2) OVERCOMING TEMPTATION – 5.15.11

In the ancient Greek writings, strange creatures called sirens appeared to sailors. They inhibited coral-encrusted Islands or rocky straits that were particularly hazardous to the ships. Sirens are usually depicted with the faces of women, the bodies of birds, and the voices of angels. Their songs were lovely, but ever so fatal. Their melodious voices and near-angelic appearance caused the sailors to veer from the safe, deep water channels and journey close to the dangerous Islands. Just when it looked like their ships would escape harm, the razor sharp shoals shredded the vessels and the sailor’s lives would be lost. There are similar voices calling out to Christians today. Like those mariners of yesteryear, YOU MUST TOO LEARN TO REFUSE THE SIRENS’ SONG.

THE SETTING

James 1:2-4 My brethren, COUNT it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; 3. KNOWING this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. 4. But LET patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. 5. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ASK of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

WHEN YE FALL INTO DIVERS TEMPTATIONS

• FALL INTO doesn’t mean a stupid accident; Translated “encounter, come across”
• “DIVERS” means “varicolored”; God arranges and mixes the experiences of life

Throughout the Bible are people who turned defeat into victory and trial into triumph. Instead of being victims, they became victors. No matter what the trials through faith in Christ we can experience victory. The result of this victory is spiritual maturity. In order to turn temptations into triumphs, we must obey four imperatives from James 1:2-5.

Ø  #1. Count – EVALUATE your blessings with joyful attitude (1:2)

Ø  #2. Know – understanding god KNOWS what’s best (1:3)

Ø  #3. let – surrendering your will to god (1:4)

Ø  #4. ask – believing god will bring you through (1:5)

FALLING SHORT: THE LIFE OF SAMSON

Ø  Judges 13:24 And the woman bare a son, and called his name Samson: and the child grew, and the LORD blessed him. 25. And the Spirit of the LORD began to move him at times in the camp of Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol.

Samson had spiritual power and performed feats that were unmatched by any other man.   However, he was unconscious of his high calling. Samson became the hero of his tribe and he received much popularity. In the process of this fame he became careless with God’s power and ignored the traps of temptation.

HIS FALL INTO TEMPTATION WAS A PROGRESSION:

• 1) He married a Philistine woman of Timnah whom his parents objected to (Jud 14:3), BUT HIS MOTIVE was he "sought an occasion against the Philistines."
• 2) After an incredible victory Samson went to Gaza the chief city of the Philistines. There he saw a harlot, and could not control his passions.(Jud 16:1-3). 
• 3) From Gaza Samson went to the valley of Sorek where he fell in love with another Philistine woman, named Delilah, The Philistine lords bribed her with a very large sum to deliver him into their hands. Jud 16:4-20)

OVERCOMING: THE LIFE OF THE JOSEPH

Genesis 39:6 And Joseph was a goodly person, and well favoured. 7. And it came to pass after these things, that his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me. 8. But he refused, and said unto his master's wife, Behold, my master wotteth not what is with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand; 9. There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: HOW THEN CAN I DO THIS GREAT WICKEDNESS, AND SIN AGAINST GOD?

JOSEPH’S IMPORTANT QUESTION: [HOW THEN] can I do this great wickedness, and sin AGAINST GOD? (Genesis 39:6)

Joseph gives two powerful reasons for his noncompliance:

Ø  1) GRATITUDE TO HIS MASTER to whom he owed all that he had.

Ø  2) HIS FEAR OF GOD in whose sight it would be a heinous offence.

A PERSPECTIVE OF GOD

• Isaiah 45:5 I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me:
• I Timothy 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.
• Colossians 2:9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. 10. And ye are complete in him.
• Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

TOOL FOR YOUR TOOL BOX: A VOW

Baptism is a lot like a wedding ring. Baptism is symbolic of the washing away of our sins. It is also symbolic of a new way of life. It has been said that Baptism is to the Christian faith what the wedding ring is to a marriage. It is a symbol. "Like the wedding ring, baptism draws a mark on the ground between the past and the future. Like the wedding ring, it says, "From this day forward, I stand with God."

Ø  Each of you was given a twisty tie that you can bend into a ring for your finger as your symbol of commitment to God.

WEDDING VOWS

Ruth 1:16-17 Entreat me not to leave thee, Or return from following after thee, For whiter thou goest, I will go, And where thou lodgest, I will lodge Thy people shall be my people And thy God, my God And, may the Lord do so to me If ought but death part thee and me.

CONCLUSION

James 1:12 Blessed is the man that ENDURETH TEMPTATION: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

John 16:33 In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I HAVE OVERCOME THE WORLD.

1 Peter 1:7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, THOUGH IT BE TRIED WITH FIRE, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

3) OVERCOMING FEAR – 5.22.11

§  WHAT IS THE NUMBER ONE THING YOU ARE AFRAID OF?

