The Battle Within: Fighting Temptation with Christ

Puritan Reformed Church Phoenix

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Turn to Matthew 20 Matthew 26 36 to 41 I Have a one paragraph introduction, and then

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I'm gonna go like this and everybody stand for the reading So get ready with Matthew 26 36 41 we're talking about dealing with temptation in the

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Roman Empire Believers were sounded by ant surrounded by anti -christian an anti -christian morally degenerate culture a

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Very wicked culture. There was the worship of false gods as Well as an idolatrous love of money status power and pleasure

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Greco -roman culture was awash in sexual immorality and perversions of every kind prostitution homosexuality adultery fornication virtually every lewd act under the

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Sun In the first century of the church's history there was a strong pressure placed upon Christians to compromise with heathen society

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There was the outright hatred of believers persecution subtle pressure to conform to the status quo And this is especially true in the economic sphere where paganism saturated business dealings negotiations and social ties

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Idolatry was interwoven to the fabric of culture While Greco -roman culture was a daily challenge to Christians in many ways modern

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American culture is in some ways even worse Europe and America are post

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Christian cultures and Believers are surrounded with temptations of every kind virtue every aspect of American society is anti -christian the public schools the news media the arts universities medical philosophy the music industry fashion

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Hollywood and Yes, even Trump and that the conservative

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Trumpers through modern technologies Disgusting perversions are only the push of a button away

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Because of our sinful natures and the ethical cesspool of modern culture Christians must learn to deal with temptations every single day

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Given the current situation we find ourselves and we need to carefully examine and heed Christ's warning given to his disciples

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Regarding the danger of entering into temptation our Lord's imperatives and context are found in Matthew 26 36 to 41 that Jesus came with them to a place called

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Gethsemane and Said to his disciples sit here while I go over and pray over there

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And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee and he began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed

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Then he said to them. My soul is exceedingly sorrowful even to death stay here and watch with me

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He went a little further and fell on his face and prayed saying Oh my father if it is possible Let this cup pass for me nevertheless

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Not as I will but as you will Then he came to the disciples and found them sleeping and said to Peter what

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Could you not watch with me one hour and here's our text Watch and pray lest you enter into temptation

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The spirit indeed is willing But the flesh is weak. Please be seated preliminary contextual considerations

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Before our Lord's imperatives. There are a few important things to consider relating to our the context of verse 41

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First note that Christ commands come in the midst of his own severe time of testing After the

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Lord's Supper and the Apostles went out to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. Gethsemane was a secluded olive grove

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Outside of Jerusalem just off the footpath that leads to the Mount of Olives Near the entrance of the garden the

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Savior left eight of his disciples and took his inner circle His closest friends Peter James and John with him to pray

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It is at Gethsemane that the Messiah is fully confronted with the deadly nature of the events The dreadful nature of the events that are about to come upon it

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It is a time when Jesus contemplates The severity of God's wrath the excruciating loss of fellowship with the

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Father and the pain of hell Our Lord is going through intense anguish and sorrow

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He is sweating profusely as he suffers and his deep agony of soul Christ leaves even his three closest friends behind Moves forward throws himself on the ground and prays intensely to the

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Father Jesus had entered Into a state of temptation

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It is out of this severe time of testing that our Savior issues his commands Second note that the imperatives flow directly out of Christ's own example

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When our Lord entered a time of temptation, what did he do? He watched and he prayed

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The Savior's instructions are intimately connected with his own practice The Messiah was tempted in all points as we are yet without sin

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Hebrews 4 15 The disciples knew the importance of watching and praying by observing

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Jesus If the sinless Son of God dealt with trials in this manner Then certainly we who are weak and sinful ought to do the exact same thing third

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Our Lord's instructions were prompted by the Apostles failure to stay awake and watch and pray with Christ The commands followed an implied gentle rebuke because the disciples were sleeping while the

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Savior was praying It was late at night and the Apostles could not stay awake

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Jesus statement the Spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak implies that the disciples problem at this time was not an unwillingness to pray but one of physical fatigue

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Even when our Lord was in severe agony and distress He thought of the needs of his disciples the

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Savior's love towards us never rests as We consider our text. There are four main areas that merit our attention.

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Hopefully we'll get through most of this But I doubt we will First what is temptation?

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How is it defined by Scripture? What is it? Second what exactly does it mean to enter into temptation?

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Third what is the biblical method for preventing our dealing with temptation and More specifically.

