Participants:
Series Code: BOLS
Program Code: BOLS000090S
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00:19 So I want
00:21 to invite you to go two places in your Bible. 00:24 Put your finger in Genesis. 00:25 Chapter three, but go over to James Chapter one, 00:30 and we're going to begin together, verse 13, Genesis 00:33 chapter three. 00:34 But I want you to come over quickly 00:36 to James chapter one 00:37 that's over there toward the end of the New Testament. 00:40 James chapter one in verse 00:41 13, when you get there, say, Pastor, I'm there. 00:45 Now, let me just say this. 00:47 Every now and then when I'm on a flight, 00:49 you know, the pilot will say, man, we're going to start out 00:52 with good weather. 00:54 But once we get to about such and such city, 00:57 we're going to have a little turbulence. 01:00 I need to let you know that we've had good weather 01:04 there going to be some parts 01:05 in this summer where it's going to be a little turbulent 01:10 because having of us know 01:12 that Jesus doesn't just want you to be forgiving, 01:16 he wants you to be free. 01:22 See, there are a lot of us that have been forgiven by God, 01:26 but we've never been set free by God. 01:30 And I just believe that if the sun sets you free, 01:34 then you shall be free. 01:36 Indeed. 01:37 And I'm going to talk to you to that end today. 01:41 James chapter one, 01:42 verse 13, when you get there, see past them there. 01:45 All right. 01:46 This is the counsel from the Apostle James. 01:48 Let no one say when he is. 01:50 What? 01:51 Tempted that I am tempted by God for God 01:56 cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he himself tempt anyone. 02:01 But each way one is tempted when he is drawn away 02:06 by his own desires and enticed the young gets that. 02:12 So I need you to know that every outward temptation 02:15 is simply going to mirror 02:17 whatever desire is at work within you. 02:20 So quickly, 02:21 go over with me to Genesis 02:22 Chapter three, and we will look at a very familiar text today, 02:25 Genesis three and verse one. 02:28 When you get there, say, Pastor, I'm here. 02:33 Genesis chapter three. 02:34 For those who don't know, it's the first book of the Bible. 02:38 Genesis three and verse one. 02:42 Genesis three In verse one, the Bible says Now the serpent 02:48 was more cunning 02:49 than any beast of the feel, which the Lord God had made. 02:53 And He said to the woman, Has God indeed 02:57 said, You shall not eat of every tree of the garden. 03:01 And the woman said to the serpent, 03:03 we may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden, 03:06 but of the fruit of the tree, which is in the midst of 03:09 the garden, God has said, you shall not eat it, 03:12 nor shall you touch it. 03:15 And the serpent said to the woman, 03:17 You will not surely die for God knows that 03:22 in the day you eat of it, your eyes will be opened 03:26 and you will be like God knowing good and evil. 03:30 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, 03:33 that it was pleasant to the eyes and a tree desirable 03:36 to make one wise she took of its fruit and ate, 03:40 and she also gave to her husband with her and he ate. 03:44 The Bible says in the eyes of them both were open 03:48 and they knew that they were naked 03:50 and they sued fig leaves together 03:53 and made for themselves a covering. 03:57 Today, friends, for just a little while, 03:59 I'm going to talk to you under the subject 04:02 tailor made temptations. 04:06 I need you 04:07 to know that your temptations, they are not off the rack. 04:10 They've been tailored just for you. 04:13 Father, 04:18 would you pull back the curtain 04:22 on all of the wiles 04:24 and the objectives of our enemy? 04:28 Father, I pray that you would illuminate our thinking 04:31 through the world that we might have the capacity 04:35 to overcome every snare that is in our path this week. 04:40 So, Father, I ask today that you would give us as much 04:43 of your spirit as our vessels are willing to contain. 04:48 Hide me in the shadows of the cross that Jesus alone 04:51 might be seeing, that Christ alone would be heard. 04:53 And at the end of our time 04:54 together, may Jesus alone be praised. 04:57 Bless us. 04:57 To this end, 04:58 we pray in the wonderful name of Jesus 04:59 that those who believe say together a man and a man, 05:03 you may be seated in the house of the Lord 05:07 again, 05:08 talking today in the subject, tailor made 05:12 temptations. 05:15 You know, friends, technology provides us 05:19 with some wonderful comforts and conveniences, 05:24 but sometimes my technology makes me a little bit anxious 05:28 because every now and then I get the feeling 05:31 that my devices are watching me. 05:36 I mean, I might be a little bit paranoid, 05:40 but I swear 05:41 there have been times where I have said, brr, Billy, 05:46 that I want such 05:47 and such a thing to eat, or I want such and such a thing, 05:51 and then somehow randomly adds for that thing 05:55 are all in my timeline on social media. 