Sunday Morning Series - Reigning in Life - Easy, Hard, Too Much!

Text: I Corinthians 10:13 (KJV) "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."

Many people have been taught that God screens out all trials, tests, and temptations that we would not be able to handle. This does not jibe with other scripture passages. For example, I Timothy 6:9-12 tells us that those who seek to be rich fall into temptation. Money in itself is not evil. It's the love of money that drives men into greed and covetousness. They open themselves up to temptation. There are poor people, who love money, and rich people, who do not.

II Timothy 2:22 instructs young Timothy to flee youthful lusts. I Corinthias 6:18 & 10:15 tell us to flee idolatry. Why are we told to flee these temptations if we can handle them?

What is the right view of I Corinthians 10:13? The word "temptation" is from the Greek word "peirasmos," which means any outside source that appeals to a weakness in your flesh. Some people are tempted by laziness, eating too much food, addictions, etc. The temptations we face are common.

The word "escape" comes from the compound Greek word "ekbasis," which means "out" and "walk." This means we leave it and flee it. If we hang around where we know we'll be tempted, there's a good chance we'll give in to the temptation.

Another temptation we face is to doubt God. Are we ever given too much to handle? Yes. Think of Moses and the Children of Israel with the Red Sea in front of them and the Egyptian Army behind them. There was nothing they could do to save themselves, but God made a way through the Red Sea and destroyed the army.

We are not promised an exemption from insurmountable temptations, just an escape route from the temptations that are too much for us to handle. God is greater than our problems.

To hear the message in its entirety, visit our website. You can listen via the sermon player, download it to your MP3, or podcast it. If you're vacationing in the area or need a church home, we're located at 1111 Easton Rd. (Rte. 611), Warrington, PA. The church phone number is (215) 343-7686. We'd love to meet you. :)