(soft music) - [Narrator] Are you currently struggling with a particular sin? Is victory something that you want in your Christian life? Losing against temptations can often leave us feeling depressed, maybe numb, guilty, and ashamed.
And we try to get up and fight again, but we get caught up in this cycle of failure where we learn about God, try to love him and honor him, but then time passes and we forget those truths about God. And then we fall under temptation and do what's wrong. And in our failure, we try to get back up and learn what it takes to win, but we still fall and the cycle continues.
And so, failing over and over again in this cycle does a number on us, and we become frustrated, brokenhearted, lost, and defeated. And so, the goal of this video is to break you out of this cycle and introduce to you a cycle of victory. For those of you who are currently struggling, don't lose hope.
There is strength and grace for you today. So, please join us as we answer the following question, how do I fight against temptation? I believe one of the best places to learn about this topic is in Matthew Chapter 4.
Why? Because here, Jesus was tempted by Satan himself. And what makes this passage so significant is the fact that Jesus is God, and so, he could have obliterated Satan instantaneously.
But instead, Jesus fought and withstood Satan's temptations without using his divine power, all to show us that we, too, can successfully fight against Satan. Please note that this temptation can be described as the perfect temptation. Why perfect?
Because this temptation needed to be good enough to cause God himself to stumble. By making God stumble, Satan would be one step closer to achieving his dream of being like God. For if he can't ascend to God's immeasurable heights, perhaps he can bring God down to his level.
And who can think of a more perfect temptation than Satan, the devil himself? The temptation recorded in Matthew Chapter 4, they were not reckless. They were incredibly strategic.
And here we learn of four major components of temptation. We as Christians can learn greatly from them. The four components are timing, object of desire, accessibility, and persistence.
And the first to discuss is timing. Notice the devil's timing in Matthew Chapter 4, Verses 2 to 3: And after fasting 40 days and 40 nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, "If you are the son of God, "command these stones to become loaves of bread.
" Now, is Jesus hungry after the first 24 hours of not eating? Day three, maybe day seven? Yes, but the devil didn't show up until day 40.
Why? Because Satan is strategic. And like he did with Jesus, he will attack us in our weakest possible state.
He does not just wait for any time, but for an opportune time. Next, you have an object of desire. Satan offered three things to Jesus in Matthew four, Verses 1 to 11, and one of those things he offered was bread.
Satan said, "Hey, Jesus, "you're the son of God, aren't you? "Why don't you turn these stones to bread? "Why is this wrong?
" Jesus answers in Verse 4, "Man shall not live by bread alone, "but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. " What Jesus rejected was acting upon his desires. It wasn't the action of eating that was wrong, because Jesus ate a lot of times in scripture.
No, it wasn't the action of eating, but the mindset that would be taken, a mindset that says, "I will take matters into my own hands, "and if my body says it's hungry "I will fulfill those desires. " Interestingly enough, both the Old and the New Testament begin with temptations of food. "Look, Eve, look at this fruit "and you will be like God!
" Eve looked at the fruit, forgot God's will, took matters into her own hands, and lived a life that focused on fulfilling her own lusts. So, Jesus, when he said no to this first temptation, he rejected a life that refused to submit to God and he rejected a life that is solely bent and focused on fulfilling their own desires. The next component of a temptation is accessibility.
You see, what's the point of temptation if you can't actually get to it? You see, Satan didn't just suggest bread, but he also gave the way to get it. Consider Jesus's power.
Him, being God almighty, responsible for the creation of the universe with its galaxies, stars, planets, oceans, animals, and plants. The amount of effort it would take for him to turn a rock into bread would be less than the energy it takes for us to blink. Jesus didn't just have access.
He had complete access, yet he still resisted the urge to live a life focused on self-indulgence. The final component of temptation is persistence. Satan didn't just give up after his first attempt.
We see here that Jesus was tempted by Satan for a total of three times. No temptation is complete without a backup plan. Some spiritual fights consist of attack upon attack, temptation upon temptation.
This was the case for Jesus, and is many times the case for us. Look at how elaborate Satan's plan is. Satan patiently waited in silence for 40 days.
He waited until Jesus was hungry and tired. So, timing? Check.
