Author: swimmingmonk1980

If we want to see victory in the valleys, we will first climb the mountains!

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1. The Mountain of Temptation (Matt.4:8): The Discipline of Worshipping and Serving

2.  The Mountain of Revelation (Matt.5-7): The Discipline of Listening and Obeying

3.  The Mountain of Transformation (Matt.17:1-23) The Discipline of Beholding

4. The Mountain of Prognostication (Matt.24-25) The Discipline of Watching & Praying

5. The Mountain of Crucifixion (Matt.27) The Discipline of Believing

6. The Mountain of the Great Commission (Matt.28:16-20) The Discipline of Waiting and Going

God forgive us for trying to “avoid” what You meant for us to climb. We also confess, all to often we tried to recklessly climb what you wanted to move.

Revival is sustained by inhaling the breath of God in the momentary light afflictions; walking always upward and downward with the assurance of God’s consistent love; and fellowship with prayerful ardent singing pilgrims “in whose heart are the paths to Zion.”

A church with this momentum will collide with the world of need and awaken those bound in darkness. 

Worship involves climbing!

Genesis 22:1f: “Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!”

“Here I am, he replied.

Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you…Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.”

Climb This Mountain (click) Worship Song

Christians need to learn how to first CLIMB mountains in obedience before they learn to MOVE mountains with faith. The Love of God must precede and feed our Faith in God! One of the places we grow or gain love is by abiding in Christ in the heavenly places.  Soaking in the Presence of God will ensure that we are speaking for God.

It is foundational to learn how to ascend where Christ has ascended to the right hand of the Father. We ascend in prayer, in fasting, in biblical meditation, in praise, in fellowship, in obedience,  in solitude and silence. We ascend by dying to self, rejecting earthly wisdom and going to the throne room of grace to find counsel, mercy and grace in time of need.

This climb is not geopgraphical but it is measured in relational distance. The Most High God has drawn near in Jesus Christ.  The Most High is Most Near, He is dwelling in you! Ascent has to do with our interior life and disciplines. 

We must continually MOVE toward God to be with God, in order to Move with God to MOVE mountains.  All doing begins with being. Like Mary, we must sit at His feet to fuel our servanthood like Martha. 

Matthew 17:20 He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

1 Corinthians 13:2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing

I was born in Cody, Wyoming.  Cody is located just east of Yellowstone, the Crown Jewel of National Parks.  My 4th son’s middle name is Cody. We named our second son Bryce after Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah. However, I grew up in Colorado on the Front Range.  My dad worked as an engineer for the Forest Service, Department of Agriculture and eventually retired at the age of 48. He went on to build custom homes until the age of 62.  He was often in charge of entire National Forests like Pikes Peak and San Isabel. At the apex of his career he was the lead engineer who designed the specifications for the Pacific-Crest Trail which stretched from Mexico to Canada on the West Coast. The vast majority of the Pacific-Crest Trail traversed through mountainous regions. My dad received a rare National Merit awards for his work on this vast project. 

Mountains are in my blood, in my mind and embedded in my heart like jagged granite above timberline peaks. At the Langskov house,  Christmas trees were taken from the deep forests of Colorado with an axe. We did not stroll down to a local Santa-bait lot with pre-cut Tannenbaum’s.  My dad would lead us across snowy meadows and dangerous ravines to the perfect Christmas tree. At the age of around six years old, I remember one time I fell behind everyone and was alone in a snowy meadow.  The air was cold and perfectly still while I gathered my wits to figure out what to do. The peculiar sound of a sharp metal axe slamming into the wooden base of 30’ Colorado blue spruce became the voice of the Spirit to lead me to my father. 

 Last year, Cheri (my wife) and I  were blessed to be able to hike in  three significant mountain ranges within a couple months of each other…the Rocky Mountains, the California Sierra Nevadas and the Northern Mountains of Taipei, Taiwan. 

This message on The Mountains of Matthew originated while preparing a teaching on the Beatitudes in Matthew. Here is a picture of a few of  the First Mountaineers of Matthew from Quarry Oakes, CA. I have included my teaching notes and the original sermon in audio format at the end of this blog.  The teaching now has Seven mountains rather than five. I have added the Mountain of Temptation and the Mountain of Solitude.

Mountains are a central background drop to many pivotal Scriptural stories that help us understand who God is and what He has done on our behalf.

STOP, REFLECT and PRAY right now and allow the Holy Spirit to quicken stories that happened in the mountains of Scripture (Mount Sinai, Mount Carmel etc.). In this season, whichever stories were brought to your memory, begin to read and meditate and commune with the Holy Trinity.  Receive grace and truth to behold His glory and fulfill His calling upon your life!

In 1986 the Lord spoke to me  while I was attending Fuller Theological Seminary. I was seeking Him regarding His will and leadership and my responsibility in the body of Christ as a leader. He showed me Zion National Park on a map of the United States. He said I needed to go there and seek His glory. So I gathered a couple of friends and we drove to this spectacular park to hike, explore  and camp for a few days. We were blown away because a Methodist circuit rider preacher in the late 1800’s had named many of the incredible colorful mammoth sandstone rock formations.  The Great WhiteThrone, the Sentinel, Angel’s Landing and Weeping Rock were a few of the names. For over a decade this became an annual pilgrimage for my family and many other church families throughout the region.  We would camp for a week, hike, praise the Lord, seek God for His heart and ways to be revealed to us for that particular year. We celebrated in the spirit of the great Jewish Pilgrimage of the Feast of Booths.

Our annual pilgrimage was called Convocation in the Cleft. The theme story was Moses on the Mountain of God in Exodus 33:18-23:

18 Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.” 19 And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. 20 But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.” 21 Then the Lord said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. 22 When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. 23 Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.”

We gained so many insights about the heart and ways of God as we climbed around the park with our friends and families!  The amazing truth is a Christian doesn’t necessarily need a car and tank of gas and a nearby mountain range to seek God! Although I would highly recommend getting on the  road and finding places nearby to walk, hike, camp or back-pack to seek God in the high places of His creation to learn His heart and ways! You can simply find a place of solitude in your home or in your car as you commute to work. Read a story with a mountain in it and meditate and pray and allow the Spirit-Lord to lead down paths of goodness and mercy. Paths of revelation and insight in the back-woods of the Holy Scripture. Like Lewis and Clark, with a notebook or journal in hand begin to take notes and draw what you see and feel as  signage of your pilgrimage for others to find! You can be in a wheelchair or a professional athlete to seek God in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. You don’t need the latest high priced REI gear, high elevation oxygen tanks and an ice axe to reach the peak of Mount Zion and the manifest presence of God. God the Father is immediately accessible for the Christian through the blood of Jesus and the leadership of the Holy Spirit. God is an infinite continent waiting to be discovered and celebrated in humble worship and service. The State of Colorado has fifty-four mountain peaks  above 14,000’. It is one of the highest concentrations of above timberline regions in the world. You could climb one peak a week and it would take you just over one year. 

