WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.500 Well, good morning to all of you. 00:00:03.760 --> 00:00:04.500 My name's Tommy. 00:00:04.700 --> 00:00:06.839 I'm the rector here at Church of the Advent. 00:00:07.060 --> 00:00:08.980 And so if I haven't had a chance to welcome you, 00:00:09.060 --> 00:00:11.019 hopefully we'll get a chance to at least meet 00:00:11.019 --> 00:00:12.240 and shake hands after the service. 00:00:12.839 --> 00:00:15.439 I want to make sure you know we do have a newcomer's brunch 00:00:15.439 --> 00:00:16.760 right after the service downstairs. 00:00:16.980 --> 00:00:19.820 So if you're new, even if this is your first Sunday with us, 00:00:19.839 --> 00:00:20.559 we'd love to have you. 00:00:20.900 --> 00:00:22.440 So please hang around and come downstairs 00:00:22.440 --> 00:00:24.379 and hopefully we'll get a chance to chat. 00:00:26.920 --> 00:00:28.839 Many of you are probably familiar 00:00:28.839 --> 00:00:29.980 with the story of the Titanic. 00:00:30.620 --> 00:00:31.920 A movie came out about it. 00:00:31.980 --> 00:00:33.700 If you haven't seen the movie, I'm going to spoil it, 00:00:33.780 --> 00:00:34.799 but you had your chance. 00:00:36.679 --> 00:00:41.299 But the Titanic, obviously this incredible, 00:00:41.539 --> 00:00:43.240 as it was said, feat of engineering 00:00:43.240 --> 00:00:48.859 that was celebrated as a marvel of accomplishment, 00:00:49.060 --> 00:00:52.579 human technology, and it was said it was virtually unsinkable. 00:00:53.460 --> 00:00:56.240 So when they set out on their maiden voyage, 00:00:56.420 --> 00:00:59.320 ship full of people, it wasn't even equipped 00:00:59.320 --> 00:01:03.320 with enough life rafts for half of the people, 00:01:03.740 --> 00:01:06.200 total number of passengers on board, 00:01:06.280 --> 00:01:09.379 and that's because they didn't think they would need the lifeboats 00:01:09.379 --> 00:01:11.799 because this boat was unsinkable. 00:01:12.840 --> 00:01:16.740 Despite warnings about icebergs in the water, 00:01:16.879 --> 00:01:19.460 large icebergs that could tear ships apart, 00:01:20.379 --> 00:01:21.480 they ignored the warnings. 00:01:21.480 --> 00:01:26.060 The lookout didn't even have binoculars to look out for the icebergs. 00:01:26.060 --> 00:01:27.800 The captain did not slow down, 00:01:27.939 --> 00:01:31.140 but had the ship going full speed through the water 00:01:31.140 --> 00:01:33.780 because, again, this ship was celebrated 00:01:33.780 --> 00:01:36.020 as being virtually unsinkable, 00:01:36.100 --> 00:01:37.280 nothing to worry about. 00:01:38.580 --> 00:01:41.140 Unfortunately, that was not the case. 00:01:41.140 --> 00:01:43.620 And as many of us know, 00:01:43.700 --> 00:01:46.400 a large iceberg tore a gash into the hull of the ship. 00:01:46.900 --> 00:01:48.200 Water came in. 00:01:48.260 --> 00:01:50.319 The ship eventually sank. 00:01:50.719 --> 00:01:54.340 And over 1,500 people lost their lives. 00:01:55.079 --> 00:01:56.099 And this story, 00:01:57.299 --> 00:01:59.299 and it's just one story. 00:01:59.379 --> 00:02:01.439 There are many other examples throughout history 00:02:01.439 --> 00:02:04.379 that stories like this illustrate the same thing. 00:02:04.379 --> 00:02:07.039 The danger of overconfidence. 00:02:08.159 --> 00:02:10.460 The danger of overconfidence. 00:02:11.240 --> 00:02:14.799 How when we are overconfident in a situation like that, 00:02:15.379 --> 00:02:17.539 it will invariably lead to disaster. 00:02:18.560 --> 00:02:20.840 And in the passage we're gonna be looking at this morning, 00:02:21.359 --> 00:02:22.819 1 Corinthians chapter 10, 00:02:23.280 --> 00:02:25.180 the first 13 verses of chapter 10, 00:02:25.259 --> 00:02:28.340 the apostle Paul is making much the same warning. 00:02:29.300 --> 00:02:31.819 He's warning us about the dangers of overconfidence 00:02:31.819 --> 00:02:33.960 when it comes to temptation. 00:02:35.039 --> 00:02:37.639 The message is essentially this, 00:02:38.400 --> 00:02:40.139 is that if we are overconfident 00:02:40.139 --> 00:02:42.719 when it comes to our ability to face and deal with temptation, 00:02:43.620 --> 00:02:46.659 that that road will invariably lead to disaster. 00:02:46.840 --> 00:02:48.099 It will lead to catastrophe. 00:02:48.979 --> 00:02:49.979 So we're gonna look at this, 00:02:50.120 --> 00:02:51.579 and in this passage, 00:02:51.939 --> 00:02:53.639 Paul gives us several ways 00:02:53.639 --> 00:02:57.060 to be prepared for temptation 00:02:57.060 --> 00:02:58.819 when it inevitably comes, 00:02:59.159 --> 00:03:00.519 so that we'll know when it comes, 00:03:00.519 --> 00:03:01.719 so that we'll know how to face it, 00:03:01.719 --> 00:03:04.580 so we'll know how to overcome it together. 00:03:05.020 --> 00:03:05.960 So we're gonna look at that. 00:03:06.060 --> 00:03:07.680 First, I'm gonna give us a little context 00:03:07.680 --> 00:03:09.039 so we know where we are, 00:03:09.199 --> 00:03:11.579 and then we're gonna look at what the apostle Paul 00:03:11.579 --> 00:03:14.419 has to say to us about overconfidence and temptation. 00:03:14.419 --> 00:03:15.180 Let's pray, 00:03:15.520 --> 00:03:16.620 and then we'll open God's word. 00:03:17.939 --> 00:03:19.379 Lord, we thank you for your word, 00:03:19.479 --> 00:03:21.139 and we thank you for this season of Lent. 00:03:21.280 --> 00:03:22.639 Lord, this is a time where, 00:03:22.740 --> 00:03:23.520 as Jeff said earlier, 00:03:24.159 --> 00:03:26.379 we reflect on Jesus' time in the wilderness, 00:03:26.379 --> 00:03:29.240 and we go there with him, Lord. 00:03:29.280 --> 00:03:30.639 We follow in his footsteps 00:03:30.639 --> 00:03:33.799 in this journey to the cross, 00:03:33.939 --> 00:03:34.599 to the tomb, 00:03:35.180 --> 00:03:36.180 to the resurrection, 00:03:36.759 --> 00:03:37.759 to the new life. 00:03:37.900 --> 00:03:39.879 Lord, we pray that you would bless us 00:03:39.879 --> 00:03:41.259 as we seek to walk with him, 00:03:41.340 --> 00:03:42.000 to journey with him. 00:03:42.579 --> 00:03:44.139 We pray that you would open these words, 00:03:44.719 --> 00:03:45.560 and through these words, 00:03:45.639 --> 00:03:47.019 we would come face to face with him 00:03:47.019 --> 00:03:48.039 and be united with him. 00:03:48.719 --> 00:03:50.180 Lord, that's our prayer, 00:03:50.240 --> 00:03:52.259 and we ask this in his holy name, 00:03:52.319 --> 00:03:53.139 in Jesus' name. 00:03:53.379 --> 00:03:53.620 Amen. 00:03:53.620 --> 00:03:53.740 Amen. 00:03:55.039 --> 00:03:55.960 So first of all, 00:03:56.020 --> 00:03:57.120 let me give you a little context. 00:03:57.259 --> 00:03:58.560 We're dropping right into the middle 00:03:58.560 --> 00:03:59.420 of a letter here, 00:03:59.539 --> 00:04:00.740 chapter 10. 00:04:01.500 --> 00:04:03.060 This is a letter that Paul wrote 00:04:03.060 --> 00:04:05.060 to the Christians in the city of Corinth. 00:04:05.480 --> 00:04:07.719 Corinth was a major urban center. 00:04:07.900 --> 00:04:10.140 It was the capital of the province, 00:04:10.640 --> 00:04:11.819 a lot like D.C. 00:04:11.980 --> 00:04:13.520 It was very cosmopolitan, 00:04:13.920 --> 00:04:15.840 and so the early Christians in Corinth 00:04:15.840 --> 00:04:17.759 had to ask a lot of the same questions 00:04:17.759 --> 00:04:19.680 that those of us who are Christians 00:04:19.680 --> 00:04:23.019 ask as we live here in D.C. in 2025. 00:04:23.019 --> 00:04:24.219 They were asking, 00:04:24.439 --> 00:04:26.060 how do we live lives of faithfulness 00:04:26.060 --> 00:04:27.979 in a major city center 00:04:27.979 --> 00:04:30.240 with such an incredibly diverse population? 00:04:31.099 --> 00:04:33.799 How do we participate in public life 00:04:33.799 --> 00:04:36.740 when we are surrounded by people 00:04:36.740 --> 00:04:38.319 who have so many different beliefs, 00:04:38.419 --> 00:04:39.620 so many different values, 00:04:39.759 --> 00:04:41.099 so many different lifestyles? 00:04:41.740 --> 00:04:43.680 How do we live lives of faithfulness 00:04:43.680 --> 00:04:44.839 in the public square? 00:04:45.240 --> 00:04:46.959 And the specific question 00:04:46.959 --> 00:04:50.060 that Paul is addressing concerns food. 00:04:50.060 --> 00:04:53.500 Should Christians eat meat 00:04:53.500 --> 00:04:54.800 that comes from animals 00:04:54.800 --> 00:04:56.620 that had previously been sacrificed 00:04:56.620 --> 00:04:59.480 as a part of pagan idol worship? 00:05:00.040 --> 00:05:01.519 That meat was widely available 00:05:01.519 --> 00:05:02.319 in the markets. 00:05:02.560 --> 00:05:03.939 When you got invited over 00:05:03.939 --> 00:05:05.439 to your friend's house to eat, 00:05:05.759 --> 00:05:07.560 a lot of times you would be eating meat 00:05:07.560 --> 00:05:09.019 that had previously been sacrificed 00:05:09.019 --> 00:05:11.240 as a part of pagan ritual, 00:05:11.379 --> 00:05:12.500 and so the Christians were asking, 00:05:12.800 --> 00:05:14.399 should we eat that meat or not? 00:05:14.420 --> 00:05:15.840 Is it okay or not? 00:05:15.839 --> 00:05:18.139 And so this starts a few chapters earlier 00:05:18.139 --> 00:05:18.919 in chapter eight. 00:05:19.319 --> 00:05:21.119 Paul is trying to address this question. 00:05:21.679 --> 00:05:23.739 Some of the Christians were overly cautious. 00:05:24.060 --> 00:05:25.239 They were teetotalers. 