He had objects of desire that appealed to pleasure and power. He provided accessibility so Jesus could have access to those things. And he had backup plans prepared just in case Jesus resisted the first and second temptations.
Satan had for himself a temptation so well-thought-out that he felt comfortable enough to use it against God. And Satan uses the same method with us. He waits for us to reach a place of weakness.
He waits until after Bible study. He may wait an hour, a day, a week, maybe a month. He waits until we're frustrated or bored or depressed, exhausted, stressed out.
And then he puts something in front of us, something wrong that will give us pleasure. And then he gives us access to get it. And if we're able to say no, he'll continue to present us with something that will get us to bite the bait.
You see, Satan's been doing this a long time. Not just decades, not just centuries, but millennia. His experience in causing Christian men and women to stumble is exhaustive.
So, with a plan as cunning and strategic as this one, you need a plan that is capable of overcoming Satan's devices, a plan that can actually lead you to victory. But let me say that while Satan possessed a seemingly perfect temptation, Jesus in Matthew Chapter 4 has provided us with the perfect response, a response so filled with power that all who choose to follow its truths will not only experience the strength and victory of God, but be filled with unshakeable confidence and indescribable joy that are rooted in the love of Jesus Christ. So, what was Jesus's response?
How can you obtain victory in your fight against sin? The answer can be summed up in one sentence. If you want to effectively fight against temptation, you need to grow in your love for God's word.
This is the answer. This is the key to winning against temptation. If you fully grasp this, you will have victory.
Do you remember the cycle of failure? Learning about God, trying to please God, time passing, forgetting God, sinning against God, feeling guilty, going to God again, and then repeating the process. You have to change the cycle of failure into a cycle of victory, a cycle that centers around having a love for God's word.
So, what is this cycle of victory? There are five components of the cycle of victory that Jesus shows us here. First part of the cycle, grow in your dependence of God's word.
Remember Jesus's responses to Satan's temptations: It is written, "Man shall not live by bread alone. " It is written again, "You shall not tempt the Lord your God," for it is written again, "That you shall worship the Lord your God, "and him only you shall serve. " Jesus's three responses to Satan's temptations were all from the Book of Deuteronomy.
And don't just look at what Jesus said. Also look at what he didn't say. Jesus didn't acknowledge that he was hungry and tired.
He didn't respond with a justification on why it'd be okay for him to eat. He didn't discuss things with Satan and he didn't ignore the temptation. No, his first response was to depend on God's words so much that a verse was his first and immediate response.
In the same way a police officer depends on his gun for protection, Jesus depended on the word of God, and it should be the same for us. You need God for everything. The question is, do you truly believe this?
John 15:5, "I am the vine, you are the branches. "He who abides in me, and I in him, bears much fruit, "for without me, you can do nothing. " So, if you want to be more effective in your fight against temptation, don't rely on your own wisdom.
Don't rely on self-help books or the wisdom of people or a particular thought process. Biblically speaking, the word of God is the answer to fight against temptation. And you must learn to depend on God's word more, learn to rely on God's word to the point where it's your immediate response in the face of temptation.
Second part of the cycle, grow in your knowledge of God's word. Again, Jesus quoted Deuteronomy three times. Jesus didn't just know Deuteronomy.
He had a working knowledge of Deuteronomy. For example, if you practice martial arts, you'd practice how to throw a punch. You would not only need to know the steps on how to throw a punch, but you'd also need to know how to use it in actual combat.
So, do you read God's word to the point where you have a working knowledge of a passage? Could you actually use it in combat? Jesus used the Book of Deuteronomy.
So, question, what books can you use? What books do you have knowledge in? There's 66 books of the Bible.
So, have you looked up verses having to do with anger, pride, lust, bitterness, greed? You see, in order to effectively fight against sin, you need to start building a strong working knowledge of God's word. Third part of the cycle, grow in your meditation of God's word.
If someone asked me the question, "What do you think Jesus was thinking about "when he was tempted? " I would answer, "He was thinking about Deuteronomy. " He was focused on scripture.
The fact that his immediate response to all three temptations were all God's word proves the point that Jesus had God's word at the forefront of his thoughts. So, what thoughts do you allow your mind to dwell upon? When you work, you can think, "Thank you, God, "that I can work and for the opportunity to make money.