How much more in the unfathomable depths and heights of Christ Jesus do we explore everyday!?

Jesus received power on the mountains to serve in the valleys of death, sin, sickness and brokenness.

John 4:21-24:  “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

May the Mountains of Matthew weekly call you up to the glory of God.  May the Holy Spirit lift you to stand on the Rock that is higher than you! May He hide you in the Cleft of Christ as His glory passes before you.  May you be transformed by His glory and grace to follow Him in bold loving obedience in the valleys of your life.

We must climb  the Mountains BEFORE we possess the valley’s and cities below for the cause of the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

My dad was also in charge of National Forest signage for all of California. He designed and determined the best most efficient way to guide people to the the lakes, the campgrounds and the trailheads. 

 Below are only a few Scriptural signposts and trailheads that call us into the mountains of God to reveal his eternal nature and divine attributes:

Judges 5:5 The mountains quaked before the Lord, the One of Sinai, before the Lord, the God of Israel. THE TRAIL OF FEAR AND TREMBLING: LEARNING HOW TO RESPOND TO THE WORD OF THE LORD

Isaiah 52:7 How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!” THE TRAIL OF THE BEAUTY OF THE LORD: LIFTING YOUR THOUGHTS AND WORDS ABOVE THE FRAY OF UGLINESS IN THE WORLD

Amos 4:13  He who forms the mountains, who creates the wind, and who reveals his thoughts to mankind, who turns dawn to darkness, and treads on the heights of the earth— the Lord God Almighty is his name. THE TRAIL OF OMNIPOTENCE: DISCOVERING the DEMONSTRATION OF THE SPIRIT

Jonah 2:6  To the roots of the mountains I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in forever. But you, Lord my God, brought my life up from the pit. THE TRAIL OF DEPRESSION AND HUMILITY: LAYING THE AXE TO THE ROOTS OF SIN and PRIDE

Luke 6:12 One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. THE TRAIL OF THE NIGHT WATCH: LIVING WIDE AWAKE IN A SLEEPY WORLD

Action: 

• Listen to Beatitudes and The 5 Mountains (1) Audio Sermon and include somebody else.
  

• Start a Mountaineer Club that is dedicated to seeking God and His kingdom first.

• Start a Journal that maps your walk with God

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Steven Curtis Chapman, Dive (Click for Song)

23 For this very night there stood before me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship, 24 and he said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you.’ 25 So take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told. 26 But we must run aground on some island.”

27 When the fourteenth night had come, as we were being driven across the Adriatic Sea, about midnight the sailors suspected that they were nearing land. 28 So they took a sounding and found twenty fathoms. A little farther on they took a sounding again and found fifteen fathoms.29 And fearing that we might run on the rocks, they let down four anchors from the stern and prayed for day to come. 

–  Acts 27:23-29

Read Acts 21-27

I was very freaked out by the 1954 movie Creature from the Black Lagoon (Click Link). My oldest brother Johnny made me watch it because he was charged with taking care of his two younger brothers and sister. Like any good older brother he fulfilled his calling to lead the charge of  torturing me with fear most of my childhood. This movie set the stage for an inordinate fear of monsters by land or sea. I grew up as a competitive swimmer in Colorado, swimming my first race of 25 meters backstroke at the age of 4 for the Belmont Barracudas. As I grew older, I remember during practice I would look down at the drain grate at the bottom of the 10’ deep end. I would picture the face of the Creature from the Black Lagoon staring at me while grasping the grate with his hands. This vision deep in my mind would cause chills to run through my already chilled body. I imagined him tearing the grate off and ascending from the depths to capture me and pull me to his aquatic lair. I never really told anyone about it until now. 

Biblically, there are the depths of God, the deep things of Satan, the depths of human experience, the literal deep of the ocean etc. I have broken down the biblical narrative on the “the deep” into two categories. The “Deep” in the bible conjures up both positive and negative images and metaphors.

Positive

Negative

Welcome to the Depths

Our passage Acts 21-27 sets a context for dealing with the depths of adversity. Smooth waters can quickly become troubled due to no real fault of our own. We are just along for the ride. We are minding our own business. We don’t mean to bother anyone with our boring lives, let alone our problems. However, like Paul, who was clearly under a government seal to appear before Caesar for a trial that would eventually lead to his beheading by Nero. We clearly see that Paul did not lose his head before he was beheaded. As a follower of Christ, we can shine in the deep darkness (Isa.61:1). We can be cool headed when others are losing their mind. I love the popular World War II saying in England, KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON” (Click Link).

Troubled waters are inevitable in our walk through this earth. Conflict of all stripes and colors will break out in one form or another. Danger signs are posted everywhere and we all too often ignore them and we recklessly proceed. We ignore “Do Not Enter” signs as we seek to enlighten ourselves with forbidden fruit, resulting in damaged relationships, isolation, blame-casting, shame and fear. We are drawn to areas posted with Enter at your Own Risk: Large unexpected waves may sweep you off your feet into the ocean. We consume things that have “WARNING: The Surgeon General has determined this product may cause cancer.” I am not suggesting we should live life playing it safe, pulling back choosing boredom over adventure.

I believe the MORE we WAIT on the Lord, the more we are willing to LAUNCH out into the DEEP of God’s purposes with powerful love to reach those unreached with the Gospel.

What I am saying is this life is peppered with trials, tribulation, tests, snares, and temptation. In particular, we find ourselves in TROUBLED WATERS, which are situations and circumstances that we did not necessarily plan for or could totally predict. Seasons that we are being driven by winds and waves blowing moderately and violently to a destination we know not. We thought we made a wise decision to continue in a certain direction and things seemed relatively smooth and out of nowhere things were put in motion, people made decisions contrary to your input. The mission became like a galactic Black Hole sucking everything into its black lightless abyss. The spirit of Captain Ahab of  Herman Melville’s Moby Dick possessed you, your boss, your church, your spouse, your child, your spiritual leader or the corporation where you work. Like the Apostle Paul, you discover yourself on a ship destined for Italy as a prisoner for the time being, being driven along by a violent two week Adriatic Sea perfect storm. Like George Clooney in the movie Perfect Storm, we need more fish, we need more money and we with the crew are willing to go further, go deeper, roll the dice and risk everything for the paycheck and glory of success. However, we soon discover that our little fishing vessel is no match for the sheer power of the stirred up depths and are tragically swallowed whole and all is or seems lost. 

