Live with Lon-How to Fight Temptation

Well hello good morning everybody. This is lawn and we are doing live with long this morning and this is our study of the Gospels and we are excited about this. We are going deep we are doing a a exegetical study we are doing an expository study we are doing and study with applicability to our lives and were excited about this and so were going to dig in today were to move on from John the Baptist and working to dig in today to Matthew chapter 4, but just before we do that, let's pray dear heavenly father, we thank you that we can study your holy Word today and father I pray that you would open our hearts and our minds so that the word of God would be able to go deep inside of us and change every behavior are very attitudes are very actions.

Lord we also want to take a moment to pray for the coronavirus situation all God protect us. We pray in our families. As we look to you and God. We pray for those who are sick that we know our friends, coworkers, relatives of God have mercy on them. We play we pray, have mercy, and more.

We pray that you would have mercy on the human race.

We don't deserve it but nonetheless Lord we big V for mercy.

Help us to find something that works against this virus, or more just stay this fire stop this virus by your mighty hand. Father, we we thank you for that mercy and we wait on you for that and we look forward to seeing how you're going to answer that prayer.

We now as we open the word of God. We pray that you would use it in our lives.

In Jesus name we pray. A man okay well here in Matthew chapter 4 were going to meet a new personage where were talking about the devil. Now the devil is called a number of different know by number different names in the Bible is called Lucifer coming out of Isaiah 14. He's called the accuser of the brethren in the book of Revelation. He's called Satan, which in Hebrew simply means the adversary and here he's called the tempter and Matthew chapter 4 and the reason for that. Of course, is because he and all of his evil demons.

One of their primary goals.

It is to attempt members of the human race into sin to use our sin nature against us and to to put on steroids to inflame it and to cause us to sin and to give in to those impulses of our sin nature and this is what is going to try to do to the Lord Jesus Christ. So when a pickup Matthew chapter 4 and only begin were using. Of course, the new King James Bible and let's begin the translation. Let's begin in verse one of chapter 4. Then Jesus was led up by the spirit notices will come back to that the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

Now why would the devil want to tempt the Lord Jesus Christ to sit very simple and if you been with us in our study of the plan of salvation for four weeks. Several weeks ago you hopefully know this and that is that Jesus went to the cross as our substitutionary atonement for sin, and in order for God to accept his as a substitute for our sin is death in substitute for our data, we saw that he had to be blemished. Let's he had to be sinless, as Hebrews 4 says he was tempted and always as we are every way we are, yet without sin. So if Satan could get the Lord Jesus Christ to commit even the sin he would destroy the plan of salvation he would ruin the good Jesus as a substitutionary atonement.

The plan of salvation would be completely annulled. It would be complex.

Yeah, that's right. Kaput. And and so this is what he's trying to do. Now the Bible goes on to say verse to that when Jesus had fasted 40 days and 40 nights after word. He was hungry. Well, I guess so. And when the tempter bears the name for the devil.

In this chapter came to hear him.

He said if you are the son of God, command the that these stones become bread. Now friends.

Is there anything wrong with the Lord Jesus Christ. Turning stones into bread so that he could eat no is eating sin. Now you say will and I don't understand what the temptation here. If eating is not sin. How wise is the temptation all remember we said that Jesus was led into the wilderness by the spirit.

Remember the Holy Spirit. And so what he did in the wilderness fasting in the wilderness that was of the will of God for his life because the Holy Spirit had led him to do this and so to create bread, even though eating is no sin but God by the spirit had led the Lord Jesus Christ into the wilderness to fast and he chose in his own prerogatives as deity as the second person of the Godhead.

Philippians 2 says that the Lord Jesus emptied himself of his own prerogatives as the second person in the Godhead and he lived. Instead, by the power of the Spirit. The third person of the Godhead. If Jesus had overruled the third person in the Godhead to do what he felt like doing to satisfy his carnal needs. He was hungry. Then it would've been sin.

Do we understand what I'm saying friends is nothing wrong with the desires of many desires of our flesh, hunger and thirst of the desire for companionship of the desire for sexual relations.

These are normal desires that God has put in us as human beings. However, when we know God's will recording these blisters take sexual activity. For example, when we know that it's God's will that we only practice, and allow that expression of our human desire to be actually fulfill in a certain way like it. Marriage is what say when we jump over that and fulfill that desire by exempting ourselves and or disobeying the way God says we can legitimately fulfill it. That is sin.

And this is what was happening here.

