TAKING GOD’S EXITS!

1 Corinthians 10:1-15

INTRODUCTION: What are some temptations that you fall for over and over? Today we will learn from God’s Word how to say no to those temptations. Titus 2:11-14. The early church had a lot of temptations that they just kept committing. 1 Corinthians 1:11-12. The church at Corinth was full of personal pride in their leader’s giftedness: 1 Corinthians 4:6. They were involved in sexual immorality: 1 Corinthians 5:1. They often went to court before unbelievers against their brothers in Christ: 1 Corinthians 6:1. They constantly were a stumbling block to each other: 1 Corinthians 8:9 and there were all kinds of disorders at the Lord’s table: 1 Corinthians 11:20-22. They had all kinds of doctrinal errors being taught in the church: 1 Corinthians 15:29.

I. ARE YOU TEMPTED?

So many today are trying to get back to the purity of the early church. Folks the church has sadly always had sin in it. Many in the early church even tried to blame their sins on God: James 1:13-15. Now that we know our sin is not caused by God, let’s go back and learn how to take God’s exits from our sins. 1 Corinthians 10:13. God has promised in His Word not to tempt us beyond what we can endure from our own fleshly desires, from the temptations of the devil and his angles or from the world. But who is responsible for you taking God’s way of escape? No body but you!

II. AGREEING WITH GOD!

In order to take God’s exits we must first agree with God that we are not the only one who has ever been tempted this way: 1 Corinthians 10:13. You and I are not the only ones being tempted. There are millions of people all across this world being tempted. Some resist the temptations others do not. What God is saying to each of us is quite whining about your temptation and learn to say and mean “NO!” to your temptations. God has promised to give us a way out of our temptations but it is our responsibility to learn that way out and to take it! 1 Corinthians 10:13 is a wonderful promise of God that must be taken by us as true or we too will fail to resist the lure of temptation: 1 Corinthians 11:3. Even our Lord Jesus was tempted by Satan but He chose to take God’s exit: Hebrews 4:15-16. Being tempted is not our problem. Our problem is giving into temptation. God has promised us an exit from our temptations so they do not become sin in our lives: 1 Corinthians 10:13. As a Christian today I have all I need to overcome temptations by trusting my God’s exit. Unbelievers do not have that promise given to them: 2 Timothy 2:25-26.

III. GOD’S EXITS!

As we think about our temptations that keep controlling our lives we must learn to determine the costs of giving into those temptations: James 1:12-15. God raises a flag and warns us to count the cost to be sure to take His exit before we give into our sinful desires and have to pay the price. Do you fear the Lord? Hebrews 10:30-31. Do God’s promises cause any fear in your heart? Galatians 6:7-9. Temptation leads to sin—sin leads to death! Does that scare you at all? Sin is pleasant for a season but then the price for our sin must be paid: Hebrews 11:24-26. We must learn to not keep placing ourselves in situations that lead us to sin: Matthew 26:41. We must learn to guard ourselves from continual temptations: 1 Peter 5:8-9; Romans 13:11-14; James 5:16; Proverbs 20:18; Hebrews 4:14-16; Matthew 28:20. Are you ready to take God’s exit from your next temptation?