I want to read one verse, verse 13. There hath no temptation taken
you but such as is common to man. But God is faithful, who will
not suffer you to be attempted, above that ye are able, but will
with the temptation also make a way to escape, that you may
be able to bear." Yet. I remember being in a Bible study
in college and the leader of the Bible study. Gives this good
news, he was talking from this verse of Scripture I just read.
And he said, when you are tempted to sin. God will not allow you
to be tempted beyond what you have the power to say no to. You will, with the temptation,
always have the choice and the ability to say no. Remember that slogan that came
out a few years ago by the government, just say no to drugs. You'd see
signs on the highway, just say no to drugs. Just say no to sin. Just say no. Okay. Somehow that did not help
me. When he gave that lesson, it
troubled me. It disturbed me. It scared me. It did a lot of other things
to me. Well, let me say this, what that
man said about this verse has absolutely less than nothing
as to what it really means. I've entitled this message, Temptation. Temptation. And I pray that God
will make this a blessing to each one of us. Now, temptation
is a big word in the scripture. We find it over and over again. And I just read that verse of
scripture where the Lord actually taught us to pray, lead us not
into temptation. Now, there are three meanings
of the word temptation, all of which are encompassed in this
verse. And these three meanings of the
word temptation are always present whenever the word is used. Now,
first, the word temptation means trials. Trials. You remember in Galatians when
Paul spoke of the temptation that was in his flesh? Trials. I don't know if that
was a physical temptation. Some think that he had some kind
of eye problem that he was talking about. I don't know. It may be.
But trials and troubles. You know, Peter spoke in verse
Peter. He said, Now for a season, if
need be, you are in heaviness. You're in depression of spirits
through manifold temptations. Trials. Troubles. The Scripture says man that's
born of woman is born to troubles. As the sparks fly upward. These take so many, many different
forms. Sickness. That's a trial. Loneliness. Isolation. Marriage problems. Financial problems. Emotional
problems. Loss. Loss of loved ones, people
dying. Separation. Troubles. Troubles. We all have trouble. We all have heartache. We all
have that which truly grieves us. Temptations. The second meaning
of the word is attest. Remember where it says in Genesis
chapter 22, God did tempt Abraham. He put him to the test and you
will be tested. God uses these trials, these
temptations to put you and I to the test. It will show us. It won't show him anything. He
already knows what we're really made of. But these temptations
and trials will show us what we're really made of. Temptations
and trials are a test. And you also know that temptation
means being enticed to sin. Look in James chapter 1 for a
moment. Verse 12. Blessed is the man that endureth
temptation, for when he's tried, tested, he shall receive the
crown of life which the Lord hath promised to them that love
him. Let no man say when he is tempted, I'm tempted of God.
Now, wait a minute. Didn't the scripture say that
the Lord tempted Abraham? Sure it did. But what this is
talking about is a temptation to sin. If you're tempted to
sin, don't say God's trying to get me to sin. No, he's not.
Denied here. Let no man say what he's tempted.
I'm tempted of God, for God cannot be tempted with evil. Neither
tempteth he any man, but every man is tempted when he's drawn
away of his own lust and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived,
it bringeth forth sin, and sin when it's finished bringeth forth
death. Do not err, my beloved brethren. Now, any trial is a
test, isn't it? And every trial has with it great
temptation for murmuring against God, for unbelief, for trying
to get out of the trial in a wrong way. So every time the word is
used, all three of these senses are there. Yes, it's a test.
God sent it. Yes, it's a trial. It's grievous. It's troublesome. It bothers
you. And yes, the temptation to sin is found in that. And nobody is free from temptation. You know, even the Lord Jesus
Christ, as He walked upon this earth, the Scripture says He
was in all points tempted, like as we are. There isn't any temptation
that you face that He didn't face much more acutely. And yet,
the Scripture says He did so yet without sin. Now our temptations in all three
of these senses, you know what they do? They humble us, don't
they? There's a blessing in these.