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What does Jesus mean by these imperatives watch and pray literally in Greek? present continuous tense keep on watching keep on praying

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So what is temptation in? Order to understand our Lord's injunction. We must understand the meaning of the the word temptation

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Greek pyrasm Erasmus It is important to define this word carefully

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For the same word can have different meanings depending on the context. For example The word is not always used in a negative sense of committing sin

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Sometimes the term means a trial a tribulation a test a proving of something or even an experiment

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The word could be used in the context of testing the quality of gold or the strength of a bow Thus the word can have a positive connotation

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The word in the Greek Septuagint is even used to describe the purpose of God in Genesis 22 1

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It says that God tested Abraham same word Jehovah tested or proved

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Abraham's faith by ordering him to sacrifice Isaac his only son Likewise 2nd

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Chronicles 32 31 says that God tested Hezekiah Jehovah wanted to know whether or not the king was filled with pride

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We know that the same Greek word has different meanings one of which is not necessarily

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Nated because although we often read that God tested a particular individual We also read that God never temps anyone if you're tempted

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God didn't tempt you James 1 13 But no one say when he is tempted.

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I am tempted by God for God cannot be tempted by evil nor does he tempt anyone? Jehovah's righteous just and holy and thus never temps anyone to sin or to commit evil

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The trials and tests that believers receive at the hands of God's providence are for their own spiritual good and clear edification

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He's taken his children and he's developing them sanctifying them and this involves trials tests

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God lovingly separates the wheat from the chaff and the gold from the dross the Apostle Peter describes this wonderful process

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He writes this first Peter 1 5 to 7 You are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation

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Ready to be revealed in the last time in this you greatly rejoice that now for a little while if it need if need be

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You have been grieved by various trials That the genuineness of your faith being much more precious than gold that perishes though It is tested by fire may be found to praise honor and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ The captain of our salvation leads us by his providence to the trials tribulations and sufferings of life and He enables us to conquer by his precious blood and resurrection power

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You're going to be tested. You're gonna go through trials. There's gonna be bad things People are gonna say terrible things about you and it's all for your own good now when you're going through it, it's painful

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You may not enjoy it. That's that's true, but it's for your own good The Savior leads us into battles for our own good

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Romans 8 28 and following He does not allow us to be wounded or crippled but rather tempered and refined

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Jesus strengthens us so that we may win many kingdom victories that we may crown our glorious King with many crowns another matter in which the word

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Pirosman is used as negative and And it means temptation in the sense of enticement to commit sin it denotes a power argument operation or inducement towards sinning

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Temptation then in general is anything state way or condition that upon any account

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Whatever has a force or efficacy to seduce to draw the mind and heart of a man

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From its obedience unto God which God requires of him and to any sin and any degree of it whatsoever this meaning is the one given in our text and Therefore what will be the main focus of our doctrinal and practical exhibition of Jesus exhortation?

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This is what we're talking about temptation in the negative sense Temptation as a power of seduction towards it is a very broad term

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It can refer to all the various external temptations the allurements of the world the subtle deception and solicitation of Satan The arguments in a

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Tyson's of the unregenerate as well as all inner temptations arising from the sinful desires that remain in us envy unlawful lusts impure

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Imaginations covetousness thoughts of unlawful revenge, etc. Etc.

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Etc All of these forces can work upon us in virtually an infinite variety of ways

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Now let's look at entering temptation Now that we have an understanding

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Briefly of the meaning of temptation in the negative sense as an enticement to commit sin We need to consider another important question.

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What does it mean to enter into temptation? the phrase enter into temptation indicates that believers at times enter into more intense periods or situations of temptations

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And there are a number of reasons why Entering into temptation is a unique situation of spiritual danger beyond one's everyday average experience number one

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The context of our text indicates that the disciples were about to enter a very high level of temptation

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For example Peter warned Christ warns Peter that Satan would attempt to sift him as wheat

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Luke 22 31 The disciples were about to enter a period of severe testing where they would be tempted to deny the faith to save themselves and their families from torture and death

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Okay, I would say that's a pretty serious situation of temptation after Jesus is arrested the disciples were scattered depressed and fearful and The context reveals the urgency of our

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Lord's exhortation number two There are a number of passages in Scripture which teach that there are periods or circumstances of special more intense temptations a the

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Lord's Prayer Matthew 613 we are told right lead us not into temptation These words assume that there are situations of temptation that go beyond the common everyday general temptations of life

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If there were not periods of serious temptation Then this petition would be a request to leave off this body and earth altogether, which obviously it is not

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B and first Timothy Paul warns believers that those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare six nine

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The Apostle compares falling into temptation to becoming ensnared or entangled in a trap

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It is an analogous to being caught in a net or falling into a pit See In first Corinthians Paul says no temptation is overtaken you except as a common demand ten nine