I know some these waters of trouble. I was diagnosed in 2009 with a high grade tenacious cancer. Over the past 10 years I have had 7 surgical biopsies which required full anesthesia. I have had 12 different rounds of treatments and stents. However, the cancer kept recurring and spreading causing a lot of affliction in my body. In November 2019, I finally had to have a quality of life alternating major surgery. I lost several body parts but through it all I discovered a depth of God’s comfort, understanding, love and peace. The Troubled Waters became a training ground to experience the depths of God’s grace in a profound life-changing way.

Here is my first swim after major reconstructive surgery!

Troubled Waters will come. The good news is we can prepare for the inevitable seasons wherein we feel driven beyond our control and destined to be adrift in strange waters being pushed by a current toward an inhabited island in the seeming middle of nowhere. The Titanic iceberg is likely to be struck whether you like it or not and you will be scrambling for a life boat or you will simply determine to go down with the ship without a struggle while the violins play in the background. The Book of Acts chapters 21-28 is the extended season finale of the history of the early church, the First Followers of Jesus Christ. The Early Church goes out singing high praise to God for being counted worthy to suffer for the sake of Christ. They are far from the soft-evangelicalism of the Modern Church in America. The main character is the Apostle Paul. Undoubtedly, Dr. Luke, Paul’s traveling companion and physician, is the both the eyewitness and the author of the Book of Acts.  Chapter 27 is the considered the most detailed account we have of Ancient Maritime navigation on the Mediterranean Sea. The opening scene is he had just knelt on the beach of Miletus with the Ephesian Elders to warn them of coming difficult times for the church. After 3 years he had finished his work in Asia and he was bound in the Spirit on his way to “bonds and afflictions” inJerusalem (Acts 20:22-23), but not knowing that in around 3 years he would be chained to Rome for another 2 yearspreaching and teaching in prison before his death by Nero. This section of the Sacred Writings is filled with encouragement from the God of all perseverance for each of us. If we absorb the mindset of the Apostle Paul we will be able to make sense of our own TROUBLED WATERS and remain faithful to our calling to follow and know the depths of Jesus Christ, to faithfully discharge our ministries as gifted believers and to glorify God in the crucible of being forged into the likeness of the character of Jesus Christ.

If you are not a strong swimmer … here are some “planks” to float on! Once you are on the beach here is a bundle of ‘drift wood’ to build a bonfire on the beach so you can warm your faith , hope and love back up.

In review, here are some thoughts regarding how to navigate troubled waters found in Acts 21-27:

Father in Heaven, we purpose to seek you in the storms of life. We accept the trials as winds of revelation that will blow in Your Presence. We repent for the times we have doubted you and fled in cowardice. Today, we humble ourselves before you and ask for courage and strength from your Spirit to stand and lead those around us well.

Amen

 Now these things happened as examples for us, so that we would not crave evil things as they also craved. 7 Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and stood up to play.” 8 Nor let us act immorally, as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in one day. 9 Nor let us try the Lord, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the serpents. 10 Nor grumble, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer. 11 Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. 12 Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall. 13 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. (1 Corinthians 10:6-13)

In a single sentence, Paul downloads and live-streams into the heart of the early church the entire history of Israel to serve as an example for what not to do (v6).  This paragraph is essential to understanding the believers relationship to temptation, sin and evil. Contextually, Paul is calling the carnal Corinthians to a lifestyle born of the Holy Spirit marked by love  (1 Cor.8:1;14:1), self-control (1 Cor.9:25), humility (1 Cor.10:12). He is laying out the CONSEQUENCES of Israel’s unbelief and disobedience as a deterrent to sin. 

Gratefully, the Scripture gives us….

 A Strategy for Obedience in the Midst of Temptation:

• Normalize Temptation

Temptation does cluster around seasons of vulnerability, but it is also to be expected DAILY.  We must always guard our heart. Jesus taught us to pray daily, “lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,”. Our Corinthian text says, “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man.” You are not ALONE in your struggle with sin.  One of my all time favorite movies is The Edge. The movie stars Anthony Hopkins, a billionaire, and Alec Baldwin, his wife’s lover and photographer. They end up surviving an airplane crash in the remote wilderness of Alaska. Unfortunately, a man-eater Grizzly picks up the scent of blood from one the survivors. After the grizzly kills their friend, Hopkins and Baldwin are left alone to try and elude this carnivore. The turning point in the movie is when Charles Morse (Hopkins) decides they must kill the bear or be killed by the bear. Hopkins shows a picture of an Indian killing a grizzly with a spear by using the weight of the bear to impale itself in a deadfall.  Bob (Baldwin) reluctant to buy in to the strategy, is commanded by Hopkins to repeat over and over again and louder and louder until he believes what he is saying,

“What one man can do, another can do!”  *Warning this Contains Cursing

This issue of this statement can lead one to positive or negative behavior. Which man are you going to allow to be your example to emulate?

Jesus was that Man who did it! He in every way was tempted yet did not yield Himself!  He is our representative, the High Priest who comes to our aid to forgive, cleanse, heal and train us to not practice our sin anymore. 

Say it repeatedly out loud, “ I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!” 

Now say this as a confession and declaration of faith,  but fill in the blank with what you need to do…”I can ________________through Christ who strengthens me!”

Temptation will come to the best, the brightest and bravest of us all. Temptation will come to the weakest, the most ignorant and the coward among us. Temptation will come knocking at our doors all the time. Temptation is unavoidable if you are among the living. The cessation of temptation is a sign that you are not born again and thus no struggle to do what is right or wrong. Temptation is an expression of the hope to overcome as much as it is the fear to fail. 

One of the Desert Fathers, Cyrus of Alexandria, was beheaded along with his family in the 4th Century B.C.  He was Egyptian, a physician and worked among the sick. He said regarding the normalcy of lust,  “If you are not tempted, you have no hope; if you are not tempted, it is because you are sinning. The man who does not fight sin at the stage of temptation is sinning already in his body. The man who is sinning in his flesh has no trouble from temptation.”

Some of the most miserable people are Christians who are living in constant defeat by the flesh. I know because I have been in a few of those seasons myself.  It was not until I confessed my sin in the light by responding to the conviction of the Holy Spirit. I had to take ownership of my actions. Consequences often still followed the repentance, but condemnation did not linger. I was free to fight again, to stand again and to serve the purposes of God. A great joy of mine is helping sinners like myself recover and become stronger by God’s grace and forgiveness and restoration. 

The Blog’s opening verses in 1 Corinthians 10:6-13 give several prohibitions to the Christian and the wider community of Jesus. 

