Latest / Providence Baptist Church - Sermons / Temptation - Intro

Transcript

Temptation - Intro · Providence Baptist Church - Sermons

0:00
Finally, um, figured out what we were going to do and, uh, confirmed through a lot of things.
0:08
First John mentioned about possibly doing a series on sin and temptation.
0:13
And we began to kind of pray about it and, uh, asked around and like, I asked three people last week and like three out of four is like something on temptation would be really good.
0:25
So it was just cool to see how the Lord kind of narrowed that down.
0:28
Um, so we're going to kind of begin a long series on that.
0:32
And tonight is going to be kind of like an introduction or overview of what we're going to be kind of going after.
0:37
So I invite you to turn to Ephesians chapter two.
0:45
Thank you for praying for my voice.
0:47
Those of you who were, I know a lot of you were, um, grateful to kind of return to me a few days ago.
0:52
So, um, thanks man.
0:58
Water, not coffee.
0:59
Um, Ephesians chapter two.
1:04
We're going to start reading in verse one.
1:05
I'm going to read one through five.
1:06
And you were dead in your trespasses and sins in which you once walked following the course of this world,
1:14
following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is not work in the sons of disobedience,
1:20
among whom we all once lived in the passage of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind,
1:27
and were by nature children of wrath like the rest of mankind.
1:31
But God being rich in mercy because of his great love, which he loved us,
1:36
even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ.
1:40
By grace, you have been saved.
1:42
Just pray with me for a moment.
1:47
Father, we want to approach your word with reverence and awe tonight.
1:54
And I pray that you would work it into our hearts.
1:58
Holy Spirit, those who don't know you, um, would be convicted of sin.
2:03
Lord, that you would show them your grace and your salvation.
2:08
I pray that those who do know you, Father, would be strengthened through what goes on in the next few weeks
2:15
through your word and what we share from your word about sin and temptation.
2:22
I pray we would see a lot of victory as a result.
2:26
Lord, I pray we would be doers of the word and not just hearers.
2:29
I pray that people would just sit and come here to be cool and just learn something and go home,
2:34
but to be obedient and to allow your word to saturate into our hearts.
2:41
Lord, we offer ourselves up to you.
2:43
Be glorified.
2:45
In Christ's name, amen.
2:49
First of all, in this passage, we see some things mentioned.
2:55
This is Paul writing to the Christians in Ephesus,
2:58
and he's looking back, trying to remind them of their past life,
3:02
their past life that was in sin and in bondage.
3:06
And he's saying, you were dead.
3:09
It's all kind of written in like the past tense, something that you were in.
3:14
And this idea of what sin is, we'll just briefly talk about what sin is.
3:20
We talk about it a lot here.
3:22
Hopefully we talk about grace just as much or even more as sin.
3:26
But briefly, sin in essence is the word itself.
3:33
A lot of times it means missing the mark.
3:36
And we were created to walk with God, to glorify God, and reflect who he was.
3:41
And we failed to do that.
3:43
All of us sinned against God.
3:44
All of us.
3:45
We've rebelled against God.
3:47
And so we've forfeited the reason for our existence because of that, because of our sin.
3:53
Because we were designed and created to know God, to fellowship with him, and to glorify him.
3:58
And so sin destroyed that.
3:59
So we missed the mark for which we were created originally to do.
4:03
So all of us, if you want like another picture of what sin is, it is giving our love and our affection, our worship, our adoration, whatever,
4:17
and giving it to things that are infinitely lesser than God, unworthier than God.
4:23
And we've all done that.
4:25
We've all loved many, many other things.
4:27
And it hasn't been God.
4:28
We've put people, relationships, hobbies, sports, looks, whatever, ahead of God.
4:35
And you follow like that trail of your time and your money and your energy.
4:42
It's going to like show you where your God is.
4:44
And usually the living God is not the one that you find there.
4:48
And for this word here that's used in verse 1, it says we were dead in our trespasses of sin.
4:57
Also used in verse 6, dead in our trespasses.
5:02
That word dead, it means corpse.
5:06
It means that you were spiritually dead at one point in your life.
5:11
And before you came to know Christ, this is what he's talking about.
5:14
This was your condition.
5:16
It wasn't just you were sick, you were dead.
5:19
And a desperate condition to be in.
5:23
So, Tim Keller wrote this about sin.
5:26
He said, sin isn't only doing bad things.
5:30
It is more fundamentally making good things into ultimate things.
5:35
Sin is building your life and meaning on anything, even a very good thing, more than God.
5:41
Whatever we have built our life on will drive us and enslave us.
5:45
Sin is primarily idolatry.
5:48
So, things that might not necessarily be evil or bad, we have turned into that by making them ultimate things,
5:54
by loving them and pursuing them more than God.
5:57
That's what we've done.
5:58
All of us have done that.
6:00
From the greatest to the least.
6:01
And we're all guilty.
6:03
So, the next part, we read in verse 4,
6:07
But God, being rich in mercy, because of his great love for which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ.
6:20
By grace, you have been saved.
6:22
So, God did not, like, leave man in that dreadful state, in the state of rebellion where he was going to have to judge and destroy man.
6:32
But, according to his love and according to his grace, he provided a way for man to be reconciled, brought back into fellowship with himself,
6:43
so we can know him again, but ultimately so that we can actually live a life that can glorify him again, like we originally were created to do.
6:51
So, Christ came, died on the cross, lived a life, died on the cross, resurrected.
6:57
And now, all those who put their complete trust and faith in Christ alone to have, like, a right standing with God and to be restored back into fellowship with God can have that through Christ alone.
7:09
And it's something that we can't earn, that idea right there of how it's by grace you have been saved.
7:14
And it kind of elaborates even after that, after our passage.
7:18
We are saved by grace and not by works.
7:20
This was something outside of our power to do.
7:22
We couldn't save ourselves.
7:24
We couldn't improve the condition that we were in.
7:27
So, God came to save us.
7:30
So, the question is, for some of you, I need to ask, where do you stand?
7:39
There's not, like, a neutral time.
7:43
You either have Christ in your life as your Savior, and you're trusting in him for salvation, and you're following him daily,
7:49
or you're an enemy of God.
7:53
There's not one in between.
7:55
And if you've been coming around Christ's family, you've been around Christian friends,
8:01
or you've been involved in a campus ministry, BCM, Campus Outreach, Wesley, whatever,
8:07
and you're hearing gospel truth over and over.
8:10
You're hearing things about grace.
8:12
You're hearing things about who Christ was, the gospel.
8:14
You're like, okay, well, that's cool.
8:17
And then you go home, and you forget about it, and you wait until the next time to hear about it.
8:22
You need to know, like, you're in a serious state without Christ.
8:26
This isn't something you can just put off.
8:28
God's not waiting for you to RSVP.
8:31
He's not looking upon you as neutral.
8:35
Well, he hasn't responded yet, or she hasn't responded yet.
8:38
So, cool.
8:39
It's like you need to understand that you're an enemy until you come to Christ.
8:44
Turn to Romans 5 really quickly.
8:51
So there's some urgency in this response.
8:55
You need to come to Christ.
8:57
You need to think about what you're doing and weigh the cost,
9:00
but this is an urgent matter.
9:03
Romans 5, verse 8, sorry.
9:04
Now, some people have an idea that God is all loving,
9:11
that he would never punish anybody for their sin.
9:14
There's just such thing as his wrath or his judgment.
9:17
The other camp says that God is only wrath and God is only judgment,
9:21
and both camps are wrong.
9:22
The truth is that God is both loving, but he also is just,
9:26
and that he will destroy sin, but he's willing to save sinners.
9:30
Verse 8,
9:33
But God shows his love for us,
9:35
that while we were still sinners,
9:38
Christ died for us.
9:40
Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood,
9:44
much more shall I be saved by him from the wrath of God.
9:48
You see that?
9:49
We got, like, there's the love of God.
