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Planes: Fire and Rescue – Resisting the Fires of Temptation

July 21, 2014 by Leave a Comment

GodOnFilm

 

 

 

 

God on Film – Planes: Fire and Rescue
Resisting the Fires of Temptation
Sycamore Creek Church
July 20/21, 2014
Tom Arthur

Peace friends!

Today I want to talk about the fires of temptation and what you have to do to resist.  Temptation is well known by many of us.  Mae West, the 20th century actress, is reported to have said, “I generally avoid temptation unless I can’t resist it.” Oscar Wilde writes in Lady Windermere’s Fan, “I can resist anything except temptation.”  The Barna Group, a research firm that studies contemporary cultural and religious trends compiled a list of today’s top ten temptations.  They are:

  1. Eating too much (55%)
  2. Spending too much time on media (44%)
  3. Spending too much money (44%)

Speak of spending too much money.  A poor country pastor who was struggling to make ends meet got really upset at his wife one day for buying a new very expensive designer dress in the mall.  He confronted her asking, “How could you spend that much money on a dress?”  His wife responded, “Satan tempted me to buy it.  He said, ‘Buy this dress.  It looks great on you.’”  The pastor said, “When I’m tempted by Satan I resist by saying, ‘Get behind me, Satan.”  His wife said, “I told him that and he said, ‘It looks fabulous back here too.’”

Ok, back to the list.  Number four:

4. Gossiping (26%)

Ok, one more pastor joke.  Really.  Just one more.  Four pastors got together one weekend for some R&R in a cabin.  The first night they were there they decided to be open with each other about their biggest sins.  One pastor went first and he said, “I’ve got a really bad sin. I look at inappropriate pictures of women all the time.  I don’t even like sports but I have a subscription so that I get the swimsuit edition.”  The second pastor said, “Mine’s worse.  I’ve got a drinking problem.  I drink way too much.”  The third pastor said, “I’ve got a pretty bad sin too.  I gamble.  I play lots of poker and slots and blackjack, and I’m losing all my paycheck on a regular basis.”  The fourth pastor responded, “Men, I’m afraid my sin is the worst of all.  I struggle with gossip.  And if you’ll excuse me, I have to go make some calls.”

Ok, enough of that.  Back to the top ten list of temptations:

5. Feeling jealous (24%)
6. Viewing pornography (18%)
7. Lying or cheating (12%)
8. “Going off” on someone via text or email (11%)
9.  Abusing alcohol or drugs (11%)
10. Doing something sexually inappropriate with someone (9%)

I asked my friends on Facebook what their favorite temptation song was.  Tempted by the Fruit of Another by Squeeze just kept coming up over and over again.  You know the chorus:

Tempted by the fruit of another
Tempted but the truth is discovered
What’s been going on
Now that you have gone

What’s your temptation?  What are you most tempted by?  One of my worst temptations lately is to argue with people in my head.  I craft wonderful arguments with people in my mind and that puts me in a great position ready to pounce whenever the opportunity arises.  The other day I got Sarah really good.  I was arguing with her in my head, and I knew she’d walk right into my trap, and she did.  I pounced.  I got her so good that she even apologized to me!  But then I felt guilty and apologized for being ready to pounce and not dealing with my frustration in a constructive manner.  I was tempted by the argument in my mind, and I gave into it.

The Bible talks a lot about temptation. Paul, the first Christian missionary, wrote several letters to churches around the Mediterranean and those letters have become books in the Bible.  He wrote one letter to the church at Ephesus and he said:

Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground,…
Ephesians 6:13 NLT

Today I want to explore what else Paul says about temptation and resisting it so that you are able to resist the enemy, and so that you are left standing when you find yourself caught in the fires of temptation.

C.S. Lewis, the author of The Chronicles of Narnia said:

“Only those who try to resist temptation know how strong it is…A man who gives in to temptation after five minutes simply does not know what it would have been like an hour later.”
~C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

When I lived in Durham, NC I had a friend named Grace.  Grace lived with us for a while to get on her feet and overcome an addiction, and then she moved out into her own apartment about a quarter mile down the road.  A quarter mile may not seem like a very long way away, but Grace was a very large woman.  I’m not sure she had ever walked a quarter mile in her life.  Whenever she wanted to come over to our house we picked her up in a car.  One day Grace showed up on our porch after walking that quarter mile to get to our house.  Along the way she fell on the railroad tracks but got back up and kept walking.  When she arrived she was huffing and puffing. She took twenty minutes to rest and let her breathing go back to normal before she could tell us what this was all about.  She said, “I got the taste in my mouth for the drugs that were being sold by some kids in my back yard, and I knew I had to get away.”  She just about killed herself running away from temptation. When was the last time I ran from temptation so strenuously?

