Fighting Temptation - Part 1 by Shane Idleman

you Lord again we want to just ask Lord that you would bless the service lord I pray for clarity and direction Lord I pray for precision with your word lord I pray though that you would go in and begin to radically change hearts tonight Lord so people could follow you wholeheartedly Lord we want to know the fully surrender life Lord we want you to fill us with your spirit we want to be conquerors Lord we want to overcome these things please help us tonight lord I pray tonight for the people who need hope desperate hope you're all they have Lord I pray that you would just begin to give them peace tonight Lord fill them with your peace fill them with your love fill them with your joy show them that you're still on the throne the urine control Lord I pray that you would begin to change lives Lord tonight even those who are not here as we pray for the spouses that are not here are the young adults that need to be here that are not Lord that aren't walking with you we pray tonight that you bring a strong sense of conviction Lord let the Hound of heaven loose on them we asked us in Jesus name Amen [Music] well welcome to Westside Christian Fellowship I've got a lot to say and not a lot of time to say it so this this this area of of temptation and fighting temptation has been on my heart definitely all month because all of us go through temptations and we would be remiss to to ignore that fact as if we come into church and I've overcome I'm good I don't I'm not tempted with anything when Jesus himself was tempted like we are in all points yet he was without sin and I will submit to you that this area of temptation is what will cause us all to plummet it will break up marriages it will cause young adults to reject God it will this area of temptation what temptation is and we'll get into it is it's actually what the enemy uses to pull us away from God that's how serious this is we're talking about something that pulls us away from God away from our relationship with God away from purity and holiness and righteousness it goes after those things that God considers very important so this is an important topic and I think especially in the church today in America today we are tempted beyond anything anything that I think future generations have ever ever seen I mean it is absolutely alarming what we see on the video screens and the computers and and temptation is everywhere we are surrounded by it it is engulfed us and a lot of times we just give up it's too hard I just give up I surrender because I'm not going to continue fighting this beast within but God's Word has a lot to say about that and I want to take the time to look at Luke 4 if you have your Bibles Luke 4 and Bernie I'm wondering if you can dim these these lights just a little bit that are shining down on me Luke 4 and actually use yesterday I came across a story on this issue of temptation about a young boy named Alexander now Alexander was praying for weeks and weeks and weeks and weeks that he would save enough pennies up to buy a baseball bat and he was getting frustrated it wasn't working out and his mom heard him pray one night and his prayer went something like this God please help me help me save enough pennies to buy this baseball bat and then he continued and God please don't let the ice cream truck man come down our street anymore please it would but don't we do that God please help me do this but please don't let me see that woman at work anymore or that that man on my job or those things that we've got police and-and-and and he will help us but as I've said many times before sanctification is God's job it is his job to change us through the power of the Holy Spirit but obedience is our job and a lot of times we either what happens is the two extremes where we either rely all on God it's all God's job I'm just gonna sit at home eat donuts watch TV and he's gonna change me well it doesn't quite work that way and then the other side says I've got to do all these things and do all these things I've got to follow all these rules I've got to get really rigid I got to get really regimented I can't can't keep falling off the wagon I got to do I got to do I got to do I got to do and that's unhealthy too because we don't rely on the power of the Holy Spirit to change us that's one of his roles he brings in the fruit of the Spirit love joy peace contentment long-suffering gentleness kindness goodness self-control yeah that's a fruit of the Spirit so that is the marriage of God working within us yet obeying to the bang the Word of God they come together on this area of temptation and in Luke 4 we find a very interesting story where Jesus himself was tempted Jesus Christ was tempted did you know that the writer of Hebrews says that we have a high priest who has been tempted and a high priest just means we have a mediator between God and man the man Christ Jesus he's our mediator in the Old Testament imagery what they would know that because high priests would go in and intercede for the people he was their mediator so Hebrews is using that same language and the writer of Hebrews is saying we have a high priest who can relate to us because he was tempted in all points all points as we are yet he was without sin and I said well how is Jesus tempted with adultery he wasn't even married how was he tempted with abusing his child he wasn't didn't even have any kids you have to remember though when when the Bible talks about tempted in all points as we are we like to get specific where the Bible just says it's all that's in the world is the lust of the flesh the lust of the eye and the pride of life Jesus was tempted on all three of those areas sin is sin but we sometimes get specific and in our culture today many of you know this the big debate down with with same-sex marriage and and we put you know that that same-sex attraction we put away up there on the sinless that is as high as you can go boy that is you're at the top of our list and and that is that is as bad as it gets yet the man can can still continue to cheat on his wife look at porn throughout the week and that's no big deal at least on that up here know the Bible says all that's in the world the lust of the flesh anything the flesh goes after from slothful living we won't we don't hear that word very much the Bible talks about it laziness the lust of the flesh eating too much consuming too much drinking too much the sexual the sexuality of human nature being disordered all that is the lust of the flesh so Jesus was tempted in that area the lusts of the flesh the lust of the eye with the eye sees covetousness I want what is not mine doesn't that look good I want that so I'm now gonna compromise my integrity I'm gonna compromise my lifestyle I'm gonna make choices I probably shouldn't because I want that so either the lust of the flesh is gonna get you or the lust of the eye I just saw this you know commercial the other day I think I don't remember where I was what where I was at and I'm like man that looks like a that car looks really nice and it's just how they just you know it's just driving and you just turn this knob to put it in Drive and you know it's the new Jaguar ran it for 700 a month and probably fifty thousand down or who know it's like boy that look for a minute there he they're drawing me in there that looks really good why do you think they spend millions and millions and millions of dollars for one minute during the Super Bowl the lust of the flesh millions of dollars for 60 seconds it's called suggestive selling showing you and I some things okay I mean you got a shave you got it yeah I know but some things are not that great and they'll you they'll take high dollar amounts to suggest a no they've they've marketing they've done their marketing research they have marketing departments guys that are paying 150 200 thousand a year to entice you to entice me to purchase things we don't need it's called suggested so they are they're going after the lusts of the flesh the lust of the eye and then the Jaguar commercial wouldn't you look so good in this the pride of life that's all he ever uses when it