00:05:25.299 --> 00:05:26.419 They said, absolutely not. 00:05:26.459 --> 00:05:27.739 We need to stay far away from that. 00:05:28.560 --> 00:05:29.539 It's gonna corrupt us. 00:05:29.599 --> 00:05:30.699 It's spiritually corrupting. 00:05:31.459 --> 00:05:33.759 Others were more in the opposite end 00:05:33.759 --> 00:05:34.539 of the spectrum. 00:05:34.899 --> 00:05:37.359 They were almost brazenly overconfident. 00:05:37.779 --> 00:05:38.299 They would say, you know, 00:05:38.359 --> 00:05:39.879 Jesus has forgiven all of our sin. 00:05:39.959 --> 00:05:41.819 He's done away with all the dietary restrictions. 00:05:42.159 --> 00:05:43.639 We don't need to worry about that. 00:05:43.639 --> 00:05:44.899 We've been set free. 00:05:45.959 --> 00:05:47.439 We should enjoy our freedom. 00:05:47.560 --> 00:05:48.779 We should be able to eat whatever we want. 00:05:49.740 --> 00:05:51.019 Paul's answer is very interesting. 00:05:51.199 --> 00:05:53.539 He essentially says, not so fast. 00:05:54.899 --> 00:05:57.079 God has set us free. 00:05:58.079 --> 00:06:00.379 Technically, we can eat whatever we want. 00:06:00.639 --> 00:06:03.899 However, the freedom that you have 00:06:03.899 --> 00:06:07.180 can be easily lost if you're not careful. 00:06:08.599 --> 00:06:09.839 It has to be guarded. 00:06:09.959 --> 00:06:10.899 It has to be protected. 00:06:11.560 --> 00:06:12.839 And at the beginning of chapter 10, 00:06:12.839 --> 00:06:14.779 which is our passage this morning, 00:06:15.639 --> 00:06:16.859 Paul is wanting to make sure 00:06:16.859 --> 00:06:19.659 that these Christians have the right perspective 00:06:19.659 --> 00:06:22.419 on their situation. 00:06:24.119 --> 00:06:25.659 You need to start with the right perspective. 00:06:25.779 --> 00:06:27.159 So that's the first thing he gives us 00:06:27.159 --> 00:06:28.739 when it comes to temptation is, 00:06:29.379 --> 00:06:31.719 here's the perspective that helps us make sense 00:06:31.719 --> 00:06:35.639 of our lives and the place that we find ourselves in 00:06:35.639 --> 00:06:36.839 as a part of God's story. 00:06:37.579 --> 00:06:40.279 Paul refers them back to the time of the Exodus. 00:06:40.279 --> 00:06:42.619 Now, if you know about the book of the Exodus, 00:06:42.799 --> 00:06:46.579 it starts with God's people living as slaves in Egypt. 00:06:46.799 --> 00:06:48.779 And then God raises up Moses. 00:06:49.959 --> 00:06:53.599 And through Moses, God demonstrates his absolute power 00:06:53.599 --> 00:06:55.899 over Pharaoh and all the pagan gods of Egypt. 00:06:56.339 --> 00:06:58.159 And ultimately, he sets his people free. 00:06:58.879 --> 00:07:01.679 And God promises that one day he's going to bring them 00:07:01.679 --> 00:07:05.799 to a promised land, a home that he has prepared just for them. 00:07:05.800 --> 00:07:08.920 But here's where we need to pause 00:07:08.920 --> 00:07:10.759 if we're reading and paying attention closely 00:07:10.759 --> 00:07:13.120 and stop and sort of ask, 00:07:13.840 --> 00:07:16.699 why is Paul bringing this up here to these people? 00:07:17.420 --> 00:07:19.800 The church in Corinth was full of Gentiles. 00:07:20.160 --> 00:07:22.080 For the most part, these are not Jews. 00:07:23.019 --> 00:07:24.699 The Exodus was not their story. 00:07:25.819 --> 00:07:27.420 These are Greek and Roman people. 00:07:28.480 --> 00:07:31.900 But Paul is referring to the Israelites in the wilderness 00:07:31.899 --> 00:07:33.919 as their forefathers. 00:07:34.060 --> 00:07:35.819 He says, remember our forefathers. 00:07:35.939 --> 00:07:38.219 I don't want you to be ignorant of our fathers. 00:07:39.779 --> 00:07:41.979 So you understand what he's saying to these Gentiles. 00:07:43.500 --> 00:07:46.759 That was Israel, and that was their story. 00:07:47.339 --> 00:07:48.799 But now that you're Christians, 00:07:49.560 --> 00:07:51.039 you are part of the church. 00:07:51.719 --> 00:07:54.099 And the church is the new Israel. 00:07:54.899 --> 00:07:58.659 So that was Israel, but now you are Israel. 00:07:58.819 --> 00:08:00.679 You are God's people in the world. 00:08:00.680 --> 00:08:04.400 And so what he's doing is he's connecting that story to their story. 00:08:04.480 --> 00:08:07.019 He's saying their story is now your story 00:08:07.019 --> 00:08:10.860 by virtue of the fact that you're in Christ. 00:08:11.780 --> 00:08:12.879 You're the new Israel. 00:08:13.939 --> 00:08:18.560 And this is the perspective that Paul seeks to impart to us as his listeners. 00:08:18.899 --> 00:08:21.120 Even though we live in a different time, 00:08:21.280 --> 00:08:23.220 even though we live in a different place, 00:08:24.319 --> 00:08:25.660 spiritually speaking, 00:08:25.660 --> 00:08:29.439 we are part of the story of Israel, 00:08:29.439 --> 00:08:33.200 which means we are still very much in the wilderness. 00:08:34.340 --> 00:08:36.340 He's saying they were in the wilderness, remember. 00:08:36.680 --> 00:08:39.000 Now as you continue in the wilderness, 00:08:39.800 --> 00:08:41.060 remember what happened to them. 00:08:41.920 --> 00:08:44.019 Now this is extremely important 00:08:44.019 --> 00:08:47.700 as it relates to the topic that we are exploring this morning. 00:08:47.800 --> 00:08:49.160 What does it mean to be in the wilderness? 00:08:49.159 --> 00:08:52.939 Well, spiritually speaking, 00:08:53.559 --> 00:08:55.480 the wilderness is the space between. 00:08:57.579 --> 00:09:02.659 It is a space between freedom and fulfillment. 00:09:03.799 --> 00:09:05.399 There's a space between, 00:09:06.879 --> 00:09:08.799 and we occupy that space. 00:09:08.939 --> 00:09:11.919 That's what the Bible refers to as the wilderness. 00:09:12.779 --> 00:09:14.220 Jesus has set us free. 00:09:14.220 --> 00:09:16.300 We, those of us who are here who are Christians, 00:09:16.860 --> 00:09:20.279 Jesus has set us free from sin and death. 00:09:20.519 --> 00:09:23.180 We've been set free from slavery to sin and death. 00:09:24.560 --> 00:09:27.800 And he has promised that one day he's going to come again, 00:09:28.060 --> 00:09:29.800 and he's going to make all things new. 00:09:29.920 --> 00:09:31.240 He's going to restore the world. 00:09:31.360 --> 00:09:33.080 He's going to bring the heavens and the earth together. 00:09:34.800 --> 00:09:37.660 But he has not fulfilled that promise yet. 00:09:37.759 --> 00:09:39.639 That is still something that we're waiting for. 00:09:39.639 --> 00:09:44.240 And so we occupy this space between having been set free, 00:09:44.360 --> 00:09:44.659 freedom, 00:09:44.919 --> 00:09:49.740 and the fulfillment that one day God will make all things new. 00:09:49.899 --> 00:09:51.179 So until that day comes, 00:09:51.279 --> 00:09:53.659 we are in the spiritual wilderness, 00:09:53.779 --> 00:09:56.019 which means the world is still broken. 00:09:58.379 --> 00:09:59.740 I mean, most people, 00:09:59.860 --> 00:10:02.080 you don't have to try hard to convince them 00:10:02.080 --> 00:10:03.879 that the world is broken. 00:10:03.960 --> 00:10:05.659 I was just having lunch with somebody this week, 00:10:05.700 --> 00:10:06.539 and we were talking about, 00:10:07.240 --> 00:10:09.600 we're both very concerned about the state of things. 00:10:09.639 --> 00:10:10.480 Right now in the world, 00:10:10.819 --> 00:10:12.279 the state of our country right now, 00:10:12.360 --> 00:10:12.600 we're very, 00:10:12.799 --> 00:10:13.659 lots of concerns, 00:10:13.819 --> 00:10:14.639 lots of anxiety. 00:10:15.699 --> 00:10:17.480 We know the world is still broken. 00:10:18.600 --> 00:10:22.419 We still have desires and longings that go unmet. 00:10:23.159 --> 00:10:25.539 We still have to contend with uncertainty, 00:10:26.100 --> 00:10:26.939 and grief, 00:10:27.340 --> 00:10:28.019 and loss, 00:10:28.419 --> 00:10:29.179 and conflict, 00:10:29.659 --> 00:10:30.259 and decay, 00:10:30.500 --> 00:10:31.059 and breakdown. 00:10:32.500 --> 00:10:33.480 In other words, 00:10:33.879 --> 00:10:36.700 being in the wilderness means this world as it is, 00:10:36.740 --> 00:10:37.939 is not our home. 00:10:37.940 --> 00:10:41.580 And that's extremely important to remember. 00:10:42.000 --> 00:10:44.740 It's crucial for us to keep that perspective 00:10:44.740 --> 00:10:47.400 if we want to make sense of our lives. 00:10:49.160 --> 00:10:50.560 What this means is that, 00:10:50.620 --> 00:10:50.820 you know, 00:10:51.640 --> 00:10:53.540 let's just consider some examples here. 00:10:53.780 --> 00:10:55.120 When it comes to our work, 00:10:56.120 --> 00:11:00.420 we should all try to find stable careers, 00:11:01.080 --> 00:11:01.760 stable work, 00:11:01.759 --> 00:11:03.600 and hopefully that work, 00:11:03.700 --> 00:11:06.299 those of us who feel called to work outside the home, 00:11:06.840 --> 00:11:07.860 seeking paid work, 00:11:08.220 --> 00:11:08.559 hopefully, 00:11:08.899 --> 00:11:09.340 God willing, 00:11:09.419 --> 00:11:10.340 that work is meaningful, 00:11:11.000 --> 00:11:12.200 and we enjoy it, 00:11:12.259 --> 00:11:13.860 and it aligns with our gifts, 00:11:13.939 --> 00:11:14.460 and aptitudes, 00:11:14.559 --> 00:11:15.039 and abilities. 00:11:15.039 --> 00:11:18.959 But no career is ever going to satisfy 00:11:18.959 --> 00:11:21.719 our desire for meaning and purpose completely. 00:11:23.839 --> 00:11:25.339 Because this is the wilderness. 