Why Does God Allow Temptation in the Life of the Believer?: Growing Christians are Tempted

The following message from Pastor Greg Laurie is made possible by Harvest Partners, helping people everywhere know God. The crosshairs of the devil.

Why? Because now you have become a bona fide threat to his kingdom. If you find yourself constantly being harassed and tempted, that may be an indication you are on the right track. Our spiritual adversary is a formidable foe, and he knows that if he can take down a believer who is actively living out his faith, he scores a big win for his kingdom of darkness. Not only is the believer's life affected, but many others around him as well. Today on A New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie helps us understand the tactics of our adversary and be prepared for his attacks.

We learn how to stand our ground and resist the temptations that seem to surround us constantly. The title of the message is, Why Does God Allow Temptation in the Life of the Believer? We are going to turn to two Scriptures. We are going to go to Luke 4 and James 1.

Luke 4 and James 1. So turn there if you would. Quick poll before we get started. How many of you have ever been tempted to sin? Raise your hand up. How many of you have given in to the temptation to sin? Raise your hand up.

How many of you have resisted the temptation to sin? Raise your hand. Interesting.

Not quite as many hands. I don't understand them. Maybe you are the ones that really need to be here. But listen.

Here is what you need to know. Everyone gets tempted. It is not a sin to be tempted. It is only a sin when you give in to it.

But everyone faces it. Even pastors of course. I heard a story about a minister that went to make a hospital call and he couldn't find a parking spot and he circled around and around and finally he double parked. And he put one of his little cards under the windshield wiper in case an officer came along. He said, I am late for an appointment to minister to somebody. And so I circled the block ten times.

I couldn't find his face. And then the minister wrote, Forgive us our trespasses. So the minister went and made his visit and came back out and saw a parking ticket under his windshield wiper.

He was a little surprised by that. But he noticed the officer wrote something extra on the ticket. And the officer wrote these words, Dear Reverend I have circled this block for ten years.

If I don't give you a ticket I will get fired. And then the officer wrote, Lead us not into temptation. So I guess that officer wrote his Bible too.

So that is what I want to talk about. Why does God allow temptation? Now this is a part of our series What Every Growing Christian Needs to Know. We have already seen the importance of studying the Bible if we want to grow spiritually. We have seen the importance of a prayer life if we want to grow spiritually. We have seen the importance of being a vital part of a church if we want to grow spiritually. And now we are going to talk about why temptation comes. It doesn't make sense. Why would God allow us to be tempted? What possible good could come out of it?

Well here is what you need to know. If you are indeed growing as a Christian. If you are progressing in the Christian life you are going to come into the cross hairs of the devil.

Why? Because now you have become a bona fide threat to His kingdom. If you find yourself constantly being harassed and tempted that may be an indication you are on the right track. If you can't remember the last time you were tempted maybe you are not worth tempting. Ever think about that?

See so here is what we need to understand. Everyone will be tempted and even Jesus was tempted. And that is what we are looking at here in Luke chapter 4. Our Lord is beginning His public ministry at the age of 30.

He has gone down to the Jordan River. He has been baptized by His cousin John. And the Holy Spirit as you recall came upon Christ in the form of a dove. And the Father actually spoke from heaven and said, This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. What an epic moment. We see the Trinity in action here.

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. So what happens next? We read that immediately after that Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. What? After a moment like that?

Yes. After a moment like that. After the dove came the devil. After the blessing came the temptation. Now why was Jesus tempted?

Now let's get technical. In a literal sense God cannot be tempted. He is not temptable. He doesn't have a sinful nature. In fact we are even told in Scripture James 1.3, God cannot be tempted with evil neither does He Himself tempt any man. So when we talk about the temptation of Christ He was tempted in one sense but in another sense He did not have the vulnerability to give in to the temptation. Having said that I would add Jesus did feel the pressure and the presence of temptation.

Now why would He go through that? Well He would be able to help us to understand that He has walked in our shoes. So we would understand that we serve a God that knows what it is like to face temptation. And He sympathizes with us. In fact Hebrews 4.15 speaking of Christ says, This high priest of ours understands our weaknesses for he faced all the same temptations we do yet he did not sin.

So let us come boldly to the throne of grace of our gracious God that will receive His mercy and find grace to help us when we need it. So you can't say, Oh God doesn't know what it is like to live in the 21st century. God doesn't know what it is like to face temptation. Actually God does know what it is like and He faced it. But here is another reason why I believe Jesus was tempted. He occupied ground that we can occupy.

Let me restate that. Jesus faced this so we will see how we should face it. He gives us a template to follow for the next time we come under temptation. So He is giving us an example to follow us. Now nobody likes being tempted.

It is a horrible thing to have to go through but there is some value that can come from it. It has been said one Christian who has been tempted is worth more than a thousand who haven't been. Another person said, Christians are a lot like tea bags.