06:00 Have you ever noticed that if you click on a certain type 06:03 of real online before you know it, similar 06:07 types of reels are going to fill your scroll. 06:12 Or if you ever watch a certain type of movie on Netflix 06:16 before you know it, they'll create a 06:18 whole list of movies they think you will like 06:22 based upon the one that you've already seen. 06:25 And it's amazing how advertisers have developed algorithms 06:29 that note what you scroll, that take note of what you spend. 06:34 They notice what you click on, 06:37 and they create a genre of things that are designed 06:41 to keep you bingeing and spending and scrolling 06:45 and returning to the source of what they offer. 06:48 And the macro idea today, Church, 06:51 is that if advertisers know how to leverage your desires 06:56 to get what they want, then the enemy is able to tailor 07:00 temptations that mirror the desires within you. 07:05 You see, James says that when one is tempted 07:08 that he is always drawn away and enticed by his own lust. 07:13 So that every temptation that is without 07:17 is simply a mirror of what's already at work within. 07:21 And so the way the enemy appeals to you 07:25 is not going to be the same way he appeals to me. 07:28 In other words, he knows your weakness 07:31 for chocolate, food and chocolate men. 07:34 You're not here with me today. 07:36 In other words, brothers, he knows your type 07:39 so that the woman that appears on your screen for some, she's 07:42 going to be big up top and for others 07:45 she's going to be big down below. 07:47 He knows your weakness for things that are on sale. 07:51 He knows your fondness for things 07:54 that connote success or status and need you to know 07:59 that he creates a queue of temptations 08:02 that are designed to work against God's purposes for you. 08:06 And the thing I need to target 08:08 is that there is nothing that happens in your life 08:12 by accident, so that everything that appears 08:16 on your screen has purpose. 08:18 Every message in your music has purpose. 08:22 The people that enter into your space has purpose. 08:26 They are there to either plant or reinforce 08:30 a fault that was against your soul. 08:33 But the good news for somebody today is that the God who is for 08:38 you is greater than the enemy that is against you. 08:42 In other words, I need you to know 08:44 that even though the enemy is paying great attention, 08:48 I need you to know 08:49 that Jesus pays greater attention than the Devil. 08:53 And other words, that God is so attentive 08:56 that He knows the number of hairs on your head. 09:00 He's so attentive that he's recorded 09:02 every tear that's the fallen from your face. 09:06 Jesus pays so much attention that before you pray, 09:10 he says, the father knows what things you have need of. 09:13 And the good news is that the Bible says that 09:16 God manages your temptations so that your temptations 09:21 are never above your ability to handle them. 09:25 And God says in his word that with the temptation, 09:30 he'll also create a way of escape. 09:34 In other words, 09:35 you don't just serve a God that picks you up when you fall. 09:39 But anybody thankful 09:40 that we serve a God that's able to keep you from falling? 09:44 In other words, friends, I need you to know 09:47 that God doesn't just forgive, but God is able to help you 09:51 stand strong and give a way of escape 09:54 from whatever snare the enemy is put in front of you. 09:58 You are with me today. 09:59 Okay, let me say it this way. 10:00 I don't know if any of you guys 10:02 have ever gone to what they call an escape room. 10:06 And it's amazing when you go to an escape room, what they do 10:09 is they locked 10:10 you inside of a room and they take away your cell phone. 10:14 And even though you're locked 10:16 in, how many of us know that there are clues 10:20 that give you evidence on how you can escape the room? 10:24 In other words, you're not really trapped. 10:27 You've just got to know what clues to look for. 10:30 And I need you to know friends of mine, 10:32 that in the word God gives you clues as to how 10:36 you can escape the temptations the enemy puts in your path. 10:41 But the amazing thing 10:42 about an escape room is that if you cannot get out, 10:47 if you can't figure it out on your own, 10:50 when you first go in, they give you an emergency key. 10:54 And when you can't figure it out, 10:56 if you can't find your way out, 10:59 you've just got to use the emergency key 11:02 and you can find your way to freedom. 11:04 And how many of us know that when you can't figure it out, 11:07 if you hadn't found the clues, Jesus is your emergency key 11:13 that allows you to find the path to deliverance. 