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The Apostle speaks of temptation that as something that overtakes a man The language reminds us of a person who is overtaken and tackled by a football player of someone overtaken and hit by a wave in the ocean interestingly to be overtaken by temptation does not mean that the one overtaken has sinned for Paul says that God has provided a way of escape and We see the life of Job D The Apostle Peter comforted

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Christians when he said second Peter 2 9 the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations

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Sometimes the godly become entangled, but God comes to rescue and deliver them and Then we come to number three

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We can learn a lot about what it means to enter in temptation by examining some historical examples of believers who became ensnared in temptation

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As we look at these examples note that certain circumstances can come into a Christian's life which lead to a period of strong temptation a

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There's the example of Job This godly patriarch entered into temptation when by the permission of God Satan was allowed to change the circumstances of his life in a very negative direction for the testing of his soul

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Job suffered a number of calamities from disease the loss of family members property destruction and severe physical pain

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Also Satan used his own wife and friends to attempt to shake his faith in God The devil skillfully used the circumstances of life as well as close friends and family members as tools of temptation

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Job entered into a period of temptation yet through God's grace. He prevailed Job's faith was not shaken be

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There's the example of King David who through various circumstances and spiritual negligence entered into temptation

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Note how through a combination of factors David was ensnared by serious temptation first David was at the height of his power glory and popularity

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The king at this time was filled with pride second David had been married for a long period of time and Apparently was not content with as many wives.

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I think he had 15 third He had become careless regarding spiritual matters and his own vocation

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Instead of attending to his civil and family duties. He was spending time in idleness and luxury

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It was at this time of spiritual lukewarmness when all of these circumstances rendered him the most vulnerable

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That he observes beautiful Bathsheba bathing on a roof The circumstances of David's life his spiritual carelessness pride and indolence coupled with outer enticements and inward lust led the king into the pit of temptation

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He was entangled in the net of temptation the cords of which held him fast and tragically he succumbed

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David grievously sinned by committing adultery and then he committed murder to cover his sin

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Very different response than a good old Joseph who's alone with a beautiful woman and he runs out the door so fast

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He leaves his coat behind Number C letter C. There's the example of the

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Apostle Peter whom Jesus said Satan wanted to sift his wheat There are a number of circumstances that made

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Peter vulnerable for an attack Jesus had been arrested and the disciples had been scattered as A result the aid strength and counsel of the godly were unavailable to Peter.

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He's out there by himself Also, the Apostles at this time did not yet understand the necessity of Christ's death for kingdom victory

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Thus the Apostle was doctrinally vulnerable Before their understanding was enlightened and the resurrection occurred the faith of the disciples was weakened further

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There was a great fear of arrest persecution torture and death all of these external and internal circumstances came together as They came together

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Satan strikes through the words of those associated near the warmth of the fire Are you not one of them?

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Do you not know him? That's Matthew 29 26 69 75 that section

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Peter entered into temptation and he fell He not only denied Jesus Christ three times, but he did so emphatically with curses and his

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Galilean accent is what gave him away That brings us to our next major point

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Christ's injunctions for preventing temptation Knowing that the disciples are about to enter a period of temptation

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Our Lord instructs them with a means of preventing and preparing for such times. He sets forth two imperatives watch

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Literally in Greek keep on watching. Don't stop and Pray literally keep on praying

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These commands are central to a believer's safety from temptation if we're to Persevere and protect ourselves from sinning.

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We must understand and heed the Savior's commands Now before we consider these imperatives there are some preliminary issues that need to be discussed first The command to watch should not be regarded as a command that only applies to the

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Apostles Christ's injunction is very broad and refers to the needs of every Christian to be alert to be on guard and Consider every manner in which situations may arise that bring us into temptation

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We're like warriors We think of the battle ahead of time We don't go into something blind.

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We know what we're going to do ahead of time when we're tempted We're supposed to Second the command to watch presupposes a standard the infallible

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Word of God by which a believer can identify What is evil and what leads to iniquity? The Bible is a lamp to our feet a light to our path

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Psalm 119 105 Watchfulness that is in accord with Scripture can only occur when a person has obtained a competent grasp of the contents of the

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Bible Psalm 119 11 your word I've hidden in my heart that I might not sin against you

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Why does he hide it in his heart? So when that occasion arises he can quote Scripture like Jesus did and say

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Satan get the blank out of here Paul says that we need to watch stand fast in the faith be brave be strong first Corinthians 16 13

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Third the Savior's imperative assumes that there is a great danger when believers enter into temptation Many Christians fall into serious sin and are scarred for life because they do not consider temptation to be a big threat

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There is a great danger and complacency and pride You don't trust yourself

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You don't lean into your understanding. You don't go to natural law. You don't go to human reason

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You trust in the Word of God and obey it Scores of believers who have walked in the faith for many years have fallen into temptation and then failed grievously