comes to temptation he's gonna get you in one of those three areas that's it it's not really hard when Eve saw that the fruit was pleasant to the eye good for food and desirable to make one wise she took of it an eight he got it with all three bullets right there so now we come into Luke he's going to do the same thing to Jesus and what I'm trying to do there's something in the military that they that basically it's a phrase they say to be forewarned is to be forearmed so to be warned of something now you're armed now you're prepared now you can go into battle what's happening we're going into battle unarmed unprepared and untrained and the enemy's just taking his best shot and he's hitting us left and right all the time it's like dropping somebody off in the battlefield of Iraq with just a backpack and a bear shorts and a shirt go get him he's not prepared there's no he'll be easy prey so it's in that setting that the Devils gonna come to Jesus himself and tempt him now something that's interesting I don't have time but if you look at Luke chapter one it talks about John the Baptist coming on the scene and John the Baptist was a forerunner of Christ he was coming before Christ doing what preaching repentance prepared the either way of the Lord repent and be ready the king is coming so he was a forerunner and Jesus blew his mind he walked down to the Jordan River and he said I need you to baptize me and John the Baptist said whoa wait a minute I'm not even worthy to unloose your sandal straps let alone baptize the Son of God and Jesus said something remarkable he said suffer it so that all righteousness may be fulfilled in the King James suffer it so that all righteousness may be fulfilled in other words he's saying this has to happen I need to be baptized so I can go down come up the Father say this is my beloved Son in whom I'm well pleased and the Spirit of God descending upon him as a dove and the Bible records Jesus himself was filled with the Spirit of God at that point he didn't begin his ministry until he was empowered with 'fl for this work and then it says and then being filled with the spirit he was led into the wilderness to be tempted and I will submit to you that that is number one if you're going to overcome the enemy and overcome temptation live the victorious Christian life you've got to be filled with the Spirit of God and that goes back to a lot of what I talked about with holiness and in our lifestyle and our choice is what we're feeding our mind who are associating with I'm not going to go over all that again because I I really went over it a lot then so go back listen to those messages but being filled with the Spirit of God because now you're living in the power of God doesn't mean you you're going to be exempt from temptation as a matter of fact sometimes it comes even more more now the enemy knows that he's filled the Spirit of God he's doing ministry now I'm gonna come in and tempt him so you have to remember something the the the thief cometh only to kill to steal and to destroy temptation just looks good that that that just looks good but it's there to wreak havoc so the devil is gonna come in and try to derail Jesus and Luke 4 do you have your Bibles there I'll probably read from the I prefer the King James and New King James but I'm gonna I've printed the NIV so here we go Jesus full of the Holy Spirit left the Jordan and was led by the spirit into the wilderness so the Holy Spirit led him into the wilderness for 40 days he was tempted by the devil he ate nothing during those days and at the end of those days he was hungry the devil said to him if you are the son of God tell this stone to become bread jesus answered it is written man shall not live by bread alone the devil led him up to a high place and showed him now I want you to watch these man shall not live by bread alone he's going after the lust of the flesh he's extremely hungry we can't even go one day we can't even skip a meal we need something he tried going weeks and without eating the enemy comes in at opportune times he knows when to come in he knows when you're sleeping he knows when you're awake doll he comes in an opportune times so here's the lust of the flesh right here and Jesus says I'm a man does not live by bread alone the verse continues Deuteronomy I believe he's quoting but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God so Jesus stops right there the lesser flesh don't even go there then the devil led him to a high place and showed him an instant all the kingdoms of the world see the devil is the Prince of this world the devil has control this world system the world's mindset underneath God's sovereignty of course but the devil is control of all that and he led Jesus to the high place and showed him and said I will give you all this authority and all the splendor because it's been given to me and I can give it to anyone I want to if you worship Me this will all be yours the lust of the eye Jesus all this will be yours and yet remember Jesus just came out of obscurity he's not into notoriety yet nobody knows this man Jesus only a few people obscurity carpenter poor coming out coming on the scene that enemy says right now bow to me and I will give you everything you see with Jesus say you shall worship the Lord thy God and him only to show you worship you see that constant theme here what he's doing here the problem is nobody if you don't have you you don't know the word because the word of God is not in you that's the weapons of our warfare you have to know the attack to the enemy and what how to respond then the devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple way up high there the some commentators say it's it's you know probably some 60 70 80 feet or higher up top he's up on top of the very temple the pinnacle of the temple if you are the son of God he's saying if you are the son of God proven show us that you're the Son of God jump off of these the jump off of this temple for it is written he will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully and they will lift you up in their hands so that you will not strike your foot against the stone the Devils quoting Psalms I believe it is he's quoting the scripture saying look at Jesus show off scripture says that you will not dash your foot against a stone the angels will come and save you look I'm quoting scripture so be very careful when people it's quote scripture the enemy at the beginning of time in Genesis he told Eve has that God really said did God really say you couldn't eat of that fruit did he really say that and Jesus comes right back jesus answered it is said do not put the Lord your God to the test in other words do not tempt God do not test God and a lot of you guys probably read or maybe hadn't read maybe it was just me the guy who was a snake handler a few weeks back Pentecostal snake handler got bit by snake and said I'm not gonna die cuz look at well yeah he died and so does that I think from a few years before that and not trying to I'm just trying to say we cannot tempt the LORD thy God those scriptures are out of context with the scriptures we talked about where you'll be bit if you're bitten by a serpent you will not die and drink poison it as you're ministering as you're on the mission field if things happened you God will guide you his sovereignty you don't go and test those things or you might you let around snake bite you you're not gonna make it so that's what he's saying here Jesus answer do not put the Lord your God to a test now this is amazing every time I read this verse I went back and looked I've been through the Gospels quite a few times dozens of times every time I get to this verse it makes me stop and pray or think oh my god the devil it says when the devil had finished all his tempting he left him until an opportune time whatwhat's he saying there I'll be back I'll be back and he does that in our own life he leaves until an opportune time and he looks for those times where he can go in moments of weakness different areas he can go and he can can begin to destroy because he know see that there's a big lie out there the devil made me do it I think