[PASTOR MARK JESKE] What
temptations does Satan use
to get his hooks into you
and tempt you to sin?
Pastor Mike Novotny's
going to lead us in a
Bible study on Time of
Grace to help you deal
with the temptations in
your life.
[MUSIC]
[PASTOR MICHAEL
NOVOTNY] When I open my
mailbox, a Playboy
magazine was inside.
The black plastic wrapping
covered up the picture but
the title was as clear as
day.
And I looked down at my
hands confused because the
name on the mailing
address was not my name
and it was not my
neighbor's name, it wasn't
the other neighbor's name;
it was a name I had never
heard before but the
address was absolutely my
address.
And as I looked around at
the empty street, I asked
myself, "How did this get
here?
To my house?
How did this magazine end
up in my hands?"
And maybe it was just an
honest mistake at the post
office or maybe it was
something else.
Maybe I'm too spiritual,
but I think the enemy was
just trying the one thing
he thought would work.
Because that's what
enemies do, right?
When someone wants to win,
when someone wants to beat
you, they find the
weakness and they do it
again and again; they try
to do what works.
If you play sports, this
is what we do, right?
If you're in the
basketball playoffs and
there's a mismatch in the
post, what play is the
coach going to call?
Give it to the big guy all
day long.
If you're playing
volleyball and there's one
woman in the back corner
who can't return a serve,
where are you going to
serve it?
At her until it's game,
set, and match.
If you're in an argument
with someone that you're
really trying to win, what
are you going to do?
You're going to find the
weakness in their side of
the story and you're going
to push it until the
argument is over.
If you play video games
and it's been an
all-weekend binge and you
finally get to the final
level and there's the
boss, what do you do?
You find the one thing
that works and you hit
that button again and
again and again and again.
When you try to win, when
you try to conquer an
opponent, you just find
the one thing and you keep
doing what works.
I'll tell you, I want you
to think about that idea
because you and I are in a
spiritual battle.
Jesus said that we have a
real enemy and his
intentions are wicked and
diabolical and purely
evil.
Our Good Shepherd said
that the devil is the
Father of Lies and he
wants to steal and kill
and destroy.
He wants to take your
faith, he wants to rob you
of obedience, he wants to
destroy your family, your
friendships, your
connection to your church.
He wants to take away your
very soul and what does he
do?
All day long, he asks a
single question: What
works?
He sends his demons to
listen in on conversations
and they're just looking
for the answer to a single
question: What works?
What works with you, and
with you, and with me.
The answers might be
different but that's all
he cares about - what
works?
- because once he finds
out, he'll tempt with that
bait day after day, year
after year, until he has
what he wants.
I know it's a very heavy
topic to think about as a
Christian family, but I
want you to think about it
so the blessings of God
can be yours tomorrow.
So maybe the good things
that were taken away from
you today and yesterday
and the whole last year
could be different.
I want the promises of God
- so beautiful and so
freeing, the promises of
his grace and mercy - to
be things that you don't
doubt or worry about or
question.
I want to give you back
the life that Jesus
intended; the life that
Jesus says is an abundant
life, a life lived to the
full, a life lived in
grace.
So today as we think about
that question - what
works?
- I want to open our
Bibles and go back to a
story of perhaps the
biggest fish that the
Father of Lies ever
caught.
Not just one of the
nameless people in the
crowds who followed Jesus,
but one of his inner
circle, one of his closest
friends, the man named
Judas.
Now if you know much about
the Bible, you probably
think you know a lot about
Judas but I would question
that assumption.
Two thousand years later,
we think of Judas as the
greedy, money-hungry,
backstabbing betrayer of
the Son of God.
But as I read the gospels,
the biographies of Jesus,
I meet a man who by all
outward standards looked
good.
And when Jesus preached,
sometimes people were too
busy, they had weddings to
plan for, they had
businesses to take care
of, they would not give up
everything to follow Jesus
but Judas, Judas did.
He left behind his job, he
left behind his comfort,
he left behind his home to
walk in Jesus' footsteps
for three years.
Unlike the apostle Peter,
Judas did not suffer from
foot-in-mouth disease.
Unlike James and John, he
didn't seem to have major
anger problems in his
heart.
When the enemies of Jesus
tried to find a way to
trap him, they didn't
think of Judas.
Judas initially approached
them, not vice versa.
There seemed to be no
flaws in his character.