§  We have nothing to fear but fear itself. Franklin D. Roosevelt

TOP TEN FEARS OF AMERICANS

1. Arachnophobia: The fear of spiders.

2. Ophidiophobia: The fear of snakes.

3. Acrophobia: The fear of heights.

4. Agoraphobia: The fear of tight places.

5. Cynophobia: The fear of dogs.

6. Astraphobia: The fear of storms.

7. Trypanophobia: The fear of injections.

8. Social Phobias: The fear of crowds.

9. Pteromerhanophobia: The fear of flying.

10. Mysophobia: The fear of germs & dirt.

THE TEXT

2 Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of POWER, and of LOVE, and of a SOUND MIND.

• GOD HATH NOT GIVEN US THE SPIRIT OF FEAR - some translations read (servitude or bondage)
• BUT OF POWER - to work miracles, to confound enemies, to support us in trials, and enable us to do that, which is lawful and right in his sight.
• AND OF LOVE - which enables us to hear, believe, hope, and endure all things; and is the incentive to all obedience.
• A SOUND MIND - it means a clear understanding, a sound judgment, a rectified will, and holy passions.

FALLING SHORT: THE LIFE OF SAUL

I Samuel 10:21-22 Saul the son of Kish was taken: and when they sought him, he could not be found. 22. Therefore they inquired of the LORD further, if the man should yet come thither. And the LORD answered, Behold, HE HATH HID HIMSELF AMONG THE STUFF.

• Although Saul became king chiefly through his striking appearance, he never won the inward battles. On the outside, he was tall, good-looking and well built. On the inside, he was a coward who could not carry out the commands of God.

FEARS BEST FRIENDS

1) INFECTION. COWARDICE IS CONTAGIOUS. Goliath challenged Israel and Saul fled to his tent – So did Saul’s men!

2) INSECURITY. Due to Saul’s his insecurities, Saul pursued David to kill him and eliminate his competition.

3) COMFORT ZONE. Saul hired a witch-doctor to bring his mentor back from the dead for advice because he lacked courage to trust God to help him step into the unknown. (1 Samuel 28:5-20)

OVERCOMING: THE LIFE OF ESTHER

The book of Esther tells the story of a woman who is beautiful both inside and out. Mordecai, an older cousin, takes her under his wing in her early years; in a sense, he becomes her mentor. As a gorgeous young Jewish woman, Esther is chosen to replace Queen Vashti as the consort of King Ahasuerus. She marries into the royal family and over the years deepens her influence. Somewhere in the midst of her reign, a man named Haman feels snubbed by Mordecai and responds to making plans to exterminate the Jewish people. When Mordecai learns of the plot, he returns to his protégé, Queen Esther, and tries to convince her that she must stop this genocidal plan. After a moment of indecision, SHE AGREES TO TAKE THE ENORMOUS RISK. Her courageous initiative, quick wit, charm, and poise in this desperate moment testify to the Jews that God will always raise up sufficient leadership for each crisis that emerges.

§  Esther 4:16 Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.

ESTHER FACED THE FEAR OF DEATH FOR

THE GOOD OF HER PEOPLE

• POWER – From Praying and Fasting
• LOVE – From others praying for her and her love towards her people
• SOUND MIND – She was willing to take a risk and obey  

Esther 4:14 Who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?

TOOL FOR YOUR TOOL BOX: FAITH

The greatest antidote to fear is faith! As you build up your faith and challenge your fears, you will receive victory in your life.

Hebrews 11:6 BUT WITHOUT FAITH IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO PLEASE HIM: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. 7. BY FAITH NOAH, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith. 8. BY FAITH ABRAHAM, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. 9. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with ISAAC AND JACOB, the heirs with him of the same promise: 10. For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. 11. Through faith also SARAH herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.

AREAS OF RISK

Ø  1) TIME – Ephesians 5:16-17 REDEEMING THE TIME, because the days are evil. 17. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but UNDERSTANDING WHAT THE WILL OF THE LORD IS.

§  RICK ROGERS – Saturday at breakfast he told me they visit all visitors at their homes for ten minutes on Monday nights.

§  VOLUNTEERING – People have just been randomly working here at Adrian United

Ø  2) TALENT – Eccl 9:10 WHATSOEVER THY HAND FINDETH TO DO, DO IT WITH THY MIGHT; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.

§  BIBLE STUDY TEACHERS

§  ALTER WORKERS

Ø  3) TREASURE – Luke 12:34 For where your TREASURE is, there will your HEART be also.

§  TITHING

§  BUILDING FUND

§  FAITH PROMISE

§  STUDENT CAMP FUND – We have approximately 20 kidz & students going to camp this year and they need our help

FEATURED SONG: “FEARLESS” by BUILDING 429

I’ll be fearless for You 

I’ll be fearless for You 

Take me I’m Yours 

I’ll be fearless for You 

So the world may see 

That the captives are freed 

‘Cause you have been heaven sent to us 

Unwilling to bend 

Unwilling to break 

Headstrong I’ll stand 

No matter what it takes

1) OVERCOMING SELF – 5.1.11

Today we are launching a series entitled, “We shall Overcome.” Lesson one is “Overcoming Self.” We can be so full of ourselves that we cannot see Christ in all of His Beauty. We will discuss the words of John, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” (John 3:30)

