Daily Archive

We also see the righteousness and the justice of God here, that He will judge wickedness. He is not just going to let it go, there are going to be consequences. You aren’t going to get away with it. The phrase that God would wink at sin and pretend not to see it. God is a God of justice. God is a God of judgment. And truly the horrible picture of the lake of fire is not the picture of torment. It’s the picture of the holiness and the wrath and the justice of God unmediated and unrestrained with no grace and no mercy and no savior and no advocate. To be under His wrath with no one to help.

We also see here the faithfulness of God. There will be trials. There will be tribulation. And the word that He uses here for temptation is not just the temptation to sin. It is a trial. It is a hardship. It is suffering. It’s all encompassing. We’re going to face things that are trying to us. They tempt us to fear. They tempt us to doubt. They tempt us to presume. But God knows how to deliver the righteous and the godly out of temptations.

We read about it in 1 Corinthians 10:13, “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man, but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.” We really hate that verse because we would like to think that we’re a special case. And the temptation we fight is harder than the temptation other people fight. And you know you’ve had discussions with people like this where you tell them the horrible things that are going on in your life and every one of them they’re going to top it. It’s been worse for them. It’s been harder for them. It’s been more difficult for them. It costs them more. Why do we compete when it comes to misery? As if anybody’s actually going to win. Do you really want to win being the most miserable person?

Yes. You know why? Because what is at the middle of that misery? It’s focusing attention on me and what I think I deserve and what I want instead of what I’ve got. We’re twisted. We’re sinful. Temptation has overtaken you, except such as is common to man, but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation, will also make a way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

He says the same thing in verse 9. The Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptation. Now, some even twist that and take that to a new level, and they say this. I know things are hard. I know you’re struggling. I know things are difficult, but we have this hope. God will never put on you more than you can bear. Oh, yes, He will every single day, but He will never put on us more than He can bear. You see, the lesson is not what can I bear, am I submitted to Him, am I dead to myself, and walking with Him.

And when He says no temptation has overtaken you, except such as is common as man, but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able. You see what He’s really saying here? He’s not saying God’s not going to put on you more than you can bear. He’s saying that you don’t have an excuse when you sin, because with every temptation, God provides a way of escape. It does feel that way a lot of times with temptation, doesn’t it, that it is just at the very last minute that we find a way out? The key there is to be looking for a way out. Too often, we don’t get out because we’re not looking for a way out.

We’re tempted, and you know how temptation works. You stand against it for a while, and you know as soon as you say no, the temptation goes away, doesn’t it? This is not the sin you’re looking for. It’s gone. No, you say no, and what does the temptation say? Your flesh throws a temper tantrum. Give me what I want because I deserve it. Give it to me now because I want it, and that’s the only reason you give it to me, because I want it, and I get what I want.

Our flesh throws a fit. And if we dare say no again, oh, okay, I’ll give up this time. You fought these battles, and here’s the deception. We get to the point where we are being convicted and we are being tempted, and we are fighting this battle, and it’s a battle to the death, and we don’t think it’s a battle to the death.

We think somebody’s going to surrender and give up. It’s a battle to the death, and we’re not equipped to fight to the death in our mentality, because we eventually will begin to think, you know, it’s so hard to stand against this. If I just give in, it’ll all be over, and I can just, I’ll pray about it later. That is to presume upon the grace of God. Fight, fight it to the death. Because we have this promise, we will not be tempted beyond what we are able to withstand, but with that temptation, God will also make a way of escape that you may be able to bear it.

Look for the way of escape. Here’s one of the best ways of escape I’ve ever found. When you’re really in the heat of the battle being tempted, call another believer, confess it to them, ask them to help you. Because you know the last thing we want to do is have somebody else from church know what I’m battling. If they knew I was being tempted to do that, there’s pride, there’s pride. Crucify it, kill it, mortify it, ask for help in bearing up under those things.

The number one gift other than the Spirit that He’s given to us to fight these things is each other. Be willing to help if somebody calls. Be willing to pray at a moment’s notice. Be willing to offer counsel, to offer help, because oftentimes we are that way of escape for one another. But the key there God has provided a way of escape. Are we looking for it? God is faithful to deliver us and to preserve us and to keep us in the midst of trials And this is the contrast Just as God guarantees us Deliverance and trials.

He also has reserved the ungodly for judgment Both of them are sure and certain and will happen God will deliver the godly out of temptation God will reserve the wicked for judgment and There is no escape his judgment is sure now.

Where does the good news fit in all of this? Because when you say there’s no escape, when you say there’s a price it’s going to be paid, where does the gospel fit? It fits here – there are those who were ungodly who were not anymore. We read it “such were some of you.” Peter said we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles. It’s enough. Well, what happened to the judgment? I thought they were reserved for judgment. I thought there was no escape. No, the judgment happened. It happened at the cross. God will always judge sin and God will always preserve the righteous.

I’m not righteous without Christ. He is the key. God knows how to deliver the godly out of temptation how to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment. He’s going to apply that in the next few verses specifically to the false teachers who are present and self-willed, who are proud. He refers them as natural brute beasts made to be caught and destroyed. They speak evil. They will receive the wages of unrighteousness. If we continue in sin, we will pay the price. If we repent and turn from it, we have been extended grace.

He doesn’t say there’s going to be a sudden change that’s going to make things easier, but what he does say is that God is in control. For us, that should be enough to trust him to preserve us because he promises he will.

I think part of that battle, too, that we lose so often against temptation is found in the fact that we’ve tried to fight temptation with our own resources. Don’t try to fight on your own terms with your own weapons. The weapons of our warfare are not carnal. If you want to stand, you have to put on the right armor. You have to be using the Word of God. You have to be relying upon one another within the church. And you have to know that God will preserve us.

But we need to cry out for help. We need to have an assurance that He’s in control. Martin Lloyd -Jones talked about the fact that so often people think that the only two choices in life are a choice for Christ or a choice for chaos. And he said, what you’re missing in the chaos of the world, whether it’s the pre -flood world, whether it’s the world of Sodom and Gomorrah, what we miss when we look at the chaos of the world is that it may look like chaos to us, but God is always in control and accomplishing His purposes.

Will we look beyond the chaos to the calm assurance that Jesus is in control? Christ gives us the best example. He’s in a boat with the disciples, and the boat’s rocking around on the sea, and the disciples are, they just know they’re going to drown. This is it. They’re all going to die. And where’s Jesus? Sound asleep. When they wake Him, He stands up and says, Be still. Calms it all. You see, there was never actually any threat. They were never in any danger.

He was there with Him, and they were trusting what they saw and experienced instead of trusting Him and seeing that He was simply still. He is Lord. He is sovereign. He is in control. And it’s not just that we can trust Him, it’s that we must trust Him. In the midst of what we perceive to be chaos, we have this promise. The Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations.