WEBVTT 00:00:02.029 --> 00:00:04.370 We're talking on these Sunday evenings during 00:00:04.370 --> 00:00:08.109 these summer months about our enemy, the devil. 00:00:08.349 --> 00:00:13.109 We have an adversary that we contend with. The 00:00:13.109 --> 00:00:15.189 Christian life is not just floating down the 00:00:15.189 --> 00:00:19.789 river like a chip in the stream, but rather we 00:00:19.789 --> 00:00:23.609 are confronted with an adversary who seeks our 00:00:23.609 --> 00:00:27.510 destruction, who wants to neutralize us in our 00:00:27.510 --> 00:00:30.089 effectiveness for Jesus Christ in this life. 00:00:31.280 --> 00:00:34.420 We are told by Peter that we are to be on guard 00:00:34.420 --> 00:00:38.960 against our adversary. And to do that, we have 00:00:38.960 --> 00:00:42.380 to know something about him and the way that 00:00:42.380 --> 00:00:46.039 he works. The last time we talked about this, 00:00:46.079 --> 00:00:50.759 two weeks ago tonight, we dealt with John 8 .44. 00:00:50.920 --> 00:00:52.780 Perhaps you'd like to turn there in your Bible 00:00:52.780 --> 00:00:57.259 to one key verse that gives us actually two of 00:00:57.259 --> 00:01:01.340 the characteristics. of this angelic beast with 00:01:01.340 --> 00:01:09.500 which we fight. In John 8, 44, Jesus says, You 00:01:09.500 --> 00:01:14.599 are of your father the devil, and you want to 00:01:14.599 --> 00:01:17.799 do the desires of your father. He was a murderer 00:01:17.799 --> 00:01:21.840 from the beginning and does not stand in the 00:01:21.840 --> 00:01:24.439 truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever 00:01:24.439 --> 00:01:29.200 he speaks the lie, literally, the lie, He speaks 00:01:29.200 --> 00:01:33.579 from his own nature, for he is a liar and the 00:01:33.579 --> 00:01:37.620 father of lies. So in that verse we see, number 00:01:37.620 --> 00:01:41.340 one, that he is a murderer. He has been from 00:01:41.340 --> 00:01:44.219 the beginning. He brought death into the world 00:01:44.219 --> 00:01:46.359 through the temptation of our parents, Adam and 00:01:46.359 --> 00:01:50.739 Eve. He was the one who instigated the first 00:01:50.739 --> 00:01:54.920 murder, the murder of Abel by his brother Cain, 00:01:54.980 --> 00:01:59.310 according to 1 John chapter 3. And down through 00:01:59.310 --> 00:02:01.430 the years, Satan has been a murderer. He has 00:02:01.430 --> 00:02:05.129 sought to murder the Jewish people, for example. 00:02:05.129 --> 00:02:08.270 We pointed out some examples of that, biblically 00:02:08.270 --> 00:02:11.650 and then in more recent history. He sought to 00:02:11.650 --> 00:02:14.669 murder the Lord Jesus Christ. And frankly, if 00:02:14.669 --> 00:02:17.509 he could, if he were permitted to, he would seek 00:02:17.509 --> 00:02:21.629 to murder you and remove you from the face of 00:02:21.629 --> 00:02:26.289 the earth as well. He is a murderer. And murder 00:02:26.289 --> 00:02:30.479 finds its root in Satan. But we also pointed 00:02:30.479 --> 00:02:36.000 out in talking about that, that there are some 00:02:36.000 --> 00:02:39.379 associated sins with murder. For example, hatred. 00:02:41.659 --> 00:02:45.419 1 John 3 .15 tells us that if we hate our brother, 00:02:45.599 --> 00:02:50.939 we are guilty of murder. That's strong language, 00:02:51.060 --> 00:02:54.060 but it's true. None of us have ever pulled the 00:02:54.060 --> 00:02:57.669 trigger and shot someone else. But there have 00:02:57.669 --> 00:03:00.210 been times when we have harbored in our hearts 00:03:00.210 --> 00:03:06.210 a hatred for a brother in Christ. That is the 00:03:06.210 --> 00:03:10.270 sin of murder. We talked about gossip as being 00:03:10.270 --> 00:03:14.990 associated with murder. Life and death, says 00:03:14.990 --> 00:03:20.789 Proverbs, are in the power of the tongue. And 00:03:20.789 --> 00:03:26.580 those who love it will eat its fruit. With the 00:03:26.580 --> 00:03:30.039 tongue, we can execute another person. We can 00:03:30.039 --> 00:03:35.379 slay that person's reputation. We saw that anger 00:03:35.379 --> 00:03:37.719 as well is associated with murder. Jesus talks 00:03:37.719 --> 00:03:41.000 about it in Matthew chapter 5. That smoldering, 00:03:41.000 --> 00:03:44.400 nursed anger, that brooding bitterness, that 00:03:44.400 --> 00:03:47.680 too is akin to murder. We want to have nothing 00:03:47.680 --> 00:03:55.610 to do with murder. That is satanic. And then 00:03:55.610 --> 00:04:00.110 we have seen also that Satan is a liar. He is 00:04:00.110 --> 00:04:05.569 never truthful. He seeks to deceive. He himself 00:04:05.569 --> 00:04:10.930 is thoroughly deceived. You know why? We know 00:04:10.930 --> 00:04:13.189 that because he reads the Bible. He knows what 00:04:13.189 --> 00:04:16.170 the Word of God says. He knows what God has said 00:04:16.170 --> 00:04:18.970 about his future. And yet he is so thoroughly 00:04:18.970 --> 00:04:21.529 self -deceived, he believes that somehow he will 00:04:21.529 --> 00:04:24.350 work around the judgment that God has already 00:04:24.350 --> 00:04:27.769 pronounced upon him. As much as he has thoroughly 00:04:27.769 --> 00:04:30.709 deceived himself, he seeks to deceive others 00:04:30.709 --> 00:04:35.029 as well. We are warned in the New Testament to 00:04:35.029 --> 00:04:37.790 be truthful people. Let's turn to Ephesians chapter 00:04:37.790 --> 00:04:39.850 4. I don't think we ever quite got to that point 00:04:39.850 --> 00:04:42.350 the last time. So let's look at this passage. 00:04:43.129 --> 00:04:47.329 Ephesians chapter 4, beginning in verse 22. In 00:04:47.329 --> 00:04:50.470 reference to your former manner of life, he says, 00:04:50.509 --> 00:04:53.189 Lay aside the old self which is being corrupted 00:04:53.189 --> 00:04:59.389 in accordance with the lusts of deceit, that 00:04:59.389 --> 00:05:01.810 you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and 00:05:01.810 --> 00:05:05.230 put on the new self which in the likeness of 00:05:05.230 --> 00:05:08.750 God has been created in righteousness and holiness 00:05:08.750 --> 00:05:14.149 of the truth. Therefore, laying aside falsehood, 00:05:14.209 --> 00:05:17.949 speak truth. each one of you with his neighbor, 00:05:18.069 --> 00:05:20.689 for we are members of one another. We talked 00:05:20.689 --> 00:05:23.750 about that this morning, didn't we? If we lie 00:05:23.750 --> 00:05:26.529 to someone else, we are actually lying to ourselves 00:05:26.529 --> 00:05:30.910 because we're members one of another. He says, 00:05:30.910 --> 00:05:33.370 be angry, do not sin, do not let the sun go down 00:05:33.370 --> 00:05:35.509 upon your wrath, do not give the devil an opportunity. 00:05:37.350 --> 00:05:40.769 We are to stay away from anything to do with 00:05:40.769 --> 00:05:44.680 falsehood, with lying, with deceiving. We're 00:05:44.680 --> 00:05:48.240 to be an honest people, a truthful people. May 00:05:48.240 --> 00:05:50.279 that characterize us as the children of God. 00:05:51.620 --> 00:05:54.240 But I'd like for us to turn now to another passage. 00:05:55.279 --> 00:05:59.079 This one, Matthew chapter 4. We're going to notice 00:05:59.079 --> 00:06:02.800 a third characteristic of this angelic beast 00:06:02.800 --> 00:06:06.300 that we battle. Matthew chapter 4, verse 3 gives 00:06:06.300 --> 00:06:13.399 it to us. He is a murderer. He is a liar. And 00:06:13.399 --> 00:06:15.839 now we're going to see in tonight's study that 00:06:15.839 --> 00:06:21.180 he is the tempter. That is his work. He is the 00:06:21.180 --> 00:06:27.480 tempter. He seeks to entice people to sin against 00:06:27.480 --> 00:06:31.939 God. In chapter 4, verse 1, then Jesus was led 00:06:31.939 --> 00:06:34.699 up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted 00:06:34.699 --> 00:06:39.170 by the devil. After he had fasted 40 days and 00:06:39.170 --> 00:06:42.149 40 nights, he then became hungry, and the tempter 00:06:42.149 --> 00:06:48.149 came and said to him. And so we see that Satan 00:06:48.149 --> 00:06:53.230 is called the tempter as well. He seeks to allure 00:06:53.230 --> 00:06:57.970 men to sin, to commit evil. God never does that. 00:06:59.180 --> 00:07:01.959 In James chapter 1, we read that God himself 00:07:01.959 --> 00:07:06.339 cannot be tempted with evil, nor does he tempt 00:07:06.339 --> 00:07:10.399 any man with it. You say, but doesn't the Bible 00:07:10.399 --> 00:07:14.439 talk about God testing us? Yes. God does test 00:07:14.439 --> 00:07:19.199 us. His purpose in that is not to get us to fall, 00:07:19.360 --> 00:07:23.279 not to entrap us in some wickedness, but God's 00:07:23.279 --> 00:07:27.959 purpose in testing us is to prove us. Much as 00:07:27.959 --> 00:07:30.740 an assayer would put gold through certain tests 00:07:30.740 --> 00:07:34.620 to prove that it's genuine gold, or a gem expert 00:07:34.620 --> 00:07:37.019 would look at a diamond and put it through tests 00:07:37.019 --> 00:07:41.079 to make sure that it's a genuine diamond. So 00:07:41.079 --> 00:07:44.740 God puts us through tests to prove our genuineness, 00:07:44.740 --> 00:07:48.399 and we should count that precious. But God never 00:07:48.399 --> 00:07:53.420 tempts us to sin. Who does then? Of course, it's 00:07:53.420 --> 00:07:57.759 Satan. He is the tempter. Satan may directly 00:07:57.759 --> 00:08:02.560 tempt us, himself or through one of his demons, 00:08:02.620 --> 00:08:05.899 as we'll see in a few moments, or he may choose 00:08:05.899 --> 00:08:11.560 to use the world system to launch the snare against 00:08:11.560 --> 00:08:17.180 us. You say the world system, what is that? When 00:08:17.180 --> 00:08:19.240 we talk about the world system, we are talking 00:08:19.240 --> 00:08:26.000 about the organized evil that controls unregenerate 00:08:26.000 --> 00:08:30.339 people in the world. We're talking about a system 00:08:30.339 --> 00:08:32.740 of thought, a way of looking at life, a way of 00:08:32.740 --> 00:08:36.759 doing things, a way of doing business. We're 00:08:36.759 --> 00:08:39.360 talking about a system that is intellectual, 00:08:39.600 --> 00:08:44.419 that is religious, that is scientific, but a 00:08:44.419 --> 00:08:47.259 whole system, a whole philosophy, if you please, 00:08:47.519 --> 00:08:51.549 that is opposed to God. That is the world system. 00:08:51.870 --> 00:08:55.409 And 1 John 5 says that that world system lies 00:08:55.409 --> 00:08:58.309 in the wicked one, the pictures of Satan rocking 00:08:58.309 --> 00:09:05.009 his baby. The world system is his baby. He has 00:09:05.009 --> 00:09:08.389 carefully constructed it since back in the beginning 00:09:08.389 --> 00:09:12.830 in Genesis chapter 3. And he now has it fine 00:09:12.830 --> 00:09:18.419 -tuned so that the world system functions. to 00:09:18.419 --> 00:09:21.659 achieve his purpose. He has a course for this 00:09:21.659 --> 00:09:26.240 age, and he uses the world system to move history 00:09:26.240 --> 00:09:33.940 in that direction. He also uses that world system 00:09:33.940 --> 00:09:39.580 to entice us to sin. Again, it's John who writes 00:09:39.580 --> 00:09:41.460 about this, and I ask you to turn with me to 00:09:41.460 --> 00:09:50.059 1 John 2. These are familiar words to Bible students. 00:09:53.580 --> 00:09:57.379 John tells us in verse 15, do not love the world. 00:09:58.259 --> 00:10:01.279 I emphasize again, he is not saying do not love 00:10:01.279 --> 00:10:04.580 unsaved people because God loves unsaved people. 00:10:05.779 --> 00:10:10.460 John 3 .16, for God so loved the world that he 00:10:10.460 --> 00:10:13.000 gave his only begotten son that whosoever should 00:10:13.000 --> 00:10:14.879 believe in him should not perish but have everlasting 00:10:14.879 --> 00:10:19.259 life. So God loves the world of unsaved people, 00:10:19.360 --> 00:10:21.279 but we're commanded here not to love the world 00:10:21.279 --> 00:10:23.940 system. That's the way John is using this word. 00:10:24.899 --> 00:10:27.919 Nor the things in the world. If anyone loves 00:10:27.919 --> 00:10:30.299 the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 00:10:32.100 --> 00:10:35.120 He says, for all that is in the world, the lust 00:10:35.120 --> 00:10:38.639 of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the boastful 00:10:38.639 --> 00:10:42.899 pride of life is not from the Father, but is 00:10:42.899 --> 00:10:47.000 from the world. You will notice three key phrases 00:10:47.000 --> 00:10:49.720 here, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the 00:10:49.720 --> 00:10:53.559 eyes, and what is called the boastful pride of 00:10:53.559 --> 00:10:59.980 life. There we have underscored for us three 00:10:59.980 --> 00:11:04.799 of the weapons that Satan uses through the world 00:11:04.799 --> 00:11:09.360 system to entice us to become disobedient to 00:11:09.360 --> 00:11:12.039 our Lord. Let's talk about them briefly. The 00:11:12.039 --> 00:11:16.200 lust of the flesh. If I were to condense that 00:11:16.200 --> 00:11:18.279 phrase to one word, it would be the word pleasure. 00:11:20.759 --> 00:11:23.139 Now please understand there's nothing innately 00:11:23.139 --> 00:11:26.139 wrong with pleasure. God created us to enjoy 00:11:26.139 --> 00:11:29.919 things. Indeed, God wants us to have pleasure 00:11:29.919 --> 00:11:33.700 in things. But it's talking here about pleasures 00:11:33.700 --> 00:11:47.120 that are abused or misused. physical appetites, 00:11:47.139 --> 00:11:53.879 the desires that we have. Satan seeks to use 00:11:53.879 --> 00:11:59.360 those, to twist them, so that by them we sin 00:11:59.360 --> 00:12:03.759 against God. We're talking about the improper 00:12:03.759 --> 00:12:07.500 gratification of our desires. That's what he's 00:12:07.500 --> 00:12:11.980 talking about, the lust of the flesh. Now, would 00:12:11.980 --> 00:12:14.720 you go with me back to Genesis chapter 3? Put 00:12:14.720 --> 00:12:23.480 your finger there. And then turn to Luke chapter 00:12:23.480 --> 00:12:29.519 4. I want you to see that these three weapons 00:12:29.519 --> 00:12:32.460 were used in the garden, and they were used also 00:12:32.460 --> 00:12:37.120 against the Lord Jesus Christ. They are weapons 00:12:37.120 --> 00:12:42.429 that you face every day of your life. In Genesis 00:12:42.429 --> 00:12:49.590 chapter 3, verse 6, we see this clause regarding 00:12:49.590 --> 00:12:53.309 the temptation of Eve. It says, when the woman 00:12:53.309 --> 00:13:00.049 saw that the tree was good for food. Now, was 00:13:00.049 --> 00:13:01.830 there anything wrong with her being hungry? No. 00:13:03.090 --> 00:13:05.529 Was there anything wrong with her desiring food? 00:13:05.649 --> 00:13:10.570 No. But there was something wrong with this particular... 00:13:11.000 --> 00:13:14.379 because God had said, don't eat of this tree. 00:13:15.720 --> 00:13:19.500 So you see, Satan used that natural appetite 00:13:19.500 --> 00:13:24.740 that she had and launched an attack against her, 00:13:24.779 --> 00:13:28.240 caused her to see that fruit that was forbidden 00:13:28.240 --> 00:13:33.940 and to desire it. So she saw that the tree was 00:13:33.940 --> 00:13:38.419 good for food. That is the lust of the flesh. 00:13:39.470 --> 00:13:43.710 seeking to gratify the desire improperly, the 00:13:43.710 --> 00:13:47.750 desire even that God had given improperly. Now 00:13:47.750 --> 00:13:51.330 go and see the same thing in Luke chapter 4 as 00:13:51.330 --> 00:13:55.990 we move ahead to the Lord Jesus Christ. In the 00:13:55.990 --> 00:13:59.289 very first temptation, the devil said to him, 00:13:59.509 --> 00:14:03.210 If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to 00:14:03.210 --> 00:14:05.970 become bread. You will notice in the previous 00:14:05.970 --> 00:14:09.240 verse it says that for 40 days Jesus had... ate 00:14:09.240 --> 00:14:13.220 nothing, had eaten nothing. And when that time 00:14:13.220 --> 00:14:16.240 was over, he was very hungry. Anything wrong 00:14:16.240 --> 00:14:19.580 with that? No. That was normal. He was hungry. 00:14:20.320 --> 00:14:23.399 And Satan used that appetite, which was very 00:14:23.399 --> 00:14:27.200 normal, to launch an attack. And his temptation 00:14:27.200 --> 00:14:29.779 was, if you're the Son of God, tell this stone 00:14:29.779 --> 00:14:33.659 to become bread. So he is calling upon Jesus 00:14:33.659 --> 00:14:37.419 to fulfill that appetite improperly, out of the 00:14:37.419 --> 00:14:42.730 will of God. Now, you can go right down the list 00:14:42.730 --> 00:14:45.610 of appetites and desires that all of us have, 00:14:45.850 --> 00:14:49.629 which God has given to us, which are a part of 00:14:49.629 --> 00:14:53.330 our humanity. And you can think of how Satan 00:14:53.330 --> 00:14:56.830 uses the lusts, the desires of our flesh to launch 00:14:56.830 --> 00:15:00.429 attacks against us. Appetites that are normal, 00:15:00.549 --> 00:15:04.870 but which Satan seeks to twist and use so that 00:15:04.870 --> 00:15:09.250 we will be tempted to fulfill them improperly. 00:15:10.509 --> 00:15:13.549 And commit evil against the Lord. So there's 00:15:13.549 --> 00:15:16.289 the lust of the flesh. That's pleasure. Pleasures. 00:15:17.730 --> 00:15:20.669 And then with your fingers still in, I hope you 00:15:20.669 --> 00:15:23.649 have a lot of fingers tonight. Fingers still 00:15:23.649 --> 00:15:26.149 there in Luke and in Genesis. Go back to 1 John. 00:15:26.850 --> 00:15:29.649 And let's look at the second phrase. He says, 00:15:29.950 --> 00:15:33.169 all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh 00:15:33.169 --> 00:15:38.649 and the lust of the eyes. What the eyes see. 00:15:39.470 --> 00:15:41.529 And again, if I were to condense this, I would 00:15:41.529 --> 00:15:46.789 condense into one word, possessions. Satan tempting 00:15:46.789 --> 00:15:51.990 us to procure that which visually delights us. 00:15:52.690 --> 00:15:59.509 We see it, but then we want it. We want it. Is 00:15:59.509 --> 00:16:02.570 there anything wrong with possessions? No. There's 00:16:02.570 --> 00:16:07.289 nothing wrong with possessions. But when covetousness 00:16:07.289 --> 00:16:13.000 enters in, When greed is involved, then it's 00:16:13.000 --> 00:16:16.320 sin. So he talks here about the lust of the eyes. 00:16:16.860 --> 00:16:21.120 Now go back again to Genesis, and let's see how 00:16:21.120 --> 00:16:23.000 it played a part in the original temptation. 00:16:25.659 --> 00:16:30.159 When the woman saw that the tree was good for 00:16:30.159 --> 00:16:35.200 food and that it was a delight, what? To the 00:16:35.200 --> 00:16:40.720 eyes. She said, this is beautiful. I desire this. 00:16:42.779 --> 00:16:45.179 Whether she had it in her hand or not, I'm not 00:16:45.179 --> 00:16:49.419 sure at that point. But she looked upon that 00:16:49.419 --> 00:16:54.179 fruit and she wanted it. She wanted to possess 00:16:54.179 --> 00:16:58.340 it for herself. The lust of the eyes, possessions. 