They let us know in no uncertain terms that we still have the
old nature. They're not easy to deal with. And they show us how weak we
are. Well, I got through that trial
easy. Oh, it wasn't much of a trial then, was it? All these temptations
that God sends our way, that He's in control of, that are
so painful, they show us in no uncertain terms how weak we are
and how we need the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, look at the language
of our text back in 1 Corinthians 10. There is no temptation taking
you. Now, that means that it's laid
hold of you. It's gratitude. You weren't looking
for it. As far as that goes, you're asking
for deliverance from it. You don't want trials. You know,
it's very foolish to pray for trials. Lord, send me trials
to make me grow in grace. I'm not going to pray that prayer.
I want to get out of any trial I can. And we're taught to pray,
lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. We're
not to seek trials, but he still speaks of trials and temptations
taking us. laying hold upon us, grabbing
us. And he mentions in the context
five specific temptations that we're faced with. And we've looked
at these in the last several weeks. He talks about the temptation
of lusting after evil things. You know what that is, don't
you? There's nobody in here that doesn't lust after evil things
and they're faced with that. He talks about the temptation
to idolatry. He talks about the temptation
to fornication, talking both about spiritual and actual fornication. He talks about tempting Christ,
where they cried out, Our souls loathe this light bread. We want
something else. He talks about the temptation
in the wilderness of murmuring, where the children of Israel
just could not trust the Lord to bring them into Canaan. They
said they're giants in the land. They were afraid to go in, even
though the Lord had promised you're going to have this. They
were afraid to go in. It was the temptation of unbelief.
Now, which of us are not free from these temptations all the
time? The things I've just talked about,
they're always there. Are you taken by temptation?
It's difficult, isn't it? Trial? It's difficult. But you're
not going through anything that pretty much everybody else has
gone through. And you ought to find some comfort
in that. Look what he says. There hath no temptation taken
you, but such as is common to man. Now, if misery loves company,
you've got plenty of company in this. Plenty. No temptation. There's no trial. There's nothing
that you've gone through that isn't pretty much common. Don't
think that you've been singled out in a special way. You haven't.
All your brothers and sisters in Christ are grappling with
and dealing with the same things you are to one degree or another.
It might be something different for them, but it all comes out
the same. There's no temptation taking
you but what is common to man. You will be tempted. I think of Peter's words once
again, now if need be. There's a needs be. If need be,
you are in heaviness. depression of spirit, troubled,
you can't pick yourself up. You're in heaviness through manifold
temptations that the trowel of your faith. That's why it says
this is given, that the trowel of your faith. But let's go on
reading. There hath no temptation taken
you, but such as is common to man, but God is faithful. There are not three more precious
words than that. God is faithful. He's utterly and completely reliable. He is utterly predictable in
that he never acts contrary to who he is or what he said he'd
do with his word. You know, I've made the statement. People say,
I don't want to put God in a box. That's not a worry. You're not
going to be able to put God in a box. It's not going to happen.
But it's true. He is utterly predictable. That's not putting God in a box.
That's just believing his word. He's always going to act according
to his nature, according to his person. He's always going to
act according to his word. He is the faithful God. And this is our comfort in our
temptations. I want to look at three different
scriptures regarding God's faithfulness. Would you turn with me first?
to Lamentations chapter 3. Lamentations chapter 3, right
after the book of Jeremiah. This is Jeremiah speaking and
he says in verse 1, I am the man that hath seen affliction
by the rod of his wrath. Now, the only way I can understand
that right off the bat, these are the words of the Lord Jesus
Christ. He is the man who indeed has seen affliction by the rod
of his wrath. He bore the full wrath of God
in his person. But this is also Jeremiah speaking
regarding high fields. Jeremiah felt this way about
himself. I don't know if he knew he was
talking about the Lord Jesus Christ at that time. I think
he was talking about himself. And look what he says. He says
in verse 2, He hath led me and brought me into darkness, but
not into light. Surely against me is he turned. He turned His hand against me
all the day. My flesh and my skin hath He
made old. He hath broken my bones. He hath
builded against me and encompassed me with gall and travail. He
hath set me in dark places as they that be dead of old. He
hath hedged me about that I can't get out. He hath made my chain
heavy, and when I cry and shout, He shutteth out my prayer." Have
you ever felt that way in your prayers that God doesn't hear? He hath enclosed my ways with
hewn stone. He hath made my paths crooked.