You don't know what they are made of until you put them in hot water. Maybe you are in the hot water of temptation right now. And you are thinking, Why is God allowing this in my life? Because it can make you stronger. It can cause you to be more dependent upon God and see His abundant resources that are at your disposal. It sort of toughens you up as a follower of Christ. And listen to this statement.

And this is our first text here. James 1 verse 12. Blessed is the man who endures temptation for when he has been approved to receive the crown of life whom the Lord has promised to those who love Him. So right off the bat we see some important things about temptation. Number one it can be endured. It can be resisted.

More on that later. Number two there is a reward for the person who endures temptation. Because the promise is we will receive the crown of life. And thirdly you will be a happy person if you resist temptation's pull because it is as blessed as the man or literally happy as the man who resists or endures temptation. Now here is what we are going to look at in the verses before us here in Luke 4. We are going to look at six things about temptation. Number one. We are going to look at where temptation comes from. Where temptation comes from.

Number two. We are going to look at when temptation comes. When temptation comes.

Number three. How does temptation come? How does temptation come? Number four. Who does temptation come to? Who does it come to? Five. Where is the best place to be when it comes? And lastly number six. What is the primary weapon we should use to resist it? How does that sound?

Ok. You ready? Ok. Let's read Luke 4. We are going to read verses 1 to 13. Now Jesus being filled with the Holy Spirit returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness being tempted for 40 days by the devil and in those days he ate nothing and afterwards when they had ended he was hungry. And the devil said to him, If, and by the way this could be translated since. So it wasn't a question of if Jesus was the Son of God. Satan was effectively affirming it.

It could be translated since. Since you are the Son of God says the devil, why don't you command the stone to become bread? Jesus answered him saying, It is written, underline that phrase, Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word of God. Then the devil took him up to a high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said, All this authority I will give to you and their glory for this has been delivered to me and I can give it to whomever I wish. Therefore if you will worship before me all of this will be yours. Jesus answered and said, Get behind me Satan for it is written, underline that phrase again, You shall worship the Lord God. In Him only shall you serve. Then Satan brought him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said, Since you are the Son of God throw yourself down from here for it is written. Notice the devil's quote in Scripture now. For it is written, He will give His angels charge over you to keep you and in your hands will bear you up lest you dash your foot against the stone. Jesus answered and said, It has been said you shall not tempt the Lord your God.

Now when the devil had ended every temptation he departed from him until an opportune time. Our Greg Laurie will have the second half of his message in just a moment. Hey everybody, Greg Laurie here personally inviting you to join us for what we call Harvest at Home. It's a Bible study. It's a worship service. It's church in your home. Maybe you're not able to get out to your church right now. If so, join us for Harvest at Home.

People are listening in from around the world. Listen to this, we have seen thousands of people make a commitment to follow Christ. So join us this weekend for Harvest at Home at Harvest.org. Well today, Pastor Greg is beginning to offer six observations on how to resist temptation based on the Lord's response to temptation recorded in Luke chapter 4. Let's continue.

Okay, so let's deal with issue number one. Where does temptation come from? Where does it come from? Well, we play a key role in our own temptation. Satan needs our cooperation in this area where there is no desire on our part. There is no temptation. It's been said it takes two to make a successful temptation and you are one of the two. So it's very easy to blame everything on the devil or blame everything on someone who may be tempted you or whatever it is you are facing.

But the reality is you have to cooperate with it. James 1.14 says, everyone is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and is enticed and when desire is conceived it gives birth to sin and sin when it is full grown brings forth death. Now in this simple verse, or these two verses I should say, we have the five steps of temptation right there in James 1.14-16. First of all we have the temptation itself. Everyone is tempted.

Again reminding us that everyone faces it. 1 Corinthians 10.13 says, there is no temptation taking you but such as is common to man. You are not the only person that has had those crazy thoughts.

No you are not losing your mind. You are not the only person that has been under that pressure. You are not the only person that has faced the temptation that you face. It is common to man. We all face it. So we need to understand that. And everyone is tempted. But there is always a way out.

Number two. Let's say you are drawn. You are attracted to that thing. You are tempted. Now you are under its power.

Verse 14. Drawn away by your own desires you see. Your own desires. This is the whole thing of try this sample. Take the test drive.

Go ahead and buy it and you can return it if you want. This is the strategy of that because you know I am pretty good with resisting dessert. I like dessert but I don't crave dessert. Now you put hot bread in front of me and I collapse. I love hot bread.

And especially with butter on it. But you know dessert I will say and I don't want dessert. After we are maybe in a restaurant and we are eating some will say you want to get dessert? No I don't want it. And someone will say oh I want it and okay bring the dessert with four forks. So everyone will start eating and I will say to myself I am not going to eat any of that dessert.

