Into Temptation
Series: Heart Songs
Speaker: James Barnett
Date: 4th October 2020
Passage: Psalm 141:1-10
00:00:00 --> 00:00:07 Crowded House released that song in 1988. It's called Into Temptation. And I find it
00:00:07 --> 00:00:14 hauntingly beautiful. I thought Nick did a wonderful cover of that. But it shows this
00:00:14 --> 00:00:22 picture of a person faced with temptation. And they eventually succumb, they give in.
00:00:23 --> 00:00:29 Neil Finn, who wrote that song, was inspired when he was at a hotel one night. And there was the
00:00:29 --> 00:00:36 rugby union team staying at the hotel and a netball team staying at the hotel. And throughout
00:00:36 --> 00:00:43 the night, he saw them pairing up. And at one point, when he was back in his hotel room, he heard the
00:00:43 --> 00:00:50 knock at the door. And he goes and opens the door. And it was the person next to him. And there was
00:00:50 --> 00:00:59 somebody opening the door, giving into temptation. And he actually depicts for us the seductive,
00:00:59 --> 00:01:07 that sin holds for all of us. The cradle, the bed is soft and warm. Giving into this temptation
00:01:07 --> 00:01:18 couldn't do me any harm. The temptation to sin has an ability to cloud our minds, even if we say we
00:01:18 --> 00:01:25 understand the consequences. Temptation has the ability to make us rationalize why we think this
00:01:25 --> 00:01:30 thing is the best thing is the best thing for me. And yet, guilt and remorse come for us quickly
00:01:30 --> 00:01:37 afterwards. I can't believe I did that again. She's not going to forgive me. How do I explain this?
00:01:38 --> 00:01:43 How can I get away with this? How can I cover up this before anyone knows?
00:01:44 --> 00:01:51 Struggling with sin and temptation is part of life for all of us. None of us have overcome it,
00:01:51 --> 00:02:00 except for Jesus. And he calls us to live a life of holiness, pursuing perfection. Because in his
00:02:00 --> 00:02:08 death and resurrection, he is now making his people to be like him. Perfect, holy, without a spot,
00:02:08 --> 00:02:15 without a blemish. But I think I can get so used to my sin that I forget that's not how I'm supposed
00:02:15 --> 00:02:23 to be. I'm actually being made to be that perfect, holy one like Jesus. And yet every day we are faced
00:02:23 --> 00:02:31 with so many big and small choices to sin. Will I honor God? Will I follow him with my whole body,
00:02:32 --> 00:02:39 with my whole soul, with my mind? Or will I give in to that alluring call and give in to temptation?
00:02:39 --> 00:02:48 Today in Psalm 141, David is going to model for us what to do when we are heading into temptation,
00:02:48 --> 00:02:55 and how to prepare our lives for this battle against sin, the devil, and our own sinful hearts,
00:02:56 --> 00:03:02 to show that we love God more than anything else. To help us, the Bible is a wonderful thing. Let me
00:03:02 --> 00:03:08 encourage you to be reading it every day. And just like I gave away a book last week, I'm here to give
00:03:08 --> 00:03:15 away another book. The Psalms are a really wonderful resource, and this is a daily devotion in the
00:03:15 --> 00:03:22 Psalms. If you want this book, come and get this book. I'm giving away books throughout this series.
00:03:22 --> 00:03:27 This is a really helpful resource. If anybody wants this book, come and get this book right now.
00:03:27 --> 00:03:34 Come on, come and get this book. Who needs? Yes, Nolene's coming. Let's give Nolene a clap. There you are,
00:03:34 --> 00:03:40 Nolene. I will be following up with those people who've been getting those books to see how they're
00:03:40 --> 00:03:50 going. So as we have a look at Psalm 141 today, there's going to be five small parts that we're
00:03:50 --> 00:03:53 going to see. I don't have three points today. There's five, but they're short. Don't worry.
00:03:54 --> 00:04:01 To see how we are to battle with our sin. The first is our need for help, our need for wisdom,
00:04:01 --> 00:04:09 for friends, an understanding of justice and vindication, and then finally, our need for
00:04:09 --> 00:04:15 protection. So let me pray for us as we have a look at Psalm 141. Our Heavenly Father, I thank you so
00:04:15 --> 00:04:24 much for the Psalms, the heart songs of the Bible. Father, help us to be people who love your Word,
00:04:24 --> 00:04:31 who read it and listen to you. But Lord, help us to be aware of who we are as fallen humans,
00:04:31 --> 00:04:38 that we are people faced with temptation every day. Father, help us to see the temptation as a chance,
00:04:38 --> 00:04:46 as a choice to love you and serve you and not ourselves. Amen. Please have your Bibles open.
00:04:46 --> 00:04:52 You can use the St. Paul's app, or you can use the heart songs handouts on your seats. We're in verse 1.
00:04:53 --> 00:04:59 And David starts in a place of desperation. Verse 1,
00:05:00 --> 00:05:09 I call to you, Lord. Come quickly to me. Hear me when I call to you. David is clearly in great need,
00:05:09 --> 00:05:17 and he cries out to the only one who can help him. And it's very audacious of what David is doing here.
00:05:17 --> 00:05:26 He calls God to come to him. Now, of course, God is everywhere, and it's not as if God isn't where
00:05:26 --> 00:05:32 David is, but David is calling God to come to him like a master calls a servant, you know, come here,
00:05:32 --> 00:05:38 come here and serve me. And it's very strange that David would be doing that to the great God.
