We are vulnerable and weak in the face of temptation.
We are terrifically vulnerable. Of course, we believe we are invincible. We believe that we are strong, that we're the exception. But then we are faced with temptation. Andsuddenly our sense of confidence is shattered, and suddenly we're not so invincible.
If we learn anything from rock stars like Solomon, it’s that we're prone to weakness. We are weak in our flesh, weak in our natural selves, and easily defeated in the flesh. It’s been said that in scripture that Samson was the strongest, King David was the most devoted, and King Solomon was the wisest. Yet these extraordinary men proved to be astonishingly ordinary when faced with temptation.
In speaking about these men 1 Corinthians 10:11-13 (NIV) says,"These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it."
Our problem isn’t a lack of insight. If you read Ecclesiastes you learn that Solomon had perfect insight into the lure of pleasure, success, and fame. He had penetrating insight! Our problem isn’t a lack of insight. It's arrogance, overconfidence, and pride. It's believing we can’t fall, that temptation cannot seize us nor defeat us.
We often believe that we can't fall to temptation.
When I was young my dad ran a side business making wooden toys. He had a lot of work one Christmas, so he taught me how to use the table saw. The table saw would scream as it powered through boards. Sometimes that powerful blade would catch the wood, and in a flash send it flying across the shop with deadly force like a guided projectile. My dad would warn me, "Learn to respect every tool in the shop. Never let your guard down.Don’t get too comfortable with any tool."
Now why did he say that? It’s because we're prone to overconfidence and arrogance. Our greatest danger comes in getting comfortable, getting complacent, and feeling invulnerable. And if you talk to someone who's been injured by a power toolhe'll tell you that’s exactly how it happened. He wasn't paying attention,he looked away, and he didn’t see the danger. And that’s exactly what happens when we sin. We don’t see it coming, we don’t sense the danger, and we think we're strong. We think we're theexception among men, and snap, sin snatches us!
Look at Ecclesiastes. Solomon was the wisest man on earth, yet he lived quite stupidly (to borrow the President’s words). Let’s take a few moments and recap the areas of weakness that led to Solomon’s demise.
Solomon had an obsession with pleasure.
First, Solomon had an obsession with pleasure. Remember Solomon’s observation in Ecclesiastes 6:7 (NIV)."All man’s efforts are for his mouth, yet his appetite is never satisfied." We think about pleasure continually. We typically do whatever brings us pleasure first, and whatever delays or denies pleasure, we do last. Charging up our credit cards gives us instant pleasure. Saving or buying later delays pleasure. We’d rather be in debt for life than todeny ourselves immediate access to pleasure now.
We have an obsession with quenching our thirst, satisfying any hunger, eliminating any pain, and stimulating our endorphins. It consumesour thinking and our energy. What am I going to do this weekend? What am I going to do tonight? People exploit our obsession with pleasure to take advantage of us. Advertisers exploit this obsession in order to sell us products. Satan exploits our obsession with pleasure to destroy our souls.
Solomon had an obsession with success.
Second, Solomon had an obsession with success. Remember Solomon’s observation in Ecclesiastes 5:10 (NIV) which says, "Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless."
One of our guiding ethics is the ethic of "more." Have you ever noticed that we’re never satisfied, not even in the little things? We always want something new, something bigger and better! We want a bigger home with better furniture, a bigger garage with better cars, a bigger closet with better clothing, or abigger salary with better benefits. It’s an obsession with us. "How can I get more-- more wealth, more power, more prestige, and more stuff?"
The devil offers success in exchange for our souls, and we are more than willing to take him up on it. We’ll destroy our health for success. We'll destroylife-long friendships, our marriages, and our children. We'llcompromise our integrity. We’ll dishonor our family name, our reputation, and God’s holy name.Satan says, "Look, I’ll give you everything you see if only you’ll bow down to me."
Solomon had an obsession with fame.
