Temptations
Welcome to Powerhouse Church of God. It's to be here this morning. And we pray that our time together would be a blessing a powerful blessing to each of you just stuck a couple announced minutes. There will be no Bible studies. This week will be gathering together. We won't be gathering together for a study on Tuesday or Wednesday. So just enjoy the week as you can we'll be together next week. Let's begin with the word of Prayer. Our gracious Father in Heaven. Thank you that we can gather together to worship. May your spirit be active in a live with us this day that your word would go out and power and strength that you're that our praises to you would be lifted up and truly bring blessing to our lives in the lives of so many others if I find your presence mighty we yield this time and do your hands. Oh Lord Our God in Jesus name. Amen.
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Are reading this morning is taken from Luke Chapter 11.
Matthew Chapter 5 scuse me Matthew chapter 5 verses 14 to 16 You are the light of the world a town built on a hill cannot be hid neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl instead. They put it on a stand and it gives light to everyone in the house in the same way. Let your light shine before others that they may see your good deeds and glorify your father in Heaven. We're prayer request this morning. We just have the one.
Getting us right now the battle with covid-19.
Father in heaven, we thank you that we can come before you the mighty one who is always present always listening hearing our hearts as well as our words in our minds and tell father. We we thank you that we have a God that her so much and looks after he need Lord. We do want to remember to for the ones of our community who need you who needs you so much. Because they are lost and going in the wrong direction father helped them to come to that point of realization that there is a need of their hearts that can only be met as they come before you and seek you and know you as you're as their lord and their savior father. We do also pray for the the needs that are out there. We are in a battle against a disease that has struck.
most of the people here in this country and around the world and so we pray that you would be here to help us in our defense against it or you are the power and the strength and we pray for your Mighty touch on those who have contracted this disease and are battling it right now we pray that your hand would be there to help them strength If I want to remember the silent prayer request that the people have that to their hearts and their mind. We don't do those virgins, but we express your guidance and wisdom and clean them how you answered those prayers help us to remember that, you know, the very best way and will lead in that line. So you lay these burdens before you made me find the piece that can only come from you. This letter is not in this world, but and I trust that you the Living God know the answer to each one of our prayers. We thank you for that. And we thank you for the mercy that you give through the work of your son Jesus Christ. And now father is we continue in this service. May you bless us as we richly praise you with song and prayer and your word in Jesus name. Amen.
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Well, let's go ahead and start with a word of Prayer. Our gracious father again we come before you you who are my he and holy and true and dark constantly here with us or father. You promised never to leave or forsake us but to be with us and we pray that now as we gather around your word that you would be here in power and strength that your spirit would be active and alive and each of our hearts as we open them up and listen to what you have for us. And father be with me that has a open your words and speak that I would do so not in my power in my strength, but be fully lit by your spirit to speak the truth that you alone have to say may you bless us in this time. Oh Lord Our God in Jesus name. Amen.
Well over the next four weeks we're going to be looking at in Luke at some key issues that are barriers The Godly Behavior. That's the theme of this one of those things that are barriers to Godly Behavior. We're going to look at Temptations today, but will also look at worries and greed and pride and those issues. We're going to look at it and how we can bat against those issues in our lot. You know in the best way to go against something that is against us a barrier that is there is to be involved in doing those things that over there. I'll give you a human instance it in that my father had the real heart trouble over over his life and he had several open heart surgeries before 60 years old and then at the end of one when he was in his fifties the doctor said you have no more vessels. We can you replace in your heart. So you're kind of on your own two up there with this and so he examined what he could do to help him along and begin to look. Okay. I need exercise. I need to start eating properly and lose some weight and I need to take away those things that bring stress into my life. And so he began to be involved in those things. He started going swimming at least 3 days a week and more if he could. So he was getting his heart in operation. He began to eat better and eating begin to lose weight and get trimmer and he changed and got a new job that took away the stress in his life. He loved to drive cars and so he got on with Avis and was one of their drivers that the reposition cars and driving was fun for him and non-stressful. And so that's what he did. So after a few years he went to see the doctor and the doctor was pretty thrilled with what with what was happening. What was happening was because he was exercising regularly vessels were building around the blockages that we're building in his heart and it was operating better. You know, he began to do those things that avoided the barrier the heart disease that was in his life and he actually Live till he was 80 almost 81 years old. He did die of a heart condition. But you know, he lived another 20 plus years because he chose to do those things which block the barrier that was keeping him from enjoying life and that we can do the same thing. There are those barriers and we're going to take a look at one of those barriers today and that barrier is Temptations. We're going to be looking at the Temptations that come into our lives and how to avoid them and avoid them I doing the things Did build goodness and lied into our lives if you remember the verse that I took from Matthew with talked about white and when we look at light we look at God and he is the light to our lives. And so when we look at these issues we look at his light.