Today I want to look at a parallel that exists between those who fight fires and those who resist temptation.  When it comes to fighting fires, what you “wear” helps you resist the heat of a fire.  Firemen wear what is called a turnout suit.  It is specially crafted in all kinds of ways to help a fireman resist the heat of a fire.  It has several layers of insulation.  There is an internal harness that will allow another fireman to pull you out should you collapse.  It is fully waterproof as well as fireproof.  The helmet is made out of hardened leathered and has special ridges to deflect falling debris and water.  There is a plastic helmet within the leather helmet to absorb the shock of falling debris.  The outer coat has large pockets for keeping spare rope and carabineers should a fireman need to exit quickly out of a second story window.  Every detail is given special attention to help the fireman fight the fire.

In the same way that what you wear helps you fight fires, what you wear helps you fight and resist the fires of temptation.  Paul describes what he calls “God’s armor” that will help you resist temptation.

Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.  In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.  Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Ephesians 6:13-17 NLT

I’d like to look at two wardrobe essentials to resisting the fires of temptation.

1.     Put on Faith
Paul tells us:

In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.
Ephesians 6:16 NLT

What is faith?  I think it’s worth pointing out that there are degrees of faith.  Some have faith that a God exists.  It is the faith of the theist or deist.  Then there are some who have faith in a religious way of some sort like a Buddhist, Hindu, or Muslim.  Then there are those who have the faith of a servant of God.  Perhaps they fear God but do not love God.  Then there are those who have the faith of being a child of God.  This person knows that she is adopted into the family of God.

We find a pretty good definition of faith in the Bible itself.  We read:

Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.
~Hebrews 11:1 NLT

Martin Luther says that “faith is a living, bold trust in God’s grace, so certain of God’s favor that it would risk death a thousand times trusting in it.”  John Calvin another Protestant reformer from Luther’s day says, “A perfect faith is nowhere to be found, so it follows that all of us are partly unbelievers.”  Eugene Peterson, a contemporary pastor says, “Faith is not a feeling. It is simply an act of assent, of openness, and often doesn’t feel like much at all. Faith has to do with what God is doing, not with what we are feeling.”  Flannery O’Conner, the southern writer describes faith saying, “Don’t expect faith to clear things up for you.  It’s not about certainty, but about trust.”  I like to sum up all these definitions of faith by saying that faith is the decision to believe and trust, in spite of uncertainty.

So how do you put on faith?  Perhaps it is important to know that faith is a gift of God’s Spirit.  So if you need faith or if you don’t feel like you have much faith, then pray for faith and ask God to give it to you.  But there are also some active ways that you can seek to put on faith.

Paul describes faith as a shield in the armor of God.  A shield that keeps you safe from the fiery darts of the enemy.  A shield is a defensive weapon primarily.  And a shield is most effective next to other shields.  The Romans had a formation they called the testudo (http://www.destructoid.com/ul/260995-review-total-war-rome-ii/testudo-620x.jpg).  It was when a group of infantrymen all held their shields up in front and above each other so as to create what was known as “the turtle.”  They would move together able to protect one another from incoming arrows or spears.  The Vikings called it a shield wall.  In the History Channel’s series, Vikings, there’s a great scene of the English encountering a Viking shield wall for the first time:

Just as a shield is best used alongside other shields for the defense against fiery darts and arrows, so is faith put on best by standing alongside others of faith within a community of faith.  The faith of others strengthens your own faith and helps you to withstand the fires of temptation.

2.     Put on Peace
The second wardrobe essential I want to look at today are the shoes of peace.  Paul says:

For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.
~Ephesians 6:15 NLT

What is peace?  Peace is closely related to salvation which is what Paul tells us to put on our heads.  So from the top of our heads to the bottom of our feet we find peace and salvation as essential for resisting temptation.  In another letter to the church of Rome Paul says:

Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.
~Romans 5:1 NLT

Peace is being made right in God’s sight.  It is the result of faith, faith in what Jesus has done for us in his own faithful life, death, and resurrection.

So how do you put on peace?  There are all kinds of ways we try to put on peace.  We try to put in with thick skin (If only I never let anyone hurt me again).  We try to find peace in someone’s arms (If only I find the right person).  We try to put on peace through our kids (If only I make sure my kids don’t make the same mistakes I made).  Or perhaps in our education (If only I know the right stuff).  Or maybe in our 401K (If only I have enough money).  We try to find peace in volunteering (If only I’m good enough).  Or maybe in therapy (If only I dig deep enough into my past).  Some of us seek peace in the gym (If only I am healthy enough).  Others seek peace in our plans (If only I am prepared for every possibility).  And yet with all these efforts peace eludes us.  There is only one way to put on ultimate peace: to have faith in Jesus Christ.

Blaise Pascal, a 17th century French philosopher who was also a Christian said:

What else does this craving, and this helplessness, proclaim but that there was once in us a true happiness, of which all that now remains is the empty print and trace? This we try in vain to fill with everything around him, seeking in things that are not there the help he cannot find in those that are, though none can help, since this infinite abyss can be filled only with an infinite and immutable object; in other words by God himself.

Many have paraphrased Pascal as saying that each of us has a God-shaped vacuum or God-shaped hole in our hearts.  We try to fill that hole with all kinds of things, but the only thing that can fill it is God.  We will always be tempted to seek peace by filling that hole and that longing with all kinds of things until we fill it completely and totally with God.  You resist temptation when the eternal and divine longing of your heart is perfectly filled by Jesus.

Pascal has also become known for his wager, “Pascal’s Wager.”  Here’s how it goes:

  1. If you trust God and God does not exist, you have lost little.
  2. If you do not trust God and God does exist, you have lost much.
  3. If you trust God and God does exist, you have gained everything.

So what is keeping you from putting on faith and peace today through God’s son, Jesus Christ?  If the hole in your heart is longing for God today, then I invite you to pray along with me:

God my heart longs for you.  I am tempted to fill it with so many other things.  Let me find peace in you alone.  Give me your salvation, your righteousness, your truth, your faith, and your Word so that I might resist the temptation to put anything before you.  In the name of Jesus, the one who brings Good News.  Amen.

Want to know more about following Jesus?  Visit my blog here.

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Trial in the Wilderness

March 19, 2013 by 1 Comment

in the wildernress logo

 

 

 

 

Trial in the Wilderness
Sycamore Creek Church
Tom Arthur
March 17/18, 2013
Numbers

 

Peace Friends!

Leading Sycamore Creek Church has pushed me into becoming more of a risk taker, but I am not by nature much of a risk taker.  When I have succeeded, it has not been by taking risks, but by working hard and persevering.

The official Methodist statement on gambling is that it is a menace to society and destructive of good government, but my dad wasn’t a Methodist so when we were growing up he took us to the horse track on vacation and gave each of us $20 to bet on the races throughout the day.  My brother would bet on the long shots.  He got lucky and won once.  But he lost it all the next race.  On the other hand, I would make the safest bet you could make.  I’d bet on the for-sure horses.  I’d not only bet on the for-sure horses, I’d bet that they would place (get 1st, 2nd or 3rd).  I walked away that day having won seven of ten races and with $25 in my pocket!  I was no risk taker.

I suspect many of you are like me.  Many of you run into this problem on a regular basis: the unknown trial is worse than the known trial.  You’d rather stick with what you know than venture out and risk something that you don’t know.

We’re in a series called In the Wilderness, and we’re looking at the book of Numbers in the Bible.  “Numbers” is the English name for this book, but “In the Wilderness” (or “bu-med-bar”) is the Hebrew name for the book.  The book of Numbers or In the Wilderness is the story of the Hebrew people who have come out of slavery in Egypt and are wandering around in the wilderness for forty years on their way to the Promised Land.  By the end of the book, there are only two people, Joshua and Caleb, who are left who were present at the beginning of the book.  This is due entirely to their own proclivity to choose the known trial (the wilderness) over the unknown trial (conquering the giants in the Promised Land).

We as a church are in a wilderness of sorts.  Like the Hebrew People we do not have a solid home.  In the wilderness, the Hebrew people set up and tore down a tent whenever they wanted to worship.  The tent was called the tabernacle.  Like the Hebrew people, we set up and tear down our tabernacle every week.  The Hebrew people wandered in the wilderness for forty years.  We have been wandering for twelve years.  I liken our experience to this: it’s like we have been car-camping for twelve years in the same campground at the same campsite every Sunday morning for six hours.

