The Truth About Temptation

Welcome to this edition of PowerPoint with Jack. Great little later in the program will tell you that you can get a copy of Dr. Graham's evangelism bundle. The first is the message the truth about temptation Bibles please turn with me to the fourth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, Satan is described in the Bible is a roaring lion rolling about, seeking whom he may devour. And you as a follower of Jesus Christ are no exception. Fact we are told that temptation is common to all of us.

There are no exceptions we all face the enemy. I need to remind you of the outset of this message that it is not a sin to be tempted Jesus was tempted in every point.

Even as we are tempted yet without sin.

He chose God's will. Every time an so can you choose the will of God and the plan of God for your life, even against the onslaught of the enemy now. Maybe you've experienced the time in your life when God has so richly and abundantly blessed you. You've experienced his presence. You are just full of his spirit and then right after you find yourself in a struggle with sin are in the throes of temptation in your tempted to do something wrong. Have you ever wondered why that happens, why it seems after great spiritual victory, great spiritual challenges.

Well, you are not the first whom this is happened and certainly just as I mentioned a moment ago. This is common to all of us but it was also common to Christ and it may be that you need to realize today that you have not failed when you have are tempted but in fact God is moving you forward in your Christian life. I love what A.B. Simpson well-known Christian number of years ago said about temptation, temptation, exercises our faith and teaches us to pray. It is like a military drill in a taste of battle for a young soldier, it puts us under fire and compels us to exercise our weapons and prove their potency it shows is the recourse of Christ and the preciousness of the promises of God. Every victory gives us new confidence in our victorious leader and new courage for the next onslaught of the phone. Temptation is a test and if you pass the test you will be stronger fortified in your faith and once again you will prove the faithfulness of God in your life. So that's why want to talk to you today from this story.

The life of Jesus at the beginning of his ministry as to how Christ himself overcame temptation and when he overcame temptation when he defeated the devil in the desert in the wilderness he didn't pull rank.

He didn't call on executive privilege, but rather he used the same weapons that are available to us. He went out to face the enemy in the desert as our champion and defeated Satan and is a result he is not only our representative but he is our example and is laid out before us a model a matrix if you will as to how we also can overcome temptation because frankly, some have decided I can I can overcome anything but a temptation or maybe you have tried to resist in the power and the strength of your own mind to overcome the enemy and you just can't seem to do it no matter how hard you try.

It just seems that trying is not hard enough. We need something more and that something more is seen in this story of Jesus. Look at verse one of chapter 4 of Matthew then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when he had fasted 40 days and 40 nights, afterward he was hung. And when the tempter came to him. He said if you are the son of God command these stones become bread.

But he answered and said, it is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God and the devil took him up under the holy city, and set them on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, if you are the son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written, he shall give his angels charge over you and in your hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone. Jesus said to him, it is written again. You shall not tempt the Lord your God, and again, the devil took him up on an exceedingly high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, all these things I've given to you if you will fall down and worship me. Then Jesus said to him away with you, Satan, for it is written, you shall worship the Lord your God and him only you shall serve. Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and ministered to him. Yes, Jesus has been there and done that when it comes to temptation and yet he conquered sin and Satan, and overcame by the power of God.

How did he do and how can we do it as well. Well, speak with me about some truths concerning temptation. The first truth that I want you to think about is the period in which Jesus was tempted were told here in the passage that just after the baptism of Jesus described in previous section of Scripture. He was led by the spirit into the desert into the wilderness after 30 years on earth, Jesus was prepared for his public ministry at his baptism, the father had affirmed his deity by saying this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased. The spirit of God had anointed him for his calling as the Messiah and now his life is aglow with the anointing of the Holy Spirit after 30 years of obscurity.

He is now ready for three powerpack years in the limelight and the debt, the spirit of God leads them into the world into the desert, how anti-climactic after this great moment at the baptism came the desert interesting is that it also often in life we are tempted after great spiritual victories after mountaintop experiences in our life when we think where as close to God as we could be maybe us in a time of prayer, maybe says your reading your Bible make this even a worship service and you find yourself thinking thoughts that you ought not to be thinking dealing with temptations that you thought were gone in your previous life in your BC years. No matter where you go, it seems you meet the enemy now Jesus went out into the desert to meet the devil not on the defensive, but only offense to demonstrate his power over Satan and to establish his victory and to serve as our model, but someone call this the dove devil principal right after the dove comes the devil right after the baptism comes the blasting and I want to warn you to be on guard because after your greatest spiritual experience after your biggest victories in the Christian life, you will often face Satan because Satan.

Satan loves a shining Mark. We are vulnerable after victory. And when God opens the windows of heaven double assess God.