1. Do not crave evil things (v6)…this is the general admonishment, followed by four prohibitions.

2. Do not be idolaters (v7)

3. Do not commit sexual immorality (v8)

4. Do not test Christ (v9)

5. Do not grumble (v10)

I have had the honor of being around some top-shelf men and women of God in my lifetime. I was not simply sitting under their teaching, but living life together with them.  Without exception they all carried a healthy respect for their capacity to sin or to fall. They were big advocates of grace and mercy and seldom picked up stones to throw at struggling Christians. I remember driving a man of God to the San Francisco International Airport, widely recognized in charismatic circles. Personally at the time, I was poised to become the Senior Pastor of a church.  I asked him a question about ministry or something of that nature. Honestly, I forgot the exact question but have never forgotten his answer, “I am filled with lust, a man of the flesh.” I was stunned, I did not know how to respond. I was sitting next to one of the movers and shakers in the body of Christ. He had committed to memory large portions of the Scripture and had a profound prophetic and proven ministry for decades. I wondered to myself if this was  a confession and I needed to probe deeper. In that moment and to this day, I realized men and women of God never graduate from or leave the MOUNTAIN OF TEMPTATION. As sure as Pikes Peak looms over Colorado Springs, CO, likewise, temptation will cast a shadow across our journey with the Lord. We must learn to be ‘mountaineers’ who can live, survive and thrive in the Spirit in the midst of a world of flesh and demons. The more we overcome the more powerful God’s Spirit uses us to help others.

The “craving” for evil will not depart us while we live in an unredeemed body.  However, the New Birth in Jesus Christ imparted a new nature and a new “craving” for the things of the Spirit! The  Greek word used by Paul in verse six is directly related to EPITHUMIA. This word suggests not just a passion, desire or urge but rather a strong desire, a “craving” , a relentless urge. In Galatians 5:16-26, Paul uses this same word EPITHUMIA (Gal.5:17) to describe the struggle for control in the Christian between the “flesh” and “the Spirit”. 

We are simultaneously  filled with the lust of the flesh and the passion of the Spirit. The nature we FEED the most will win the skirmish of the day. We must pick up the cross daily and put to death these passions of the flesh.

However, the Scripture does not just leave us deserted on the Mountain of Temptation naked and afraid. On the contrary, Scripture equips us and trains us how to face temptation and overcome with obedience. In Luke 4, The narrative of the wilderness for Jesus begins with being FULL of the Spirit and ends with Jesus coming out in the POWER of the Spirit.   The key to facing temptation is the leadership of the Spirit and the word of God, which is the sword of the Spirit. The disciple who is filled with the Spirit of God and utilizes the word of God to yield to the Fathers purpose to worship and serve Him alone will walk in great love and power! You may be facing a history of failure all around you. You may imagine yourself isolated, nobody can hear your shout for help.  You may have given up on victory, hope or any possibility for change. You have resolved it is just a matter of time before you are devoured by an Alaskan Grizzly in the forest of isolation. Nobody hears, nobody cares and certainly nobody notices you are gone…nobody is coming to rescue you. 

• Submit to God

Once we normalize temptation, we then must submit to God.  The Scripture 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” (1 Corinth.10:13). 

James 4:4-10 gives further direction, 

You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose: “He jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us”? 6 But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” 7 Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.

WOW…the context of submission to God is breathtaking in its scope. Basically, the battle we are in requires ‘submission’ to God because He is faithful, in order to avoid chronic defeat by the devil and the spirit of this world.  We must swim upstream against the prevailing currents of hedonism, sensuality, betrayal, pride, unbelief and happy-ism.  My conversion was predicated on an understanding that I must swim upstream against the raging water.  Eternity was in my heart, and like a salmon spawning I longed for God and His heaven. The problem was in myself it was impossible to reach the destiny I longed for.  Eventually, by God’s grace He saved me from the waters of death and delivered me from the power of sin by transferring me into the kingdom of His beloved Son! James, in this case is not speaking about the literal act of adultery or sex by a married person with someone they are not married to. Rather, he is talking about intercourse with the spirit of the world. The Scriptural context is how Israel rarely ceased from idolatry their entire history with God.  

What does submit to God mean?  When it comes to developing a winning strategy to face temptation and not yield to sin…we must embrace or submit to Jesus Christ as The Second Adam and the High Priest.

Jesus: The Second Adam or the Last Adam (Rom.5:14-17)

The New Testament reveals Jesus and the “Last Adam”.  Jesus came as “a Man” to reverse the curse of Adam. The curse was that in Adam all humanity succumbed to temptation and sin against the glory of God. Thus, sin entered the human race and death spread to all men. However, in Jesus, who was not created, who faced every temptation but did not sin, reversed the curse of sin and released righteousness to all who obey the gospel of God. The believer must embrace Adam as the head of the fallen race. Before Jesus and our new birth, we could do nothing but sin in motive, word and deed.  However, in the Last Adam we are able to sin less. We have been delivered from the power of sin to separate us from the Father. The Holy Spirit has been given to us to commune with the Father and the Son. Therefore, Jesus, the Second or Last Adam, can train or teach us how to submit to the Father, face temptation, resist the devil and live in victory. His example, His footsteps must be studied and by His Spirit we become prepared for triumph in the midst of life’s problems and struggles. 

Several years ago, I watched a movie that was about a man who basically did something that was prohibited and suffered the awful consequences the rest of his life. He never was able to live free of the fall or failure. He was forever defined by his failure, a Cautionary Tale, a warning to all to NOT DO what he did. Cautionary Tales have a great value for all of us. The Boy Who Cried Wolf is a cautionary tale about the dangers of lying. Eventually, nobody believes you and does not take you serious anymore and you get brutally torn apart by a wolf.  The Holy Spirit had been provoking me for a lengthy season. The Holy Spirit was ‘jealous’ for my total loyalty to Him. After this movie, the Holy Spirit asked me, “Do you want to die as a Cautionary Tale or a Story of Redemption?” This single question graced me to pivot and truly commit to a process and progress of God’s redemptive and restorative purpose. I was fully aware that in many ways I was a Cautionary Tale, in fact, we all have a bio with a Cautionary Tale or two. I fully agree, “DO NOT DO WHAT I DID”, be warned it is not worth the temporary satisfaction. 

However, the Holy Spirit Spirit is an expert at transforming Cautionay Tales into inspiring Redemption Sagas! The Scripture is full of these histories of salvation. 

How many Redemption Sagas can you think of in the Bible (Samson etc.)? In our culture? In your church? In your family?  What are the common truths associated with these stories? What are the pivot points when the tied begins to turn from solely Cautionary to Redemptive? 

Jesus had bought me with His blood, the Father was drawing me back to Himself.  The more we understand the holy and loving jealousy of God, we will be more careful and circumspect to yield ourselves to the seductive sensuality of this world world system. 

Jesus, the Second Adam, the Man, the Lamb of God,  atop the Mountain of Temptation rejected the ‘girls, the gold and the glory’ offered by the devil.  This final temptation, to have position, wealth, power, influence, fame and all the unsanctioned pleasure you want mixed together, was the EPITOME OF A QUID-PRO-QUO.  Satan would grant to Jesus all the above in exchange for being worshipped and serve …just bow down and I will raise you up to have everything. 