He was unto me as a bear lying in wait, and as a lion in secret
places. He hath turned aside my ways,
and pulled me in pieces. He hath made me desolate. He
hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow. He hath
caused the arrows of his quiver to enter into my reins. I was
a derision to all my people, and their song all the day. He
hath filled me with bitterness. He hath made me drunken with
wormwood. He hath also broken my teeth with gravel stones.
He covered me with ashes, and thou hast removed my soul far
off from peace. I forgot prosperity. I said,
my strength and my hope has perished from the Lord. Remembering my
affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall, my soul
hath been still in remembrance and is humbled in me. This I
recall the mind, and therefore I have hope. It is of the Lord's
mercies that we are not concerned, because His compassions Fail
not, they're new every morning. Great is thy faithfulness. Don't you love that hymn we sing?
Great is thy faithfulness. That's where it came from. Would
you turn with me to First John, chapter one? Verse nine. If we confess our sins. He is
faithful. And just to forgive us our sins
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness, I love the language of this.
It doesn't say he's merciful and gracious to forgive us of
our sins, although he is, but that's not what it says. It says,
if we confess our sins, He's faithful and just to forgive
us our sins. If you, by the grace of God,
confess your sins before Him, whatever it is to truly confess
your sins, He will forgive you of your sins. He's faithful to
do what He said He's going to do. But let's take it back a
little bit further than that. If you confess your sins, it's
because He's faithful to His covenant. You see, Christ Jesus
died for you. He gave you God the Holy Spirit.
He gave you a nature that does confess your sins. He put that
in you. He's faithful to do everything
He intends to do with you. Every spiritual desire you have,
every drop of love to Christ you have is given because of
His faithfulness. He's faithful to His Son, what
His Son did for you, and that's why He does it. He's faithful.
He's faithful. And He's just to forgive us of
our sins. Turn to 2 Timothy. Verse 13. If we believe not, yet he abideth
faithful. He cannot deny himself. If we believe not, Now, everybody
that's a believer in here knows what that means. If we believe
not, where you feel so filled with unbelief, you feel so filled,
you're weak, you think, can I even be a believer? Can I even know
the Lord Jesus Christ when I have thoughts like this, when I do
things like this, when I think things like this, when I am like
this? I mean, I look at myself, can I even really know Jesus
Christ? I mean, how can I when I am the way I am? Do I even
know the first thing about the gospel? Do I even believe? I'm not real sure that I do.
I don't even know if I know what faith is, if we believe not. Yet, he abides
faithful. You see, he can't deny himself. And because of union with the
Lord Jesus Christ, for him to deny you would be for him to
deny himself. That's how real union with Christ
is. That's how truly united you are and I am to Him. I'm united
to Him to this extent. For Him to deny me would be for
Him to deny Himself. And that's not going to happen. He's faithful to Himself, isn't
He? Now, He's talking about these temptations. And He says God
is faithful. God's faithful. Are you taken by temptation?
God is faithful. Truly, He's the faithful God.
And what a wonderful attribute this is. You who feel as though
you're being taken by temptation, this is your faithful God who's
preserving you. Why are you here right now? His
faithfulness has preserved you. He said, I'll never leave thee,
nor forsake thee. I'm sure all of us have seen
That picture that has footprints in the sand and it has two sets
of footprints and then one set. Then the person is supposedly
talking to the Lord and they say, well, you were walking with
me there, but where were you there? There's only one set of
footprints. And then the Lord supposedly says, well, I was
carried at that time. But I was thinking, well, wait a minute.
He's carrying us all the time. There's not a time when he's
not carrying us. He is the faithful God. Now, here is the promise
of that faithful God. Let's look back in our text,
the first Corinthians, chapter 10. There has no temptation taken
you, but such as is common to man, but God is faithful who
will not suffer or allow you to be tempted above that which
you are able, but will with the temptation also make a way to
escape that you may be able to bear it. And this is a promise. It doesn't say you're going to
have the choice to not give in to that temptation. Now, God's
not going to let you be tempted above what you can say no to.