9:52
Verse 8, the love of God on the table,
9:54
the most purest, most awesome kind of love,
9:57
unconditional love on the table.
9:59
But then the next verse, it says,
10:01
So that we might be saved from his wrath.
10:04
Both things on the table there.
10:07
And Christ came to save us.
10:10
He said, well, I'm saved.
10:10
You hear that a lot in the South.
10:12
And you've got to ask the question,
10:13
what are you saved from?
10:14
And the answer is the wrath of God,
10:16
the justice of God.
10:18
And so if you don't know Christ,
10:19
I beg you to come talk with me,
10:22
talk with John, talk with Dan, talk with Alex,
10:25
someone who brought you tonight.
10:27
Like, don't rest.
10:28
It's been like, oh, I'll wait till next Thursday.
10:30
Don't do that.
10:32
You're in a serious state.
10:35
And God is loving and he's willing to come and save you by Christ.
10:41
Read this next verse.
10:42
Verse 10, it says,
10:43
So you want restoration to God and have this forgiveness of your sin
11:01
and relationship with God
11:03
and a life that you can, again, walk with him and honor him.
11:08
And Christ is the only way.
11:09
He's the only way to be saved.
11:11
So either in that condition,
11:15
and you need to talk to somebody tonight,
11:17
or you have met Christ,
11:19
you have come to him broken
11:20
and without any goodness of your own
11:23
and said, I need you.
11:25
Please save me.
11:26
I have no hope.
11:27
I will follow you
11:28
and I will do whatever you ask me to do.
11:30
I will live for you
11:31
and I will die for you.
11:32
Whatever it takes,
11:33
I will follow you.
11:35
So,
11:36
if that's your case tonight,
11:39
then you need to be aware.
11:42
This is like a long introduction.
11:43
Sorry.
11:43
If you're a believer and you know Christ,
11:48
there's two existing realities.
11:51
You can just kind of write this down if you're taking notes.
11:54
Two existing realities.
11:57
And for all you
11:57
campus outreach,
12:00
beach projectors,
12:02
SLPers,
12:03
you probably have heard some of those before.
12:06
It's not a new idea.
12:08
But,
12:10
they have this idea in Scripture about the kingdom of God.
12:12
It means like,
12:14
God's dominion,
12:15
God's reign,
12:16
God's rule being manifest throughout,
12:19
you know,
12:20
the earth,
12:21
the universe.
12:22
And,
12:22
it's in a progress now,
12:24
though.
12:24
Like,
12:24
it started when Christ came
12:25
and it's ultimately moving towards,
12:28
like,
12:28
the second coming.
12:29
Um,
12:30
toward the fullness of the kingdom
12:31
that manifests.
12:32
But,
12:33
there's two existing realities.
12:34
That,
12:35
the kingdom of God
12:36
is here,
12:39
but it's not fully here.
12:41
And,
12:42
I'll give you one,
12:43
two examples of this real fast.
12:45
Mark 1,
12:45
don't have to turn there.
12:47
Mark 1,
12:47
14,
12:49
it says that Jesus came
12:50
and he was proclaiming the gospel
12:52
and he said this,
12:53
the time is fulfilled
12:54
and the kingdom of God
12:56
is at hand
12:57
or it's present
12:59
right now.
13:00
Repent and believe the gospel.
13:02
So,
13:02
the kingdom of God is here.
13:03
Like,
13:04
right now.
13:04
Like,
13:05
me,
13:05
Jesus,
13:06
I'm ushering in
13:07
the kingdom.
13:08
Here I am.
13:09
And then in Matthew 6,
13:11
verse 9,
13:12
we read this.
13:13
It's the,
13:14
it's known as the Lord's Prayer,
13:16
but it's really not the Lord's Prayer,
13:17
it's the disciples' prayer.
13:18
Because he's actually teaching
13:19
the disciples how to pray.
13:22
He says,
13:23
pray like this,
13:25
Our Father in heaven,
13:27
hallowed be your name.
13:28
Your kingdom come.
13:31
Your will be done
13:32
on earth
13:33
as it is in heaven.
13:34
So,
13:35
Jesus is like saying,
13:35
pray that his kingdom
13:36
would come,
13:38
that it would,
13:38
that his will would be done,
13:40
that everything he desired
13:42
would manifest itself
13:43
here on the earth.
13:45
Pretty cool.
13:46
So,
13:46
the kingdom is here,
13:47
but it's also coming.
13:48
And the best analogy
13:50
I can think of is like,
13:52
it was really,
13:53
really dark,
13:54
pitch dark,
13:55
can't see a thing,
13:56
and the sun begins
13:57
to come up.
13:58
You know,
13:58
you see the sun,
13:59
the sun is rising,
14:00
it's there,
14:01
but,
14:02
as it's coming up,
14:03
it kind of pierces
14:04
through the darkness,
14:05
but it's not fully up
14:06
in the air yet,
14:06
so,
14:07
there's still some darkness
14:08
that remains,
14:09
some,
14:10
you know,
14:11
shady places.
14:13
That's the way
14:13
like the kingdom
14:14
is right now.
14:16
A long time ago,
14:17
the 5th century,
14:18
there was a guy
14:19
named St. Augustine,
14:20
or St. Augustine,
14:21
if you're thinking
14:22
about Florida,
14:22
the same guy.
14:25
He wrote a book
14:26
that actually changed
14:27
history,
14:28
and how we think
14:29
about history.
14:30
You learn about him,
14:30
some of you history
14:31
may have probably
14:32
heard about this before,
14:33
but it was called
14:34
The City of God.
14:36
Pretty heavy read.
14:38
I thought,
14:38
I'll read that.
14:39
I read that the first chapter,
14:40
but I can't read it anymore.
14:41
It was just very,
14:42
I did read Confessions,
14:44
slowly,
14:45
but The City of God's
14:46
intense,
14:47
but it was the first time
14:49
that somebody
14:50
had said,
14:52
history had a beginning,
14:54
and it will have an end.
14:56
Like,
14:56
it started with creation,
14:59
and now we're in
14:59
the redemptive mode,
15:01
and then it's moving
15:01
toward the second coming.
15:03
When the second coming
15:04
comes,
15:04
history,
15:05
as we know it,
15:06
is over.
15:07
So,
15:07
it began to,
15:08
like,
15:08
people began to think
15:08
that way.
15:10
History had an end
15:11
in the beginning.
15:12
So,
15:13
this is helpful.
15:16
Again,
15:17
this was mentioned
15:17
at Beach Project,
15:18
some of you who went,
15:20
but there's,
15:21
you ever thought,
15:23
like,
15:23
what is the Bible?
15:24
What's,
15:25
like,
15:25
some of the main,
15:25
a main theme
15:26
or storyline
15:28
that I can follow
15:30
as I read the Bible?
15:31
Here's,
15:32
here's four things
15:33
really fast.
15:34
This is,
15:35
like,
15:35
a process we see.
15:37
Starts with,
15:37
number one,
15:38
creation.
15:39
Creation.
15:40
And that is that
15:40
God created man
15:42
and all things
15:43
in the universe
15:43
perfectly.
15:44
Everything was good.
15:46
It was without sin,
15:47
and he created it
15:48
for his glory,
15:48
all of it.
15:50
Secondly,
15:51
after creation,
15:53
there was fall.
15:54
Man's sin
15:55
rebelled against God
15:56
and destroyed
15:57
his relationship
15:58
with God,
15:59
put him at hostility
16:00
towards God.
16:02
It destroyed
16:02
his relationships
16:03
with other men.
16:06
Our relationships
16:07
with each other
16:07
were broken
16:08
and suffering
16:09
and sin
16:10
and death
16:11
entered the world.
16:12
So,
16:12
that's fall.
16:13
So,
16:13
creation,
16:14
fall.
16:16
Then you have,
16:17
thirdly,
16:17
redemption.