There are naturally some things we have struggled with.

  • How to staff set-up and tear down crews.
  • How to keep these crews motivated.
  • How to navigate shared equipment/technology/space with Lansing Christian School.
  • How to improvise when things break down.
  • How to turn a cafetorium into a “tabernacle” for worship.
  • How to explain where we’re at.  “We meet at Lansing Christian School.” Blank stare.  “It’s near Jolly & Dunkel.”  Blank stare.  “By Trinity Church.”  Light bulb goes on.
  • How to deal with the impression that we worship at our office.
  • How to decide what’s next?

If you’re a guest here this morning I want you to know something: we do all this to serve you!  I was recently asking our volunteers why they do this.  I got answers all over the board.  Some people have been volunteering for twelve years because they feel like they worship better when they’re serving.  Others volunteer because they feel compelled or called to do so.  Others volunteer because it builds community.  All of us volunteer to serve the guest.  We are fiercely focused on the guest among us.  We get up early on Sunday morning and we persevere in the wilderness of not having our own space so that we can create an environment where you can encounter God!  And yet in the midst of this unified motivation, there are still struggles and trials.  What I want to do is look at the trials and struggles that the Hebrew people encountered while they wandered in the wilderness and see if there is anything we can learn as a community about what God is up to in our own “in the wilderness” time.

1. The wilderness is a time when leaders lead and work is shared.

Numbers 11:24-25 NLT
Moses went out and reported the LORD’s words to the people. Then he gathered the seventy leaders and stationed them around the Tabernacle.And the LORD came down in the cloud and spoke to Moses. He took some of the Spirit that was upon Moses and put it upon the seventy leaders. They prophesied as the Spirit rested upon them, but that was the only time this happened.

Moses is the primary leader of the Hebrew people.  God has a very special relationship with Moses.  We’re told that God speaks to Moses “face to face” “like a friend.”  It seems that in most churches, God does not give vision to a committee but gives vision to a leader.  God calls and equips a leader with a vision for where this community can and will go.  This is not to say that the leader lords it over everyone or that leadership is not shared in many ways.  We see in the passage above that God shared the Spirit of leadership with many others so that Moses didn’t burn out.  The work of leadership is shared.

Here’s how this tends to work in our church.  When I came to SCC, I was given a job description that included the expectation that I would be a vision seeker and vision caster amongst us.  I seek God’s vision in several ways.  I spend time daily in prayer and scripture reading.  I take spiritual retreats of silence and solitude regularly.  I listen to other church leaders about what God is doing in their churches.  I read continually across all kinds of disciplines to learn about our culture and to ponder how God might be at work in our culture.  I go to conferences for church leaders.  And I listen to all of you.  In each of these ways I’m seeking out God’s vision.

What usually happens for me is when I am not looking for it, an idea or image forms in my mind that quickly forces its way to the surface and brings together all of the different conversations I’ve had.  I usually write it down and then bring it to the rest of our leadership.  If they think this is God’s vision for us, then we bring it to a vision meeting and present it to you.  We are testing the vision at these vision meetings.  The testing of these visions usually goes beyond the actual meeting.  It continues on in informal ways through email, face to face conversations, in small groups, and the like.  The next time the leadership meets, we ask the question: what are you hearing Sycamore Creek Church say about this vision?  We make a discernment call at that point about whether this is God’s vision for us that we’re ready to move on or whether it is best to wait.  In this way, God’s vision comes to a leader, is shared with other leaders, is tested among the community, and then finally acted upon by the leadership.

But it’s not only the work of leadership that is shared.  All the work is shared.  Listen to how the work of setting up and tearing down the tabernacle was shared:

Numbers 3:8, 25-26, 31, 36-37 NLT
The Levites will also maintain all the furnishings of the sacred tent,serving in the Tabernacle on behalf of all the Israelites… The Gershonite clans were responsible to care for the tent of the Tabernacle with its layers of coverings, its entry curtains,  the curtains of the courtyard that surrounded the Tabernacle and altar, the curtain at the courtyard entrance, the cords, and all the equipment related to their use…The Kohathite clans were responsible for the care of the Ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the various utensils used in the sanctuary, the inner curtain, and all the equipment related to their use…The Merarite clans were responsible for the care of the frames supporting the Tabernacle, the crossbars, the pillars, the bases, and all the equipment related to their use. They were also responsible for the posts of the courtyard and all their bases, pegs, and cords.

