CRCF””6-14-09
Questions of the Heart #7
Introduction””Video Clip from “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man”™s Chest” about temptation””
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dc-oDIUU8RY
Did you feel the powerful tension of temptation? Captain Jack captures well the essence of temptation and our propensity to give into it. We are curious””curious as to whether the promises of temptations to give greater freedom, to allow us to do what we want to do, curious as to whether or not these promises are true. We daily stand on the edge of those questions””will we jump off and give into temptation? And if we do, will we find what we”™re looking for?
Sound familiar? Oh, we know the answer to the question. We know that temptation”™s promises are empty and that we won”™t, in the long run, find what we”™re looking for by giving in and experiencing sin. But, oh, the ever-enticing power of temptation!
And sexual temptation may be “in our face” more regularly than most other temptations today. It”™s everywhere we turn! We know Jesus wants us to overcome temptation and not sin. But does He really understand the stuff we”™re dealing with? Did He struggle against temptations, feeling the power of the human curiosity, wrestling with the possibilities temptation offers?
“When, if ever, was Jesus tempted by sexual sin?”
1. The New Testament does not record an occasion of Jesus being tempted sexually.
However,
2. The New Testament describes Jesus”™ life as inevitably including occasions of sexual temptation.
Luke 15:1””“Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach.”
No doubt, there were attractive and sexually promiscuous women often around Jesus. They came struggling in the emptiness of their sin, looking for a Savior. But nonetheless, potential temptation for Jesus as a man was there.
Luke 7:36-39””“One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to come to his home for a meal, so Jesus accepted the invitation and sat down to eat. A certain immoral woman heard he was there and brought a beautiful jar filled with expensive perfume. Then she knelt behind him at his feet, weeping. Her tears fell on his feet, and she wiped them off with her hair. Then she kept kissing his feet and putting perfume on them. When the Pharisee who was the host saw what was happening and who the woman was, he said to himself, ”˜This proves that Jesus is no prophet. If God had really sent him, he would know what kind of woman is touching him. She”™s a sinner!”™”
Again, while this woman came in a spirit of repentance, not seeking to tempt Jesus at all, she was no doubt an attractive woman kissing his feet and washing them with her hair. The potential for the temptation to lust was there for Jesus as a man. I”™m NOT saying that Jesus WAS tempted sexually in this situation””I”™m just saying that it was possible.
The point here is that Jesus, while the Son of God, lived on this earth as also 100% man. And the simple reality that He WAS a real man is sufficient to deduce that He was tempted sexually.
3. Jesus seems to have a personal understanding of sexual temptation as seen in his pointed teaching on dealing with sexual temptation.
Matthew 5:27-30””“You have heard that the law of Moses says, ”˜Do not commit adultery.”™ But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust in his eye has already committed adultery with her in his heart. So if your eye””even if it is your good eye””causes you to lust, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.”
Jesus seems to thoroughly understand how the eyes and mind can be tempted. I believe that this passage also shows us that Jesus resisted temptation every time it came by controlling his eyes and his mind, choosing to love His Father with purity and obedience more than His own pleasure.
This next passage shows us that experiencing life in our skin (and all the temptations that come with it) was part of God”™s plan of salvation:
Hebrews 2:17-18””“Therefore, it was necessary for Jesus to be in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. He then could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people. Since he himself has gone through suffering and temptation, he is able to help us when we are being tempted.”
4. Jesus was tempted in the same ways we are, but He never gave in to the temptation. He never sinned!
Hebrews 4:15””“This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same temptations we do, yet he did not sin.”
Even though the New Testament doesn”™t record a specific instance of sexual temptation, I believe this verse make it “crystal clear” that Jesus DID face such temptation as well.
5. Jesus was tempted directly by the Devil, which was, no doubt, more intense than any of our temptations (even sexual ones).
Jesus”™ Temptation by the Devil is recorded in 3 Gospels:
Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:12-13; Luke 4:1-13
Matthew 4:1””“Then Jesus was led out into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit to be tempted there by the Devil.”
The Holy Spirit led Jesus to the desert for the purpose of Jesus being tempted by the Devil””as a test for Jesus. Remember Hebrews 2””
Hebrews 2:17-18””“Therefore, it was necessary for Jesus to be in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. He then could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people. Since he himself has gone through suffering and temptation, he is able to help us when we are being tempted.”
Matthew 4:2””“For forty days and forty nights he ate nothing and became very hungry. Then the Devil came and said to him, ”˜If you are the Son of God, change these stones into loaves of bread.”™
(Lust for Physical Satisfaction/Pleasure)
But Jesus told him, ”˜No! The Scriptures say, ”˜People need more than bread for their life; they must feed on every word of God.”™
Then the Devil took him to Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, and said, ”˜If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say, ”˜He orders his angels to protect you. And they will hold you with their hands to keep you from striking your foot on a stone.”™
(Pride of Life””Lust for Power)
Jesus responded, ”˜The Scriptures also say, ”˜Do not test the Lord your God.”™
Next the Devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him the nations of the world and all their glory. ”˜I will give it all to you,”™ he said, ”˜if you will only kneel down and worship me.”™
(Lust of the Eyes””Lust for Possessions)
”˜Get out of here, Satan,”™ Jesus told him. ”˜For the Scriptures say, ”˜You must worship the Lord your God; serve only him.”™
“Sex to the Power of Ten”””Charlton Heston
(In the Arena: An Autobiography, 1995)””Describing the filming of the movie El Cid and, specifically, the taking of the city of Valencia: “I led a mounted troop to the gates of the city, real iron gates set in real stone walls of a medieval city. The sun and the sea were as they”™d been a thousand years ago. The gates swung open, two thousand people screamed welcome. I rode through, Babieca dancing under my hand, both of us aroused by the roar “Cid! Cid! CID!”. I swung off the horse, down into the welling sound, and climbed the steep, time-worn stone steps set in the wall. At the top, I turned, the sea behind me, the city and the people lying below, reaching, entreating, warm and open as a woman. “Cid! Cid! Cid!” You don”™t have to act that. You can”™t act it. I was there. It happened to me. I know, in my bones and blood, what it is to take a city. Yes, of course, it”™s like sex. It is sex””to the power of ten.”
Commentator: “. . . when the Devil offered Him the glory of the nations, Jesus encountered a temptation aimed at his human, masculine sexuality, a temptation which cut far deeper than a comparably trivial inducement to ”˜mere”™ coitus.”
I agree with this commentator””even if Jesus never faced a temptation to, in the moment, lust after a woman or have sex with a woman, His temptations directly from the Devil certainly encompassed and surpassed the deep drives that are involved in sexual temptations.
Then the Devil went away, and angels cared for Jesus.”
Luke 4:13””“When the Devil had finished tempting Jesus, he left him until the next opportunity came.”
This verse tells us that this wasn”™t Jesus”™ only encounter with the Devil, nor His only occasion of temptation!
6. Jesus understands our temptations and knows how to help us, no matter what temptation we face!
Hebrews 4:14-16–“That is why we have a great High Priest who has gone to heaven, Jesus the Son of God. Let us cling to him and never stop trusting him. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same temptations we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy and we will find grace to help us when we need it.”
Practical Help for Dealing with Temptation:
1. God often allows temptation to test us, though He never tempts us to sin.
James 1:12-13””“God blesses the people who patiently endure testing. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. And remember, no one who wants to do wrong should ever say, ”˜God is tempting me.”™ God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else either.”
NKJV””James 1:14-15””“But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.”
2. God always provides a way out of temptation.
1 Corinthians 10:12-13””“If you think you are standing strong, be careful, for you, too, may fall into the same sin. But remember that the tempations that come into your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can”™t stand up against it. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you will not give in to it.”
3. Temptation often comes when we are at our weakest””especially when we”™re hungry and/or tired.
4. God”™s Word used in prayerful dependence on the Holy Spirit is our only weapon for fighting temptation.
Ephesians 6:17””“Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”
But beware! The world, your flesh and the Devil will twist certain Scriptures to get you to feel justified in sin, which is why you must be acquainted with the whole of Scripture.
2 Timothy 3:16-17””“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right. It is God”™s way of preparing us in every way, fully equipped for every good thing God wants us to do.”
5. Be encouraged””when you draw near to God by standing on God”™s Word and resist temptation, the Devil will go away and God will be near!
James 4:7-8””“Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you. Draw close to God, and God will draw close to you.”
Conclusion””
2 Corinthians 5:21””“For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.”
Not only is Jesus a sympathetic High Priest who knows what we feel in this skin, He is also a saving High Priest who made the offering of His own life so that God can forgive us.
Jesus is an awesome Savior””saving us eternally from sin”™s penalty and then daily helping us overcome sin”™s power in our lives practically!
Do you know Him as YOUR Savior?