16:19
And this is
16:19
God's
16:21
at work
16:22
in history
16:23
to restore man
16:24
back to himself
16:25
so that man
16:25
could again
16:26
glorify him.
16:28
And this really
16:29
started when Christ
16:30
came,
16:31
lived,
16:32
died,
16:33
resurrected.
16:34
That was kind of
16:35
like the climax
16:35
of that.
16:36
And so,
16:38
made it possible
16:38
for man to be,
16:39
like we just said,
16:40
reconciled back
16:41
to God.
16:42
And then,
16:43
so that's kind of
16:43
like in the place
16:45
we kind of live
16:46
right now,
16:47
like in the
16:47
redemptive mode.
16:49
Don't all of us
16:50
are redeemed.
16:51
That's kind of
16:51
where we live.
16:52
But fourthly,
16:53
is a big word,
16:56
consummation.
16:58
C-O-M-S-U-M-M-A-T-I-O-M.
17:02
Consummation.
17:03
This is basically
17:04
when Christ returns
17:05
and restores
17:06
all things
17:07
and everything
17:08
is made new
17:09
and the new
17:11
heaven,
17:11
the new earth
17:12
and everything
17:14
is brought
17:14
and restored
17:15
back to its
17:16
original form
17:17
or even greater
17:18
actually.
17:19
So,
17:20
the kingdom of God
17:22
is here
17:22
but it's coming.
17:25
And,
17:25
for the Christian
17:27
life,
17:27
like right now,
17:31
we're kind of
17:32
like in a really
17:33
unique period
17:34
of time,
17:34
period of history.
17:36
And,
17:37
Christ has
17:39
said,
17:40
I will come back.
17:40
And,
17:41
he actually calls
17:41
these the last days.
17:42
We live in
17:43
the last days.
17:44
That doesn't mean
17:45
like,
17:46
you know,
17:46
we'll get into all that.
17:47
Don't take it too far.
17:48
It just means like,
17:49
this is called
17:50
the last days.
17:52
Jesus said that.
17:53
After I leave,
17:55
it will be like
17:55
the last days.
17:57
So,
17:59
we can experience
18:00
as Christians,
18:02
we can see
18:02
the
18:03
fruit of
18:05
what Christ
18:06
has done.
18:07
But,
18:07
we can't fully
18:08
see his power
18:09
manifested yet.
18:10
We still have,
18:12
we live in the world,
18:13
we see many,
18:13
many things in the world.
18:15
The Bible uses
18:15
phrases like,
18:16
you are saved.
18:18
Then,
18:18
like in,
18:20
1 Corinthians 1,
18:21
18,
18:22
it says,
18:22
you are being saved.
18:24
So,
18:24
this idea that we are
18:25
saved and we're being
18:26
saved.
18:26
The kingdom is here,
18:28
yet it's coming.
18:30
So,
18:31
a Christian
18:32
has to deal
18:34
with a lot of things
18:35
in this life
18:35
that are not
18:36
fully redeemed.
18:39
And,
18:40
this is going to
18:41
kind of bring us
18:42
to our topic
18:42
a little bit.
18:43
I like our intro
18:44
to understand
18:45
this is where we live
18:45
right now.
18:46
We're not
18:46
fully redeemed
18:48
yet.
18:49
So,
18:51
if most of us
18:53
are honest,
18:55
and you get like
18:56
a,
18:57
guys,
18:57
you sit down
18:58
one day with me
18:58
and get lunch
18:59
or breakfast
19:00
or girls,
19:01
you go sit
19:01
with somebody else.
19:02
I don't think
19:03
I'll meet you
19:03
but somebody else
19:04
that knows Christ
19:05
and another believer.
19:07
You begin to share
19:08
about your Christian life.
19:13
I think most of us
19:14
because it's just
19:15
the truth.
19:16
Most of us
19:17
don't live
19:18
like in the victory
19:20
that Christ
19:20
has to cure for us.
19:22
We live
19:22
depressed,
19:23
defeated.
19:25
We don't,
19:25
we don't,
19:26
we live between
19:29
fears and hopes
19:30
back and forth.
19:30
We hope our state
19:32
is good
19:33
and we kind of,
19:33
we hope that we're
19:34
doing okay
19:35
but we're normally not.
19:36
It's just like this
19:37
idea that we just
19:38
live in a constant
19:40
defeat all the time.
19:42
So,
19:42
though Christ
19:43
has saved us,
19:43
we barely,
19:44
we feel like we're
19:45
just barely hanging
19:46
on spiritually.
19:48
Like,
19:48
it's not really good
19:49
and we come to
19:51
places like this,
19:53
come to a worship
19:55
service somewhere
19:55
or a campus
19:56
Bible study,
19:57
whatever.
19:58
It's all smiles
19:59
and you know how to like,
20:00
we're really good
20:01
at hiding our sin
20:02
from people.
20:03
Really good.
20:04
I'm pretty good.
20:06
Unless you know me
20:07
really well like
20:07
my roommates do
20:09
and I know
20:09
something's going on.
20:11
But,
20:13
we're really good.
20:13
Most of us don't
20:14
live in victory.
20:16
We don't have
20:16
the inner peace,
20:18
the joy,
20:19
the confidence
20:20
we should have
20:20
before God.
20:22
We have a lot of
20:23
junk that we're
20:24
trying to hide.
20:25
So,
20:27
we kind of feel like,
20:29
we're kind of like
20:29
this ship
20:30
getting thrown
20:31
everywhere by a storm
20:32
and just like
20:33
crossing our fingers
20:33
when we get
20:34
to the other.
20:35
We feel like
20:35
we're barely
20:36
hanging on.
20:37
And that's the
20:38
truth with me too
20:39
at times.
20:42
So,
20:43
I have a
20:44
letter here
20:46
that
20:47
a guy
20:48
who actually
20:49
attends
20:49
John MacArthur's
20:51
church
20:52
in California
20:52
and
20:53
he's really
20:55
depressed.
20:56
You can tell.
20:57
And this is kind of
20:58
like what he writes
20:58
MacArthur.
21:00
He says,
21:01
Dear Pastor John,
21:04
I've been attending
21:04
Grace,
21:05
that's the name of
21:05
the church,
21:06
attending Grace
21:06
for several years
21:07
and as a result
21:09
of a growing
21:09
conviction in my
21:10
heart
21:11
and seemingly
21:14
temptations
21:16
have come
21:16
and I am
21:17
powerless to stop
21:18
and constantly
21:19
succumbing to them
21:20
in the talks
21:21
with other
21:22
golly men
21:22
around me.
21:23
I have
21:24
growing doubts
21:24
that have led
21:25
me to believe
21:25
that I'm not
21:26
saved.
21:28
How sad
21:29
it is,
21:29
John,
21:30
for me not
21:31
to be able
21:31
to enter in
21:32
because of the
21:34
sin that clings
21:34
to me
21:35
and from
21:36
which I long
21:37
to be free.
21:38
How bizarre
21:39
for one who
21:40
teaches in a
21:40
Sunday school
21:41
with heartfelt
21:42
conviction,
21:44
a trainer in
21:44
discipleship,
21:45
evangelism,
21:47
a seminarian,
21:48
a discipler.
21:49
So many times
21:50
I have determined
21:51
in my heart
21:51
to repent,
21:53
to shake
21:53
loose on the
21:54
sin that I
21:55
have,
21:56
to forsake
21:57
all for Jesus
21:58
only to find
21:58
myself doing
22:00
the sin I
22:00
don't want to
22:01
do and not
22:02
doing the good
22:03
that I want to
22:04
do.
22:05
After my
22:06
fiance and I
22:07
broke up,
22:08
I memorized
22:09
Ephesians as an
22:10
all-out effort
22:11
to make war
22:12
against sin
22:13
only to find
22:14
myself weaker
22:15
and more painfully
22:16
aware of my
22:17
sinfulness,
22:17
more prone
22:19
to sin
22:19
than ever
22:20
before,
22:21
grabbing cheap
22:22
thrills to
22:23
push back
22:23
pain of lost
22:24
love,
22:26
mostly in the
22:26
heart,
22:27
John,
22:28
the best word
22:29
that counts
22:29
the most in
22:30
the heart
22:30
is where you
22:31
live.