00:11:25.919 --> 00:11:26.740 It's not our home. 00:11:26.819 --> 00:11:27.819 We shouldn't expect that. 00:11:29.079 --> 00:11:30.740 If you're called to marriage, 00:11:31.439 --> 00:11:34.579 you should look for someone who shares your faith 00:11:34.579 --> 00:11:35.679 and your values, 00:11:36.459 --> 00:11:39.379 someone with whom I think maybe this is one of the most important things, 00:11:39.679 --> 00:11:41.519 someone with whom you can develop a deep, 00:11:41.679 --> 00:11:42.419 lasting friendship. 00:11:42.419 --> 00:11:44.659 Very important. 00:11:45.539 --> 00:11:48.419 But even the best marriage is not going to fulfill you. 00:11:49.519 --> 00:11:52.179 There's going to be stretches in your marriage, 00:11:52.259 --> 00:11:53.539 even if it's the best marriage, 00:11:54.179 --> 00:11:55.659 where you still feel lonely. 00:11:55.979 --> 00:11:58.919 There's going to be maybe seasons where you wish that you weren't married. 00:12:00.219 --> 00:12:01.819 There might be moments here and there 00:12:01.819 --> 00:12:03.559 where you wish you were married to somebody else. 00:12:04.819 --> 00:12:06.679 There might be moments where you feel like, 00:12:06.799 --> 00:12:09.419 I have no idea who this person is that I married. 00:12:10.259 --> 00:12:11.879 I thought I knew them, right? 00:12:12.419 --> 00:12:14.099 That is to be expected. 00:12:14.899 --> 00:12:16.939 It's one of the things we do in premarital counseling. 00:12:17.519 --> 00:12:18.759 As we help people understand, 00:12:18.879 --> 00:12:22.379 it's very important to have realistic expectations about marriage. 00:12:22.959 --> 00:12:23.939 This is the wilderness. 00:12:24.139 --> 00:12:25.019 This is not our home. 00:12:25.959 --> 00:12:27.419 So there's no person out there 00:12:27.419 --> 00:12:29.599 who's going to perfectly fulfill and complete you. 00:12:30.919 --> 00:12:32.959 The wilderness is not the place 00:12:32.959 --> 00:12:34.559 where God promises to fulfill 00:12:34.559 --> 00:12:36.120 all of our longings and desires. 00:12:36.120 --> 00:12:38.879 That's going to happen when we're home. 00:12:39.600 --> 00:12:40.899 And the wilderness is the place 00:12:40.899 --> 00:12:43.840 where God prepares his people for their home. 00:12:44.779 --> 00:12:46.799 The wilderness is not a place of fulfillment 00:12:46.799 --> 00:12:48.519 and happiness and contentment. 00:12:48.740 --> 00:12:51.080 The wilderness is a place of profound transformation. 00:12:52.279 --> 00:12:53.820 It's a place where God works 00:12:53.820 --> 00:12:55.740 in the hearts and lives of his people. 00:12:56.399 --> 00:12:58.860 Now, sometimes Christians forget this. 00:12:59.779 --> 00:13:02.700 There are famous, popular Christian leaders out there 00:13:02.700 --> 00:13:04.440 who make it sound as though when you come to Jesus, 00:13:04.820 --> 00:13:06.080 everything's going to get better. 00:13:06.620 --> 00:13:07.779 All of your longings and needs 00:13:07.779 --> 00:13:09.080 are going to be satisfied in him. 00:13:09.539 --> 00:13:11.560 Christianity is about living your best life now. 00:13:13.240 --> 00:13:14.639 It's a very popular message, 00:13:14.779 --> 00:13:16.220 but if you believe that and buy into it, 00:13:16.259 --> 00:13:17.180 you're setting yourself up 00:13:17.180 --> 00:13:19.259 for a lot of disillusionment and disappointment. 00:13:20.320 --> 00:13:21.980 One day that's going to be true. 00:13:22.100 --> 00:13:23.600 We're going to be satisfied in Christ, 00:13:23.600 --> 00:13:24.639 but not yet. 00:13:24.740 --> 00:13:25.600 We're still in the wilderness. 00:13:27.659 --> 00:13:29.340 Now, here's why this is so important. 00:13:29.659 --> 00:13:30.960 This perspective is crucial 00:13:30.960 --> 00:13:32.840 because we need it to make sense of our lives. 00:13:32.919 --> 00:13:34.100 This world is not our home. 00:13:36.220 --> 00:13:38.259 With this reality comes a warning. 00:13:38.460 --> 00:13:40.340 This is the second piece that Paul gives us. 00:13:40.679 --> 00:13:41.539 You have the right perspective. 00:13:41.679 --> 00:13:42.259 We're in the wilderness. 00:13:43.080 --> 00:13:44.559 With that comes a warning. 00:13:45.620 --> 00:13:48.360 The spiritual wilderness is a dangerous place. 00:13:49.039 --> 00:13:50.840 It is a dangerous place 00:13:50.840 --> 00:13:55.519 because the fact that we have unmet needs and longings, 00:13:56.240 --> 00:14:00.320 the fact that this is a place of struggle and hardship 00:14:00.320 --> 00:14:04.320 makes us extremely vulnerable to temptation. 00:14:05.600 --> 00:14:06.800 When you're living your life 00:14:06.800 --> 00:14:08.759 with lots of unmet needs and longings, 00:14:08.879 --> 00:14:10.899 it makes you extremely vulnerable 00:14:10.899 --> 00:14:13.519 to all manner of temptation to sin. 00:14:14.300 --> 00:14:16.300 And Paul essentially makes this point. 00:14:16.400 --> 00:14:18.519 He says, listen, I don't want you to be ignorant. 00:14:18.519 --> 00:14:19.759 By the way, when Paul says, 00:14:19.879 --> 00:14:21.539 I do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, 00:14:21.659 --> 00:14:23.539 he typically, it's a nicer way of saying, 00:14:23.819 --> 00:14:26.199 I think you're pretty ignorant of this. 00:14:26.779 --> 00:14:30.460 And so he says, I don't want you to be ignorant 00:14:30.460 --> 00:14:32.240 about what happened to Israel. 00:14:32.379 --> 00:14:33.519 Think about their story. 00:14:33.840 --> 00:14:36.500 And he's pointing back and he's saying, 00:14:36.539 --> 00:14:38.740 listen, they had every advantage you have. 00:14:39.699 --> 00:14:41.659 They had every advantage you have. 00:14:42.240 --> 00:14:43.579 And it didn't make any difference. 00:14:43.679 --> 00:14:44.519 Look what happened to them. 00:14:45.199 --> 00:14:46.600 So he's saying, just like you, 00:14:46.600 --> 00:14:48.200 God set them free from slavery. 00:14:50.279 --> 00:14:52.360 He, in a very provocative way, says, 00:14:52.440 --> 00:14:54.200 just like you, they had their own versions 00:14:54.200 --> 00:14:55.820 of baptism in the Lord's Supper. 00:14:55.940 --> 00:14:57.399 They passed through the Red Sea. 00:14:58.600 --> 00:15:00.420 They were in covenant relationship 00:15:00.420 --> 00:15:02.500 with God through Moses, 00:15:03.100 --> 00:15:05.460 the covenant that God had established through Moses. 00:15:06.740 --> 00:15:08.659 Just like you, God sustained them 00:15:08.659 --> 00:15:10.720 with spiritual food and spiritual drink. 00:15:11.820 --> 00:15:14.420 Obviously not the bread and wine that we have here, 00:15:14.419 --> 00:15:16.539 but not the bread and wine that we have here. 00:15:16.579 --> 00:15:18.819 In some way, Paul is connecting this meal 00:15:18.819 --> 00:15:21.959 back to God's provision for them in the wilderness. 00:15:22.339 --> 00:15:23.719 God provided for you. 00:15:23.759 --> 00:15:24.459 He gave you manna. 00:15:24.500 --> 00:15:25.219 He gave you quail. 00:15:25.879 --> 00:15:28.620 He made water spring out of the rocks for you. 00:15:29.519 --> 00:15:31.139 And just like you, in a manner of speaking, 00:15:31.279 --> 00:15:34.699 Christ was with them, not in body, but in spirit. 00:15:34.879 --> 00:15:35.799 Christ was with them. 00:15:35.879 --> 00:15:37.759 The presence of God was with them, 00:15:37.879 --> 00:15:39.980 sustaining them, blessing them, providing for them. 00:15:39.980 --> 00:15:43.560 Nevertheless, he says, most of them 00:15:43.560 --> 00:15:44.879 were overthrown in the wilderness. 00:15:46.899 --> 00:15:49.060 Now, that word that he uses, overthrown, 00:15:49.139 --> 00:15:50.980 actually translates more laid low. 00:15:51.820 --> 00:15:54.240 The image that Paul is giving us is, 00:15:54.920 --> 00:15:59.560 imagine a desert landscape littered with bodies. 00:16:00.680 --> 00:16:02.220 There's bodies everywhere you look. 00:16:02.399 --> 00:16:04.759 Most of them were laid low in the dust. 00:16:05.879 --> 00:16:07.159 Now, why did this happen? 00:16:07.159 --> 00:16:10.959 Well, Paul cites multiple examples of times 00:16:10.959 --> 00:16:14.019 when the people of Israel were lured and tempted 00:16:14.019 --> 00:16:17.379 away from God into sin and idolatry. 00:16:17.779 --> 00:16:20.219 Through the Old Testament, in places like Exodus 00:16:20.219 --> 00:16:22.219 and the Psalms, you see these references 00:16:22.219 --> 00:16:23.799 to being lured and enticed. 00:16:24.360 --> 00:16:27.219 And one of the words that you see showing up again and again 00:16:27.219 --> 00:16:29.100 around the sin of the people of Israel 00:16:29.100 --> 00:16:30.360 is the word ensnared. 00:16:31.699 --> 00:16:34.240 They became ensnared by various things. 00:16:34.240 --> 00:16:37.500 Now, what has ensnared me? 00:16:39.399 --> 00:16:41.620 When I was a kid, my uncle told me 00:16:41.620 --> 00:16:43.620 that if I wanted to catch a bird, 00:16:43.740 --> 00:16:46.480 what I had to do was to sneak up behind the bird, 00:16:46.680 --> 00:16:47.539 maybe you've heard this, 00:16:47.919 --> 00:16:49.560 and to pour a little salt on its tail. 00:16:50.200 --> 00:16:50.960 Anybody heard this? 00:16:51.539 --> 00:16:52.379 Maybe it's just my family. 00:16:54.580 --> 00:16:56.440 Sneak up behind the bird, pour salt on its tail, 00:16:56.539 --> 00:16:57.820 and then my uncle said, 00:16:58.060 --> 00:17:00.580 well, salt will mean that the bird can't fly, 00:17:00.639 --> 00:17:01.639 and then you can catch the bird. 00:17:01.639 --> 00:17:03.840 So I put on camouflage, 00:17:04.339 --> 00:17:06.779 and I went out in the woods behind our house, 00:17:06.900 --> 00:17:09.859 and I spent hours, if I'm honest, days, 00:17:10.859 --> 00:17:12.480 belly crawling around the woods 00:17:12.480 --> 00:17:14.019 with a salt shaker in my hand, 00:17:14.240 --> 00:17:16.619 trying to sneak up on birds. 