The Battle Before the Fall

Transcript

Week 4 of the series D.I.R.T.Y. Transcribed from the service recording and lightly edited for readability.

Welcome

Y'all doing alright this morning? Alright, alright. I hope y'all don't mind; I'm going to get a little comfortable real quick and act like my daddy for a second.

Do y'all know how awesome a God we have? Because God is crazy. I don't know about y'all's lives, but He's been messing with me in mine.

That Song Was Perfect

Reggie, that song was perfect. Whether you realize it or not, this series, D.I.R.T.Y., has been creating a spiritual warfare that I can't really explain or comprehend.

Spiritual Warfare During This Series

What I'm trying to do is unlock us so that we can experience God authentically. And when we try to clean up this dirt, the devil doesn't like it.

For the past three weeks, come about Thursday or Friday, there's been a heaviness weighing on me. This week, the heaviness lasted all week. It was so strong yesterday that when I went to a friend's house, he just looked at me and said, "What's wrong?"

All I'm saying is that when you walk in the path of obedience, it's not going to be easy. It's going to be tough. Doing the right thing is never wrong, but it isn't going to be easy. Which leads us to today's discussion: temptation.

Temptation: The Battle Before the Fall

Temptation is the battle before the fall. Everybody is going to be tempted. There's nothing wrong with being tempted. The question is how we're going to respond.

1 Corinthians 10:13

First Corinthians 10:13 says:

No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.

If we can memorize one scripture, I think that might be a good one. Why? Because you are going to be tempted, and we have to remember what God's word says.

You Fall a Million Small Decisions at a Time

You don't fall in a moment. You fall a million small decisions at a time.

Temptation Comes as Small Whispers

We just finished Halloween, so I want to be clear: temptation isn't going to come looking like a devil with horns. He isn't going to be dressed in red with a pitchfork. He isn't going to yell at you. It's going to be the small whispers, the winks, the gentle hug.

He's going to whisper something like, "You deserve this." He might say, "No one's going to know." My favorite is, "I can stop whenever I want." Or maybe, "I'm not hurting anybody." But temptation isn't just a test of your behavior. It's a battle for your future, your character, and your witness.

Temptation Is Common, but So Is God's Faithfulness

Like the scripture says, temptation is common to man, but so is God's faithfulness. And the cool thing about temptation being common is that we have something in common with the One we're chasing. The One we're chasing was also tempted.

Jesus Tempted in the Wilderness: Matthew 4

Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness fasting. Fasting means He abstained from food for 40 days. Matthew 4:2 says that at the end of those 40 days, He was hungry.

This Jesus, God in human flesh, was hungry. That means He's just like you. At that point, He was 100 percent human, and He was hungry. And the devil came to Him and said, "If You are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread."

What was Jesus' first miracle? He turned water into wine. If You can turn water into wine, You can turn rocks into bread. But Jesus answered, "Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes out of the mouth of God."

Then the devil took Him to the holy city, had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down." And here we go, verse 6: Satan is quoting scripture. "For it is written, 'He will command His angels concerning You,' and 'On their hands they will bear You up, so that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.'" But Jesus told him, "It is also written, 'You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.'"

Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor, and said, "All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me." And Jesus said, "Go away, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.'" Then the devil left Him, and angels came and began to minister to Him.

The Devil Led Him There

I find this scripture interesting, because it says over and over that the devil led Jesus or took Jesus somewhere. There are times in your life when God is going to allow the devil to be in your presence. We always wonder, "How did I get into this situation? Why am I going through this?" We have to trust that God knows what He's doing.

The Word Is Your Defense

Since temptation is a shared human experience, we must realize that God never leaves us defenseless. And as we see, Jesus' defense was the word of God. What did you sing, Chocolate? "This means war."

Never Without Your Weapon

This is your sword. I've never been in the military, but I know some people in the military, and every time they get dressed, their weapon is part of the uniform. They don't leave without it. I know law enforcement officers who don't feel comfortable when they don't have their weapon on them, because they've gotten so used to needing it to protect. That's what they're about. So how is it that we as Christians, designed to serve people, don't have our protection with us?

And even if you don't carry the book, the Bible says to hide it in your heart. When Satan was talking to Jesus, He didn't say, "Hold on, let me go find that scroll." He responded with the word He knew. And the reason He knew it is because He had an intimate relationship with the Creator of the universe. Scripture is a powerful weapon.

Temptation Isn't Only Sexual

Here's the thing about temptation. When we talk about it, especially in this day and age, we all think it's something sexual. But we don't realize that temptation is also when you're tempted to gossip, when you're tempted to act like you're better than somebody else, or when you're tempted to think you're less than what God created you to be. "You're not good enough. You're not smart enough. You're not strong enough." Satan wants to tempt us to be everything God says we're not.