who was that coined by some of you older adults Flip Wilson the devil made me do it he would just go down the devil made me do it the devil doesn't make us do anything so what happens well I'm gonna get to that and it broke the sermon up into two parts and I hope to god I get through both but you have to remember in battle enemy's attack at opportune times some of you guys who are in the military you know you have to go through training and generals or sergeants all these guys they're looking for opportunities of where to strike the enemy take out their air base take out their food supply hit their communications they're not just gonna go bomb something and for no reason they look for opportunities to attack then the enemy does the same thing so that's why we have to put the guard up that's why the Christian faith isn't some game as you heard me say before life as a battleground not a playground for this very reason is a battleground the enemy comes in like a flood but the Spirit of the Lord raises up a standard against him how does he raise up that standard well let's talk about this part one understanding temptation now to talk about something you might say yeah temptation I understand Eve the Apple got it well it wasn't really an apple I think it's a fruit I mean we just we we use that in our culture today but she was tempted I know about it well let's talk about understanding temptation for a minute I just have four things under this heading and I'll go the next one but it's important number one do you realize when it comes to temptation that your flesh now I might offend some people right here I'm gonna say with all the love I can muster okay I'll say with a smile on my face maybe tell a joke to get everybody okay it wasn't so it difficult the flesh in you and the flesh in me is in rebellion to God you're the sinful nature in us is in rebellion to God it does not like God it does not like the ways of God it does not like the means of God it'll tell you don't come to church it will tell you're too tired to pray it'll tell you don't worship now look at that person over there you're angry it will tell you all kinds of things to flesh the flesh it makes you eat too much it makes you drink too much it makes you sleep too long it makes you be rude it makes you be this it makes you be lazy it D it the flesh hates anything to do with God do you have a proof text for that oh absolutely it's the best one found in the Bible Romans 8:7 right there should be in your notes these the notes one reason I do it so you can go home and reflect on and pray on it say Lord show me these areas and go and study some of these Romans 8:7 the carnal mind see here's a distinction to that when he talks about the carnal mind it's the the flesh side of ASUS sinful nature and inside of a believer of Jesus Christ you have the Holy Spirit and I don't quite understand this I don't understand the hypostatic union of Christ either being fully man and fully God but we just accept those things so we also accept that we have the Holy Spirit of God residing in us convicting us drawing us leading us the Spirit of God is within me but guess who else is in there the flesh the carnal mind and Romans breaks it down saying that our choices are never free from this conflict walk in the spirit you will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh whatever things are pure whatever things are noble put your mind meditate on these things you'll you know it's his battle within and you've heard stories I've heard stories about I remember Billy Graham told one years ago and I've told this probably last year but there was a there was a man who came to a pastor and he was Pat you said pastor I am going to I'm on the verge of suicide I I have it's like I have two dogs battling within me I have this evil dog battling with him who's pulling me down anxiety fear I want to destroy myself and I know there's this good dog I'm a follower of Christ and I have this this battle within me what is going on and the pastor said a very simple sentence to him that changed his life forever he asked him what dog is winning that battle and he said that evil dog is and he said you need to starve that dog to death see he understood that should we that the the source of our strength comes from the food that we choose now I'm not dismissing anxiety fear different things whatsoever but I am saying we have to be careful because we do have almost like a dual personality even though it's not the same thing we have the spirit within us in the flesh the lusts of the flesh wants to pull us away from God the spirit pulls us to God so this is its battle with and you see people fall by the wayside how could that happen they're in ministry they are even on the TV oh the flesh got them the devil gotta he pulled them down that's why you've got to be on your guard nice little conversations turn into flirtatious conversations turn into now and how did this happen now we're in affair how did that happen because the devil comes in at opportune times and begins to whittle away that's why husbands and wives needs transparency and honesty and openness so there's not an opportunity to come in there and Paul talks about this I believe it's in Corinthians when he talks about fasting even a couple fasting from intimacy he said don't do it too long come back or the devil have an opportunity to tempt you and test you and a lot of times we see that with couples if they spent a weekend together intimacy friends again everything's going great you think adultery is gonna happen the next day or the next week of course not there's no opportune time he'll come back later next year when you're all upset at each other and you can't stand each other you wonder how you die even get married to this person now that's when he's coming that's what he says now I'm back you see our temptation works Vienna the flesh the flesh is in rebellion against God I have something in me that isn't rebellion against God that concerns me because the flesh basically says feed me so I can destroy you that's what the flesh says feed me so I can destroy you and we've heard those stories of zookeepers or get a guy in documentary who wanted to live with grizzly bears and feed me so I can destroy you it's that story like of it you can picture a little tiny lion cub and they're bringing in a pound of meat and then a couple months later and two pounds of meat and and a year later and bringing it ten pounds of meat and eventually the thing weighs 350 pounds and then he eats the zookeeper what happened I thought I saw a low lying no they are they are devourers feed me so I can destroy you that's the flesh and if this gets you a little upset that's good that's good because you know there is an enemy within that's healthy I'm not as frayed as much as I am everything out there I'm afraid of what's in this is what's gonna do me under the devil can't do anything he only presents the bait let me let me read what Spurgeon said on this beware of no man more than of yourself we carry our own worst enemies within us think about that we destroy ourselves we kill ourselves we kill our marriages or our physical health our spiritual health the denim ages and that leads me to number two the enemy simply presents the bait that's all he does the devil so a lot of times and I've seen the devil makin makes me do and the Devils coming up with my finances the Devils coming after my marriage and he is but he's not gonna make you do anything he just finds windows of opportunity there he just presents the bait some of you know this I went fishing a few weeks back I ran you remember - and I was fly-fishing it's really hard it's hard you have little flies and you're presenting the bait oh I hope they think this is nice little mosquito wait till they get that mosquito you know just presenting that bait and I wasn't catching anything all day long and you look on the shore and all these people catching lots of fish well they had power bait and they're putting on the hook and they just big old knobs and they throw it out there let it sink and the fish comes along oh look at that BAM they just present the bait there's the hook