00:16:59.379 --> 00:17:03.480 And then go to Luke chapter 4. We have to do 00:17:03.480 --> 00:17:07.359 this quickly. And look at the second temptation 00:17:07.359 --> 00:17:11.039 as Luke records it. In verse 6, the devil said 00:17:11.039 --> 00:17:15.079 to him, I will give you all this domain and its 00:17:15.079 --> 00:17:18.779 glory. What domain is that? Well, look in verse 00:17:18.779 --> 00:17:22.160 5. He led him up and showed him. Let him see 00:17:22.160 --> 00:17:25.200 all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of 00:17:25.200 --> 00:17:30.859 time. And having seen that, he says to Jesus, 00:17:31.019 --> 00:17:34.200 I will give you all this domain and its glory. 00:17:34.480 --> 00:17:36.859 It's been handed over to me, and I give it to 00:17:36.859 --> 00:17:40.579 whomsoever I wish. By the way, Jesus didn't rebuke 00:17:40.579 --> 00:17:42.180 him or say, you don't have the right to do that. 00:17:42.220 --> 00:17:48.420 He did. And so our Lord Jesus was tempted not 00:17:48.420 --> 00:17:50.319 only in the area of the lust of the flesh, but 00:17:50.319 --> 00:17:54.359 in the lust of the eyes. He was allowed to see 00:17:54.359 --> 00:17:56.319 all the kingdoms of the world at once, and Satan 00:17:56.319 --> 00:17:58.059 says, now I will give you this if you will but 00:17:58.059 --> 00:18:02.660 worship me. Worship me. Well, is it God's purpose 00:18:02.660 --> 00:18:05.559 for him to be the Lord of all of those domains? 00:18:05.640 --> 00:18:07.720 Of course it is, but that was not God's way. 00:18:09.620 --> 00:18:12.779 Satan sought to use the lust of the eyes, what 00:18:12.779 --> 00:18:15.420 Jesus could see, to launch an attack against 00:18:15.420 --> 00:18:23.140 him. He does the same thing with us. He allows 00:18:23.140 --> 00:18:29.480 us to see things, and he builds within us, if 00:18:29.480 --> 00:18:33.319 we allow him to, a temptation of covetousness 00:18:33.319 --> 00:18:36.279 for that thing that we see and desire for ourselves. 00:18:39.210 --> 00:18:41.630 Again, there's nothing wrong with having possessions. 00:18:43.069 --> 00:18:46.930 God gives them to us. But we should not go out 00:18:46.930 --> 00:18:49.630 and seek to put them first to get them in a way 00:18:49.630 --> 00:18:51.670 that God does not intend for us to get them. 00:18:54.990 --> 00:18:58.230 Now let's notice the third phrase in 1 John 2, 00:18:58.589 --> 00:19:02.730 verse 16, where it speaks about the pride of 00:19:02.730 --> 00:19:06.829 life, the boastful pride of life. And so again, 00:19:06.890 --> 00:19:08.390 if I were to condense this, it would be into 00:19:08.390 --> 00:19:13.269 the one word, position. Attaining some valued 00:19:13.269 --> 00:19:17.009 honor in the sight of the world or of others 00:19:17.009 --> 00:19:22.009 or even ourselves. It's position. The pride of 00:19:22.009 --> 00:19:26.390 life. Something in which we can feel boastful 00:19:26.390 --> 00:19:30.730 that we have attained, we have accomplished this. 00:19:30.789 --> 00:19:33.849 It may be something tangible or intangible. A 00:19:33.849 --> 00:19:36.940 position. An attainment. Now let's go back to 00:19:36.940 --> 00:19:40.920 Genesis chapter 3, and we see this again built 00:19:40.920 --> 00:19:44.299 into the original temptation. The woman saw that 00:19:44.299 --> 00:19:47.559 the tree was good for food. That's pleasure, 00:19:47.779 --> 00:19:51.220 fulfillment of an appetite. That it was a delight 00:19:51.220 --> 00:19:55.859 to the eyes. She wanted it. She wanted to possess 00:19:55.859 --> 00:20:00.339 it. But then it says, and that the tree was desirable 00:20:00.339 --> 00:20:06.970 to make one wise. Wise in what way? Wise in knowing 00:20:06.970 --> 00:20:09.910 the difference between good and evil. Wise in 00:20:09.910 --> 00:20:15.430 being like God. You see, she wanted to have that 00:20:15.430 --> 00:20:19.289 position of wisdom. Now, could she have known 00:20:19.289 --> 00:20:21.670 the difference between good and evil? Yes, on 00:20:21.670 --> 00:20:23.670 the basis of what God said to her. But she wanted 00:20:23.670 --> 00:20:28.470 to experience it for herself. She did. Now let's 00:20:28.470 --> 00:20:30.990 go to Luke chapter 4. And we'll notice in the 00:20:30.990 --> 00:20:34.160 third temptation. of our Lord Jesus Christ. In 00:20:34.160 --> 00:20:36.960 verse 9, it says that Satan led him to Jerusalem 00:20:36.960 --> 00:20:39.920 and had him stand on the pinnacle of the temple 00:20:39.920 --> 00:20:42.519 and said to him, If you are the Son of God, throw 00:20:42.519 --> 00:20:46.259 yourself down from here. It's written he will 00:20:46.259 --> 00:20:49.279 give his angels charge concerning you to guard 00:20:49.279 --> 00:20:52.180 you. And on their hands they will bear you up 00:20:52.180 --> 00:20:55.180 lest you strike your foot against a stone. And 00:20:55.180 --> 00:20:57.880 so Satan is saying to our Lord, If you are truly 00:20:57.880 --> 00:21:00.279 the Son of God, then prove it. Show your position. 00:21:01.230 --> 00:21:04.490 so that the people can acknowledge you, recognize 00:21:04.490 --> 00:21:07.809 who you are, cast yourself down, and prove that 00:21:07.809 --> 00:21:10.230 you are the one that is spoken about in that 00:21:10.230 --> 00:21:13.390 Messianic Psalm in the Old Testament. You see 00:21:13.390 --> 00:21:17.170 here again, it was the pride of life. Is it wrong 00:21:17.170 --> 00:21:20.650 to be honored? No. When God brings that honor, 00:21:20.809 --> 00:21:24.509 God has his way, God has his time. You see, in 00:21:24.509 --> 00:21:28.130 this case, Satan was seeking to short -circuit 00:21:28.130 --> 00:21:31.259 God's way and God's time. just as he so often 00:21:31.259 --> 00:21:38.779 does with us. And so the Satan will use the world 00:21:38.779 --> 00:21:43.359 system to tempt us with pleasures, with possessions, 00:21:43.420 --> 00:21:48.339 with position. And when he tempts us, he finds 00:21:48.339 --> 00:21:50.980 something in us that he did not find in the Lord 00:21:50.980 --> 00:21:58.539 Jesus Christ. Nor did he find it in Eve, because 00:21:58.539 --> 00:22:02.039 she was innocent. What he finds in us is sin, 00:22:02.220 --> 00:22:05.440 the principle of sin that still indwells us. 00:22:06.920 --> 00:22:10.859 That sin is there. We are a new creature in Jesus 00:22:10.859 --> 00:22:14.119 Christ, and yet there dwells within us that power, 00:22:14.259 --> 00:22:18.000 that principle of sin. It is not gone. It's still 00:22:18.000 --> 00:22:20.779 there. And when Satan from the outside tempts 00:22:20.779 --> 00:22:25.019 us, there is that within us which responds. And 00:22:25.019 --> 00:22:26.960 if we allow it to, it will respond positively. 