Attractive but Ends in Destruction

Temptation always appears attractive but ends in destruction. Sin often wears that disguise. Desires become dangerous when they override our discernment.

David and Bathsheba

It reminds me of the story of David. We talk about David from time to time. He slew Goliath. He was the next king after Saul. He won major battles. But as king, in the season when he was supposed to be at war, he was at home, walking around his kingdom checking out what was going on. He looked over and said, "Oh, what's that?" It was a young lady taking a bath, and he needed to know who that was. Giving in to that temptation not only led him to commit adultery; he ended up committing murder to cover up the adultery.

We Didn't Plan to Go This Far

He thought he was just doing a cute little thing. He didn't think he was going to be a murderer. And that's what happens a lot of times. We didn't plan on going this far. We didn't plan on getting caught embezzling millions of dollars. We just needed a little extra change in our pocket to cover the rent. "It ain't hurting nobody. They've got enough money in that account. I can just take a little bit. They ain't going to know. But I really need it."

You know what I'm saying? "It ain't going to hurt to sell a little weed. I ain't selling crack or cocaine or nothing like that. They're going to smoke it anyway, so I may as well get paid off it." And then you find yourself further and further down a hole you never intended to be in.

Three Ways Satan Tempted Jesus

Satan tempted Jesus three ways. First, with His physical needs and desires. Then with pride, His self-worth. Then with worldly ambition. And we face the same temptations daily.

That's why we have to remember scripture. Somewhere in this book it says my Father owns the cattle on a thousand hills. It says my Father will never leave me nor forsake me. We have to remember those things when temptations come to our minds. I promise you, God is not going to lie to you. He's not going to fail you. But if we don't remember, we find ourselves further and further away.

God Provides a Way of Escape

The cool thing I like about this scripture is that it says God will provide a way out: a bridge, your way of escape.

So think about this. Think about the last time you were tempted, the last time you said, "I ain't doing this anymore," and then you did it again. Think about the time leading up to that moment. Where was your escape opportunity?

Sometimes we don't want to think about it, but when we really do, we'll be like, "Ooh." Say you're about to go to a party with alcohol, sex, drugs, and rock and roll, all that good stuff. And you get a flat tire on the way. But you didn't even change the tire. You called an Uber, left the car where it was, and kept going, because you weren't about to miss this party. Or a friend calls and invites you somewhere else. "No, man, I've got somewhere to go."

Joseph and Potiphar's Wife

There's a story in the Bible about Joseph. Joseph went through some things. He received a promise from God. He received visions from God saying he was going to do awesome, mighty things and lead people. But then he found himself in slavery; his brothers sold him into slavery. He found himself in situation after situation that contradicted what God said was going to happen. Then he ended up in charge of Potiphar's house. Everything was under his control. There was nothing in Potiphar's house he didn't have authority over.

And yet Potiphar's wife wanted to holler at him. Joseph was strong. He was attractive. I can see it: he must have been buff, six-pack, the whole nine, strong guns. But he said, "I can't do it." Day after day she kept saying, "Come on, Joseph, ain't nobody going to know. My husband gave you everything, and that includes me." I'm sure she told him everything he wanted to hear. But he said, "I can't do it," and one of the reasons he gave was, "I can't dishonor my God."

Then he found himself in the house alone with her. She grabbed hold of him, and he took off running. He lost part of his clothing going out the door, but he ran.

Run From Temptation

This is what we have to realize: we have to run away from temptation.

Stop Living on the Edge

I say it all the time: I really believe they built this stage for me. This is how I like to live my life: on the edge, in between both situations. I'm pretty good. I can manage this step real well. But God doesn't like us living on the edge.

If I'm back here, I'm never going to fall off the stage. Over here, one misstep and I fall. I know life is fun and we like to play on the edge, but sometimes we've got to grow up and get off the edge. We've got to stop playing.

Chocolate, what did the song say? "This means war." If it's war, we ain't playing. Little kids like to walk on the curb, and they're playing. But when it's serious business, you've got to get on solid ground. If we're still living on the edge, we're playing. It's time to stop playing and do what the song says: this means war.

I told y'all God is crazy, because I didn't even know they were singing that song. But that's it. We have to retrain our brains.

Not a Playground, a Training Ground

We've been taught from the time we were little kids to come to church and play. Then we think that once we become adults, we'll suddenly have spiritual strength just because we turned 18 or 21. No. This is not a playground; this is a training ground. We're not here just to make you feel better. If it were about feeling better, Jesus would have turned the stone into bread and eaten. This is about training for battle so that we can go change this world and make an impact on the people and lives around us.