By reading a Luke chapter 11 will read the 33 through 36, but for now that's just read verse 33. It says no one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden or under a bowl instead. They put it on a stand so that those who come in they see the light gray prep. You don't have a light in your house and you turn it on and then put a covering over it so that you can't see do you allow that like to be display? And remember that God is the light and the truth to our lives and so In the comparison that Jesus is making here is that when you have Jesus in your life You ought to be displaying Jesus Christ in your life. And in fact, there are many references in the Bible that encourage us to do that. Very thing. And we need to think about what difference it makes in her lots. Right now. I'm speaking too many of you who have asked Jesus Christ to come into your lives to be the Lord of your lives and to forgive you from sins. Those of you who have done that have Jesus Christ Living in your life. You have the Holy Spirit and they are the guide in the strength of your life and the big question with this versus are you revealing that light to the world? Are you hiding it under a blanket? In 1st John 1:5 we have this message about the light that says this is the message we have heard from him Jesus Christ and declare to you. God is light in him. There is no Darkness. God is light in him. There is no Darkness. So if we are thinking about temptations that come into our lives if we're focused on the Temptation what's going to happen? Will fall into that Temptation if we're focused on the line that is in our life. It'll take away our share of that Temptation and eat us. Did the god whom we are supposed to love? You know as we said before if you have experienced Jesus Christ coming into your life you have him there. He is present your life. And he wants to reveal himself through you that's his desire. We are supposed to be revealed hours of Jesus Christ where the people that he was called to do this for him. In Galatians All rights to a church that he originally Christianity to the follower to be followers of Jesus Christ and he fought them what they needed to do. So he's riding back to them and he has some things to talk about what we were back to Galatians a few times in this message. The first one is Galatians 1:16, and this is what Paul wants. In his life, he goes through and he talks about how we came to know Jesus Christ and he then said what he did to help him know Christ better was he didn't stick around and talk to people he he went. Well, here's what it says Galatians 1:16 to reveal his son and me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles. My immediate response was not to consult any human beings. You didn't go after and consult any of the human beings. He didn't go see the disciples. He went out into the desert and he spent three years out of the desert just communing with the Living God. And in so doing he built into his character the light. Wanted to reveal to the world. Okay, he didn't get acted by the human temptations that might come along but totally given over to the Lord and that's our desire that oughta be our desire and if that's what we're seeking after. And if I want Jesus Christ to be more a part of my life, then I'm going to be looking to him showing him off and not myself one of the great followers of Paul as Paul's Ministry was young man. He got on his second missionary journey to Asia and then eventually Europe in the pick this young man up and brought him along and begin to teach him as he taught others and this young man grew in the Lord and eventually he begin to minister himself and that Paul gets to the end of his life is in a Roman prison and he's riding his very last letter and he writes it to this young man Timothy and in 2nd Timothy 2. He expresses this desire in him 2nd, Timothy 2:15. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved? Worker who does not need to be a shame. In other words is not allowing himself to be tempted by the things of the world but by God and who correctly handles the word of Truth. You see the Bible that we have in our hands is the word of God and it teaches us the way we ought to walk. And if this is our focus at the Lord God Almighty is our it will take us away from those Temptations and come along in our lives. And in so doing we become the vehicles of presenting the word of God 1st Peter 3:15 at Falls us to be those people. It says but in your hearts Revere as Lord Always be prepared to give an answer anyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope you have. But do this with gentleness and respect in other words do with do this with the character that God is trying to build into your life to present. the Living God to others the desire to live for him takes away those desires those other worldly desires that come our way The Temptations that come upon us and everyone of us experiences Temptations in our life in one form or another each of us might have those areas that we struggling but they're all there and that as well as we focus on what is right we turn away from what is wrong and that's what we're going to look at in these next two versus living in the light. It says your eye is the lamp of your body when you your eyes are healthy. Your whole body is full of life. But when you're unhealthy, your body also is full of Darkness see to it. Then that The Light Within you is not darkness and that's not talking about our physical diseases. It's talking about a spiritual disease a darkness that can come. Upon Our Lives when we aren't focused on the right thing when we're not allowing those things to enter into our life that we're looking at. You know, what are you looking at in this life? What is the desire you want to gain? and Jeff Paula talks about that in the Ephesians chapter 5. He says you were once in darkness is the each of you who is come to know Jesus Christ as your lord and savior. You didn't start off in the light Garden off of it. Corrupted your life. And you were walking in darkness and you needed to have the life. Says for you were once in darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Why because the Lord has come into your life live as children of the light for the fruit of Life consists of all goodness, righteousness and Truth. Goodness, righteousness and Truth things those character traits that God wants to build into your life that destroy the darkness that desires to encroach upon you. It would be really wonderful. If we all of a sudden got rid of the Sydney when we receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, but we don't and that's in nature once to crouch in there and it's what we open our eyes to.