right there they just presented that's all the enemy does he presents it and guess what it looks good that's why it's called temptation that's why it's called temptation that's why it's called attraction when Affairs happen there's a traction i'ma know I haven't seen too many first well they're not attractive the other person Irish I've seen nothing in that person I'm not attractive whatsoever but I think I'm going to go leave my spouse over there no there's attraction so instead of saying I finally met the one that I think God really wanted me to have we're so in love we love each other this is really who I should have married I'm so happy with this person he makes me feel appreciated loved and wanted that's attraction that's not necessarily good that's it that's what he's doing it's the bait and you don't notice the bacon bait until you take the hook so that's what the enemy does he comes in the lusts of the flesh the lust the eye the pride of life he simply presents the bait and I love what the Puritan John Owen said on this and this is so true and we don't want to talk about this but he said secret lusts lie lurking in our own heart don't they I bet we can all name some secret less right now lurking in our own heart and he says which will never give up until there they are either destroyed or they're satisfied see those evil less that are lurking there just ready to come out it's not going to stop until you either sad buy it or you destroy it that's why Paul says crucify the flesh make no provision for the flesh flee temptation all these are strong where he said you don't play with it could you play with it you'll lose have you ever heard of the second look you're walking down the street first look Oh second look is when they get you it's that second look presenting the the baton going back to that temptation so that's how temptation works number one it's the flesh is in rebellion to God so it's very easy number two the enemy simply presents the bait that's why in an affair and I hate to harp on this point but it fits right in with this this topic the relationship is an attraction a good job opportunity that Satan wants you to take that's going to take you away from your family seven days a week away from church he'll make that job opportunity look alluring where do we get these from the lure fishing alluring attractive for the flesh it's satisfying because we're feeding that thing so you have to remember that the flesh is not your friend it's not our friend it's its goal is to seek to destroy and also John Owen said I wrote down this this morning before I forgot be killing sin or sin be killing you it's terrible English but it's a great point either be killing sin or sins going to be killing you you seek sin and temptation doesn't just stand still it's like a plant it either grows or it withers depending on whether you feed it or you starve it see that's why you can't play pattycake with the devil you can't blame let's just play Luther hard and fast with the rules let me live on the fence let me try to no no no no you'll fall we're for the Paul you'll never seen the Bible or test to entertain sin and temptation consider it you'll see strong words be sober be alert be vigilant because your adversary the devil goes about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour Paul says make no provision for the flesh don't even think about it or the enemy will you down the thief comes only to kill to steal and to destroy be sober be alert and also flee sexual immorality don't consider it flee from these things it's like temptation go done now don't even consider it because it's in the considering that we fall and a lot of times we fall because of fear especially in relationships that people are in that they know they need to get out of there in fear I don't want to lose this person I'll never find somebody else I'm getting old mic alarm clock's ticking I mean I remember when I was in my young 30 saying these things and it makes you make wrong choices because you have a false perception of things because temptation is coming in it's tempting you so the enemy just presents the bait so next time you see something that's alluring satisfying enticing gratifying not all those things are bad God has given us desires for a reason the food is good okay food is good for us intimacy created by God it's really good for all these some of these things are good but that's where the word perversion comes from he perverts what is good and makes it a false temptation we go for it we take the bait and now we ruin our lives but as a word of encouragement in case I forgive no matter where you're at tonight one of the great things I love about God is he calls us back to him no matter how far we've drifted the prodigal son was eating slop in a pig pen and he came running back to his father and Jesus gave that example he said come back to me I'll clean you up I'll restore you sure there might be certain consequences for our actions absolutely but God is never so far away that he's not calling us back to him saying repent turn back to me seek me with all of your heart trust in me look to me and I will guide you I will redeem you I will save you I will secure you look back to me so the point of these messages is not to go home frustrated and failure but to go home victorious because we get in right relationship with God but sometimes it takes difficult things to turn us around and wake us up just today we are looking at a house we're considering buy a house someday in the future now I'm a salesman's worst nightmare so it might be it's gonna be hard but we had two stories and this whole thing and I'm looking like I know my sons just gonna want to jump off of there and we can't have a two-story you know we can't is no way Morgan says watch let's see this so we take him up there and look are you ever gonna jump and he no no I'm not gonna jump off of that but you had to show him you had to scare him you got these are facts these are real you have to that's what the Bible does it's not a little nice fairy tale book this does not make for good reading at night with your kids sometimes daddy why do they take her out in stoner why did they kill those people why did he do this why did he all my lord because it's to warn people I sent messengers to my people rising them up early to warn them to turn from their ways and turn back to God so that's what the Bible it warns us there's a tempter out there if it wasn't temptation if it didn't look good it wouldn't be it wouldn't be a difficult and that's why I just on the snow tune I'm not getting on a rabbit trail but a men's conference and I used to talk to a lot of guys single guys that we had a big problem with pornography and they're like I just I just know as soon as I get married I can whip this thing it's old God no there's no way you're gonna whip this thing when you get married as if that's gonna satisfy this thing actually gets worse sometimes it gets more perverted it destroys the marriage the very foundation of trust is destroyed the intimacy is gone you don't want to see them anymore spend time with them touch them because of these things so you're not gonna just change these temptation is it comes into the marriage just as much as singles when you're married that's why you've got to put on the whole armor of God and you've got to withstand withstand the wiles of the devil see we don't want to hear those things the Bible tells me wist and can't God just change me how many of us in here for Lord just please take this away please take this away please take this away young men pray that all the time when they're they're young and single lord please take away this less and I'm telling you better hope pray to God he doesn't take away that when you get married it can be for a good godly purpose but we prayed Lord take this away take this away but sometimes we understand that the escape route has already been provided look at those these words the Bible uses withstand the wiles of the devil having done all stand stand therefore with your loins Girt about with truth and righteousness and holiness and purity there's action words on our part and let