In fact, when Jesus
predicted time after time
after time in the gospels
"one of you will betray
me," there weren't 11
heads that turned and
looked at Judas and said,
"Well, obviously!
You see, Judas was a good
guy with a little problem;
a problem that doesn't
really appear until much
later in the gospels but
once the devil found out
the problem, once he
realized what would work,
he kicked that door open
until Judas actually sold
out God's one and only
son.
And the first hint that
the devil got happens in
John 12.
One of Jesus' friends,
Martha, throws this dinner
party and the smell of the
food is filling her home
but then there's another
scent that fills their
nostrils; the scent of
exquisite and expensive
perfume.
There's Jesus' friend,
Mary, at his feet and she
breaks open a bottle that
the Bible said cost 300
days' wages.
Can you imagine?
This is tens of thousands
of dollars being poured
out for an experience that
would last, what, a few
minutes?
And as Jesus is smelling
this incredibly generous
offering, Judas has
something to say.
And when he speaks, it
wasn't just Jesus that
heard his words; it was
the enemy, the tempter.
But listen what happens in
John 12: But one of the
disciples, Judas Iscariot,
who was later to betray
Jesus, objected.
'Why wasn't this perfume
sold and the money given
to the poor?
It was worth a year's
wages.' He did not say
this because he cared
about the poor but because
he was a thief; as keeper
of the money bag, he used
to help himself to what
was put into it."
The love of money; one of
the strongest temptations
and it was what worked
with Judas.
Maybe he thought he
deserved it after leaving
everything behind.
Maybe he just took a
little off the top because
he had the extra
responsibility of being
Jesus' church treasurer.
We don't know; we just
know that it worked.
And a few days later, it
worked in the worst way:
"Then Satan entered Judas,
called Iscariot, one of
the twelve.
And Judas went to the
chief priest and the
officers of the temple
guard and discussed with
them how he might betray
Jesus.
They were delighted and
agreed to give him money."
Satan, in some mysterious
way, enters into Judas'
heart.
He leads his footsteps
right to Jesus' enemies
and they work out a
negotiation; 30 silver
coins.
Most Bible scholars think
that's about $200.
But the Father of Lies
lied to Judas: You get the
money and Jesus will go
free.
Remember the last time
when the crowds tried to
seize him?
He just walked right
through it; he can work a
miracle again.
Jesus ends up safe and
sound and you put a little
extra in your pockets;
it's win win.
He thought it would work.
But if you know the rest
of the story, it didn't.
Judas leads the enemies
into the Garden of
Gethsemane.
Jesus is arrested.
He ends up on a cross and
Judas realizes the lie.
He runs back with remorse
gushing out of his heart.
He throws the money back,
he begs for mercy, but the
callous enemies of Jesus
have none.
And just when you think
Judas has escaped the lie,
the devil switches the
bait.
He goes from the excuser
of sin to the accuser of
sinners.
You sold out the Son of
God?
You traded in the
priceless Savior for a few
hundred dollars?
You are so disgusting!
You are so wretched.
Why don't you kill
yourself?
And he bit.
He took the bait, he tied
the rope, and Satan twice
in a row did exactly what
worked.
So what do we learn from
the sad story of Judas
Iscariot?
Simply this: The Father of
Lies does what works.
He could care less if you
and I keep nine of the ten
commandments as long as
there's one that always
works.
As long as he can find a
certain kind of bait and
as long as we bite, that's
all that he needs.
And thinking that is
really helpful for me
because I bet a lot of
you, just like me, are
confused by the sins that
other people commit.
If you've ever had a
friend or family member or
a co-worker do something
that's wrong and sinful
and you just - you can't
understand why they do it
and then they do it again
and they do it again.
Like are any of you
driven, goal-setting kind
of people like I am?
If so, isn't the sin of
laziness really confusing?
You just want to say to
people in our country,
maybe people in your own
home, your own children,
like, "What?
This isn't that hard.
You know, I left you a to
do list of three things
and all you did was sleep
until noon and play Xbox.
Why don't you fill out an
application?
Why don't you get off of
the couch?
Why don't you do
something?
It's not really that
difficult."
Or if you're a person
who's pretty laidback and
you go with the flow and
changes in the schedule
don't really bother you,
aren't stressed out, like
angry people, totally
baffling?
Like it's traffic; take a
deep breath.
