis 2.1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, `You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?" 2 The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, `You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.'" 4 "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. 5 "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

Notice Satan does not put Eve into a headlock and then thrust the fruit into her mouth. He tempts her.. and she, by surrendering her will, sins by her own action. And when Adam is confronted by God, his excuse is “the woman made me do it!”

I sometimes wish Satan really did go around like ‘roaring lion’
1 Peter ch5 v8 "Your enemy the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour".

The apostle Paul knew how the ‘tempter’ worked. In 2 Cor ch2 v11 Paul warns
"in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes."

‘Tempted or Tested?’
We need to define here the difference between 'tested' and 'tempted'. (ex)
God 'tests' us and refines us as gold. He never 'tempts' us to sin
James ch1 v13
"When tempted no-one should say 'God is tempting me'. For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone".
No-one can say 'I had to sin!'

If we are in doubt (and it can sometimes be difficult to discern at the outset) look to see what the outcome will be. If God is glorified, then it is ‘testing’ if we are led into sin, then it is ‘tempting’.

How does Satan tempt us?
He will use completely plausible arguments.
Matthew Ch4. 3 The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread."
He will usually tempt you within the sphere of your lifestyle.

How then do I ‘face’ or defeat Temptation?
Or do we have to ‘give in’
1Co 10:13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

We have no better example than our Lord Jesus and His temptations.

"It is written”
"It is written:” runs as the reply throughout His temptations.
Jesus knew the scriptures; and so should we!
2Ti 2:15 (KJV) Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

You and I will not be able to say to Satan “It is written” unless we can also say “It has been read”

We take authority in Jesus’ Name
Mt 4:10 Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: `Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'"
Luke Ch4 v8 (KJV) And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

Romans Ch 16 v19 I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil. 20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

We do not have to take the rubbish that Satan comes to us with!

We fill our lives with Jesus
‘Fill thou my life O Lord, my God, in every part with praise’. In Luke Ch11 Jesus makes the point about what we fill our lives with
24 "When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, `I will return to the house I left.' 25 When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. 26 Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first."

Do not give the devil a foothold
Ephesians Ch4 v26 "In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold.
Every one of us has a weak spot.. and Satan knows exactly where that is.

Watch and pray
Mt 26:41 "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak."
That’s why Jesus prayed in the prayer He taught His disciples

Mt 6:13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.'
A better interpretation in today’s language might be; “Help me to stay away from temptation!”

Finally
Ephesians Ch6 v10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armour of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.

v16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
The flaming arrows or ‘fiery darts’ of the devil are the temptations he aims at us.

Notice they’re powerful attacks, not gentle nudges. We need that armour!

If today you are undergoing ‘temptation’ from the devil, then you are most probably in the right place. Take heart! Jesus said “I have overcome the world”

 

 

Mike Read