11:17 I know with me today, friends. 11:19 And so today, as we go back to the word, 11:22 there are some things I need you to see today. 11:24 And as we unpack this, I want you to know 11:28 that the story of original sin 11:32 has deep implications for those of us 11:35 that have inherited sin. 11:38 And and and the story 11:41 of our four parents fall teaches us a number of lessons. 11:45 But the first thing it teaches us 11:47 is that there is no environment that Satan cannot breach. 11:52 No, no, let me say it again. 11:54 I need you to get that. 11:55 There is no environment that Satan cannot breach. 11:59 There is no human that he cannot compromise. 12:03 There is no space where God's people can rest 12:07 from the wilds of the enemy and friends. 12:10 I don't believe and exulting in the power of Satan, 12:15 except for us to know who we are up against. 12:19 We're up against a being so deceptive 12:23 that one out of every three angels sided 12:27 with him in rebellion of being so powerful 12:31 that Jesus says that lying was his native tongue 12:36 and a deceiver so strong that he convinced 12:39 the perfect couple with the perfect life 12:42 that somehow they got sorted or left behind by God. 12:48 And so I guess my point is this, 12:50 is that if he was able to influence heaven, 12:54 if he was able to compromise, eat, 12:56 and don't think that temptation won't follow 12:59 you here to open it are you are hearing me today? 13:02 In other words, I need you to know 13:04 that Satan doesn't do his best work in the club 13:07 or in the streets. 13:09 He does his best work 13:11 in upsetting spiritual environments. 13:14 You see how many of us know that his greatest work 13:17 is not just in managing the laws. 13:20 His greatest work is in flipping the redeemed 13:23 almighty quiet today 13:25 and see there would be nothing that would bring him greater joy 13:29 than for you students 13:30 to come all the way 13:32 from Los Angeles and come all the way from Detroit, 13:36 and they'll come all the way 13:37 from Chicago and come all the way from Miami 13:41 and lose your soul right here in Huntsville, Alabama. 13:46 And I need you to not be deceived. 13:48 You need to know this. 13:49 Even though your parents don't want to believe it, 13:52 that there is just as much sin at Oakwood 13:56 as there is in any other part of the world. 13:59 Are you hearing me today? 14:00 In other words, you can find up. 14:02 You'll find turn up opportunities here. 14:05 You will find ladies, 14:06 some grimy dudes right here at this church. 14:10 Brothers, you'll 14:11 find some chicken heads right here on this campus. 14:14 You'll find some same sex opportunities here. 14:18 You'll find winter cuffing opportunities here. 14:22 I was in Blake Center the other day and got a week 14:25 contact high right here on the campus. 14:29 Are y'all hear what I'm saying? 14:31 And I want to be clear that you've got a better chance 14:34 to succeed here than anywhere else. 14:36 But be forewarned that if he could compromise heaven, 14:41 that if he could upset Eden, then guess what? 14:44 You can lose your way right here in Huntsville. 14:47 Y'all hear me today? 14:49 And there is a larger idea. 14:51 I need you to get that. 14:52 Because every environment can be compromise, 14:57 because every person can be breached. 15:01 It shows the importance of never putting people 15:04 on a pedestal. 15:09 In other words, never. 15:11 Young people allow yourself to be jaded 15:14 because of older people's hypocrisy 15:18 and see, there is this interesting phenomenon happening 15:21 in our time where people are turning away from God 15:25 because they are seeing the hypocrisies and flaws in people. 15:29 But I need somebody 15:31 to understand that if you walk with God long enough, 15:35 how many of us know 15:36 you're going to see some pastors do some dirt? 15:39 You go see some church folk do some dirt. 15:42 You going to see some administrators do some dirt. 15:45 But I need you to know that the flaws of people 15:48 only offend you when you don't know God for yourself. 15:52 Oh, it's going to get turbulent in here. 15:56 You see, when God is not real for you, 15:59 you need our human being in order to believe Him. 16:03 And when you believe in people, the problem is that when you 16:07 see their flaws, the whole thing begins to seem fake. 16:12 But the truth is that I don't get messed up 16:14 when I see the flaws of people because I believe in him. 16:19 I am not sustained by them. 16:21 Are you hearing me today 16:23 and see friends of mine when you put people on a pedestal, 16:26 it doesn't set them up to fall. 16:29 It causes you to be offended. 16:32 So here's what the Bible says. 16:34 Put your trust in princes or in the son of man in whom 16:38 there is no help 16:39 but happy is he who puts his trust in the Lord? 16:44 Are you all with me today? 