Rumor has it there are
other cars that drive on
these same roads.
Your kid spilled the glass
of milk; it's going to be
cleaned up in 30 seconds.
Why are we going to ruin
dinner over a simple
accident is confusing.
If you're a bubbly
extrovert who always sees
that the glass is
half-full, isn't
depression and anxiety
really confusing, too?
Like why don't you just
count your blessings?
Why don't you snap out of
it?
Why don't you think about
all the good things that
God has given to you?
If you're a thoughtful
introvert, don't people
who talk too much confuse
you?
Like why do you keep - are
you the only one in the
room who doesn't realize
that no one is enjoying
the sound of your voice
right now?
If you never struggled
with alcohol, isn't
alcoholism just baffling?
Like you're destroying
your body, you're
destroying our family,
you're destroying our
life.
Why don't you just stop
it?
Sometimes other people's
sins are really confusing
until you think about
that.
Well, the reason it's
confusing is because that
bait doesn't work with you
and it doesn't have to.
Why would Satan tempt you
with something that won't
work?
He doesn't care if you
don't struggle with that;
he just wants to make sure
you struggle with this.
As long as this works.
You see, this teaching
gives us compassion.
Your children's struggle,
your neighbor's struggle,
your enemy's struggle
might be incredibly
different.
Their sin might not make
any sense to you but your
sin probably doesn't make
sense to them.
The temptation is
different because the
devil does what works.
So let me ask you a
personal question: What
works with you?
If you were trying to get
you, tempt you, lead you
away from God.
If you were trying to
trick you into doubting
his promises, disobeying
his commandments, what
would you do to catch you?
I wonder if for a lot of
us here today the answer
might be what Jesus said
was the devil's best bait;
something so powerful that
Judas himself, one of
Jesus' closest friends,
got caught.
Didn't many of us here
today struggle with the
love of money?
I know that's a sensitive
subject in church, isn't
it?
Some of you might have had
toxic experiences when
guys like me open up a
Bible and guilt and shame
and twist your arm into
giving more money but I
just want to tell you,
today is not that; not
that at all.
If you want to see my
rusted out Town and
Country in the church
parking lot with 183,000
plus miles, you can check
it out if you want.
I've worn the same shirts
preaching at my church 152
Sundays in a row.
So this is not about me
getting money from you.
No, this is me trying to
help you because Jesus, in
Matthew 6, he once said
this: "You cannot serve
both God and money."
Jesus knew that the number
one competitor for your
heart would be money.
He knew, as one pastor
later said, that the last
thing to be changed in a
Christian's life would be
his wallet.
And why do you think that
is?
You know, in some parts of
the world, that would make
total sense, wouldn't it?
When you have nothing -
when you walk miles to get
water, when you live
without electricity, when
you don't have safety or
security, but here, in
America, how's that even
possible?
How can we have more and
make more than any culture
in human history and still
be so scared of not having
enough?
Why is it so easy for so
many of us to spend and to
save and to invest but to
give - like to give a real
percentage of our wealth
to the poor that God loves
so much?
To give a crazy percentage
to bless the spread of the
gospel without being
afraid that we won't have
enough tomorrow for our
daily needs and for a
happy life, how can that
be?
I think I know: Because
the devil knows what
works.
And he knows that money is
the perfect replacement
for God in our hearts.
Just think of all the
things that money seems to
promise us; the things
that all of us, to the
last man, woman, and child
here today, crave.
Like all of us want to be
safe, don't we?
We want to know that
tomorrow's going to be a
good day.
We want respect.
We want to feel good about
the way that we look.
We want pleasure and
entertainment instead of
sadness and depression.
And doesn't money seem
like the perfect answer to
all of those desires?
Do you not like what you
see in the mirror?
What if you had more
money?
What if you went shopping?
What if you could afford a
personal trainer, a chef
to make you healthy meals,
you could be beautiful if
you had money!
You want respect?
Buy a convertible, a
corvette, pull up downtown
to a stoplight and just
watch the envy in their
eyes.
If you have money, you can
get respect.
You want to have fun,
entertainment and
pleasure?
If you gave me six
figures, I could have a
lot of fun today.
Think of the vacations,
the places that you could
see, the things that you
could buy, the beautiful
home that you could live
in.
Do you want to know that
tomorrow's going to be
okay?
