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Abundant Life Series

Just Say NOPE!

February 14, 2010
Proverbs 4:14-15; 23-27

    Solomon said, “Don’t follow the ways of the wicked; don’t do what evil people do.  Avoid their ways, and don’t follow them . . . Be careful what you think, because your thoughts run your life.  Don’t use your mouth to tell lies; don’t ever say things that are not true.  Keep your eyes focused on what is right, and look straight ahead to what is good.  Be careful what you do, and always do what is right.  Don’t turn off the road of goodness; keep away from evil paths” (Prov.  4:14-15; 23-27, edb).

    Young people, we know that you have many temptations today.  We also know that when you’re tempted or confronted by peer pressure, it’s easy to make excuses.  So, let’s look at some Bible characters with real life problems and see how they responded.

I.  ONE EXCUSE WE HEAR IS: “NOBODY WILL EVER KNOW.”

    Joseph was trapped in a difficult situation, one that’s just as common today as then.  This story could be on the cover of PEOPLE magazine.  The Scriptures say, “Joseph was well built and handsome.  After some time the wife of Joseph’s master began to desire Joseph, and one day she said to him, ‘Have sexual relations with me.’  But Joseph refused and said to her, ‘My master trusts me with everything in his house.  He has put me in charge of everything he owns . . . He has not kept anything from me except you, because you are his wife.  How can I do such an evil thing?  It is a sin against God.’

    The woman talked to Joseph every day, but he refused to have sexual relations with her or even spend time with her.  One day Joseph went into the house to do his work as usual and was the only man in the house at that time.  His master’s wife grabbed his coat and said to him, ‘Come and have sexual relations with me.’  But Joseph left his coat in her hand and ran out of the house” (Gen.  39:6b-12, edb).

    Now, it would have been so easy to say, “Nobody will ever know,” I’ll just go along and later deny my sin”; but instead, Joseph said, “NOPE!”

    When we’re tempted to say, “Nobody will ever know,” let’s remember these Scriptures: “The Lord looks down from heaven and sees every person” (Psa.  33:13, edb); “He knows what is in our hearts” (Psa.  44:21b, edb).

    So, when you’re tempted, just say, “NOPE!”

II.  ANOTHER EXCUSE WE HEAR IS:  “ONCE WON’T HURT!”

    The three Hebrew children were in a dangerous predicament.  The king had made a strict decree.  He said, that “Anyone who wouldn’t (worship his statue) was to be thrown into a blazing furnace.  Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered the king . . . ‘Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves to you.  If you throw us into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from the furnace.  He will save us . . . But even if God does not save us, we want you, O king, to know this: We will not serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up” (Dan.  3:11,16-18, EDB).

    Now, it would have been so easy to say, “Once won’t hurt.  Just a quick prayer; a bending of the knee; a little bow.  It won’t mean a thing.”  That’s like saying, “Just one cigarette; just one beer; just one drug experience.  It won’t matter.”

    But when we’re tempted to say, “Once won’t hurt”; let’s remember this Scripture: “A person who follows all of God’s law but fails to obey even one command is guilty of breaking all the commands in that law” (James 2:10, edb).

    So, when you’re tempted, just say, “NOPE!”

III.  ANOTHER EXCUSE WE HEAR IS: “PEOPLE MADE ME DO IT.”

    Moses faced a life altering decision.  He could have been Pharaoh, ruler of Egypt if he had played his cards right.  But, the Scripture says, “It was by faith that Moses, when he grew up, refused to be called the son of the king of Egypt’s daughter.  (Moses) chose to suffer with God’s people instead of enjoying sin for a short time.  The writer of Hebrews said, “Moses thought it was better to suffer for the Christ than to have all the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking for God’s reward” (Heb.  11:24-26, edb).

    There was probably pressure from his adoptive mother and his associates.  It would have been so easy to say, “People made me do it.  I had no choice.”  But, instead, Moses said, “NOPE!”

    When we’re tempted to say, “People made me do it”; remember these Scriptures: “My child, if sinners try to lead you into sin, do not follow them” (Prov.  1:10, edb).

    So, when you’re tempted, just say, “NOPE!”