me get to that real quick and number three though before I forget when I talk about the words temptation most people think of especially men sexual temptation that's what right go change talking about temptation they go right there right there every time notice how Jesus that didn't even come up in this whole discourse on temptation nothing to do with that so temptation comes in many different forms many different facets but it was the lust of the flesh the lust of the eye that's what he went after with Jesus basically temptation is anything that causes you to turn from the right path you're on the right path love God and say I'm gonna follow God with all my heart I want a marriage that's solid I want a marriage it's gonna stand I'm gonna all these things the temptation comes in to Durell you offer the right path so it's anything that the enemy presents to get you out of the prayer time you're so busy you're so busy all the time now there's an open time for prayer no time for this your bitterness comes in bitterness anger resentment comes in the enemy uses those things yeah yeah see see see he looks for those opportune times so it's it's not just sexual has to do with all types of lust and number four the door of temptation swings both ways you know I mean by that you can enter or you can exit when it comes to temptation this isn't necessarily a bad thing and let me explain why if you have your Bibles or I'll just read it James 1 verse 2 here's the benefits of testing and trials and temptation and before I forget do you know the temptations not necessarily wrong it's it's it's it's conceding to it is if you're tempted to do something say that's not a right thought I'm not gonna go there I'm walking away that was the temptation it's not yet sin sin is full sin is conceived when that desire birth force sin when we have these desires and we act upon them that is when sin is conceived and I'll talk about that in a minute but for the sake of getting to the next point James 1:21 to my brethren and this is a ridiculous scripture we look at what what's this guy talking about my brethren count it all joy when you fall into various trials James is saying count it all joy when you fall into various trials what I don't want to be tempted here James I don't like this temptation I don't like these trials I don't like what I'm going through why am I going to count it all joy because knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience patience is a virtue patience well we'll have the have you restore your marriage patience we'll have you wait for sexual purity until you say I do patience will restore a lot of things patience is and that's why says let patience have it's perfect work that you may be perfect and complete lacking nothing so what are you saying when you fall into various trials various temptations when you withstand them when you overcome them you come out a better person because now you have patience you see there's these words are bad discipline fortitude perseverance those are spiritual muscles spiritual muscles that you have developed over time now your faith can stand the test of time now you can be tempted with the things am not going there I've been there done that I've bought the t-shirt off now I'm not going there I've been through the furnace of affliction I've come out and I'm not going back I'm not grabbing that bottle again I'm not grabbing that pill again I'm not snorting that stuff again I'm not getting online and looking at that garbage again because I'm building faith I'm building endurance I'm building discipline and perseverance because it would James the same word he uses here trials his pair up para mas in the Greek and when Jesus talks about Jesus was tempted its parasu it's the same exact root but with different abstract meanings so the same route of testing and trials and temptation it's that same word but James it's more of an exam and a formal examination did you pass the test pass the test by not giving in we're in jesus's case it's the enticement Jesus was enticed however the outcome is the saying he's enticed he pushes against it he resolves he comes out stronger now he's passed his test his exam so it's that same word there so when we go through things it's I the Christians that are very weak and immature are those who are not overcoming a lot of temptations they're lazy and giving in to them they're slothful they're just giving over their double-minded and everything there's no fortitude there's no strength there's no discipline so there's no maturity you look at a Christian believer they've been through hell and back they know how to overcome not that they don't still fall and and in sin and make mistakes but they've overcame a lot of those things so now they have patience and fortitude the gifts of the Holy Spirit inside of them because they have resisted the devil resist the devil and he will flee from you what happens in the natural world here when we're resisting something a hundred pounds right here every week what's it gonna happen you got 125 130 hundred fifty two hundred pound you're resisting it so your body is adapting all muscle is when you see when somebody has muscle is it's the body responding to an unfamiliar workload so if you see somebody they do the same thing day in and day out they stay the same they go in and do something the body's not prepared for they lift weights the body says I need to come back so I'm ready and I'm stronger next time you lift the weights and the body says I need to build up from stronger next time in around 30 31 32 the whole the human body starts declining so it's harder to keep them that that muscle density because the body is declining it's it's basically consuming itself as we get older at that age you're growing growing and then it declines and declines now it's not real encouraging but that's the truth so if you're under 30 thank God if you're my age I remember benchpress and 400 pounds and I don't know if I'll get 200 up nowadays it's because the bodies is declining and declining and declining but what is that that's that resistance building up strength also resistance I mean you've read I told you about the book I was reading on the POWs back in in World War two and and when they come out of there I mean they're third I mean they're just the whole world is messed up with nightmare and and all these things and and they can't seem to shake this but they are men of character ministering that's why that's why you often hear of the World War two generation or though there's never a generation that's strong men and women that were strong and disciplined because they went through things we don't go through anything anymore won't be to the teenager whose parents buy him a fifty thousand dollar truck and give him all the money and then he goes into life he's going to be a failure in many areas because there's no discipline there's no fortitude there's no strength there I'm not afraid to use these terms because the Bible does it's spiritual muscle building is what fighting temptation is spiritual muscle building you smell those doughnut dough 5:30 in the morning you smell the doughnut place making those known as you keep driving every single Saturday without fell where do the kids want it my kids want to go Morgan knows can we stop by Panda Express no just hit the gas pedal get home I'll make some egg whites some some protein some some whole-grain bagels get me away from Panda because I haven't eaten since 2:30 I like the fast before I preach and stuff so I I'm really hungry afterward so I've gotta just I can't even look secondly the line doesn't look very long I bet I could be home before Morgan she won't even know I got there offs I'll start tomorrow I'll start eating better tomorrow and so it's pulling line and then ha for guilty I 15-hour calories when I didn't need it that's temptation that's how it worked so the more I Drive by it now it's getting easier and easier and easier now that I probably talked about it's probably gonna be hard tonight and Morgan will sometimes come home with like why'd you stop there I was doing so good can I have some bites can I have a few of those things