That that either causes us to turn to the life or to the darkness. Until we're called to avoid that Darkness now going back to Galatians. This is a church that had followed Jesus Christ and you know, they'd become followers and they started doing the right things. But all of a sudden people became a long and they began to distort their understanding of the word of God and they began to bring in teachings and practices in the accepting it and they were falling away from God. And so Paul is part of the reason that Paul is right and Galatians is to help them get back to that truth. And he says in Galatians 4, but now that you know God or rather are known by God you're turning back to those weak and miserable forces. Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again? In other words, they came out of the unrighteous behavior that they were doing, but now they were being drawn back those Temptation stuff back to what it happened before we're taking hold of their lives and they were going backwards rather than towards God. And Paul wanted to turn them around and have them head in the right direction. And so he wrote this letter to encourage them to do the right things to seek after God it as they ought to. and part of that is just following what God's word has a God has a desire for you to character your life to build that are around you. One of the great passages of scripture is found in the fourth chapter of Philippians and this chapter just talks about living life as we are. Yeah, the 8th of Philippians 4. Is it a brothers and sisters? Whatever is true. Whatever is Noble whatever is right, whatever is whatever is lovely whatever is admirable if anything is excellent or praiseworthy think about such things. You know, where is your mind going? Where is your thoughts to where are your thoughts taking you? And that's the big issue that we have?
When we walk with God is our kind of controls where we go in terms of our first what where our thinking goes, but also then where actions lead us. It takes us in it can take us in the right or the wrong direction, but there are things that we need to be seeking after to go in the right direction. Don't listen to that verse and think about the things that bring all those great characters true nobility righteousness Purity lovely Admiral Admiral admirability and the praiseworthiness into our lives. These are the things that God wants for our loss. In other words, what he wants us to do is continually put on the light in other words. He wants us progressing going towards the light always in our lives because if you're not going towards the light you're probably fading and going the other direction put on the light glass and 12 says therefore as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved clothe yourselves with compassion kindness humility gentleness and patience in other words those character traits that truly bring joy and happiness into other people's lives is not just about you. It's about everyone that God wants to make his person. Allow that light to shine. You see he doesn't give you the light just for your sake gives you the light for all people to see and hopefully lead them to the truth of who he is. Because that's our job as Believers in Christ. Our job is to help the world know Jesus Christ Orden savior. Zoe must shine which is the next section the last verse we're going to take a look at his verse 36 of Luke 11 and it's the verse that calls us to shine as lights in our world. It says therefore if you are whole body is full of luck and no part of it is dark. It will be just as full of light as when a lamp shines his light on you. You want bright lights? Shining out the measure of the Gospel of Truth. I told this story before Mary and I spent some time in on the island of Rhodes Greece as missionaries, and there was one night. We went out to a local restaurant and we were having having dinner there and enjoying ourselves and and talking together and all of a sudden a young lady from one of the other tables came on over and she said My my girlfriend and I were watching you and she says you know that you are glowing.
And so it gave us an opportunity to talk to her about why we were the Jesus Christ was in our lives and he was revealing himself just through the light it was an ox. And God calls us to be that shining lied. Now. We know it always shine like that. No that doesn't happen very often, but we ought to be white in the character that we reveal in the world and how we encourage and bless others it ought to be a light that shines.