Well if you had a savings
account and an emergency
account for your savings
account, if you had a
retirement that even a
tanking economy couldn't
touch, money seems like
the perfect thing, isn't
it?
And so the devil fills up
his tackle box with that
bait and he fishes.
And he makes us afraid;
afraid we won't be able to
pay for tuition or braces.
That we won't have enough
money to pay the mortgage
or buy food, we won't be
able to retire, we panic,
we think about it, we
worry and the devil
smiles.
Cause you don't need to be
addicted to pornography;
you just need the one
thing that works.
So do you know your one
thing?
Is it the fear of not
having enough?
Is it a sexual sin?
Is it an argumentative
spirit defending your
position, wanting to be
right instead of wanting
to be righteous?
Is it the thoughts that
come into your heart when
you see a person of
another race or another
culture?
What works?
Because once you know what
that one thing is, you can
defend yourself.
Once you've figured out
the thing that works, you
can come up with a battle
plan to lift up the shield
of faith and the sword of
the spirit.
You can swim past the bait
because you know what
you're looking for.
So if in your heart today
you figured out what that
one thing is, I want to
offer you three pieces of
advice.
First of all, to resist
him.
Secondly, to tell them.
And finally, to trust God.
If you know what sin works
for temptation, I want you
to resist him, tell them,
and trust God.
First of all, resist him.
The New Testament says,
"Resist the devil and he
will flee from you."
And maybe you've heard of
the great Lutheran song A
Mighty Fortress Is Our
God?
Martin Luther, who wrote
that about 500 years ago,
had this little line; he
said, "One little word can
fell the devil."
If you want to drop the
devil to his knees, if you
want to rob him of all his
power, all you need is one
little word.
And for years and years, I
thought the little word
was "Jesus" or "love" or
"grace."
But a friend recently told
me that wasn't the word
Luther was thinking of.
Do you know what it was?
"Liar."
If you want the devil to
run from you, all you need
to say is this word: Liar!
When the temptation comes
to expose him, to realize
that there is a hook
beneath that beautiful and
tasty bait, the devil
can't stand it and he will
look for someone who
doesn't realize the lie.
So can I ask you today to
not just think that word
in your heart but when you
feel temptation, when that
one thing tries to get you
again, to speak it out
loud: Liar!
Oh, another drink is going
to be good for me?
You liar!
Trying to get my way and
be right in this argument.
No, no, no, you liar!
God's not listening to me
anymore because I sin too
much?
You liar!
I have to carry about this
shame and guilt because of
what happened yesterday?
You liar!
I'm not going to have
enough for tomorrow?
You point an invisible
finger in the devil's face
and call him what he is, a
liar, and he can't stand
it.
It will drop him to his
knees.
He will run away and fish
for someone else.
Resist him.
And number two: Tell them.
James 5 says, "Confess
your sins to one another
and pray for each other so
that you may be healed."
Do you want to be healed
of that temptation?
Do you want tomorrow to be
different?
Than here's the power
source: Tell them.
Tell your pastor.
Tell your family.
You don't have to post it
on social media and tell
the whole world, but tell
someone who knows about
grace.
Because you know what
they're going to say?
"You know God loves you,
right?
You know Jesus died for
that too, right?"
They're going to encourage
you and love you; they're
not going to take a step
back disgusted with you.
They're going to move
forward and rescue you
from the darkness of that
shame so tell someone.
Don't make the same
mistake I did, trying to
fix that one thing that
works by yourself.
God has given power in his
people so tell his people.
Resist him.
Tell them.
And finally, trust God.
Unlike the Father of Lies,
your Father in heaven
cannot lie.
And incredible things he
has said to you in his
word have to be true.
So when the Bible says God
so loved the world, the
world includes you!
When Romans 8 says there
is nothing in all of
creation that can separate
you from the love that God
has for you in Christ
Jesus, it has to be true.
When Jeremiah 31 says that
God doesn't just forgive
our wickedness, he
remembers our sins no
more, can you even imagine
that?
God, I'm so sorry about
yesterday.
What happened yesterday?
[Pastor: Laughter] That
when God thinks of you, he
doesn't think about the
mess, the struggle, the
temptation, the sin.
We might think of it, we
might drag it with us, but
God has separated that
from us as far as the east
is from the west.
When God says through the
Old Testament prophets
that he delights in us,
like he doesn't just put
up with us, he doesn't let
us just sneak in the
backdoor of heaven because
he has to because he's
God.
