Dealing with Temptations

The Good Life  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented
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You cannot love the world and the Father at the same time. If you are going to love God, you cannot also love the world. Do God's will and don't fall to temptation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUDGoYCVPCg

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Last week, we began a message series about how we can have the good life. Let’s read the theme verse for this series together.
Psalm 34:12–14 CSB
12 Who is someone who desires life, loving a long life to enjoy what is good? 13 Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from deceitful speech. 14 Turn away from evil and do what is good; seek peace and pursue it.
If we are going to live the good life, we need to know how. We need to realize that living the good life may not be what we think and what is commonly marketed to us.
Open your Bibles to
1 John 2:15–17 CSB
15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride in one’s possessions—is not from the Father, but is from the world. 17 And the world with its lust is passing away, but the one who does the will of God remains forever.
In this passage of Scripture, John used the term “the world”. If we don’t understand what John is saying when he used this term, we could come out with some really poor theology.
Like a pastor who had been advised by his doctor to lose 30 pounds or risk serious health consequences. The good pastor took his new diet seriously, even changing his driving route to the church building to avoid his favorite bakery. One morning, however, he arrived for Bible study carrying a gigantic devil’s food cake. The class chuckled and chided him, but the pastor’s smile remained.
“This is a very special cake,” he explained. “I accidentally drove by the bakery this morning and there in the window were a host of goodies. I felt this was no accident, so I prayed, ‘Lord, if you want me to have one of those delicious cakes, let me have a parking place directly in front of the bakery.’ And sure enough,” he continued, “the eighth time around the block, there it was!”
We want to be sure we understand what John meant when he wrote about the “world” because in other places John used the word and he meant people.
For example,
John 3:16 CSB
16 For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
In , John does not mean people. He is talking about the temptations that flow out of the world’s values and systems. If the world is viewed as people, then we are to love the world because God loves the world. If the world is viewed as an evil set of systems and values, it is not to be loved.

Living the good life is loving God, not the world.

1 John 2:15–17 CSB
15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride in one’s possessions—is not from the Father, but is from the world. 17 And the world with its lust is passing away, but the one who does the will of God remains forever.
You cannot love the world and God at the same time. The two are completely incompatible. There are three Greek words which could be translated as “love”. The one that John uses is “agape” love or what is commonly called “self-sacrificing love”. In other words, don’t sacrifice anything in pursuit of the world agenda.
Before we go farther, we need to understand that this command to “not love the world” is not about becoming isolationists. Some believers have misinterpreted what John said and have thought that in order to guard themselves from the world and temptations, they must be isolated from the world. However, John is not talking about isolation. He is talking about insulation. We are to insulate ourselves from falling to temptations which flow out of the world’s values and systems.
When Jesus prayed for us in , he didn’t pray that his followers would isolate themselves from the world. He didn’t pray that they would start communes and convents with the purpose of keeping the world out. Look at what he prayed.
John 17:14–17 CSB
14 I have given them your word. The world hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I am not praying that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.
John 17:14–19 CSB
14 I have given them your word. The world hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I am not praying that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. 19 I sanctify myself for them, so that they also may be sanctified by the truth.
John 17:
John 17:
He didn’t pray that they would be removed from the world, but rather he prayed for protection from the evil one. We need to insulate ourselves from the world through the study of the Scriptures, through prayer, and through fasting. As we practice spiritual disciplines in our lives, we insulate ourselves from the temptations of the evil one.
As John developed his thoughts under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he gives us three of the world’s temptations that we are going to have to learn to deal with properly.
1 John 2:16 CSB
16 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride in one’s possessions—is not from the Father, but is from the world.

You will be tempted by the lusts of the flesh.

You will be tempted by the lusts of the flesh.
William Barclay said that the lusts of the flesh is “to live a life dominated by the senses.” It is about addictions and physical desire. It is living life for physical pleasure. This could be about sex. This could be about food. This could be about exercise. This could be about hobbies. This could be about video games. This could be about anything which dominates our lives; anything that pulls me away from what I should be doing for the kingdom of God.
The good life is about avoiding the lusts of the eyes.

You will be tempted by the lusts of the eyes.

We are a visual based society. Images and videos are powerful and can cause us to be covetous and desire something we don’t have. The lust of the eyes can cause us to become discontented with what we have been blessed with in our lives.
Think of the popularity of platforms like Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube. On Instagram, you can be an influencer who puts products and services in front of people and causes them to want it. You see what other people have or what other people are doing and you think, “I want that. I want to do that. They look like they are always having fun. I want that too.” You become dissatisfied and depressed with your life because you have been tempted by the lusts of the eyes.
The good life is about avoiding the lusts of the eyes.
The good life is about avoiding the pride of life.

