Can I Keep From Stumbling
Thursday, November 11th, 2010The audio portion of this broadcast is no longer available on-line.
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Send to friendHow do we handle temptation when it falls in our lap unexpectedly? I'm going to use an imagined situation, but one which is realistic, to illustrate different ways we approach temptation. I think it will help us to see how to keep from stumbling.
Imagine Rita, a single Christian woman, who's a nurse and four months ago she took a new assignment in her hospital, a job she really loves. Joe, a doctor, works in her department, and he invites her to lunch one day to discuss some changes in the department. But lunch turns out to be an excuse for Joe to tell Rita that he's very attracted to her and wants to get to know her better, and to invite Rita to dinner with him.
Caught off guard, Rita blushes a little and remarks that she is flattered but after all, Joe is married. But Joe hastens to add that his marriage is falling apart and he's considering a divorce. Compared to his wife, he says, Rita is a breath of fresh air. She's just the kind of woman he's always wanted.
Here's what she may be thinking at this point: Now what do I do? He's head of the department! And I love my new job. If I tell him he's out of line, he'll probably make my life miserable–or maybe I'll lose my job or get transferred! Oh, dear, I don't want to lose my job! But what do I do?
That's a normal reaction, wouldn't you agree? Consider another possible reaction Rita might have:
Wow, Joe thinks I'm attractive. He's a surgeon, you know, and very highly respected in the hospital. There must be something wrong with his wife; it's probably her fault. Come to think of it, I saw her at the Christmas dinner and she's a bit overweight as I remember. Can you imagine–Joe is attracted to me! But just my luck–he's married. Now what do I do?
I think many of us can relate to that reaction, too. It is at this point that Rita will decide whether this is simply a temptation or a sin–whether or not she will stumble. The fact that Rita has been tempted is not a sin. However, her next moves are critical.
She has three alternatives: to encourage Joe's attention and agree to see him again, to try to find a middle road that will not offend him and will allay her fears about losing her job, or to decisively put an end to any possibility of a relationship developing between them, regardless of the consequences.
Temptation is a reality of life. And it often takes us unaware. How can we be prepared to handle temptation so that we don't stumble?
I Corinthians 10:13 says, No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man. And God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide a way to escape, so that you may be able to endure it. That means that Rita can escape if she chooses the right response to Joe's advances.
Rita has to make a fast decision, and that decision will determine whether this temptation results in stumbling or not. She has three different ways to go in this situation. One would be to accept Joe's invitation.
She might think: What harm can it do to have an innocent dinner with Joe? I know nothing will happen, because I won't let it happen. Joe can just talk and I'll find some nice way to explain my position to him. After all, I'm a Christian and I wouldn't get involved in an improper relationship. Besides he probably really needs a friend to talk to, and as a Christian I'm supposed to care about others.
By doing that, Rita will stumble–and rather badly. Of all the options open to her, this is the most dangerous. Her second alternative might be to try to find a middle ground. She could think: I know I shouldn't encourage Joe, but I don't want to insult him. It won't hurt anything just to listen. I'll just keep talking and show some interest in his problems.
With that she would open the door for Joe to dump his complaints about his marriage on her, and she would stumble. Middle ground won't work. True, it's not as bad a stumble as alternative number one, but Rita has left the door wide open for further temptation. You see, whether Joe's marriage is good or not is inconsequential to Rita's decision. And Rita is not the appropriate person to give marital counsel and advice to a married man.
So, we conclude that either of these two alternatives will cause Rita to stumble. They both open the door for a sinful situation to develop; one just opens it a bit wider than the other. But there's another way–a way of escape for Rita.
Neither of these are good choices for Rita. She has not found God's way of escape, which he promises us will be there whenever we are tempted. While these appear to be attractive alternatives to Rita, given that she doesn't want to jeopardize her job, they are both dangerous roads to take, and either could easily cause her to stumble into sin.
What would cause her to make these wrong choices? Well, she may allow her emotions to dictate her actions, and if she does, they will surely take her down the wrong road. Also, hesitation on her part can lead to tragedy. That middle-road approach invites trouble. When we know instinctively what the path of escape is, any hesitation on our part to walk down that path is extremely dangerous. Our enemy can use that delayed start to cause us to stumble.