22:32
I sin because
22:33
I'm a sinner.
22:34
I'm like a
22:35
soldier without my
22:35
armor running
22:36
across the
22:37
battlefield getting
22:37
shot up by the
22:38
fiery darts of
22:39
the enemy.
22:40
I couldn't
22:40
leave the
22:41
church if I
22:41
wanted to.
22:42
I love the
22:43
people.
22:44
I'm enthralled
22:44
by the gospel
22:45
of the beautiful
22:46
Messiah.
22:46
I'm a pile
22:48
of manure
22:49
on the white
22:50
marble floor
22:50
of Christ,
22:52
a mongrel dog
22:53
that snuck in
22:54
the back door
22:54
at the king's
22:55
banquet to
22:56
lick the crumbs
22:57
up the floor
22:58
and by being
22:59
close to other
23:00
Christians who
23:01
I hope to get
23:02
some of the
23:02
rich blessings
23:03
of Christ,
23:04
I come of an
23:05
overflow,
23:06
excuse me,
23:07
I get some of
23:07
the overflow and
23:08
I ask that you
23:09
would pray for
23:09
me as you think
23:10
best.
23:11
When I read
23:12
that I thought
23:12
like man I
23:13
haven't felt like
23:14
that before.
23:14
Like I'm so
23:15
lost.
23:16
I feel like I
23:17
just, I
23:18
can't defeat
23:19
the sin that's
23:20
in my life,
23:21
but I love
23:22
Christ, I love
23:22
the people of
23:23
God, I feel
23:24
like a pile of
23:25
manure on the
23:26
white marble
23:26
floor of
23:27
Christ.
23:27
I love to be
23:28
around people
23:29
who love
23:30
Christ and
23:30
almost feel like
23:31
I can't get
23:31
around them
23:32
because they
23:32
have such a
23:33
good walk
23:34
with God
23:34
and I
23:34
don't.
23:36
This is how
23:38
a lot of us
23:38
have felt at
23:40
some point and
23:40
maybe even
23:41
some of us
23:41
now.
23:46
So, if
23:50
you're feeling
23:51
this way,
23:52
know that
23:52
it's not
23:52
unusual,
23:55
okay?
23:56
People that
23:57
have experienced
23:58
Christ and
23:59
have been
24:00
saved by his
24:00
grace and
24:01
have the
24:01
Holy Spirit,
24:02
this is typical
24:03
of what you
24:03
actually might
24:04
think.
24:04
This guy
24:05
actually doesn't
24:05
sound like an
24:06
unbeliever,
24:06
he actually
24:06
sounds like a
24:07
Christian in
24:07
Romans 7,
24:08
he sounds like
24:09
Paul,
24:09
saying I
24:10
can't do
24:11
the good
24:11
that I
24:11
want to do.
24:12
Nathan,
24:13
our pastor,
24:13
is actually
24:13
preaching on
24:15
that passage.
24:16
He started
24:16
that two
24:17
weeks ago and
24:18
is still in
24:18
Romans 7.
24:20
But we're
24:21
going to kind
24:21
of talk about
24:22
temptation now.
24:23
And I
24:23
have, I
24:24
think,
24:25
I think three
24:26
things to
24:28
look at,
24:28
okay?
24:29
First of all,
24:30
what is
24:31
temptation?
24:34
What is
24:34
temptation?
24:36
It's an
24:36
enticement
24:37
to sin.
24:39
Whether
24:39
arising from
24:40
within yourself
24:42
or an
24:43
outside
24:43
circumstance.
24:45
It's an
24:45
enticement
24:46
to take our
24:47
God-given
24:47
desires that
24:48
God gives
24:49
us and
24:50
taking those
24:50
desires beyond
24:51
the God-given
24:52
limits.
24:53
That's a good
24:53
way of phrasing
24:55
that.
24:55
It's an
24:55
enticement
24:56
to sin.
24:59
Sin is a
25:00
product.
25:02
And temptation
25:02
is like the
25:03
selling of it
25:04
to you.
25:04
You know,
25:04
you want to
25:05
buy this?
25:05
Come on.
25:06
You want
25:06
that.
25:07
It's an
25:08
allurement.
25:09
we may be
25:11
seeking something
25:12
else harder
25:13
than the
25:13
Lord that
25:13
He doesn't
25:14
want for
25:14
us or
25:15
not being
25:15
patient for
25:16
something that
25:17
He does
25:17
want and
25:18
pursuing it
25:19
like in an
25:19
immodest,
25:20
improper way.
25:21
That's what
25:21
temptation is.
25:22
It's the
25:23
sale that's
25:24
going down.
25:26
So,
25:27
I have,
25:28
under this
25:29
question,
25:30
I have a
25:31
few things
25:31
that a
25:34
good way to
25:34
define something
25:35
is by defining
25:36
what it doesn't
25:36
mean.
25:37
temptation.
25:37
So,
25:37
we're going
25:38
to start
25:38
with that.
25:39
Some myths
25:40
about temptation.
25:43
I just
25:43
don't know
25:43
that first
25:43
question about
25:44
what is
25:44
temptation.
25:46
Temptation
25:46
itself is
25:48
not sin.
25:50
A lot of
25:51
people,
25:52
I'm just
25:53
so sinful,
25:55
God's angry
25:56
with me.
25:57
I'm like,
25:58
what happened
25:58
man?
25:59
I was doing
26:01
this one
26:01
day and
26:02
I was
26:04
attracted to
26:05
this girl
26:05
and immediately
26:06
I caught
26:07
myself and
26:07
I just
26:08
turned away
26:08
and I
26:08
began to
26:08
pray.
26:10
I sinned
26:10
against God.
26:11
I'm like,
26:11
no you
26:11
didn't,
26:12
man.
26:12
You didn't
26:14
like carry
26:15
it that
26:15
far.
26:17
Like,
26:17
temptation
26:19
itself is
26:21
not sin.
26:22
Here's
26:23
what it
26:23
does become
26:23
sin.
26:26
Temptation
26:26
becomes sin
26:27
when you
26:28
act or
26:29
you dwell
26:30
on that
26:30
particular
26:31
thing.
26:31
You take
26:31
action on
26:32
it or
26:32
you just
26:32
muse over
26:33
it so
26:34
that it
26:34
controls
26:35
your mind.
26:36
So,
26:37
I kind
26:39
of got
26:39
into a
26:40
little
26:41
disagreement
26:41
about that
26:42
with a
26:42
guy who
26:43
started to
26:43
say that
26:43
temptation
26:44
was sin
26:45
and I
26:47
just had to
26:48
remind him
26:48
about Hebrews
26:49
4,
26:50
15,
26:51
where it
26:51
says that
26:52
Christ was
26:54
tempted in
26:54
every way
26:55
we were,
26:56
yet without
26:57
sin.
26:58
So,
26:58
if temptation
26:59
itself was
26:59
sin,
27:00
then Christ
27:00
cannot be
27:02
the perfect
27:03
Messiah.
27:04
So,
27:04
that was
27:05
the end
27:05
of that
27:06
debate.
27:07
Number
27:07
two,
27:08
number
27:10
two,
27:12
giving into
27:12
temptation,
27:13
and we're
27:13
talking about
27:14
from the
27:14
perspective of
27:15
a believer,
27:15
okay,
27:16
from a
27:16
Christian,
27:17
giving into
27:18
temptation
27:18
disappoints
27:20
God or
27:21
angers
27:22
God.
27:22
God.
27:24
What I
27:24
mean by
27:25
that is
27:26
that you
27:27
think that
27:28
it destroys
27:28
your relationship
27:29
with God,
27:29
that things
27:30
are over
27:31
because you
27:31
sinned.
