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On Jul 17, 2011: Luke 4:1-13 Victory In The Spirit · Teachings On This Day On FerventWord

• 00:00 You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2011. And so I pray that you've been, you know, looking at your life and God's been showing you those different tactics of the enemy so that you're not caught off guard. But as we go forward and look again this morning at verses 1 through 13. 00:27 We want to take a slightly different perspective and look at how we can then have victory as we recognize these temptations are taking place. How can we stand strong and not give in to those temptations that are brought before us? 00:42 You know, many times as Christians, we sin. We all sin. That doesn't change when we give our lives to the Lord. Even though we've been born again, we still fall short. And many times that sin is something that we're not even really aware of. It's something that's happening. It's an attitude that we have. It's action that we're taking. It's words that we're using. But it's not a conscious, deliberate choice. It's something that is taking place without us really thinking about it. 01:10 And then what happens is God reveals it to us, either through a Bible study or through our devotional time. Another brother or sister, you know, shares with us, hey, I've seen this and this is going on in your life. And so God brings it to light. And at that time, then we are responsible to repent and to give it to the Lord, to turn from it and then to put in its place godly practices and things that God wants us to be doing. 01:37 But there's another kind of sin issue in our life that really is what I believe God wants us to focus on today. Looking at a slightly different kind of temptation. This as well, though, is something that all of us face as believers. It's not just a couple of us. We all experience the kind of sin, the kind of temptation where it's a situation that you know that the action is wrong. You know those words are wrong. You know that that situation 02:05 you know, thing that you're tempted to do is not of God. 02:10 And yet there's this strong temptation to make that choice and to engage in that sinful practice even though you know that it's wrong. In fact, in many Christians, it's not just an occasional type thing that this temptation faces them, but it's consistent. It's pretty regular that you're there and you're in this situation and you know it's wrong, but you're tempted to do it and you're 02:36 You're struggling with whether to give in to the temptation or to hold fast. And it's that situation that really God wants to address in Luke chapter 4 this morning, that we need to really deal with our hearts in the area of sin in our lives that is not just occasionally or once in a while, but it's a continual type of thing that regularly we're practicing different kinds of sin. 03:03 And as we consider that subject, I would start off by asking you, how serious are you about victory over sin? How serious are you about victory over or through the temptation that you face in your life? And I ask that question because handling temptation really has a lot to do with preparation. I liken it to some type of sports activity. 03:32 Now you guys know I'm no expert, I'm no athlete, you know. I'm not an expert in those types of things. And so I began to ask around some of the guys around here. Hey, what are the different kinds of sports that require, you know, a lot of preparation? Which sport requires the most preparation? 03:48 Before an event, before a competition, different guys had different opinions. Everyone's was a little bit different. Some suggested that wrestling was the most difficult as far as preparation is concerned. Some said football, some said soccer, some said boxing or swimming or a triathlon, a decathlon. There was a lot of different sports and activities that were presented, but the consensus seemed 04:15 seem to really center around these one-on-one individual combat activities or sports like boxing or wrestling or mixed martial arts and these types of things because what the different people were saying was that you had to train physically. There was a strong mental training as well, knowing the moves and learning the techniques and being mentally strong, having the discipline. But also in addition to that, then there's the weight limits that you got to meet and so your nutrition and 04:44 Everything just really has to fall into place in order for you to be successful in one of those activities. And as I was considering that, I thought, you know, that's so appropriate for the subject of temptation. 04:57 Because that's really what it's like. There's a real battle that's going on. It's an individual battle and there's training and there's preparation that's required. Now in any sport, there's training and preparation that's required. And if you don't train and prepare, then when you're in the middle of the competition, when you're in the midst of the game, you know, it's... 05:19 It doesn't matter so much, even if you try with all your might and you give it everything you've got, if you've not been training, if you've not been prepared, you're probably not going to win. 05:31 Now, even if you have trained and prepared, you need to give it all you got in the midst of the game. But if you're lacking that preparation, then you've probably lost already from the beginning. Because you need that training, that preparation, that conditioning in order to be able to be at your best in the midst of the competition. And that is so much like the Christian life. In fact, so much so that the Apostle Paul talks about it. 05:58 Now I'm going to be having you turn to various portions this morning in our study. And so maybe you want to stick a bulletin or something in Luke chapter 4. But turn with me now to 1 Corinthians chapter 9. 1 Corinthians chapter 9. Because here Paul talks about the subject of sports a little bit. And he compares it to the Christian life and the choices he's making and how he's living the Christian life. And so 1 Corinthians chapter 9. 