It is a matter of principle. I am not having any. And then someone says it is really good Greg. Try it.

Okay I will try it. A little bit. All I need is that taste.

And now it is like I am a shark that smelled blood. Okay. And this is the thing my wife you know she likes to eat things in a long leisurely way so she will take a bite and even sort of hold the bite while she talks like this. And the moment she turns away I am like. You know. I eat most of it. And she comes back. Where did the food go?

I don't know. But here is the thing. If it is that little taste that gets me.

Or maybe it is that test drive. You never planned on buying that car. Oh but now that you have that new car smell and you have experienced it. Now you say to yourself I must have it. Well that is temptation.

You say I won't do this thing. I won't give in to this temptation but I am going to take it for a little mental test drive. I would never act on that lustful thought but I will go ahead and just play it through in my mind just for fun. Sort of a little fantasy. There is no harm there. I would never actually reach out and kill a person but I will just sort of entertain the thought of beating them many times. Whatever it is.

But the idea is you take it mentally. You see you are already getting pulled in. Step number three. You are almost hooked.

Verse 14 of James 1. You are drawn away by your own desires and enticed. This is becoming problematic.

It is sort of like the hooks end. And you are getting reeled in. There is still a way out. And remember friends there is always a way out. There is always a way out. Again I have 1 Corinthians 10 13. There is no temptation that you face.

That is not common to man. But God who is faithful will not allow you to be tempted above which you are able but will the temptation make a way of escape that you may be able to bear it. And listen to this. Sometimes the way of escape is as simple as the door.

It is just the door. You know maybe you are being tempted. You are laying down on a bed with your girlfriend and you are saying I am facing sexual temptation in this hotel room we just booked.

And we are laying here and I don't know why this is happening. Number one. Because you are an idiot.

Number two. You plant it and you set yourself up. Well how do I resist it? In your case you need to get out of there as quickly as you can. Simple as that.

You don't need to lay there and say God give me strength. No shut up with that. Just get out. Get out. Like when Potiphar's wife, the original cougar, this older woman, hit on young Joseph.

She pulled him down on the bed and effectively said have sexual relations with me. And he ran. Sometimes that is just the best thing to do. Just run. But see at this point we have a problem. You know you are almost hooked. You are enticed. You are thinking. You are processing. You are considering. And that brings you to step number four.

The hook is set. Desire is conceived. It gives birth to sin. So you act on it. You are going to do it.

And you do it. And maybe there is a little bit of fun. But it is short lived. It is short lived. And maybe there is not even a little bit of fun.

Maybe it is just miserable from the get go. But whatever little momentary pleasure you have now sin sets in. The deadness of sin sets in.

You know what I am talking about? That the guilt sets in if your conscience is working. So now you have a problem. Now you are separated from God in fellowship. And then the effects of sin set in. Verse 15. And sin when it is full grown brings forth death.

It gets big and it becomes potent. You know we have a couple rabbits. Our grandkids do I should say. One is named Fuzzy and cute little rabbit. Really like that rabbit. And they went out and bought another rabbit that was even smaller than Fuzzy.

You could hold this rabbit in the palm of your hand. I think his name was Martin. So there is Fuzzy who is full grown. Martin is this tiny little rabbit. I don't know what happened but Martin just grew like a weed. Next thing you know Martin is bigger than Fuzzy. And he is kind of not cute anymore. Fuzzy is kind of dark brown and Martin is I don't know kind of weird.

Like he came in from the field or something. And then the thing is Martin is kind of aggressive. It is like Fuzzy would let you pet him. And now that Martin is around him Martin is a bad influence on Fuzzy. And he is taking Fuzzy back to his wild rabbit ways you know.

And Fuzzy isn't the little rabbit you can pet anymore. And they are both kind of wild and Martin gets bigger and bigger. And then one day Martin just dies. We don't know why he died. We said bye.

Ok so that was the end of Martin. You know what can you do. That sin you know it starts off cute. It is so cute.

Respect the little sin. Look at it. And then it gets bigger. Whoa it is getting big.

Then it is really big. But the problem is the sin is not going to die. You are going to die. It is going to have its way with you.

So don't even start with the thought. You have to resist it at the get go. So having said all of that everyone is going to be tempted. And everyone is going to face it at some point in their life. And so here we find Jesus facing temptation. And you know I think it is very easy for us to place the blame on others. Again quoting James 1.3, let no man say when he is tempted I am tempted by God. Don't blame it on God.

We do that sometimes. God it is your fault. Adam did that. I mean I don't know who Adam blamed. It was either God or his wife. But after he gave in to sin he said, Lord it is the woman you gave me. So either the emphasis is on woman or the emphasis is on you.

