Category: Digging in Deeper

Digging in Deeper: 1 Corinthians 10:13

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“No temptation has come upon you except what is common to humanity. But God is faithful; he will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation he will also provide a way out so that you may be able to bear it.”‬‬ (CSB – Read the chapter) 

Nobody’s going to know. It’ll just be this one time. Just this and then that’s it. There’s no other way to get through this. I’m all alone in this. There isn’t anyone who can help. This is just more than I can handle. Which line have you used or had used on you before in a moment of temptation? There are all kinds of lines designed to drag you into sin, but all of them are rooted in lies. Paul identifies three particularly common lines for us here. Let’s take a look at these. 

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Digging in Deeper: Isaiah 55:8

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“‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not my ways.’ This is the Lord’s declaration.”‬‬ (CSB – Read the chapter) 

Context is king when it comes to understanding the Scriptures well. This morning we started talking about a popular bumper-sticker verse out of Isaiah and then talked about the different contexts we need to take into account when examining a particular verse. Let’s put all of that into practice.

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Digging in Deeper: Revelation 20:15

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“And anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.”‬‬ (CSB – Read the chapter)

This morning we started wrestling through what we are supposed to do with a passage like this one and its disturbing images of the final fate of those who reject God as Lord. We started with the basics: The doctrine of Hell is hard, but it’s also necessary. With those two truths in place, let’s deal with the emotional hard of the idea of Hell being a place of eternal death and fiery torment. Are those both true pictures of Hell? Because, if we’re honest, those are the ideas that drive so many away from the doctrine. 

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Digging in Deeper: 2 Corinthians 12:9

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“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in weakness.’ Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reside in me.” (CSB – Read the chapter) 

I was recently reading through a devotional looking at various statements people often associate with the Scriptures, but are not actually found in them at all. In fact, when you break down these popular sayings, their foundational ideas are actually counter to the truth claims the various authors who contributed to the Scriptures make. One that really jumped out at me because I have heard it so many times is this: God won’t give you more than you can handle. This idea is popular, but is it true? 

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Digging in Deeper: Genesis 3:2-3

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“The woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat the fruit from the trees in the garden. But about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, God said, “You must not eat it or touch it, or you will die.”’”‬‬ (CSB – Read the chapter) 

How do you resist temptation? What are your strategies? Are there any routines that help you do it? Do you have certain things you say, perhaps a mantra of some kind? The fact is, you do face it. We all face it. We’ve all faced it since Eve here took the initial shot to the heart. Succumbing to it obviously isn’t the best plan, but if we don’t have another one better, that’s usually what’s going to happen. What do we do? 

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