27:33
Are you
27:33
tempted?
27:33
Excuse me.
27:35
While the
27:35
Lord might
27:36
be displeased
27:37
that you
27:37
did sin,
27:38
it doesn't
27:39
destroy your
27:40
relationship
27:40
with God.
27:41
You are
27:42
accepted and
27:44
loved on the
27:45
basis of what
27:46
Christ has
27:46
done, and
27:47
that's eternal,
27:47
and that's
27:49
unchanging,
27:49
but just
27:50
like, you
27:51
know, last
27:52
year, I
27:53
remember I
27:53
got into a
27:53
really intense
27:54
argument with
27:54
my dad, who
27:55
really had it
27:56
out about
27:56
something.
27:57
It was over
27:58
something that
27:58
was kind of
27:59
a big deal,
28:00
we just
28:00
disagreed,
28:02
and I was
28:02
like not
28:03
respectful,
28:04
and I was
28:05
a jerk,
28:06
and there
28:09
was some
28:09
tension,
28:09
hostility in
28:10
my relationship
28:11
with my dad,
28:12
right, but
28:13
a few weeks
28:15
later, I
28:15
just thought,
28:16
like, man,
28:16
I was wrong,
28:17
and I went
28:17
and told my
28:18
dad to
28:19
forgive me,
28:19
and we
28:19
were brought
28:20
back together,
28:21
and our
28:22
relationship
28:22
was not,
28:23
you know,
28:24
rocky anymore.
28:26
Secondly, or
28:26
excuse me,
28:27
thirdly, under
28:27
this, believers,
28:30
this is a myth,
28:32
okay, believers
28:33
can fall into
28:35
temptation.
28:39
I've been
28:39
guilty of this
28:40
before, but I've
28:40
been trying to
28:41
change my
28:42
thinking for a
28:42
while, okay,
28:45
as a believer,
28:46
you have the
28:46
Holy Spirit,
28:47
and you
28:47
actually have
28:48
been given
28:48
the power,
28:49
to resist
28:50
temptation,
28:51
and we
28:53
use the
28:53
word like,
28:54
I fell
28:55
into temptation,
28:57
or, you
28:59
know, like
28:59
that kind of
29:00
language,
29:00
it's almost
29:01
like, it
29:02
got me,
29:03
and you're
29:04
almost like
29:04
not taking
29:05
responsibility,
29:07
sin doesn't
29:07
just happen,
29:08
you deliberately
29:09
sit against
29:09
God, there's a
29:10
moment in your
29:11
mind where you
29:12
literally cross the
29:13
line, it's not
29:14
like you're just
29:14
like walking
29:15
around this
29:16
fallen guy,
29:16
and you
29:16
just fell
29:17
in a trap,
29:17
it's like,
29:18
no, what
29:18
happened?
29:20
So, believers
29:21
don't just
29:22
fall into
29:22
temptation,
29:23
and most
29:24
deliberately
29:24
step into
29:25
it, and
29:26
like, cross
29:27
that line.
29:29
So, number
29:31
four, it is
29:33
always best to
29:34
run away from
29:35
temptation, that's
29:36
kind of a myth.
29:38
It's certainly
29:39
true that
29:39
sometimes the
29:41
best thing to
29:41
do is avoid
29:42
things, okay?
29:44
But there's a
29:44
reality that
29:46
in some
29:47
circumstances, you
29:48
can't escape.
29:49
Things are going
29:49
to happen, like
29:50
temptation is
29:52
going to come,
29:52
so if your
29:54
battle tactic is
29:56
just to avoid
29:56
every situation,
29:58
you won't be
29:59
able to always
29:59
do that.
30:00
So, Martin
30:02
Luther once
30:03
said,
30:04
temptations, of
30:05
course, cannot
30:06
be avoided,
30:08
but because we
30:09
cannot prevent
30:09
the birds from
30:10
flying over our
30:11
heads, there's
30:12
no need that
30:13
we should let
30:13
them make a
30:14
mess on our
30:14
hair.
30:15
So, this idea
30:16
of like, things
30:17
are always going
30:17
to come, but
30:17
we don't need to
30:18
let it settle
30:19
in on us.
30:21
Fifthly, this is
30:22
the one I used
30:23
to believe,
30:24
maturity will
30:27
eliminate
30:27
temptation.
30:29
Man, like this
30:29
dude, he's been
30:30
walking with
30:30
Jesus a long
30:31
time, man, when
30:32
I get to where
30:33
he is, I won't
30:34
have to struggle
30:34
with this anymore,
30:35
I'm just going
30:35
to be okay.
30:39
Not true.
30:42
Actually, a sign
30:43
of maturity in
30:44
a believer is
30:45
that God is
30:46
actually revealing
30:46
more and more
30:47
sin to you.
30:48
Like, you can
30:49
form the outside
30:49
of your behavior,
30:51
look good, God's
30:52
going to go
30:52
after your motives
30:53
and why you're
30:54
doing those
30:54
things.
30:55
He's never
30:55
going to let
30:57
you go about
30:58
that.
30:59
So, those are
31:00
a few myths
31:01
about temptation.
31:03
But, first of
31:04
all, also under
31:06
this, know that
31:07
temptation is
31:08
common and it's
31:09
universal.
31:10
It's common
31:11
to everybody.
31:12
Joseph was
31:13
tempted in
31:14
Genesis by
31:14
Potiphar's wife.
31:16
He got David
31:18
tempted by
31:19
Bathsheba and
31:20
he followed
31:20
through with it.
31:22
Joseph ran.
31:23
And then Jesus
31:24
himself tempted
31:26
by Satan in
31:26
Matthew 4 so
31:28
that he would
31:29
sin and not be
31:30
the perfect
31:30
Messiah that
31:31
was needed.
31:33
So, 1
31:33
Corinthians 10
31:35
13 says this,
31:37
no temptation
31:38
has overcome
31:38
you.
31:40
It is not
31:40
common to
31:41
man.
31:41
So, temptation
31:43
is common
31:44
and universal.
31:45
So, it's not
31:45
unusual.
31:48
Second
31:49
question.
31:49
That was the
31:50
first one.
31:55
My voice is
31:55
better.
31:56
My throat is
31:56
going to be
31:57
dry.
31:58
Sorry.
32:00
What are the
32:01
sources of
32:03
temptation?
32:04
That's the
32:04
second question.
32:06
Right now, I
32:08
think you're
32:08
still in the
32:08
Ephesians 2 and
32:09
that's what we're
32:09
going to look at.
32:10
So, stay there.
32:11
Back to our
32:12
original text.
32:14
There's usually
32:15
three things that
32:16
are the sources of
32:17
temptation.
32:19
And let it be
32:19
said, you can't
32:21
really section
32:22
these off.
32:23
They all kind
32:24
of work together
32:25
in a lot of
32:26
ways.
32:27
So, I'm like,
32:27
well, this day
32:29
this one got me
32:30
and that day
32:30
this one got me.
32:32
They kind of
32:32
work together
32:33
simultaneously a lot
32:35
of times.
32:36
First of all,
32:36
if you look at
32:37
verse 1 in
32:39
Ephesians 2,
32:42
it says,
32:43
and when she
32:43
once walked,
32:45
following the
32:46
course of this
32:46
world.
32:48
The first one
32:48
is the world.
32:50
That's the
32:50
first thing.
32:51
That's where
32:51
a source of
32:52
temptation comes
32:52
from, the
32:53
world.
32:56
And flip to
32:58
hold your hand
32:59
in Ephesians 2,
33:00
but I just
33:01
got a few
33:02
places for you
33:02
to turn.
33:03
1 John 2.
33:05
1 John 2.15.
33:11
1 John 2.15.
33:14
It says,
33:15
Do not love
33:18
the world
33:18
or the things
33:20
in the world.