00:05:39 --> 00:05:50 But it's clear that David is in a terrible spot. God, run to me. I am in a terrible spot. I need your
00:05:50 --> 00:05:55 help. If I am going to survive this period of temptation, I need you to come and help me right
00:05:55 --> 00:06:02 now. He's a person who wants to be faithful to God in the face of temptation, and he has this real
00:06:02 --> 00:06:09 sense of urgency. God, come and help me before it's too late. There's two paths before me. I want to
00:06:09 --> 00:06:15 choose to love you and honor you, but this temptation is alluring, and it is tempting.
00:06:16 --> 00:06:22 Come and help me. And David, even though he calls God to come to him, he comes,
00:06:23 --> 00:06:30 David comes before God with nothing. He doesn't even have a sacrifice to offer or incense to burn.
00:06:30 --> 00:06:45 Usually what would happen in the temple is there would be sacrifices offered, incense burnt to
00:06:45 --> 00:06:53 please the Lord. But David doesn't have these things. So he sets his hands before God in prayer
00:06:53 --> 00:06:59 and lifts them up like incense. God, this is all I've got. I have nothing else. Hear my prayer.
00:07:00 --> 00:07:08 It's a cry for help based on God's character, that God is gracious and helps not because of what we
00:07:08 --> 00:07:13 offer him, not just because we sacrifice time or money or what we can give him, or in the Old Testament
00:07:13 --> 00:07:25 system, an animal. God will help because God is loving and caring. It's a cry for help based on who God is.
00:07:26 --> 00:07:33 I wonder how good we are at crying out to God for help. How good are you at asking for help from God?
00:07:33 --> 00:07:42 Culturally, just the Aussie maleness of me. I like to appear strong, as if I don't need help from anyone.
00:07:42 --> 00:07:52 I can do it on my own. But do we think there is shame or dishonor or appearing weak if we ask for help for
00:07:52 --> 00:07:58 someone? It can be easy to think that we are somehow impervious to temptation. Do you know what?
00:07:58 --> 00:08:04 I'm being tempted right now. I don't need help. I can do it on my own. I can cope. David, who was
00:08:04 --> 00:08:13 anointed to be king and then becomes king, the king is the one who is crying out for help in desperation.
00:08:15 --> 00:08:23 Jesus himself, God's son, cries out to God for help in a desperate scene when he's in the Garden of
00:08:23 --> 00:08:32 Gethsemane. In times of temptation, let's be like David and know we need God's help and cry out to God.
00:08:32 --> 00:08:38 Because just as 2 Corinthians 3 reminds us, our help comes not from us. Our help comes from the Lord.
00:08:39 --> 00:08:47 We desperately need God's help because we are in a battle. I wish that once we became Christians, once people
00:08:47 --> 00:08:53 become Christians, the battle is over. It's smooth sailing. It's really easy from that point. I'm
00:08:53 --> 00:09:01 following God. The hard part's over. I'm on his side. And the reality is that is very true. Once we are on
00:09:01 --> 00:09:08 God's side, he has already won the battle. Jesus has died for us. He's taken our sin. But there is still
00:09:08 --> 00:09:17 a war waging around us for our souls against sin, the world, and the devil until Jesus returns.
00:09:18 --> 00:09:26 We are secure in our salvation, but it doesn't mean there are things that want to drag us down.
00:09:27 --> 00:09:32 My own heart can give into temptation to sin all on its own. I don't necessarily need the devil
00:09:32 --> 00:09:41 to influence me. So a very real battle is within our own hearts. We see temptation around us,
00:09:41 --> 00:09:49 and our hearts want those things. The world around us also influences us. It doesn't want us to follow
00:09:49 --> 00:09:55 God. One of my favorite TV shows is a TV show called Gruen. I'm really excited because it's coming
00:09:55 --> 00:10:01 back on TV in a couple of weeks. And it's all about advertising. And it talks about the tricks
00:10:01 --> 00:10:09 that people use in television, in magazine advertising, in billboards, all to make us crave
00:10:09 --> 00:10:18 things to buy them. It turns us into consumers instead of being people satisfied by God. It's a
00:10:18 --> 00:10:26 massive industry of people who are trying to make us into just consumers, let alone the rest of the
00:10:26 --> 00:10:34 world's temptations. So we have temptations from within us, just from what we see around us. There
00:10:34 --> 00:10:39 is temptations out there in the world where the world is trying to influence, not to follow God,
00:10:39 --> 00:10:48 but to give in. And we also do battle against the devil. He is real, and he doesn't want us to find our
00:10:48 --> 00:10:55 joy and our satisfaction in God. If he can't stop us from following God, which he can't do,
00:10:55 --> 00:11:02 because we are secure in Christ, he can certainly attempt to make us poor Christians, to make us
00:11:02 --> 00:11:08 unsatisfied Christians, Christians who don't share our faith. He can attempt to influence us.
00:11:09 --> 00:11:18 When facing his own sin, a pastor from the US called A.W. Tozer learned to talk back to the devil.
00:11:18 --> 00:11:23 It's a book of sermons I have of his. If you'd like to read his sermon, I Talk Back to the Devil,
00:11:23 --> 00:11:28 I can lend that to you. He said in this sermon, he learned to say to the devil,
00:11:28 --> 00:11:37 yes, devil, sin is terrible. And I remind you, devil, that everything good, forgiveness and cleansing
00:11:37 --> 00:11:45 and blessing, everything that is good, I have freely received from Jesus Christ. When God forgives us,
00:11:45 --> 00:11:51 when he forgives a person, he doesn't think, I need to watch them again just in case they sin.
00:11:51 --> 00:11:59 But he starts again as though they have been recreated and there was no sinful past at all.
00:12:00 --> 00:12:05 That is the basis of the assurance that God offers Christians. Tozer said,
00:12:05 --> 00:12:11 the devil will taunt you with the fact that you have stumbled in your faith and perhaps more than once.