that's how it works you're building up that debt that's that's why some people coming out of alcoholism can go right back into a bar can't be around parties or because they haven't built up that muscle yet people hooked on pain pain medicine they get hurting and doctors you want to go on vicodin I can't no I don't want to go into iconology grin and bear this out then the years go by the tempt it you can become you begin stronger by fighting it now when I talk about this thing well you know I'll talk about that in a minute because some people don't like when I talk so much about our responsibility they would lean towards it's God changing us God changes us the work of Holy Spirit you're putting too much emphasis on man's ability okay I'm gonna get to there let's read three scriptures to be forewarned is to be forearmed if you don't think the enemy has it out for he does first Peter 5:8 your enemy the devil prowls about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour so the devil's going about seeking whom he may devour John 10:10 I've already read these I know but I'm it bears repeating John 10:10 the thief comes only to steal to kill and to destroy so if you ever want to know what the Dennett what the enemy's plan is here it is he's gonna go about as a roaring lion waiting for something to devour and he comes only to steal to kill and to destroy still your peace your joy your family your relationship with Lord he's he doesn't care he's going to take it all and then James 1 14 through 15 each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own evil desire see it's within us and he has dragged away in enticed then after that desire has conceived it's like giving birth I'm talking a lot about men and pornography but there's also women in pornography it's a big rise you hear it all over I mean that statistics are alarming so the wife comes home nobody's home oh the desire is coming what do I do with that desire get back in the car go do something and see the desire is there what do you do with that but you log on you get on the computer that desire has now conceived now sin has taken birth and that sin fully grown ranked fourth death that's the process it's not rocket scientist here it's he'll lead you down one step at a time one wrong choice a time won't compromise at a time until you're at the bottom saying how did I get down here you got down here because you were lured you were enticed and devil devil didn't make you do it it was already within he just presented the bait so that's how temptation works and we have to be careful we have to be careful because it's not unnecessary a lot of times we put too much emphasis on the devil or it's just my self esteems really low or my inner child is hurting right now it's the way I was wired I have this certain disorder so it's okay for me to do these things no the Bible doesn't give us any room there for flexibility didn't say if you were 12 years old and your inner child got hurt and your dad wasn't there all the time to go and do this it doesn't now of course there are things that we need to be sensitive to and people go through tremendous pain I'm not discounting that all I'm saying is the Bible doesn't give us a lot of flexibility here make no provision for the flesh and less you're wired a certain way it just it just groups us all in there here's the solution the Bible talks about now the escape route let's talk about the escape route anybody phones on ok phones on now that I've presented this case what is the escape route well I'm glad you asked first Corinthians 10:13 first Corinthians 10:13 I'm still thinking about panda galley as a side know if you're trying to lose weight or get in shape the thing out of sight out of mind really works don't have anything in your house that you that you're gonna consume out of sight out of mind you have some Ding Dongs in there some Twinkie some Diet Pepsi you're gonna fall and you're gonna fall hard because it's right there it's what is it Oh cookies yeah and all that stuff egg whites you know they're not enticing I'm not tempted by egg whites but on that note food yeah okay that's a whole nother sermon first Corinthians 10:13 okay you want to know how to overcome temptation maybe you can say hello Shane I've heard the scripture dozens and dozens and dozens of times well I want to hear you I want to read it one more time and I want you to think about this scripture very clearly because this is one of the best scriptures on temptation no matter what your temptation is see we can't say yeah but you don't know my spouse you don't know my thyroid problem you don't know my genetic predisposition you don't know this and you know well the Bible just says no temptation this is nothing everything no temptation has overtaken you except that which is common to man all of us struggle with this thing of temptation there's nothing new Under the Sun but God thank God for this bar God is faithful who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able there's no greater sometimes he might sometimes you know God just might say well forget it now you're done you're toast no there's there's I just couldn't help myself you ever heard people say that or you said I just couldn't help myself I couldn't stop well no no temptation has overtaken us but God is faithful who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able see God is faithful he's saying I will not allow you to go through anything you cannot say no to you there's no there's no way around that I will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able well why do I keep falling why do I keep falling in this areas well let's keep reading but with the temptation here's the temptation here's also the way of escape that you may be able to bear it if you look up that word bear it in the Greek language it's like and I actually was going to use that chair but you're sitting on it sometimes gonna grab it and carry the chair around just for a minute bearing it this chair represents freedom this chair represents freedom from my addiction this chair represents but I have to bear it there's a load to bear there's a cost to BAE there's a difficulty decision there's difficult decisions to make there is a load to bear fighting temptation is not easy any more than fighting anybody is easy it's fighting against your flesh so he says no temptation no temptation has overcome you except what is common to man God's faithful he's not gonna allow you or I to be tempted beyond what we are able there go all the excuses out the door that verse right there right there out the door with the temptation he will also make a way of escape that you may be able to bear it so with the temptation many I gosh I could I could sit up here for a next hour and give out examples but in the temptation I'm in a wrong relationship and I was in a few before I met Morgan but I knew I gotta get out of this thing but I'm too afraid what about if I don't mean anybody what about if this what about us that I'm in this relationship I know you can bear it you say guy trust God not you bye-bye and you move on but I can't bear it financially I'm gonna explode no God will hold you up he will bear it with you this this is this this I'm on this diet and I've got to eat this chocolate no you don't you don't have to now is let me tell you up front I'm not pointing fingers anybody I've tried to stop chocolate I've tried to top coffee I've tried to stop this and I've tried to stop that it's not real easy is it it's very difficult it's really easy when your stomachs fall like oh boy I'm gonna start a fast tomorrow like I know I can do it I feel really good now and then the opportune time comes in 5:00 in the morning I'm really tired or really need a cup of coffee I have a headache I need to god I can't do that I'll forget it I'm too weak or doughnuts or pant after church I mean where does this where where there there is a way to bear these things and there's some temptation here I know speaking lightly but there's some temptations in here in this room that are destroying you they're destroying your relationship with Lord you've Pat you've lost the passion the Zil for God's