00:22:27.950 --> 00:22:31.490 to that temptation, to that snare that the enemy 00:22:31.490 --> 00:22:35.730 presents. We also have within us what the Bible 00:22:35.730 --> 00:22:40.450 calls the flesh. I would define the flesh as 00:22:40.450 --> 00:22:43.130 that pattern of behavior left behind by the old 00:22:43.130 --> 00:22:47.410 man. It's that programming that was done by what 00:22:47.410 --> 00:22:50.829 we were in Adam. That's the flesh. And it has 00:22:50.829 --> 00:22:55.650 ugly works to it. And when temptation is presented 00:22:55.650 --> 00:22:59.589 from the outside, By Satan, there is that within 00:22:59.589 --> 00:23:02.150 us which immediately responds if we allow it 00:23:02.150 --> 00:23:05.269 to positively to accept that enticement to evil. 00:23:06.250 --> 00:23:09.130 So that brings us to the more significant question, 00:23:09.329 --> 00:23:11.490 really, of what we've talked about. Does Satan 00:23:11.490 --> 00:23:14.369 tempt? Yes. That's how he tempts. Now, can we 00:23:14.369 --> 00:23:17.609 have victory over temptation? And the answer 00:23:17.609 --> 00:23:19.670 to that is absolutely yes. We can have victory 00:23:19.670 --> 00:23:22.269 over temptation. We are not helpless victims 00:23:22.269 --> 00:23:27.529 to our enemy. Tempt us though he may, we can 00:23:27.529 --> 00:23:34.690 know victory over him. How do you say it? How 00:23:34.690 --> 00:23:36.470 can we know victory over him? I want to give 00:23:36.470 --> 00:23:38.809 you three answers to that, and with that we will 00:23:38.809 --> 00:23:43.589 close tonight. We can know victory over Satan, 00:23:43.609 --> 00:23:47.789 number one, because of our position in Christ. 00:23:48.789 --> 00:23:53.460 Our position in Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ 00:23:53.460 --> 00:23:56.000 came to the earth and partook of our humanity. 00:23:57.019 --> 00:23:59.480 Let's see this. We're back in 1 John. Let's back 00:23:59.480 --> 00:24:05.779 up a few pages to Hebrews chapter 2. In verse 00:24:05.779 --> 00:24:09.740 14 it says, He partook of the nature of our humanity. 00:24:13.259 --> 00:24:16.380 Verse 17 of Hebrews 2, it says that He was made 00:24:16.380 --> 00:24:20.960 like His brethren in all things. that he might 00:24:20.960 --> 00:24:24.640 become a merciful and faithful high priest in 00:24:24.640 --> 00:24:27.059 things pertaining to God, to make propitiation 00:24:27.059 --> 00:24:29.779 for the sins of the people. Look at verse 18. 00:24:30.119 --> 00:24:35.599 For since he himself was tempted in that which 00:24:35.599 --> 00:24:40.099 he has suffered, he is able to come to the aid 00:24:40.099 --> 00:24:44.079 of those who are tempted. Now look over in chapter 00:24:44.079 --> 00:24:50.019 4. Let your eyes drop down to verse 15. We do 00:24:50.019 --> 00:24:53.119 not have a high priest who cannot sympathize 00:24:53.119 --> 00:24:57.700 with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted 00:24:57.700 --> 00:25:03.420 in all things, as we are, yet without sin. Let 00:25:03.420 --> 00:25:05.759 us therefore draw near with confidence to the 00:25:05.759 --> 00:25:09.779 throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and 00:25:09.779 --> 00:25:12.920 find grace to help in the time of need, in that 00:25:12.920 --> 00:25:16.640 moment of stress, in that time when we are facing 00:25:16.640 --> 00:25:19.799 the temptation. We have one who is able to help 00:25:19.799 --> 00:25:23.039 us. We are in Jesus Christ. He came to this earth. 00:25:23.119 --> 00:25:25.980 He became one of us, but without our sin. He 00:25:25.980 --> 00:25:28.420 experienced all of the temptation that you can 00:25:28.420 --> 00:25:30.920 face, that I can face, indeed more than we could 00:25:30.920 --> 00:25:34.599 ever face. He conquered it. There was nothing 00:25:34.599 --> 00:25:37.420 in him to respond to it. He is a total victor 00:25:37.420 --> 00:25:42.079 over temptation. And because we are in him, we 00:25:42.079 --> 00:25:46.150 too can have victory. I want to tie this together 00:25:46.150 --> 00:25:49.869 with what is said in Romans chapter 6. We talked 00:25:49.869 --> 00:25:53.289 about this in Romans some time ago, and I guess 00:25:53.289 --> 00:25:54.430 there were some of you who weren't here then. 00:25:55.089 --> 00:25:59.190 In Romans chapter 6, I want you to notice what 00:25:59.190 --> 00:26:05.150 he says in verse 6. Knowing this, that our old 00:26:05.150 --> 00:26:10.039 self was crucified with him. that our body of 00:26:10.039 --> 00:26:12.579 sin might be done away with, that we should no 00:26:12.579 --> 00:26:16.980 longer be slaves to sin. What's he saying? Before 00:26:16.980 --> 00:26:24.200 we were saved, when we were but old men, we had 00:26:24.200 --> 00:26:29.779 no new men. Before we were saved, we were slaves 00:26:29.779 --> 00:26:33.420 to sin, so that when the temptation came, we 00:26:33.420 --> 00:26:38.950 responded. There was nothing... to inhibit us 00:26:38.950 --> 00:26:42.289 from responding. It was natural for us to respond 00:26:42.289 --> 00:26:45.569 to temptation. We were slaves to it. We did its 00:26:45.569 --> 00:26:49.829 beck and call. And then it says in verse 7, He 00:26:49.829 --> 00:26:54.369 who has died is freed from sin. He is saying 00:26:54.369 --> 00:26:57.089 here that we died with Jesus Christ, we've been 00:26:57.089 --> 00:26:59.849 raised with Him. Because we have died with Jesus 00:26:59.849 --> 00:27:04.490 Christ, in His death we are freed from sin. So 00:27:04.490 --> 00:27:08.329 that we do not have to obey it any longer. He 00:27:08.329 --> 00:27:32.650 says in verse 8, But alive to God in Christ Jesus. 00:27:33.289 --> 00:27:37.880 So he says your position in Christ is this. You 00:27:37.880 --> 00:27:43.339 died to sin. And though sin is still within you 00:27:43.339 --> 00:27:46.660 and will seek to respond to temptation, you don't 00:27:46.660 --> 00:27:50.500 have to listen to it. You're dead to it. You 00:27:50.500 --> 00:27:53.480 can respond if you choose to do so, but you don't 00:27:53.480 --> 00:27:55.779 have to. You're not enslaved to it any longer. 