00:12:12 --> 00:12:17 The devil wants us to live in a state of discouraged chagrin and remorse.
00:12:18 --> 00:12:26 But we have been set free and we can call out to God to help us in the battle that we face against
00:12:26 --> 00:12:30 our own sin, against the world around us and against the devil.
00:12:30 --> 00:12:38 So our first port of call when we are facing temptation is to do what David did, to cry out for help.
00:12:39 --> 00:12:44 The second thing, David asks for wisdom in the face of temptation.
00:12:44 --> 00:12:45 Verse 3,
00:12:45 --> 00:13:00 God, close my mouth because I'm going to say something stupid. I'm going to say something I will regret.
00:13:01 --> 00:13:06 Maybe you've had that moment in the past where you've just watched as the words have slipped out of your mouth
00:13:06 --> 00:13:12 and your brain is watching them come out of your mouth and you can see them just destroy the person in front of you
00:13:12 --> 00:13:18 and you can't do anything to get those back. God, close my mouth so I don't attack this person,
00:13:18 --> 00:13:23 so I don't share this gossip, so I don't hurt them. You know, this person over here,
00:13:23 --> 00:13:27 they've been attacking me and I really want to put them in their place, Lord.
00:13:27 --> 00:13:33 I really want to share this juicy piece of gossip. I want to say hurtful things because they've been hurting me.
00:13:33 --> 00:13:38 But God, come quickly over here. Slam your hand over my mouth before it is too late.
00:13:39 --> 00:13:43 God, hold me back from doing something dumb.
00:13:44 --> 00:13:52 This takes wisdom and the self-understanding to see the temptation to hurt a person with words
00:13:52 --> 00:13:56 and to desperately cry out to God before it's too late.
00:13:56 --> 00:13:58 It's not just words. This could be any sin.
00:13:58 --> 00:14:02 God, hold my hand back. God, stop me.
00:14:03 --> 00:14:06 So God, please help me really practically.
00:14:06 --> 00:14:09 David is calling for really simple, practical help.
00:14:09 --> 00:14:11 Close my mouth. Stop my tongue.
00:14:13 --> 00:14:15 But not only that, give me wisdom.
00:14:15 --> 00:14:18 Give me wisdom to change my heart.
00:14:18 --> 00:14:19 Verse 4,
00:14:19 --> 00:14:23 Do not let my heart be drawn to what is evil,
00:14:23 --> 00:14:26 so that I take part in wicked deeds,
00:14:26 --> 00:14:28 along with those who are evildoers.
00:14:28 --> 00:14:30 Do not let me eat their delicacies.
00:14:32 --> 00:14:36 David sees what is in his heart and know it's his heart that needs to change.
00:14:36 --> 00:14:39 As Jesus would say a thousand years later,
00:14:39 --> 00:14:43 that it's out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks.
00:14:43 --> 00:14:46 So God, you know, if he just closed David's mouth,
00:14:46 --> 00:14:50 his heart would still feel anger, resentful.
00:14:50 --> 00:14:52 God, I need you to change my heart.
00:14:52 --> 00:14:57 There are a number of parts to verse 4.
00:14:57 --> 00:15:01 First, he calls on God to help him not to be drawn to evil.
00:15:03 --> 00:15:05 It's very reminiscent of the Lord's prayer,
00:15:05 --> 00:15:07 lead me not into temptation.
00:15:07 --> 00:15:11 Change my heart from being drawn to evil,
00:15:11 --> 00:15:16 so I don't take part in wicked deeds with people who are wicked.
00:15:16 --> 00:15:20 David, when he asks for wisdom for a new heart,
00:15:20 --> 00:15:23 asks for wisdom about the people he spends time with.
00:15:24 --> 00:15:29 We are all influenced with those people that we spend time with
00:15:29 --> 00:15:31 in negative and in positive ways.
00:15:32 --> 00:15:35 My kids always come home speaking strange words.
00:15:36 --> 00:15:39 The kids these days, I don't know their lingo.
00:15:39 --> 00:15:41 I must be far too old.
00:15:41 --> 00:15:44 Even their rules for playing handball,
00:15:45 --> 00:15:48 I'm totally convinced these kids don't know how to play handball properly.
00:15:48 --> 00:15:52 They come home just being influenced by the kids around them.
00:15:53 --> 00:15:58 But friendship groups can also develop sinful and devastating habits.
00:15:59 --> 00:16:03 Some friendship groups find their identity in bullying others physically
00:16:03 --> 00:16:05 or with their words.
00:16:05 --> 00:16:09 They develop a culture where it's okay to hurt others
00:16:09 --> 00:16:11 because that's what friends do.
00:16:13 --> 00:16:15 The desire to fit in with co-workers or colleagues
00:16:15 --> 00:16:19 or friends and families and teammates is alluring.
00:16:19 --> 00:16:22 Temptation to compromise living a life following Jesus
00:16:22 --> 00:16:26 is easy to fall to when there is a friendship group,
00:16:27 --> 00:16:29 when there is people that we are trying to fit in with.
00:16:30 --> 00:16:35 You see the impact of cancerous culture in many places.
00:16:35 --> 00:16:37 In sport at the moment, we've seen the impact
00:16:37 --> 00:16:42 that a cancerous culture had on the Australian cricket team.
00:16:42 --> 00:16:45 They had a win-at-all-cost attitude,
00:16:45 --> 00:16:47 even if it meant they started cheating.
00:16:48 --> 00:16:50 The AFL recently has been dealing with
00:16:50 --> 00:16:53 a number of sexual harassment issues.
