According To Luke: Overcoming Temptation

According To Luke: Overcoming Temptation

Opening Illustration:

Have you heard the news? No, not about the Coronavirus. Have you heard the news that the Asian Murder Hornet has made it’s way to the shores of America? Hornets are bad enough but now we are going to have to deal with the murder hornet. I wonder if the murder hornet knows that it’s name is the murder hornet. This is one intimidating insect. They say that a sting from a murder hornet feels like you are being shot. 

Did you know that there is a thing called the Pain Index. It is measured 1-4. 4 being the absolute worst. Well, the murder hornet sting registers a solid 4. The murder hornet can kill up to 40 bees in a minute. The Murder Hornet is really really big. A lot bigger than a normal American hornet. Just look at this picture of murder hornets in the palm of a grown man’s hands. 

A video was released the other day of a murder hornet. It went viral. The murder hornet went toe to toe with a praying mantis. I can imagine that the murder hornet was thinking that he had it in the bag. He had a size advantage. He had a strength advantage. He had a huge stinger where the mantis had none. He could fly and the mantis could not. The murder hornet also had a much cooler name. Come on…MURDER HORNET! 

The murder hornet attacked with ferocity and aggressiveness. It was apparent the overconfident hornet had met his match in the slim and trim praying mantis. The mantis quickly captured the hornet. While the hornet struggled, the mantis began to eat. Yes eat. It was not long after the fight begun that the mantis had defeated the hornet by eating its head clean off it’s body. It reminded me of David and Goliath actually. Goliath had all the advantages. He was cocky, arrogant, and armed. Not long after the fight started, Goliath lost his head. 

Point:

Friends, temptation will tell us that we have all the advantages. Temptation will tell us that we are stronger and more self control that we really possess. Temptation will tell us we can take that drink and that we are mature enough to stop. Temptation tell us that we can take that Oxycodone and that we are powerful enough to say “no” to the second, third, and fourth pill. Temptation tells men that its fine for you to stay up late, long after your wife has gone to bed, and look at your computer. You are manly enough not to go to those sites and look at those videos. 

Pretty soon, we have acted on that temptation and we end up like the murder hornet. We are caught in the clutches of full blown sin and that sin is destroying our soul and damaging our mind. 

Brothers and sisters, temptation is normal. Everyone experiences temptation. Even Jesus experienced temptation. Let me reveal this powerful truth, just because you are tempted does not mean that you have to act upon it. We have a choice. Temptation is common, but it can be conquered. It is natural but it can be defeated. Jesus gives us some tools to overcome temptation. 

Temptation Is Common But It Can Be Conquered!

Background and Context of Luke 17

In this chapter we are privy to some of the conversations that Jesus had with His disciples. This is important to know because the words that Jesus is speaking are applicable to us today. We are the disciples of Christ, therefore His words should be taken with a great deal of consideration. Jesus discusses the issue of temptation. Here He warns His disciples about leading others into temptation rather than away from it. He teach them and us about faith and how to increase it. He also talks about humility, something that everyone needs. So, let’s dive into Luke 17:1-6 this morning. 

Luke 17:1-6 ESV

And he said to his disciples, “Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come! 2 It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin. 3 Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, 4 and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”

5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” 6 And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.

3 Lessons To Overcoming Temptation

I. Don’t Perpetuate The Problem vs. 1-2

Luke 17:1-2 ESV

And he said to his disciples, “Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come! 2 It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin. 

Point:

In the very first words of Jesus, he explains that temptations to sin are sure to come. Temptation is going to happen. It is a fact. It is a certainty. Everyone has been tempted. Even Jesus. Even though Jesus is making that a point, that is not THE point of Jesus’ message to His disciples. What is Jesus really saying? What is His point?

Jesus is saying that temptation is going to happen, but as disciples, we should be very careful that we are not a part of the problem. As disciples, we should make certain that we do not lead anyone into temptation or sin. 

Point:

The Greek word being used here for “temptation” is “skandalon”. It is where we receive our English word “scandal”. The same word is used for stumbling block, or something that people trip over. As a disciple, a believer in Christ, it is never good to be a skandalon. For example a skandalon can be false counsel (Matthew 16:23), and it can be leading a brother into sin by your "liberty" (Romans 14:13). Division and false teaching brings a skandalon among God's people (Romans 16:17).

Point:

Essentially, Jesus is saying: "People are going to take the bait-but woe to you if you offer the hook. People are going to trip up-but woe to you if you set the stumbling block in their way."

Jesus tells us that it would be better for us to experience a horrible physical death than for one of us to change the trajectory of someone’s life towards sinfulness and separation from God. 

Point:

So, what is the solution to avoid being a tempter or skandalon? How can we make sure that as believers, that we are not part of the problem? We find the answer in I John 2:10.

I John 2:10 NLT

Anyone who loves a fellow believer is living in the light and does not cause others to stumble.