00:27:56.539 --> 00:27:58.759 That's why he says in verse 12, Therefore do 00:27:58.759 --> 00:28:04.339 not let sin reign as king, is the real meaning 00:28:04.339 --> 00:28:08.230 of that word. Reign as king in your mortal body 00:28:08.230 --> 00:28:12.890 that you should obey its lusts. And do not go 00:28:12.890 --> 00:28:16.329 on presenting the members of your body to sin 00:28:16.329 --> 00:28:19.269 as instruments of unrighteousness, but present 00:28:19.269 --> 00:28:22.069 yourselves to God as those alive from the dead 00:28:22.069 --> 00:28:24.730 and your members as instruments of righteousness 00:28:24.730 --> 00:28:28.630 to God, for sin shall not be master over you. 00:28:29.849 --> 00:28:33.430 Because of our position in Jesus Christ, we do 00:28:33.430 --> 00:28:38.690 not have to obey. We do not have to listen to 00:28:38.690 --> 00:28:41.130 sin. Now, of course, the fact is that we do. 00:28:42.490 --> 00:28:47.289 We do. And I'm glad that John writes what he 00:28:47.289 --> 00:28:53.609 does in 1 John 2, 1. He says, these things I 00:28:53.609 --> 00:28:58.730 write to you that you stop sinning. But if any 00:28:58.730 --> 00:29:02.410 man does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, 00:29:02.490 --> 00:29:05.980 Jesus Christ, the righteous one. And he is the 00:29:05.980 --> 00:29:09.900 propitiation for our sins. He cares for them. 00:29:10.779 --> 00:29:14.599 He's our advocate. When we do sin, we have one 00:29:14.599 --> 00:29:16.980 who stands before the Father to intercede on 00:29:16.980 --> 00:29:19.880 our behalf, so that we are without condemnation 00:29:19.880 --> 00:29:25.680 for our sin. But be that as it may, God's will 00:29:25.680 --> 00:29:29.660 for us is that we do not sin, and we don't have 00:29:29.660 --> 00:29:32.980 to. We don't have to because of our position 00:29:32.980 --> 00:29:36.220 in Jesus Christ. He was victorious over sin, 00:29:36.380 --> 00:29:48.240 and we are too in Him. Let me go on to a second 00:29:48.240 --> 00:29:51.819 key to our victory over temptation. And this 00:29:51.819 --> 00:29:54.819 is the armor that God has given us to wear. In 00:29:54.819 --> 00:30:00.519 Ephesians chapter 6. We're not going to take 00:30:00.519 --> 00:30:03.839 time to look at this in a great amount of detail, 00:30:04.079 --> 00:30:09.400 but let's notice what he says. Beginning in verse 00:30:09.400 --> 00:30:15.279 13, he says, Therefore take up the full armor 00:30:15.279 --> 00:30:20.940 of God. The word there is panopleon. It means 00:30:20.940 --> 00:30:24.900 that full array of armor that God makes available, 00:30:25.220 --> 00:30:29.500 magnificent as it is. He says, take up the full 00:30:29.500 --> 00:30:33.359 armor of God that you may be able to resist in 00:30:33.359 --> 00:30:36.160 the evil day. That is, in the day when evil comes 00:30:36.160 --> 00:30:39.299 against you with its temptation. How do you resist? 00:30:39.700 --> 00:30:42.839 Take up the armor. And having done everything 00:30:42.839 --> 00:30:46.759 to stand firm against that enticement to sin. 00:30:47.119 --> 00:30:49.859 Stand firm therefore, and here's the armor, having 00:30:49.859 --> 00:30:54.279 girded your loins with truth. This first piece 00:30:54.279 --> 00:31:00.460 of the armor is... compared to that heavy girdle 00:31:00.460 --> 00:31:04.039 or belt that Roman soldiers wore around their 00:31:04.039 --> 00:31:07.339 waist. It was not only to protect them in their 00:31:07.339 --> 00:31:09.740 midsection, but really to strengthen their back, 00:31:09.839 --> 00:31:13.299 their torso, for the fighting that they had to 00:31:13.299 --> 00:31:17.059 endure. It was thick, it was heavy, it was protective. 00:31:18.140 --> 00:31:21.119 And he calls that girdle that we are to put on 00:31:21.119 --> 00:31:25.759 the girdle of truth, or maybe better, truthfulness. 00:31:27.759 --> 00:31:30.140 I believe that what the apostle is saying to 00:31:30.140 --> 00:31:35.019 us here is that we are not to allow deceit or 00:31:35.019 --> 00:31:37.859 hypocrisy to creep into our lives, for that is 00:31:37.859 --> 00:31:41.200 an opening for Satan. But we are to be a truthful 00:31:41.200 --> 00:31:46.480 people. We are to be without hypocrisy. To put 00:31:46.480 --> 00:31:48.339 it another way, in a way that Bill Gothard would 00:31:48.339 --> 00:31:50.900 appreciate, we are to be a people with a clear 00:31:50.900 --> 00:31:55.809 conscience. Clear conscience. so that our conscience 00:31:55.809 --> 00:32:01.490 is not smiting us. We are to put on truthfulness. 00:32:02.450 --> 00:32:05.809 And then he says that we are also to put on the 00:32:05.809 --> 00:32:09.609 breastplate of righteousness. That, of course, 00:32:09.609 --> 00:32:12.930 was that thick shield that went over the chest 00:32:12.930 --> 00:32:16.109 of the soldier to protect the vital organs within. 00:32:17.589 --> 00:32:20.750 And he says that we are to put on that breastplate 00:32:20.750 --> 00:32:24.420 called righteousness. It's talking here about 00:32:24.420 --> 00:32:28.539 holy living, righteous living, moral uprightness. 00:32:29.380 --> 00:32:32.220 We're to put that on. We're to be the kind of 00:32:32.220 --> 00:32:35.079 people who are known as being good people, righteous 00:32:35.079 --> 00:32:39.279 people, holy people. When you and I allow sin 00:32:39.279 --> 00:32:44.200 to invade our lives, we leave it unconfessed, 00:32:44.200 --> 00:32:47.339 and it begins to fester there. That leaves us 00:32:47.339 --> 00:32:51.680 open to Satan's attack. We are to put on the 00:32:51.680 --> 00:32:54.480 breastplate of righteousness. When we sin, we 00:32:54.480 --> 00:32:58.299 confess it, get it away, get it cleansed, remove 00:32:58.299 --> 00:33:02.839 it, so that we are a righteous people. The breastplate 00:33:02.839 --> 00:33:07.000 of righteousness. Then he talks about the feet 00:33:07.000 --> 00:33:10.960 being shod with the preparation of the gospel 00:33:10.960 --> 00:33:14.599 of peace. I have heard that explained any number 00:33:14.599 --> 00:33:19.319 of ways. But I think the best explanation that 00:33:19.319 --> 00:33:21.740 I have found, which I think makes sense with 00:33:21.740 --> 00:33:26.740 the word of God, is this. The sandals of the 00:33:26.740 --> 00:33:32.160 Roman soldier were such that they were bound 00:33:32.160 --> 00:33:35.380 with heavy thongs around the calf of the leg. 00:33:35.539 --> 00:33:38.200 And those thongs would go under the instep and 00:33:38.200 --> 00:33:42.240 around the ankle so that the shoes could not 00:33:42.240 --> 00:33:45.000 possibly come off. And not only that, they were 00:33:45.000 --> 00:33:52.539 studded with nails. So that as the soldier would 00:33:52.539 --> 00:33:57.059 take a stand, he would plant his feet, and he 00:33:57.059 --> 00:34:02.019 was tough to move. He was tough to move. And 00:34:02.019 --> 00:34:06.539 so he says, we are to shod our feet with what 00:34:06.539 --> 00:34:10.300 he calls here the gospel of peace, the preparation. 