You will be tempted with the pride of life.

This about being “me centric”. Someone is sharing an experience they have with you, but instead of being happy for them, you feel the need to one-up them. This is about anything that leads to arrogance and boasting. You want everyone to look at you are what you have done.
This is where it gets interesting for me. I am not sure that John had this in mind when he wrote about these three areas of temptation for believers, but these three areas perfectly correspond with two other stories of temptation in the Scriptures. The first one is found in the book of Genesis.
Likely, you are familiar with the story. Adam and Eve were placed in Eden’s Garden by God to manage his creation. They were told not to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. They could eat of any of the other trees, even the Tree of Life, but they were forbidden from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. We don’t know how much time passed, but one day Satan appeared in the Garden in the form of a snake. He tempted Eve to eat of the forbidden tree.
Genesis 3:6 CSB
6 The woman saw that the tree was good for food and delightful to look at, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it; she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.
Genesis 3:
The tree was good for food, which is the lust of the flesh. The tree was delightful to look at, which is the lust of the eyes. The tree was desirable for obtaining wisdom, which is the pride of life. She ate. Adam ate and the rest is history. Adam and Eve had the good life, but they lost it when they succumbed to the temptation.
There is another story. This one in the New Testament. Jesus was baptized by John the Baptizer. After his baptism, he was led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit for the purpose of being tempted. He fasted for 40 days and 40 nights. Then, after being physically weakened, the evil one came to tempt him.
Matthew 4:
Matthew 4:3–4 CSB
3 Then the tempter approached him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” 4 He answered, “It is written: Man must not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.
Satan tempted Jesus with the lust of the flesh, but Jesus resisted fulfilling his physical need through illegitimate means.
Matthew 4:5–7 CSB
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city, had him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written: He will give his angels orders concerning you, and they will support you with their hands so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.7 Jesus told him, “It is also written: Do not test the Lord your God.
Matthew 4:
Satan, twisting God’s own word, tempted Jesus with the pride of life.
<show picture of the pinnacle of the temple>
Here is a picture of the pinnacle of the temple. Had Jesus thrown himself off the temple mount and had angels rescue him, he would have been instantly famous. He would have been able to prove that He was the Messiah by an awesome display of power that was not in the will of God or His plan for the redemption of mankind.
The temptation of Christ continued.
Matthew 4:8–10 CSB
8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 And he said to him, “I will give you all these things if you will fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus told him, “Go away, Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.
Matthew 4:8-
Jesus is tempted with the lusts of the eyes. He was sent to earth to redeem the earth. He knew he would have to suffer for our redemption, but he could avoid all of the pain, if he just took the easy way out.
He didn’t fall to temptation. He was tempted, just like we are, and yet he did not sin. Christians have been and continue to be assaulted by the same three temptations. The evil one doesn’t change his methods because he doesn’t have to change them. They are extremely effective. He tempts us with the lusts of the flesh: sexual gratification, gluttony, excessive alcohol consumption, and drugs, both legal and illegal, just to name a few. He tempts us with the lusts of eyes. We seem to have an endless desire for stuff. We fill our homes with stuff and when we run out of room, we rent places to keep all the other stuff. We want newer, better, and faster. Contentment is not a virtue we espouse. He tempts us with the pride of life. We want to elevate ourselves above others. Our pride damages our homes, our friends, and our relationships. We have to be right.
How do we have the good life, when these temptations are always present?
1 John 2:17 CSB
17 And the world with its lust is passing away, but the one who does the will of God remains forever.
The world is temporary. The world is passing away, but the one who does God’s will remains forever. In other words, if you want the good life, you do God’s will. You deal with temptations properly.

The good life is about dealing properly with temptations.

How do you deal properly with temptation? I am going to talk more about this in this week’s “After the Message” video, but this morning, I want to give you three quick ways to deal properly with temptations.

1. Know your weaknesses.

Your weaknesses are different than my weaknesses. There are areas of your life the evil one targets for temptation. Where are those areas for you? What are you doing to strengthen those areas and insulate them from attacks? Know your weakness and work to strengthen those areas.

2. Study God’s Word.

You won’t be able to defend against the attacks of the evil one if you don’t know God’s Word. Eve didn’t recall God’s word properly and she fell to temptation. Jesus knew God’s word and resisted temptation. We need to immerse ourselves in the Scriptures.