Nothing wrong with food. Nothing wrong with prayer, but it was the will of God that he be fasting and for him to jump all over that because he was hungry would have been sin.

We all we all see that okay now the Bible goes on to say, but Jesus answered and said, it is written. Where is it written well in Deuteronomy chapter 8 in the Old Testament is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. Jesus said no. Well, what I live by is the will of God, that every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. That's what I live by bread is important but is not more important than that, given the choice I obey God, not mine. Human hunger now Satan moves on. Let's look at verse five then the devil took him up to the holy city Jerusalem and sitting on the pinnacle of the temple.

Those of you who been with me to Israel notices the southeast corner of the Temple Mount where he would have if all of couple hundred feet down into the Kidron Valley just outside the temple wall just outside the city will and and Satan puts in here and he says if you are the son of God, throw yourself off. Throw yourself down.

And, for it is written, Satan quoted Scripture to look at this Psalm 91 he God will give his angels charge over you, and in their hands they will bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone. Now Satan quotes Scripture to the Lord Jesus Christ. That's pretty amazing that he knows the Bible Satan does and he can quoted and this is one of his many tactics is to quote the Bible to people but to give them the wrong interpretation of these verses do say what they say. However, by comparing Scripture to Scripture, the Lord Jesus says yes, you're right. Satan, the Scripture does say that but that is not what it means. That is not what it's telling me to do. Look, Jesus says to him. Yes, you're right, but it is also written, you shall not tempt the Lord your God, Satan quoted Scripture which you twisted it you distorted to try to make it something that would cause me to sin and I can counter that by knowing the Bible well enough to know there is other Scripture that says to me know this is not the correct way to interpret this piece of Scripture that were going to talk about this more next week. Satan's tactics that he uses to try to tempt us and and and's one of them is to use the Scripture but to use it wrong so will come back to this, but let's move on. Jesus said yeah you quoted the Bible which got it wrong because it says don't tempt God and that's what you're trying to use the Scripture to get me to do and so finally against the devil took him off per se on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and their glory and said to him, all these things I will give to you if you will fall down and worship me may say will that seems a little strange I thought God was the one losing control of the whole universe and gives you no kingdoms to whoever he wants. Yeah well will talk about this more next week.

God has given Satan. He mentions that Satan doesn't loop or in the temptation of Jesus, he says, which is my right. In this age, Satan says he is the God of this world. Second Corinthians 46 and up so he I don't know how all this works but apparently he has the authority at least during this limited time of incident and space. He has the authority to do this when he said Jesus never argued and said, you will have the authority to do that so I don't fully understand that we'll talk about a more next week. Look what Jesus says to him, and Jesus said to him away with you, Satan or stem, for it is written, you shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve. Now let me tell you how this is a temptation to sin. If we look at Psalm chapter 2 I do that with me. Look at Psalm chapter 2. If you, Lord. In Psalm chapter 2 here's what the Bible says God speaking. He says he God the father said to me, the Lord Jesus Christ. You are my son Psalm to verse seven ask of me and I will surely give you the nations for your inheritance and the ends of the earth for your possession. Now we know this is a messianic song. We know this verse applies to the Lord Jesus Christ because it's quoted in the New Testament today. You are my son. I have forgotten the and so this is God the father talking to God the son, and say I'm going to give you all the kingdoms of the world as your personal possession after the second coming of the Lord and so you say will than what Tim, temptation is something Jesus was going to get all of the kingdoms of the world anyway so he should've just taken from Satan. No no no women. Yes, God was going to give them all the kingdoms of the world. But France the way to that promise being fulfilled was by way of the cross.

It was the virgin birth, the cross, the resurrection, the second coming song to fulfilled you get all the world is your inheritance with Satan is trying to get the Lord Jesus to do is to go the virgin birth and jumping over all the rest of that the agony of the cross, the resurrection jumping all over the process going from a to Z and possessing the kingdoms of the world without going through the process that God had dictated had to happen. Jesus had to go not from the virgin birth to all the kings of world we had to go through living his earthly life, doing his earthly ministry going to the cross, suffering on the cross, dying for our sin being resurrected the path to all the kingdoms of the world was part of the will of God for him and with Satan is offering him is to be able to kind of hopscotch over the good of the cross and the pain and the agony of the death and go right to the end result that is a violation of God's plan for Jesus's life and therefore for Jesus to opt out of God's plan for his life would be sin. And this is a common temptation that Satan offers you with me when he offers us a chance to get to the end result without going through the pain of the process and the learning of the process and the maturity of the process that God has outlined for us.