00:17:17.920 --> 00:17:20.940 Now, maybe I'm not the brightest bulb in the box, 00:17:21.079 --> 00:17:23.200 but I eventually realized 00:17:23.200 --> 00:17:24.400 that's not how you catch a bird. 00:17:25.599 --> 00:17:28.700 My uncle was a bit of a joke. 00:17:28.700 --> 00:17:31.580 It turns out, if you want to catch a bird, 00:17:31.779 --> 00:17:33.059 there's a better way to do it. 00:17:33.100 --> 00:17:33.799 You need a snare. 00:17:34.740 --> 00:17:36.299 There's a reference in the Bible 00:17:36.299 --> 00:17:37.880 to the fowler's snare. 00:17:39.580 --> 00:17:42.600 A snare is essentially a loop of wire or string. 00:17:43.640 --> 00:17:44.900 Typically, it has a slipknot 00:17:44.900 --> 00:17:46.059 so that it'll tighten up, 00:17:46.340 --> 00:17:49.360 and it's attached to a bent branch 00:17:49.360 --> 00:17:51.759 or a bent tree or some other spring mechanism. 00:17:53.120 --> 00:17:55.680 Maybe the boys will learn how to do this in trail life. 00:17:55.799 --> 00:17:57.440 Maybe you've already learned how to do this in trail life, 00:17:57.440 --> 00:18:00.080 but you lay the loop down, 00:18:00.180 --> 00:18:02.019 and you kind of maybe put some leaves over it 00:18:02.019 --> 00:18:03.200 so that you don't really notice it, 00:18:03.559 --> 00:18:05.519 and then you cover it with seed. 00:18:05.640 --> 00:18:07.320 You cover it with whatever the food is 00:18:07.320 --> 00:18:08.759 that the animal that you're trying to catch, 00:18:09.400 --> 00:18:11.400 and so the animal will come along, 00:18:11.519 --> 00:18:12.600 the bird will come along, 00:18:12.720 --> 00:18:14.740 and it becomes so focused on the food 00:18:14.740 --> 00:18:16.680 laying there in a nice pile on the ground 00:18:16.680 --> 00:18:18.400 that it doesn't notice the snare 00:18:18.400 --> 00:18:21.080 until it starts to eat, 00:18:21.840 --> 00:18:24.140 and it springs the trap, 00:18:24.140 --> 00:18:25.759 and it gets caught, 00:18:26.220 --> 00:18:27.900 and then it can't fly away, 00:18:28.000 --> 00:18:29.440 and it just has to hang there 00:18:29.440 --> 00:18:31.340 waiting to be killed and eaten. 00:18:32.259 --> 00:18:33.620 That's the fowler's snare. 00:18:34.440 --> 00:18:35.400 And this, my friends, 00:18:35.460 --> 00:18:36.960 is how the Bible talks about temptation. 00:18:38.400 --> 00:18:40.980 And the Apostle James actually tells us how it works. 00:18:41.060 --> 00:18:41.380 He says, 00:18:41.860 --> 00:18:42.980 each person is tempted 00:18:42.980 --> 00:18:45.480 when he is lured and enticed. 00:18:46.720 --> 00:18:48.000 Again, those Greek words 00:18:48.000 --> 00:18:49.640 are actually hunting and fishing terms. 00:18:49.640 --> 00:18:49.680 He says, 00:18:50.340 --> 00:18:52.460 lured and enticed by his own desire. 00:18:53.280 --> 00:18:55.060 Then desire, when it is conceived, 00:18:55.440 --> 00:18:56.500 gives birth to sin. 00:18:56.940 --> 00:18:58.860 And sin, when it is fully grown, 00:18:59.020 --> 00:19:00.700 brings forth death. 00:19:01.680 --> 00:19:03.720 So he's painting a picture 00:19:03.720 --> 00:19:04.560 of what it looks like 00:19:04.560 --> 00:19:06.420 to be lured and enticed 00:19:06.420 --> 00:19:07.980 until we become ensnared. 00:19:08.860 --> 00:19:11.040 You start off with a need or a desire. 00:19:11.520 --> 00:19:13.340 It could be hunger or sexual longing 00:19:13.340 --> 00:19:14.580 or loneliness 00:19:14.580 --> 00:19:16.680 or the desire for safety or comfort. 00:19:16.680 --> 00:19:18.920 And these desires 00:19:18.920 --> 00:19:20.860 are not inherently evil on their own. 00:19:20.940 --> 00:19:21.660 They're just desires. 00:19:21.880 --> 00:19:23.080 It's a part of what it means 00:19:23.080 --> 00:19:23.779 to be a human being 00:19:23.779 --> 00:19:24.480 living in the wilderness. 00:19:25.060 --> 00:19:25.880 We have desires. 00:19:27.799 --> 00:19:29.759 And so we have this desire, 00:19:29.940 --> 00:19:31.080 and then we come across, 00:19:31.700 --> 00:19:32.820 either in person 00:19:32.820 --> 00:19:34.860 or in our own imagination, 00:19:35.519 --> 00:19:36.440 that pile of food. 00:19:37.340 --> 00:19:37.580 You know, 00:19:37.779 --> 00:19:40.560 some way of satisfying that desire. 00:19:41.480 --> 00:19:42.860 And we come across 00:19:42.860 --> 00:19:44.440 a way of satisfying that desire 00:19:44.440 --> 00:19:46.360 that runs contrary to God's will. 00:19:47.660 --> 00:19:48.019 Right? 00:19:48.539 --> 00:19:50.620 And you know in your mind 00:19:50.620 --> 00:19:51.640 that this God 00:19:51.640 --> 00:19:52.779 does not want me to do this, 00:19:53.320 --> 00:19:54.259 but it looks so good. 00:19:54.299 --> 00:19:55.180 It looks so satisfying. 00:19:55.279 --> 00:19:55.940 It's just right there. 00:19:56.000 --> 00:19:57.060 It would be so easy to take. 00:19:57.860 --> 00:19:58.060 Right? 00:19:58.440 --> 00:20:00.519 That's like the bird seed 00:20:00.519 --> 00:20:01.480 being spread over the ground. 00:20:01.620 --> 00:20:02.240 And at this point, 00:20:02.299 --> 00:20:02.600 by the way, 00:20:02.640 --> 00:20:03.480 there's still no sin. 00:20:04.580 --> 00:20:05.480 You've noticed it. 00:20:05.539 --> 00:20:05.980 It's there. 00:20:06.080 --> 00:20:07.000 You feel the desire. 00:20:07.340 --> 00:20:08.720 That would be a possibility for you. 00:20:08.759 --> 00:20:09.240 But at this point, 00:20:09.259 --> 00:20:10.000 there's still no sin. 00:20:10.700 --> 00:20:11.960 But then at some point, 00:20:11.960 --> 00:20:12.680 James says, 00:20:12.680 --> 00:20:14.400 we allow ourselves 00:20:14.400 --> 00:20:15.380 to be lured 00:20:15.380 --> 00:20:16.940 and enticed. 00:20:17.060 --> 00:20:18.539 We sort of give ourselves 00:20:18.539 --> 00:20:19.660 to that longing. 00:20:19.820 --> 00:20:20.680 We begin to imagine 00:20:20.680 --> 00:20:21.779 what it would be like 00:20:21.779 --> 00:20:22.860 to have that thing. 00:20:22.940 --> 00:20:23.880 We begin to fantasize, 00:20:23.960 --> 00:20:24.860 to indulge the desire, 00:20:24.940 --> 00:20:25.660 to nurse it, 00:20:25.920 --> 00:20:27.039 to kindle the craving. 00:20:27.039 --> 00:20:30.099 So this is like the hungry bird. 00:20:31.000 --> 00:20:32.680 We're lured closer and closer, 00:20:32.819 --> 00:20:34.019 and then the trap is sprung, 00:20:34.139 --> 00:20:35.500 and before we know it, 00:20:35.519 --> 00:20:37.119 at some point along the way, 00:20:37.480 --> 00:20:38.980 we went from just beginning 00:20:38.980 --> 00:20:39.659 to give ourselves 00:20:39.659 --> 00:20:40.279 to that desire 00:20:40.279 --> 00:20:41.379 to before we know it, 00:20:41.659 --> 00:20:42.440 we're ensnared, 00:20:43.019 --> 00:20:43.819 we're dangling, 00:20:44.460 --> 00:20:46.039 waiting to be killed 00:20:46.039 --> 00:20:48.019 and eaten by, 00:20:48.440 --> 00:20:49.960 as he references at one point, 00:20:50.019 --> 00:20:50.819 the destroyer, 00:20:50.879 --> 00:20:51.639 the evil one 00:20:51.639 --> 00:20:52.980 who is behind all of this. 00:20:53.720 --> 00:20:54.180 So, you know, 00:20:54.579 --> 00:20:55.899 an example of this, 00:20:55.900 --> 00:20:57.160 think of a classic example 00:20:57.160 --> 00:20:58.780 of David out on the roof 00:20:58.780 --> 00:21:00.620 seeing Bathsheba, 00:21:00.720 --> 00:21:01.580 who's married to 00:21:01.580 --> 00:21:03.880 one of his best friends, Uriah. 00:21:04.259 --> 00:21:05.220 David is out there, 00:21:05.519 --> 00:21:06.440 a lot of commentators say, 00:21:06.540 --> 00:21:07.400 why is he out on the roof? 00:21:08.440 --> 00:21:09.540 What's he doing out on the roof? 00:21:10.280 --> 00:21:10.860 Was he hoping 00:21:10.860 --> 00:21:11.640 he might see something? 00:21:12.720 --> 00:21:13.580 And he's out there, 00:21:13.759 --> 00:21:15.180 and he's looking around, 00:21:15.259 --> 00:21:15.980 sees Bathsheba. 00:21:16.540 --> 00:21:17.100 At this point, 00:21:17.160 --> 00:21:17.800 there's no sin, 00:21:18.540 --> 00:21:20.060 but instead of turning away, 00:21:20.240 --> 00:21:20.880 instead of immediately 00:21:20.880 --> 00:21:21.580 turning away 00:21:21.580 --> 00:21:22.620 and going back in, 00:21:23.140 --> 00:21:23.340 saying, 00:21:23.500 --> 00:21:23.960 that's, 00:21:23.960 --> 00:21:25.460 I shouldn't be doing that, 00:21:25.900 --> 00:21:27.680 he continues to look. 00:21:27.780 --> 00:21:28.960 He begins to fantasize 00:21:28.960 --> 00:21:29.860 about being with her, 00:21:29.960 --> 00:21:31.280 and then he summons her, 00:21:31.840 --> 00:21:33.360 and then he sleeps with her, 00:21:33.500 --> 00:21:34.460 and he's ensnared. 00:21:35.100 --> 00:21:36.160 And then that just leads 00:21:36.160 --> 00:21:37.880 to more and more and more sin. 00:21:38.019 --> 00:21:38.380 Ultimately, 00:21:38.500 --> 00:21:39.360 this leads to David 00:21:39.360 --> 00:21:40.160 arranging to have 00:21:40.160 --> 00:21:41.800 his best friend Uriah killed 00:21:41.800 --> 00:21:44.720 in order to cover up the affair, 00:21:45.540 --> 00:21:46.180 the affair that, 00:21:46.300 --> 00:21:46.580 by the way, 00:21:46.680 --> 00:21:47.640 everybody at this point 00:21:47.640 --> 00:21:48.380 already knows about. 00:21:49.780 --> 00:21:51.500 So here's what Paul is saying. 