33:21
If anyone
33:22
loves the world,
33:23
the love of the
33:23
Father is not
33:24
in him.
33:25
For all that is
33:25
in the world,
33:26
the desires of
33:27
the flesh,
33:28
the desires of
33:28
the eyes,
33:29
and the pride
33:29
of possessions,
33:30
is not from
33:31
the Father,
33:32
but is from
33:32
the world.
33:33
And the world
33:34
is passing
33:34
away along
33:35
with its
33:35
desires.
33:36
Whatever does
33:37
the will of
33:37
God,
33:39
abides forever.
33:40
So, the
33:42
word world
33:43
is used
33:43
right here
33:44
in 1 John 2.
33:45
It's the word
33:46
cosmos.
33:48
It means
33:49
like the
33:49
order or
33:50
the system
33:51
of the world.
33:53
And it's
33:54
used in this
33:54
case like in
33:55
a negative
33:55
connotation.
33:57
It's not
33:57
being spoke
33:58
of in a
33:59
positive way.
34:00
It means
34:00
like a
34:01
world that's
34:02
turned and
34:03
is now
34:03
alienated from
34:04
its creator.
34:04
That's
34:05
kind of
34:05
what it's
34:06
used as.
34:07
And it
34:07
encompasses
34:07
a ton of
34:09
things.
34:09
False
34:10
religions,
34:10
false
34:11
philosophies,
34:12
ideas of
34:13
man,
34:15
just whatever.
34:15
It could
34:16
mean like
34:16
even just
34:17
the ads
34:18
or commercials
34:18
you see
34:19
that entice
34:19
you to
34:20
spend your
34:21
money on
34:21
something that
34:22
God would
34:22
not have you
34:23
to spend
34:23
your money
34:23
on,
34:24
something that
34:24
simple.
34:24
guys and
34:27
girls can
34:28
mean like
34:28
in modest
34:28
clothing to
34:29
entice or
34:31
to allure the
34:32
opposite sex.
34:33
The world is
34:34
like the
34:34
things that
34:35
do allure
34:35
us and
34:36
pull us
34:37
in.
34:37
It's the
34:37
things in
34:38
the world.
34:39
So that's
34:40
what the
34:41
world is.
34:42
And also
34:43
it says it
34:45
there, I'll
34:46
read this
34:47
back in
34:48
Ephesians 2
34:49
verse 3
34:50
you can
34:52
flip back
34:54
there if
34:54
you like
34:54
back to
34:55
Ephesians
34:56
it says
34:56
in verse 3
34:58
we're going
34:58
to see the
34:58
third thing
34:59
verse 3
35:01
among whom
35:02
we all
35:03
once lived
35:04
in the
35:04
passions of
35:05
our flesh
35:05
carrying out
35:07
the desires
35:07
of the
35:07
body and
35:08
the mind.
35:09
So
35:10
the flesh
35:11
you got the
35:11
world and
35:12
now the
35:12
flesh.
35:13
That's the
35:13
second source
35:14
of our sin.
35:16
And
35:17
it means
35:18
like
35:19
if you're
35:20
being controlled
35:21
by the
35:21
flesh
35:21
it's like
35:23
what does
35:24
your flesh
35:24
do?
35:25
It gets
35:25
hungry
35:25
it desires
35:27
comfort
35:27
it likes
35:29
to sleep
35:29
it likes
35:30
sex
35:31
those are
35:31
the things
35:31
that like
35:32
are of
35:33
the flesh
35:33
and all
35:35
those things
35:35
are not bad
35:35
things right?
35:36
Like they're
35:36
natural things
35:37
that happen
35:37
but what
35:38
the sinful
35:39
fallen flesh
35:39
is that
35:40
it seems
35:40
to allow
35:42
those things
35:42
to like
35:42
dominate you
35:43
or control
35:44
you
35:44
and run
35:44
your life
35:45
what you
35:45
live for
35:46
is to
35:46
fulfill those
35:47
desires
35:47
that you're
35:48
having
35:48
that's
35:48
ultimate
35:49
and that's
35:50
when you'll
35:50
do anything
35:51
to get
35:52
fulfillment
35:52
for those
35:53
things
35:53
that's
35:55
why
35:56
you know
35:57
people that
35:58
are just
35:59
controlled by
35:59
sexual sin
36:00
it starts
36:00
with this
36:02
and moves
36:02
with this
36:02
and eventually
36:03
leads to them
36:03
raping somebody
36:04
and then ultimately
36:05
prison
36:06
so you begin
36:07
to let those
36:08
desires
36:08
control you
36:09
and the
36:10
flesh is
36:11
fallen
36:11
and it will
36:12
die
36:12
like
36:12
your body
36:13
that you work
36:14
on and take
36:14
care of every
36:15
day
36:15
like it
36:15
will die
36:16
this
36:17
person
36:17
because it
36:17
has sinned
36:19
against god
36:19
thirdly
36:21
you've got the
36:22
world
36:22
the flesh
36:24
and now the
36:25
devil
36:25
you see that
36:27
in verse 2
36:28
back in
36:29
ephesians
36:29
following the
36:30
course of this
36:31
world
36:31
following the
36:32
prince
36:32
of the
36:33
power of
36:34
the air
36:34
that's
36:34
referring to
36:35
satan
36:35
the spirit
36:37
the evil
36:37
spirit
36:38
of satan
36:39
that is now
36:39
at work
36:40
and the
36:40
sons of
36:41
disobedience
36:42
and all
36:44
three of these
36:45
things
36:45
the world
36:46
of flesh
36:46
and the
36:46
devil
36:46
we're going
36:47
to like
36:47
discuss more
36:48
in coming
36:50
thursday
36:51
nights
36:51
it's just
36:52
an overview
36:52
but satan
36:54
the word
36:56
means like
36:57
in hebrew
36:58
satan
36:59
it means like
37:00
adversary
37:01
or opponent
37:02
someone that's
37:02
like out to
37:03
destroy you
37:04
the devil
37:06
another word
37:07
is used
37:08
another name
37:09
for him
37:09
it means
37:10
like to
37:11
throw
37:11
or to
37:12
hurl
37:13
that's what
37:13
the devil
37:14
means
37:14
it means
37:15
that he's
37:17
slandering you
37:18
he's throwing
37:18
insults
37:19
against you
37:20
he takes
37:20
the truth
37:21
of god
37:22
and who
37:22
god is
37:22
and twists
37:23
it and makes
37:23
you try to
37:24
believe lies
37:25
about it
37:26
let me see
37:28
1 peter
37:29
5 8
37:30
says this
37:31
be sober
37:31
minded
37:31
be watchful
37:32
your adversary
37:34
the devil
37:34
prowls around
37:36
like a roaring
37:37
lion seeking
37:37
someone to
37:38
devour
37:38
so
37:40
the devil
37:43
is
37:43
this is the
37:44
kind of
37:44
thing that
37:45
the devil
37:45
would try
37:45
to say
37:46
to you
37:47
or lie
37:47
to you
37:47
remember
37:48
he's a
37:48
slanderer
37:49
he wants
37:49
to like
37:49
hurl up
37:50
insults
37:51
and slander
37:52
against you
37:53
he'll say
37:54
you're the
37:54
one who
37:55
has stolen
37:56
you've lied
37:57
you've
37:57
taken the
37:58
lord's name
37:58
in vain
37:59
you've
38:00
looked at
38:00
pornography
38:01
you've
38:01
seduced
38:02
girls
38:02
you have
38:03
allowed
38:04
these things
38:04
to control
38:05
you
38:05
you've
38:06
lied
38:07
to people
38:07
you've
38:09
lied
38:09
to your
38:09
parents
38:10
you
38:10
cheated
38:11
this
38:12
guy
38:12
that's
38:12
the kind
38:13
of stuff
38:13
that the devil
38:13
will do
38:15
is he'll
38:15
remind you
38:15
he'll like
38:16
point out
38:16
your sin
38:17
and make you