06:29 Here in 1 Corinthians chapter 9, Paul is talking about striving for the crown. And he says in verse 25, he says, Everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. He says, Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. 06:49 Verse 26, Therefore I run thus, not with uncertainty, thus I fight, not as one who beats the air, but I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified. Here Paul looks at the athletics or the sports, he looks at a competition and he says, you know, that's a lot like a Christian life. 07:15 These guys who are participating in this competition, they're temperate, he says, in all things. That is that they're self-controlled. Their life is governed by their training, by their preparation for this competition. And so the things that they eat are because of the training that they're involved in and because of what they're about to compete in. The sleeping habits that they have are dictated by their training schedule, by their preparation for this event. 07:44 He goes on to say, look, they're temperate in all things and they do it for a perishable crown. In those days, it was a wreath that they would receive as a reward for winning that Olympic event. Today, it might be a gold medal or a trophy or something of those sorts, but the principle is the same. 08:03 The athletes today are the same as back then. They train, they work hard, they compete to receive something that will not last, something that is perishable. Paul says, look, we... 08:16 We are striving for an imperishable crown. We're striving for an eternal reward. And so the same type of activity needs to go on in that we need to be preparing ourselves and structuring our life based upon this goal of receiving the crown. But our reward is far greater. 08:38 And so Paul says in verse 27, he says, Paul says, look, I'm following their example in my Christian life. I'm disciplining my life. I'm structuring my life to be able to live the Christian life well, to be victorious, to 09:04 And I bring that up and I share that at the beginning of this study because, well, it's a mistake for Christians to wait until they're in the midst of a situation where there's great temptation to then try to prepare or try to obtain the strength that they need to be able to stand strong. 09:23 Athletes who compete, they train hard on and off the field. Their whole life is structured around the preparation for this event. Paul says, that's the same that I do. That's the life that Christians are to have. That we're training, that we're preparing ahead of time so that we're ready for the battle. 09:42 Do you remember what Jesus told Peter in the Garden of Gethsemane? He had told Peter, you're going to deny me three times. But Peter didn't heed the warning. And so later on, when they're spending time in prayer, Peter falls asleep. And Jesus tells him, Peter, watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. He says, the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. 10:05 You say, yeah, yeah, yeah, I want to follow you. But the time to prepare comes and you're sleeping instead of watching and praying. Peter, you need to prepare because there's a temptation around the corner. You're going to be tempted to deny me. I've already warned you about it, but you're not preparing yourself for it. You're going to be ill-equipped, unprepared for that temptation when it comes. 10:27 And so as we look at these points about having victory in the spirit, understand it's not just about in the midst of the temptation, but much of it has to do with how we prepare in advance. How we live our lives up to that time of temptation will really play a huge part in how successful we are in the temptation. Well, there's four points I'd like to share with you this morning about victory in the spirit. 10:56 Victory in the Holy Spirit. If you want to be victorious like Jesus was, there's some lessons we need to learn. So going back to Luke chapter 4 and looking at verse 1, we find the first point. Verse 1 of Luke 4 says, Point number 1 this morning is we need to be filled with the Spirit. 11:26 Now, if you were with us two weeks ago, this is very familiar to you because we looked at this verse. We talked about the importance of being filled with the Spirit. 11:33 And we learned at that time that in order to be filled with the Spirit, we must simply ask. We ask the Father and He gives us the Holy Spirit. Luke chapter 11 talks about that. Jesus says, "...ask and keep on asking, seek and keep on seeking, knock and keep on knocking, and the Father will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask." 11:58 And so that remains to be true. But building on top of that, in addition to asking the Father to fill us with the Spirit, we also have another issue to address. Something that we can see in Jesus' life is that he was set apart and dedicated to the things of God. 12:18 In order for you and I to be filled with the Spirit, first we ask, but we also need to remove some of the junk out of our lives. 12:28 In order to make room for the Spirit to fill us, in order to make room in our hearts, to make room in our schedules, to make room in our lives, we need to remove some of the junk. Now, many of you guys who are at the men's retreat this year, you probably remember Jesse's illustration that he shared, right? He had a little pot and he had a bottle of water. He says, look, if I want to put the water in the pot... 12:51 then I need to get the other stuff out of the pot. And he had a bunch of dirt. So he had to dump out the dirt and get that out of the way so that then the water could be filled there in the pot. It's such a simple illustration, but so important for us. 13:06 So basic for us in our Christian life and yet we miss it so many times. In order for us to be effective and for the Holy Spirit to be effective in us, we need to give Him room to work. We need to give Him material to use, that is time and opportunity, place in our heart. We need to remove some of the junk. 13:27 You might remember the message that Peter shared in Acts chapter 2. As the crowd is gathered there at the day of Pentecost and Peter preaches the gospel and the people are cut to the heart and they say, hey, what do we need to do? 13:41 Peter says something interesting in Acts chapter 2, verse 38 and 39. You can check it out later. He says, you need to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus. But then he goes on to say, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. There is the coupling together of these two things. Repent, and then you will be filled with the Holy Spirit. 