00:16:54 --> 00:16:56 Organizations get accused of bullying,
00:16:56 --> 00:16:58 abusing people from the CEO down,
00:16:59 --> 00:17:00 sexual misconduct.
00:17:02 --> 00:17:04 David cries for wisdom.
00:17:04 --> 00:17:07 God, close my mouth, change my heart,
00:17:08 --> 00:17:11 and give me wisdom for those people I spend time with
00:17:11 --> 00:17:15 because I don't want to keep being influenced by them
00:17:15 --> 00:17:18 and falling into the same temptation.
00:17:19 --> 00:17:20 And it is so tempting.
00:17:21 --> 00:17:21 David cries,
00:17:21 --> 00:17:23 Do not let me eat their delicacies.
00:17:24 --> 00:17:27 Whether or not he's talking about food,
00:17:27 --> 00:17:32 there is something delicious about standing with others
00:17:32 --> 00:17:33 and pursuing evil.
00:17:34 --> 00:17:39 I used to play a card game called Cards Against Humanity.
00:17:39 --> 00:17:40 I don't know if you've heard of it.
00:17:41 --> 00:17:45 It's a very fun game because it's very rude,
00:17:45 --> 00:17:46 very offensive.
00:17:47 --> 00:17:50 And the more offensive it is, the funnier it is.
00:17:50 --> 00:17:52 And that's the way this game is designed to be.
00:17:52 --> 00:17:56 And when I played it, it was almost like a secret sin.
00:17:57 --> 00:18:00 We would carefully pick people that we played with.
00:18:00 --> 00:18:01 Oh, you know, we'll play with him.
00:18:01 --> 00:18:03 We won't play with him.
00:18:04 --> 00:18:08 But when we started joking that you had to leave your Christianity
00:18:08 --> 00:18:12 at the door to play this offensive card game,
00:18:13 --> 00:18:14 I realized it was wrong.
00:18:14 --> 00:18:20 I was loving a delicacy that had me enjoying sin and depravity.
00:18:20 --> 00:18:25 The joy of delighting in sinful, degrading humor
00:18:25 --> 00:18:28 was drawing me to wickedness.
00:18:28 --> 00:18:31 And it was really hard to stop because it was really fun.
00:18:31 --> 00:18:36 It was really fun to play this game with other people.
00:18:37 --> 00:18:38 But because of God's grace,
00:18:38 --> 00:18:41 he pointed out how unhelpful it was.
00:18:42 --> 00:18:43 I've stopped playing that card game,
00:18:43 --> 00:18:46 but I needed God's wisdom to see
00:18:46 --> 00:18:50 that I was justifying wickedness and sin
00:18:50 --> 00:18:52 just because it was delicious.
00:18:53 --> 00:18:57 But it was becoming a cancer to my soul.
00:18:58 --> 00:19:00 This is true of any temptation.
00:19:02 --> 00:19:04 We can so easily justify
00:19:04 --> 00:19:07 why this particular sin is okay
00:19:07 --> 00:19:11 and not see that it's actually poisoning our hearts.
00:19:13 --> 00:19:15 This is something that we need to be aware of
00:19:15 --> 00:19:18 when we are with our non-Christian friends,
00:19:19 --> 00:19:20 non-Christian family members.
00:19:21 --> 00:19:24 We don't necessarily just want to separate ourselves
00:19:24 --> 00:19:26 and go, I can't hang around with you anymore.
00:19:27 --> 00:19:30 We're not called to go and hide in a cave
00:19:30 --> 00:19:32 and exclude ourselves,
00:19:32 --> 00:19:34 but to not give in to temptation
00:19:34 --> 00:19:38 and to be witnesses of God's goodness to us.
00:19:38 --> 00:19:42 So David has cried out for help from God.
00:19:43 --> 00:19:44 He's called for wisdom,
00:19:45 --> 00:19:47 practical wisdom to close his mouth,
00:19:47 --> 00:19:48 wisdom for his heart
00:19:48 --> 00:19:50 and for who he spends time with.
00:19:50 --> 00:19:51 And now,
00:19:52 --> 00:19:55 instead of pursuing evil with friends,
00:19:55 --> 00:19:57 he calls for godly friends.
00:19:58 --> 00:19:59 Our third point today
00:19:59 --> 00:20:02 for needing good friends.
00:20:02 --> 00:20:04 Have a look at verse 5.
00:20:04 --> 00:20:07 Let a righteous man strike me.
00:20:08 --> 00:20:09 That is a kindness.
00:20:09 --> 00:20:10 Let him rebuke me.
00:20:11 --> 00:20:13 That is oil on my head.
00:20:14 --> 00:20:15 My head will not refuse it,
00:20:15 --> 00:20:17 for my prayer will still be against
00:20:17 --> 00:20:18 the deeds of evildoers.
00:20:19 --> 00:20:20 Now, you might be thinking,
00:20:20 --> 00:20:22 I'd prefer a wicked friend
00:20:22 --> 00:20:23 than a righteous friend
00:20:23 --> 00:20:25 if a righteous friend is going to come along
00:20:25 --> 00:20:26 and punch me in the face.
00:20:27 --> 00:20:29 But David is seeking a friend
00:20:29 --> 00:20:31 who will love him enough to rebuke him,
00:20:32 --> 00:20:33 even when it hurts.
00:20:34 --> 00:20:36 And David says this is a kindness.
00:20:37 --> 00:20:39 The Hebrew word here for kindness
00:20:39 --> 00:20:41 is chesed,
00:20:41 --> 00:20:43 and it means loving kindness.
00:20:44 --> 00:20:46 The love of a friend that says,
00:20:46 --> 00:20:48 James, what you are doing,
00:20:48 --> 00:20:49 don't do this.
00:20:50 --> 00:20:52 Don't chase that sin.