00:21:52.400 --> 00:21:52.839 He says, 00:21:52.920 --> 00:21:53.859 when we're still 00:21:53.859 --> 00:21:54.460 in the wilderness, 00:21:54.660 --> 00:21:56.660 which means we have 00:21:56.660 --> 00:21:57.660 all of these unmet desires 00:21:57.660 --> 00:21:58.279 and longings, 00:21:58.940 --> 00:21:59.400 the wilderness, 00:21:59.619 --> 00:22:00.220 we have to recognize, 00:22:00.279 --> 00:22:01.480 is a very dangerous place. 00:22:02.160 --> 00:22:02.900 And it makes us 00:22:02.900 --> 00:22:03.819 extremely vulnerable 00:22:03.819 --> 00:22:04.480 to temptation. 00:22:04.619 --> 00:22:05.240 You're going along, 00:22:05.279 --> 00:22:06.059 and there are all kinds 00:22:06.059 --> 00:22:06.740 of promises 00:22:06.740 --> 00:22:08.640 of things that will fulfill 00:22:08.640 --> 00:22:10.099 these various desires. 00:22:10.240 --> 00:22:10.579 And he says, 00:22:10.779 --> 00:22:11.700 these are snares, 00:22:11.779 --> 00:22:13.000 and you have to recognize them 00:22:13.000 --> 00:22:13.660 for what they are. 00:22:13.980 --> 00:22:15.220 It may not be obvious to you, 00:22:15.880 --> 00:22:17.339 but they're there. 00:22:18.339 --> 00:22:18.779 Right? 00:22:18.779 --> 00:22:20.059 Just to give one more example, 00:22:20.279 --> 00:22:21.180 maybe we, 00:22:21.539 --> 00:22:21.660 you know, 00:22:21.720 --> 00:22:22.480 what are some of the things 00:22:22.480 --> 00:22:23.200 we long for? 00:22:23.279 --> 00:22:23.899 A success, 00:22:24.559 --> 00:22:24.899 beauty, 00:22:25.460 --> 00:22:25.779 talent, 00:22:25.940 --> 00:22:26.399 influence, 00:22:27.299 --> 00:22:28.279 normal human desires. 00:22:29.879 --> 00:22:31.279 But then you start 00:22:31.279 --> 00:22:32.240 comparing yourself. 00:22:33.299 --> 00:22:33.519 Right? 00:22:33.539 --> 00:22:34.619 You have this kind of temptation 00:22:34.619 --> 00:22:35.379 to comparison. 00:22:36.200 --> 00:22:37.099 And maybe it's online, 00:22:37.240 --> 00:22:38.200 maybe it's just your friends, 00:22:38.299 --> 00:22:38.879 the people you know, 00:22:38.940 --> 00:22:39.559 your coworkers, 00:22:40.619 --> 00:22:42.339 people who seem to be advancing 00:22:42.339 --> 00:22:43.480 more quickly than you, 00:22:43.559 --> 00:22:45.220 or you have all this instability 00:22:45.220 --> 00:22:45.980 in your job, 00:22:46.019 --> 00:22:47.420 and they have this rock-solid career, 00:22:47.420 --> 00:22:49.539 or you don't have a family, 00:22:49.580 --> 00:22:50.220 and they have the family 00:22:50.220 --> 00:22:50.840 that you want, 00:22:50.880 --> 00:22:51.900 or they're off having 00:22:51.900 --> 00:22:52.620 these fun adventures 00:22:52.620 --> 00:22:53.259 while you're raising 00:22:53.259 --> 00:22:54.039 these young kids, 00:22:54.100 --> 00:22:54.980 or whatever it may be, 00:22:55.019 --> 00:22:56.380 you start comparing yourself 00:22:56.380 --> 00:22:57.820 to their life. 00:22:58.600 --> 00:22:59.580 And they seem to have 00:22:59.580 --> 00:23:00.360 more of the things 00:23:00.360 --> 00:23:01.100 that you want. 00:23:01.980 --> 00:23:03.420 And then you allow yourself 00:23:03.420 --> 00:23:05.140 to be lured and enticed 00:23:05.140 --> 00:23:07.660 into jealousy and envy. 00:23:08.500 --> 00:23:09.920 And before you know it, 00:23:10.060 --> 00:23:13.519 your mind is looping 00:23:13.519 --> 00:23:14.220 on these things, 00:23:14.259 --> 00:23:14.960 and before you know it, 00:23:14.960 --> 00:23:15.580 you're ensnared 00:23:15.580 --> 00:23:16.680 by jealousy and envy. 00:23:17.420 --> 00:23:18.720 And what you begin to notice 00:23:18.720 --> 00:23:19.480 is at that point, 00:23:19.580 --> 00:23:20.940 the joy and the gratitude 00:23:20.940 --> 00:23:23.060 are slowly strangled 00:23:23.060 --> 00:23:23.820 out of your life. 00:23:23.920 --> 00:23:25.680 The slipknot of envy 00:23:25.680 --> 00:23:27.900 strangles all of the gratitude 00:23:27.900 --> 00:23:28.680 out of your life. 00:23:28.720 --> 00:23:29.500 You no longer focus 00:23:29.500 --> 00:23:30.360 on what you have, 00:23:30.400 --> 00:23:31.440 on the ways that you've been blessed 00:23:31.440 --> 00:23:32.300 or provided for. 00:23:32.920 --> 00:23:33.779 You're only focusing 00:23:33.779 --> 00:23:34.620 on what you lack, 00:23:35.240 --> 00:23:36.120 on what you don't have. 00:23:36.259 --> 00:23:37.380 And then over time, 00:23:37.840 --> 00:23:38.580 joy and gratitude 00:23:38.580 --> 00:23:39.759 are replaced slowly 00:23:39.759 --> 00:23:41.560 by bitterness and resentment. 00:23:42.220 --> 00:23:43.440 And sometimes you may even 00:23:43.440 --> 00:23:44.019 get to the point 00:23:44.019 --> 00:23:44.680 where you're mentally 00:23:44.680 --> 00:23:45.600 tearing down 00:23:45.600 --> 00:23:47.019 or invalidating 00:23:47.019 --> 00:23:48.180 the good things 00:23:48.180 --> 00:23:49.320 in somebody else's life 00:23:49.320 --> 00:23:50.940 to make them seem smaller, 00:23:51.039 --> 00:23:52.180 to make yourself feel bigger. 00:23:53.680 --> 00:23:55.440 See, there are countless examples 00:23:55.440 --> 00:23:56.340 that we could give 00:23:56.340 --> 00:23:57.340 when it comes to lust 00:23:57.340 --> 00:23:57.799 or anger 00:23:57.799 --> 00:23:58.240 or bitterness 00:23:58.240 --> 00:23:58.720 or envy 00:23:58.720 --> 00:23:59.500 or all of the things 00:23:59.500 --> 00:24:00.380 that we struggle with. 00:24:01.980 --> 00:24:03.140 But here's the warning. 00:24:03.620 --> 00:24:04.380 He pulls it together 00:24:04.380 --> 00:24:05.060 in verse 12. 00:24:05.059 --> 00:24:07.579 Let anyone who thinks 00:24:07.579 --> 00:24:08.619 that he stands 00:24:08.619 --> 00:24:10.339 take heed 00:24:10.339 --> 00:24:11.700 lest he fall. 00:24:13.159 --> 00:24:13.899 In other words, 00:24:14.539 --> 00:24:16.639 do not underestimate 00:24:16.639 --> 00:24:17.839 the danger of temptation 00:24:17.839 --> 00:24:18.679 in the wilderness 00:24:18.679 --> 00:24:20.899 and do not overestimate 00:24:20.899 --> 00:24:22.019 your ability to resist it. 00:24:23.200 --> 00:24:24.059 Do not underestimate 00:24:24.059 --> 00:24:24.839 the danger of it 00:24:24.839 --> 00:24:26.019 and do not overestimate 00:24:26.019 --> 00:24:27.240 your ability to resist it. 00:24:28.799 --> 00:24:29.960 The good news is 00:24:29.960 --> 00:24:30.899 Paul is not about 00:24:30.899 --> 00:24:31.940 to leave us high and dry. 00:24:32.039 --> 00:24:32.619 That's not the end 00:24:32.619 --> 00:24:33.159 of the passage. 00:24:33.160 --> 00:24:35.400 There is tremendous comfort 00:24:35.400 --> 00:24:35.980 to be found 00:24:35.980 --> 00:24:37.920 in this passage as well. 00:24:38.019 --> 00:24:39.400 So we have perspective. 00:24:39.740 --> 00:24:40.620 We have a warning. 00:24:41.060 --> 00:24:41.960 Now the Apostle Paul 00:24:41.960 --> 00:24:42.820 leaves us 00:24:42.820 --> 00:24:44.800 with some tremendous comfort. 00:24:45.860 --> 00:24:47.620 We have three great resources 00:24:47.620 --> 00:24:48.880 to help us live lives 00:24:48.880 --> 00:24:49.680 of faithfulness 00:24:49.680 --> 00:24:50.840 in the wilderness 00:24:50.840 --> 00:24:52.440 so that we don't end up 00:24:52.440 --> 00:24:53.420 like Israel. 00:24:54.420 --> 00:24:55.320 The first 00:24:55.320 --> 00:24:57.700 is we have the Scriptures. 00:24:58.820 --> 00:24:59.860 The Apostle Paul says 00:24:59.860 --> 00:25:00.340 in verse 11, 00:25:00.440 --> 00:25:01.640 now these things happen to them 00:25:01.640 --> 00:25:02.519 as an example 00:25:02.519 --> 00:25:04.799 but they were written down 00:25:04.799 --> 00:25:05.859 for our instruction. 00:25:07.019 --> 00:25:07.220 He says, 00:25:07.379 --> 00:25:08.139 thank God we have 00:25:08.139 --> 00:25:09.240 all of this written down 00:25:09.240 --> 00:25:10.480 and we can go back to it 00:25:10.480 --> 00:25:12.059 and learn from it. 00:25:12.980 --> 00:25:13.859 The point is this, 00:25:13.900 --> 00:25:15.059 the more that we read 00:25:15.059 --> 00:25:15.759 and understand 00:25:15.759 --> 00:25:17.019 and apply Scripture 00:25:17.019 --> 00:25:18.000 to our lives, 00:25:19.039 --> 00:25:20.019 one of the things 00:25:20.019 --> 00:25:20.779 that happens is 00:25:20.779 --> 00:25:21.519 the more we do that, 00:25:21.579 --> 00:25:22.200 the more you begin 00:25:22.200 --> 00:25:22.859 to understand 00:25:22.859 --> 00:25:23.879 your own nature. 00:25:24.680 --> 00:25:26.000 You begin to understand 00:25:26.000 --> 00:25:27.099 your own vulnerabilities. 00:25:28.200 --> 00:25:29.319 You begin to understand 00:25:29.319 --> 00:25:30.180 and see more clearly 00:25:30.180 --> 00:25:30.980 your own weaknesses. 00:25:32.640 --> 00:25:33.900 As we are reading Scripture, 00:25:34.060 --> 00:25:34.840 we should always be 00:25:34.840 --> 00:25:35.600 asking the question, 00:25:35.759 --> 00:25:37.039 is God saying this to me? 00:25:37.600 --> 00:25:39.080 Is God talking about me? 00:25:39.600 --> 00:25:40.720 Is God wanting me 00:25:40.720 --> 00:25:41.259 to hear this 00:25:41.259 --> 00:25:42.320 for any particular reason? 00:25:42.779 --> 00:25:43.640 There should always 00:25:43.640 --> 00:25:44.480 be a question, 00:25:45.039 --> 00:25:46.640 how is God speaking to me? 00:25:46.759 --> 00:25:47.400 What is God trying 00:25:47.400 --> 00:25:48.700 to tell me through this? 00:25:50.080 --> 00:25:51.180 The more we do that, 00:25:51.240 --> 00:25:52.299 the more we understand ourselves, 00:25:52.360 --> 00:25:53.019 the more prepared 00:25:53.019 --> 00:25:53.519 we're going to be 00:25:53.519 --> 00:25:54.360 for life in the wilderness. 