May 20, 2018

The Trials of Temptation

1. The paths of tempation

1. Tempations are all around us, every single day we are tempted with things that can break us from our walk with God and dramatically change what is happening in our lives.
2. Satan often tempts us with one of two paths:
   1. Something that we NEED
   2. Something that we WANT

2. Two different temptations, two different outcomes

1. Key Similarities
   1. Old Testament - Involves the nation of Israel
   2. Occurs during times of war - High stress can leave someone more vulnerable to temptation
   3. Several key players involved are the same as well

3. Story #1

1. Setting the Stage
   1. 1 Samuel 17
      1. Israelites are at war with the Philistines
   2. The Ways of Battle
      1. Two sides with a valley between
      2. In times of stalemate, a "hero" is chosen. Whomever wins the 1-on-1 fight, wins the whole enchilada
      3. This spares bloodshed but the losing side was often made slaves
   3. Philistines chose their champion
      1. He scared the crap out of the Israelites and they refused... for 40 days
      2. Every single day the Philistine would taunt the Israelites until... One day a young man, who was not scared, heard him
      3. He knew that God would deliver the Philistines to the Israelites if they trusted Him
2. The Temptation
   1. The King tries to put the young man in his personal armor for protection but our hero refuses. He says the Lord will deliver him
   2. We see our hero tempted with something that he NEEDS
      1. His personal safety
      2. He knew that God's plan was bigger and he refused
3. The Outcome
   1. Our hero marches to the valley to confront the Philistine who taunts him, comparing him to a dog being poked with a stick.
   2. Our hero responds

1 Samuel 17:45-47
45 You come against me with sword and spear and javelin but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I'll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. 47 All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord's, and he will give all of you into our hands.

3. Our hero wins the fight in one shot! He cuts the head off the Philistine and the Israelites are triumphant!

4. The Resolution
   1. Our hero is elevated to a higher standing amongst God's people
   2. The people begin to follow him as their soon to be king, which he had been choosen to be before the batte.
   3. People are inspired by the faith of the young man

4. Story #2

1. Setting the Stage
   1. 2 Samuel 11-12
      1. The Israelites are at war with the Ammonites
      2. The king is supposed to be leading his army but instead he stays behind
2. The Temptation
   1. The King is up late at night and decides to go for a stroll on the roof of his palace
      1. Keep in mind that the palace sits above every other house in the city and the King knows this
      2. He looks from his rooftop view and sees a woman bathing
   2. Remember the two paths. The hero in our first story is tempted with something he NEEDS but here the King is tempted with something he WANTS
3. The Outcome
   1. The king sends one of his palace servants to get the women who he then sleeps with
   2. Later, he finds out that she is pregnant
   3. Once he finds out, rather than repent, he sends for the woman's husband in the battle and tells him to "enjoy" his wife
   4. Her husband refuses because the rest of his soldiers are in battle
   5. The king panics and has the husband sent to the front lines, essentially a death sentence
   6. That comes true, the husband is killed and the King takes the woman as his wife
4. The Resolution
   1. 1 Samuel 12
   2. Nathan, who was the prophet from God, confronts the king by telling him a story
      1. He presents a story of a rich man and a poor man
      2. The rich man has sheep and cattle but the poor man has just one lamb that he loved dearly
      3. The rich man wanted to throw a party for a guest and rather than use one of his own sheep, he took the lamb from the poor man and slaughtered it
   3. This enraged the king, who declared that the man should be killed for his crimes
   4. In verse 7, Nathan declares, "You are that man!"
   5. This causes the king to breakdown and comes to a full realization of what he has done
   6. Verse 8 tells us that the King repents of his sins and accepts the full consequences of his actions

5. The Daily Struggle

1. I assume many people here or listening at home know the identity of the hero (David) in our first story
2. Many of you also probably know the identity of the king in the second story (also David)
3. Temptations come to us in all shapes and sizes.

1 Peter 5:18
Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour

4.  Satan attacks us where we are most vulnerable, he attacks our Needs or our Wants and knows what the best targets are in these areas of our lives.
5. When we are faced with temptation, the fight is going to go one of two ways, we are either going to trust in the Lord, understanding that He has prepared us to fight against sin by giving us the Holy Spirit... or we fall
   1. But when we fall, we are again faced with two options, ignore it and spiral or repent, humbly come to the Lord seeking forgiveness, accept the consequences and grow
6. The cool thing about David is that he is called the "man after God's own heart" and this happens AFTER the night and after effects of being with Bathsheba
7. Satan is going to come after you, the question is, are you ready for him?

Communication Card
- This week I will stand strong in the face of temptation. 
- I have temptations and struggles I need to talk to a leader about. 
- This week I will seek God in humility when I make mistakes.