14:06 Now the word repent, it means to make a 180 degree turn. It means to stop practicing the sinful activity and start engaging in the things of God. To turn around, to stop doing those things. And so Peter says, look, here's what you need to do. Stop practicing sin, turn to Jesus, and you will be filled with the Spirit. Now that was for them for salvation, but 14:33 But as Christians today, the same is true for us. There's some things that are going on in our lives that we need to turn from and to fill our lives instead with other things that are beneficial, that help us to grow in our walk with God. Would you turn with me please now to Hebrews chapter 12. Hebrews chapter 12. 14:59 Now, I don't normally have you turn to so many passages on a Sunday morning, but it's intentional because, as we'll see in just a few moments, one of the other preparation elements for us is getting to know the Word of God. And so I want to help you get to know where different portions are and see for yourself what the Word of God says. Here in Hebrews chapter 12, look with me at verse 1. 15:23 The author of Hebrews says, Here the author of Hebrews says, look, if you want to run the Christian race, if you want to live the Christian life well, to run with endurance the race that is set before you, then there's some things you need to lay aside. 15:54 He says you need to lay aside sin. And for us, you know, that's kind of a given. I'm assuming that, yes, we all know we need to stop practicing sin. Now, if that's not a given for you and you're living in a sinful lifestyle, well, then the words of Peter are appropriate for you. Repent, turn to Jesus, you'll be filled with the Spirit, you'll be blessed, you'll have the promise of eternal life. You need to repent and turn from sin. 16:20 But on top of, you know, those sins, the things that the Bible speaks directly against for us as believers, we also see here, he says, that we need to lay aside every weight. In order to run with endurance, not only do we lay aside the sin, but also the weights. 16:39 And the weights are those things which hold us back, which weigh us down, which keep us from the relationship with God that we need and that He desires to have with us. In order to be filled with the Spirit to a greater degree, we need to lay aside the weights. Now we all know there's sins in our life and we all know that we've got to stop practicing sin. But what about those weights in your life? What is it that weighs you down? 17:10 It may not be sin in and of itself. It might not be a direct violation of scripture. But for you personally, it's something that keeps you from engaging with God the way that you need to. What holds you back in your relationship with God? Now, many will say at that point, well, I can't think of anything. I think, you know, I'm doing pretty good. I don't have much, you know, things that are hindering me or holding me back. And that's great if that's true. Wonderful. But I would ask you, 17:40 So why is it then that you fold so easily in the midst of temptation? You see, again, I'm talking about the direct context of those times where you as a believer, you're faced with this temptation. You know that the activity is sinful and yet there's this strong pull. There's this powerful struggle, this drive to practice that sin. You're tempted to sin. 18:07 And you fall into it. You dive into it. You fail. And you give in to that temptation. And not just once in a while or occasionally, but it's something that's regular in your life. For many Christians, that's the case. It's really left the church in a very weakened condition because Christians are just continuing this cycle of involving and engaging in sin regularly. 18:32 repenting because we feel bad and we know it's wrong, but then the next week we're in the same situation, facing the same temptation and falling into it again. So you could say, oh, you know, I can't think of anything. I think, you know, I'm okay. But why is it then that you're in that continual repetitious condition of falling into sin? You see, God has so much more for you. And he's given to us victory over sin, over the bondage to sin. 19:01 And it's one thing to have extra stuff in your life. You know, there's not anything wrong with that in that sense that, hey, God gives us life. He gives us entertainment. He gives us things so that we can enjoy life. And that's great. But it's a whole other thing to be continually caught up in that temptation and sin, having all this extra stuff in your life, changing nothing and expecting it to be different next time. Expecting next time that... 19:33 You don't have to change anything, but then you're going to be victorious in the midst of that temptation. You see, what I'm suggesting to you is you may need to make some life changes. And it's at this point we begin to shut down because we don't like to change our life. We're comfortable the way that we are. We want God to fix our temptation issue without us having to change anything. But listen, you may have to give up late night TV so that you can get up early and spend time in prayer before you start your day. 20:05 Is late night TV wrong? Well, in and of itself, depending on what you watch, you know, it may not be wrong. But for you, if you're caught in that pattern, if you're giving in to temptation in that way, listen, it's something you need to present to the Lord. We need to go back to the drawing board and say, Lord, what do you want in my life? I need to give some more time for you so that you can fill my life, that I can be better prepared