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The Great Exscape

The Minnesota Crime Commission recognizes the power of the sinful nature and admits the truth that every person, if left to himself, will be overcome by the power of the flesh. A few years ago they released this statement. “Every baby starts life as a [potential] savage. He is completely selfish, and self-centered. He wants what he wants when he wants it – his bottle, his mother’s attention, his playmate’s toys, his uncles’ watch. Deny him these once, and he could go into a rage and aggressiveness, which would be murderous were he not so helpless. He is, in fact, dirty. He has no morals, no knowledge, no skills. This means that all children – not just certain children – are born delinquent. If permitted to continue in the self-centered world of his infancy, given free reign to his impulsive actions, to satisfy his wants, every child would grow up a criminal…” There is something alluring about the idea of temptation. It sounds like there is something on the other side of yielding to temptation that will usher us into pleasures we have not yet known but always wanted. Temptation has a fascination about it. It takes us on a flight of fantasy. It appears that it may be a new and exciting adventure that just might make us happy beyond our wildest dreams.

Unfortunately, choosing to follow that fascination is where the illusion ends. For those who have followed that dream found a nightmare quickly unfolding, one from which they could not awaken feeling relieved that it wasn’t true.

That is the problem with temptation. It is just so tempting. And some temptations are almost overpowering in their allure. All of us have probably considered situations that we thought would be beyond our power to resist. And there are people who yield to these temptations every day, many times to their ruin. Because of the power of temptation, people throw away their careers, their marriages and families, their health, and sometimes their very lives as well. You don’t have to go far to see it. Behind every tragedy of people choosing serious sinful behavior–– like adultery, embezzlement, corporate fraud, and even murder–– was first a temptation to do so. The temptation brought out the desires that were already there, and the deed was done. This is what we read in James 1:14-15: "…but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death."

We are looking today at part of a letter written to a church in Corinth many years ago.

12If you think you are standing strong, be careful, for you, too, may fall into the same sin. 13But remember that the temptations that come into your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can't stand up against it. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you will not give in to it. 1 Corinthians 10:12-13

Five Lies That Open The Door To Temptation:

1. “It couldn’t happen to me.”

“If you think you are standing strong be careful, for you too may fall into the same sin.” v. 12.

There is a mistaken idea that those who are truly spiritual do not suffer temptation. Somehow we think that it should be possible to get to a place of spiritual maturity that will insulate us from the powerful allure of temptation. Perhaps if we worked harder at our spiritual lives, or sacrificed more, or prayed more, or tried to be more holy, we would arrive at a place where temptation would no longer be tempting. That sounds great. I wish it were true. But it isn’t. The sad fact is that temptation is inevitable. You will be tempted. Count on it. Nobody can escape it.

We know this, not only from personal experience, but also from Scripture. On the pages of the Bible we see the reality of temptation in the lives of all of God saints. All of the most powerful and spiritual servants of God were tempted. Even Jesus himself was tempted.

You simply don’t get any more spiritually mature than Jesus. Jesus was perfect and sinless in every respect. He lived his life in perfect communion with God, and yet the Scriptures teach us that he was tempted in every respect, even as we are tempted.

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. (Hebrews 4:15, NIV)

And these were real temptations. If Jesus was not exempt from temptation, we certainly should not expect to be, no matter how long we have served the Lord.

Temptation will come. We shouldn’t be surprised. In fact, we should expect it. Having this proper perspective concerning temptation will help us to handle it.

Often we are the most vulnerable when we believe we are the strongest. We don’t take the proper precautions against sin and soon we find ourselves deeper into a mess than we ever imagined we would be.

“He who stands wrongly is often he who thinks he stands strongly.”

It’s important that we don’t view ourselves as the exception to the rule. We are all capable of sin.

2. “I’m the only one.”

“No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man...” - v. 13a

Sometimes we think that no one has struggled with what we’re struggling with. Sometimes we think no one has felt such intense pressure to give into a particular temptation as we are right now.

Not only is temptation inevitable, it is universal. It comes to all. No one is exempt. And you are not the only one who is experiencing a particular temptation. So often people think that their temptation is somehow unique. They think that no one has ever faced in this particular temptation in this particular way. But the Scripture teaches that temptation is common to man.

While all of us are unique individuals, we are nonetheless similar in many ways. The same kinds of passions and desires attack us all. In fact, we are so much alike, that the devil doesn’t have to work too hard or be too creative. The same kinds of temptations that worked 1000 years ago still work today. He may have to tweak them a little bit for each of us, but we still fall for the same old stuff.

