how to overcome satan-sent temptation (matthew … · 10/27/2019 · dr. jeremy roberts 6...

HOW TO OVERCOME SATAN-SENT TEMPTATION

(MATTHEW 26:41)

MESSAGE 3

SERIES: “SPIRITUAL WARFARE IS REAL”

A Sermon by Dr. Jeremy Roberts

Dr. Jeremy Roberts

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HOW TO OVERCOME SATAN-SENT TEMPTATION

MESSAGE 3 of 4

SERIES: SPIRITUAL WARFARE IS REAL

PUBLISHED BY DR. JEREMY ROBERTS

Copyright © 2019 Dr. Jeremy Roberts

Preached at Thomasville Road Baptist Church, Tallahassee, FL

27 October 2019

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of

Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

All rights reserved.

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INTRODUCTION

In early 2001 some towns in India were stricken by a plague of monkeys. The monkeys were so numerous they would invade homes, bite people, and make off with food supplies. It was agreed the monkeys would have to be caught and relocated. The people in these towns resorted to a traditional method for catching them. They gathered their old milk bottles, tied them to the ground, and then placed something sweet such as a lolly inside the bottle. Then when a monkey comes along and sees the sweet he places his hand inside the bottle, but with the sweet enclosed in his palm his fist is too big to get back out the bottle. Our monkey will pull and push in an effort to get that sweet out, but he will not let it go, not even as his captors approach. And so the monkey is caught, literally with his hand in the lolly jar!

Often in life we are like the monkey, presented with an attractive offer, yet knowing that unless we let go of it, it will destroy us.1

1 Scott Higgins, “Hunting Monkeys,” Stories for Preaching. https://storiesforpreaching.com/category/sermonillustrations/tempt

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“Temptation usually comes in through a door that has deliberately been left open.”2 – Author Unknown

Matthew 26:41 says, 41 Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

BODY

In order to overcome Satan-sent temptation there are three things we must learn from this verse: (I.) Learn what it means to “enter into temptation”; (II.) Learn for what you should “watch”; and (III.) Learn how you should “pray.”

I. Learn what it means to “enter into temptation.”


There are two key things to remember as we ponder the reality of

ation/ (Accessed 3 October 2019).

2 Karen Moore, Thankful: Practicing the Grace of Gratitude: 52 Weekly Devotions (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2012), 206.

How to Overcome Satan-Sent Temptation

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entering into temptation, and I glean this from 17th century Puritan pastor, John Owen:3

(1) Satan becomes more aggressive at tempting you than usual.

(2) The heart is unable to escape the trap of temptation.

Those of you in sales may be able to relate to this line of thinking: A few months ago, a man knocked on our door, and he was selling solar panels that go atop your roof. I just stood in the doorway, heard him pitch this for about thirty minutes, and then told him I wasn’t interested.

Suppose, however, I would’ve invited the man into my living room. He begins making a presentation. I get to hold one of the solar panels. We begin developing more of a relationship than merely standing on more doorstep.

Don’t you think I’m more likely to buy the solar panels in the latter scenario? Of course! It is harder to say “no” to the salesman in this situation.

3 John Owen, The Mortification of Sin, (Edinburgh, UK: Banner of Truth Publishers, 2004), 37.

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This is what Matthew 26:41 means by “enter into temptation.” It has entered your proverbial living room and is more likely to be a part of your life. It has become part of your affections and you are way more likely to say “yes” to it. As sin is burrowed in a deeper position, you are way more likely to engage in it.

Here’s another way to think about it: If you are a parent of a young child, or if you ever have been, then you will especially understand what I am saying.

My youngest, Lily, is five years old. She still has a hard time going to sleep by herself. Most nights, Charity or I will lay down with her until she falls asleep. I love it, except for trying to wiggle out of the bed so I don’t awaken her.

Most of the time, when she falls into a deeper sleep, Lily will turn on her side and she will simply rest. However, every once in a while, she will nestle up right under my arm. If I try to get up, it will awaken her, and she has to start over the whole process of going to sleep. The more she is locked into me, particularly physically, the harder it is for me to separate from her.

Some of you in here today are struggling with pornography. If you are nestled up next to Netflix shows that show some nudity, and inappropriately dressed people are on websites you frequently peruse, you are way more likely to eventually dive deeply into full-on pornographic websites. It is harder to say “no” to the sales pitch of Satan when you’re nestled up next to lust and porn than if you had


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no relationship with any of that stuff.

Again, Matthew 26:41 says, 41 Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

“In the context of avoiding “temptation,” flesh seems most likely to mean sinful human nature, though, in this case, including frail, physical weakness (a body that wants to sleep) as well. Jesus’ proverb is often casually reapplied almost as an excuse for human shortcomings but, in context, is an incentive for disciples to resist temptation. What a contrast the whole scene provides with the disciples’ recent boasts (v. 35)!”4

David Jeremiah has written a book I encourage you to read if you want to dig deeper into what it means to “enter into temptation.” I’ve taken his temptation-tamer’s checklist and made them the subpoints for point number one.5

A. Recognize the Possibility of Temptation

When you journey throughout your day, you will inevitably face

4 Craig Blomberg, Matthew, vol. 22, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 396.

5 David Jeremiah, Slaying the Giants in Your Life (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2001), 96–103.

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temptation. Be alert to this!

B. Request Help in Time of Temptation

When you are tempted, do not hesitate to reach out to the Lord and close people in your Christian walk to help you. Beg the Lord to protect you.

Put on the armor of God (Ephesians 6:10–18).

C. Resist the Devil and He will Flee from You

Remember the words of James 4:7. You need to memorize this verse, have it in your heart, and say it aloud whenever you are tempted, 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

D. Remove Any Means of Sin Far from You

Here’s an example of this: How many of you have ever heard someone ask the question, “How far is too far?” when it comes to a physical relationship with a boyfriend or girlfriend? Allow me the opportunity to be really blunt with you: That’s a bad question.

I’ve heard people say, “There’s no such thing as a bad question,” but


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that’s not true. It is bad to ask, “How far is too far?” because your desire should be to live a life of purity and holiness, not to inch as close to sin as possible without falling into it.

I don’t know if you’ve ever been to the Grand Canyon, but Charity and I went there a few years ago. It was overwhelmingly beautiful.

You know something crazy about it? You can walk right up to a ledge, look down, and you’re literally looking down an entire mile to the bottom of it.

I did not inch anywhere near the ledge. Do you know why? I didn’t want to fall.

Sadly, we all inch closer and closer to sin, and then we act shocked when we fall into it. Here’s what you need to do: remove the sin from you. Get far away from it!

E. Replace Bad Influences with Good Ones

Remember, we are seeking to grasp Matthew 26:41 teaching us about entering into temptation. If you take a temptation and replace it with good ones, then the temptation cannot enter.

If I am trying to eat healthier, why would I buy a bag of delicious

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Hershey kisses with almonds and put them on my desk? I would instead remove a candy dish and put a couple of apples there. I wouldn’t be as tempted to eat chocolate if I was staring at an apple all day instead of those deliciously created calorie-packed candies.

Replace bad influences with good ones if you are seeking to not allow yourself to enter into temptation.

If you are prone to gossip, don’t consistently hang out with people who love to talk about others. Replace those influences in your life with people who seek to share uplifting words of the Lord.

F. Resolve to Take the High Road

Sometimes you will be hear the colloquialism, “take the high road,” and an explanation of its derivation will help us to understand it better.

“Take the high road” is “an American phrase which means to approach an endeavor or problem in a fashion that is above pettiness, to travel the moral high ground, to behave decently. The phrase to take the high road came into popular use during the American presidential campaign of 1948, Thomas Dewey claiming to take the high road against Truman’s campaign tactics. . . . British use of the term to take the high road means to take the main or most direct route, literally or figuratively. City streets that are the main arteries are


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called high streets, more circuitous or back streets are called low streets.”6

Instead of entering into temptation, seek to live for the Lord. This may sound a bit overly-simplistic, but it is simply true.

Firstly, “Learn What it Means to Enter into Temptation.”

II. Learn for what you should “watch.”


The application of this portion of the passage is different for each person here today because we all struggle with temptation for different things. This requires you to understand yourself. This requires self-awareness.

This means that you should . . .

6 “Take the High Road,” Grammarist. https://grammarist.com/idiom/take-the-high-road/ (Accessed 26 September 2019).

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A. Watch Where You Struggle with Sin

James 1:14 says, 14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.

Throughout the Bible, you can see this. I have read both Focus on the Family’s Jim Daly write about this, as well as Pastor Greg Laurie, and I think it clarifies learning for what different biblical characters need to watch:7

• NOAH got drunk. • ABRAHAM was too old. • ISAAC was a daydreamer. • JACOB lied. • LEAH was ugly. • JOSEPH was abused. • MOSES was a murderer and couldn’t talk. • GIDEON was afraid. • SAMSON had long hair and was afraid. • RAHAB was a prostitute. • JEREMIAH and TIMOTHY were too young. • DAVID was a murderer and adulterer. • ELIJAH was suicidal.

7 Greg Laurie, Tell Someone: You Can Share the Good News (Nashville: B&H Publishing, 2016), ch. 1. Jim Daily, “Before You Say You’re Not Qualified,” Focus on the Family. https://jimdaly.focusonthefamily.com/before-you-say-you-39-re-not-qualified/

(Accessed September 6, 2019).


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• ISAIAH preached naked. • JONAH ran from God. • NAOMI was a widow. • JOB went bankrupt. • JOHN THE BAPTIST ate bugs. • PETER denied Christ. • The DISCIPLES fell asleep while praying. • MARTHA worried about everything. • MARY MAGDLENE was demon possessed. • The SAMARITAN WOMAN was divorced…more than

once… • ZACCHEUS was too small. • PAUL was a murderer. • TIMOTHY had an ulcer. • LAZARUS was dead!

B. Watch When You Struggle with Sin

i. When You Are Exhausted

Think about what is happening with the disciples in Matthew 26. The disciples were sleepy. Matthew 26:40a says, 40 And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping.

Don’t dwell on past sins in your life, but think about them briefly. When did you engage in most of those sinful acts? I would venture to say most of those times came at a point of physical or emotional exhaustion.

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In Matthew 26, the disciples had been in Jerusalem for a week and had spent a lot of time physically, emotionally, and spiritually walking with the Lord Jesus. It is tiring to think about all they had going on during that Passover week.

My wife, Charity, knows to not talk with me about anything of any importance after about 8:00. I go to bed early and am of little mental use in the evening.

When I am exhausted, I am irritable and impatient.

ii. When a Loved One is Struggling with Sin

Galatians 6:1 says, Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.

The Apostle Paul saw that the church he pastored at Galatia needed to be on guard for sin with which they struggled when their loved ones were hurt. Hurt people can hurt people.

iii. When You Are Consistently Around Anti-Christian People

As a senior in high school, I was going to go to a college that had a lot of partying. I was never into that scene, nor were my friends.


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However, most kids from our youth ministry went to this same school.

My parents didn’t have peace about me going there and encouraged me to go to Liberty University. Liberty’s campus is one that has a culture of it being cool to be Christian.

Most of my high school friends fell into the partying scene in college, and a big reason why is that they were consistently around anti-Christian people. No matter if you work or go to school in a Christian or non-Christian setting, seek to surround yourself with people who love Christ.

Very practically: Are your closest friends helping your walk with Christ or hurting it?

Firstly, “Learn What it Means to Enter into Temptation.” Secondly, “Learn for What You Should Watch.”

III. Learn how you should “pray.”


Jesus encourages us to be watchful and prayerful in order to avoid

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even being in a situation where we’d be tempted.

Job refers to this life as a “constant warfare.”8 You better believe if we are constantly facing warfare, we better be constantly praying.

How should you pray to prevent yourself from being in such a tempting situation?

A. Pray the Lord’s Prayer

You need to memorize the Lord’s Prayer, if you haven’t already. Let’s pray it together right now:

Matthew 6:9–13 says, 9 Pray then like this:

“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.

10 Your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread, 12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation,

8 Nicholas Ayo, The Lord’s Prayer: A Survey Theological and Literary (Oxford, UK: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 1991), 87–89.


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but deliver us from evil.

B. Pray without Ceasing

1 Thessalonians 5:17 says, pray without ceasing.

If you are habitually praying throughout your day, you are much less likely to fall into sin.

C. Pray with Specificity

When you pray, you will have a more robust interaction with God if you are praying for specific requests. Thankfully, every Wednesday, our church has a thorough prayer guide that we hand out so the congregation can pray with specificity. I’ve asked that we have extra ones put in the lobby for anyone who would like it.

D. Have Prayer Partners Interceding for You

If you are not in a Small Group, you need to be in one. This is important, not just for deeper Bible study and personal relationships, but also for intercession. Our Small Groups pray for one another. Encourage your Small Group to pray for specific things in your life.

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CONCLUSION

I close this message with some practical application that I gleaned from a professor named Chuck Lawless.9

• Pray every day the way Jesus taught us. • Quit playing games with your Christianity. We often

wrestle with sin because our commitment to Christ has never gone beyond surface level.

• Admit your vulnerabilities to somebody. • Be aware of your patterns. • Strengthen your spiritual disciplines. • Keep the Bible in front of you. Literally. Keep at least the

texts below in your pocket, on your phone, or on your screen saver. Read them. Memorize them. Believe them. Use them.

• Gouge out your eye if you must. Jesus used an exaggeration to make His point (Matt. 5:29-30), but His point was clear: take every step you need to take to turn away from sin.

• Run. It’s really that simple. When temptation shows up, run the other way as fast as you can. Turn your head.

• Confess and repent quickly if you fall. If you do give in to temptation, don’t let the enemy so beat you up and accuse you that you never get off the ground. Run to Jesus, confess, accept His grace, and start again.

9 Chuck Lawless, “Ten Simple Steps to Deal with Temptation,” ChuckLawless.com: Evangelism, Leadership, Missiology, Church Health. http://chucklawless.com/2016/01/10-simple-steps-to-deal-with-temptation/

(Accessed October 3, 2019).


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ABOUT THE PREACHER | DR. JEREMY ROBERTS

Dr. Jeremy Roberts is Senior Pastor at Thomasville Road Baptist Church, Tallahassee, FL. With over 2,000 members, Thomasville

Road is a thriving inter-generational church in the heart of Florida’s capital city. Additionally, he serves as an Adjunct Professor at Liberty

University and Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Roberts has a D.Min. from Liberty University. He and his wife, Charity, and their two daughters, Autumn and Lily, live in the Tallahassee area.

Connect with Dr. Roberts online:

Instagram: @JeremyPRoberts

Facebook.com/DrJeremyRoberts Thomasville Road Baptist Church: ThomasvilleRoad.org

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