you're so you're Indian so deep you don't know what to do I'm not minimizing that that but there is a way to be able to bear it to get out of that first God is faithful you say God I give you my life I give you my my temptation whatever it takes Lord please help me break this off of my life I give it to you God is faithful he will not allow you to or I to be tempted with beyond what we are able first Corinthians here's some ways of bearing and I went through the scriptures okay what does the scripture say to bear it how do we how do we get out of temptation 1st Corinthians 6 6:18 consider sexual immorality nope flee flee sexual immorality so there's this word fling we flee we don't say I was exposed to pornography early when I was 12 so that's my excuse it doesn't matter you're supposed to flee it doesn't matter if we're explore all men were exposed doing they're younger I mean that's a culture we live in so we can't have all these excuses the Bible says flee sexual morality 1st Thessalonians 4 34 3 and 5 says for this is the will of God the will of God is your sanctification to be pure and holy before him that you abstain what yeah look at how much infant you abstain you flee you do these things you can't tell your body no do you realize that you're a control of your body as a believer in Jesus Christ you can't say no the fleshes yes you say no we have that ability the body's not in control sometimes we feel like it because it just takes us wherever we want tossed to and fro like a double-minded man unstable in all his ways we can tell the body no now I'm not minimizing struggles I've lived them I know that but you can't say no we're not robots ages and go right to work you know I didn't know how that happened no we we can control it look at the well either then the Bible is wrong because he's saying flee sexual immorality abstain sexual immorality Romans 13:14 make no provision for the flesh in other words don't even think about how you're gonna gratify the flesh goes back to the Panda example don't start thinking about how I'm gonna gratify the flesh people they have a problem with alcohol already Planet Saturday night what they're gonna go do hit the yard house have a couple cold ones and get home come home drunk porn in the driveway you're pretty you're already making provision for the flesh you're in church worshiping making provision for the flesh tomorrow we're gonna all overeat tomorrow I've got two planned out this big spread all that we're good we're making provisions for the flesh the Bible says you want to overcome the flesh stop thinking about how you're gonna indulge make no provision which is forethought planning ahead don't plan ahead how you're gonna satisfy the flesh that's just a biblical principle so you see where God's going with this flee abstain make nope note make no provision now I love this one Paul says I discipline my body daily and I keep it under control less when I preach to others I should become disqualified flee flee these things abstain from these things discipline your body don't plan ahead it sounds like a little bit of responsibility on our part I don't know call me silly think about that I'm not putting any more emphasis on our ability than the Bible does and that's what happens a lot of people on this side of the camp that says God's sovereignty he is thank God for it and God's in control it's a work of holy spirit don't talk about obedience don't talk about repentance don't it's God's job don't tell man what to do I'm just reading scripture I'm just reading what the scripture says I'm not putting any more weight on it than what the Bible does flee these things up staying these things discipline yourself persevere saying no it's really that simple yeah it is but we've been taught in our culture it's okay to coddle it's okay to give in and that's what I wrote down here the Word of God says to crucify the flesh what does the world say coddle in the world the Word of God says abstain the world says indulge the Word of God says flee the world says embrace the Word of God says resist the world says give in so that's basically I've been doing I'm gonna coddle I'm gonna indulge I'm gonna brace I'm gonna give in and then we're gonna come to church and cry and worship go home and I'm gonna embrace and dolls and get and I'm gonna come back and we never have victory because we keep coddling the sin we're called to run from we keep indulging what we're called to crucify and then we come we feel bad and when Finella worship god I know you'll take me back our repent thank you look and nothing changing you get back the same old pattern of inconsistencies over and over and over and over again all the devil thing he looks for opportune time there they are in a moment of weakness they're depressed they're about in a bad relationship they just got out of I'm gonna come in with this I'm gonna come in with fear and anxiety and depression opportunities on me he keep hitting him I'm gonna keep hitting him I just I came to the conclusion that when it comes to this area of temptation as much as we want to say God just changed me please just take these things away and he will I pray that often and we pray up here for people's Lord help but take these away cuz I I know people have come to Christ him and save didn't want to touch any liquor again don't want to smoke you know nothing gotcha oh thank God for that but then they have all these other areas of straight why doesn't take away everything we struggle with when that be great just take it all the way all the way no no no I just want to walk like Christ live perfect lives so we pray God please change me and the Holy Spirit comes in he God begins to help us but he also gives us the power to say no to abstain to flee to run from to discipline your body because as James said it's counted all joy when you fall into various trials knowing the tempting and testing of your spiritual condition produces patience and fortitude and strength because that's what a solid mature Christian is is somebody who has has said no to things it has built this life of discipline and commitment now does that mean we don't fall of course not I'm not discounting any of those I'm not suggesting that somebody can live a perfect life but what do you do with all these scriptures then you can't say I'll show you your reading amount of context because the context is the context of temptation the context is the content text of sexual morality is of a proof of sinning Peter says what about Peter abstain from sinful desires well Peter you're so night near here so outdated you can't come on Peter with us a 21st century he's saying abstain from fleshly desires and then what's he say which war against your soul that war inside he's saying he's saying abstain from those fleshly desires because the more you feed it the more you're gonna have to fight it that's when you better write down the more you feed it is the more you're gonna have to fight it somebody somebody if they've got it I've said before right when I speak at Men's conferences they're like oh man it's I get so amazing I don't even I even struggle with pornography for three days up here yeah you left your phone at home there's no TV there's no internet there's no women exactly what what what hello and we joke but that's the truth I hear that more than anything else I'm so I love it up here in this midst consulate I don't ever want to go home I'm these lesser God but they get back home oh my lord why because they're feeding the very thing they're called to fight you're feeding the wrong dog it takes make some precautions make some changes think about that the more we feed it the more we'll have to fight it you're fighting something you're fighting the flesh you're fighting the less of flesh I am so why not just keep feeding it and then I got to fight it more it's like you're fighting though there's Mike Tyson now there's this now there's as you're fighting all these big guys you just keep feeding it and get bigger and bigger but no wonder we're losing we're feeding the very thing were called to fight we're giving the very thing life that were called to give death we're we're not