It doesn't say that. I'm glad it doesn't. Because
in reality, what temptation? Have you ever said no to all
the way in your heart? Name me one. There's not one temptation you
haven't given in to. At least in your heart. At least
in your heart. And remember, God looks on the
heart. Now he doesn't say, I'm going to give you enough strength
or you can just say no whenever you want to in order to get out
of this. That's not what that verse of scripture is saying
at all. It's giving a special promise of what he will do. He will not
allow us to be tempted above that which we are able to bear. Deuteronomy chapter 33 verse
25 says, As thy days, so shall thy strength be. That's a promise. As thy days, whatever you're
dealing with, your strength is going to be up to that. Turn
with me to Isaiah chapter 40. Verse 28. Hast thou not known? Hast thou
not heard that the everlasting God, the Lord, The Creator of
the ends of the earth fainteth not, neither is weary." There's
no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint. And to them that have no might,
he increases strength. Even the youth shall faint and
be weary, and the young men shall utterly fail. But they that wait
upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up
with wings as eagles. They shall run and not be weary.
They shall walk and not be faint. Look in verse 8 of chapter 41.
But thou Israel art my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, the
seed of Abraham, my friend." Isn't that amazing the Lord calls
you his friend? That's not just for Abraham,
that's true of every single believer. I am fit for friendship with
God through the Lord Jesus Christ. Let's go on reading. Verse 9. Thou whom I have taken from the
ends of the earth, and called thee from the chief men thereof,
and said unto thee, Thou art my servant, I have chosen thee,
and not cast thee away. Fear not, for I am with thee.
Be not dismayed, for I am thy God. I will strengthen thee,
yea, I will help thee, yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand
of my righteousness. Behold, all they that were incensed
against thee shall be ashamed, and confounded. They shall be
as nothing, and they that strive with thee shall perish." The fact that you are here right
now and have not fallen away is an answer to this promise. The fact that you still believe
the gospel, as weak as you may feel, as tempted and tried as
you may feel, the fact that you're still here right now is proof
of the text, as thy days so shall thy strength be. It's God's mercy. Even when you feel utterly weak,
you're being strengthened. Did not Paul say, when I am weak,
then I am strong. Now this verse of scripture is
not the presentation of a choice you can make, but a promise God
makes. There's all the difference in
the world, isn't there? He says you won't be tempted beyond what
you are able to bear. Back to our text in 1 Corinthians
10. He will not suffer you to be
tempted above that you are able, but will with the temptation.
He'll also make a way to escape that you may be able to bear
it and notice. God says he'll make a way. Not
you, you're not called upon to make the way, but God says he
will make the way for you to escape that you might be able
to bear it. Now, the definite article is
actually used. He will also make the way of
escape, the way out. And what is the way of escape? The gospel of the Lord Jesus
Christ. That is the way of escape. I think of Peter, when our Lord
said to him, Peter, Satan desired to have you that he may sift
you as wheat. But I pray for you that your
faith Fail not. Now, Peter did fall, didn't he? He fell miserably. But the Lord
didn't pray for him that he wouldn't fall. He needed to fall. But
he prayed that his faith would not fail. And you know what?
Peter's faith never did fail. Well, it looked like it failed
to me. Well, you can't see things as
they really are. If Christ prayed for his faith not to fail, his
faith didn't fail. He continued to believe the gospel.
And I'll tell you this, I'm sure of this, after Peter had that
miserable fall, you reckon he really believed that the only
hope he had was Christ? He believed that, I believe,
more clearly than he ever believed it before. I mean, he knew, he
knew for sure that the only hope he had was the Lord Jesus Christ. I believe maybe his faith was
a little bit more pure then than it had ever been, hadn't it?
He will also, with the temptation, make the way to escape. Now, the way of escape does not
remove the temptation, but it certainly enables us to bear
up under it. Turn with me to 2 Corinthians
chapter 12. He doesn't say the temptation will be removed, but
he said you'll be able to bear it. Now this is just such an interesting
and encouraging and instructing passage of scripture. Look in
2 Corinthians chapter 12. Paul says it's not expedient
for me doubtless to glory. I will come to visions and revelations
of the Lord. I knew a man in Christ above
14 years ago. He talks about an experience
he had 14 years previous to this. Whether in the body, I cannot
tell, or whether out of the body, I cannot tell. God knows. Such
a one caught up to the third heaven. And I knew such a man,
whether in the body or out of the body, I cannot tell. God
knows. He's speaking about himself, and he's speaking with humility.