00:25:55.460 --> 00:25:55.600 You know, 00:25:55.620 --> 00:25:56.920 the great Harvard psychiatrist, 00:25:57.080 --> 00:25:57.880 Robert Coles, 00:25:57.880 --> 00:25:59.580 he spent his entire career 00:25:59.580 --> 00:26:00.940 studying human behavior. 00:26:01.840 --> 00:26:02.580 Entire career 00:26:02.580 --> 00:26:04.000 at one of the greatest 00:26:04.000 --> 00:26:05.880 universities in the world 00:26:05.880 --> 00:26:06.700 and here's what he says. 00:26:07.860 --> 00:26:09.120 Nothing I have discovered 00:26:09.120 --> 00:26:09.740 about the makeup 00:26:09.740 --> 00:26:10.660 of human beings 00:26:10.660 --> 00:26:13.260 contradicts in any way 00:26:13.260 --> 00:26:14.320 what I've learned 00:26:14.320 --> 00:26:14.860 from Scripture. 00:26:16.200 --> 00:26:17.860 Anything that I can say 00:26:17.860 --> 00:26:19.260 as a result of my research 00:26:19.260 --> 00:26:20.160 into human behavior 00:26:20.160 --> 00:26:21.660 is a mere footnote 00:26:21.660 --> 00:26:23.020 to those lives 00:26:23.020 --> 00:26:24.420 in the Old and New Testament. 00:26:25.540 --> 00:26:25.740 I mean, 00:26:25.760 --> 00:26:26.420 that's amazing, 00:26:26.420 --> 00:26:27.360 right? 00:26:28.340 --> 00:26:29.560 We have in the Scripture 00:26:29.560 --> 00:26:31.360 the best diagnosis, 00:26:31.660 --> 00:26:33.060 the best understanding 00:26:33.060 --> 00:26:34.240 of the human condition 00:26:34.240 --> 00:26:34.720 available. 00:26:36.320 --> 00:26:38.080 And the more we internalize it, 00:26:38.100 --> 00:26:38.700 the more prepared 00:26:38.700 --> 00:26:39.240 we're going to be. 00:26:39.519 --> 00:26:40.240 So we have the Scriptures. 00:26:40.380 --> 00:26:40.860 Number two, 00:26:41.160 --> 00:26:42.060 we have community. 00:26:42.800 --> 00:26:43.460 We have community. 00:26:44.019 --> 00:26:44.560 Verse 13 00:26:44.560 --> 00:26:46.300 is tremendously comforting. 00:26:46.460 --> 00:26:47.140 No temptation 00:26:47.140 --> 00:26:48.620 has overtaken you 00:26:48.620 --> 00:26:49.900 that is not common to man. 00:26:51.360 --> 00:26:52.259 That's an amazing 00:26:52.259 --> 00:26:53.240 thing to say. 00:26:53.240 --> 00:26:55.480 You're not going to face 00:26:55.480 --> 00:26:56.000 anything 00:26:56.000 --> 00:26:57.900 that the people around you 00:26:57.900 --> 00:26:58.519 have not faced. 00:26:58.620 --> 00:26:59.900 God's not going to single you out 00:26:59.900 --> 00:27:00.099 and say, 00:27:00.160 --> 00:27:01.160 I'm going to pour some temptation 00:27:01.160 --> 00:27:01.920 on this person. 00:27:03.259 --> 00:27:03.980 I'm going to make it 00:27:03.980 --> 00:27:04.940 extra hard for them. 00:27:05.539 --> 00:27:05.839 He says, 00:27:05.880 --> 00:27:07.120 everything that you experience, 00:27:07.339 --> 00:27:08.420 everything that you go through, 00:27:08.799 --> 00:27:09.700 it's all common 00:27:09.700 --> 00:27:10.839 to the people around you. 00:27:11.779 --> 00:27:12.240 There are people 00:27:12.240 --> 00:27:12.980 who know what it's like. 00:27:13.500 --> 00:27:13.759 Now, 00:27:13.819 --> 00:27:14.339 on the surface, 00:27:14.460 --> 00:27:15.460 our lives may look different, 00:27:16.180 --> 00:27:16.940 but underneath, 00:27:17.140 --> 00:27:17.859 we all struggle 00:27:17.859 --> 00:27:19.019 with the same temptations. 00:27:19.680 --> 00:27:21.059 And these are the same struggles 00:27:21.059 --> 00:27:21.740 that human beings 00:27:21.740 --> 00:27:22.779 have faced throughout history, 00:27:22.899 --> 00:27:23.579 which means, 00:27:23.639 --> 00:27:24.419 and here's the good news, 00:27:25.000 --> 00:27:25.559 we can help. 00:27:27.740 --> 00:27:29.139 We should help one another. 00:27:30.220 --> 00:27:31.039 It means this, 00:27:31.119 --> 00:27:32.000 whatever you're going through 00:27:32.000 --> 00:27:32.599 right now, 00:27:34.000 --> 00:27:35.119 whatever you're wrestling with, 00:27:35.200 --> 00:27:36.220 whatever's bubbling in your mind 00:27:36.220 --> 00:27:37.339 as you're sitting here right now 00:27:37.339 --> 00:27:38.240 listening to this, 00:27:38.960 --> 00:27:39.819 chances are 00:27:39.819 --> 00:27:42.059 there are people in this room 00:27:42.059 --> 00:27:44.319 who either have gone through that, 00:27:45.259 --> 00:27:46.879 are going through it right now 00:27:46.879 --> 00:27:47.720 at the same time you are, 00:27:47.740 --> 00:27:48.599 or will go through it. 00:27:48.599 --> 00:27:52.059 We have no hope 00:27:52.059 --> 00:27:53.199 of overcoming temptation 00:27:53.199 --> 00:27:54.500 if we try to go it alone. 00:27:55.119 --> 00:27:56.159 So you need at least 00:27:56.159 --> 00:27:57.539 a few people in your life 00:27:57.539 --> 00:27:59.579 who know you well enough 00:27:59.579 --> 00:28:00.719 to be able to step in 00:28:00.719 --> 00:28:01.439 when you need help, 00:28:01.599 --> 00:28:02.459 who know you well enough 00:28:02.459 --> 00:28:03.679 to know when they might need 00:28:03.679 --> 00:28:04.159 to step in 00:28:04.159 --> 00:28:05.559 even when you're not asking for help. 00:28:06.699 --> 00:28:08.059 People you're close enough with 00:28:08.059 --> 00:28:08.980 that they know 00:28:08.980 --> 00:28:09.839 they have permission 00:28:09.839 --> 00:28:11.539 to speak into your life. 00:28:12.819 --> 00:28:14.099 They don't have to dance around 00:28:14.099 --> 00:28:14.319 and say, 00:28:14.359 --> 00:28:14.480 hey, 00:28:14.619 --> 00:28:15.559 I gotta bring something up, 00:28:15.599 --> 00:28:16.199 it's gonna be hard, 00:28:16.259 --> 00:28:16.799 are you gonna be okay, 00:28:16.899 --> 00:28:17.819 is it gonna jeopardize 00:28:17.819 --> 00:28:18.279 our friendship, 00:28:18.279 --> 00:28:19.440 and I don't wanna offend you, 00:28:19.779 --> 00:28:20.420 that you don't have to do 00:28:20.420 --> 00:28:21.519 any of that dancing around. 00:28:22.180 --> 00:28:22.500 You can say, 00:28:22.720 --> 00:28:22.720 00:28:22.779 --> 00:28:23.579 we need to talk, 00:28:23.700 --> 00:28:24.180 I got something 00:28:24.180 --> 00:28:24.819 I wanna bring up. 00:28:25.559 --> 00:28:26.299 Take it or leave it, 00:28:26.399 --> 00:28:27.160 pray about it, 00:28:27.399 --> 00:28:28.420 but I'm concerned. 00:28:29.339 --> 00:28:29.759 And you say, 00:28:29.859 --> 00:28:30.000 okay, 00:28:30.099 --> 00:28:31.200 that's what friends do. 00:28:32.359 --> 00:28:32.599 You know, 00:28:32.639 --> 00:28:33.559 there's that great story 00:28:33.559 --> 00:28:34.579 from Homer's Odyssey 00:28:34.579 --> 00:28:36.319 where Odysseus is warned 00:28:36.319 --> 00:28:36.960 about the power 00:28:36.960 --> 00:28:38.000 of the siren song. 00:28:38.559 --> 00:28:39.220 He's warned 00:28:39.220 --> 00:28:40.420 that if he gets too close 00:28:40.420 --> 00:28:41.240 and he hears the song, 00:28:41.299 --> 00:28:42.200 he's gonna go mad 00:28:42.200 --> 00:28:43.279 with desire 00:28:43.279 --> 00:28:44.000 and he's gonna 00:28:44.000 --> 00:28:45.180 run his ship 00:28:45.180 --> 00:28:45.740 into the rocks 00:28:45.740 --> 00:28:46.440 and like so many 00:28:46.440 --> 00:28:47.539 other unfortunate sailors, 00:28:47.539 --> 00:28:49.619 they will all die at sea. 00:28:50.700 --> 00:28:51.779 So he tells his men, 00:28:51.940 --> 00:28:52.779 before we get too close 00:28:52.779 --> 00:28:53.399 to the sirens, 00:28:53.639 --> 00:28:55.180 I want you to plug your ears 00:28:55.180 --> 00:28:55.980 with beeswax, 00:28:56.279 --> 00:28:56.899 but I wanna hear 00:28:56.899 --> 00:28:57.720 the siren song, 00:28:57.920 --> 00:28:59.039 but in order to keep us safe, 00:28:59.079 --> 00:28:59.799 I want you to lash me 00:28:59.799 --> 00:29:00.359 to the mast 00:29:00.359 --> 00:29:02.399 so that when I hear 00:29:02.399 --> 00:29:03.419 the song of the sirens, 00:29:03.519 --> 00:29:04.379 no matter what I say, 00:29:04.459 --> 00:29:05.099 no matter how much 00:29:05.099 --> 00:29:05.779 I threaten you, 00:29:06.179 --> 00:29:07.319 do not let me go 00:29:07.319 --> 00:29:09.059 until we're clear 00:29:09.059 --> 00:29:09.839 of their song. 00:29:09.919 --> 00:29:11.240 And the men are good men 00:29:11.240 --> 00:29:11.939 and they do exactly 00:29:11.939 --> 00:29:12.559 what he says 00:29:12.559 --> 00:29:13.679 and sure enough, 00:29:13.759 --> 00:29:14.619 he's lashed to the mast 00:29:14.619 --> 00:29:15.339 and they get close 00:29:15.339 --> 00:29:16.559 and he begins to hear the song 00:29:16.559 --> 00:29:17.699 and he immediately 00:29:17.699 --> 00:29:18.659 loses his mind 00:29:18.659 --> 00:29:19.899 and he starts begging them 00:29:19.899 --> 00:29:20.819 to release them 00:29:20.819 --> 00:29:21.979 and he's begging them 00:29:21.979 --> 00:29:22.859 and pleading with them 00:29:22.859 --> 00:29:24.399 to go to the sirens, 00:29:24.559 --> 00:29:25.319 to go to the rocks, 00:29:25.879 --> 00:29:26.959 but his men are good men 00:29:26.960 --> 00:29:28.600 and they don't listen to him 00:29:28.600 --> 00:29:29.539 and instead, 00:29:29.700 --> 00:29:30.940 they tie him even tighter 00:29:30.940 --> 00:29:32.200 to the mast 00:29:32.200 --> 00:29:34.220 until they're free of the song 00:29:34.220 --> 00:29:36.360 and then he regains his mind. 00:29:37.700 --> 00:29:38.160 And of course, 00:29:38.240 --> 00:29:39.319 the reason he tells them 00:29:39.319 --> 00:29:40.000 to do that 00:29:40.000 --> 00:29:40.840 is because he knows 00:29:40.840 --> 00:29:41.460 that there's probably 00:29:41.460 --> 00:29:42.140 gonna come a point 00:29:42.140 --> 00:29:43.100 where he loses his mind, 00:29:43.160 --> 00:29:44.180 he's not in his right mind 00:29:44.180 --> 00:29:45.160 and at that point, 00:29:45.240 --> 00:29:46.440 he needs them to step in. 00:29:47.980 --> 00:29:48.640 The point is, 00:29:48.720 --> 00:29:49.500 we need people like that 00:29:49.500 --> 00:29:50.140 in our lives 00:29:50.140 --> 00:29:52.160 who can tie us to the mast 00:29:52.160 --> 00:29:52.880 when necessary. 