Tempted

We tend to think that when we give our lives to Christ that there will be no more messes in our lives. That God comes down and takes all the crap away. We no longer must fight or be intentional. We are suddenly free from temptation and the power of sin.

But, the truth is, temptations usually become worse.

James 1:12-16 (NASB)

Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God, cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.

        James said I’m going to have trials, storms, and temptations. Jesus even said in

JOHN 10:10a

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy;”

        But guess what, we don’t have to play the victim when a storm hits. We don’t have to let Satan rob and steal from us. We don’t have to be an addict. We don’t have to use drugs. We don’t have to hurt. We don’t have to be alone. We don’t have to give into temptation.

Jesus, the Son of God was Born, became a man, died on the cross for you and me, rose from the dead and now sits at the right hand of God. He set us, you, Free. Luke 2:10-12 John 19:16-30 Acts 2:24, 5:32, 10:40 & 13:31 Romans 8:34

Jesus came so that we could be reconciled to God. He came so we could have eternal life. What do we have to do? Nothing! It is a gift from God.

Well, not exactly. We must choose to accept God’s gift. We must open the gift. We must believe and put our trust in Him. But we can’t earn it, we can’t buy it and we don’t have to be good enough to receive it.

Ephesians 2:8 says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God”.

Now that is stinking awesome, Eternal Life! That is something to celebrate, Amen! But as if that were not enough. There’s even more. In John 10:10b Jesus said, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”

Not only does God want us to have eternal life but He wants us to have a full life here on earth as well as in eternity. I could preach a four-week sermon series on that one verse.

That you might have an abundance of life. Imagine that!

Our minds are going to jump right away to things like Happiness, Health, Success and Material things. We think a full life means having plenty of food, clothing, money, health, happiness, and love, right?

Well, not exactly. While God does want those things for us. The abundance that He wants for us goes way beyond our physical wants and needs.

Abundantly in the Greek is “pe-rēs-so's “A few of its meanings are: advantage, exceeding, beyond measure.

Let’s look at the word “advantage”. In Christ, we can gain advantages in life. And no, I’m not talking about an advantage in the football game, the lottery or on a test. I’m talking about advantages that improve our quality of life on earth emotionally, psychologically, functionally and spiritually.

A few examples would be:

Having peace during a storm.
Feeling joy during a mighty trial.
Strength in everyday battles.
Courage when fear surrounds you.
Wisdom amid the confusion.
Love and forgiveness when surrounded by hate.
Freedom from sin, freedom from addictions, freedom from hurts, freedom from character defects, etc.

Jesus said in,

John 8:32 “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” He went on to say in verse 36 “… if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”

Do you want to be SET FREE tonight? Do you want to break the chains of lawlessness, addiction, depression, shame, guilt, sadness, loneliness, etc?

The choice is yours. God, although He could, has and does, He will not necessarily wave a magic wand and make everything better tonight. God will, however, begin doing His part when we begin doing our part.

Philippians 2:12 says, continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling,

As I always say, we must run the race. Acts 20:24 – I Corinthians 9:24 -Galatians 2:2; 5:7 – 2 Timothy 4:7- Hebrews 12:1

So, how do we lay hold of and grab a life of abundance in Christ? It’s simple really. But for the flesh, it can be hard at times. It takes discipline, commitment, and being intentional. If you want a better, fuller life here on earth, here are six key things you must do:

First, you have got to make Christ Lord of your life.            Romans 10:9,10 - Philippians 2:12 -  2 Corinthians 6:2

Second, you have got to get the Word into your heart. This goes beyond just simply reading it. Reading it is good, of course, but you’ve got to meditate (think) on it. You’ve got to go beyond knowing what it says and apply it, apply it in your life every day. You’ve got to act on it. And of course, you must believe every word in it. Hebrews 4:12   2 Timothy 3:16 John 5:39 Psalm 119

Third, you have got to spend time every day in prayer. God wants to hear your voice, your needs, requests for others, your frustrations and your victories, your sorrows, and joys, your thankfulness, praises, and love. There is no special format to follow or correct words to use. Just talk to Him. Romans 12:12 Hebrews 4:16 James 5:13-16

Fourthly, Surround yourself with like-minded people. Get plugged into a church and faithfully attend. Get involved in small groups and bible studies. Hebrews 10:24, 25 Acts 2:42

Fifthly, Service and volunteering are amazing ways to get out of yourself and your problems. Plus, the growth and rewards are awesome. Service, volunteering and giving back, whether it’s at your local church, through a local ministry like Next Steps, a ministry like CR/CRI or in your community is required by God and your growth, joy, and successes depend upon it. Matthew 7:2 Luke 10:27

Lastly, Choice. You need to intentionally seek good choices. God will not force anything upon you. You must take the right steps and make the right choices for yourself. Joshua 24:15 James 4:4

What I hope I convey today is that we can celebrate being able to have eternal life, but, we also, can celebrate that we can have an abundance of life in Christ today, we can be set free from our addiction, hurts, and hang-ups. Tonight, right now. We don’t have to wait until we get to heaven.

Do you want to be free? We’ll Jesus didn’t say, “I’ll set you free, but only on Sunday and only if it’s snowing sideways.”

No, He said “I’ve come to set the captives free” Isaiah 61:1

Pastor Gregg