16:44 Friends. 16:45 And see, 16:46 I need you to know that one of my objectives 16:48 as a pastor is to make sure you don't put me 16:52 or any spiritual leader on a pedestal. 16:54 Are you all with me today? 16:55 In other words, there are times where folks will say, 16:57 Man, Pastor, I can tell it's real. 17:00 Man, I believe in you. 17:02 And I'll say without any equivocation, 17:04 I invite you to follow me only as I follow Christ, 17:09 but make sure you keep your good eye on Jesus 17:13 so that if I stray, you don't lose your path. 17:16 You are hearing what I'm saying today. 17:18 And see, 17:19 I want to say to somebody today, be weary of folks around here 17:23 that spend more time talking about the hypocrisies 17:26 of people more than they talk about the goodness of God. 17:31 In other words, when the whole conversation 17:34 is about what the church 17:36 ain't do and instead of what God is doing, it's 17:39 an announcement that their focus is in the wrong place. 17:45 In other words, friends of mine, 17:47 you don't leave church because of flawed people. 17:52 You know what it is 17:53 that's the equivalent of canceling your gym membership 17:56 because out of shape people are at the gym. 18:01 In other words, folks, I don't want a gym. 18:04 Are y'all hear me? 18:05 Where everybody is in perfect shape. 18:08 Y'all are hearing me today. 18:09 In other words, 18:11 I want to see some brothers with love handles like mine. 18:13 I want to see somebody that's struggling like me. 18:16 Because guess what? 18:17 If the gym was only for perfect people, guess what? 18:21 Very few can't get it. 18:23 In other words, it is not for perfect people. 18:26 It's for striving people. 18:28 And how many of us know God's church is not for perfect 18:32 people, it's for striving people. 18:35 And even though we are the body, guess what? 18:38 The body may be out of shape, but at least is striving. 18:41 Are you are hearing what I'm saying today 18:43 instead of talking about what they ain't doing right, 18:46 you ought to just celebrate the fact that they still hear. 18:50 In other words, instead of complaining 18:52 about how short her scarcity, 18:54 just go ahead and rejoice that she's still coming. 18:57 Instead of complaining about how mean the usher 19:00 is, just rejoice that they're still answering. 19:03 Instead of complaining about what they ain't doing, 19:06 start celebrating what God is doing 19:10 and move 19:11 yourself in the same direction. 19:14 The second thing that this story teaches us, friends of mine, 19:17 is the power of a first step. 19:24 Let me share with you a quick statement here 19:26 from the book Patriarchs and Prophets. 19:28 There's a principle I need you to really be able to digest. 19:31 Patriarchs and Prophets. 19:32 Page 53 one of the things my my favorite to say is, is that 19:35 Satan was not to follow them with continual what 19:41 he could have access to them 19:43 only at what 19:46 should they attempt to investigate his nature. 19:49 They would be exposed to his wiles, 19:51 and they were admonished to give careful 19:53 heed to the warning which God sent them, and be content 19:56 with the instruction which He had seen fit to impart. 20:01 Now, friends of mine, 20:03 I'm not sure if you thoroughly digested what was just read. 20:07 You say one of the things that God did was 20:10 He actually put some limitations upon Satan's 20:13 power and reach. 20:16 In other words, Satan couldn't walk around the garden 20:20 harassing them, saying, eat the fruit, eat the fruit. 20:24 He could only have access to them 20:27 if they start moving in the direction of the tree. 20:32 So I need you to get this 20:34 that Satan does rejoice 20:38 when he she puts her teeth in the fruit. 20:42 Satan knows he has them 20:45 when they make the first step in the direction of the tree, 20:50 he doesn't celebrate. 20:51 Once they both partake, he begins to celebrate. 20:55 When he notice is that there are 20:57 curiosity is overriding their principle. 21:01 He notices that they're giving due attention to the tree. 21:05 He begins to rejoice when they get ten and five feet away. 21:09 He doesn't wait to celebrate until they have partaken. 21:13 He knows that they How they're done 21:16 simply because they've given him an audience 21:21 and say, I need 21:22 somebody to understand that Eve and Adam are in trouble 21:26 as soon as they open their minds 21:33 to the conversation 21:36 and say, I need somebody to understand 21:37 this about temptation. 21:39 Friends of mine, one of the reasons we are 21:41 so morally weak is because we're too open minded 21:49 to see. 21:50 You got to operate with some convictions in your life 21:54 that are so concrete that you ain't even open to certain 21:58 things, are you? Hear what I'm saying? 