He gives us a cheaper way to get to the end product. He gives us a a disobedient to God way to get to the end product and dad is sin.

This is what he's offering, the Lord Jesus Christ and the Lord says no I won't worship you and I will not short-circuit the plan of God for my life. Even though it's a painful plan on the human level going to do it God's way. I'm going to do it God's way and this is a very lives. I set a very common temptation for us.

You know we want to give Mary but a God has a process for us to go through before when he gets us to the right person and Satan tries to tempt us to leapfrog that process and just grab somebody not book the person God has for us and Mary. We want a promotion we would with you know Lance okay Satan tempts us.

I remember when I was in the seminary. I was working at a food store as a bag boy out front. It was called AMP food. You gotta be old or older to remember AMP food today been bankrupt for years, but anyway I like working out front is a bag. I did like the weather out there is no was cold and rainy. Whatever. Plus I kinda thought I was a big shot and and I wanted I thought I could working there and I could work the cash register as good as anybody else, and maybe even better than anybody else and I'm one of the I want to be on a cash register and and I talked to the boss about it and he said will get you there will get you there. But you know you everybody has to start is as a private nobody starts on the cancer you have to start work your way up. Well, I want to do that so I have a friend Tom Titus good friend of mine who was managing a Giant Food store and I got I asked him if he would put me on over there right as a cashier in be my friend. He agreed and so I left AMP job and I will. I wasn't willing to wait for God to do it his way and and take me through the process. I was in a hurry so I jumped in the energy my own flesh and my own impatience and and you know what was one of the worst mistakes in my entire life. The whole three years. That resulted from that was a disaster in many different ways that I don't have time to tell you but it was a huge mistake and I look back now and I say you know what if I would just stay where I was and let God do with the way God wanted to do with those three years would've been much different. What I'm saying is this is the kind of temptation that Satan was trying to talk the Lord in the doing and the Lord said no, no, I'm not doing that and so last person today.

If you look at Matthew chapter 4 it says and then the devil left it after three temptations, and behold the angels came and ministered to Jesus and I love in Luke chapter 4.

The Bible tells us.

I love it. It says there is says and the devil left him until a convenient time meaning the devil did believe in forever just because he resisted it once successfully, no, no, the devil was coming back and and he did come back many times to tempt the Lord Jesus Christ and I yeah he left in that time and so I remember we resist the devil successfully once it does mean that he wanted to study his buddies are not coming back to tempt us again. They'll be back tomorrow or they'll be back later this afternoon. They don't give up, but we can resistant successfully. Now in this afternoon and tomorrow, but this goes on and on as long as our earthly life lasts and it did for the Lord Jesus Christ as well. He was tempted. I'll bet every day by the devil, which is why Hebrews for so important, he was tempted in every way, not just these three ways, but in every way as we were yet without sin. Okay reservoir.

What a wonderful chapter and you notice before we move on. So what just allow me to say that there are many scholars who argue about whether the Lord Jesus Christ could truly have been tempted in other words, could he really have sin, and so was this a genuine wine temptation for him or being the second person of the Godhead. Could he not possibly have sin and did he go through this process just to demonstrate to you and me. The weapons that he has given us, that will work against the temptations of the devil and allow us to resist them, and have victory over them as we practice and use those weapons friends I have no idea which of those two is actually right. I see the arguments for both of them and you know what, I have no clue which is correct. This is above my pay grade. This is part of the mysteries of heaven that I don't understand, and it doesn't bother me because I just figure hey I'll let God worry about whether Jesus could really be tempted or not. That's God's business. My business is to pull out of this chapter, the lessons that God has here for you and me about resisting temptation.

A man and it okay now it's time for us to ask our most important question so ready to go.

Come on now want to raise my all yes baby you know we know Jackie Gleason said how's we do this.

Yes sir and you soon Melissa. So what here. I don't receive seriously if this is Satan himself is only one of actually bothers to come and mess with me yet, but he sends his buddies not to mess with you and and and to stir up your sinful inclinations and to try to draw you into sinning so that in the process he can got hurt and destroy your life and the life of the people of the eight us and somehow we resist will. The Bible says James chapter 4. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

Just like he flee from the Lord Jesus. Now you'll be back said but you will flee if you resist him the way the Bible tells us to resist you and and how does the Bible tell us to resisted Willa tells us to resisting the way Jesus did exactly Jesus shows us the formula, Jesus three times said to the devil what what he say to is written, it is written, it is written and where is it written friends. It is written in the word of God. He quoted Deuteronomy 8 and then Deuteronomy 6 twice to the enemy. He quoted the Scripture to the enemy very likely he Jesus was meditating on the book of Deuteronomy when he was out there since all three verses, the book of Deuteronomy.