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David was a mature believer when he brought ruin to himself his family and the whole nation

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Yes, he repented Yes, he completed the book of Psalms or at least that portion while he was alive

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But he sinned grievously and just brought terrible consequences the rest of his life

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Remember and take heed all sin begins with entering into temptation therefore if you fear sin

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You need to fear temptation if we have a biblical holy hatred of sin

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Then we must continually and diligently watch and be on guard against since entry point temptation

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Temptation is the gate Where the enemy of holy holiness gains entry therefore that is where the battle for godliness must first be fought

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If we're to destroy the iniquitous fruit we must strike its sins root

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We must not have a careless lukewarm antinomian spirit watch be alert

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Put on the whole armor of God be ready Forth Note that the

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Savior couples watchfulness and prayer these two things are not brought together by accident The necessity of prayer is an acknowledgment that keeping ourselves out of temptation and Preserving ourselves in times of temptation is not something that is dependent on our own power

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If you depend on your own power, you're gonna fall

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We must continually look to Christ for we are kept by his power his spirit

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Our sanctification is dependent on our union with him in his death and resurrection and our perseverance is dependent upon his intercession and his preserving grace

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You got a high priest up in heaven who prays for you every day 24 hours a day He's at God's right hand.

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God always answers his prayers In order to be faithful to Jesus, we must observe both duties.

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So let's look at the first one. Keep on watching Our Lord's first imperative is to continually watch or be on guard against temptation

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This command is comprehensive for watchfulness encompasses every possible temptation that can come from the world the devil and even from within ourselves and There are a number areas that merit our attention.

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Number one watchfulness includes a careful continuous close examination of our own hearts or minds we need to hold up our hearts to God's law and identify our weaknesses sinful tendencies and Every area where there has been a prior pattern of failure or unfaithfulness

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Temptations that come upon us receive their power from our own inner lusts James 1 14 to 15 but each one of us is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed then when desirous concedes it gives birth to sin and sin when it is full -grown brings forth death a

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Man who carries gunpowder around with him inside of his coat? May well ask that he may not be led where the sparks are flying

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If we have a heart like a bombshell That is ready to explode at any moment

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We may pray and we may be kept out of the fire lest our hearts destroy us

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Lean not on your own understanding trust not on yourselves. Always trust in God always look to the

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Word Human autonomy is the path to sin And this point is very important because we need to understand that nothing outside of us can force us to commit sin

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The fruit did not force Eve to commit sin nor did Satan The gold and beautiful clothing did not force

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Aitken to steal The very attract the best Sheba did not force David to commit adultery That bottle of liquor on the shelf does not force the drunkard to become inebriated

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It is only when men and women make peace with sinful desires Contemplate them in their minds and then consent to them in the heart that sin breaks forth

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Sinful acts always begin in the mind with an inner consent to lust with an internal agreement in the mind to commit sin

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So we must wage war against inner lusts in a biblical manner if we were to avoid entering into temptation and committing evil acts

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The fight begins right here People commit adultery. What do they do? They make excuses people who steal they make excuses.

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They justify sin in their minds They cooperate with the temptation. They cooperate with the devil suggestions first Peter 2 11

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Beloved I beg you as soldiers and pilgrims abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul

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True mortification of sin consists not only in abstaining from the outward acts thereof but in the weakening of the root and power of sin within and The inclinations and desires of the soul after the acting thereof which are here called fleshly lusts

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The flesh the old man The law of sin that wages war in our members. It's all throughout the

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New Testament. It's our deadly enemy The remaining corruption of our nature is the reason temptation is so dangerous

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Paul warns believers Romans 7 there is a sin that dwells in us verse 17 the flesh verse 18 Loss seven and eight the law of sin in our members verse 23 our corrupt natures and sinful inclinations draw us toward what is evil and Wars against the law of our minds verse 23

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The Apostle often warned Christians about this inner war Galatians 5 17 for the flesh lusts against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh and these are

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Contrary one to another so that you do not do the things that you wish The battle within raises an important question

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How are we to watch against an enemy within that wages war against our desire to be holy and glorify

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Christ? We all know if you're regenerate if you could press a button, I'll never sin ever again I'll never have a dirty thought ever again.