The answer to preventing ourselves from leading others astray is to love them as Christ loves them. We are to consider ourselves, our needs, as secondary to theirs. We are to serve them, not the other way around. We are to be living in the light of Christ. We live in the light of Christ by caring more about God’s peace and the presence of Christ than politics. We live in the light when we tame our tongues and clean up our language. We live in the light when we realize that our words on social media carry just as much weight as our words in the real world. Brothers and sisters, I have seen more people turned off from Christ because of the subject matter we produce on social media. It is almost like we think that we will not be judged for the things we say on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. 

We do not perpetuate the problem of temptation by reading our Bible more, not less. We guard ourselves from going the wrong way and taking others with us by praying more not less. We keep our eyes focused by being more accountable not less. Remember, if we are tempted, we are in good company. 

Hebrews 2:18 ESV

For because he himself (Jesus) has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

3 Lessons To Overcoming Temptation

I. Don’t Perpetuate The Problem vs. 1-2

II. Don’t Punish The Person vs. 3-4

3 Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, 4 and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.

Point:

Eventually, we are all going to hurt one another. There will be times when people tempt us, lead us down paths of destruction and pain, and there will be times when people just flat let us down. How should we respond to that person? How should we treat them? Do we hang on to the hate? Do we dwell on the damage, ponder the painful attack, and hit back at the one that hurt us?

Brothers and sisters, that is not what God’s Word says. Jesus tells us that if someone, a brother, sins against us that we are to correct it, and if he repents, forgive him. Christ says that if this person habitually hurts you, apologizes to you, that you are to forgive him. 

Point:

Now the water gets a little muddy with this statement that Jesus makes. There have been many pastors who have told women and children who are being abused by their partner or husband that as long as the husband asks for forgiveness that the wife, the woman is to forgive. I believe that this is a gross misuse of the text. 

Jesus is not saying that we remain in damaging, hurtful and abusive relationships as long as the abuser says “sorry” or he repents. Jesus is speaking about our willingness to forgive. You see, Jewish culture was only required to forgive someone 3 times. After that, the relationship could be severed. 

In this text, Jesus is actually painting a picture of how God treats us. God forgives us over and over again. He never falls out of love with us. No matter how much we disappoint Him, He is passionately in love with us. Jesus wants His followers to be forgiving, graceful people. 

Flip in your Bibles to Matthew 18:21-22. 

Matthew 18:21-22 says, “Peter came to him and asked, ‘Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?’ ‘No, not seven times,’ Jesus replied, ‘but seventy times seven!’” (NLT).

Peter thought he was being pretty magnanimous. Again, in Jewish law, you had to forgive a person three times, and after you’d forgiven them three times, that was it. You didn’t have to forgive them anymore. So Peter’s thinking, “The law says three times. How about if I double it, and add in one for good measure? Seven times? (God’s going to be really impressed with this!)”

And Jesus says, “Wrong! You’re not even close! How about 70 times seven!” He’s saying you have to just keep on doing it. You just keep on forgiving until the pain stops. Every time you remember that hurt, you make an intentional choice to say, “God, that person really hurt me, and it still hurts. But because I want to be filled with love and not resentment, I am choosing to give up my right to get even and wish bad on that person. I am choosing to bless those who hurt me. God, I pray you’ll bless their life — not because they deserve it. They don’t. I don’t deserve your blessing either, God. But I pray that you’d show grace to them like you’ve shown to me.”

It’s not easy. In fact, I have no doubt that for some hearing this, your marriage is about to self-destruct — not because of the hurt but because of the unforgiveness. It’s not the hurt but the refusal to forgive that destroys a marriage.

Point:

In verse 4, Jesus tells us that if someone hurts us and repents that we “must” forgive them. Jesus leaves not option. As believers we are commanded to forgive. It does not mean that we have to like the person. It does not mean that you have to be best friends with the person. Thankfully, when we are in heaven, God will repair all of that earthly damage. Jesus tells us that we are just to forgive. Why? We forgive so that we can move on with our lives. God does not want us to hang on to a grudge. 

Holding a grudge does not hurt the person you are angry with. They have already moved on with their lives. Hold a grudge only hurts you and the people around you. Hanging on to that grudge is like poising yourself everyday. Grudges have been known to shrink your spirit, poison your personality, damage your daily disposition, curse your complexion and hurt your heart. 

Jesus is doing us a favor by telling us, no commanding us, to forgive those who have tempted us, led us down damaging roads, and abused us. 

Remember, give grace because one day you will need it yourself. 

Ephesians 4:32 ESV

Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

3 Lessons To Overcoming Temptation

I. Don’t Perpetuate The Problem vs. 1-2

II. Don’t Punish The Person vs. 3-4

III. Don’t Presume In Your Own Power vs. 5-6

Luke 17:5-6 ESV

5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” 6 And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.