00:20:52 --> 00:20:53 Don't give in to this one.
00:20:54 --> 00:20:55 This is foolishness.
00:20:55 --> 00:20:59 It's one thing to have loving friends
00:20:59 --> 00:21:00 who will rebuke you,
00:21:00 --> 00:21:04 but another to actually hear that rebuke.
00:21:05 --> 00:21:05 David says,
00:21:06 --> 00:21:08 my head will not refuse it,
00:21:09 --> 00:21:10 but it will be like oil.
00:21:10 --> 00:21:12 It will be a blessing on me.
00:21:12 --> 00:21:14 Pour out your rebukes on me.
00:21:14 --> 00:21:18 In our battle against sin,
00:21:19 --> 00:21:19 the world,
00:21:19 --> 00:21:20 and the devil,
00:21:20 --> 00:21:23 we have God in our corner
00:21:23 --> 00:21:24 who does come and help us.
00:21:25 --> 00:21:25 And he does.
00:21:27 --> 00:21:29 And he also provides a community of believers
00:21:29 --> 00:21:31 for friends to rebuke
00:21:31 --> 00:21:33 and to point out our sin.
00:21:34 --> 00:21:36 Do you have a friend like this?
00:21:37 --> 00:21:39 Do you have a person
00:21:39 --> 00:21:40 that you can speak truthfully,
00:21:41 --> 00:21:43 that can speak into you,
00:21:43 --> 00:21:44 into your life truthfully,
00:21:44 --> 00:21:46 with words of loving kindness,
00:21:47 --> 00:21:49 even when it hurts?
00:21:50 --> 00:21:52 I have a couple of friends like this.
00:21:52 --> 00:21:53 I have a mentor like this.
00:21:53 --> 00:21:54 Alyssa, my wife,
00:21:54 --> 00:21:55 is one of these people as well.
00:21:56 --> 00:21:57 She knows me best.
00:21:58 --> 00:21:59 She sees through me,
00:21:59 --> 00:22:01 and I know that she's on my side.
00:22:02 --> 00:22:03 She knows all of my faults.
00:22:03 --> 00:22:04 Don't worry.
00:22:04 --> 00:22:05 You can ask her later.
00:22:05 --> 00:22:06 She can tell you all of them.
00:22:08 --> 00:22:10 But I also try and give her space to speak,
00:22:11 --> 00:22:15 to strike me with hard words of loving kindness.
00:22:16 --> 00:22:17 But the reality is,
00:22:17 --> 00:22:18 it doesn't need to be a spouse.
00:22:18 --> 00:22:19 It can be a friend,
00:22:20 --> 00:22:21 someone you can trust,
00:22:21 --> 00:22:23 a Christian brother or sister,
00:22:23 --> 00:22:25 that you can ask to point out your sin,
00:22:26 --> 00:22:29 to speak up when you see me being tempted.
00:22:29 --> 00:22:32 When you see me being tempted to chase evil brother,
00:22:32 --> 00:22:33 and you're speaking to my life,
00:22:33 --> 00:22:34 don't let me go that way.
00:22:34 --> 00:22:36 You wouldn't let me walk in front of a bus.
00:22:36 --> 00:22:37 Don't let me chase this sin.
00:22:39 --> 00:22:43 Steve is also someone who knows me really well,
00:22:44 --> 00:22:47 and he sees really clearly,
00:22:48 --> 00:22:51 painfully, like that striking in the face sometimes.
00:22:51 --> 00:22:53 A couple of weeks ago, he said to me,
00:22:54 --> 00:22:55 you know, James, when you get stubborn,
00:22:56 --> 00:22:58 you get this particular look on your face,
00:22:58 --> 00:23:00 and I can tell what it is when you're being stubborn.
00:23:00 --> 00:23:04 And words of loving kindness are never fun.
00:23:05 --> 00:23:06 They can hurt,
00:23:07 --> 00:23:11 but they also help to keep us following God.
00:23:12 --> 00:23:14 We need them because Satan wants to tempt us,
00:23:15 --> 00:23:16 just like with Adam and Eve,
00:23:16 --> 00:23:20 to trick us into being satisfied with sin,
00:23:20 --> 00:23:26 and not the full goodness of what God has intended for us in Jesus.
00:23:27 --> 00:23:31 And so do you have a friend that you are giving space to,
00:23:31 --> 00:23:32 to speak into your life?
00:23:32 --> 00:23:34 And who is the person that you're speaking into,
00:23:35 --> 00:23:40 that you are knowing well enough to love them with difficult words?
00:23:40 --> 00:23:45 David cries for help, for wisdom,
00:23:46 --> 00:23:48 and he asks God for friends,
00:23:49 --> 00:23:53 for a righteous person to keep him accountable following God.
00:23:54 --> 00:23:56 And the last two points, much quicker,
00:23:57 --> 00:24:02 but the second last point is that God will see him be vindicated.
00:24:02 --> 00:24:05 And I don't think this is something we pray for often.
00:24:05 --> 00:24:07 It's not often something in our context.
00:24:07 --> 00:24:11 But David, it appears, has been sinned against.
00:24:12 --> 00:24:16 And he wants to strike out at those who have sinned against him.
00:24:17 --> 00:24:19 But he asks for God's help to close his mouth,
00:24:19 --> 00:24:22 and he is instead going to wait for God to judge them.
00:24:22 --> 00:24:24 He's waiting for God's vindication.
00:24:26 --> 00:24:28 Have a look with me at verse 6.
00:24:28 --> 00:24:31 Their rulers will be thrown down from the cliffs,
00:24:31 --> 00:24:34 and the wicked will learn that my words were well spoken.