The reality is problems are not going to stop coming. We're going to do baptisms in a minute, and just because I dunk you in the water and raise you up, problems aren't going to stop. But when Satan comes at you, you respond with, "But God said."

He's going to tell you to taste and see. You say, "I don't have to taste and see, because I know God is good. I've already tasted. I've already tried Him. I know what you're offering sounds great, but I know who I am. I am a child of God."

Offering What Jesus Created

Let's go back to the devil for a second. Verse 8 says the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in their splendor, and said, "All these things I will give You."

Do y'all see the fallacy in this? Jesus created the world. And here's Satan telling Jesus, "I can give You what You created."

That's why we've got to be on solid ground, because we didn't create anything. Jesus created it, and Satan thought he was powerful enough to convince Jesus that he could give Him what He made. So I'm telling you, he's coming for you. Satan is coming for you, so you've got to get strapped up. Y'all have the Bible on your cell phones; you can pull it right out of your pocket. We've got to get ready.

It Already Has Your Name on It

He's coming to take what's already yours. And I'm telling you it's already yours, because when God created you and put you here, He already had your name on it. A lot of y'all put your initials on your leftovers in the fridge so everybody knows what's yours. At my house, I do it so I know whose food to eat. Alright?

When you were created, it already had your name on it. No temptation he offers you is for you, because what's for you has already been given to you. You just have to step into it.

If God showed you something that hasn't come to fruition yet: I told you a few months ago, we speak life. So we say, "God, You promised me this. I know it's coming. Let's go."

You can say, "I might be walking today, but God has a car with my name on it. I might be living in an apartment right now, but God has a house with my name on it. I might be borrowing money now, but my God says I'm going to be a lender and not a borrower. God is going to get me out of debt. God is going to free me from this addiction." And then you walk it out as though it has already happened.

See Yourself Free

There's a story about a man who was big, and he said he was going to lose weight. But he had to fix his mind first, so he started seeing himself as thin. He said he knew he had won the battle over his weight when he was in a grocery store and a little girl said to her mom, "Mama, look at that fat man," and he turned around to look too.

See yourself free! Now I know why my grandma had me sweeping the dirt. She believed the dirt could get cleaner.

It doesn't matter where you are now. Your past doesn't matter. God says, "I've forgiven that." Jesus said, "I died for that. All I need now is for you to trust Me and live for Me the rest of your days."

God, I Need Your Help

All you've got to do is run from it, because when you start running from temptation, God shows up faster than you could ever imagine.

I might look like a good kid, but I've done some bad stuff. I've gotten myself into situations I didn't know how I was going to get out of. But I started praying: "God, I'm stupid. I don't know what I did. I don't know how I ended up here, but I need Your help." And I promise you, He showed up faster than I could ever imagine.

God is saying temptation isn't going to kill you. It isn't going to destroy you. You can get through it. You can win this battle. All you have to do is trust Me. Lean on Me.

There are going to be haters in your life. You don't have to fight them. Take your fight to God. Truth is, you're not really mad at the haters; you're mad at God, because He's the one who put you in that situation. But since He put you there, you can say, "God, Your word says You're going to deliver me, and You said Your word does not return void. So either You deliver me, or Your word isn't true. Which one is it?"

Get real with the One who can actually change things, and that is God. The people you're bickering with can't do anything for you except keep you trapped and take your stuff. God says, "Trust Me. And when My Holy Spirit speaks, run with it." Not walk with it: run with it. Most of us are like, "Alright, Holy Spirit, I think that's right. Hold on, let me get one more taste. I'll be right back." But do you want to be free? Do you want to be healed? Do you want to be whole?

You're Not Weak Because You're Tempted

Temptation may be fierce. It may feel constant. It may even feel like it's winning. But you're not weak because you're tempted. You're not dirty because you feel the pull. You are human, and Jesus understands that.

Closing Prayer

Most gracious and heavenly Father, thank You. Thank You for coming down to earth and showing us how to live this life. Your word says that everything we go through, You've gone through. You know how it feels. You know what we're dealing with. And Father God, right now we need Your Holy Spirit, because You said Your Holy Spirit is our Comforter and our guide.

So Father God, I pray that You rest, rule, and reign in Your people's lives. Have Your way. I know that having Your way sometimes means we'll go through more pain, more misery, more frustration. This world hated You, hung You on a cross, killed You, persecuted You. But Father God, You are sitting at the right hand of the Father, and we can't wait to spend eternity with You. Father God, I love You and praise You. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Weekly Challenge

Alright, let's look at this week's challenge.

Reflect: What temptation constantly reappears in your life, and why?

Act: Identify your escape route: scripture, accountability, boundaries.

Pray: "Lord, strengthen my spirit to resist what seems sweet but is spiritually toxic. Thank You for always providing a way out."