3. Prayer

Spend time in prayer. Prayer is the main offensive weapon we have against the attacks of the evil one. If you aren’t talking to the Father in prayer, you are denying yourself access to God’s power and protection.
We shouldn’t think that we can avoid all temptation, but we can insulate ourselves from temptation by proactively defending against temptation. Satan’s playbook is known. His strategies aren’t a secret. You can have victory over the evil one every time. You can deal with temptation properly. You can have the good life. Stay close to the one who has already won you the victory.
Micah 6:8 CSB
8 Mankind, he has told each of you what is good and what it is the Lord requires of you: to act justly, to love faithfulness, and to walk humbly with your God.
He has said,
Matthew 22:37–40 CSB
37 He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38 This is the greatest and most important command. 39 The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. 40 All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.”
Matthew 22:37
He has said,
Matthew 28:19–20 CSB
19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
We shouldn’t think that we can avoid all temptation, but we can insulate ourself from temptation by doing God’s will and seeking the kingdom of God first. I think many times we fall to temptation because we have gotten our eyes off of doing God’s will and have started living for the world’s values. You were bought with a price and we do not live to please ourselves. We live to please God. We live to do the will of our King. We live to do the will of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Stay close to the one who has already won you the victory.
Perhaps you are here this morning and you have never made the decision to follow Jesus. You have never made the decision to give Jesus control of your life and right now, you are just living for whatever makes you happy. You are running from one relationship to the next, one experience to the next, and one empty promise to the next. You can’t find happiness and you can’t find satisfaction because you are trying to find peace and happiness apart from Jesus. Let me tell you. You will never find what you are looking for unless you give your life to Jesus, unless you place your faith in him.
Perhaps you are here this morning and you have never made the decision to follow Jesus. You have never made the decision to give Jesus control of your life and right now, you are just living for whatever makes you happy. You are running from one relationship to the next, one experience to the next, and one empty promise to the next. You can’t find happiness and you can’t find satisfaction because you are trying to find peace and happiness apart from Jesus. Let me tell you. You will never find what you are looking for unless you give your life to Jesus, unless you place your faith in him.
Let me tell you what Jesus has done for you because he loved you so much. Jesus was born of a virgin and without sin; Jesus became sin for us. You are a sinner. Your sin leads you to do ungodly things and separates you from the God who loves you. We have a sin problem inside of us. Jesus went to the cross and shed his blood. He died and he rose again. He did all of this because he loves you and he wants to save you from your sin. He wants to transform you, so you can experience his goodness, so we could experience his grace. He wants to heal you and bring peace to your life.
To reject Him is to reject life. To delay this decision is to continue on the way that leads to destruction. This morning, if you are here and you know that you need God’s forgiveness for your sins; realize that you are not here by accident. Will you surrender your life to God and experience his forgiveness? Please bow your heads and close your eyes. Will you pray this prayer with me expressing that you are trusting in God’s ability to forgive you and save you?
This morning, if you are here and you know that you need God’s forgiveness for your sins; realize that you are not here by accident. Will you surrender your life to God and experience his forgiveness? Please bow your heads and close your eyes. Will you pray this prayer with me expressing that you are trusting in God’s ability to forgive you and save you?
“Heavenly Father, forgive me for my sins, make me new. I ask Jesus to be my Savior and to be the Lord of my life, first in every way. My life is not my own, I give it to you. Thank you for new life. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
Before we move from this time of reflection to a time of invitation, brothers and sisters, are you proactively defending against temptations? Do you know your weakness? What are you doing to build your spiritual muscles? Are you in Bible study and prayer? The time to prepare for the temptations of life is now. If you are reactive to temptation, chances are, you will fall. Don’t be surprised by the temptations of the evil one. Make preparations and deal properly with temptation. You can overcome by the blood of the Lamb. This morning, with our heads bowed and eyes closed, how many of you would say, “I might not have dealt properly with temptations in my past, but by the grace of God, I will make preparations for dealing with them properly in the future.”
Pray.
Our deacons will be coming forward to pray with you and for you. If you prayed to receive Jesus, please come and let us pray with you and celebrate your new life in Christ. If God is dealing in your heart and life right now, don’t let this moment pass.
As you stand and we sing together.
<after closing the time of invitation>
Perhaps you didn’t come forward for one reason or another, but you really do want to talk with us about what is going on in your life. Perhaps you need help, prayer, or you just want to know more about being a follower of Jesus. I would encourage you to do one of two things. After we are dismissed, just stay where you are. One of our deacons will come and talk with you and pray with you. The other thing you can do is check one of the boxes on the Connection Card. Put it in the offering plate as it passes. We will get in touch with you this week. You see, this church exists to minister to one another. We are here to support you in your walk with God.
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