Overcoming Sinful Addiction

“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13 ESV)

Before I get specifically into this one verse, I want to give an overview of the verses leading up to this verse. For this chapter begins with an overview of the children of Israel after God used Moses to deliver them from slavery in Egypt and into the time they spent wandering in the wilderness. It tells of how God provided for them and watched over them, but of how God was not pleased with most of them, and so they were overthrown in the wilderness.

Then, it tells us how all these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. For we are not to be idolaters and revelers and gluttons and drunkards. We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. And we must not put Christ to the test by assuming he will do nothing against us if we decide to continue living in sin and not in holy living. And then it says,

“Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.” (vv. 11-12)

So, what is this saying to us so far? It is saying, basically, that we can’t just make a profession of faith in Jesus Christ, then have all our sins forgiven, and be guaranteed heaven when we die, regardless of how we live. For if we make sin our practice, we will die in our sins. We will not inherit eternal life with God. And this is letting us know that if we live like they did that we can expect the same type of judgment as they faced, which was death. 

[Matt 7:21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; 1 Pet 2:24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 3:6,14-15; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15] 

Alright, then today’s verse comes right after that. So we need to read verse 13 in the light of verses 1-12 to get the context of what it is saying to us. For verse 13 is not just an arbitrary encouragement to us so that we know that God is going to help us to overcome the temptation to sin against him. This is in the context of, if you don’t let go of that sin and follow Jesus in obedience, your life is not going to end the way you want it to.

So, in the context of knowing that if you don’t get your act together, and you continue in deliberate and habitual sin against God – as most of the Jews did when wandering in the wilderness – that you will die in your sins, and that you will not inherit eternal life with God, let’s examine what verse 13 is saying to us. For it is for our encouragement, but we need to understand the context of the encouragement and what will happen if we ignore this.

We all who are human beings are going to be faced with temptation to sin, so if you are tempted to sin, you are not alone. And if we are following him with our lives, and our lives are committed to him and to doing his will, our Lord will not let us be tempted beyond our ability to resist that temptation and to flee from it, but not in our own fleshly strength, but in the power of God. But we can only tap into that power if our lives are surrendered to God.

And Jesus Christ already provided the way of escape for us when he died on that cross. For in his death he became sin for us so that when he died our sins died with him. Therefore, by God-given and God-persuaded faith in Jesus Christ, we can be set free from our slavery to sin, and we are empowered of God to no longer walk as slaves to sin but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness. But we have to tap into that power.

And God’s grace, which is bringing us salvation, teaches (instructs, trains) us to renounce (to say “No!” to) ungodliness and fleshly lusts and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we wait for our Lord’s soon return. For Jesus Christ “gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works” (see Titus 2:11-14; cf. Ephesians 2:10).

So, there is no excuse for anyone who is genuinely a follower of Christ to keep walking in sin, continuing on a sinful course, always going back to the same sinful practices over and over again. Jesus made the way out for us from under the control of sin via his death and resurrection. And he will empower us to not yield to the sin. But we have to follow the course he has for our lives and no longer walk according to the flesh.

Overcoming Sinful Addiction

Video Talk

July 3, 2023

https://youtu.be/h-0m4t_Fmu4

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Songs in the Night  

An Original Work / December 18, 2013

“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.” Acts 16:25 NIV ‘84

Lord, I praise You forevermore.

You, my Savior, I now adore.

Hope in heaven awaiting me,

Because You died at Calvary.

I have been forgiven,

And I’m bound for heaven.

Jesus set me free from

All my sin, I say.

I will praise Him always!

Lord, I love You for all You’ve done:

Overcame death, my vict’ry won!

Jesus saved me, and now I’m free!

I rejoice in His love for me.

I will walk in vict’ry!

My sin is but hist’ry!

I am free to please Him

With my life today.

I will love Him always!

Lord, I thank You for giving me

A new life bought at Calvary.

Loving Jesus, I meet with Him.

Tender mercies now flow within.

Lord, I am so thankful;

Through my Lord, I’m able

To sit at His table;

Fellowship with Him.

I will thank Him always!

https://vimeo.com/379484387