Illustration:

Have you ever heard of the Toddler Cookie Challenge? Neither have I until the other day when I saw a video that detailed the challenge. Essentially, you take your toddler and place him or her in their high chair. Put a cookie in front of them and tell them not to eat it until you return. You leave the room for a minute and capture the conundrum on video. 

I had some friends do this to their son Micah. It was very funny and very cute. Check it out. 

Play Cookie Temptation Video

Point:

Micah was able to do what many of us could not do. Micah did not eat the cookie. He looked at the cookie. He smelled the cookie. He felt the cookie. At one point it looks as though he was praying to the cookie. He even broke the cookie in half and placed the cookie to his lips. He never ate the cookie though and you can see his relief when his mother finally entered the room. Finally, at long last, he can eat what was tempting him. If we are being honest, if Micah’s mom stays out of the room for 30 more seconds, his power would have finally depleted and that cookie would have been gone. 

Most of us do not have that sort of strength when it comes to temptation. Most of us are like David dealing with Bathsheba. David had an opportunity to get away but he choose to entertain the sin. That temptation eventually led to tragedy and turmoil. 

Quote:

Have you ever wondered why God allows us to be tempted. One might think that life would be so much easier if God just removed temptation. Life would be so much easier if there was not the tree of knowledge of good and evil in the garden. Right? Wrong? Temptation reveals so much about us. It shows us where we stand with God and how God can strenghten us. Listen to what William Barclay says on the subject of temptation. 

"Temptation is not meant to make us sin; it is meant to enable us to conquer sin.

It is not meant to make us bad, it is meant to make us good.

It is not meant to weaken us, it is meant to make us emerge stronger and finer and purer from the ordeal.

Temptation is not the penalty of being a man, temptation is the glory of being a man,

Temptation is the test which comes to every man whom God wishes to use.

So, then, we must think of this whole incident,

not so much the TEMPTING, as the TESTING of Jesus."

Point:

You might say to me, “Preacher, I can have that beer and it won’t effect me”. “I can smoke that pot and it makes no difference”. “I can love whoever and whatever I want and it won’t hurt anyone”. “I can cheat on that exam but that does not make me a cheater.” 

Can you see the pattern? How many times have I met with strong people who entertain temptation and that temptation transforms to full blown sin. 

I have spoken to drunks who said that their alcoholism started with their very first beer. 

I have spoken to drug addicts who said that their addiction started with smoking one cigarette. 

I have spoken to men addicted to porn who said that their addiction started by watching one rated R movie.

In each case, they all thought that they were strong enough to say “no” to the cookie. They all felt that they had power to overcome. They felt that they were strong enough to indulge in a small way but that they would and could stop anytime they wanted. 

Point:

After hearing Jesus speak, the disciples wisely asked Him to help them increase their faith. They realized that without a strong faith, they would never be able to battle temptation. They new instinctually that they were not strong enough to say “no” to what tempted them. 

Next week, we are going to talk about an overcoming faith. This week was about overcoming temptation, next week we will talk about an overcoming faith. 

Ultimately to overcome temptation, you have to possess and overcoming faith. When is the last time you asked what the disciples asked? When is the last time you asked God to grow your faith. Over the past few weeks, we have had more opportunity for God to exercise our faith. 

When you are starring at a job loss, ask God to grow your faith. 

When you are looking at dwindling finances, ask God to grow your faith.

When you working from home and also homeschooling your three kids, ask God to grow your faith.

When your son or daughter appears to back away from their faith, ask God to grow your faith.

When you husband or wife disappoints you, ask God to grow your faith.

When you boyfriend or girlfriend breaks up with you, ask God to grow your faith.

I can tell you right now with certainty, that growing your faith is within the will of God. He wants to grow you and propel you new heights. 

I Corinthians 10:13 ESV

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

Closing Illustration:

Manfred, Freiherr von Richthofen was a famous German First World War fighter pilot. He was better known as the Red Baron because he flew a distinctive a red Fokker aircraft. He shot down more combat planes than any one else on either side in the first World war, His known kill tally was 80.

On 21st April 1918, he began chasing a Canadian plane - that was trying to escape the battle over the Mor-lan-court Ridge, near the river Somme. As the Red Baron pursued his prey, he strayed behind Allied lines. He dived too low into the enemy lines and he also he missed a Canadian pilot (Arthur) "Roy" Brown coming up on his tail to help his comrade.

We will never know whether it was a shot from the ground - or a shot from Brown that killed Richthofen. But what we do know is that the "Red Baron" came to his end because he made the mistake of pursuing that Allied 'plane "too long, too far, and too low into enemy territory" (as one report so succinctly put it).

And many committed Christians have been shot down because they have followed temptation for too long, too far, and too low into enemy territory.

And as with Richthofen -- they are then caught unawares and then have to deal with the consequences.

Tempted? Ask God To Grow Your Faith!