Many years ago there was an evangelist traveling with his wife and little daughter. They were staying in the home of a friend. On the bedroom wall, just over the head of the bed in which they slept was a picture of Jesus, which reflected in the large mirror of the dressing table standing in the bay of the bedroom window. When the little girl woke on her first morning there she saw the picture of Jesus reflected in the mirror while she still lay in bed, and exclaimed, “Oh, Mommy, I can see Jesus in the mirror!” Then she quickly kneeled up to take a better look, but in doing so brought her own body between the picture and the mirror, so that instead of seeing the picture of Jesus reflected, she now saw herself. So she lay down again, and again she saw the picture of Jesus. She was up and down several times after that with her eyes fixed on the mirror. Then she said, “MOMMY, WHEN I CAN’T SEE MYSELF, I CAN SEE JESUS; BUT EVERY TIME I SEE MYSELF, I DON’T SEE HIM.”

• Charlie Brown said, “We have met the enemy and it is us.”

Last Sunday we hung our Hang-ups on the Bloodline of Christ. Here is a look into some of our flesh:

• 1) Our Tongue       
• 2) Fear                   
• 3) Doubt         
• 4) Anger         
• 5) Attitudes            
• 6) Selfishness      
• 7) Pride           
• 8) Substances           
• 9) Temper             
• 10) Depression    
• 11) Un-forgiveness  
• 12) Control           
• 13) Stress               
• 14) Lust          
• 15) Sin

THE BATTLE: THE FLESH

Romans 7:18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. 19. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. 20. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 21. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. 22. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: 23. BUT I SEE ANOTHER LAW IN MY MEMBERS, WARRING AGAINST THE LAW OF MY MIND, AND BRINGING ME INTO CAPTIVITY TO THE LAW OF SIN WHICH IS IN MY MEMBERS. 24. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? 25. I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

TUG-A-WAR ~ Have two teams play tug-a-war. FLESH VS. SPIRIT

According to Paul Lee Tan's Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations, "The Romans sometimes compelled a captive to be joined face-to-face with a dead body, and to bear it about until the horrible bacteria destroyed the life of the living victim. Virgil describes this cruel punishment: 'The living and the dead at his command/Were coupled face to face, and hand to hand;/ Till choked with stench, in loathed embraces tied,/The lingering wretches pined away and died.'" Without Christ, we are shackled to a dead corpse -- our sinfulness. Only repentance frees us from certain death, for life and death cannot coexist indefinitely.

FALLING SHORT: THE LIFE OF JUDAS ISCARIOT

Acts 1:25 That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, THAT HE MIGHT GO TO HIS OWN PLACE.

Perhaps the most significant thing that can be said of Judas Iscariot, was, that, in feeling sorrow for his crime of betrayal, he did not seek to atone for his sin to the One (Jesus) whom he had wronged, but, rather, went to his accomplices in crime (the priests) and there sought to set himself aright. Because those whom he had served in his selfishness failed him at the end (the priests), he went out and hanged himself.

WE LEAVE THE LIFE OF JUDAS WITH TWO LESSONS IN MIND:

• The journey into sin gains momentum. We never know where the path may end.
• Sin only needs opportunity to carry us to its utmost depths.

It is sadly possible to be associated with Jesus, to hear his gracious words, witness His wonderful works, yet refuse Him our heart’s allegiance and be ultimately lost.

 OVERCOMING: THE LIFE OF THE APOSTLE PAUL

Acts 22:6 And it came to pass, that, as I made my journey, and was come nigh unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me. 7. And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, WHY PERSECUTEST THOU ME? 8. And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest. 9. And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me. 10. And I said, WHAT SHALL I DO, LORD? And the Lord said unto me, Arise, and go into Damascus; and there it shall be told thee of all things which are appointed for thee to do.

PAUL’S IMPORTANT QUESTION: WHAT SHALL I DO, LORD? (Acts 22:10)

PAUL OBEYED: Acts 22:16 Arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.

THE VICTORY: PAUL, BEFORE AND AFTER

• BEFORE: Hated the Name           
• AFTER: Revered the Name
• BEFORE: Hated Followers       
• AFTER: Dedicated Follower
• BEFORE: Murdered Christians   
• AFTER: Martyred for Christ
• BEFORE: Tried to Destroy Message
• AFTER: Main Deliverer of Message
• BEFORE: Served in Fear and Anger
• AFTER: Served in Love

THE VICTORY: 1 Corinthians 15:51 Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, ⁵²In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. ⁵³For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. ⁵⁴So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. ⁵⁵O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? ⁵⁶The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. ⁵⁷But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

TOOL FOR YOUR TOOL BOX: FASTING

One of the most difficult yet effective ways of defeating your flesh and allowing the Spirit to reign free in your life is through the discipline of fasting.

Matthew 17:20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. 21. Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.

I SURRENDER ALL 

Judson W. Van DeVenter, 1896

All to Jesus I surrender;
 All to Him I freely give;
 I will ever love and trust Him, 
In His presence daily live.

REFRAIN:
 I surrender all,
 I surrender all;
 All to Thee, my blessed Savior, 
I surrender all.