I don't know that for sure, but that's how Jesus fought the temptations of the devil is by quoting Scripture at him and quoting Scripture to himself. Now this is not normally the way we resist temptation. Normally the way we resist temptation is to try to do it in our human flesh. You know, we try to got it out. Will we just try to make up her mind were not going to give it. We say things like I will not list today. I will not gossip today. I will not say anything dirty or blue. Today I will not do this or that of the other thing today. I will not talk too much. I will not eat too much. I will not and on and on and on like and we fail a lot like that. Why, because those are not the weapons Jesus has given us to fight the devil with a defined temptation with those are human weapons, how much we can got it out and human weapons will never defeat the supernatural enemy that we have the Bible says that Satan goes around first Peter five like a roaring lion, seeking whom he can destroy you and I are not going to beat him in the energy of the flesh, and this is what the Bible says. The Bible says our weapon is the word of God, look at the Scripture. Let's look at Ephesians chapter 6 where the Bible says that we are in a war with the enemy and look what the Bible says here in Ephesians 6 it tells us that the verse 11 put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles the temptations the of the devil. And then he goes on to say verse 17 and take the helmet of salvation watch and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, my friends, the word of God in all of the spiritual armor that Ephesians 6 tells us about is the only offensive weapon that in prayer and so the word of God is meant to be used as a offensive weapon against the enemy. This is what Hebrews chapter 4 says look at Hebrews chapter 4 verse 12 for the word of God is living and active and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, this is our weapon and that brings me to second Corinthians chapter 10. This is these are verses very few people know if you quoted this verse.

These verses to them, but I want you to see the look here. Chapter 10 second Corinthians, for though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, I will not do it. I will not do it. I will not know for the weapons of our warfare look, are not carnal, not fleshly, but mighty through God for pulling down strongholds and casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, Satan, who brings arguments and exalts himself and is a high thing that tries to a stand against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ friends. How do you bring every thought in obedience to Christ in your life whether it's luster, greed or envy or gluttony gossip or whatever it is we bring it to obedience to Christ by using spiritual weapons, the word of God and how we do it well. We do it justice of just what Jesus did, how we quote Scripture when were tempted. Let me give you an example.

Let's talk about loss okay when I'm tempted with lost here's what I do.

I say no, for it is written first Thessalonians 434 this is the will of God, your sanctification that you should abstain from sexual immorality.

Verse seven for God has not called us to uncleanness, but to holiness. All right, if you're tempted to do something unholy to look at a woman look at a man to listen to dirty jokes throw a watch pornography, whatever it may be, try quoting verse seven out loud to yourself 10 times and see how much you still want to look at that woman. Look at that manner. Watch pornography for God has not.

It is written, God is not called us to uncleanness, but the holiness know it is written, God is not called us to uncleanness cleanliness, but to holiness. Your final power. There that will help you resist it for a couple more about fear.

Isaiah 43. Fear not, verse one, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by your name and you are mine and then God goes on to say when you walk to the fire will be safe when you walk through the deep water you will be safe because I'll be there with you. Fear not quote that out loud. No Satan. I will not fear, for it is written, and then quote this handout gossip. All right, Ephesians 429 let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but only that which is good for edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. Try quoting that when you're tempted to gossip and to say things that later you will feel terrible that you said ask yourself will what I say communicate grace to the person that here's a or not 10 times to yourself five times to yourself.

No, it is written, I'm not going to say that about that person.

A couple how about opening our big mouth this morning.

I have trouble with. I'm always open big mouth and saying things that I regret yeah well there's a verse without friends. Proverbs 1728 even a fool is counted wise when he holds his peace when he shuts his lips, he is considered perceptive and I use that all the time when I just when I go into a setting and I just say lawn Proverbs 1728 is written, he even a fool is considered wise when he shuts his mouth.