crucifying the flesh we're coddling it we're giving it more of what at once feed me so I can destroy you in simple terms that's what this breaks down to if you take all these verses the flesh feed me so I can destroy you that's why I said if I were to if I were to sum all this up I'd say it's hard to flee from what you feed we're called to flee all these things but we're feeding them in this culture today I mean just look around I've joked about it but it's actually very sad that what what all these commercials like Carl's jr. now this lingerie and commercials like my lord in a Carl's jr. commercial yeah go check out Facebook for an hour I'm it is we are sex Saturday we wonder why do I have a promise area oh I don't know because we're being inundated and that's a weak word I wish had a stronger word than inundated baptized overwhelmed consumed with these things we're consuming ourselves with the very thing were called to fight the problem is too many people enjoy it they'll come to here and say I don't like this this needs to change but they're not gonna make the changes they need to make I see this all the time I've told guys before you've got you got to get accountability software on your computers we put it on years ago on my phone everything and I talked to guys in there like I don't know if I wanna get that extreme well how bad do you wanna you're gonna come up here and cry about it and you're not gonna go home and do anything about it why is that because there's a part of us that enjoys the very thing that's killing us think about it you don't think an alcoholic that's killing himself enjoys that drink at night absolutely the affair that's happening I like it let's get honest if we would have a horse in like God sees it it would be much easier to flee from I want to read JC rile today's going hour I didn't get to part two yet so maybe next week oh there won't be anybody here for this one but all seriousness guys this is this is this is serious and I want to I want to read what JC Ryan wrote and I wrote read this many months ago but it definitely comes into play here he says in his book on holiness is a masterpiece it's been in printed since eighteen something's and I just I can't put this thing down because these guys used to call it what it was I mean they would call cincin they would call disobedience this will be and say good call they would call it like it is they would they would say this these things are destroying you and he put in there there must be no separate truce with any special sin our sins are often as dear to us as our children we love them we delight in them and we hug them we cleave to them but the parting must come the parting must come like the kids going away to climb us come and say this is destroying me god it's destroying the party must come repentance must take place the very thing the very thing that God calls an abomination abhor run from cling to the very things that destroy the nation of Israel is amusing our nation and I'm concerned as gaben and Elizabeth come up we're gonna we're gonna conclude with worship but I'm just concerned that we're confusing God's patience with his approval I want to say that to some of your life your life's tonight to you are confusing God's patience to with his approval he's not approving of your lifestyle he's being patient and long-suffering but he's not approving it and a lot of times we think just I got away with it so I'm good no you're not good but think about what was said tonight get the CD of this watch it again because you've got a I mean I just meditate on the scriptures all week and I was even more convinced that God says no temptation has overtaken you but what is common demand but God who is faithful will not allow you or I to be tempted beyond what we are able but with that temptation he will make a way of escape that you may be able to bear it a way of escape means I see an escape I must do something I must repent of this lifestyle I must say God help me I must stop feeding the Giant and the monster within I must abstain from these things I must become men and women of discipline and perseverance though the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord if he falls he will not be utterly cast down because the Lord upholds him with his hand many people get defeated I blew it again oh yeah when I worked with weight loss clients they would probably blow five to ten mills out of a hundred but they kept persevering they kept moving forward it's not about being a perfect walk it's about getting up and falling forward getting up and falling forward falling halt hardly after Christ getting back up going no matter what happens no matter what temptation I just blew god I'm getting back and we go keep going towards him that's also a temptation to say I've blown it I've done too much damage by trying gah saying come back to me let me rebuild let me restore but deep repentance has got to take place tonight you're not gonna pray and come up here and cry about pornography and have it wonderfully just end tomorrow morning maybe but don't count on it because your adversary goes about as a roaring lion looking for opportune times the lust of the flesh the lust CI coveting the pride of life he's looking for these areas to come up in our own lives and we've got a hint we've got to come at him right at the beginning we've got to hit him head-on with what we know to be right by the Word of God Jesus used the Word of God think about that he used the Word of God his thought life I was gonna read this verse it might help somebody 2nd Corinthians says for though we walk in the flesh we do not war according to the flesh for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal we're not gonna throw sticks at the devil or not gonna hit him with a baseball bat but though the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but they're mighty through God for the pulling down of strongholds and casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of Christ bringing every thought bringing every fight here's the battle folks Jesus's thought life I'm hungry I'm hungry he said but he told the devil man does not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God do not tempt the Lord your God you shall worship the gut him and him only show you worship his thought life right here is that the battlefield is the mind this is where it's one or two words loss and we need to give this area to God we need to ask for his protection his safety and we need to fight like we're engaged in battle because we are life is a battleground on a play girl let's pray lord I pray tonight Lord many of us are convicted Lord and we don't want to just be convicted to be convicted we want this to to help foster change Lord begin to call men back to lure to purity and decency and if it means getting rid of the computer for a month and the TV so be it we want to serve you God not continue to feed the flesh and I pray tonight Lord you know the array of temptations in this room I pray right now that you begin to show people how they can remove themselves from this temptation Lord whether it's stopping turning off their cell phone for a week losing phone numbers telling people not to call or fighting the flesh not buying certain foods and certain things and beginning to take care of their body whether it's relationships they need to end or or things they need to do lord please show them these areas Lord and you help them Lord we even though we talked a lot about what we need to do Lord we know that you are sovereign we know that you are control Lord we know that you can heal us of many of these things Lord we pray tonight that those who are genuine you'd begin to remove those those passions or have them be workable passions that we can overcome Lord we give this night to you and we pray in Jesus name amen

Channel: SermonIndex.net

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Keywords: Shane Idleman, Shane Idleman Sermons, Revival, Character Of God, Free Sermons, Video Sermons, Jesus Christ, What Is The Gospel, SermonIndex, What Is The Truth

Id: ZEEB1L0Vixc

Length: 69min 37sec (4177 seconds)

Published: Sat Jun 30 2012