for these temptations that are so powerful in my life. 20:35 You may have to give up Facebook or Twitter so that you have time to just sit quietly with the Lord and hear from Him and spend time with Him in His Word. Maybe you have to give up your sports or your following or being a fan of sports. Maybe God wants you to give up your career goals or maybe even your life goals. Again, we need to go back to the drawing board. If you're caught up in that situation, 21:05 What are the weights that are holding you back, that are keeping you from the relationship with God that you need to have with Him? You see, it all goes back to our relationship with the Lord. When there's a persistent or continual sin issue in our lives, it goes back to our relationship with God. And we need to get right with God and we need to be spending time with Him because it's only in spending time with Him that He gives us what we need in order to be able to be victorious. 21:34 And so again, I ask you the question, how serious are you about victory over temptation? How serious are you about victory over sin? Think of it like an athlete. Are you temperate in all things? Structuring your life around the goal of living the victorious Christian life. 21:54 Making the choices about when you sleep, how much you sleep, what you eat, how much you eat, where you work, who you hang out with, how much leisure time you have. Making all those choices and structuring your life based on the goal of obtaining the eternal crown. Walking uprightly as God has called you to. We need to be filled with the Spirit. 22:18 And some of us need to lay aside some of those weights that are holding us back, that are cluttering up our life. If you try to fill a cup that's already full, it's not going to be very successful. If your life is already full, there's not much for him to fill. He will fill. So if you just have a little bit of a teaspoon size, he'll fill it. If you ask, as we saw in Luke chapter 11, he will fill. He'll give the Holy Spirit to those who ask. But the more that you give him, the more that he will be able to fill you. 22:50 The more that you turn over to Him, the more He'll be able to fill you. The more effective the power of the Holy Spirit will be in your life. Pastor Greg Laurie, in his book called Discipleship, says that each of us are filled with the Spirit as much as we choose to be. Every one of us is filled with the Holy Spirit as much as we choose to be. Jesus said in John 3, verse 34, that God does not give the Spirit by measure. 23:21 So you say, Lord, I need to be filled with the Holy Spirit. He doesn't say, okay, where's my measuring cups? All right, here's half a cup of the Spirit for you. Oh, you're asking extra hard? Okay, I'll give you a full cup. No, no, he doesn't give by measure. He gives all of the Holy Spirit to us when we ask. But our condition upon asking is what determines how much we get, how full or how empty is our life. 23:47 How full or how empty is our cup? Are we willing to receive? Are we emptying ourselves to receive from God? Setting aside time, giving Him plenty of opportunity to speak to us, to work in us, to fill us. And so we are as full of the Holy Spirit as we choose to be. How do we choose? By setting ourselves apart for God. By laying aside the weight, laying aside the junk and giving Him opportunity to work in us. 24:17 And so the first thing we see here about overcoming temptation, being victorious in the Spirit, is we need to lay aside the weight, to be filled with the Spirit and lay aside those weights that hold us back, that clutter up our lives. Well, the next thing we see as we continue looking at chapter 4, verse 1, is that we need to be led by the Spirit. Look again with me back in Luke chapter 4, verse 1. 24:43 There at the end of the verse, it says that he was led by the Spirit into the wilderness. 24:50 Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit from the very beginning. Now this was, you know, him going into the wilderness to be tempted. He was led by the Holy Spirit. He was there because the Holy Spirit led him there. And looking at it just that simply, I would ask, as you consider those situations and the context within the temptation that you face and those areas where you continually fail, 25:17 Are you there because the Holy Spirit led you there? Do you end up in those places? Do you end up in those situations because that's where the Holy Spirit led you to be? Think about those places that you fall into sin. Think about those places and those situations where you give in to temptation. Why are you there? Was it that God directed you there? Or are you there for some other reason? Turn with me please now to Proverbs chapter 22. 25:56 This is back in the Old Testament, right after the book of Psalms. Proverbs chapter 22. Here in Proverbs chapter 22, we find some great wisdom, some principles that are given to us by God that we could live our lives and structure our lives by them. And one of the things that we see here in verse 3 is very important in regards to this area of temptation. Proverbs chapter 22, verse 3. It says this. 26:26 Consider what this proverb says. The person who is prudent, or that's someone who is wise, they foresee evil. They look down the road, they look ahead at what's coming, and they say, that's a dangerous situation. That's a bad spot to be in. There's an ambush there. There's a setup there. 26:57 that person, the wise person, sees that evil that's ahead, that temptation that's ahead, that sinful trap that's ahead, and it says that he hides himself. Now, that doesn't mean like, you know, you kind of cower under your desk like, oh, no. No, the idea is like you're keeping yourself from it. You're guarding yourself. You're getting off that path so that you don't fall into that trap. And so the wise man sees what's coming and keeps himself from it. But the simple... 