Now, for the most part. You just keep your mouth shut in here all right on we go 011 or two more scheming about scheming oh, which on all of us are tempted to do and you're about to do it. You got to try to do something you know that's is so secret and and is wrong okay about this new chapter 12 for there is nothing covered, that will not be revealed nor hidden that will not be made known verse three. Therefore, whatever you have spoken in darkness will be heard in the light of and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops of hello I you know when I think of that verse and I do often. It reminds me lawn don't do it don't do it you think you get away with it a you know but one of these days going to be shouted from the rooftops. You really want to shout it from the rooftops. Don't do it. And finally, if you can't think of a verse that applies to your temptation. Here's the capital right here. Second Corinthians 510 for we must all these are believers appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one of us may receive the things done in his body according to what is Don whether it is good or bad. The Bible says when you when I get to heaven where in heaven because what Jesus did on cross wars that there's no doubt about that but we are all that I have a performance review when we get there, and God is going to get the rewind button and go back to the beginning of our Christian life. Not before we came across the things that are BC before Christ. Under the blood of Jesus, and they're gone. But once we come to Christ.

God's going to evaluate our behavior and what we did good or bad and so witty, you know with your thinking about doing something wrong thinking about doing something that is not right, then we need to quote that verse and say no it is written, we must all stand before the judgment seat of Christ to receive what we done in our body, whether good or bad, no Lord, I want to see this again in front of you want to have to rewatch this with you there standing next to me and so I think I'd rather just not do now is civil lawn half this is great but what I'll have time when I'm being tested to run to my Bible or Toronto Bible Gateway pull out a concordance and go look up verse and no you don't, of course, you don't and neither do Y.

This is why we memorize Scripture. This is why we pick out those temptations that we are especially prone to and we find verses here in the Bible that apply to that and we memorize them so that when we need them, we don't have to go looking for the we got them in our head, and you can pull them right out immediately for that temptation.

Scripture memory is a spiritual discipline.

I'm afraid it's a lost spiritual discipline most part, but it is an incredibly important spiritual discipline to memorize Scripture. And this is what David said song 119 he said, thy word have I hidden in my heart memorize that hidden in my heart that I may not sin against the want to sin less I want to sin less and hide more of memorize to Scripture in our heart so we can pull it out and use it when we needed as the devil tempts us friends when I came to Christ because I'm done. Bob Eckardt demand that led me Lord told me to start memorizing Scripture and I said really how I know what to memorize. He told me about this memorize things that have to do with your temptations and then he said, as you read the Bible. If you come across diverse that just you know just really strikes you write it down on a 3 x 5 card is was the old days with 3 x 5 card write the reference on the back. Romans nine to whatever it is and carry them around with you and memorize him and I did as I hitchhiked around the country. After I got saved, always had 10 or 20 cards in my pocket and as I was waiting for rider riding in a car. I pull them out. I go over them once a month I would review all the verses I have learned up to that point. By the end of six months. I had a stack about this high of 3 x 5 cards that I memorize the verses of Scripture on it and not only did that help me not sin against D. Psalm 119, but it also Romans chapter 12 verse two says it completely rebooted my mind it it it completely changed and reprogram my computer. Romans 12 to calls it the renewing of my mind and people often asked me how come your life change so fast.

You know, I said it's nothing on cycles on special is because I put hundreds of verses of the Bible, the living, active Word of God into my mind when you put that much of the Bible into your mind what's going to come out is change life so let me conclude by saying I want to challenge you to do, Scripture memory, and then to use it as a weapon so that you might not sin against God.

Learn to pull it out and go no, it is written, it is written is written and and I try hard to do that and it's amazing when you say it is written, God has not called us to uncleanness, but the holiness, God is not called us it is written to uncleanness to holiness, the holy as I am holy. And suddenly looking where I should look is just not that much of a temptation anymore. Why because the word of God, did extra. In fact, part of the job.

The word of God is to be the sword of the Spirit that enables us to fight back against the tempter next week to talk more about the tempter and what the Bible teaches about his strategies for trying to tempt us.

He just doesn't come along willy-nilly and just say seems like a good know he has a strategy and tactics to try to make his temptations more effective on you and all me and we see them and Adam and Eve and we see them in the Lord Jesus Christ temptation were to talk about that next week before we move on because if we understand his tactics and strategy better. We can resist him. There okay let's pray. Dear Lord Jesus, thank you that even though we live in the world we don't fight with fleshly worldly weapons. We have spiritual weapons, supernatural weapons to fight the enemy and bring every thought captive to the obedience of Christ and how we do that use the word of God is written, it is written, it is written, memorize it, and we use all Jesus, help us to become men and women of memorize a ship. Men and women who hide the word of God in our heart on regular basis. Let it be a spiritual discipline that we begin. If we've never done it or that we resurrect if we stopped it and God a we the people were able to pull that Scripture out. Use for the edification of others and for the protection of ourselves usually were to change the way we live today and we pray this in Jesus name and every body said amen amen amen. See you next week. God bless you have a safe with