Jesus gave us very strong words about stumbling. He says in Matthew 5:29-30: And if your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you, for it is better for you that one of the parts of your body perish than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you, for it is better for you that one of the parts of your body perish than for your whole body to go into hell.
Jesus was saying that we must take whatever drastic measures are called for to keep us from stumbling. Rita, for instance, has to be willing to give up the job she loves, if necessary, in order to avoid stumbling and displeasing the Lord. It is far more important for her to avoid stumbling than it is for her to avoid unemployment.
At the point of temptation we must quickly assess the options before us and make up our mind to choose the one which offers us the way of escape. We'll see what is essential if we are to be prepared and capable of doing that.
Do you remember how Jesus defeated Satan when he tried to tempt him in the wilderness? Well, he didn't use logic or get into a lengthy discussion; he just quoted Scripture and Satan gave up. Our imagined friend, Rita, is faced with a temptation in the form of a proposition from her married co-worker. But she doesn't have to stumble; God always provides a way of escape.
In 2 Peter 1:5-10, Peter says we must add to our faith the following practices: Moral excellence, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness and love. If we think of this as our pathway, then we can easily judge our alternatives by these criteria. This passage goes on to say that if we follow these guidelines, there is no reason for us to stumble. In fact, Peter said emphatically that as long as we practice these things, we will never stumble!
In Rita's case, alternative one–accepting Joe's invitation to dinner with the idea of keeping the relationship under control–cannot be considered morally excellent; it is suspicious at best.
And with appropriate knowledge and wisdom, Rita will understand that alternative two–that middle road of listening to Joe's tale of his unhappy marriage–is not a smart thing to do, either. Self-control will not permit an emotional reaction, but will instead dictate a set of Rita's will over her emotions.
So the key principle in avoiding stumbling is to choose the right escape route! If you will start bringing to mind scripture when you are tempted, reciting verses you know, you'll choose the right way of escape and Satan will run. We win against our enemy with the Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God. But you have to know it to use it.
To choose the right way of escape, Rita needs to offer a quick prayer for strength and wisdom and then say to Joe: "I do sympathize with your problem. But I just have to stop you at this point because this conversation is not going in the right direction. Joe, I really love my job and I enjoy working with you. But if that makes a problem for you, I'll be glad to take another position. One thing for sure, I cannot get involved with you on a personal basis in any way."
What will happen? Who knows? The consequences of doing the right thing are in God's hands, not ours. But whatever happens, it is Rita's avenue of escape and God will take care of her. We don't base our decisions on consequences; we base them on what's right and what's wrong. When we choose the right path, you can be sure it's going to be a lot better than any other choice, even if there's no story-book ending.
Since temptation–or stumbling–is unplanned and we generally don't have much advance notice, how can we prepare for it? The likelihood of successfully avoiding stumbling is directly related to how well we know Jesus Christ; how much time we spend in his Word and in prayer. Don't expect to keep from stumbling if you don't put these two things in the highest priority in your life.
And Satan does an incredibly good job of making his way look very attractive. It's so easy for us to think that by choosing God's escape route, we are depriving ourselves of good things. That's Satan's lie to us, and he never delivers on his promises, you know. Don't let the thin chocolate coating fool you; Satan's way is a disaster.
We started by asking the question: Can I keep from stumbling? The answer is an unqualified "Yes!" Jude 24 tells us that God is able to keep us from stumbling and to make us stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy.
Have you stumbled lately? We all do, and have in the past. When I think back on the poor choices and bad stumbles I've made, I could just hang my head. But please understand this: There is a way back from the stumbles we've made. God does not intend for us to live in guilt and condemnation over past sins. We may have to live with some consequences of our sin, but we don't have to live with the guilt.
Once more, let's review the principles that will keep us from stumbling:
- Don't let your emotions dictate your response
- Hide God's Word in your heart so you're ready for the unexpected.
- Look for and choose God's escape route, and don't postpone taking it for a minute.
Whatever temptation you face, these principles will work for you.