" And when you're tired, you can think, "God, thank you for giving me the strength "to get through the day. "Help me to get some rest in a way that's healthy. " What do you allow your mind to think about?
Consider Second Corinthians Chapter 10, Verses 4 to 5: For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty in God for bringing down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. So, when you read the Bible, don't just read it to check something off your good Christian to-do list. Read it and then meditate on it.
Ponder its meaning. Think about its truth and practical applications. Let it rest in your mind so when temptation comes, God's word would be your immediate response.
Which leads us to the fourth part of the cycle. Grow in your recollection of God's word. The only response we hear from Jesus in all three attempts to take him down was a recollection of God's word.
In fact, if you look at the armor of God in Ephesians Chapter 6, the one offensive weapon God gives us is the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. The Greek word for word here in this passage is rhema, and the word rhema means something spoken. So, the word of God, or the rhema of God, is the spoken word of God.
Which brings us to this essential truth. Every temptation has a counter-verse. Consider the verse First Corinthians 10:13: No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man.
But God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. This way of escape can be paved using God's word. Look at what Jesus did.
He was met with a temptation, and slash! "As it is written. " Another temptation, and whoosh!
"As it is written. " And yet another temptation, and boom! "As it is written.
" In a gunfight, one of the most significant factors to winning is speed. How fast can you draw your gun? You see, speed is also key to winning against temptation.
If your temptation is to give in to your anxiety, then bam! "Be anxious for nothing, "but in everything by prayer and supplication," Philippians 4:6. If your temptation is to give into your lust, then bam!
"For this is the will of God, your sanctification, "that you should abstain from sexual immorality. " First Thessalonians 4:3. Some questions for you.
Have you memorized verses connected to some of your weaknesses? What do you struggle with? Wrath, unforgiveness, sexual sin, idolatry, drunkenness, pride, selfishness?
Do you have an arsenal of verses that combat that specific sin, and how fast can you recall that verse? One of the biggest keys to your victory will be your ability to quickly recall counter-verses in the face of temptation. Fight the same way Jesus fought temptation, by quickly responding, "As it is written.
" And the final part of the cycle, grow in your your obedience of God's word. Jesus didn't just quote Deuteronomy. He lived it out.
He said, "Man shall not live by bread alone, "but by every word of God. " You see, did Jesus just say it? Or did he live it out, too?
There comes a time in every temptation where you must make a decision, obey his word or disobey. This truth is shorter in comparison to the other ones, but obedience is key. Look at First John Chapter 5, Verses 3 to 4.
"For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. "And his commandments are not burdensome, "for whatever is born of God overcomes the world. "And this is the victory that has overcome the world, "our faith.
" So, how do you fight temptation? What's the cycle of victory? Grow in your love for God's word.
And you grow in a love for God's word in five ways. One, depend and rely on God's word. Remember that you need God in everything you do.
Two, grow in your knowledge of God's word. Don't just read to read, read to gain practical knowledge. Three, grow in your meditation of God's word.
Put it on the forefront of your mind so that when you are met with temptation, you have greater access. Four, grow in your recollection of God's word. Speed is your ally.
Learn to call upon scripture quickly so when you get hit, you can hit back. And five, grow in your obedience of God's word. When you look at what God's word says, cry for help and ask God to help you to obey.
So, to conclude, don't let Satan fool you into thinking that this isn't the key to your victory. Galatians 5:16, "I say, then, walk in the spirit "and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. " Jesus in John 15:4-5 says: Abide in me, and I in you.
As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I and him, bears much fruit, for without me, you can do nothing.
Also, please remember that we're sinners. We're not perfect. We will continue to fall and fail.
But that doesn't mean we can't live a life of victory. So, when you fall against temptation next time, don't place any focus on the cycle of failure. Forget about it.
Regardless of how many times you fail, focus on this new cycle of victory with one purpose in mind, to grow in your love for God's word. And please note, one key to getting rid of a bad habit is to replace it with a new one. So, when met with a temptation, use God's word and turn to something else.
So, don't give up. Learn to depend, to grow in knowledge, to meditate, to recollect, and to obey, and the Lord will bless you. Have faith, take heart, and don't lose hope, for our God is the God of victory and grace.
Take up your sword and fight the fight God calls you to. God bless.