38:17
guilty
38:18
and convicted
38:19
and
38:21
none of us
38:22
are like
38:22
above
38:23
being attacked
38:25
by him
38:25
nobody
38:26
he's been
38:27
doing this
38:28
a long
38:29
time
38:30
he's very
38:32
good
38:32
this is
38:32
something
38:33
Spurgeon
38:34
said
38:34
it's
38:36
ridiculous
38:36
to see
38:36
on his
38:38
Christian
38:39
channels
38:39
on TV
38:40
all these
38:40
dudes
38:40
are like
38:40
put it on
38:41
Satan
38:41
we've got
38:43
you
38:43
and Satan
38:44
is really
38:44
laughing
38:45
but you've
38:45
got to be
38:46
kidding me
38:46
this is what
38:49
Spurgeon
38:49
said
38:50
he said
38:50
about
38:51
Satan
38:51
he is
38:53
more cunning
38:54
than the
38:54
wisest
38:55
how soon
38:56
he entangled
38:57
Solomon
38:57
Solomon
38:59
is known
38:59
as the
38:59
wise man
39:00
he got
39:00
he made
39:02
Solomon
39:02
sin
39:02
or tempted
39:03
Solomon
39:04
sin
39:04
he is
39:05
stronger
39:06
than the
39:07
strongest
39:07
how fatally
39:09
he overthrew
39:10
Samson
39:10
yes
39:12
even the
39:13
man
39:13
after God's
39:13
own heart
39:14
like David
39:15
he had
39:16
been led
39:16
to fall
39:17
into grievous
39:18
sins
39:19
by seduction
39:19
so he
39:21
took down
39:22
Solomon
39:22
the wisest
39:23
he took
39:23
down
39:24
Samson
39:25
the strongest
39:26
he took
39:26
down
39:27
David
39:27
the most
39:28
passionate
39:28
we're not
39:29
beyond
39:30
his assaults
39:33
so
39:33
those are
39:34
three things
39:35
the world
39:35
the flesh
39:35
and the devil
39:36
we're going to
39:36
unpack
39:36
those things
39:38
more
39:38
and figure
39:39
out
39:39
discuss
39:40
what the
39:41
word says
39:41
about overcoming
39:42
those particular
39:43
things
39:44
number three
39:46
number three
39:47
the third
39:47
question
39:48
what is
39:50
temptation
39:50
or the
39:52
source of
39:53
temptation
39:53
and secondly
39:54
question
39:56
can we have
39:58
victory over
39:59
sin and
40:00
temptation
40:00
and
40:02
so we have
40:03
victory over
40:04
sin and
40:04
temptation
40:04
the answer
40:06
is a
40:06
resounding
40:07
yes
40:08
you can
40:09
without
40:11
Christ
40:12
all you
40:13
can do
40:13
is sin
40:14
period
40:15
not one
40:16
good thing
40:16
those of us
40:17
who are in
40:18
Christ
40:18
you can
40:19
have victory over
40:20
sin and
40:20
temptation
40:20
like right
40:21
now
40:22
like in this
40:22
present life
40:23
flip to
40:25
I think you
40:26
only have
40:27
like three
40:27
places to turn
40:28
real fast
40:28
flip to 1
40:29
John
40:29
chapter 2
40:30
again
40:31
excuse me
40:31
yeah
40:32
back to just
40:34
a second ago
40:35
1 John
40:37
2
40:37
1 through
40:38
2
40:39
and John
40:40
is writing
40:40
to Christians
40:41
and like
40:42
listening to the
40:42
language he
40:43
uses he
40:43
says
40:44
my little
40:45
children
40:46
excuse me
40:47
chapter 2
40:47
verse 1
40:48
my little
40:49
children
40:50
I'm writing
40:51
these things
40:52
to you
40:52
so that you
40:52
may not
40:53
sin
40:54
okay
40:56
so in other
40:57
words he's
40:57
saying like
40:58
you don't have
40:59
to do this
41:00
anymore
41:01
pretty cool
41:02
before like
41:03
all you could
41:04
do is sin
41:04
period
41:05
but now
41:06
that if you
41:06
are in
41:06
Christ
41:07
this is
41:07
what he
41:07
says
41:08
I'm writing
41:09
these things
41:09
to you
41:10
so that you
41:10
may not
41:11
sin
41:12
like you
41:13
don't have
41:14
to do this
41:14
anymore
41:15
type language
41:15
okay
41:17
but then he
41:17
says but
41:18
if anyone
41:19
does sin
41:20
we have an
41:21
advocate with
41:22
the father
41:22
Jesus Christ
41:23
the righteous
41:23
he is the
41:25
propitiation
41:25
for our sins
41:26
not only for
41:27
ours but also
41:28
for the sins
41:29
of the whole
41:29
world
41:29
so he's
41:31
saying as a
41:32
believer you
41:33
have the Holy
41:33
Spirit you've
41:34
been given a
41:34
new nature
41:35
you're born
41:36
again
41:36
you've been
41:38
given power
41:39
from God
41:41
God's enabling
41:41
to not sin
41:43
then he says
41:45
but if you do
41:47
like don't
41:47
despair
41:48
don't be like
41:48
I quit
41:49
I'm a miserable
41:50
failure
41:50
I'm not going
41:51
to follow Christ
41:51
anymore
41:52
he's like don't
41:52
do that
41:52
but if you do
41:53
sin
41:54
you have an
41:55
advocate of the
41:55
father Jesus
41:56
Christ the
41:56
righteous
41:57
so he's
41:57
trying to
41:57
remind you
41:58
of like
41:58
your ultimate
41:59
eternal standing
42:00
is on Christ
42:01
not on your
42:02
performance
42:03
pretty cool
42:04
so that's
42:06
one thing
42:07
there's a hundred
42:07
texts to look at
42:08
I'm going to
42:09
talk about this
42:09
more in the
42:09
future
42:10
but ultimately
42:11
I thought it
42:12
would be really
42:12
cool to bring
42:13
up this
42:13
turn over to
42:15
Hebrews 4
42:16
we're going to
42:16
kind of finish
42:17
in Hebrews
42:18
tonight
42:18
Hebrews 4
42:19
we can have
42:27
victory over
42:27
sin and
42:27
dictation
42:28
because
42:29
Christ has
42:30
made it
42:31
possible
42:32
he has
42:34
been there
42:34
he has shown
42:35
us the way
42:36
chapter 4
42:39
verse 14
42:40
going down
42:40
a little bit
42:41
the theme of
42:42
Hebrews is
42:43
Christ is
42:44
better
42:44
he's better
42:45
than the
42:45
old covenant
42:46
he's better
42:46
than all the
42:47
things that
42:48
have proceeded
42:48
before
42:49
pointed to
42:50
Christ
42:51
as the
42:51
ultimate
42:51
fulfillment
42:52
and here
42:53
he's talking
42:54
about
42:54
the high
42:55
priest
42:55
who is
42:56
one who
42:57
is like a
42:57
go-between
42:58
a mediator
42:58
between
42:59
God and
43:00
man
43:00
and
43:02
how
43:02
saying
43:02
Christ
43:02
is the
43:03
ultimate
43:03
high
43:04
priest
43:04
chapter 4
43:06
verse 14
43:07
since
43:08
let us
43:20
So that's a powerful passage.
43:46
I'd encourage you to go and study on that one some more.
43:50
We can draw near to God's throne in the grace of Christ based on what he has done.
43:57
Before you had been consumed, his holiness would have destroyed you.
44:01
He can't have sin in his presence.
44:03
He's too pure, too righteous, too good, too loving to even look upon evil.
44:09
But based on what Christ has done, we can approach the throne of grace with confidence.
44:14
So, some of us might think, man, God is so distant.
44:22
He can't relate to me at all.
44:23
I don't understand.
44:24
He's perfect.
44:25
He's sinless.