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You'd press that button immediately wouldn't you? There are a number of things that we can do

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First we must carefully identify our own specific problem areas. Some men have a problem controlling their anger

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Well others may have a good amount of control in this area Some people are often tempted to drink in excess of alcoholic beverages

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There are others who are not tempted at all by alcohol Some professing Christians are drawn to an excess level of material things and to pride

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Others however are very content with their station in life Many men have a particular problem with the lust of the eyes the temptations related to sexual things

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Very common. I know seven ministers who have committed adultery are no longer in the ministry seven

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And that's only only over a period of a little over 40 years We must study and learn the state and condition of our own hearts there must be an honest self -evaluation in the light of Scripture Those who choose to live in self to set live in self -deception and refuse to judge themselves according to the

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Word of God have a false Self -understanding and are vulnerable to an attack in a weak area a cunning enemy will strike at our weakest point

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Therefore we must identify and strengthen our problem areas There's a weak point in every one of us some have more than one weak point and Remember the strength of a rope is to be measured not according to its strength and its strongest, but its weakest part

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Every engineer will tell you that the strength of a ship should always be estimated not according to her strongest, but her weakest part

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For if the strain shall come on her weakest part and that is broken No matter how strong the rest may be the whole ship is going to go down and that's true of every one of us second

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We must carefully watch and be on the alert against every circumstance that may be provoke or stimulate or inner corruption

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If a man has a strong desire to drink alcoholic beverages in excess, and I've known many many many

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I'd want to stay at my house. I just got two cases of killer IPA. I came back.

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I was gone a couple weeks. They were gone He should not keep alcoholic beverages in his house

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And he should not go to bars or restaurants that serve liquor and he should not keep company with men who like to drink If a man is struggling with sexual lust then he should not watch any

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TV programs or videos or look at magazines We'll pour gasoline on his corrupt embers In our sex saturated culture this task will take continued diligence

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King David Should not have been on that roof watching a beautiful woman taking a bath

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Who's not his wife if you want to watch your bath take a wife? That's wonderful, but don't be looking at your neighbor's wife taking a bath.

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He should have known that he should have walked away immediately Young Christian men and women should never go out on dates where they are alone and they can easily fall into the sin of fornication

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And the old days they call that you know having a chaperone in The past when our culture was much more directed by the

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Christian world and life view there were many societal rules that flowed from biblical principles men and women until the 20th century dressed in modest attire

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Look at the bathing suits around 1910 The whole woman's body was completely covered No, she didn't have a burka on but her bathing suit covered everything men if they took their shirts off to go swimming

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Would get an expensive ticket. It was against the law for men to expose their their top at that time and Women who their knees are too much of the thigh was exposed.

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They would get an expensive ticket Men went around on beaches writing tickets Even at the beach in the 19th century men and women were properly covered so that lust would not be stimulated today

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However, men and especially young ladies purposely dress immodestly with a specific goal of inciting lust

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Men are pigs. That's very easy, and they know it in The past it was generally understood that a man should never enter the house of a woman if her husband was not home

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Young men and women were not allowed to be alone together If a parent could not be present then at least a trustworthy chaperone was always there

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So youthful passions would not be stimulated The societal rules of the past were all based on the biblical idea that we cannot trust ourselves that our hearts are deceitful and corrupt a

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A person who understands the biblical teaching regarding the heart of man, even the regenerated heart will know the necessity of diligent watchfulness

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Because of a remaining sin We know that once we meet with certain temptations that a fire may begin to rage within us that is very difficult to quench

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Therefore we must watch our own hearts. We must identify our weak areas and then act upon that knowledge

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We must never willingly expose ourselves to temptations. And if we do then we are violating our text

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We are violating biblical principles. We are violating the words of Jesus Christ setting ourselves up for a fall and Have no biblical reason to expect any special assistance from God in such a situation

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It's an act of pride Eve sinned in her mind before she ate the fruit When she started listening to the devil and saying, you know, those are pretty good arguments

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Little empiricism here. Oh, look how beautiful the fruit is little rationalism here. Go ahead. Take the fruit

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Eve Proverbs 13 20 he who walks with wise men will be wise but the companion of fools will be destroyed

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God warns us not to associate with evildoers Proverbs 20 19 he who goes about as a tailbearer reveals secrets.

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Therefore do not associate with one who flatters with his lips Gossiping which is totally on satanic.

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It's totally unbiblical divides churches Takes two to tango it takes two if I've learned this people who won't listen to gossip

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Gossipers don't even go to them anymore. Oh, I can't go to Bob. He's not gonna listen to my gossip He's not gonna listen to my slander

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He's gonna walk away and tell me to repent Proverbs 24 1 2 2 do not be envious of evil men nor desire to be with them for their heart devises violence in their lips talk of troublemaking number two

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Watchfulness involves a biblical analysis and an awareness of the common allurements of the world the

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Word of God tells us that circum certain certain circumstances in life are often accompanied by certain types of temptation a the person who becomes very rich can be filled with pride tempted by greed and Or drawn away from spiritual matters to the concerns of status pleasure keeping up with the rich elite

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It is not an accident that in Israel's history times of great prosperity were also times of serious declension

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Sadly in America great economic prosperity has not led to thankfulness to God and to godliness, but to a love of vanities perversions and an obsession with sports and entertainment in the

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United States in Europe there is a great neglect of the means of grace and almost universal profanation of the

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Christian Sabbath a mountain of debt for unnecessary luxuries Paul says you shouldn't be in debt a

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Neglect of family duties an incredibly high rate of adultery and divorce and a worship of media stars and sports figures

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Who are a bunch of imbeciles? Who cares if you're famous? Yeah, I like the

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Beatles. They wrote great music, but they're a bunch of idiots. They're totally immoral. They're wicked You might be able to write good poetry.