The Levites did some of the work.  The Gershonites did other parts of the work.  The Kohathites and Merarites took up the rest.  It wasn’t just one group that was doing the work.  It was shared.  As they say, “Many hands makes light work.”  Many hands also brings shared ownership.  “This is my tabernacle,” everyone can say.

We have an above average percentage of people who help make Sycamore Creek Church worship happen every Sunday and Monday, but there is still room to improve.  I’ve contemplated dividing all those who call this their home into groups and assigning them a day for set-up and tear-down each month!  What do you think of that idea?  In the wilderness, we all have to share the work.

2. The wilderness is a time where we are regularly tempted to complain and criticize.

Lately, I’ve done a lot of reading around what makes a marriage healthy.  I’ve found out that psychologists have pinpointed four behaviors that are predictive of a marriage falling apart.  One psychologist calls them the “four horsemen.”  Criticism is one of the “four horsemen” that predicts divorce: Criticism, Defensiveness, Stonewalling, and Contempt.  If criticism is a behavior that tears apart the community of marriage, it is also a behavior that tears apart the community of the church.  In the book of Numbers, we read over and over about the criticism and complaining that happens:

Numbers 11:1 – Now when the people complained in the hearing of the LORD…

Numbers 12:1 – Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses…

Numbers 14:2-5 – And all the Israelites complained against Moses and Aaron…

Numbers 16:1-3 – Now Korah…along with Dathan and Abiram…and On…took two hundred fifty Israelite men…and they confronted Moses. They assembled against Moses and against Aaron…

Numbers 16:41 – On the next day, however, the whole congregation of the Israelites rebelled against Moses and against Aaron…

Numbers 20:2-3 – So they gathered together against Moses and against Aaron. The people quarreled with Moses…

The people and the leadership seem to be continually butting heads with one another.  But that’s not all the complaining going on.  Moses complains to God!

Numbers 11:11-15 NLT – And Moses said to the LORD, “Why are you treating me, your servant, so miserably? What did I do to deserve the burden of a people like this?  Are they my children? Am I their father? Is that why you have told me to carry them in my arms — like a nurse carries a baby — to the land you swore to give their ancestors?  Where am I supposed to get meat for all these people? They keep complaining and saying, ‘Give us meat!’  I can’t carry all these people by myself! The load is far too heavy!  I’d rather you killed me than treat me like this. Please spare me this misery!”

In the wilderness I want you to role-renegotiate rather than criticize.  Go talk to the person or leader who you have a complaint with and calmly share your broken expectation.  Healthy marriages or churches aren’t made by holding in complaints; they’re made by knowing how to express them in healthy ways.  I was reading recently about the characteristics of poor performing teams: they argue a lot.  I was also reading about the characteristics of high performing teams: they argue a lot.  It’s not the disagreement that is the problem; it’s the manner in which you go about arguing.  The healthy way to express your broken expectations is to share it gently but have the humility to recognize that your expectations may be part of the problem!

3. The wilderness is a time when following God is a day-by-day process.

In the wilderness you have to pay attention daily to what God is doing.  You have to be ready to move when God moves.  The way this worked for the Hebrew people was that God would hover over the tabernacle in a cloud.  When the cloud stayed, they stayed.  When the cloud moved, they moved.  You had to pay attention to the cloud daily.

Numbers 9:20-21 NLT
Sometimes the cloud would stay over the Tabernacle for only a few days, so the people would stay for only a few days. Then at the LORD’s command they would break camp.  Sometimes the cloud stayed only overnight and moved on the next morning. But day or night, when the cloud lifted, the people broke camp and followed.

Friends, something I have learned as we’ve begun looking for a building we can call home is that it is a day by day process.  We find one door open one day and we walk through it.  All looks good, but then it shuts.  We find another door open another day.  All looks good, but then it shuts.  We’ve seriously looked at three different buildings or properties.  All of them looked like they might work, but then didn’t end up working because of cost, zoning regulations, or parking issues.  It has been a bit of a maddening process.  But I suspect that some day the cloud of God’s Spirit is going to rise up off of Lansing Christian School and settle somewhere else, and things are going to happen very quickly.  That’s somewhat just the nature of real estate.  We’re not sure whether that will be buying a building or finding a new place to rent that has the right location and is at the right price, and is a place where we can set up and stay set up.