So, you are not alone. There are others who have experienced the same kinds of temptations you are currently experiencing. You may say that that’s not very comforting, but it can be. You see, many of those people are finding victory over these temptations, the very ones you’re struggling with. They can be a wealth of encouragement to you, if you tap into their experience and wisdom. Don’t be discouraged and don’t despair.

3. “God’s abandoned me.”

“...but God is faithful...” - v. 13b

We don’t always feel the closeness of God when we’re going through a time of temptation and some may figure that to mean that God is not with them any more. Sometimes we are simply not as aware of God’s presence, but that doesn’t mean God is not with us.

We don’t need to despair because God is faithful. God is on our side in this fight against temptation. God is not the one tempting us. "When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone. (James 1:13, NIV)"

God does not want us to fall. He wants us to stand against temptation and to choose to reject it.

But why does he allow it? This is much like asking why God allows evil to exist in the world. Why doesn’t God simply step in and keep anything difficult from happening to us? He doesn’t because to do so would be to rob us of the freedom he has given to us as human beings. Indeed, it is that freedom that sets us apart as human. Were that freedom removed, we would be nothing more than robots. But with human freedom comes the consequences of our actions, both good and bad.

A good illustration of this is the account of the Garden of Eden. God created a paradise in which he placed Adam and Eve. But he placed one restriction on their behavior. He told them that they could not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Why? Many people argue that had he not restricted them in any way they would not have sinned. But for them to be human and for their obedience to God to mean anything, they must have had the opportunity to disobey. Obedience is not obedience if it is coerced. Just as love is not true love unless it is freely given. This was the purpose in the prohibition.

So God set up a test of character because without a test of character there can be no character formed.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. (James 1:2-4, NIV) When trials come our way and we respond to them properly, it develops within us proven qualities of good character. The testing of our faith develops us into the mature men and women of God that God has called us to be.

God is faithful. He is not like us, faithful sometimes but not always. He is not like Satan, who seeks our destruction. We can rest assured that God is on our side and will be faithful to support us in our time of need.

Remember, as we get deeper into temptation, we are moving away from God. Because of that, we may not sense His presence as clearly. God does not abandon us. God is faithful to us even in our time of intense temptation.

4. “I didn’t have a choice.”

“...who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able...” v. 13c

One of the most powerful lies is that the temptation overwhelmed us and we didn’t really have a choice in the matter. This is so enticing because it takes the responsibility from us. This part of the verse is clear, though, that there is never a situation where we are forced into sin. It is always a choice on our part to concede to the enticement of the sin.

God will protect you. He will not let temptation overwhelm you. Our text says that none of us will be tempted beyond what we can bear. Even though God will allow temptation to come, he will not allow Satan to bring more than you can handle.

If you’re looking for an illustration of this, perhaps there is none better than what happened to Job. Here was a man who endured tremendous loss and suffering. Everything he had was taken from him, including his health. When you read the account of Job, you are amazed at what he endured. Yet even in the case of Job, he was not given more than he could bear. He endured incredibly hard stuff, but it was not too much for him.

There are times when we are tempted to say, "I just can’t take it anymore." And indeed, we certainly feel that way. But the hard truth is that we can take it. God will simply not allow anything to come into our lives that are too difficult for us to bear. This is his promise of protection. God will protect you.

Also note that God is not the author of temptation, although He does allow testing to come into our lives. The difference: temptation’s goal is sin and death; testing’s goal is purification and sanctification.

5. “It’s not my fault.”

“...but with the temptation will also make the way of escape...” v. 13d

This one is closely tied to #4. Sometimes we will argue that we held up as long as we could, but there was no relief for us. We did the best we could, but God didn’t provide a way out.

He will provide a way out, a way of escape when we are tempted. Whatever the temptation, there is always a way out. There is always a way of escape. There may be times when we don’t find that way out. Perhaps we are not looking for it. Perhaps we don’t want to find it. But it is always there.

So whenever you are tempted, look for the way of escape. Perhaps the only way of escape will be to turn and run. If that is the only way out, take it. There is no blessing in enduring prolonged temptation. We only increase our chances of yielding to it when we linger. Get away from it. Run if you have to. It may be your only way out. So take it.