27:27 That's the simple-minded, the person who's not paying attention. They just continue on the path that they're on and they fall right into that trap, right into that situation of danger. Now this is important because many times, many times it happens in a Christian's life where they're falling into temptation, they're giving in to temptation, falling into sin in a specific situation. And then of course they feel terrible and they know that they blew it. 27:59 But then they go back to that same situation and then back in that same situation and back in that same situation. But they continue to put themselves in that same predicament where they're faced with this powerful temptation and then they fall into sin, they feel terrible, they repent and it just repeats over and over and over again. Don't be so simple. Don't be so foolish. Don't be so foolish. 28:24 Be wise. Look ahead. See what's coming. Recognize, that is a situation where I struggle. That is a situation where I will fall. And then hide yourself from that situation. Go another way. Make arrangements that you do not put yourself in that situation time and again. Now listen, when the Holy Spirit leads you to a place where there's temptation, as was the case with Jesus... 28:51 Well, that's fine. He's allowed to do that. He's God. He knows what you can handle. And so He will do that. He will lead us into these areas and seasons and there's going to be temptation. But why would you bring temptation upon yourself? Just, you know, extra. I'm not getting enough temptation in my life. I just need some extra. So I'll just keep on going right down this path. Think about it. Every time, you know, you think, every time I'm with these friends, 29:19 I fall into that pattern of gossip and slander. Oh man, I feel so low and so icky after. Or every time, you know, I'm in that place, I end up, I start out with just a drink or two, but then I end up just completely drunk and just, oh, I feel so terrible. I know it's wrong. I know it's not what God wants for me, but... 29:42 I just continue to find myself in that spot. Or every time that shows up on TV, then, oh man, I'm just struggling with those lustful thoughts and those temptations. Oh, it's such a battle. Every time I'm at that store, I end up spending this or coveting over that. Or whenever I'm home alone, that I'm there and, oh man, there's just this great battle that comes. As you're thinking about those types of things, as you're recognizing, look, this is a situation where... 30:12 I'm often tempted and I often fall. I would ask you to consider, did the Holy Spirit lead you there? Are you there out of obedience to God? Is that why you're in that situation? If not, listen, you don't have to be in that situation. Why would you put yourself in that? Foresee the evil and hide yourself. 30:34 If the Holy Spirit leads you there, well, then you know that it's for a reason and you know that you can handle the temptation and he knows what he's doing. He's giving you the strength to overcome. But it's foolish for us to bring extra temptation upon ourselves. We need to foresee evil and hide ourselves. Now again, I would ask, how serious are you about victory over temptation? 31:02 Because that's really what it comes down to. As you look ahead and see, identify those areas that you continually fall. You need to ask, am I serious about victory in this area? And you need to ask the Holy Spirit to give you direction. Be led by the Spirit. Lord, is that where you want me to be? Give Him the opportunity to redirect. 31:25 If it is a family gathering where there you're tempted to gossip or to drink or to lust or whatever, you know that, you see that coming up, you see that, oh man, Friday, Lord, we're all getting together again. Do you want me to be there? Are you leading me to be at that family gathering? Now again, this is where it gets tough because then people say, well, I got to see my kids or I got to see the family or I got to be a witness. It's our tradition. It's our culture. Whatever the case, listen, 31:59 Jesus said in Luke chapter 14, if you do not forsake all that you have, you cannot be his disciple. He must come first. And so if that situation is what's causing such a great problem in your life, you need to present it to the Lord and be willing to give it up if that's what he tells you. Now if I know God, and I think I do, here's what he'll do. 32:23 If He directs you to spend some time away from those family gatherings, He's going to build you up as you spend time with Him. He's going to strengthen you. And then later on, you'll be able to come back and be a witness. But you're not a witness by going and continuing to fall and stumble and involve and engage in the things that are not of God. He loves them enough, way more than you do, to reach out to them, to minister to them, and to share with them the gospel. So don't think you're the only one who can do so, okay? 32:50 you need to be led by the Spirit. And if that's a place where you continue to fall, be led by the Spirit. Present it to the Lord and be obedient to Him however He directs. Or maybe it's a work situation and you're looking ahead, you're foreseeing the evil, you're saying, oh man, I've got to be traveling this next week. Lord, there's going to be lots of temptation there. Lord, is that where you're leading me? Is that what you want? What am I going to do? Quit my job if God says so? Again, how serious are you about victory over temptation? 33:22 How serious are you? Maybe you need to change positions. Maybe you need to change companies. Let the Lord direct you. But the point is, we need to go back to the drawing board. As we look ahead, we foresee evil and ask, is this where you are leading me, God? Is this where you want me? Because you come first. And I want to be obedient to you. Or there, you know, when you're home alone, that's when temptation really strikes. Lord, 33:48 Do you want me to be there? There's going to be this time. My wife's going to be off at the women's retreat. I'm going to be alone the whole weekend. Is that what you want? Is that your will? Is that where you're leading me? And if not, okay Lord, then what are you leading me in? Where do you want me to be? How do you want me to handle this? We need to look ahead and foresee evil. Look ahead and give the Holy Spirit opportunity to lead us. 34:17 So be led by the Spirit by looking ahead. Well, point number three, jumping back to Luke chapter 4, looking just kind of snippets at verses 4, 8, and 12. Here we see as Jesus is in the midst of the temptation, He pulls out the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, and He battles the temptation with the Word. So point number three is to use the sword of the Spirit. Look at verse 4. 