-Transcript-
00:39 Amen. Glory to God. Welcome to the program.
00:42 Welcome to the cafe. Great to have you here today. We are in a series here on the overcoming life.
00:49 Hopefully you’ve got yourself a cup of coffee. I can’t wait after a couple more episodes. After this one and another one I’m gonna go make myself a cup of coffee.
00:57 So hopefully you got a cup of coffee there. Maybe a notepad, a pen, your Bible. We can dive in.
01:03 Now you’re saying brother Clark I’m driving or I’m in the I’m at work. Okay I get it but thank you for listening by the way. And just trying to set the scene that we can kind of study God’s Word.
01:14 Look at it. Take our time with it. Not rush past great principles but understand them.
01:20 Apply them to our hearts and I believe I know the Bible tells me that when we seek the Lord we’re gonna have joy. That’s that Bible word rejoicing. Rejoicing.
01:30 We’re gonna rejoice in Christ knowing that he is wonderful and that he would allow us to be overcomers. And that in his Word he gives us the recipe, the prescription on how to become an overcomer in this life.
01:39 Our text verse here 1 John 5:4. For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world and this is the victory that overcometh the world even our faith.
01:51 And so we understand that we have victory. We’re an overcomer when we live in this world and we don’t give in to the temptations of this world. Because there is a battle happening.
02:02 I mean to be an overcomer there has to be some kind of battle. This battles raging each and every day and Christians are the ones fighting it. It’s happening here in this world which the Bible tells us the little g-god of this world is the devil.
02:15 The tempter of this world. He’s the great tempter. The war that we are engaged in that we are working to overcome by the power of the Holy Spirit is a war of temptation.
02:27 It is the spirit versus the flesh. We are dealing with things that tempt us. These lusts.
02:34 1 John 2:16. For all that is in the world the lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes and the pride of life is not of the father but is of the world.
02:45 1 John 2:16 tells us these things the lust of flesh lust the eyes and the pride of life is not of the father it’s of the world and if we know the world is the devil’s then it’s of the devil right
02:59 and these these lusts are things that bring forth quick gratification and the categories that I’ve put in my outline here as I studied and searched for tip the categories that these temptations typically fall into
03:13 are one of about five money and security so being tempted by money again taking a job that God doesn’t want you to take
03:21 doing something illegal for money greed right be coveting materialism coveting desiring things of others that you don’t have that God doesn’t want you to have
03:34 being reckless with money not being a good steward of what God’s given you taking what God’s given you and spending it on yourself and never giving to the to him to the church to others not being a cheerful giver
03:47 bribes all these things money and the idea of having security in money and not in God that’s one temptation that we all face of them I think if I’m honest every adult faces that temptation
03:59 sexual desires again could be fornication which is sex outside of marriage could be adultery could be homosexuality could be some other perversion addiction to pornography
04:12 these are lusts are they not I mean they’re literally the lust of the eyes right the lust of the flesh you’re looking and you want and you try to take a man food drink and drugs eating too much drinking too much doing drugs all of these things are temptations amen
04:27 their temptations to have that quick gratification very similar to the sexual desire it’s a quick gratification to be gratified now and not to wait that’s oftentimes what it is
04:39 and anyone that’s had a lot to drink or any of these other things knows that as much as you go up you’re gonna come down just as worse if not more and that’s before all the other troubles hit
04:50 power people can be enticed by power they can lust after power and when they’re in power they can make poor decisions they can be very corrupt and they could desire to extend their power
05:02 so power is something one could lust after and then pride fame status the idea of vanity the idea of improper living vain use the idea that we want others to look up to us and talk about us and lift us up
05:19 and we want to be known and all these things appeal to our flesh so the common denominator here is again things that things that bring quick quick gratification in this world and as I mentioned last episode none of these things we take to heaven
05:33 none of these are good none of these are in heaven amen not like not like they are here on earth so we cannot do anything good with our lusts here and we will not lust after these things there as I understand it yes there’ll be food in heaven and you know there’ll be some kind of power structure right we’ll work with the Lord and we’ll rule and reign with the Lord
05:57 they’ll be status in heaven so all these perverted things the devil has done here on earth will be made right in heaven but the way that we see them on earth are they’re not heavenly
06:06 they’re not of God 1 John2:16 tells us it’s of the world it’s not of God and we might say well but maybe God tempts us with these things and so maybe to be an overcomer we have to overcome the temptations that God lays out
06:21 but here in the scripture in a book of James James tells us that God does not tempt man that it’s not God James 1:12-16 blessed is the man that endureth temptation for when he has tried he shall receive the crown of life which the Lord hath promised to them that love him let no man say when he is tempted I am tempted of God for God cannot be tempted with evil neither tempteth he any man but every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust and enticed then when lust hath conceived it bringeth forth sin and sin when it is finished bring a fourth deathdo not err my beloved brethren
06:59 so James 1:12-16 clearly tells us God isnot the one tempting and it also tells us that blessed is the man that endureth that word endure what does that mean that means to put up with that means to deal with as you’re here on earth
07:15 one of our ministries is called enduring promise you know God’s promise endures throughout all generations amen
07:23 his promise his word will endure and his promise will endure and when we believe on that promise were saved for an eternity it’s an enduring promise \
07:33 but this word enduring here means that you’re going through temptation and you’re not giving into it you’re overcoming that temptation and that you get a crown of life you get a reward