But you think of this experience he had. He was caught up into
paradise, and he heard unspeakable words, which is not lawful for
a man to utter. Of such a one will I glory. Now,
Paul was talking about his experience. He is the man that God used more
than anybody else to expound the gospel. He was the chief
apostle. You know, as far as men go, Paul's
my hero. He's my hero. He's the man the
Lord used more than anybody else to expound the gospel of the
Lord Jesus Christ. Now, can you imagine if God used
you the way he did Paul? What if God used you to write
the scriptures and people are reading them 2,000 years later?
I mean, I think he realized that the Lord used him in an unusual
way. He realized that. So what's he saying? He says in verse five, if such
a one will I glory, I sure am thankful for that, but yet of
myself, I will not glory, but in mine infirmities, my weaknesses,
For though I would desire the glory, I shall not be a fool.
For I say the truth, but now I forbear lest any man should
think of me above that which he seeth me to be, or that which
he heareth of me. And lest I should be exalted above measure through
the abundance of the revelations there was given to me." Who gave
it to him? God did. There was given to me
a thorn in the flesh. How painful is a thorn in the
flesh? It's extremely painful. Will it kill you? No. It won't. But it sure hurts. And he says,
God gave me this thorn in the flesh, and it was the messenger
of Satan to buffet me, to hit me in the face, lest I should
be exalted above measure. Now, there's been all kinds of
debate as to what this thorn was. Nobody knows what it was,
but we know God gave it to him. And we know it humbled Paul to
the point of he said, I besought the Lord three times that it
might depart from me. Now, that doesn't simply mean
he did it three exact times. It means I just kept saying it
over and over and over again. Lord, deliver me from this. Take
away this sword. I mean, salvation is by grace.
Why don't you take it away? If I'm accepted in the Beloved,
why do I have to deal with this? What was it? Who knows? Was it
a physical infirmity? I don't know. Was it a temptation
to sin? I don't know. Who knows what it was? But it
was painful, painful, painful. And he begged the Lord to take
it away. It just brought him down. But
look what the Lord said to him. Verse 9. And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee. For my strength is made perfect
in weakness. Paul says, Most gladly, therefore,
will I rather glory in my infirmities that the power of Christ may
rest upon me. Therefore, I take pleasure in
infirmities and reproaches and necessities and persecutions
and distresses for Christ's sake. For when I'm weak, then am I
strong. My grace is sufficient for thee. Indeed, it is. Indeed, it is. If I have his
grace, I'm going to still pray to get out of temptation. I'm
still going to ask Him to do the things I ask Him to do for
me. But I still have this blessed encouragement. His grace is sufficient. And even if the Lord doesn't
remove that temptation, even if it buffets me and strikes
me in the face and brings me down, down, down, He still says,
My grace is sufficient for thee. Are you satisfied to be saved
by his all-sufficient grace with no help from you? I find such
satisfaction in that. Turn to 2 Corinthians chapter
4. Verse 16. For which cause we faint? But though our outward man perish,
yet the inward man is renewed day by day for our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh
for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. While
we look not at things which are seen, But things which are not
seen. For the things which are seen
are temporal. They're not going to last. But
the things which are not seen are eternal. In observing the Lord's table, Seeing by faith that his broken
body and his shed blood is my salvation, I can bear my temptations. I know he sins them. I know that
for my good and his glory, and I know he will not suffer me
to be tempted above what I'm able, but he'll with that temptation
make the way, the way of escape, looking to the Lord Jesus Christ.
And you know, when you're tempted to sin, Let's talk about the
temptation to sin. When it's coming on you like
the Niagara Falls, and you stand helpless before it, it seems
like you're just tempted. You're tempted. You can't knock
it away. You try to beat it down. It gets even stronger. You know,
there's only one thing that will douse the strength of temptation.
You know what that is? Looking to the Lord Jesus Christ.
And that's not you beating it down. You see another object
that's even more desirable than what you're tempted by. The Lord
Jesus Christ. He is the way of escape. May God give us grace to simply
look to Him. And we're going to observe the
Lord's table. It's a celebration of the way. of escape.