44:25
He hasn't suffered like I've suffered.
44:27
He doesn't know what sin's like.
44:30
Wrong.
44:30
He does.
44:31
And Jesus came here and experienced everything far greater than you have, actually.
44:38
And here's why.
44:39
I'll show you a few things first.
44:41
He suffered emotionally.
44:43
He was emotionally, like, beaten down.
44:46
Like, I can't imagine what he worked through.
44:49
He was persecuted.
44:50
He was betrayed by his best friends.
44:53
He was rejected and he was sorrowful.
44:57
He's called the man of sorrows in Isaiah, prophesying about him 700 years before he came.
45:04
So, he emotionally was afflicted.
45:06
He suffered physically.
45:08
He grew hungry.
45:09
He was fatigued.
45:10
He was thirsty.
45:12
He was beaten.
45:12
He was whipped.
45:13
He ultimately was killed.
45:14
He went through the physical suffering like some of us wouldn't have imagined.
45:18
He was tempted by all the forces of evil.
45:24
They turned it down.
45:26
You know, Satan, in Matthew 4, I'll bet either John or I will probably use this as a main text at some point about the temptation of Christ.
45:34
He was tempted with prestige, with power, you know.
45:37
He had everything.
45:39
He could have had it, but he didn't.
45:40
He denied it and stayed true to his mission, which was to come here and save us.
45:46
So, he was human.
45:48
We talked about this.
45:50
John 1, you know, talked about this, that the Word became flesh, Christ, and dwelt among us.
45:57
So, he was human.
45:58
He went through everything that we went through.
46:02
Okay?
46:02
And like we just read here, he was tempted in every way.
46:07
Okay?
46:07
That's like a big emphasis there.
46:10
In every way we were, yet without sin.
46:13
Okay?
46:14
It's been made, and this wasn't something I thought about when I read it.
46:20
And that's a really good point.
46:22
Because Christ never gave in to temptation, he never did.
46:26
That meant that his temptations were much, much stronger than ours.
46:31
And the reason why is we usually like break in and capitulate before like sin has like brought its full onslaught.
46:41
You know, like it kind of starts with this, you know, like a little small enticement.
46:46
And usually we're like, ah.
46:47
And then maybe one more little thing, and then we break.
46:50
And we're like, okay.
46:51
So, we never really feel like the full run of it.
46:54
And an illustration of this is like, if I sat down and wrestled this really, really, you know, built, enormous, ripped dude.
47:04
You know?
47:05
And like I'm arm wrestling this guy.
47:07
We're just like shaking.
47:09
And I'm just like in my mind, I'm thinking like, I can't beat this guy.
47:12
He's got to break my arm.
47:13
I just kind of like break and give in.
47:14
And I haven't fully taken everything that guy had to offer.
47:19
I just broke, right?
47:21
But if I like beat him, like I absorbed all his strength.
47:26
Like he brought me to everything we had.
47:27
Like and I took him.
47:29
So, like that's what Christ's temptations were like.
47:32
He never gave him.
47:33
I mean, his temptations were far stronger than anything we experienced.
47:39
He felt the full assault of it.
47:40
So, flip over to chapter 12 now in Hebrews.
47:46
Chapter 12 is where we're going to kind of wrap it up.
47:52
Chapter 12 and verse 1.
47:54
Because Christ was sinless, he was able to be that perfect sacrifice on our behalf.
48:07
This is an exhortation to Christians here.
48:09
Verse 1.
48:10
Therefore, as we have been surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses.
48:16
That's probably all the believers that have gone before us that are now in heaven.
48:21
Let us also lay aside every weight and sin which clings to us so closely.
48:29
Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.
48:34
Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith.
48:39
Before the joy before him endured the cross.
48:43
Despising the shame and the cedar at the right hand of the throne of God.
48:47
We're only going to visit Tom there, but look at one part of that.
48:53
This idea of the author or the founder of ESV.
48:59
Cool word there.
49:00
It means a leader who goes ahead of a group in order to show the way to others.
49:09
To prepare the way for others.
49:10
Speaking of military, you're out with a special forces group or whatever.
49:17
You arrange out a few years.
49:18
Figure out maybe SEALs or whoever you like the best.
49:21
There's a small team of guys.
49:23
They're going on a mission.
49:25
They come across this crazy ravine.
49:28
They can't figure out what to do.
49:30
They don't have time to go around it.
49:32
They have to make a decision.
49:33
So the leader, the commander of that group, takes a rope and he somehow, like as they were,
49:39
like get it across the other side and get it wrapped around a tree or something.
49:45
And like at great risk to himself, like he goes out first.
49:48
Kind of like goes and goes across the rope on the other side.
49:53
He secures the rope and he makes it safe for the guys behind him to follow him.
49:58
And that's what this word kind of implies.
50:03
This is what Christ has done.
50:05
Like he came here.
50:06
He went through everything we went through.
50:09
Had the perfect life.
50:11
You know, went to the cross.
50:12
Died on our behalf.
50:14
And now he stands like the high priest sitting at the right hand of the Lord of God.
50:19
And he's like, I've shown you how to do this.
50:22
And I will enable you to do this.
50:25
I've come this way.
50:28
He's gone before us.
50:30
And by his grace, like we can follow exactly where he leads.
50:35
Because of what he has done, we don't have to be slaves to sin any longer.
50:39
We have a new master in the world to Christ and not sin.
50:43
So know that Christ has been there.
50:45
He can sympathize with whatever you're going through.
50:48
He's not indifferent.
50:49
But he can show you how to overcome the sin that is constantly entangling you in your Christian life.
50:57
So that's where we're going.
50:59
We're going to be talking about a lot of different things.
51:02
About overcoming sin.
51:03
The enemies that we have to face.
51:05
As well as like the weapons that we have at our disposal as believers to overcome sin.
51:10
So I pray that that will not work in our hearts.
51:15
I can't wait to get into it even for myself just to study more on it.
51:20
So let's just pray and kind of respond just from the time of singing together.
51:26
Father, if you had given us what we deserved, we would have perished and spent eternity in a dreadful state.
51:46
Separated from you.
51:48
Facing your wrath and your judgment with you.
51:51
You sent Christ on our behalf.
51:53
You died on our behalf.
51:55
He was our substitute.
51:57
And he bore your full wrath.
52:00
All of us who come to him and trust in him.
52:03
To save us from your judgment.
52:06
We can come freely.
52:08
Come by your grace.
52:10
You did this not because we deserved it.
52:13
You loved us.
52:14
And you sent Christ on our behalf.
52:16
Lord, I pray that we would, if they don't know you, unite.
52:20
You would work in the hearts of those people here.
52:23
And show them their sin.
52:27
Show them the cross.
52:28
And let them not rest.
52:31
That's a question unsettled.
52:33
Father, if we do, I pray that we would just realize that we don't need to win victory.
52:40
We just need to embrace the victory we already have in you.
52:44
The victory is secured.
52:47
We don't have to just, the work is done.
52:49
We don't have to do it again.
52:51
So help us to walk in the freedom, the joy, the peace, the liberty that you intended for us.
52:58
And we don't have to sin anymore.
53:03
And Lord, though we do, and though we can mess up, and we can commit things that grieve you greatly,
53:10
we have an advocate with you, Jesus Christ, the righteous.
53:14
And we are secure so we can press forward with confidence and approach your throne.
53:19
He's been there before us.
53:21
He suffered, and you've suffered even to a greater extremity.
53:25
He overcame it, Lord.
53:27
Now he shows us the way.
53:28
He's called, in your word, our elder brother.
53:31
He shows us what to do.
53:34
He's our example.
53:35
Help us just to fix our eyes on him and give us the grace to follow him.
53:39
I pray you would just use this series we're about to get into.
53:43
Use your word to give us the victory in our life over sin.
53:49
All to your glory, Lord.
53:50
In Christ's name.
53:52
Amen.