In other words either Adam said it is the woman you gave me or it is the woman you gave me. Either way you look at it Adam is shifting blame. He is not taking responsibility. It is not my fault God. It is your fault. It is her fault. And then of course Eve says well the serpent tricked me so she blames the devil.

No one is accepting responsibility for their actions here. But that is what it is. It is something that we are all going to face. Pastor Greg Laurie is highlighting important insights on temptation and how we can avoid it. And there is more to learn from Jesus' temptation in Luke chapter 4 as this message continues here on A New Beginning. But if you weren't able to hear all of Pastor Greg's insights today, interruptions can happen. You can hear the study all over again at harvest.org.

Just look for the message called, Why Does God Allow Temptation in the Life of the Believer? Or for a permanent copy on CD just call 1-800-821-3300. We can take your call anytime 24-7.

Again at 1-800-821-3300. Well what a privilege to have sports hero Darryl Strawberry with us today. He is known to baseball fans and even non-baseball fans the world over. And we are making available his brand new book called Turn Your Season Around. You know Darryl, so many are working overtime to make lots of money or to make a name for themselves.

They'd love to be rich and famous. Well you've been both. Is it worth it? Is it worth all the pain?

No, it's not worth all the pain because at the end of the day it really all is meaningless under the sun. When you go to King Solomon in the book Ecclesiastes and he talks about how it's meaningless under the sun without God. So I had all this, I built all this and he writes the book of Proverbs and then he goes back and writes this book. It sounds like he feels sorry that he didn't stay on God's plan. When you get off of God's plan you find yourself in a certain place. And I think when I was reading that about King Solomon and I read the first three chapters of Ecclesiastes, he said I forty-six times, the Holy Spirit made me circle I.

How many times did he say I? He said I and the Holy Spirit said he said I because he was talking about himself. And had he kept his eyes on God, he wouldn't have never fallen off the cliff of lifestyle that he ended up doing and that happens to so many of us. If we just realize that having stuff, it doesn't mean anything. At the end of the day, it's important that we keep our eyes on the cross where he shed his blood for sinners like us that we may have life and have it more abundantly. In abundant life, I think most people think it's stuff and it's really not. It's peace, joy, wisdom, knowledge, power. It's far greater than any stuff that I ever achieved. What I have now from God that's down inside of me, it replaced everything that I was searching for because I searched for it all. A bigger house, a bigger car, a car is a car, a house is a house and it's all going to do the same thing. You're going to live in the house, you're going to drive the car, the car is going to break down, the house is going to get old. Everybody goes through that.

Everyone goes through that and just at the end of the day, who are you and who is really important in your life? I think the most important thing that I ever received was Christ in my life and being a living example of what Christ is all about. When you think about it, when Jesus didn't live in a mansion, he didn't ride in the Cadillac Escalade and say, I got this big mansion sitting over here. He met us right where we're at. That's the way God calls us to be, not consumed with all these earthy material things because heaven and earth are going to pass away but not my word. All that stuff is going to pass away but the word of God is never going to pass away.

It's always going to be here. You know, a lot of people could say what Darrell Strawberry just said but Darrell Strawberry has been there, done that, bought the t-shirt. Actually he's been the t-shirt and the point is this is a man who speaks from experience. And I, you know, you quoted Solomon and Solomon was at that moment the wealthiest man who had ever lived and he pretty much chased after everything his culture had to offer at that time.

He built incredibly huge mansions and had beautiful gardens and had people come and do performances of music for him and chased after sexual pleasure and drink and all the rest of it. And he said one day I just looked at all of those things and I realized it was all emptiness and it was like chasing the wind. So Darrell Strawberry has written about this and a whole lot more with a lot of words of encouragement to help you get through this season of life you may be in. You know, we're in a tough season collectively as a nation and even globally with this pandemic and we need encouragement and I have words of encouragement for you written by our friend Darrell Strawberry in his new book called Turn Your Season Around How God Transforms Your Life. And it'd be our joy to send this to you for your gift of any size to Harvest Ministries to help us continue to teach God's word, which is so needed, don't you think?

And also to proclaim the gospel. Yeah, it's such an important time to share that good news. And we want to send Darrell's book your way to thank you for your donation, really an investment to help us as we touch lives each day with this radio program. So will you contact us today?

And when you include a donation, be sure to ask for Turn Your Season Around. You can write a new beginning, Box 4000, Riverside, California, 92514. Or call us at 1-800-821-3300. That's a 24-hour phone number, 1-800-821-3300.

Or go online to harvest.org. And today is our last opportunity to mention this, so get in touch right away. Well next time, Pastor Greg has a lot more to share with his six observations about temptation and how we can resist. I hope you'll join us next time here on A New Beginning. The preceding message from Greg Laurie was made possible by Harvest Partners, helping people everywhere know God. Sign up for Pastor Greg's free daily email devotions at harvest.org.