00:24:34 --> 00:24:37 I don't think we speak like this very often,
00:24:38 --> 00:24:42 you know, if we're feeling aggrieved by the way a co-worker has treated us.
00:24:42 --> 00:24:44 I don't think we would pray like David,
00:24:44 --> 00:24:46 that they would be thrown down from the cliffs.
00:24:47 --> 00:24:50 This is a different context, but we can learn from it.
00:24:50 --> 00:24:52 David is speaking for those who are David's enemies,
00:24:53 --> 00:24:55 and God's enemies trying to kill him.
00:24:55 --> 00:25:01 And so David is asking that God would see him vindicated.
00:25:02 --> 00:25:04 That David is going to wait for God to work.
00:25:04 --> 00:25:06 He is not going to rush out.
00:25:06 --> 00:25:10 He's going to wait for God to be about his business of justice.
00:25:11 --> 00:25:12 He doesn't need to defend himself.
00:25:13 --> 00:25:14 God will do that.
00:25:15 --> 00:25:18 And so we can learn that there is a value to patience,
00:25:18 --> 00:25:22 and that we don't need to strike back at other people
00:25:22 --> 00:25:24 because God is a good judge,
00:25:25 --> 00:25:26 and we are secure.
00:25:26 --> 00:25:31 We don't need to defend ourselves like we can be tempted to.
00:25:32 --> 00:25:34 And finally, in verse 8,
00:25:34 --> 00:25:36 David asks for protection.
00:25:36 --> 00:25:46 Even when faced with temptation,
00:25:46 --> 00:25:49 David still keeps his eyes focused on God.
00:25:50 --> 00:25:53 God is the refuge, the safe place, not himself.
00:25:54 --> 00:25:58 It's easy when tempted to sin to fixate on that sin,
00:25:58 --> 00:25:59 weigh up the cost.
00:26:00 --> 00:26:01 Should I give in to this sin?
00:26:01 --> 00:26:04 If I don't, do I want to?
00:26:04 --> 00:26:05 Instead of thinking about the sin,
00:26:06 --> 00:26:08 David is thinking about God.
00:26:09 --> 00:26:12 He's totally dependent to be kept safe from himself
00:26:12 --> 00:26:15 and from his enemies because he's depending upon God.
00:26:16 --> 00:26:18 When we cry out to God for help,
00:26:19 --> 00:26:20 when we ask for wisdom,
00:26:21 --> 00:26:22 to get righteous friends,
00:26:22 --> 00:26:24 to keep vindication in God's hands
00:26:24 --> 00:26:26 and depend on him from protection,
00:26:27 --> 00:26:29 it helps us to go a long way
00:26:29 --> 00:26:31 when we are faced with temptation
00:26:31 --> 00:26:36 because temptation does come for all of us.
00:26:37 --> 00:26:40 John Ortberg, another Christian pastor from the US,
00:26:41 --> 00:26:41 wrote this book.
00:26:42 --> 00:26:44 It's called The Me I Want to Be
00:26:44 --> 00:26:47 and he talks about temptation like fishing.
00:26:47 --> 00:26:51 Not that fishing is terribly tempting for me.
00:26:51 --> 00:26:52 It might be tempting for you.
00:26:52 --> 00:26:54 Maybe you were tempted this morning to go fishing
00:26:54 --> 00:26:55 instead of coming to church
00:26:55 --> 00:26:57 or being at church over the live stream.
00:26:57 --> 00:27:01 But Ortberg is talking about how dumb fish are.
00:27:02 --> 00:27:05 You throw a lure, a fake bait into the water
00:27:05 --> 00:27:08 saying, hey fish, come and swallow this.
00:27:08 --> 00:27:10 This is not the real thing.
00:27:11 --> 00:27:12 You think it will feed you.
00:27:12 --> 00:27:13 It won't.
00:27:13 --> 00:27:14 It's just going to trap you.
00:27:15 --> 00:27:16 It's just a matter of time
00:27:16 --> 00:27:18 before your enemy reels you in.
00:27:19 --> 00:27:21 And you'd think that the fish would see the lure,
00:27:21 --> 00:27:22 the fake bait,
00:27:22 --> 00:27:24 and think it's not even real food.
00:27:24 --> 00:27:25 Why eat it?
00:27:25 --> 00:27:28 You think they would see their other friends
00:27:28 --> 00:27:30 go flying out of the water,
00:27:30 --> 00:27:31 never to be seen again.
00:27:33 --> 00:27:33 But they don't.
00:27:35 --> 00:27:35 You think it's a little bit,
00:27:36 --> 00:27:37 I think it's a little bit ironic
00:27:37 --> 00:27:38 because, you know, fish live in schools
00:27:38 --> 00:27:40 and yet they're pretty dumb.
00:27:40 --> 00:27:43 Anyway, I got one laugh from my wife.
00:27:43 --> 00:27:44 I'm pretty happy about that.
00:27:46 --> 00:27:46 Pray for her.
00:27:47 --> 00:27:50 But are we much smarter than fish?
00:27:51 --> 00:27:54 Sin and temptation are dangled in front of us.
00:27:54 --> 00:27:57 And we can't help but bite.
00:27:57 --> 00:27:59 Even though it's not the real deal,
00:28:00 --> 00:28:01 it won't satisfy,
00:28:02 --> 00:28:05 but just enslave us like a hook through the cheek.
00:28:07 --> 00:28:08 Temptation promises freedom.
00:28:09 --> 00:28:09 Take this.
00:28:10 --> 00:28:10 Do this.
00:28:11 --> 00:28:11 Look at this.
00:28:11 --> 00:28:13 This will bring joy.
00:28:14 --> 00:28:15 And it might,
00:28:15 --> 00:28:18 but it's very short-term fake.