Instead, his face beams.
Have you heard that
blessing that we sometimes
say in church?
The Lord bless you and
keep you; the Lord make
his face shine upon you.
You know how my face
shines towards my kids?
When I'm happy with them.
Why does God's face shine
on you?
Because he's happy with
you.
So tell the devil to go
back to the hellhole that
he came from.
Your Father in heaven is
pleased with you and that
will never change because
of what Jesus did.
Resist him, you liar.
Tell them here's my
struggle.
And trust your Father; he
can't lie to you.
That's what a little fish
found out.
Once upon a time, there
was this little fish who
loved the taste of worms.
And he used to swim up to
the surface where the sun
would shine through the
water.
He would go beneath a boat
and there would be these
worms that would just
hover in front of him and
he didn't understand how
they could float up there
but he knew they looked
delicious.
And so one day, he opened
his little mouth and he
was about to chomp down on
the fattest worm when his
father came swimming up
and he said, "No!
Don't!"
"Oh, but dad, I'm hungry,"
the fish said.
And the father invited, he
said, "Well, then come
with me."
And he swam down to this
little corner of the lake
where he had collected a
feast of worms and insects
and the little guy dug in
and he ate and he ate and
he ate until he could not
take another bite.
And the little guy and his
dad started swimming up to
the water, they went up to
the sunny surface
underneath the shadow of
the boat and there were
the worms.
And the little fish looked
back at his dad and he
said, "Dad, I'm stuffed!"
And his father smiled.
Those fisherman knew what
worked but the father did,
too.
Brothers and sisters, the
Father of Lies knows what
works with us but so does
our Father in heaven.
Feast on his promises, his
love, his acceptance, his
unfailing grace.
And maybe the next time,
you'll look at that same
thing - that one thing
that used to work - and
say, "No, not this time.
My heart is full."
[MUSIC]
[PASTOR MARK JESKE]
So knowing that
Satan's coming after you
personally and that he's
custom designing his
approach to take great
advantage of your own
personal weaknesses, what
do you do?
There really is only one
really good answer: The
word of God gives us what
we need.
The word of God gives us
the wisdom we need to
think straight.
The word of God gives us
the love and backbone so
that we can live with our
lives what we know in our
heads to be true.
Don't go away; I'm going
to be back to pray with
you in just a moment.
[PROMOTION] Hi, I'm Amber
Albee Swenson.
You might have seen my
blog posts at Time of
Grace.
And I've just recently
finished a book,
"Borderline." It talks
about the seven deadly
sins.
So often as Christians, we
look at the world and
think that their sins are
really big but our sins
are just sort of little.
This book helps us take a
look at those sins and how
they might be creeping
into our life.
It helps us identify those
sins and then also gives
us action steps that we
can take to avoid those
sins and get them out of
our life so that we can
live the full life that
Jesus talked about when he
said, "I've come so that
you can live your life to
the full." Call the number
on the screen to receive a
copy as thanks for your
donation today to help
reach more people with the
timeless truths of God's
word.
[PASTOR MARK JESKE] I'm
glad to be with you for
just a moment yet to say
thank you to all of you
whose prayers have been so
vital in keeping Time of
Grace going and for all of
your financial
contributions, which make
Time of Grace possible.
Thank you from me and from
all of us here at Time of
Grace.
Let's pray today, shall
we, for strength for
temptation.
Heavenly Father, We come
to you today and ask for
your protection; the
protection of your holy
angels to keep us safe
from the attacks of Satan
and his demons but also
the power and protection
of your word.
Let your spirit speak to
us through your word and
give us ears to hear and
hearts to believe so that
we will grow wiser,
knowing the difference
between right and wrong
and grow stronger and have
the back bone to say no to
things that would destroy
our relationships with our
family and places of work
and friends and, worst of
all, with you.
Make us strong and wise
through your word, O
Father, for we pray it in
Jesus' name.
Amen.
For Time of Grace, I'm
Pastor Mark Jeske,
celebrating God's amazing
grace with you and it all
starts now.
[MUSIC]
[ANNOUNCER] The
preceding program was
sponsored by the friends
and partners of Time of
Grace.
For more infomation >> JUDGE DESTROYS BIG MOUTH DELUSIONAL GIRL..."GURL AIN'T NOBODY JEALOUS OF YOU"!!! - Duration: 12:01. 
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