00:29:54.220 --> 00:29:54.480 You know, 00:29:55.220 --> 00:29:56.940 when you're not 00:29:56.940 --> 00:29:58.539 when you've just had 00:29:58.539 --> 00:29:59.160 a massive 00:29:59.160 --> 00:30:02.759 just guts out 00:30:02.759 --> 00:30:03.559 on the floor fight 00:30:03.559 --> 00:30:04.759 and you're like, 00:30:04.820 --> 00:30:05.400 I am done, 00:30:05.519 --> 00:30:06.340 I am out of here, 00:30:06.620 --> 00:30:08.140 I'm through this marriage, 00:30:08.820 --> 00:30:09.980 I'm never going back, 00:30:10.460 --> 00:30:12.180 I can't do it another day, 00:30:12.220 --> 00:30:12.920 I'm out of here. 00:30:15.120 --> 00:30:15.880 You need somebody 00:30:15.880 --> 00:30:16.799 to tie you to the mast. 00:30:19.080 --> 00:30:20.380 Or when you're 00:30:20.380 --> 00:30:21.400 in an incredibly abusive, 00:30:21.660 --> 00:30:22.460 harmful relationship 00:30:22.460 --> 00:30:23.680 and you're like, 00:30:24.600 --> 00:30:27.420 I can change this person, 00:30:27.519 --> 00:30:29.220 I can save this relationship, 00:30:29.539 --> 00:30:30.940 I can hang in there 00:30:30.940 --> 00:30:31.560 for one more day, 00:30:31.640 --> 00:30:32.340 I can endure it, 00:30:32.360 --> 00:30:33.200 it's not that bad. 00:30:34.920 --> 00:30:35.460 Maybe you need 00:30:35.460 --> 00:30:36.340 to get out of the relationship 00:30:36.340 --> 00:30:37.000 and you need somebody 00:30:37.000 --> 00:30:37.680 to tie you to the mast 00:30:37.680 --> 00:30:37.940 and say, 00:30:38.000 --> 00:30:38.120 no, 00:30:38.160 --> 00:30:38.920 it's time for you to leave. 00:30:41.759 --> 00:30:42.360 When you're ready 00:30:42.360 --> 00:30:43.360 to throw your life away 00:30:43.360 --> 00:30:45.240 for some stupid obsession 00:30:45.240 --> 00:30:47.240 that doesn't seem stupid 00:30:47.240 --> 00:30:47.580 at the time 00:30:47.580 --> 00:30:48.380 because you've lost your mind, 00:30:48.420 --> 00:30:48.820 you need somebody 00:30:48.820 --> 00:30:49.720 to tie you to the mast, 00:30:49.960 --> 00:30:50.140 right? 00:30:50.279 --> 00:30:50.980 There are times 00:30:50.980 --> 00:30:51.620 when you need somebody 00:30:51.620 --> 00:30:52.500 to step in your life 00:30:52.500 --> 00:30:52.900 and say, 00:30:53.079 --> 00:30:53.279 no, 00:30:53.400 --> 00:30:54.920 I'm gonna tie this down tighter 00:30:54.920 --> 00:30:56.099 until you come back 00:30:56.099 --> 00:30:56.640 to your senses. 00:30:58.759 --> 00:30:59.799 We need people like that 00:30:59.799 --> 00:31:00.319 in our lives. 00:31:01.839 --> 00:31:02.799 So the next time 00:31:02.799 --> 00:31:03.740 you're going on a work trip 00:31:03.740 --> 00:31:04.240 and you know 00:31:04.240 --> 00:31:05.079 that you tend to struggle 00:31:05.079 --> 00:31:05.619 with lust 00:31:05.619 --> 00:31:07.740 and there's a chance 00:31:07.740 --> 00:31:08.319 that you might wanna 00:31:08.319 --> 00:31:09.319 go out and meet somebody 00:31:09.319 --> 00:31:10.099 because you're in a place 00:31:10.099 --> 00:31:10.839 where nobody knows you 00:31:10.839 --> 00:31:11.680 and there's no accountability, 00:31:12.539 --> 00:31:13.519 line up a couple of people 00:31:13.519 --> 00:31:14.319 to talk to on the phone 00:31:14.319 --> 00:31:15.079 while you're on that trip. 00:31:16.660 --> 00:31:16.940 You know, 00:31:17.420 --> 00:31:18.480 if you tend 00:31:18.480 --> 00:31:19.480 towards self-pity 00:31:19.480 --> 00:31:21.980 and adopting 00:31:21.980 --> 00:31:22.839 a victim posture, 00:31:23.920 --> 00:31:24.740 deputize a couple 00:31:24.740 --> 00:31:25.039 of people 00:31:25.039 --> 00:31:25.880 to help you notice 00:31:25.880 --> 00:31:26.440 when you're going 00:31:26.440 --> 00:31:26.980 down that road 00:31:26.980 --> 00:31:27.579 of self-pity 00:31:27.579 --> 00:31:28.900 so they can say, 00:31:29.000 --> 00:31:29.140 hey, 00:31:29.480 --> 00:31:30.180 is there anything 00:31:30.180 --> 00:31:30.680 that you should 00:31:30.680 --> 00:31:31.259 take responsibility 00:31:31.259 --> 00:31:31.819 for here 00:31:31.819 --> 00:31:32.900 or is everything 00:31:32.900 --> 00:31:33.740 somebody else's fault? 00:31:34.039 --> 00:31:34.339 Maybe, 00:31:34.460 --> 00:31:34.900 and we all have 00:31:34.900 --> 00:31:35.799 different tendencies. 00:31:36.079 --> 00:31:36.519 You need people 00:31:36.519 --> 00:31:37.339 who know those tendencies 00:31:37.339 --> 00:31:38.400 so they can step in 00:31:38.400 --> 00:31:39.559 when they need to step in 00:31:39.559 --> 00:31:41.839 and we do this precisely 00:31:41.839 --> 00:31:42.400 because we know 00:31:42.400 --> 00:31:42.900 that sometimes 00:31:42.900 --> 00:31:43.480 we're not gonna be 00:31:43.480 --> 00:31:44.039 in our right mind. 00:31:45.519 --> 00:31:46.559 So these are the resources 00:31:46.559 --> 00:31:46.940 we have. 00:31:47.000 --> 00:31:47.480 We have scripture, 00:31:47.680 --> 00:31:48.360 we have community. 00:31:48.359 --> 00:31:48.959 Lastly, 00:31:49.219 --> 00:31:50.779 we have God's amazing promise 00:31:50.779 --> 00:31:51.539 in this passage. 00:31:52.439 --> 00:31:53.019 Verse 13, 00:31:54.139 --> 00:31:55.279 God is faithful 00:31:55.279 --> 00:31:57.059 and he will not let you 00:31:57.059 --> 00:31:57.439 be tempted 00:31:57.439 --> 00:31:58.339 beyond your ability 00:31:58.339 --> 00:32:00.099 but with the temptation 00:32:00.099 --> 00:32:01.179 he will also provide 00:32:01.179 --> 00:32:02.000 the way of escape 00:32:02.000 --> 00:32:03.579 that you may be able 00:32:03.579 --> 00:32:04.579 to endure it. 00:32:06.659 --> 00:32:08.159 This means we can never say, 00:32:08.259 --> 00:32:08.439 you know, 00:32:08.519 --> 00:32:09.419 I would have resisted 00:32:09.419 --> 00:32:10.399 but God just poured it 00:32:10.399 --> 00:32:11.039 on too heavy. 00:32:13.119 --> 00:32:13.919 That in fact, 00:32:14.019 --> 00:32:14.719 God says, 00:32:15.059 --> 00:32:16.339 you're never gonna be 00:32:16.339 --> 00:32:16.919 in a place 00:32:16.919 --> 00:32:17.939 where there is not 00:32:17.939 --> 00:32:18.720 some way out 00:32:18.720 --> 00:32:19.439 if you choose it. 00:32:20.019 --> 00:32:21.019 I'm never gonna put you 00:32:21.019 --> 00:32:22.259 in a situation 00:32:22.259 --> 00:32:23.279 where there is not 00:32:23.279 --> 00:32:24.139 some way out 00:32:24.139 --> 00:32:25.579 if you're willing 00:32:25.579 --> 00:32:26.179 to choose it. 00:32:26.779 --> 00:32:27.879 He always gives us 00:32:27.879 --> 00:32:28.459 a way out. 00:32:29.119 --> 00:32:30.299 So God always gives us 00:32:30.299 --> 00:32:31.179 a way to persevere 00:32:31.179 --> 00:32:32.019 in that situation 00:32:32.019 --> 00:32:33.419 without having to resort 00:32:33.419 --> 00:32:34.019 to sin. 00:32:34.839 --> 00:32:35.779 He never puts us 00:32:35.779 --> 00:32:36.319 in a position 00:32:36.319 --> 00:32:37.659 where we have to sin, 00:32:37.740 --> 00:32:38.740 where there's no other way. 00:32:39.720 --> 00:32:40.439 In other words, 00:32:40.759 --> 00:32:42.059 victory over temptation 00:32:42.059 --> 00:32:43.059 is possible 00:32:43.059 --> 00:32:43.759 in this life. 00:32:43.759 --> 00:32:44.539 And I think this is 00:32:44.539 --> 00:32:45.619 an extremely important 00:32:45.619 --> 00:32:46.500 note to end on 00:32:46.500 --> 00:32:47.920 because up until now, 00:32:47.980 --> 00:32:48.579 I think it's been a lot 00:32:48.579 --> 00:32:50.259 of hard stuff to hear. 00:32:51.339 --> 00:32:52.500 But it ends with this promise 00:32:52.500 --> 00:32:53.379 that actually victory 00:32:53.379 --> 00:32:53.960 over temptation 00:32:53.960 --> 00:32:54.720 is possible. 00:32:54.839 --> 00:32:55.599 We should expect 00:32:55.599 --> 00:32:56.559 to have victory 00:32:56.559 --> 00:32:57.779 in this life. 00:32:58.740 --> 00:32:59.420 And this is something 00:32:59.420 --> 00:33:00.700 that we always need to hear. 00:33:01.779 --> 00:33:02.460 But the reason 00:33:02.460 --> 00:33:03.680 that victory is possible 00:33:03.680 --> 00:33:04.579 is ultimately 00:33:04.579 --> 00:33:06.319 because God is faithful. 00:33:07.440 --> 00:33:08.839 It's because God is faithful. 00:33:09.799 --> 00:33:11.140 God is not a spectator 00:33:11.140 --> 00:33:12.099 waiting to see 00:33:12.099 --> 00:33:13.140 if we're gonna screw up again. 00:33:14.319 --> 00:33:15.759 God is our greatest ally 00:33:15.759 --> 00:33:16.359 in the fight. 00:33:17.200 --> 00:33:18.640 God is for us. 00:33:19.059 --> 00:33:20.019 He's not sitting there 00:33:20.019 --> 00:33:20.400 just saying, 00:33:20.500 --> 00:33:21.359 ah, there's no way 00:33:21.359 --> 00:33:22.019 they're gonna make it. 00:33:22.819 --> 00:33:23.680 He's with us. 00:33:23.980 --> 00:33:25.000 He's for us. 00:33:25.240 --> 00:33:26.759 He wants us to succeed. 