Sermon Notes - Escape pt 3
Sermon Notes – Escape
Subtitle: Breaking Free from the Power of Temptation
Purpose: To help believers overcome the common temptation of meeting a God-given need in an ungodly manner.
Passage: Matthew 4:1-4
Main Point: What is the one thing I want my audience to know? What do I want them to do about it? (Should be an application, an insight, or a principle)
Exegetical Outline – Matthew 4:1-4
1. The reason Jesus was led into the wilderness by the Spirit, after being baptized and pronounced pleasing by the Father, was to be tempted by the devil (1).
2. After fasting for 40 days and becoming hungry, the devil came to Jesus tempting Him to demonstrate His deity by turning the stones into bread (2-3).
3. The manner in which Jesus responded to the devil’s temptation was to quote Scripture that man must live by every Word that proceeds from God’s mouth, not simply on bread alone (4).
a. This quote is from Duet 8:3 and reflects on God’s provision for Israel in the wilderness wanderings. It was a reminder that God would provide and that they should not forget all His commands when they experience abundance in the land.
Homiletical Outline
INTRODUCTION
Consider one of the following question sets when shaping the introduction:
What is the question I am answering with this sermon? What can I do to help my audience want to know the answer to that question?
What is the tension this message will resolve? What can I do to help my audience feel that tension? (personal example, illustration, scenario, etc)
What mystery does this message solve? What can I do to help my audience want a solution?
Me: All bad things are the result of sin in our world. All bad things are not necessarily the direct result of our personal sin. Use the “what you sow you will reap” principle to help discern discipline because “God will not be mocked.”
Discipline is usually related to the sin, so examine the area of concern and then examine your heart in this area. If you are having difficulty in relationships, it may be because of sin in how you are handling them. If you are facing financial challenges, it may be due to sin in your finances. If you are experiencing failure in your career, it may be due to sin in your practices. If you are experiencing failure in your family, it may be due to sin in this area. This is not necessarily the case, but it may be. I would encourage you to examine your practices according to God’s Word and to invite someone who knows you to examine you as well.
Bad things are certainly allowed to happen even when we have not specifically sinned to bring them on. Job is a whole book addressed to this topic. Peter also clearly addresses this in his letters. The Bible promises that all who desire to live godly will experience persecution. Hence, ease is not the Bible’s promise to those who obey.
We: We have learned the consequences of falling to sin and we have learned 3 commitments to help us overcome sin. Now we are going to examine three of the most common temptations we face and learn how to apply what we have learned. Today we will examine one of these; that is the temptation to meet God-given needs in an ungodly manner. We often use the justification of the end justifying the means in this scenario. Yes, we may have manipulated a few things, we may have told a white-lie here or there, but our final end was a good one, so who could be hurt? The fact is, whenever we compromise God’s truth to achieve a godly end, we hurt ourselves and others.
HEART
God:
1. I will never be TOO MATURE for temptation (1).
Illus: Show Temptation video
Note: Jesus was without sin, but He was not without temptation. No matter how good you are, you cannot escape temptation. You must learn to face it if you ever hope to be successful in the Christian life. If you fail to learn and apply these principles we are looking at, you will remain under the control of sin. If you choose to learn them and obey them, you will successfully navigate this thing called life.
Apply: What is at stake is always greater than what we initially see. (Develop how Jesus’ falling to temptation here would have destroyed His future, His family, and His faith. He could not have accomplished His purpose. We all would have been lost in our sin! HUGE consequences for His future, “family” and faith.)
We often overlook this and think too little of the consequences. We only consider the immediate circumstances and don’t look at the long term.
There is always more at stake when we face temptation. We must stop and consider these things. We always see this in other people’s lives, but it seems less clear when we’re in the middle of temptation. We know this as parents. In fact, we often over-react when it comes to our kids. Something happens and we flip out and think “oh no, this could impact your transcripts, your ability to go to college and what if you can’t ever get a job or find someone to marry, oh, this could ruin your future.” And they say, “Dad, I just forgot to pull the car into the garage last night.”
So how did the devil seek to tempt Jesus? We can learn his tactics and Jesus’ defense.
2. I am tempted to meet GOD-GIVEN needs in an UNGODLY way (2-3)
Illus: Family Man Clip
a. When you have a true need, expect an ungodly means to meet it to present itself.
b. Relational Needs
i. Friendship, Dating, marriage/divorce, sexual.
1. Damage future relationships.
2. Damage family
3. Damage faith.
c. Physical Needs.
i. Incurring Debt, Illegal practices.
d. Emotional/psychological/spiritual needs
i. Using drugs/alcohol/medication to address.
ii. All medication is not bad. Some is necessary to help, but if spiritual roots exist, then medication alone will not solve.
Apply: Remember, I am not alone. God has addressed this before.
Remember, I am not a helpless victim. God won’t allow unbearable temptation.
Remember, I must find God’s way of escape.
3. I must consider ALL God’s Truth, not just BITS (4).
a. God does not only promise physical provision. Our needs are much greater and His promises are much more extensive. We must see the whole picture.
b. Reflect on Deut 8 context & how Jesus used it.
c. Don’t take Scripture out of its context.
d. Don’t look for Scripture to affirm your agenda.
e. Scripture was given to conform our will to God’s, not His to ours.
You: In what area of your life is the temptation of meeting a God-given need in an ungodly manner damaging your future, your family & your faith? For many it may be financially. You have mortgaged your future to purchase your present. God wants you to trust that He will provide in His perfect time. If He has not provided, commit to not attempting to meet a God-given need in an ungodly manner. Wait for Him to provide, or learn to go without. Giving in to this temptation has only hurt your future, your family and your faith. How ‘bout trying it God’s way and watching Him work?
Others are involved in a relationship that is meeting some very real needs, but you know it is not in a manner that is pleasing to God. Don’t believe the lie that this is best for your future, your family, nor your faith. A wrong relationship for the right reason will always leave you hurt. Only when you trust God will you find your true needs met.
CONCLUSION
We: Every one in here has honest to goodness God-given needs that need to be met. God created us all with needs. We need air, we need water, we need food, we need relationships. He knows we are needy. In fact, He created us to have these needs so we could learn to trust Him. Every single act of faith in God is an investment in our future, an investment in our family, an investment in our faith. No longer must you see temptation as damaging your future, damaging your family, damaging your faith. Now, you can face temptation as an opportunity to build your future, build your family, and build your faith. When you learn to trust God to meet your God-given needs, you will see Him do just that.