34:48 Jesus answered him, that's the devil, saying, Quoting here from Deuteronomy chapter 8 verse 3. Then in verse 8 it says, And he quotes again from Deuteronomy. 35:10 And then in verse 12, Jesus answered and said to him, it has been said. And then he quotes a third time from Deuteronomy. And so all three temptations that we see here, Jesus responds with a portion of scripture out of the book of Deuteronomy. He responds with the word of God. Ephesians chapter 6 verse 17, Paul describes the word of God as the sword of the spirit. 35:38 And so it's all about the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives from beginning to end when it comes to victory over sin and temptation. I like what David Guzik says about this. He says, He says, 36:07 We fight these battles the same way that Jesus did with the Word of God. And he says if we're ignorant of God's truth, then we're poorly armed in this battle, in this fight. How well do you know the Bible? Have you read the whole Bible? Have you read all of the books from beginning to end? Have you read through the whole counsel of God? Do you know what each book of the Bible is about? 36:38 Do you read the Bible regularly and consistently? Listen, as Christians, this is what we need. We need a consistent and regular devotional life so that we have a full arsenal, so that we're well equipped for these battles. If you want to have victory over temptation, you need to be a student of the Word of God. That's not just for those who are going to be pastors one day. Every Christian needs to be a student of the Word of God, to study it, to know it. 37:09 This is God's word to us. It's powerful. It's active. We need to be well equipped and to have the strong defense and full arsenal as these temptations of the enemy come. Again, I remember I shared at the beginning, it's about preparation. We're going to fight in the midst of the temptation as well. But in preparation for that attack, for the work of the enemy, we need to be engaging in the word of God, studying it and knowing it. 37:39 Paul tells us in 2 Timothy 3.16 that the word, the Bible here is given to us by inspiration of God and it's profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness. We need those things. But it goes on to say that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. 38:00 That idea of thoroughly equipped would be also translated fully furnished. If you're going to move into a home that was fully furnished, it has all the appliances, it has all the furniture, it has everything you need. You just got to walk in with your clothes. That's all you need. In the same way, the Word of God fully furnishes us. It gives us everything we need, fully equips us for these battles that we face. So we need to be students of the Word of God. Now, 38:29 On this point of using the sword of the Spirit, let me point out a mistake that we often make as Christians. A mistake that we often make is we try to handle a temptation issue by memorizing a verse that addresses that sin that we're tempted with. We memorize a verse and we think, alright, now I've memorized this verse, now I'm going to be successful in this temptation. 39:01 Now, I want to make sure to point out, that is a good thing to do. Memorize the Word of God, especially those things that are right in front of you. But if that's the extent of your experience in the Word of God, don't be surprised if that's not effective. It's not like a secret formula, like you just got to memorize the secret formula, just memorize this one verse and then you'll be set. Or memorize these same verses that Jesus quoted and then you'll be fine, then you'll... 39:32 Be impervious to the enemy's attacks or the temptation that comes. Listen, Jesus knew these verses because he was committed to the whole counsel of God. Now you might say, well, what about Psalm 119.11? It's a famous Christian verse. Turn there with me, please. Psalm 119.11. It should be pretty easy to find. Psalms is pretty much in the middle of the Bible, so just find the middle and then turn to chapter 119.11. 40:03 And Psalm 119.11 is a famous verse. It's an important verse, but it's a famous verse because it talks about this idea of memorizing Scripture. He says, look, in Psalm 119.11, he says, Your word I have hidden in my heart that I might not sin against you. See, this is a perfect example of what I'm talking about here. So this verse talks about hiding God's word in your heart, memorizing it, and then memorizing 40:33 you won't sin against God, right? Great. But here's the problem with that. We take one verse that we like, we pull it out of the midst of the passage, we just focus on that, and we lose the context. Let's consider the context here for just a moment. Would you back up to verse 9? 40:51 It says, how can a young man cleanse his way? That's what we're talking about, right? Walking uprightly by taking heed according to your word. So in looking at the context for just a moment, we find it's not just about hiding God's word in our heart, but there's this issue of taking heed that's putting it into practice. 41:11 And so it's more than just memorizing. We see right here in verse 9 that there's, if we want to be cleansed, we want to walk uprightly, we got to start putting into practice the word of God. Look at verse 10. With my whole heart I have sought you. Oh, let me not wander from your commandments. Now here we find there's another element to the word of God. Not only is it about putting it into practice and hiding it in your heart, but with my whole heart I have sought you. 41:42 The psalmist says. And so it's about seeking God with a whole heart. It's a full-on pursuit of God and a request as we're pursuing God. Lord, don't let me wander from your commandments. And so there's more involved than just memorizing a verse. It's a whole-hearted pursuit of God, putting into practice the word of God. And then jumping down to verse 12. Blessed are you, O Lord, teach me your statutes. 