The reason that the Hebrew people spent forty years in the wilderness and only two of them lived to see the Promised Land is because they missed following God.  They sent scouts into the land and came back with discouraging news about the obstacles.

Numbers 13:32-33
So they spread discouraging reports about the land among the Israelites: “The land we explored will swallow up any who go to live there. All the people we saw were huge. We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak. We felt like grasshoppers next to them, and that’s what we looked like to them!”

There are two problems here:

1. Lack of vision – They didn’t see the goodness of God’s promise.
2. Focused on obstacles – Saw only the hurdles of the people in the land.

Friends, when God moves I want to be ready to have the vision to see it.  I want to be able to trust the goodness of God.  And when there are obstacles that are in the way, and there are many. We’ve run one capital campaign and will have $150,000 at the end of this  year if all the pledges come in.  We will likely have to run another one.  We’re an awkward size church.  Some church growth specialists call us a “transitional size church.”  We’re not really small, but we’re not really big.  So we are in need of programs, staff, and facilities all at the same time.  But the vision is even bigger: seven satellites in seven venues on seven days of the week to reach as many new people as possible with the love of God that transforms lives and our world!   I want as your leader to have the ability to see the vision through the obstacles.  I’m still growing.  We’re still growing.  We’re still being tested in the wilderness.  As Thomas Dozeman, an Old Testament Scholar says, “The test is whether Israel is able to live the life of faith outside the promised land” (Dozeman, 16).

And that brings us to the point of this whole message: Trust God’s provision for the future and move forward boldly!

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The unSeries – Walking Through Temptation

August 2, 2010 by

unSeries

Walking Through Temptation
Sycamore Creek Church
James 1:12-18
August 1, 2010
Tom Arthur

Peace, Friends!

Have you ever tried to cross a river?  I’m not talking about a stone-hop across a creek.  I’m talking about getting in the current of the cold water and trying to wade from one side to another.

The first time I ever went backpacking was also the worst backpacking trip I’ve ever had.  That’s because of the Forney Creek.  It’s called a “creek” but in early spring, it was a pretty high creek.  We had to ford the Forney Creek five times going up to Clingman’s Dome (the highest summit on the Appalachian Trail), and we had to ford Forney Creek five times coming back down.  It was wretched.

There are many dangers to cross a river.  There’s the depth and breadth of a river.  You can be wading through and all of a sudden fall in a deep hole.  The wider the river is the more you have to endure all the other obstacles.  There’s the question of footing and hidden obstacles.  You can leave your boots on and suffer the pain of wet socks and boots later or you can take your boots off and suffer the pain of slippery rocks now.  There’s also the cold numbing water.  Most rivers are fed from melting snow or cold springs.  Did you know that flowing water can get colder than freezing?  It’s called super cooled water!  I crossed the Linville River in the Linville Gorge one time, and while the river was only about one foot to six inches deep and about forty-yards wide, the water was so cold that I barely made it across!

And of course there’s the current.  The power of water pushing against your body is seriously impressive.  I was canoeing the Bear River one time when we got into some rapids that we weren’t expecting.  Pretty soon the canoe was swamped, and we were being carried down the river in the rapids.  You know that every time there’s white water in a rapids, that means there’s a rock under the water.  So every time you go over that white water, your body is being pounded into the rocks below.  We were at the mercy of the water.  We only got out safely because the river turned, and we were pushed into an eddy.  When I climbed out of the Bear River, I was missing one Teva, and the other Teva’s webbing had been ripped out of the sole and was dangling around my ankle.  Current is nothing to ignore.

Crossing a river is not something you do without some careful planning and preparation, but when you’re on a journey, sometimes you simply have to get across the river to keep going.  There’s rarely ever a way to bypass a river.  You have to walk through the current to get to the other side.

Today I’d like to talk about how temptation is like crossing a river.  If we’re going to continue on a journey of spiritual maturity, there are going to be times when we must wade through the current of temptation if we are to make progress on the journey that God has set before us.  James, Jesus’ brother, gives us this same kind of image.  He says:

James 1:12-18

12 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. 13 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. 14 Temptation comes from the lure of our own evil desires. 15 These evil desires lead to evil actions, and evil actions lead to death. 16 So don’t be misled, my dear brothers and sisters.