07:41 that God’s promised to them that love him and then again in verse 13 of James 1 it says let no man say when he is tempted I am tempted of God for God cannot be tempted with evil neither tempteth he any man
07:54 so let’s let’s see here let’s break this down for a minute you know I face temptation sometimes I feel like before I preach God throws me exactly what I’m gonna do
08:09 what I’m gonna be preaching on so I I hope that’s why I don’t know why else but there’s a lot of stumbling blocks come my way amen just know that this preacher right here has all kinds of stumbling blocks coming his way left right and center I guess that’s part of the job
08:17 and what do I do I turn to God and I pray and I pray and I seek his will and I meditate on these things and I stay saturated in the word I practice what I’m preaching literally but let’s just look at this so a temptation comes right
08:31 and we say okay God what are you up to well God isn’t up to anything because he’s not the one tempting so who’s tempting that’s the devil
08:37 I remember we had a ministry bill coming up and I wasn’t sure how it was gonna get paid amen and I was looking at the receipt and so forth and it just dawned on me that the devil is sending a temptation our way to get me or those in this ministry off track and get us off focus and get us worried all these things
09:01 now God being sovereign over the devil God allows it so God is not tempting but God is not stopping the tempter
09:13 right and so God’s allowed it for some reason well is that reason not to draw us closer to him so when we see all we have this bill how are we gonna pay it well then we go in the Lord good Lord in prayer amen
09:23 we go Lord in prayer we seek the Lord we spend time in the scriptures we have to trust him and only did I have peace because I didn’t have peace for a few days about the situation
09:33 and and I wondered what was going on and I’m seeking the Lord seeking the Lord and only did I have peace when it finally dawned on me because I’m a hard-headed person I’m stubborn it takes me a while to figure things out that hey you know what I just need to trust that God is able to provide
09:47 and let him do it the more I’m trying to do something the more it’s just getting worse right and the less I’m trying to do something the better now there’s tons of scripture on don’t be slothful okay
10:00 and so there’s a lot of scripture on work and we believe in working here at KJV cafe I work a job and all kinds of stuff so I’m not saying don’t work but sometimes we need to be still and let God move amen
10:12 sometimes we need to be still and know that he is God amen and so when he moves he more clearly will get the glory and he’s allowed his situation for our good to grow our patience and our faith and so forth
10:27 it’s not fun again I can relate to it maybe you’re going through a temptation of something similar where there’s something that you feel like you need to do right
10:41 and God’s allowed it to come your way but either way understand the battle here is not with God it’s with the devil and the devil is the one doing the tempting amen and the way to defeat the devil is to turn to scripture turn to God’s Word
10:53 Matthew 4: 1-11 Jesus Christ himself God the Son God in the flesh the second part of the Holy Trinity teaches us to resist temptation through the Word very similar scenario
11:05 when you look in Matthew 4 and I’m gonna bring it up on my computer as I’m preaching this when you look in Matthew 4 look at verse 1 then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil
11:19 so think about that Jesus was led by the Spirit the Spirit and that is a capital S Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil so capital S Spirit that means the Holy Spirit led Jesus okay
11:32 so that’s the third part of the Trinity leading the second part that’s God leading God into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil you see how God is sovereign so God’s not the one tempting but God has allowed it God has ordained it
11:46 if you will cuz God brought Jesus out there well I wonder why God would bring Jesus out there to be tempted of the devil could it be for our benefit for our learning so that we could get into Matthew 4:1-11
12:10 and understand what was happening with these temptations and briefly here and I encourage you to read Matthew 4 but briefly briefly here Jesus was tempted to eat when he was hungry he had fasted 40 days and 40 nights it’s hard for me to fast for four hours amen but he fasted 40 days and 40 nights
12:16 he was tempted to eat when he was hungry that’s a lust is it not the devil is saying you lust after this and what did Jesus do he quoted scripture back to the devil amen he quoted scripture back to the devil verse 4 of Matthew 4
12:31 it is written man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God the book of Job Job writes about esteeming God’s Word higher than his daily food is need for food amen
12:44 and and on and on for time’s sake he was tempted to have angels bring him down from the top of the temple that would have been the pride fame status category because everyone said look how powerful Jesus is and he didn’t give into that he quoted scripture and he was tempted to be king over all the kingdoms of the world
12:58 which is a silly temptation because he will be anyways and so much more but he was tempted with power so food pride and power is what Jesus was tempted in the in the desert by the devil with that God allowed to happen
13:11 and Jesus resisted that temptation by quoting scripture three times getting into God’s Word this is a very simple lesson here as we face battles as we try to be overcomers in this world by the working of the Holy Spirit because the Holy Spirit wasn’t scared to go into the wilderness there
13:27 didn’t face the devil the Holy Spirit was ready to so that we could learn by the work into that same Holy Spirit in the in the hearts and minds of believers we are to face the temptation by getting into scripture
13:43 and not giving into these lusts of the flesh of the eyes of the pride of life not giving into these things but pushing back against them and turning to God in obedience
13:52 and taking up our cross and living for him and look where Jesus is today he’s highly exalted he’s king and king king of kings and Lord of Lords he’s our Savior and Lord
14:01 and so he resisted then and now all glory and honor is due to him when we resist now later on we will be rewarded in heaven that is the lesson for today tune in next time as we get deeper into being an overcomer in this life
14:14 thank you for listening take care God bless and amen