22:00 In other words, you've got to be so rooted in the Scriptures 22:03 that there are just certain things 22:04 you're not going to even entertain. 22:06 There are some conversations you're not going to even have. 22:09 There are some parts you're not going to even travel 22:12 simply because you know where God has spoken. 22:16 In other words, you've got to have some conviction. 22:18 In other words, you ought not even be open to evolution. 22:23 You ought not even be open to bringing a third person in 22:26 your marital bedroom. 22:29 You shouldn't even be 22:29 open to living a chemically induced life. 22:34 You ought not even be open to working on the Lord's Day. 22:36 It's going to get quiet up in here. 22:38 You are not even be open 22:40 to doing certain things that are outside of God's will. 22:44 And the reason we struggle so much is because we're 22:47 too open to things where God has spoken. 22:50 Now, it's funny because some of us 22:51 are hearing this and saying, Oh man, Pastor, 22:53 you too, conservative man. We got to be open minded. 22:55 Well, well, your man ought to be like a screen door, 23:00 not an open door. 23:03 Anybody remember the old school screen doors? 23:05 Where? 23:06 Guess what, man? You can see through them. 23:09 They'll let the wind in, but they keep the bugs 23:12 and the critters out, 23:14 and your mind has to have a screen to it where it receives 23:18 the wind of the Holy Ghost, but it rejects the birds 23:22 and the critters that compromise. 23:27 See? See, I need somebody to understand this principle. 23:29 Do you realize that their first step 23:33 made the final step inevitable? 23:38 See? See, I remember when. 23:40 When they would teach certain things in the Bible. 23:42 The Bible saying stuff like flee temptation. 23:46 The Bible says, avoid the very appearance of evil. 23:51 And I remember Malcolm, 23:52 I was growing up thinking that was an image text, meaning 23:54 you just want to make it look like 23:56 you're doing something wrong. 23:57 But actually what the Bible is teaching us 23:59 is that we are so morally flawed 24:01 that you can't get nowhere close to temptation. 24:04 And fat man, I used to think that spiritual strength 24:07 was being able to get right up on the temptation and say no. 24:10 But spiritual strength is recognizing that I'm 24:13 so jacked up that I can't even get in since presence 24:19 and still stand. 24:23 It's kind of like this. 24:25 In other words, brother, if you married, 24:28 it's not that last step. 24:31 It's the first step. 24:33 In other words, you ain't going to say 24:35 no when you're in the hotel and she's taken off her clothes. 24:38 Now, you should have been saying no when she first sent them 24:41 text messages outside of work hours. 24:44 Oh, you ain't going to say no. 24:46 When they requiring you to work on Sabbath, 24:48 you should have said no when you first got the job 24:51 and let them know from sunset Friday Almighty. 24:54 Quiet from Sunset Sabbath. 24:56 No, you're not going to say no. At the house party. 24:58 When booze and weed is being passed around, 25:01 you're going to say, 25:02 no. When they first invite you, they're getting inside 25:04 of the car. 25:05 You're not going to say no. 25:07 After five years of dating an unbeliever, 25:10 you got to say no on the front end. 25:14 Are yall hearing what I'm saying 25:15 And you've got to have firm 25:17 enough, concrete enough convictions 25:20 to not even entertain certain things 25:22 because how many of us know 25:23 that anything will start making sense if you listen to it 25:27 long enough? 25:31 Thank you so much for joining us for The Breath of Life 25:34 Television Ministry broadcast with Pastor Debleaire Snell. 25:38 Now we hope and pray that you have been blessed 25:42 by his powerful message. 25:44 Join us next week for part two of “Tailor-Made Temptation.” 25:49 You don't want to miss it 25:52 What's good family. 25:53 Listen, life can always be hard. 25:56 Troubles always abound and difficulty never RSVP. 26:02 I want to encourage you to take one night 26:03 and get away from it all. 26:05 Join me on Sunday, October the 22nd at 7 p.m. 26:10 for a celebration of hope. 26:12 It is where we're going to lift up 26:13 Jesus and song through testimony and the Word of God. 26:17 We're going to be joined 26:18 that evening by gospel recording artist Smokey Norful. 26:23 Gospel recording group Stephen Manders and Decree 26:26 and the inspirational choir of First Church. 26:29 I need you to know it's going to be a night 26:31 where we're going to celebrate God's goodness 26:33 in the midst of life's difficulties. 26:36 Again, that's going to be Sunday, 26:37 October the 22nd, at 7:00 PM, 26:41 right here in the Oakwood University Church Sanctuary. 26:44 For more information, go to our website 26:46 at www.breathoflife.tv I look forward to seeing you 26:51 as we celebrate our hope. |
Revised 2023-10-16