Sometimes the best way out is found on the front end. Stay away from the circumstances that lead you to temptation. You have been there before. Don’t go there. I’m reminded of the story of the woman who came to her doctor and told him that she had broken her arm in two places. He responded by saying, "Well. Don’t go to those places!" Perhaps the best advice we can be given is to stay out of those places. Okay that was meant to be a groaner.

(Mahatma Gandhi, as you know, walked barefoot most of the time, which produced an impressive set of calluses on his feet. He also ate very little, which made him rather frail and with his odd diet, he suffered from bad breath.

This made him a super-calloused fragile mystic hexed by halitosis.)

It’s interesting that Paul used the definite article “the” in writing about our way of escape. God will provide a specific means of escape from our temptation. This is not to say it may not be costly or painful, but there will be an opportunity to get out.

The way of escape is not often miraculous, but may be more mundane. For someone “burning with passion,” Paul counsels marriage. Sometimes the way of escape comes early and is preventative rather than prescriptive.

Three ways to handle temptation:

“...so that you will not give in to it” v. 13e

        Give in to it.
        Fight it.
        Overcome it through Christ.

God has made a way out, but you must take it. You must stand strong. You see, if you fail to take the way out that God provides for you, it is entirely your fault. Don’t blame God! It is not his fault. He gave you the way out.

Our responsibility in facing temptation is to resist it. We must do our part which is to stand up against it. We have been given the power to say no to sin. This is what Jesus purchased for us in our redemption. Because of his death on the Cross, he has set us free from both the penalty of sin and the power of sin. The guilt and condemnation of sin have been removed. And the power of sin over us to enslave us has been broken.

For the first time in our lives, we are free–– free to say no to sin and yes to God. We are no longer slaves to sin because of the Cross of Christ. Indeed, one day we will be delivered from even the presence of sin. But for now, we are still in its presence. We still have to deal with it.

But the point is that we have to deal with it. God has done his part, and now we must do ours. He has provided a way out, and we must take it. He has given us the power to resist the devil, and we must resist. We must purpose in our heart to be done with sin. We must make a decision that we will not even entertain temptation. That is generally where we get tripped up. As they used to say down South, "Son, if you hang around the creek bank long enough, sooner or later you’re gonna slide in." It really is good advice. Stay away, far away from the creek bank. Don’t see how close you can come to the line without crossing it. Stay is far away from sin as you possibly can. Don’t even entertain it. That’s the way to avoid yielding to temptation.

Here are three examples right out of last week’s news of people who are let temptation take them further than I am sure they ever could have imagined. You may not recognize this couple but they have were declared to be the “most wanted couple in America,” by the FBI.

Richard Davis, 41, and Dena Riley, 39, placed the call to turn themselves into authorities under "quite unusual" circumstances. The couple was being sought after on charges that they sexually assaulted, beat and strangled 41-year-old Marsha Spicer and buried her in a shallow grave in a rural area in Bates City, Mo.

Police found a videotape of the activities leading up to Spicer's death, and her actual murder, in the couple's apartment. The couple had been on the run since May 19. Friday they were discovered with a five year old child they had abducted from a friend or relatives house. It appears they sexually abused this child as well. Temptation can destroy lives.

Lest you think temptation or evil only happens in poverty take a good look at Scott Peterson. Convicted and found guilty of murdering his wife and little unborn baby. He came from a solid to upper middle class family with a lot of advantages but it wasn’t enough. He had to have more.

And then there is Ken Lay and Jeffery Skillings who were known as visionaries, hands-on executives, corporate titans directing the high-flying ship at Wall Street darling Enron Corp. Add another title: convicted felons.

Jurors found the men, who received tens of millions in pay and stock options, repeatedly lied to cover up accounting tricks and business failures that led to the company's 2001 demise. The collapse wiped out more than $60 billion in market value, almost $2.1 billion in pension plans and 5,600 jobs. Do you know what all this means? It means that no one is exempt from temptation. We all are going to face it.

The question I have for you today is, Are you so in love with Jesus that when temptation comes you resist?

Ed Wood shared this story he heard about an Indian who had come to Christ. When asked about his new found faith he described it as having two dogs living inside him. One is like an old dog. He is mean, vicious, unmanageable, and down right un-trainable. The second is like a new dog that is obedient, longs to serve Christ, and gives attention to the Lord. He described the two dogs as always fighting to get his attention and wanting to have control over his entire life. When asked what dog wins he replied back with, “The one I feed the most.”

The concept for this sermon came from Pastor Jim Butcher.



2006/05/28