00:34:11.780 --> 00:34:15.239 That word really means the firm footing. of the 00:34:15.239 --> 00:34:17.599 gospel of peace. And it seems to me by the gospel 00:34:17.599 --> 00:34:20.159 of peace, what he's really referring to is the 00:34:20.159 --> 00:34:25.639 good news that we are at peace with God. In other 00:34:25.639 --> 00:34:28.659 words, he's telling us here that we are to have 00:34:28.659 --> 00:34:31.519 confidence in our lives, that we are at peace 00:34:31.519 --> 00:34:36.360 with God. The gospel, the good news of peace, 00:34:36.659 --> 00:34:42.420 rather than being filled with doubt and wonder 00:34:42.420 --> 00:34:46.380 and uncertainty, We are to have a blessed confidence 00:34:46.380 --> 00:34:50.739 about us that all is well between ourselves and 00:34:50.739 --> 00:34:56.239 God. That is the firm footing that we can stand 00:34:56.239 --> 00:35:00.800 upon as we fight against our enemy. Confidence. 00:35:01.579 --> 00:35:04.400 And then he talks about the shield of faith in 00:35:04.400 --> 00:35:08.619 verse 16. This shield was oblong, two and a half 00:35:08.619 --> 00:35:13.460 feet by four feet, made out of leather. Leather 00:35:13.460 --> 00:35:16.539 that was often soaked with oil so as to quench 00:35:16.539 --> 00:35:20.900 fiery arrows that would be fired, shot against 00:35:20.900 --> 00:35:25.980 the soldier. And the arrow would hit that leather 00:35:25.980 --> 00:35:29.960 shield, sink into it, and because of the oil, 00:35:30.019 --> 00:35:31.900 it would be put out. The blaze would go out. 00:35:33.300 --> 00:35:37.659 And so we are to take our shield and to put it 00:35:37.659 --> 00:35:42.820 up against the fiery darts of the evil one. Now, 00:35:42.840 --> 00:35:46.579 I wouldn't want to imagine what a fiery arrow 00:35:46.579 --> 00:35:50.840 would have felt like hitting your body. But I 00:35:50.840 --> 00:35:53.019 think all of us are familiar with the fiery darts 00:35:53.019 --> 00:35:58.320 that Satan wings our way. And it begins to burn 00:35:58.320 --> 00:36:05.119 within us some temptation. Perhaps a temptation 00:36:05.119 --> 00:36:10.599 to doubt God. It just burns away within. How 00:36:10.599 --> 00:36:12.500 do we put that out? How do we deal with that 00:36:12.500 --> 00:36:15.699 doubt? He talks here about the shield of faith. 00:36:16.320 --> 00:36:19.079 I tell you, doubt is a powerful weapon, and Satan 00:36:19.079 --> 00:36:21.840 can destroy your life with it. That's why we 00:36:21.840 --> 00:36:26.119 need the shield of faith, a firm trust in God 00:36:26.119 --> 00:36:30.280 to keep his promises. He talks about the helmet 00:36:30.280 --> 00:36:36.219 of salvation in verse 17. I don't think he is 00:36:36.219 --> 00:36:40.659 talking here about our salvation from sin. Why 00:36:40.659 --> 00:36:42.719 would a Christian need to take up that helmet? 00:36:42.860 --> 00:36:46.900 He's already saved from sin. It seems to me he's 00:36:46.900 --> 00:36:49.679 talking about the future deliverance that we 00:36:49.679 --> 00:36:52.659 have in Jesus Christ, the consummation of our 00:36:52.659 --> 00:36:56.239 salvation when we will be with the Lord. And 00:36:56.239 --> 00:36:59.679 the idea is here that we are to be filled with 00:36:59.679 --> 00:37:03.320 hope because we know that the ultimate victory 00:37:03.320 --> 00:37:07.360 is already ours in Jesus Christ. And God has 00:37:07.360 --> 00:37:10.489 power to bring about His purposes. and the victory 00:37:10.489 --> 00:37:14.190 He has declared for us. And so we have the helmet 00:37:14.190 --> 00:37:18.869 upon our head of complete hope in the fact that 00:37:18.869 --> 00:37:23.070 God is going to fulfill all the promises of salvation 00:37:23.070 --> 00:37:27.829 that He's given to us. And then he talks about 00:37:27.829 --> 00:37:29.989 the sword of the Spirit, the offensive weapon 00:37:29.989 --> 00:37:33.210 here. These have been defensive thus far. This 00:37:33.210 --> 00:37:35.869 sword, as you probably know, is not that big 00:37:35.869 --> 00:37:38.690 dude that they would swing. Three or four feet 00:37:38.690 --> 00:37:42.070 long, but it's just about 18 inches long. It's 00:37:42.070 --> 00:37:45.590 a little thing. It was really an assassin's dagger. 00:37:45.989 --> 00:37:50.829 That's the word. It's only valuable up close. 00:37:51.869 --> 00:37:54.110 You have a soldier coming at you with a four 00:37:54.110 --> 00:37:56.030 -foot sword. You don't pull out your dagger. 00:37:59.889 --> 00:38:03.210 You pull out that dagger when you're in hand 00:38:03.210 --> 00:38:07.610 -to -hand combat. And then you use it. up close, 00:38:07.769 --> 00:38:10.929 and you aim for a vital organ to immediately 00:38:10.929 --> 00:38:14.409 put the enemy to death. Not a very pretty picture, 00:38:14.510 --> 00:38:18.250 but a powerful one. And you will recall, we didn't 00:38:18.250 --> 00:38:20.230 read it, but in this context, he talks about 00:38:20.230 --> 00:38:22.909 us being in hand -to -hand wrestling with the 00:38:22.909 --> 00:38:25.110 enemy. That's why he talks about the dagger at 00:38:25.110 --> 00:38:28.989 this point. Now, it says here that that dagger 00:38:28.989 --> 00:38:33.050 that we have is the sword of the spirit, the 00:38:33.050 --> 00:38:35.389 sword of the spirit, rather, is the word of God. 00:38:36.489 --> 00:38:40.070 Now he again chooses carefully the word for word 00:38:40.070 --> 00:38:44.530 here. It's not the word logos, which we would 00:38:44.530 --> 00:38:47.369 think of for the whole Bible, the logos of God, 00:38:47.530 --> 00:38:53.190 but it's the word rhema of God. The idea is the 00:38:53.190 --> 00:38:56.889 spoken word or the specific utterance of God. 00:38:57.110 --> 00:38:59.449 And the thought seems to be this, that when we 00:38:59.449 --> 00:39:01.610 are in hand -to -hand combat with the enemy, 00:39:02.230 --> 00:39:06.010 We are facing a temptation. We are to pull out 00:39:06.010 --> 00:39:10.690 of the Logos, the Bible, a specific utterance 00:39:10.690 --> 00:39:13.690 of God applying to that temptation and we're 00:39:13.690 --> 00:39:17.949 to shove it to him. Are you dealing with lying? 