IV.  ANOTHER EXCUSE WE HEAR IS: “EVERYBODY ELSE IS DOING IT.”

    Daniel was in a strange land with different customs.  “King Nebuchadnezzar (had) ordered . . . his chief officer, to bring some of the men of Judah into his palace.  He wanted them to be from important families . . . He wanted only young Israelite men who had nothing wrong with them.  They were to be handsome and well educated, capable of learning and understanding, and able to serve in his palace.  (The chief officer) was to teach them the language and writings of the Babylonians.  The king gave the young men a certain amount of food and wine every day, just like the food he ate.  The young men were to be trained for three years, and then they would become servants of the king of Babylon.   Among those young men (was) Daniel . . . Daniel decided not to eat the king’s food or drink his wine because that would make him unclean. So he asked (the chief officer) for permission not to make himself unclean in this way” (Dan.  1:3-6;8, edb).

    Now, it would have been so easy to say, “Everybody else is doing it.”  “I should go along in order to get along.”  Besides, they say, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.”  But, instead, Daniel said, “NOPE!”

    When we’re tempted to say, “Everybody else is doing it”; let’s remember these Scriptures.  “You must not do wrong just because everyone else is doing it.  You must not tell lies just because everyone else is” (Exo.  23;2, edb);

    “Each of us will have to answer to God” (Rom.  14:12, edb).

    So, when you’re tempted, just say, “NOPE!”

    Young people, bad habits start early and they start small.  A slip here, a compromise there; but soon we are trapped into addictions and dangerous habits and destructive behavior.  Once a speaker was teaching a lesson.  He picked out one boy from the audience and tied his arms together with a piece of thread.  It was easy for the boy to break the thread.  But when he wound the thread around three times, that made it harder to break.  Finally, there were so many of those little threads binding the boy’s arms together that he was immobilized.  He could do nothing.  He was helpless.  “Sin,” the man explained, “is like that thread.  It looks so harmless at first, but after a while it takes away your freedom and makes you a prisoner.”

    All of us face temptation.  Jesus faced a momentous crises in the wilderness.  The Scripture says, “Then the Spirit led Jesus into the desert to be tempted by the devil.  Jesus fasted for forty days and nights.  After this, he was very hungry.  The devil came to Jesus to tempt him, saying, ‘If you are the Son of God, tell these rocks to become bread.’ 

    Jesus answered, ‘It is written in the Scriptures, “A person lives not on bread alone, but by everything God says.” ’
    Then the devil led Jesus to the holy city of Jerusalem and put him on a high place of the Temple.

The devil said, ‘If you are the Son of God, jump down, because it is written in the Scriptures: “He has put his angels in charge of you.  They will catch you in their hands so that you will not hit your foot on a rock.’ ’

    Jesus answered him, ‘It also says in the Scriptures, “Do not test the Lord your God.’ ’

    Then the devil led Jesus to the top of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and all their splendor.  The devil said, ‘If you will bow down and worship me, I will give you all these things.’

    Jesus said to the devil, ‘Go away from me, Satan!  It is written in the Scriptures, ‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.” ’ ” (Matt.  4:1-10, edb).

    Now, satisfying hunger isn’t bad, but Jesus refused to use his abilities selfishly. 

    Depending on God’s protection isn’t bad; but Jesus refused to abuse Scriptural promises by being reckless.

    Gaining power isn’t always bad; but Jesus refused to be unfaithful in order to achieve it.  When tempted, the Lord said, “NOPE!  NOPE!  NOPE!”

    When you have to make tough decisions and withstand group pressure, don’t say, “Nobody will know”; or “Once won’t hurt”; or “People made me do it”; or “Everybody else is doing it.”  Instead, remember this Scripture:  “The only temptation that has come to you is that which everyone has.  But you can trust God, who will not permit you to be tempted more than you can stand.  But when you are tempted, he will also give you a way to escape so that you will be able to stand it” (1 Cor.  10:13, edb).

    One of the best ways to escape temptation is a good loud, “NOPE!”
 

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Copyrighted 2010 by Miles and Maralene Wesner, Idabel, OK.  PLEASE FEEL FREE TO USE THIS MESSAGE IN ANY WAY YOU THINK IS APPROPRIATE.  The only thing we ask is that you give credit for original material in PUBLISHED works. 

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Miles E Wesner