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That doesn't make you a wise man Jehovah warned Israel of the temptation to set aside the things of God in times of economic prosperity and Deuteronomy 8 11 to 14

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Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping his commandments his judgments and his statutes, which

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I command you today lest when you are eaten and are full and have built beautiful houses and dwell in them and when your herds and flocks multiply and your

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Silver and your gold are multiplied and all that you have is multiplied When your heart is lifted up and you forget the

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Lord your God who brought you out of the house of Egypt the house of bondage There's a reason that the

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Bible warrants about rich people Nothing wrong with being rich. A lot of great saints were rich Abraham David B There are also temptations that accompany money problems and poverty

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Some people in such situations are tempted to neglect their family work on the Sabbath or take jobs that are shady and unscriptural

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Such situations can tempt a person to worry Become irritable and fight with their spouse

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Proverbs 38 to 9 give me neither poverty nor riches feed me with the food allotted to me Lest I be full of full and deny you and say who is the

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Lord or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God see There are temptations that often accompany various types of modern visual media for example

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Television is full of lewd and lascivious behavior. That is not fitting for the eyes of Christian families

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The film industry and cable programs are even worse Many Christians professing Christians have fallen into sin through the easy access to sexual perversions over the

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Internet Now if we know that there are certain situations where temptation will be inflamed and illicit less greatly stimulated

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Then we must by all means avoid such things Believers can install a good filter on the computer that is assigned to block those kind of sites and they're unwanted advertisements or Just don't use a computer.

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There's a lot of good books. You don't need it Romans 1 29 to 32 being filled with all unrighteousness

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Sexual immorality who knowing the righteous judgment of God that those who practice such things are deserving of death not only

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Do the same but also approve of those who practice them What does that say?

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Anybody who's in favor of homosexuality is worthy of death Anybody who passes laws where a divorce is easy and the person the innocent party is penalized, which is the way it is today

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Three Christians must not only understand and avoid Common situations that cause temptation.

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They must also prepare themselves to deal with temptation when it does occur to prepare against temptation believers need to do consider the following points a

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We must meditate upon what Jesus did for us in our love and loyalty to him There should be no greater motivation

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To live a holy life and to serve God than our love to Christ in our adoration and devotion toward God And we find an excellent example of this love in Joseph when he was confronted suddenly with a strong temptation.

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He immediately replied Genesis 39 9 how then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?

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Note that Joseph's Joseph's motivation for obedience was his love devotion loyalty and dedication to Jehovah His concern is not

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I better not do this I might get caught or I'm not going to do this because I'm afraid I'm gonna go to hell rather He thinks

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I will not sin against my covenant God. I refuse to engage in behavior that my lord hates

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His statement flows from a heart that loves God That exudes loyalty and faithfulness.

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Oh God give us hearts like Joseph that are saturated with love for you covenant faithfulness

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The same kind of love motivated the Apostle Paul and directed his whole converted life He writes 2nd Corinthians 5 14 to 15 for the love of Christ compels us

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He died for all that all who live and should no longer live for themselves, but for him

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Who died for them and rose again? We have been forgiven much out of love much

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We must believe trust obey serve and love Christ with all of our hearts as poor sinners saved by grace

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We must glorify and honor the Savior in all things We must endeavor to base all of our thoughts words and actions upon our love for and devotion to Jesus Not justify sin not deliberately enter into temptation be

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Believers must place in their arsenal all the biblical battle armor and weaponry that God has provided in order to deal with all the various temptations that arise in life

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Where do we get this battle armor and weapon? We must go to the Bible the inspired infallible Word of God Jesus said sanctify them by your truth.

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Your word is truth. John 17 17 the great prayer for sanctification He doesn't talk about mystical leadings.