42:07 Notice it's plural. Statutes. It's not just one thing. Teach me this one thing. I have this one issue. It's really messing up my life. Lord, you know, I want to memorize this verse to correct that issue. 42:17 Teach me your statutes. Teach me all of your commandments. Verse 13. With my lips I have declared all the judgments of your mouth. And so it involves not just taking heed, not just pursuing God, not just hiding God's word in our heart, but declaring all of God's judgments. Can you do that? Can you declare God's truth? Do you know... 42:38 His word enough to be able to declare what He says about issues of life. And we could go on and on, but you get the point. It's not just pull this verse out, that's the one I need, but look at the whole context. 42:52 You see, Jesus was not victorious simply because he memorized three verses. He was victorious because he lived in obedience to the word of God. And so when the temptation came, he had a full arsenal to choose from. He had a full defense that he could use to be able to counter these temptations and attacks of the enemy. 43:15 And so if you and I are to use the sword of the Spirit, we can't just pick one verse and that's it. Just memorizing the one that we struggle with. That's good. Again, I'm not saying don't memorize the verse for the issue you're struggling with. I'm saying don't let that be the full extent of your study of the Word of God. Real effectiveness comes in applying the Word of God to your whole life. Learning every day to live God. 43:42 In all things, in obedience to God. You know, it's not a buffet where you can go and you go, ah, I don't want the salad. Hey, give me some of the meat, you know, give me some of the mashed potatoes, give me some of the good stuff. You can't just pick and choose. You've got to take in the whole counsel of God. I know it's lunchtime. The whole counsel of God. And so we need to use the sword of the Spirit by living in obedience. The fourth and final point, turn with me back to Luke chapter 4. 44:14 We find in verse 13, it says, Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time. Here we find that we need to walk in the Spirit. Walk in the Spirit. Notice it says the devil had ended every temptation. Jesus resisted every temptation for 40 days. How did he do so? 44:41 Why did the devil leave? Well, in James chapter 4, it says to submit to God and resist the devil and he will flee. When you resist the devil, he will flee. So how do we resist? Well, you don't have to turn to this last passage, but Galatians chapter 5 verse 16 tells us, walk in the Spirit and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh. How to resist? How to not give in to that lust? How to not give in to that temptation? Walk in the Spirit. 45:13 The way that we resist is we take each step in the power of the Holy Spirit. Submitting each step, submitting each moment to the Holy Spirit, to the power of God, in obedience to God. Sometimes we get caught up in the big picture. We think, man, if I had to wrestle with this temptation for another 10 minutes, it's just impossible. I might as well give in now. 45:39 Or you think, if I'm going to have to wrestle with this for the next couple of months or the next couple of years or the rest of my life, and we kind of throw up our hands and go, oh, that's too hard. We give up. Walk. Each step, each moment, resist and submit it to God. Don't worry about the rest of the ten minutes or two years or however long the temptation will last. Don't worry about that. You resist in this moment. Take each step in the power of the Holy Spirit. To illustrate that, I want to tell you a little bit of a story. 46:12 You guys might remember the story for those who've been around a while, but it's been about five years, so it's time for me to tell it again. It was probably about 18 years ago. I was hanging out with Pastor Tom a lot, and we were into mountain bikes and stuff, and so we decided we're going to do the Mexico race. It's a race that's held annually, and it's from Rosarito to Ensenada in Mexico. It's a 50-mile ride on the old highway. 46:37 And it's a real good ride. I think the race is flush now. Don't participate in it. But back then it was clean and so we had a good time. And so it was the day that we're heading out, the day before the event. And so I go to lunch like I usually do. I went to Carlos Jr. in those days. And so I went to Carlos Jr. I had a 32-ounce drink and Dr. Pepper like I always had in those days. And so I ate my lunch. I finished up my Dr. Pepper. I got a refill for the road. I went home and I finished up my packing. 47:06 I got packed and I'm heading out to Pastor Tom's house. I grab a can of Dr. Pepper on the way out the door. And so I head over to Pastor Tom's house. We load up the vans. There was two vans that were going. So we load up the vans. We get everything packed in. We go to gas up the vans at a.m. p.m. So I grab a 44 ounce of Dr. Pepper. Can you see where this is going? So by this time I have about 120 ounces in me. 47:32 And we're on the freeway now headed to the Mexico border. So we're driving, we get to the border, but there's just complete chaos, total traffic at the border. I mean, like you're familiar with traffic coming out of Mexico, right? Well, this is traffic going into Mexico because it's the night of this big event. And we're in traffic for a long time. We're dead stop, not even moving. 