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:
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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.
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Do not crave evil things (v6)…this is the general admonishment, followed by four prohibitions.
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Do not be idolaters (v7)
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Do not commit sexual immorality (v8)
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Do not test Christ (v9)
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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.
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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?
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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!
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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!
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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.
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Stand in the Saving Grace of God
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.
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!
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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.
Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall.
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Stand in the Fear of the Lord that Judgement is Coming
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.
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Stand in the Freedom from Legalism or Works-Righteousness
[ 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.
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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)
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Stand in Unity Against Division
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;
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Stand for Always Growing and Maturity in the Will of God
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:
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Flee the Wrath of God to Come through Repentance and Faith in God…We flee “the Wrath” to “stand in the Grace of God.
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?
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Flee Danger that would bring premature hardship and death and Compromise the Mission
[ 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.”
“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.
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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.”
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Flee Sexual Sins
Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body.
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Flee Idolatry and Find Healthy Christian Fellowship
Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.
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Flee the Love of Money and Youthful Lusts…Greed & Hedonism
But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness.
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.
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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.
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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.
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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:
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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
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Submission: When you get around rebellious people. Flee the rebellion and hang out with humble positive people.
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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?”
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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)
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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