17 Whatever is good and perfect comes to us from God above, who created all heaven’s lights. Unlike them, he never changes or casts shifting shadows. 18 In his goodness he chose to make us his own children by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his choice possession.

This is God’s story for us today.  Thank you, God!

Verse fourteen says it well, “Temptation comes from the lure of our own evil desires.”  Our desires have a kind of lure, a kind of current that we too often give into.  Bede, a 7th & 8th century monk and scholar, said, “There are three stages in temptation.  The first is suggestion, the second is experiment, and the third is consent.”

We see this same basic idea in Psalm 1, a wisdom psalm.  Here’s my own super literal translation that keeps the metaphor intact:

Happy are those who do not walk in the counsel of the wicked,
or stand in the way of sinners,
or sit in the seat of scoffers.

There’s a kind of increasing lure of one’s desires in this psalm.  It’s as if the current of our desire catches first our attention: I wonder what it would be like to do it?  I’ll walk by and see.  Then the current begins to pull us along: I’ll just check it out by standing and looking at it.  Lastly, the desire’s current is too much for us: I’m full in, I’ll go ahead and sit right here.

James describes this as a kind of birthing process. The difference between birth of spiritual maturity and birth of sin is that spiritual birth begins with pain and ends with the pleasure of life, while the birth of sin begins with pleasure and ends with pain.

So if wading through temptation is like wading across a river, perhaps there is some wisdom that can be gained from what it takes to cross a river that can be helpful for guiding us through the current of temptation.  I’d like to explore that wisdom and apply it to the top three things that American adults are tempted by: Sex, Food, and Money (USA Today, 3-9-10).

Loosen Your Belt

The first thing that you should do if you’re crossing a river is loosen the belt of your backpack.  The reason for this is simple.  If you get pulled under, you want to be able to jettison your backpack as soon as possible, so that it doesn’t drag you under even more.

James says, “Whatever is good and perfect comes to us from God above, who created all heaven’s lights” (James 1:17).  While it’s not obvious, this suggests that there are some things that are not good and not from God.  Those things we should loosen from around our waist and get rid of them, just like you loosen your belt to cross a river.

Consider first overspending.  Perhaps it is time to get rid of your credit cards and go all cash as Dave Ramsey talks about in FPU.  If overspending is a temptation for you, get rid of the deadweight of credit cards.  Or what about porn?  One way guys (and to a lesser but growing extent, gals) get into trouble with porn is by surfing the internet.  What if you only got on the internet when you knew exactly what you wanted and where you were going.  Or how about overeating?  How many bags of chips do you have in your cabinets?  Get rid of the junk food.  How big are your plates?  I read a book recently that suggested that one of the best ways to lose weight is to get rid of your big plates and eat on your salad plates.

Resist the current of temptation by loosening your belt and getting rid of the junk in your life.

Use Walking Sticks

When you cross a river it’s always good to use walking stick or trekking poles.  There’s a basic principle at work here: four legs are better than two.  When you’re crossing a river it is always helpful to have something besides yourself on which to lean.  Your own two legs are pretty awesome, but when crossing a river, I’ll always take four over two.

Going back to what James said: Whatever is good and perfect comes to us from God above” (James 1:17).  In other words, there are some good gifts that God provides that you can lean on in times of temptation.  I’d suggest three (although there are many many more): prayer, fasting, and scripture.

If you’re an overspender, then one way to lean on something else besides your own will in conquering this temptation is to talk to God.  When you’re tempted to buy something, pray, “God is this something that you will thank me for buying when I stand before you some day?”  While I think there will be a day when our lives are tested in the refiner’s fire, this strategy may be a little too guilt driven for you.  Another prayer might be, “God give me strength to resist the temptation to spend more than I have.”

If you’re tempted by porn, consider a fast, a media fast.  Take a day or two or a week and unplug your computer.  Don’t watch TV.  Refrain from movies.  Not because these are inherently bad, but because fasting from our desires when they’re not tempting helps train us to fast from our desires when they do tempt us.

Or if you’re tempted to overeat, consider using some scriptures to help remind you that you can make it through this temptation.  James tells us, “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7, NRSV).  Or how about Jesus’ own statement to his disciples when they think he’s upset because they didn’t feed him: “I have food to eat that you do not know about…My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work” (John 4:31-34, NRSV).