1st John 1:7 says but if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus is son purifies us from all our sins noticed that God is not just about you is also about everyone that surround you he wants us to be light and power and strength to the world. He wants us to reveal the purity of Our Lives because he has wife a sin away from our lives. This allowed us to be pure and holy instruments, and we need to be those instruments before because apart from the Revelation that we have about Jesus Christ Our World Is In Trouble.
And we need to reveal that lie. We need to fill up. with Jesus Christ in our lives the character that we see in him as We examined Jesus Christ, the character that is revealed in the power of His word needs to be part of us. And we think of those things that we might see in Galatians 5 22 and 23 where it talks about the fruit of the spirit being love joy and peace patience kindness goodness faithfulness gentleness. Perseverance, all those things are in there, but there's more there's more than God wants in our lives and as he gave us his Spirit his Spirit Run along gifts for you and me. If you know Jesus Christ as your lord and savior, he's put a gift in your life that is there to make a difference in other believers lives. Yeah, most of the gifts that we are giving our to enhance and build up other believers so that they become mature bright lights to a world that is lost. And he says that in Ephesians he's talking about the gifts of the Spirit. He goes through us a short list of the spiritual gifts and he said we need to take part in these why Verse for at 4:13 it says until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature a dating to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. In other words, all that character that Christ displayed to our world when he walked along this Earth. We need to build into our own lives. We need to build into the lives of our Brothers and Sisters in Christ so that we become mature people reflecting the glory. of the Living God our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ
and so we need to so wisely, you know, we need to battle those The Temptations that come our way and we do so by putting ourselves up in Christ Jesus
if we are looking towards Jesus, we can't be looking towards those the darkness it wants to encumber and make our lives difficult. So wisely finally back in chapter 6 verse 8, whoever their flesh from the flesh will reap destruction. Verso's de please the spirit from the spirit will reap eternal life. You say there's one of two directions either desire to serve the Living God and the glory stands before us. Are we desire to serve ourselves the world and Satan and his desires to encumber us? And the destination is destruction Eternal destruction.
We need to think about clearly what way we want to go and I hope that their desire is that you want to grow in Christ that you find that desire to focus on him. Excuse me to turn away from the darkness that is there and turn towards the light. The light that is God dwelling in you. Why don't you to allow that light to grow more and more rather than storing it by seeking after the needs of the world? always move forward jumping back in the Philippians if we get into chapter 3 just comes prior to the next grade 1 chapter 3 is also a great one. I love lupians in chapter 3 Paul was talking about his life and and how he is striving to put that wide in to his life in knowing Jesus Christ more and more as his Lord and Savior and he gets on the 14. Saying that he hasn't achieved it yet. But he says I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. In other words. He is pressing forward. He is Desiring to live that life that is revealed through Jesus Christ in the power of His word. Press on towards it. I don't let off the gas. I keep going. because for me to let up is to falter and thank but I press on towards the prize.
And so we don't break down. We don't slow our efforts. We keep going pressing forward. You knowing each of us every one of us have choices in our lives. You know, that's in nature is still active within each and every one of us and it wants to call us back into the world to the joys that seem to be there and they're not really Joy's they're just destructive behavior. That pulls is away from the Living God. And I hope that this barrier of Temptation that is always before us will be beating down as we choose the right path seeking after the Living God who stands before us and reveals all the truth that is there when we examine. and trust in him
Let's pray.
Are Grace's Father in Heaven how we thank you that them.
Come to 4th you get through you we can know the direction. We need to go. We don't have to guess or wonder what needs to be placed in our lives because it is truly there in the power of your word that describes the way of Truth and righteousness so clearly in our lives We have that other nature that lives within us that wants us draw away from that and distort our opinion, but father help us to be strong help us to be faithful and true to the task that you placed before us that you've given to each and every person that is chosen to follow you as Lord and savior. Make our weak wonderful and Powerful in You O Lord Our God in Jesus name. Amen.
May the Lord bless you.
May the Lord song.
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Love you is. May the Lord bless you and may the Lord smile on. Shine is light up on.
May the Lord.
Where is stays too long?
Give us a raise today. We will go and the last weekend. We will go in the name of the man who plays today. Will do.
May the Lord bless the Lord.
Giant is light up on May the Lord.
What is face to go now in peace go now in peace?
A father may we go in peace as we trust in you to be our blessing and our light to a world that desperately needs to see the light of your presence in each of our lives in Jesus name. Amen.