00:39:19.329 --> 00:39:23.670 Then pull out a verse, a rhema, a dagger regarding 00:39:23.670 --> 00:39:27.750 truthfulness and give it to the enemy. Is it 00:39:27.750 --> 00:39:30.570 lust? Then pull out a dagger dealing with that 00:39:30.570 --> 00:39:33.110 and shove it to him. That's the importance of 00:39:33.110 --> 00:39:36.289 hiding God's word in our hearts so that we have 00:39:36.289 --> 00:39:40.250 the right dagger to use as we are in this hand 00:39:40.250 --> 00:39:43.269 -to -hand combat. So is there victory over temptation? 00:39:43.429 --> 00:39:46.329 Yes. Because God has provided for us in armor. 00:39:46.889 --> 00:39:50.170 And we are to stand firm. We are to resist the 00:39:50.170 --> 00:39:52.860 enemy. We're not to run from him. We are to use 00:39:52.860 --> 00:39:55.260 that dagger effectively, the Word of God. And 00:39:55.260 --> 00:39:57.519 then he concludes in verse 18 by talking about 00:39:57.519 --> 00:40:02.920 prayer. And he says that that is the energy in 00:40:02.920 --> 00:40:05.940 which we are to fight with all prayer and petition. 00:40:06.000 --> 00:40:09.400 Pray at all times in the Spirit with this in 00:40:09.400 --> 00:40:13.400 view. Be on the alert with all perseverance and 00:40:13.400 --> 00:40:16.440 petition for all the saints. So we're to enter 00:40:16.440 --> 00:40:21.880 into this battle with the energy of prayer. We 00:40:21.880 --> 00:40:26.860 are to be a praying people. I want to close with 00:40:26.860 --> 00:40:29.579 one final verse, and that's found in 1 Corinthians 00:40:29.579 --> 00:40:33.119 10, 13. Is there victory over temptation? Yes. 00:40:34.440 --> 00:40:37.239 First, because of our position in Jesus Christ, 00:40:37.559 --> 00:40:41.800 who was tempted like we are and did not sin. 00:40:45.599 --> 00:40:50.519 He died to sin and was raised from the dead. 00:40:51.099 --> 00:40:53.539 We have died to sin and are raised to walk in 00:40:53.539 --> 00:40:57.000 newness of life. We have victory over temptation 00:40:57.000 --> 00:40:59.500 because of our position in Christ, secondly because 00:40:59.500 --> 00:41:01.980 of the armor that we have, and finally because 00:41:01.980 --> 00:41:06.559 of our promise. 1 Corinthians chapter 10 and 00:41:06.559 --> 00:41:12.820 verse 13. No temptation has overtaken you, but 00:41:12.820 --> 00:41:17.300 such as is common to man. And God is faithful. 00:41:18.039 --> 00:41:21.219 who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what 00:41:21.219 --> 00:41:25.079 you are able, but with the temptation will provide 00:41:25.079 --> 00:41:28.500 the way of escape also, that you may be able 00:41:28.500 --> 00:41:33.659 to endure it. My promise is that God will not 00:41:33.659 --> 00:41:37.920 allow me to be tempted beyond that I am able 00:41:37.920 --> 00:41:43.539 to endure by His Spirit. He provides a way out 00:41:43.539 --> 00:41:48.199 and escape from that temptation. If you think 00:41:48.199 --> 00:41:52.019 about it and you're honest, you will remember 00:41:52.019 --> 00:41:55.099 that there are times in your life, as I can remember 00:41:55.099 --> 00:41:58.079 there are times in my life, when God has provided 00:41:58.079 --> 00:42:03.380 the way out and I said, no thanks. That's not 00:42:03.380 --> 00:42:06.840 God's problem, that's mine. Because my promise 00:42:06.840 --> 00:42:10.820 is that God will not allow me to be tempted beyond 00:42:10.820 --> 00:42:15.280 what I'm able. He'll provide the way out. I'll 00:42:15.280 --> 00:42:20.460 be able to endure it. We're all tempted. We're 00:42:20.460 --> 00:42:27.219 all tempted. Satan is the tempter. But in Jesus 00:42:27.219 --> 00:42:30.539 Christ, ours is the victory. Because of who he 00:42:30.539 --> 00:42:32.679 is, because of the armor he's given us, because 00:42:32.679 --> 00:42:35.800 of the promise that we have. Well, let's pray. 00:42:36.760 --> 00:42:40.460 Thank you, Father in Heaven, for that which we 00:42:40.460 --> 00:42:44.639 have in Jesus Christ, because we are in him. 00:42:46.639 --> 00:42:48.679 And I pray that what we've gone through tonight 00:42:48.679 --> 00:42:51.260 will be more than an intellectual exercise of 00:42:51.260 --> 00:42:56.179 learning more truth about the Bible. I pray that 00:42:56.179 --> 00:42:58.400 you will make this practical to our lives. Lord, 00:42:58.500 --> 00:43:03.119 we face temptation tonight. We'll face it tomorrow. 00:43:05.159 --> 00:43:07.639 Thank you for the provisions that you have made 00:43:07.639 --> 00:43:12.360 that we might have victory in Jesus Christ. Our 00:43:12.360 --> 00:43:15.690 prayer is that you will... so powerfully work 00:43:15.690 --> 00:43:22.969 in our lives that we will obey your word and 00:43:22.969 --> 00:43:31.030 not sin. But thank you that when we do sin, the 00:43:31.030 --> 00:43:36.809 Lord Jesus is our advocate. Now, Father, I pray 00:43:36.809 --> 00:43:38.909 for those that are dealing tonight with some 00:43:38.909 --> 00:43:42.900 specific temptation. There are some here who 00:43:42.900 --> 00:43:44.980 are struggling in ways that no one knows about 00:43:44.980 --> 00:43:52.059 with the enemy. I pray that you will bring glorious 00:43:52.059 --> 00:44:00.019 victory in that area of battle. May each of us 00:44:00.019 --> 00:44:02.920 be able to look to you tonight in a fresh new 00:44:02.920 --> 00:44:08.559 way and claim that victory. Maybe we've come 00:44:08.559 --> 00:44:12.369 in, Father, fatigued from the battle. But I pray 00:44:12.369 --> 00:44:15.929 that we will go out reassured and strong in the 00:44:15.929 --> 00:44:20.690 Lord, claiming the victory that is ours in Christ. 00:44:21.190 --> 00:44:23.909 And we pray this in his name. Amen.