Resist the current of temptation by using walking sticks and leaning on God’s good gifts.

Cross with a Partner

When you’re crossing a river it is always a good idea to cross with a partner.  One time Sarah and I were hiking in Yellowstone and we came across a river.  We were hiking with some friends of ours: Kori and Greg.  Kori went first and when she got out in the middle, she cried out for Greg.  Sarah yelled, “Come on Kori!  You can do it by yourself!”  Then Sarah went.  When she got out in the middle of the river she yelled out, “Tom!”  Every time she picked up her foot the current would push it downstream.

James suggests the same basic idea when it comes to our brokenness.  We can’t do it alone so he urges us, “Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective” (James 5:16, NRSV).  When you experience the current of temptation, don’t keep it to yourself.  Cross through that current with a friend.

If you’re tempted to overspend, it could be helpful to be transparent with your spouse or a friend about how you’re spending your money.  Sarah and I recently got together with some friends from seminary and shared our budgets and our spending habits with one another.  Personal finances is a serious taboo in our culture.  We all want our choices kept private, but sometimes this desire for privacy gets in the way of resisting the current of temptation.

If you’re tempted by porn, a great tool to use is X3 from xxxchurch.com.  X3 doesn’t block porn from your computer, it just sends an email at a predetermined interval to an accountability partner with a list of any questionable websites you’ve visited.  I like this approach because what it fosters is open dialogue with friends.  Porn is no longer a secret.  It’s on the table for discussion.  I use this program myself, and a friend from seminary gets the emails every two weeks.

If you’re tempted to overeat consider dieting or exercising with a partner.  Share recipes with one another.  Set up exercise “dates.”  Celebrate with one another when the results are positive.

Resist the current of temptation by wading through it with a friend.

Cross Perpendicular to the Current

When you cross a river, there’s one key thing that is pretty obvious once it’s pointed out: cross perpendicular to the current.  If you face the current then you have the full force of the current on the biggest area of your body.  If you face the direction you’re walking, you have the smallest area of your body facing the current.  Cross a river by walking perpendicular to the current.

James says, “Don’t be misled…” (James 1:16, NLT).  In other words, “Don’t be misled by what the culture tells you is important, what the culture values, what the culture says is the right way to live.”  Rather, live perpendicular to the culture.  Live counter-culturally in order to resist temptation.

If you’re tempted to overspend, then live counter-culturally by giving your money away before it burns a hole in your pocket.  Live simply and give generously.

If you’re tempted by porn, then get rid of your computer, iPhone, TV, etc.  Make the media fast permanent.  Culture says you need these things.  If so, how did so many people live before they existed?  Hear me out.  I’m not saying that these things are inherently bad or evil or something like that.  I’m saying that if you’re tempted by them, live counter-culturally and get rid of them.

If you’re tempted to overeat, become a vegetarian.  Do you know that you can eat a lot more when you’re a vegetarian?  Veggies don’t have as many calories!  The culture tells us that we have to eat meat at every meal, but you don’t.  You don’t ever have to eat meat again!  Hear me again.  I’m not saying that eating meat is bad.  I’m saying that if you are tempted to overeat, consider living radically counter-culturally.

Resist temptation by crossing perpendicular to the current and living counter-culturally.

Don’t Cross

There’s one last situation I need to share with you.  Sometimes you literally can’t cross the river.  There’s a scene in the movie Into the Wild where Christopher McCandless tries to cross a huge roaring river.  He takes one step in the bank and immediately loses control.  He grabs hold of a branch and pulls himself back up.  He almost lost his life.  Unless you’re Bear Grylls, don’t even try to cross a river like this.

Sometimes the current of temptation is so powerful, that the only thing you can do is turn around and run the other way.  Don’t even try to walk through it.  You’ll have to wait until you’re stronger before you can take that on.  Be patient.  God will continue to work in your life.

Resist temptation by turning around and running the other way.

Resisting temptation is a lot like crossing a river.  Loosen your belt.  Get rid of the junk in your life.  Use walking sticks.  Rely on the good gifts of God.  Cross with a partner.  Share the temptation with someone.  Cross perpendicular to the current.  Live counter-culturally.

Prayer

O God, the protector of all who trust in you, without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy: Increase and multiply upon us your mercy; that, with you as our ruler and guide, we may so pass through things temporal, that we lose not the things eternal; through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.  (Book of Common Prayer, Proper 12)

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