00:28:18 --> 00:28:20 And inevitably,
00:28:20 --> 00:28:21 it makes us slaves
00:28:21 --> 00:28:24 because there is always a hook.
00:28:25 --> 00:28:26 Real freedom,
00:28:26 --> 00:28:28 the way God made us to be,
00:28:28 --> 00:28:32 is not the ability to have everything we desire,
00:28:33 --> 00:28:34 but to not be enslaved.
00:28:35 --> 00:28:37 Real freedom is to not be enslaved
00:28:37 --> 00:28:39 to our temptations.
00:28:39 --> 00:28:41 We are more than our desires,
00:28:41 --> 00:28:42 more than our stomach,
00:28:43 --> 00:28:44 more than lustful eyes,
00:28:44 --> 00:28:45 more than angry hands,
00:28:45 --> 00:28:47 more than hurtful words.
00:28:48 --> 00:28:50 We are so much more than that.
00:28:51 --> 00:28:52 Ortberg said
00:28:52 --> 00:28:54 that the battle against temptation
00:28:54 --> 00:28:56 is a noble fight.
00:28:57 --> 00:29:00 But if we simply try to repress a desire,
00:29:00 --> 00:29:01 it will wear us out.
00:29:02 --> 00:29:04 We need to have a very clear picture
00:29:04 --> 00:29:07 of what kind of person we want to be.
00:29:07 --> 00:29:08 We need to have a clear picture
00:29:08 --> 00:29:11 of the person that we want to be.
00:29:11 --> 00:29:12 Let me read from Ortberg.
00:29:12 --> 00:29:15 Job put it this way.
00:29:16 --> 00:29:18 He's talking about his own issues
00:29:18 --> 00:29:20 with sexual temptation.
00:29:21 --> 00:29:22 Let me read a little bit earlier.
00:29:23 --> 00:29:24 One day,
00:29:24 --> 00:29:25 I wrote down all the reasons
00:29:25 --> 00:29:27 why I would like to handle sexuality
00:29:27 --> 00:29:29 in an honorable way.
00:29:29 --> 00:29:32 What might it do to my wife if I didn't?
00:29:33 --> 00:29:34 How my children would be affected?
00:29:35 --> 00:29:37 What would happen to my work and ministry?
00:29:37 --> 00:29:39 How it would feel to be haunted
00:29:39 --> 00:29:41 by guilt and failure
00:29:41 --> 00:29:44 and the inability of sexual gratification
00:29:44 --> 00:29:45 to last?
00:29:46 --> 00:29:47 Job put it this way.
00:29:47 --> 00:29:50 I made a covenant with my eyes
00:29:50 --> 00:29:52 not to look lustfully at a girl.
00:29:53 --> 00:29:55 I deliberately seek to not look
00:29:55 --> 00:29:56 at a woman who is not my wife
00:29:56 --> 00:29:58 for the purpose of deriving
00:29:58 --> 00:29:59 sexual gratification.
00:30:00 --> 00:30:01 Suppose I'm at a health club
00:30:01 --> 00:30:04 and out of the corner of my eye,
00:30:04 --> 00:30:05 I see a woman
00:30:05 --> 00:30:07 and think that if I look over at her,
00:30:07 --> 00:30:10 maybe I'll be able to experience
00:30:10 --> 00:30:12 a little sexual pleasure.
00:30:13 --> 00:30:14 The next thought that comes
00:30:14 --> 00:30:16 because of what Job said is,
00:30:17 --> 00:30:19 I don't have to look.
00:30:19 --> 00:30:22 I can not look.
00:30:23 --> 00:30:24 The thought that follows is,
00:30:25 --> 00:30:26 instead of missing out
00:30:26 --> 00:30:28 on a little thrill by not looking,
00:30:28 --> 00:30:31 I will have a power I didn't have,
00:30:32 --> 00:30:34 a power I didn't know I had,
00:30:35 --> 00:30:36 I can be free.
00:30:36 --> 00:30:39 And that freedom produced by the Spirit
00:30:39 --> 00:30:41 feels good.
00:30:43 --> 00:30:44 David has a clear picture
00:30:44 --> 00:30:46 of who he wants to be.
00:30:46 --> 00:30:49 A man that honors God with his words,
00:30:49 --> 00:30:52 that he's influenced by the right people.
00:30:54 --> 00:30:55 He has a clear picture
00:30:55 --> 00:30:57 of the man he wants to be.
00:30:58 --> 00:31:00 And he, just like Ortberg said,
00:31:00 --> 00:31:03 can choose to not sin.
00:31:03 --> 00:31:05 All because we have freedom
00:31:05 --> 00:31:07 because of Jesus Christ.
00:31:08 --> 00:31:11 What steps do we need to take
00:31:11 --> 00:31:12 to win the battle
00:31:12 --> 00:31:13 against sin,
00:31:14 --> 00:31:15 the world,
00:31:15 --> 00:31:16 and the devil?
00:31:16 --> 00:31:18 To be able to be people who say,
00:31:18 --> 00:31:20 I cannot do that sin
00:31:20 --> 00:31:22 because God has set me free.
00:31:23 --> 00:31:25 I have six short steps
00:31:25 --> 00:31:27 to help us in this battle.
00:31:28 --> 00:31:29 First of all,
00:31:30 --> 00:31:32 just like Ortberg and David has done,
00:31:32 --> 00:31:33 to have a picture
00:31:33 --> 00:31:35 of who we want to be
00:31:35 --> 00:31:35 in our mind.
00:31:36 --> 00:31:38 And to use descriptive words.
00:31:38 --> 00:31:39 I'm going to give you a moment
00:31:39 --> 00:31:41 in a second to do this.