Satan will open the doors of hell to blast us and every spiritual commitment that you make in life. Every time you want to move forward in your Christian life. Satan will be there to challenge you and to challenge your commitment because remember this, Satan never takes a day all he doesn't and therefore you must always be at all on the alert. Jesus said, watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. He taught us to pray in that model prayer Lord lead us not into temptation. We dare not coast of the Christian life or bask in spiritual victory. Let him that stands take heed lest he fall. Yet every experience of temptation offers us the opportunity to grow in Christ and in our faith and experience the faithfulness of listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and today's message the truth about temptation. You have a God-given calling to take the gospel to the world. That's why we put together a special bundle of resources to help you grow in your love of the gospel and share it with others. This evangelism bundle includes three Pastor Jack Graham's books, the health of Easter life but in God's promises for doubtful days. This evangelism bundle is our thanks for your gift today and thanks to a generous matching grant your gift today will be doubled.

This is the last week. Can you give doubled. So call today: 800-795-4627 that's 1-800-795-4627.

You can also text the word PowerPoint to 59789 and don't forget to visit Jack Graham.org where you can shop our E store. Give a gift online or sign up for Dr. Graham's free daily email devotional our website again is Jack Graham.Margie Ellis Québec. Today's message the truth about temptation. Jesus was led by the spirit of God into the desert. It was the wilderness he was alone in a barren place, and in this desert in this desolate place. Jesus would've been more alone on earth than anywhere else on the planet and yet he was not alone because he was fasting and praying and spending time with the father just before his three years of ministry before the fulfillment of his Messiah ship and his cross and his resurrection, he must now take time in his humanity to collect his thoughts to ready his mind and his body and his spirit to plan his strategy and to brace himself for the challenges ahead want to remind her that is to us that we will never know victory public victory until we know private and personal victory in Christ.

God uses people who are willing to spend time alone with him. Moses had his 40 years in the desert. Elijah, the great prophet had his brick character. Paul had three years in Arabia. Now the Lord himself.

After these 30 years living in an out-of-the-way place in Nazareth.

He is now spending 40 days in the wilderness alone with the father and yet someone else's.

There, Satan shows up and then the battle began as the father of lies offers Jesus seductive and powerful temptation.

Wave after wave, and the indication is when you read the New Testament text that these temptations just kept coming and coming. Added, I want you to see how the devil came after Jesus for the way Satan came after Jesus is the same ways and become after you his MO.

His method of operation hasn't changed at all these years. From the beginning of time. When Satan slithered his way into the garden of Eden to this moment when Jesus was tempted to this very day. As we face our enemy that the strategy of Satan is still the same is not changed really. Satan has three kinds or types of temptations temptations that are directed at the physical appetite temptations that are directed to our personal ambition and temptations that are addressed to our spiritual allegiance. First he came at Jesus as he comes at us with a temptation concerning physical appetite when God said this is my beloved son in whom I'm well pleased.

Satan was listening around the corner and so after all of these days of fasting in the wilderness. Jesus is tired Jesus is hungry.

Satan moved then and took advantage of his weakened physical condition, and said something like this.

According to the Scripture Jesus. I know I just been listening and your father said that you are his beloved son in whom he is well.

Please. I just been noticing Jesus that you're tired and you're hungry you're starving out here. And since you're the son of God.

Why don't you just turn the stones to bread and satisfy the craving of your flesh. Now there's nothing wrong with a physical appetite. It is natural.

It is normal to desire food.

In fact, you could describe or define temptation in this way temptation is the opportunity or the solicitation to satisfy or fulfill a God given desire in a God Forbidden Way, Satan comes and says takes our desire, our physical appetites and says satisfy yourself. It doesn't matter that you step out of the will of God, or do it your way, rather than God's way. God is giving you this desire. If it feels good do it. God is given us these desires for intimacy for approval for acceptance for love or creativity, and the devil was saying Jesus you're the son of God. You deserve better than this. You're starving out here.

God is not meeting your needs.

God's not gonna take care of yourself so you better satisfy yourself if God really love you. He says he would take care of you, but God holding out on you guys not giving you his best.

So what you need to do, Satan says, is to grab for all the gusto you can get right now.

And Jesus yielded to this temptation, he would have broken his fast before time and he would also indicated that he was no longer depending upon God satisfy I want you to remember this when it comes to physical appetites.

Satan's sin can gratify but never satisfy because God has given you these certain desires and inclinations and needs in your life, and he is promise to fulfill those needs in his way in his time, so we must never yield to the temptation to step outside the plan of God to step outside the will of God to disobey God in any way simply to satisfy ourselves with some physical appetite company was just bread. It was just stones in the bread perform a miracle take the bread needed is just one time trees. How many times the Satan come at us and say just do this one time, it won't matter how many times is that one time determine turn into a habit or an addiction. How many times the just one time of rebellion against God turn into a lifestyle of rebellion against God. Many times does just one disobedience concerning sin and Satan and lost in an and greed and power. How many times is just one time turn into a lifetime of Fred sorrow's because with every kick. There's a kickback. First, Satan fascinates and then he assassinates he said Jesus you're hungry, you need food, do it your way.

