We can't hide from God. He knows our every thought, temptation, weakness, failure, and sin. We go into a dark closet; God is there. We enter a Siberian cave; he's there. He's at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean and the top of Everest. When the James Webb Space Telescope finds a new distant galaxy, God is there too. We cannot possibly escape his examination. (You can find Pastor Alistair Begg making the point about the futility of hiding from God in this video).
Remarkably, despite God knowing everything about us, he still loves us. A.W. Tozar wrote "Jesus Christ knows the worst about you. Nonetheless, He is the one who loves you most." He not only loves us more than anyone else ever can, but he also reaches out seeking a person relationship. Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." In short, God does sympathize with our temptations. As you read on, you will not only be reminded why that is, but will be reminded of the ways in which he helps us overcome them.
We Answer Tina Turner
Just over 2,000 years ago, Jesus became fully man and remained fully God. That should make our brains hurt. But God can and did make that happen. In Hebrews 4, we read that Jesus sympathizes with our weakness because he (as fully man) was tempted. The passage encourages us to confidently draw near to the throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace to help in times of need. The word "grace" here means God's favor towards the unworthy. We didn't earn it! Here's a good video featuring a young, enthusiastic Bible teacher who dives into this remarkable passage.
Tina Turner sings,"What's love got to do with it...do with it...do with it?" Well, for God, love has everything to do with it. Consider John 3:16, perhaps the most well-known verse in the Bible. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life." He didn't have to set it up that way. The gods of man's invention do not invite personal relationships with us. They are distant, unpredictable, unsympathetic, and expected to give what is deserved. Thankfully, the one true God didn't consult with man when he formulated his salvation plan. So, when Tina Turner asks later, "Who needs a heart because hearts can be broken," we should think, "We do, for we want to give our hearts to God; he is loving, faithful, and worthy."
Heaven is No Time-Share
Psalm 103:12 reads, "as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us." God not only doesn't put us in the dungeon and throw away the keys, but he throws away the scorecard and sees us as pure, as worthy to spend eternity with him. Because of our faith in Christ, we are given an unmerited inheritance that exceeds all earthly riches. It's no 2-week timeshare, it's eternity.
Have you ever thought that God could not possibly forgive you for your sins because they are so terrible? We'd do well to remember Saul. He hated and killed Christians; he's what today we'd call a terrorist. But on that road to Damascus, he had a remarkable encounter with Jesus. It's fascinating, isn't it, that Jesus pursues us even when we have been wicked. Saul was repentant, and was forgiven, and followed Jesus from that point. God used him in remarkable ways! We know him, of course, as the Apostle Paul, author of 13 books in the New Testament. The irony is just too rich.
We Should Be More Like This Boy
A preacher named Vernon McGee once said that the highest compliment he had ever received came from a small boy after he had shared a sermon. The boy walked up and nervously blurted, "I never knew Jesus was so wonderful", before sprinting off. Do we look at Jesus with wonder and amazement? As we open our hearts to the Word, we see Jesus more clearly. Check out this great short video from our friends at Desiring God; it underscores that the Word is to be cherished.
Some of us have postponed the decision to follow Christ; we think that the decision will still rest with us tomorrow. But what if we die tonight? We're all going to meet Christ after we die. "As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God." (Romans 4:11). If I die tonight in my sleep, I want to do so having already accepted the most outstanding offer ever. The Father gave his only Son who bore the wrath for our sins. He took our place so that we are presented sinless. We're called to repent, then trust and obey Jesus to avoid that which we deserve (Hell) and instead receive Heaven, a place so beautiful an joyful that we mere mortals fall well short in imagining it. Why would we dare wait to trust and obey Jesus?
God's Help For Temptation!
We are new creations once we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior. Jesus is in us. The God who sympathizes with our temptations helps us to overcome them, too. One critical tool that he gives us is scripture. When Satan tempted Jesus, Jesus quoted scripture, and Satan went away. The Psalmist reminds us, "I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you" (Psal,m 119:11). If having some Bible verses specific to temptation (in both text and audio) might help you, check these out.
We are given a Helper, the Holy Spirit, the third person in the Trinity. He is with us through our trials and gives us strength. He intercedes for us (Romans 8:26-27). He serves as the Comforter and Counselor Jesus promised (John 14:16, 14-26, 15-26). He points us to Jesus.
We are also able to talk to God! We can only marvel at how much Jesus prayed during his earthly ministry. In the model prayer he gave to us, he acknowledges temptation; "Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil." We are called to pray very often, and God hears our every prayer.
Jesus prays for his followers while on his throne in Heaven (Hebrews 7:25, Romans 8:34, 1 John 2:1).
He gives us other believers who can come alongside us to encourage us, teach us with our trials and temptations, and pray for us.
In summary, God sympathizes with our temptations, but he also helps us to overcome them. He wipes away our sins (if we repent and believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior). He makes us new creations. He gives us scripture. He gives us the Holy Spirit. He listens to every prayer. He gives us other believers to help encourage and teach us. Jesus even prays for us while on the throne. How utterly humbling.
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