The second Revelation of Jesus on the Mountain of Temptation is He is the High Priest of our confession. When we submit to God we anchor ourselves to know Him as He is,  “Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession;” (Heb.3:1). The entire context of Hebrews 2-3 is the priestly ministry of Jesus Christ with a view to Him being a man who can relate to us.  The God-man who can help us as we face our temptations. 

14 Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives. 16 For assuredly He does not give help to angels, but He gives help to the descendant of Abraham. 17 Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18 For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted. (Heb.2:14-18)

So how does Jesus, the Second Adam and  the High Priest, help us in the midst of the our temptation? 

• His Incarnation places Him in our shoes and us in His shoes. We can “put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for our lust” BECAUSE He was made in the likeness of sinful flesh and blood (Rom.13:14; Phil.2). The old  saying, “don’t trust a man unless you walk a mile in his moccasins,” comes from a poem written by Mary T. Lathrap in 1895 titled Judge Softly. The poem has a great tone about walking mercifully with others because you understand your own humanity. Jesus has faced what you and I face, therefore, He is the perfect brother to walk alongside.  I am convinced one of the chief reason we sin is we don’t walk with Jesus as the Chief. We think because NOBODY REALLY UNDERSTANDS MY STRUGGLE what difference does it make if I play with matches. This is why we pay counselors and psychologists so much money…we want someone to figure us out and help us make healthy choices with a healthy heart. I from time to time have benefited from counseling.  However, never once was that counselor by my side when I face temptation. The most empowering truth of the Incarnation of the Son of God is His constant Presence!

I am not Alone!

• His example victory gives us hope that we too can worship and serve God only. The truth that He now dwells within us by His Spirit gives us the ground of victory as we stand against the devil. God is asking of us something He Himself has done. Further, He provides us the resources of His Spirit and Word to stand firm and not yield to the temptation.  Peter literally calls us to “Follow in His footsteps”. 

He has shown me the Way!

• His pardoning grace, His propitiatory work, has removed the enmity between us and the Father. We are already accepted by grace, we are forgiven for all sins while we face our temptation.  So why yield to sin if you have already been forgiven because of the costly suffering and sacrifice of Jesus? You gain nothing from sinning but the grief of the consequences. Jesus Grace does not cultivate a justification to sin, but a justification to do good works to please and glorify the Father from a heart of gratitude and love.

I am forgiven already so I can go and sin less!

Some final thoughts on Temptation and the  Strategic Warfare of the Believer...

When you boil it all down, there are two basic responses to Temptation…Stand or Flee! The Christian should strive to be principled and immovable in certain arenas. We don’t retreat, we don’t yield, we don’t flinch or blink.  Our knees may knock but we courageously STAND. 

The Christian man or woman of God must also no when to Flee. Get out of there…quick! We are flexible and ready to change playmates, playgrounds and playthings as the Spirit leads. We are humble and recognize our limitations and humanity must be respected and so…we don’t go there or do that by the grace of God…we don’t say or think  this or that…we flee or resist until the temptation or enemy flees away.

STAND:  Jesus stood His ground in the Wilderness as the Son of God who came to take away the sins of the world by not sinning. He would not “back down, bend down, throw down or bow down” to the devils sly temptations. 

The New Testament is replete with several  commands to STAND. The more we understand WHERE we are taking our stand on this Mountain of Temptation we will prevent many unnecessary slips and falls. We will know what we are not budge an inch on and give no ground back, no retreat no for sale sign.

• Stand in the Saving Grace of God

Romans 5:2

through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.

1 Peter 5:12

Through Silvanus, our faithful brother (for so I regard him), I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it!

• Stand in Humility that God Chose you and you are weak

Romans 11:19-21

19 You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” 20 Quite right, they were broken off for their unbelief, but you stand by your faith. Do not be conceited, but fear; 21 for if God did not spare the natural branches, He will not spare you, either.

1 Corinthians 10:12

Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall.

• Stand in the Fear of the Lord that Judgement is Coming

Romans 14:10

But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.

• Stand in the Freedom from Legalism or Works-Righteousness

Galatians 5:1

[ Walk by the Spirit ] It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.

• Stand Against the Schemes of the Devil with Strength and Armor from the Lord

Paul the Apostle said, “ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 14 Stand firm therefore,…” (Ephesians 6:10-14)

• Stand in Unity Against Division

Philippians 1:27

Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;

• Stand for Always Growing and Maturity in the Will of God

Colossians 4:12

Epaphras, who is one of your number, a bondslave of Jesus Christ, sends you his greetings, always laboring earnestly for you in his prayers, that you may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God.

FLEE:

• Flee the Wrath of God to Come through Repentance and Faith in God…We flee “the Wrath” to “stand in the Grace of God.

Matthew 3:7

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

• Flee Danger that would bring premature hardship and death and Compromise the Mission

Matthew 2:13

[ The Flight to Egypt ] Now when they had gone, behold, an angel of the Lord *appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child to destroy Him.”

Matthew 10:23

“But whenever they persecute you in one city, flee to the next; for truly I say to you, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel until the Son of Man comes.

Matthew 24:15-16

15 “Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), 16 then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. 

This time last year, the Holy Spirit told me to “flee” Texas and go to the Colorado Rockies for 6 months. This obedience catalyzed personal renewal and transformation and release of new relatioships and restoration of divine purpose. 

• Flee False Shepherds

    John 10:4-5

    “ When he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 A stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers.” 

• Flee Sexual Sins

1 Corinthians 6:18

Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body.

• Flee Idolatry and Find Healthy Christian Fellowship

    1 Corinthians 10:14

Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.

• Flee the Love of Money and Youthful Lusts…Greed & Hedonism

1 Timothy 6:11

But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness.

2 Timothy 2:22

Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.

My amazing wife often sings a portion of The Gambler by Kenny Rogers when we are in a tense moment or decision for some comic relief…”You’ve got to know when to hold ’em, Know when to fold ’em, Know when to walk away, And know when to run…”

I want to establish two more principles to help us when we are battling a season or moment  of temptation. If you FIND these two things in the Arena of Temptation, you will FIND yourself winning more victories!

Find the Scars. These can be physical, emotional, mental etc. The Scars speak to the CONSEQUENCES of sin. As we understand the consequences we often avoid crossing the line.

• The Scars of Christ Himself, Your High Priest. The pivotal point in the Gospel story for Thomas, the Doubter, was when Jesus showed Him his scars after the Resurrection.  I believe we are healed by His wounds and the resulting scars are evidence of His Resurrection. Contemplate the great love and sinless suffering sacrifice He made for you. He paid in full for what you are about to do, this love will often turn our heart in the right direction. Jesus was marred and beaten beyond recognition. His love should be enough to turn our ways to Him.