Forget about God's way. That's the first kind of temptation that we all face. Just as Jesus faced we face. It is well, but then came another kind of temptation when Jesus responded and resisted the temptation.

There came a another kind of temptation and that was in the realm of personal ambition, personal ambitions, Satan took Jesus to the pinnacle of the temple and Satan says all right Jesus the Messiah is the son of God. Prove it shut off. This pinnacle of the temple. I stood where the pinnacle of the temple.

Now I still exist to this day. It is a dizzying height that the job would be certain death.

So he said, John, Paul, and when you do the Angels will bear you up, and everyone in Israel will know that you are the Messiah, because you are the man that the Angels delivered, do something spectacular. Jesus draw attention to yourself. Take the short cart cut job and God will take care of you just name it and claim that you see how Satan is reversing the strategy here in the first temptation site was saying God take care of you turn the stones into bread. God doesn't love you. You better love yourself.

So when Jesus said no that temptation then Satan reverses field and he says Jesus doesn't take care of you no matter what you did jump off the temple mount. Do something silly, do something spectacular. Do something crazy God will take care of you anyway. How many times the Satan tempt us to presume upon the goodness of God to presume upon the grace of God. This is a temptation to put God to the test. Now I Jesus jumped and been delivered by the Angels, he would've immediately been accepted as the Messiah. Satan was saying Jesus. You do this and immediately the whole world is that I know who you are and you will be accepted.

But remember Jesus did not come to this earth to be accepted, but rather to be reject it and to give his life on the cross to rise again on the third day, so that mankind could be saved and have a hope and a future with him and so this you see would've been a shortcut for Jesus it would been have been instantaneous applause and acclaim and accept's but it would have been rejection of the will and plan of God for his life. Now do we get temptations like this one sure we did.

Often Satan comes to us and says things like take the shortcut on this. Do the easy thing cheat a little bit over here lie a little bit over there. Step out of your your marriage bonds and just one time see what it's like Godzilla forgive you anyway. If you follow the Lord's going to pick you up or do something spectacular so that you can attract a bigger acclaim to be noticed in the world will love you and the world applauds you world will think more of you know we should never get ourselves in a position of compromise with sin and temptation and then expect God to get us out.

How many times do we do foolish things, or put ourselves in a position of failure and then presume that will get out of it. And yet this is a temptation that is so devastating. Don't ever tempt God's power by deliberately putting yourself in a situation that you know is wrong listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham in today's message. The truth about temptation. 3.2 billion people in our world still have no access to the good news of Jesus, and we must do what ever it takes to reach the lost hope of Christ. That's why were excited to tell you about a matching grant that will double when ever you give today to help reach more people to PowerPoint your support will help broadcast the gospel into some of the most spiritually dark corners of the earth was a thanks for your gift by sending you three of Pastor Graham's books to share the gospel right where you are. This evangelism bundle includes the hope of Eastern life in God's promises for doubtful days. This is the last week You get doubled. So call today: 800-795-4627 that's 1-800-795-4627. You can also text the word PowerPoint to 59789 that's PowerPoint to 59789 and don't forget to visit Jack Graham.org where you can shop our E store. Give a gift online or sign up for Dr. Graham's free daily email devotional our website again is Jack Graham.March*what is your PowerPoint. It doesn't matter how old you are, where you live or social status may be temptation finds us all. And if you're a believer you've deftly had to deal with temptation in your walk with Christ. You know Scott, there's no place we can hide from temptation, but we can certainly find it in the power of Christ and as a result, win over sin whenever you feel like the temptation you face is too much to handle. Just remember that Jesus was tempted, even as your tempt and yet through it all he live without sin by the power and the grace and the strength of God in first Corinthians 1013 were reminded that no temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man, but God is faithful, who 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. Remember that temptation is the seduction to fulfill a God given desire in a God forbidden way also. Always be aware that Satan is watching the trip you up and his goal is to get you to give and the temptation so be ready. Stay on the alert because sin may gratify momentarily, but it never satisfies Jesus said to his disciples in Mark 1438 watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation.

The spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak. When Satan tries to entice you with temptation, whether as your physical appetites your personal ambitions or your spiritual allegiance run to God's word for strength to stand on his truth and rest in the promises of Christ, and that is today's remember when you give a gift to PowerPoint your gift will be doubled by a matching grant call 1800-7954 671-800-7954 627 can also text the word PowerPoint 259789 to join us again next time. Dr. Graham brings a message about how to follow Christ's example to experience victory over temptation that's next time on PowerPoint with Jeffrey PowerPoint with Jack Graham is sponsored by PowerPoint ministries