00:33:27.559 --> 00:33:28.039 And it means 00:33:28.039 --> 00:33:29.039 we can always count 00:33:29.039 --> 00:33:29.519 on his help. 00:33:29.599 --> 00:33:30.339 All we need to do 00:33:30.339 --> 00:33:31.160 is ask. 00:33:31.220 --> 00:33:31.940 That's why when people 00:33:31.940 --> 00:33:33.079 are recovering from addiction, 00:33:33.519 --> 00:33:34.400 one of the first things 00:33:34.400 --> 00:33:34.960 they learn is 00:33:34.960 --> 00:33:36.099 they're powerless. 00:33:36.319 --> 00:33:37.220 The first steps 00:33:37.220 --> 00:33:38.319 are about admitting 00:33:38.319 --> 00:33:39.500 that you're completely powerless. 00:33:39.619 --> 00:33:40.119 You can't do it 00:33:40.119 --> 00:33:40.500 on your own 00:33:40.500 --> 00:33:41.420 and you need God 00:33:41.420 --> 00:33:42.160 in order to be able 00:33:42.160 --> 00:33:42.819 to do anything. 00:33:43.140 --> 00:33:43.319 Right? 00:33:43.839 --> 00:33:44.379 The first thing 00:33:44.379 --> 00:33:44.879 you need to do 00:33:44.879 --> 00:33:45.279 is to learn 00:33:45.279 --> 00:33:46.039 how to cry out to God 00:33:46.039 --> 00:33:46.500 for help. 00:33:47.500 --> 00:33:48.659 You just have to ask. 00:33:49.899 --> 00:33:50.559 And the reason 00:33:50.559 --> 00:33:50.939 that we know 00:33:50.939 --> 00:33:51.659 that God is faithful 00:33:51.659 --> 00:33:52.759 is because we see this 00:33:52.759 --> 00:33:54.419 embodied in Jesus Christ. 00:33:55.539 --> 00:33:55.919 Right? 00:33:55.920 --> 00:33:57.400 we need only look to Jesus 00:33:57.400 --> 00:33:58.120 who was tempted 00:33:58.120 --> 00:33:59.080 in every way 00:33:59.080 --> 00:34:00.680 as we are. 00:34:00.759 --> 00:34:01.320 We see Jesus 00:34:01.320 --> 00:34:02.259 going into the wilderness 00:34:02.259 --> 00:34:03.360 enduring and facing 00:34:03.360 --> 00:34:04.480 all manner of temptation. 00:34:04.920 --> 00:34:05.259 And you know 00:34:05.259 --> 00:34:05.779 the temptation 00:34:05.779 --> 00:34:06.460 didn't end 00:34:06.460 --> 00:34:07.300 after 40 days. 00:34:07.380 --> 00:34:07.980 It continued 00:34:07.980 --> 00:34:09.280 all the way through 00:34:09.280 --> 00:34:10.360 the Garden of Gethsemane 00:34:10.360 --> 00:34:10.900 and the desire 00:34:10.900 --> 00:34:11.940 to not drink that cup 00:34:11.940 --> 00:34:12.900 all the way 00:34:12.900 --> 00:34:13.599 through the cross. 00:34:14.159 --> 00:34:14.800 At any moment 00:34:14.800 --> 00:34:15.700 he could have gotten down 00:34:15.700 --> 00:34:16.740 but he chose to remain. 00:34:19.000 --> 00:34:20.519 The author of Hebrews says 00:34:20.519 --> 00:34:21.599 Jesus was tempted 00:34:21.599 --> 00:34:22.280 in every way 00:34:22.280 --> 00:34:22.820 as we are 00:34:22.820 --> 00:34:24.039 and yet was without sin. 00:34:26.280 --> 00:34:27.160 And through his death 00:34:27.160 --> 00:34:27.720 on the cross 00:34:27.720 --> 00:34:29.480 Jesus defeated sin and death 00:34:29.480 --> 00:34:30.200 as we said earlier 00:34:30.200 --> 00:34:30.940 so that one day 00:34:30.940 --> 00:34:31.920 we will be free 00:34:31.920 --> 00:34:33.660 from temptation and sin. 00:34:33.740 --> 00:34:34.720 We won't have to contend 00:34:34.720 --> 00:34:35.780 with this anymore. 00:34:35.940 --> 00:34:36.620 This is just 00:34:36.620 --> 00:34:38.820 a light momentary affliction 00:34:38.820 --> 00:34:40.400 compared to that life. 00:34:42.480 --> 00:34:43.900 But because of the cross 00:34:43.900 --> 00:34:45.039 even when we do fail 00:34:45.039 --> 00:34:46.460 even when we do find ourselves 00:34:46.460 --> 00:34:47.780 ensnared by sin 00:34:47.780 --> 00:34:48.840 we know that God 00:34:48.840 --> 00:34:50.720 will always forgive us. 00:34:51.460 --> 00:34:52.800 That God will always 00:34:52.800 --> 00:34:54.340 restore us. 00:34:55.539 --> 00:34:57.460 In the words of Psalm 103 00:34:57.460 --> 00:34:59.660 and for wilderness people 00:34:59.660 --> 00:35:01.280 who are going to fail 00:35:01.280 --> 00:35:02.440 as often as we succeed 00:35:02.440 --> 00:35:03.680 we need words like this 00:35:03.680 --> 00:35:04.980 again and again and again. 00:35:05.780 --> 00:35:06.720 God is the one 00:35:06.720 --> 00:35:07.360 who forgives 00:35:07.360 --> 00:35:08.340 all your iniquity. 00:35:08.840 --> 00:35:09.420 Who heals 00:35:09.420 --> 00:35:10.220 all your diseases. 00:35:10.880 --> 00:35:11.620 Who redeems 00:35:11.620 --> 00:35:12.900 your life from the pit. 00:35:13.680 --> 00:35:14.640 Who crowns you 00:35:14.640 --> 00:35:15.800 with steadfast love 00:35:15.800 --> 00:35:16.240 and mercy. 00:35:16.900 --> 00:35:18.120 Who satisfies you 00:35:18.120 --> 00:35:18.700 with good 00:35:18.700 --> 00:35:20.380 so that your youth 00:35:20.380 --> 00:35:21.160 is renewed 00:35:21.160 --> 00:35:22.720 like the eagles. 00:35:22.800 --> 00:35:25.039 Let's pray. 00:35:29.660 --> 00:35:30.760 Lord what a great comfort 00:35:30.760 --> 00:35:31.440 it is to know 00:35:31.440 --> 00:35:32.420 that you are a God 00:35:32.420 --> 00:35:33.880 who desires our freedom. 00:35:34.240 --> 00:35:34.940 Who has given us 00:35:34.940 --> 00:35:35.519 that freedom. 00:35:36.720 --> 00:35:38.700 Who protects us 00:35:38.700 --> 00:35:39.800 and seeks to help 00:35:39.800 --> 00:35:41.000 safeguard that freedom. 00:35:42.039 --> 00:35:43.200 And who will one day 00:35:43.200 --> 00:35:44.380 fulfill your promise 00:35:44.380 --> 00:35:45.720 to fulfill 00:35:45.720 --> 00:35:46.800 and restore us 00:35:46.800 --> 00:35:47.920 and make all things new. 00:35:47.920 --> 00:35:49.820 and we pray Lord 00:35:49.820 --> 00:35:50.800 that in the strength 00:35:50.800 --> 00:35:51.760 of your Holy Spirit 00:35:51.760 --> 00:35:53.820 Lord 00:35:53.820 --> 00:35:55.460 and through the finished work 00:35:55.460 --> 00:35:56.720 of your son Jesus Christ 00:35:56.720 --> 00:35:59.119 that you would give us 00:35:59.119 --> 00:35:59.619 the strength 00:35:59.619 --> 00:36:00.480 to live faithfully 00:36:00.480 --> 00:36:01.119 here and now. 00:36:02.340 --> 00:36:03.139 Lord between 00:36:03.139 --> 00:36:04.420 between the cross 00:36:04.420 --> 00:36:05.220 and the new creation. 00:36:06.099 --> 00:36:06.840 We pray that you would 00:36:06.840 --> 00:36:07.960 give us the strength 00:36:07.960 --> 00:36:08.800 especially Lord 00:36:08.800 --> 00:36:09.659 that we now lift up 00:36:09.659 --> 00:36:10.500 those who are 00:36:10.500 --> 00:36:12.179 particularly struggling 00:36:12.179 --> 00:36:12.819 right now. 00:36:13.859 --> 00:36:15.980 Lord either because of 00:36:15.980 --> 00:36:18.299 stress and anxiety 00:36:18.299 --> 00:36:18.799 or grief 00:36:18.799 --> 00:36:19.619 related to their 00:36:19.619 --> 00:36:20.679 to their work 00:36:20.679 --> 00:36:21.399 to their job 00:36:21.399 --> 00:36:22.440 to their finances. 00:36:23.399 --> 00:36:24.440 Lord people who are 00:36:24.440 --> 00:36:25.519 overwhelmed by despair 00:36:25.519 --> 00:36:26.299 or hopelessness. 00:36:26.399 --> 00:36:27.179 People who are caught 00:36:27.179 --> 00:36:28.299 in the trap 00:36:28.299 --> 00:36:28.779 of addiction. 00:36:28.779 --> 00:36:29.199 Lord 00:36:29.199 --> 00:36:31.000 people who are 00:36:31.000 --> 00:36:31.480 on the edge 00:36:31.480 --> 00:36:32.079 of hopelessness. 00:36:32.139 --> 00:36:32.579 People who are 00:36:32.579 --> 00:36:33.480 struggling in their 00:36:33.480 --> 00:36:34.980 vocation of singleness. 00:36:35.559 --> 00:36:36.260 Struggling in their 00:36:36.260 --> 00:36:37.420 vocation of marriage. 00:36:37.940 --> 00:36:38.400 Struggling in their 00:36:38.400 --> 00:36:39.900 vocation of parenting. 00:36:41.139 --> 00:36:41.900 Struggling in their 00:36:41.900 --> 00:36:43.159 desire to be parents. 00:36:43.940 --> 00:36:44.599 Lord struggling 00:36:44.599 --> 00:36:45.679 in whatever way 00:36:45.679 --> 00:36:46.559 we are struggling now 00:36:46.559 --> 00:36:47.179 Lord we lift 00:36:47.179 --> 00:36:48.240 we lift these struggles 00:36:48.240 --> 00:36:48.760 up to you. 00:36:48.920 --> 00:36:49.440 We cry out 00:36:49.440 --> 00:36:50.219 just as we said 00:36:50.219 --> 00:36:51.760 and we ask that you 00:36:51.760 --> 00:36:52.480 would you would 00:36:52.480 --> 00:36:53.340 give us the comfort 00:36:53.340 --> 00:36:54.519 of your presence. 00:36:54.740 --> 00:36:55.420 Remind us of your 00:36:55.420 --> 00:36:56.000 faithfulness. 00:36:57.280 --> 00:36:58.059 Lord empower us 00:36:58.059 --> 00:36:58.659 and strengthen us 00:36:58.659 --> 00:36:59.420 with your Holy Spirit 00:36:59.420 --> 00:37:00.019 to stand. 00:37:01.900 --> 00:37:02.820 Lord if there are 00:37:02.820 --> 00:37:03.920 people here who need 00:37:03.920 --> 00:37:05.400 others in their life 00:37:05.400 --> 00:37:06.139 who need that kind 00:37:06.139 --> 00:37:06.760 of community that 00:37:06.760 --> 00:37:07.460 we are talking about 00:37:07.460 --> 00:37:08.280 Lord I pray that you 00:37:08.280 --> 00:37:08.940 would bring those 00:37:08.940 --> 00:37:10.320 people to mind now. 00:37:11.099 --> 00:37:11.519 I pray that you 00:37:11.519 --> 00:37:12.280 would open people's 00:37:12.280 --> 00:37:13.159 hearts to one another. 00:37:13.860 --> 00:37:14.500 That we would be 00:37:14.500 --> 00:37:15.280 willing to share 00:37:15.280 --> 00:37:16.360 our struggles and 00:37:16.360 --> 00:37:17.260 burdens and bear 00:37:17.260 --> 00:37:17.840 them together. 00:37:18.880 --> 00:37:20.039 Lord we lift all 00:37:20.039 --> 00:37:20.659 of this up to you 00:37:20.659 --> 00:37:21.340 and ask this 00:37:21.340 --> 00:37:23.679 in Jesus' name. 00:37:23.920 --> 00:37:24.119 Amen.