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He talks about going to the Word of God first Peter 2 2 as Newborn babes desire the pure milk of the word that you may grow thereby

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When the Apostle Paul was instructing Christians on how to live a godly life He said that believers need to be led by the

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Spirit Galatians 5 17 They must continually live in the Spirit walk in the Spirit Galatians 5 24 now

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What does it mean to be led or walk or live in the Spirit? Does it mean that we're to be speak in tongues and be directed mystically and get inner communications

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No, that's not what it means The canon of Scripture is closed and prophecy has ceased first Corinthians 13 8 to 11

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Romans 22 18 The Holy Spirit directs us and guides us by his word the Bible alone sola

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Scriptura therefore if we are to grow in holiness and battle against temptation and sin, we must learn the scriptures

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What they're not we to do Well, obviously you better read your Bible every day get a good literal translation of the

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Word of God not a sloppy paraphrase like the NIV and Read three to five chapters every single day by reading the

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Bible over and over we saturate our minds of Scripture and we provide much Inspired material that the

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Holy Spirit can bring to our minds and apply to our hearts when tough circumstances or temptations arise if we do fall short in sin

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The Spirit will apply the word to our hearts and convict us of the sin so that we will confess our sins and learn from Our failings.

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Yeah, every one of us is gonna sin. We need to pray the Lord's Prayer every day. We need we sin every day Another important thing to do is learn and memorize portions of Scripture that can be utilized when temptation arises

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You got a problem with anger learn the passages that deal with anger If somebody's tempted by drunkenness or fornication or dishonest business practices then specific passages can be written down applied to each of these areas written on little cards memorize a meditate on them, especially if you're tempted and Specific areas must be met hud on by appropriate passages.

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What did Jesus do every time he was tempted by Satan? He quoted Scripture it is written

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Matthew 4 for it is written verse 7 away with you Satan for it is written for 10

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Not only did our Lord quote Scripture He quoted verses that specifically applied to each temptation and this tactic is exactly what we ought to do when we are tempted

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You're some young guy and you're taking a college class and some Beautiful girl comes up to you and says hey come over to my place man.

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I got some good doobies and coke Get behind me Satan and you quote

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Scripture About how fornication leads people to death I'm serious.

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It'll work She won't bother you again That's happened to me. I've been places with you work at places, you know secular places and there are women there that are you know

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Immoral and you tell them exactly where you stand. They'll never talk to you ever again. Believe me Note that there is great power in God's Word both of directing the righteous and confounding the wicked

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To observe the relevancy of our Savior's method of dealing with temptation consider the following example John is a young Christian man is who is studying engineering at the local secular city.

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When do you have beautiful non -christian? Pierced and tattooed young women invites invites John to a party which will involve drunkenness drugs and fornication

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How does John respond he politely explains that he cannot attend the party because he is a

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Christian in the Bible explicitly teaches in 1st Corinthians 6 9 that fornicators and drunkards will not inherit the kingdom of God The biblical response not only strengthens

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John resolved to be obedient to Christ. It also an immediately and firmly tells the heathen They're wasting their time with this person

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If you act biblically at work or in school and Quote scripture and they find out where you stand.

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Believe me. They're not gonna bother you ever again. They'll just leave you alone Oh this this guy's off -limits

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The light of Scripture sends Canaanites back to the darkness of their pagan companionship See third

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Christian should have a plan of action to deal with the most common temptations in their life That is a premeditated plan that deals with the weak areas or areas that where there is a pattern of past failures

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Like an army that never goes that never goes into battle without a premeditated plan based on careful analysis believers need to plan ahead

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They need to ask themselves probing questions regarding future contingencies For example, what scripture passage will

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I meditate on a quote if necessary when such and such temptation arises? What will I say if certain circumstances occurs?

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What exactly will I do if this particular temptation comes before me? How can I arrange my affairs at home work or school to lessen the possibilities of temptation?

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The Americans first battle in North Africa in World War two was a complete and utter disaster So they sent in a guy named

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George Patton. He turned everything around very quickly Discipline discipline and when he wasn't disciplining the troops and teaching them how to be he was planning an attack what to do specifically what to do a

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Christian can't avoid many problems at work or school by simply making rules based on typical principles that are non -negotiable

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For example, I'm married believer should make it very clear to everyone at work. I'm a strict Christian I'm dedicated to my wife.

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I will have nothing to do with other women He won't partake in the filthy talk or the coarse jesting with the other guys

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He's not going to go to the bar and hang out with unbelievers after work. I Was a salesman, you know,

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I was I had jobs as a pastor where I didn't make much money I was a salesman these guys want to go to Hooters. They want to go to strip clubs

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You know what I did. I took a nap in the car Loose women under such circumstances will eventually understand that such a man is a waste of time and there is no point in even approaching such a man a single

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Christian in college Must in each and every case make it crystal clear that dating or being alone with the opposite opposite sex is off -limits and that Courting unbelievers

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Roman Catholics or Armenians is unscriptural and totally unacceptable Yeah, maybe it's gonna be harder to find a spouse.