00:31:41 --> 00:31:42 Imagine a picture
00:31:42 --> 00:31:44 of who you want to be.
00:31:44 --> 00:31:45 It could be somebody
00:31:45 --> 00:31:47 who is a faithful husband.
00:31:48 --> 00:31:48 That's one for me.
00:31:49 --> 00:31:50 It could be
00:31:50 --> 00:31:52 somebody who honors God
00:31:52 --> 00:31:53 with their words.
00:31:53 --> 00:31:54 Who is the picture
00:31:54 --> 00:31:56 of a person
00:31:56 --> 00:31:56 that you want to be?
00:31:57 --> 00:31:58 What is the version
00:31:58 --> 00:31:59 of yourself
00:31:59 --> 00:32:00 that honors God?
00:32:01 --> 00:32:01 Secondly,
00:32:02 --> 00:32:03 pray for God's help
00:32:03 --> 00:32:04 as you journey
00:32:04 --> 00:32:06 to be that person.
00:32:07 --> 00:32:08 Pray for God's help.
00:32:09 --> 00:32:10 Third,
00:32:10 --> 00:32:11 what is the first step
00:32:11 --> 00:32:12 in that direction?
00:32:13 --> 00:32:14 What is the very first step?
00:32:15 --> 00:32:16 Fourth,
00:32:16 --> 00:32:17 as you journey,
00:32:18 --> 00:32:19 what are the temptations
00:32:19 --> 00:32:20 that you are going to battle?
00:32:21 --> 00:32:22 Be aware
00:32:22 --> 00:32:23 of the temptations
00:32:23 --> 00:32:24 you will face
00:32:24 --> 00:32:24 in the future.
00:32:25 --> 00:32:25 Fifth,
00:32:26 --> 00:32:27 find a friend
00:32:27 --> 00:32:28 to help you keep,
00:32:28 --> 00:32:29 to keep you accountable.
00:32:30 --> 00:32:31 And lastly,
00:32:31 --> 00:32:32 as we journey,
00:32:33 --> 00:32:34 always remember
00:32:34 --> 00:32:35 the God
00:32:35 --> 00:32:36 who loves you,
00:32:36 --> 00:32:37 who has forgiven you
00:32:37 --> 00:32:38 in Jesus,
00:32:39 --> 00:32:40 and that we can have assurance
00:32:40 --> 00:32:41 because of his love.
00:32:42 --> 00:32:43 To imagine a picture
00:32:43 --> 00:32:44 of who God
00:32:44 --> 00:32:45 is making you to be,
00:32:46 --> 00:32:47 pray for God's help
00:32:47 --> 00:32:47 on that journey.
00:32:48 --> 00:32:49 What is the first step?
00:32:50 --> 00:32:51 What is the first step?
00:32:51 --> 00:32:52 What is the next step
00:32:52 --> 00:32:53 that you are taking
00:32:53 --> 00:32:54 to grow as a Christian?
00:32:55 --> 00:32:56 What are the temptations?
00:32:56 --> 00:32:57 What are the battles
00:32:57 --> 00:32:58 that you are going to face?
00:32:59 --> 00:33:00 Get a friend
00:33:00 --> 00:33:01 to keep you accountable
00:33:01 --> 00:33:02 for those battles,
00:33:02 --> 00:33:03 and remember
00:33:03 --> 00:33:05 that God loves you.
00:33:06 --> 00:33:06 Let me pray.
00:33:09 --> 00:33:10 Heavenly Father,
00:33:10 --> 00:33:10 I thank you
00:33:10 --> 00:33:11 that you
00:33:11 --> 00:33:12 are good
00:33:12 --> 00:33:13 and loving,
00:33:13 --> 00:33:14 and that you
00:33:14 --> 00:33:15 are faithful to us.
00:33:15 --> 00:33:17 even when we
00:33:17 --> 00:33:18 are faced with sin
00:33:18 --> 00:33:19 and temptation
00:33:19 --> 00:33:21 to run away from you,
00:33:21 --> 00:33:22 to hurt ourselves
00:33:22 --> 00:33:23 and other people.
00:33:23 --> 00:33:24 Lord,
00:33:24 --> 00:33:25 thank you for this reminder
00:33:25 --> 00:33:26 from David
00:33:26 --> 00:33:27 to call out to you
00:33:27 --> 00:33:28 from help.
00:33:29 --> 00:33:29 God,
00:33:29 --> 00:33:30 please make us
00:33:30 --> 00:33:31 people who
00:33:31 --> 00:33:33 willingly run
00:33:33 --> 00:33:34 to you
00:33:34 --> 00:33:35 for help.
00:33:36 --> 00:33:37 Lord,
00:33:37 --> 00:33:37 help us
00:33:37 --> 00:33:38 today
00:33:38 --> 00:33:39 and tomorrow
00:33:39 --> 00:33:40 as we,
00:33:41 --> 00:33:42 as fallen people
00:33:42 --> 00:33:43 who are being made
00:33:43 --> 00:33:44 more like your son,
00:33:44 --> 00:33:46 face temptations.
00:33:46 --> 00:33:47 Help us
00:33:47 --> 00:33:47 to honor you
00:33:47 --> 00:33:48 in those situations,
00:33:49 --> 00:33:49 Lord.
00:33:49 --> 00:33:49 Help us
00:33:49 --> 00:33:51 to see
00:33:51 --> 00:33:52 that we can
00:33:52 --> 00:33:53 choose not to sin.
00:33:54 --> 00:33:55 We ask this
00:33:55 --> 00:33:56 in your son's name
00:33:56 --> 00:33:56 and for your glory.
00:33:57 --> 00:33:57 Amen.