• Consider the Scars of Others:  The Scars of Israel should be enough to warn us the cost of rebellion.  The Scars of blind Samson, the grotesque eye sockets that once held the eyes of the mighty Samson. We can learn from the battles of others to avoid the same foolishness or wisdom.

• Consider Your Own Scars: Don’t forget the bitter consequences of your past choices that ended in unnecessary affliction and hardship. I now have scars on my body that remind me of a foolish lifestyle that by God’s grace I am still alive. 

Find the Exits: When you go into a movie theatre or a dark room you look for the Exit Signs.  They are often illuminated and stand out in dark surroundings. FINDING the EXIT SIGNS means disciplines or actions the Christian can adopt to escape the temptation and walk away unscathed. Here are only of few Exit Signs:

• Gratitude:  Israel grumbled in the wilderness when it came to provision. When we adopt an attitude of Gratitude we exit an arena of unbelief and negativity

• Submission:  When you get around rebellious people. Flee the rebellion and hang out with humble positive people. 

• Respect for Authority and God Himself: Joseph fled Potiphar’s wife out of both gratitude and respect for his employer. Further, Joseph was clear-minded and sober so he assessed the situation before he fled saying (Gen.39:9), “No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?”

• Sing Praise: The Psalms says the Lord will surround His people with songs of deliverance.  Start singing when or turn on worship music when you sense a battle coming your way.  Saul would call David, the Sweet Psalmist of Israel, to sing songs in his house when he was depressed. “So it came about whenever the evil spirit from God came to Saul, David would take the harp and play it with his hand; and Saul would be refreshed and be well, and the evil spirit would depart from him.” (1 Sam.16:23)

• Accept Help: Lot and his family were led out of Sodom and Gomorrah by angels. Sometimes we need to listen and follow godly counsel and friends around us and leave a relationship, a lifestyle or mindset. 

Father, we thank you that you have given us so many resources to face temptation. You have given us Word of God which is the Sword of the Spirit to keep our enemy form climbing all over us. You have give us the Holy Spirit who dwells within us as the One who fills us divine knowledge and wisdom so we would not be ignorant of our human frailty nor the strategies of the devil. Father, you have given us the fellowship of the body of Christ to encourage us , stand with us, and hold us accountable as we together live to glorify You be conformed to the likeness of Your Son Jesus Christ. Father, further reveal to us the glory of Your Son as the Second Adam and the High Priest, so we can love you and those around us more deeply and obediently with our heart, soul, mind and strenth. AMEN

When the devil had finished every temptation, he left Him until an opportune time.

Luke 4:13

Hmmmm…the devil is an opportunist. Temptation presents itself in the most vulnerable of times. Satan can and will take full advantage when all the conditions are right to knock you and me out; to break our will for the things of God; and distract us from our calling with lesser things. 

Let’s investigate the SEASONALITY AND SPECIFICITY OF TEMPTATION…

The word for “opportune” is the familiar Greek word for SEASON or KAIROS.  This is a word rich in meaning and application for the believer. 

kairós – time as opportunity…is derived from kara (“head”) referring to things “coming to a head” to take full-advantage of… is “the suitable time, the right moment, a favorable moment” (DNTT, 3, 833).

Seasons can describe opportunities pregnant with God’s purposes (Gal.4:4). KAIROS can also be used to forewarn the Christian that Satan is attacking with hellish fury to thwart the purpose of God. Paul told the Corinthians he needed to “remain in Ephesus until Pentecost for a wide door of effective ministry had been opened, and there are many adversaries” (I Cor.16:8-9). We need discernment, like the sons of Issachar, “men who understood the times, with knowledge of what Israel should do,” (I Chron.12:32). 

A quick view of the history of salvation found in the Scripture will reveal several seasons or arenas temptation slithers into our immediate space and coils to strike us. Temptation is not only SEASONAL but SPECIFIC. In my home city of New Braunfels, TX, there is a tourist attraction called Animal World and Snake Farm  Zoo. Our first neighbor was the owner of this zoo and my daughter babysat his kids. The Snake Farm has one of the most extensive collections of North American venomous snakes in the world. The spectrum of the scaly skin color of these reptiles is beautiful to observe. Like the Ancient Serpent of Old, there is a beauty and a charming hypnotic wonder about snakes. In fact the Agur, in Proverbs, draws attention to “the way a serpent” moves in the midst of its environment is extremely difficult to understand or trace (Prov.30:19).  The New Testament teaches that the devil is extremely “crafty” and we should not be “ignorant of his schemes”, the strategies against us. Satan can promote himself as an “angel of light”. Jesus Himself, acknowledges that we should be “innocent as doves, but as wise as a serpent.” Jesus is certainly not advocating that we use deception and lies to promote the gospel. I believe what he is teaching is we need to recognize “opportunities” to do his work in such a way that draws as little attention to ourselves as possible. Jesus was so “wise” he was able to move and elude capture like a snake through the crowd that was ready to toss him off the cliff in his town of Nazareth.  He often forbid his disciples to not reveal to others who He was. Further, he forbid some of those healed to make the miracle know. The underground persecuted church understands this call to be “wise as serpents” at a deeper level than the communities of Christ in a season of favor and popularity. In any case, we must be careful to not over promote ourselves in pride. I am convinced the temptation Jesus faced on the “pinnacle of the temple” was premature self-promotion through signs and wonders. The Father promised RESURRECTION from the dead after the CROSS. We need the power of God to flow in love and humility not for the sake of money and self-aggrandizement. 

The whole temptation narrative in the Gospel’s can be described as  DOWNWARD movements. The Devil wants to tempt us to get on the ground with him and slither through life. 

The Devil wants to get you DOWN in excessive despair, unforgiveness, bitterness, anger, unbelief, pride and fear. These are some of his main weapons.

BEND DOWN and turn these stones into Bread…issue of Provision…

THROW YOURSELF DOWN…issue of Divine Protection in the midst of Obedience…

BOW DOWN…issue of the Father’s Purpose to worship and serve Him alone…

Temptation will always suggest a “short-cut” or “another way” to get you to God’s provision, protection and purpose. 

 I was raised around snakes in the prairies of Colorado.  I had one venomous snake kill in my lifetime at the age of 12, a four foot Diamondback. My friends and I slew this mortal enemy with a trusty Cub Scout knife tied to a tree branch with a shoelace. Once we got it in the open we stoned it and then I cut its head off.  

The Scripture says that the devil brought the FULL SPECTRUM of temptations to Jesus.  Hebrews picks up this narrative and teaches, 

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. 16 Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:14-16)

We MUST embrace Jesus, the great High Priest, as our source of strategic wisdom to overcome the strategies of the devil.  Our next blog will develop this truth more in depth as a STRATEGY to handle the inevitable and continuous nature of temptation. 