Last, Solomon had an obsession with fame. Solomon was all about making a name for himself among men. So he paid too much attention to what his servants thought of him. He entered into unholy alliances with foreign kings. He became so obsessed with pleasing women thathe worshiped their gods to keep them happy. The Bible tells us that his hundreds of wives led him astray.
If there is one thing that will destroy our souls, it’s pleasing people. It’s being a slave to people’s attention, and being preoccupied with what they think about us. It's overcompensating for our sense of inadequacy before others, and it's trying to be famous. The crowd always sets a course toward destruction. If you’re on the side of the majority, you’ve lost your way. Solomon lost his way.
The philosophy of the rock star is to go with the flow! Follow your obsessions! Let pleasure be your guide. Do whatever makes you happy. Live without regret! Do what makes you successful by the world’s standards. Do what makes you wealthy. Do what makes you famous and what makes everyone like you.
Like Solomon, we chase pleasure, success, and fame.
The most bored people in the world are those chasing pleasure. The most insignificant people are those chasing success. The most forgotten people are those chasing their own fame. Our obsessions enslave us. They are merciless slave masters. They rob us of energy and joy. They endanger our souls.
But we are weak in our natural selves. It’s hard to say no to pleasure. It’s hard to turn down success. It’s hard to resist the applause of the crowd. The truth is that we need something within us that is greater and stronger than the flesh— something that is invincible! Something that will help us conquer our obsessions before they rob us of life.
Unlike Solomon, Jesus did not succumb to temptation.
Luke 4 tells us thatat thirty years of age, Jesus takes the stage. He had just been baptized in the Jordan river by John the Baptist. And in baptism, the Holy Spirit of God has descended upon him. Like Solomon, Jesus was a descendent of David’s throne. But Jesus would surpass Solomon in every way. No one would argue that Jesus was full of life, that Jesus lived the most successful human life on earth, or that Jesus' fame exceeds that of anyone who has ever lived or will ever live.
In Luke 4:1-13 (NIV) we discover they key to his life. "Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert,where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. The devil said to him, 'If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.' Jesus answered, 'It is written: Man does not live on bread alone.' "
"The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And he said to him, 'I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. So if you worship me, it will all be yours.' Jesus answered, 'It is written: Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.' "
"The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 'If you are the Son of God,' he said, 'throw yourself down from here. For it is written: He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully;they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.' Jesus answered, 'It says: Do not put the Lord your God to the test.' When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time."
Jesus did not take shortcuts in his earthly life.
Shortcut (temptation) number one is pleasure. Satan tempted Jesus to turn stones into bread. Shortcut (temptation) number two issuccess. Satan offered to give Jesus all the kingdoms of the world. Shortcut (temptation) number three is fame. Satan urged Jesus to temple-dive into a mosh-pit of stargazed Jews,only to be captured in midair by angels. Such a spectacular display of his messianic identity would have sealedJesus' fame in Jerusalem.
But unlike Solomon, Jesus didn’t go with the flow. He rose above the weakness of his human nature. And he did it through the power of God’s Holy Spirit.
Galatians 5:16-26 (NIV) says, "...live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law."
"The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery;idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factionsand envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God."
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires (its obsessions!). Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other."
There are two competing philosophies in life.
In the end there are two competing philosophies in life— the philosophy of a rock star and the philosophy of our Savior. A philosophy of living in the flesh which leads to corruption and death, or a philosophy of living by the Spirit which leads to life and every good thing. One philosophy provides meaning and joy in life while the other, to quote a rock star wanna-be is, "meaningless, meaningless, meaningless."
The Holy Spirit is that something within us that is greater and stronger than the flesh. The Spirit of God who led Christ through the wilderness is invincible! He can help us conquer our obsessions before they rob us of life.
Starting next week we begin a new series on the Holy Spirit called "Consumed." It’s time our livesbedefined by love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-controlinstead of by pleasure, worldly success, and worldly fame.