47:59 We're not even yet to the last exit. You know, the big sign is the last chance, you know, to stay in the United States. You got to get off here. We're not even there. We're in a dead stop. No moving. And man, I really got to pee. I mean, I really got to go. It's like, oh man. And we're there, dead stop. I begin to get a little uncomfortable and Tom Holman sitting next to me is like, are you okay? I'm like, oh man, you know, I start telling the story. I don't know what I was thinking. I drink this, then I drink that, then I drink that. And oh my goodness, I really got to go. 48:29 And so they're kind of laughing at me, but I was serious. It was no laughing matter for me. And so I'm there, an hour goes by, and I'm just like sweating. I'm like, oh, I can't describe the pain. It's excruciating. It's just like I had to be focused every second, you know, because I didn't want to embarrass myself, you know, that Joanna was in the back seat. I mean, I was like, it was just a terrible situation. And there's no moving. You can't even see the border yet. 48:57 And so Tom Hallman says, hey, I've got an idea. You have that empty 44-ounce cup. Why don't you refill it? And I say, no way, no way. I will never, ever, ever do that. But then another 45 minutes goes by. And I thought I was hurting before, but now I'm really hurting. And man, it's just, it's terrible. And so now Pastor Tom Reese offers a suggestion. He says, hey, 49:25 go to the van behind us it's where Quint is there's nobody in the back it's just Quint and his buddy in the front you just go back in where the bikes are and there you can you know get a refill on that 44 ounce cut and um I said no way I can't do no no I can't envision myself that's just no I don't I have to go and it hurts I can't go that bad though I mean I'm not going to do that 49:48 And then another 30 minutes goes by. Still no sign of the border. And so I tell Tom, I'm like, move, get out of the way. And I jumped out and I run and I jump in Quinn's van. Now, Quinn has no idea what's going on. He doesn't know anything. So I jump in, I tell him, man, I got to go to the bathroom so badly. He's like, oh, it's a bummer. You know, we still got a long ways. He has no idea what's going on until it's actually happening. And then if you know Quinn's voice, he goes, oh, man. You know, he could hear, you know, he knew what was going on. So we laugh at Quinn because he always says that. 50:18 But the point is, the reason why I share that is to say, listen, you can resist a whole lot longer than you think you can. You can resist a whole lot longer than you think you can. And in the end, I gave in. I gave in and I sought relief. But when it comes to temptation, you don't have to do so. 1 Corinthians 10, verse 13 tells us, it's God's promise. No temptation has overtaken you, 50:53 except such as is common to man, but God is faithful. He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape that you may be able to bear it. You can resist and you can resist a lot longer. I know in the midst of it, it feels like, you know, like when you got to go really bad and it feels like it's impossible. You just got to give in. You just got to fall into that temptation. 51:24 I know it seems impossible. It's insurmountable. But you can resist. God's promise is He will provide a way of escape. He will provide it. He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able. So walk in the Spirit one step at a time, moment by moment. Surrender to the Holy Spirit. Let Him have control. Let Him direct. And you'll have victory in the Spirit. Let's pray. 51:56 God, we thank you this day for your word and the great encouragement it has for us that we don't have to be caught up and bound in these sinful activities that persist in our life. Lord, we recognize and we can see the destruction that these sinful practices bring. Lord, it messes up our marriage, it messes up our careers, it messes up our life, our peace, our joy, it messes us up. 52:24 binds us down with guilt, Lord, sin is a terrible thing. 52:30 And yet, Lord, as we face these temptations, we recognize we're not able to face them on our own. We need your strength. We need your help. And God, we need to be prepared in advance. And so, Lord, I pray that you would help us to take seriously this issue of sin and temptation. And Lord, that we would make arrangements to be prepared. Lord, that we would be filled with your Holy Spirit by removing and laying aside those weights that clutter up our lives, those things that keep us 52:59 from relationship with you that we need and that you desire. God, I pray that you would help us to be led by your spirit, that we would submit to you those decisions, that we look ahead and see those areas of trouble. Lord, that we would ask you to guide us. Lord, that you would direct us, not in the way of temptation, but Lord, that we would be directed in a way of safety, that we could be upright and not fall into that same thing that we've fallen into so many times before. 53:27 God, I pray that you would help us to use the sword of the Spirit. Such a powerful tool, but Lord, help us to use it rightly, not just here and there occasionally, but diving in and being real students of your word. Give us, God, a thirst for your word that we would read it, that we would know it. Lord, that we would long for the things that you've written here for us. 53:48 And God, I pray that you would help us to walk in the spirit. Each moment, each step, Lord, may we surrender it to you and submit to your leading as you direct us. And in doing so, God, I pray that you would help us to be victorious this week. Lord, as we encounter sin, Lord, as we encounter temptation, help us, God, to stand up rightly, to be obedient to you, and to be victorious in your name. And Lord, for those times that we fall, thank you that we can come to you 54:20 As you've said in your word, if we confess our sin, you are faithful and just to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Thank you, God, that you not only provide us strength, but you're also gracious to us and merciful, and you provide us forgiveness for those times that we do fail. Thank you for your goodness to us. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. 55:00 We pray you have been blessed by this Bible teaching. The power of God to change a life is found in the daily reading of His Word. Visit ferventword.com to find more teachings and Bible study resources.