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Yeah, that's true But you don't want to be you don't want to have Satan in your house the rest of your life Do you? You want to you want to experience pain go marry an unbeliever have

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Satan talking to you every day when when believers set up rules and policies that are formulated by a careful study of Scripture during private devotions and then habitually follow these rules

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They will find themselves Automatically following the spirit -directed mind in other words a biblical response to temptation becomes second nature

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It becomes a godly habit Such a procedure is much wiser and more successful than being unprepared

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Fumbling and trying to come up with a biblical response to a situation of temptation I you know, I get so angry watching these evangelicals of atheists and so forth on YouTube.

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None of they don't know Scripture They're unprepared. They don't know logic. They don't know how to argue philosophically They don't know that these arguments that are super easy to refute and they're absolutely stupid that come out of the rectum of Satan They don't know how to deal with that because they're not prepared

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You should be disciplined and you should be prepared you're a warrior for Christ We're not here to just party and have fun for it

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Believers must watch against temptation by obeying God's law by keeping Christ's words. In other words obedience or the practice of righteousness

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Leads to greater obedience and blessing a Person who engages in some sinful behavior can be further caught in a web of other related temptations

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David's adultery with Bathsheba led to complicated cover -up with lies intrigue and murder the Christians best defense against sin and temptation is a good offense

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Thus we repeatedly encounter the Apostle Paul not merely commanding believers to put off some old sinful behaviors like lying fornication or theft

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But to replace the old sinful habits with godly behaviors the man who stole don't steal anymore work with their hands

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So you have extra money to help poor Christians the man with a problem with lust and fornication get yourself a godly wife and engage in schnookums

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The biblical pattern for avoiding temptation is not to leave the world by entering a monastery or living in a cave

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But by applying God's Holy Law to everyday life over and over and over again

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So you don't even have to it's like driving your car. You don't even have to think about it as fervent Christians We want to be so consumed with serving

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Christ that we do not have the time or energy to waste on serving the flesh

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He had trust in his own heart as a fool, but ever wipes wisely will be delivered Psalm 28 26 a prudent man foresees evil and hides himself

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But the simple pass on and are punished Psalm 22 3 Every prudent man acts with knowledge, but a fool lays open his folly

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Proverbs 13 16 Our precious

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Savior said that hearing is not enough But hearing and obedience are the keys to perseverance

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Matthew 7 24 to 27 therefore he who hears these sayings of mine and does them I will liken him to a wise man He built his house on a rock and the rain

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Descended and the floods came and the wind blew it beat on that house and it did not fall For it was founded upon the rock, but everyone who hears these sayings of mine and does not do them

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Will be like the foolish man who built his house on the sand and the rain descended the floods came the winds blew and beat on that house and it fell and great was its fall and Then II and I'll wrap things up here

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Watchfulness involves contemplating the disastrous consequences of giving into temptation a Fool acts without any consideration for the future for a moment of pleasure for a moment of pleasure

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He understands a true piece of joy come from obedience that sin May be sweet like honey, but in the stomach it is bitter and painful

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The Bible warns us in this regard by giving us historical examples of men who have fallen The inspired record of the bitter fruit of sin is there so that we should not repeat the iniquities of our spiritual forefathers

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And I'll wrap things up here I get a little more but I'll wrap it up think of Abraham who listened to his wife

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God had made a promise. I don't care if you're 99 years old. I don't care if you're a shriveled up old hag

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You're gonna have a baby God said it She doubted she convinced

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Abraham to get Hagar and the Jews are fighting these people to this very day The descendants of Hagar they've had a thorn in their side for thousands of years because of his lack of faith to obey the

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Word of God David Yeah, he repented he gave us a precious book of Psalms most of it

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He limped to the day of his death He had sorrow in his heart his children the judgment that came upon him and his family.

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Was it worth it David? Was it worth it? No, it was not worth it. Consider your soul

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Obedience is the best thing for all of us Disobedience leads to temporal and eternal judgments.

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It is a total disaster Christian culture produces a godly civilization with great prosperity

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Where you don't have to lock your door? People used to go to Central Park. I used to listen these tapes of Otto Scott and Rush Dooney when he was a kid

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And this would be probably 1910 or something or 1920 they would go to Central Park and sleep in the park overnight

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Now you don't want to walk in Central Park unless you got four or five guys with you that are strong and muscly But anyway, heed these words think about this.

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This is critical teaching. Let us pray father. We thank you so much for your word Christ you give us such great instruction

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Now we ask Lord that you would fill us with your Holy Spirit Strengthen our love in you and your word

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Cause us to obey Convict us when we don't obey that we would be faithful Disciples covenant keepers in Jesus name.

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Amen any questions I hope