The following grid is not exhaustive, but reveals a few different seasons and specific temptations the follower of Jesus Christ encounters:

Jesus teaches us to pray daily, “Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.”  The Father will never lead us to fall or stumble in sin…never! The issue is LEADERSHIP. The Holy Spirit is given to us to LEAD US to the Father…to lead us into paths of abundant life and purpose.  Satan comes to “kill, steal and destroy.” Jesus has come that the devils works of deception, sin and death would be destroyed. We need to reset our understanding that our heart can lead us into temptation because our heart is prone to being carried away with unhealthy impulses, thoughts and vain imaginations. My wife is an expert at “taking thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ.” She has taught me Forgiveness is a lifestyle based on our union with Jesus. We need to guard our hearts from being trafficked by the world, the flesh and the devil..  As we allow the Holy Spirit to CONTINUALLY fill our heart with the love and power God we will be less likely to yield to temptation or tempt our brothers and sisters. God’s rich current love flowing in our heart will be less vulnerable to the temptations to carry out sin. 

Father, we humbly bow before you to train us in the Holy Spirit to be led by You. We draw near to You in the name of Jesus who overcame every temptation presented to Him.  We ask for strength to continue in the good work you have called us to fulfill. WE bow down to worship and serve You alone. Amen

Yet I will exult in the Lord, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.19 The Lord God is my strength, And He has made my feet like hinds’ feet, And makes me walk on my high places.(Habakkuk 3:19)

The next several weeks our blogs will focus on the Six Mountains of Matthew.  A brief survey reveals several PEAK moments in the life of Jesus where He is on a mountain doing the work of the Father.  Each mountain gives us insight into a specific revelation of Jesus Christ and the corresponding needful discipline of the Christian to walk in the “high places” of the Lord and learn His ways and heart.  

If we want to see victory in the valleys, we will first climb the mountains!

!❖ The Mountain of Temptation (Matt.4:8): The Discipline of Worshipping and Serving

❖ The Mountain of Revelation (Matt.5-7): The Discipline of Listening and Obeying

❖ The Mountain of Transformation (Matt.17:1-23) The Discipline of Beholding

❖ The Mountain of Prognostication (Matt.24-25) The Discipline of Watching & Praying

❖ The Mountain of Crucifixion (Matt.27) The Discipline of Believing

❖ The Mountain of the Great Commission (Matt.28:16-20) The Discipline of Waiting and Going

Read Matthew 4:1-13

The first “very high” mountain we observe is in Matthew 4:8 is the MOUNTAIN OF TEMPTATION. The follower of Jesus must come to embrace Jesus as the Second Adam and the High Priest. Jesus by His Spirit in us will help us navigate the mountainous terrain surrounding our temptations, lest we stumble and unnecessarily fall. When we face the Tempter, the Second Adam will help us practice righteousness “so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, having done everything, to stand firm” (Eph.6:13). Jesus, the High Priest will instill in us the value of “confession” our sins and faith in Him when we do sin. This is third of three (for Luke it is the 2nd temptation) temptations by the devil which Jesus faced ALONE in the wilderness. After this temptation Jesus the angels came and ministered to him and He began His powerful public ministry. The nature of this particular temptation was to exchange allegiance or loyalty from God to the Devil in order to secure power and fame.

Again, the devil *took Him to a very high mountain and *showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory; 9 and he said to Him, “All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus *said to him, “Go, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.’” 11 Then the devil *left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him. (Matt.4:8-11)

What is “temptation” by definition? The Greek word is PEIRAZO which can be translated, “test or tempt”. The context determines whether the connotation is good or bad or mixture of both. The idea of PEIRAZO is that “temptation” or “testing” is meant to reveal what character is in the person. Therefore, we begin to see how critical the CONTEXT is to understanding this word. God “tests” us to refine us and bring out the best results in us. Satan “tempts” to bring out the worst in us to destroy us. The Source of the Test determines the goal of the temptation. Satan “tempts” us to be swept away with unbelief, pride and concupiscence into a life course of destruction. God “tests” us to refine our faith and trust in Him alone, to humble us in reliance upon His strength and to follow His impulses to lovingly help others.

Get this straight…God tests us all but tempts nobody.

The classic story that illustrates this mixture is portrayed in Peter’s denial that He knew Jesus while standing around a campfire during the trial of Jesus. Jesus warned Peter that Satan had desired to “sift” Peter but that He was praying for him that his “faith” would not fail.  The pride in Peter’s heart became the CONTEXT of Satan’s access.  Jesus permitted the “temptation”to refine Peter’s faith and “sift” out Peter’s impulsive pride. Jesus, the Second Adam, permitted Satan in order to purify Peter. Satan’s temptation was to destroy Peter’s faith and leave him in a ditch of unbelief and despair over his failure. Jesus “tested” Peter for his own good; Satan “tempted” Peter to walk away from his call to be a strategic leader in the emerging church. How unfathomable are the riches of God’s grace in Christ, who can allow an enemy to get in our “space” and seemingly get the upper hand, but then turn the our obvious  defeat back on the enemy in order to set us free from debilitating pride and self-righteousness. The Tempter can only go as far as God allows him. 

This single Wilderness encounter between Jesus and the devil reveals so much about the nature of evil, temptation and sin. There are three basic categories of temptation revealed in wilderness narrative.  As we climb the Mountain of Temptation we will gain a new perspective on how to walk in victory by God’s grace in the midst of evil, sin and a world gone crazy.

First, we will look at the nature of Temptation:

:➢ The Sourcing of Temptation

➢ The Seasonality of Temptation

➢ The Specificity of Temptation

Second, we will develop a strategy of obedience in the midst of temptation:

:➢ Normalizing Temptation

➢ Submitting to God

➢ Resisting the Devil

The Sourcing of Temptation

• The Devil: The Scripture is very clear on this point. The devil, the adversary, Satan is the primary source of all temptation. Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness BUT He was “tempted by the devil.” If you are not careful, you can transfer the leading of the Spirit onto the leading of the devil. Luke’s narrative sheds further light on this distinction between the leadership of the Holy Spirit and the leadership of the Devil. Luke, who focuses both the Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles on the person and work of the Holy Spirit, shows that Jesus was “being led about the wilderness” by the Holy Spirit. The verb tense for “being led” is in the PASSIVE voice, suggesting He was under the influence or “filled” with the Spirit of God as he walked about. The word for “led” is also used for a ship being “driven or carried” along by the wind that fills its sails or a driving storm. Like Israel, who spent 40 years in the wilderness, was “carried” by God like an eaglet on the wings of an eagle.

Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. (James 1:13)

The Spirit of God is ALWAYS leading us toward victory and the purpose to serve and glorify God. God Himself has no sin nature, He is entirely and utterly pure and without mixture. There is nothing in God that would be vulnerable to being carried away by evil.  Satan learned through his temptations of the Son of God that there was nothing in Jesus that would cause Him to be carried away contrary to the will of the Father.

This leads to the second source of temptation…

• Humankind: People can be a source of temptation to what is sinful in the eyes of God. You and I can tempt someone to stumble. For the love of God, Paul warns strong Christians not to put “stumbling blocks” in front of weaker saints (1 Corinthians 14:13). I remember a specific instance I was led by a co-worker and friend to a place I should not have been. We were rooming together and we a few hours before we had to be on the tradeshow floor to represent our company. I was leaving the room because I wanted to get a swimming workout in before a long day on my feet. My roommate invited himself and said he would go with me. On the way, he suggested we go to another pool to work out that I did not know about. Oddly, we had to pay to get into this pool, at this point I should have realized this was not a good idea and fled for the other pool. I foolishly went along and the rest was an embarrassing page in my work history. Fortunately, God had mercy when I owned up to my actions.

*Sarah Tempted Abraham by Giving Hagar to Prematurely Fulfill Promise of an Heir (Gen.16)

*The Israelites Tempted Aaron to Fashion an Idol while Moses Delayed On Mount Sanai

*Peter Tempted Jesus to Avoid the Cross (Matt.16:23)

The other day I was speaking to a brother who has a drinking problem. He had broken off a relationship that was highly dysfunctional, even though he really cared about this person. However, this person had decided they did not want him in their life anymore.  He was living a sober life and had recovered a very good job that he had lost due to his drinking. One day he was unpacking some clothes that he had picked up from his former girlfriend’shouse. As he was unpacking she had put three bottles of whiskey in the midst of the belongings.  He was carried away with desire and drank all three bottles over the next few days of Christmas break. By the grace of God, hewas able to recover himself but nearly lost his home and job again. His X-girlfriend knew his weakness and wanted to see him fail in his sobriety.

If we are not careful, we can be a source of leading others to a “cess- pool” of carnality, sensuality or bitterness. We are called to “love one another” and lead each other to the depths of God’s love and fountain of His Spirit to drink deeply.

• The Human Heart: Temptation emerges from the blackness of our own heart. Our heart has the ability to tempt us to take a path of potential destruction. Listen closely to these two passages of truth from God’s word…

“But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.” (James 1:14)

“The heart is more deceitful than all else; And is desperately sick; Who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9)

Satan is limited in his power, knowledge and presence. I highly doubt Satan himself has the time to fiddle around with you. The “Devil made me do it” is a fundamental case of mistaken identity. The truth is “YOU made yourself do it.” However, you are in a battle against “spirits of wickedness”, the warfare is personal and it is strategic against us. You and I are culpable for our sins. People around you are also limited in their ability to influence for better or for worse. Yes, good company can corrupt bad morals. We need to be a force for the goodness and grace of God. The problem with evil and sin is it resides in the human heart…YOUR HEART…MY HEART. Our hearts lead us and tempt us to disobey God. Jesus was alone in the wilderness; his only interaction was with the Father, the angels, the wild beasts and the Devil. He was tempted in every possible way we have been tempted but HE WAS WITHOUT SIN. His heart was wholly devoted in His Father in perfect love and obedience.

However, we still wrestle with our sin nature. Romans 7 is the watershed for understanding evil, sin and temptation.

If we can learn to wrestle with God in our falleness, we can learn to stand strong in the day of temptation by the grace of God.

For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate……I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good…22 For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, 23 but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin. (Romans 7:15,19,21-25)

Some scholars would argue this is Paul’s struggle BEFORE his conversion to Jesus Christ. The argument is understandable because someone truly “born of God” does not “practice sin” according to the Apostle John. However, John and all the Apostles teach that Christians do in fact SIN AFTER BAPTISM(1 John 1:1-9). The early church really struggled with how to handle post-baptismal sins. WHY? They believed in the radical nature of our conversion to Jesus Christ and the impartation of the divine nature which can’t sin. They rightly believed that the grace of repentance truly laid the axe to the root of sin, thus, expecting the fruit of the Spirit to flourish in the new believer. Water Baptism was often performed only once per year on Easter Sunday. WHY? The new believer spent an entire year preparing through instruction, fastings, and watchings, renouncing the devil and his works. Before they would enter the waters of baptism they would “spit” on the ground and renounce the devil and his works. After baptism, they would anoint the new Christian with oil and pray they would be filled with the Holy Spirit. I do not advocate this kind of approach to spirituality as it may tie “saving grace” to the sacrament of Water Baptism. However, there is something redemptive in the seriously sober approach to deep repentance and preparation to walk as a Christian to face the world, the flesh and the devil. The early church leaned toward the expectation that the Christian should be sinning far less as they grow in holiness. The modern evangelical church leans toward a licentiousness that expects Christians to fall and fall often. We must embrace the paradox of our two natures. I am both a saint and sinner. We are pursuing holiness in a body not yet redeemed and by the grace of God and the resident Holy Spirit bring forth fruit in keeping with our repentance and faith in God.

THERE IS NO CONDEMNATION FOR THOSE IN CHRIST JESUS, BUT THERE IS CONVICTION BY THE HOLY SPIRIT (Romans 8:1)

Once we embrace that truth that our “heart” can be a source of temptation we will guard it with the vigilance of Christ. We will give the indwelling Christ full access to every room of our heart to full occupy us and transform us on a daily basis.

The devil is the father of lies. He promises everything and delivers nothing. Do not be fooled…he can’t give you all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. He can’t give what does not belong to him. The truth is all things belong to the Son and will eventually be subjected to the Father.

But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. 21 For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming, 24 then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. (1 Cor.15:20-24)

Worship God and serve Him alone and the devil will fail to distract or derail you and will flee from you!

Father, we humbly bow before You. You are the Father of lights, the Father all goodness who works all things together for Your glory and our joy. You are the source of “testing” for our own good. You are not the author of temptation; you do not seek to lead us on paths that would bring out the worst in us. In fact, you “deliver us from evil”. Father, you seek worshippers who come to You in ny grace and in the Spirit of truth. Satan seeks worshippers to fall down before him in a spirit of deception and lies, for he is the father of lies. We choose to bow down before You and not fall down before the the Devil. We rededicate ourselves to gain only what you give to us in accordance with Your will. We reject the ‘shortcuts’ to prosperity and success built on pride. Give us the humility of Jesus to reject all premature solicitations of the devil to circumvent your provision. We devote ourselves again to walk as Your true worshippers and servants. We trust you to protect us while we walk with You. AMEN