Breaking Free From the Turkish Delight Dec 2005
1. In the book The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, C.S. Lewis tells the story of 4 children playing hide and go seek in a wardrobe that transports the children to a land called Narnia. With talking animals and half/men half/animal creatures and even trees that have personality. The 4 children who come to Narnia are named Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy. There is a prophecy in Narnia 2 sons of Adam and 2 daughters of Eve will sit on the thrones in Narnia and reverse the curse of winter.
2. The bad guy in story - actually she. White Witch calls herself Queen of Narnia ... she has cursed the land.
She made it always winter, but it never gets to be Christmas.
The curse - dreadful, all the living creatures are affected.
The joy of the land is affected because the curse is so strong.
The curse devastates the lives of the creatures who live there.
3. Hero of this story is a lion. Aslan. A mighty Lion who arrives on the scene with power even greater than the White Witch. He is a talking lion who is both creator and ruler over Narnia. Everyone is hopeful and optimistic that the curse will be reversed because “Aslan is on the move.”
4. Today I want to focus on the story of Edmund. Edmund is the sort of kid that gets under your skin. The type that makes you pray a lot. He’s rude and arrogant, and enjoys teasing his younger sister to the point of tears. He has a chip on his shoulders and he generally acts like a spoiled little brat all of the time.
5. Edmund has just found his way into Narnia and the first person he meets is the White Witch. She is being traveling around in a sleigh and she is quite startled to discover a small creature in her kingdom. She can’t quite figure out who or what he is. This is where we pick up the story. Read pages 31-36. By tempting Edmund with this Turkish delight and a promise that he would be King of Narnia, she is able to lead him into deception, betrayal and treason. By eating Turkish Delight he crosses over the line and aligns himself with Witch.
6. This act of betrayal is what the Bible calls SIN. We don’t think too much of sin these days. Word rarely used.
Sin is viewed as a psychological weakness. Sin is against society and self. But the consequences of sin in Edmund’s life are deadly. His treason demands the death penalty. Deep Magic written before time… there is a moral law that runs Narnia. Right and wrong are not up for popular opinion. Deep Magic says ....the payment for treason is death.
Prop: Edmund needed a strategy to avoid eating the Turkish Delight. And so do we.
On a Personal level… few of us struggle with TD… Control tempter, tongue, gossiping, jealousy, drinking, gambling, pornography and the greatest sins of all loving people and overcoming our PRIDE. How do we not bite Turkish Delight. Jesus came on a Christmas Night 2000 years ago so that we can break free from Turkish Delight temptations.
The strategy that could have saved Edmund is found in James 1:13-18. This strategy could have saved Edmund … it will save you too this Christmas, if you have the faith to implement it. 4 tactics
1st Tactic … Know the source of temptation. 13 -14
a. If Edmund was going to triumph over temptation he needed to know the source of temptation.
In all cases… 2 sources of temptation… Outward – Inward.
Outward… In this case White Witch…. Who disguises herself and calls herself the “Queen of Narnia.”
For us: Satan, culture, friends, media…. 100’s of other outward tempters.
b. James says the 1st thing we need to understand is that God is NEVER a source of temptations. Why is that important? A lot of people blame God either directly or indirectly for the mess they get themselves into. Excuses:
1. God made me this way.
2. God put me into this situation
3. I don’t have the power to change. That is God’s fault.
4. If God would give me strength I wouldn’t be in this mess.
c. Do you know where this argument is used the most these days? Homosexuality. Still a lot of debate whether homosexuality is NATURE OR NURTURE caused. But either way people blame God for it. People say.. God made me this way… God put me in this situation. It’s God’s fault that I ate the TD. Vs 13… when tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone.
No matter how you were created, no matter what your family situation is…. God doesn’t want you to bite TD homo.
d. Here’s truth about our Outward Temptation Excuses… Everyone has an excuse.
All of us were born with character flaws.
We are all handicapped in some way.
All of us have had negative experiences.
All of us have inconsistent and deficient parents.
All of us have been hurt by relational pain growing up.
All of us have had at least one bad teacher growing up We all have an excuse. We can always blame someone else.
e. James makes it clear… we can never blame God. In other words, it’s not in God to try to bring you down. There is another outward source…. Satan the father of lies. He tempted Jesus, Adam and Eve, and he tempts us.
Edmund should have realized… first encounter with her he knows she is rude and crude and then she suddenly changes. He sees this but overlooks it. Why?
g. The real source of temptation. Looking for someone to blame. Don’t look to God, your DNA, parents, society, poverty, second grade teacher, twinkes. Look in the mirror. We are to blame … inward process is exposed here. HEART
h.. Starts in our evil desires… starts in our hearts. Our hearts are always pulled to rebellion. We naturally do wrong. While the object of temptation is outside of us… where is the source of temptation? Know this… there is something in our hearts that makes us all traitors. It isn’t just Edmund who has committed cosmic treason.
All of us in this room have violated the deep magic. We have all broken the commandments at least once.
And one violation makes us traitors.
2nd Tactic … Know the Slide of temptations. 15-16
a. 5 steps down this slide.
1. Starts in the heart…. I want… I want it more than anything else. Throw caution away.
2. Dragged away… enticed are interesting words. Refer to fishing, in which you take a substitute item that is not the real thing and make it look like the real thing so you can draw out the prey and destroy him.
Fishing pole… don’t by bait and feed the fish… goal is not feeding but catching. Jiggle it in the water so that the fish sees it…. So overcome by desire… throws caution to the wind and bite it. Drawn away by his desire…
Temptation same way. Witch used food and a promise to be King, pleasure and power… She jiggles Edmund bites.
3. Birth to sin… next step… sin is a violation against the Holiness of God. In Narnia it is called the Deep Magic. It is the unwritten rules to the game. Popular opinion doesn’t change the deep magic, nor does time… Deep magic comes from character of God. Holiness of God determines what sin is and isn’t.
You can miss it by inches or miles… sin is always cosmic treason. It is always leads to the final step.
4. Death. Not only physical but also spiritual.
The teaching of the Bible is clear… “The wages of sin is death.” Romans 6:23 earn, payment, result…
Sin is cosmic treason… punishable by death.
The consequences of sin are deadly and eternal.
Sin leads to the death of people, death of marriages, death of nations, death of churches, ministries, joy, innocence.
Proverbs 14:12 There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.
When Edmund saw the magical hot drink, enchanted Turkish Delight … Not wrong to see it… But when he tasted them and gave away secrets that put his family and all Narnia in jeopardy.. He crossed the line.
5. Most dangerous step downward… 16 Deception. Not to even realize you are in danger.
These steps downward are dangerous. They can be traveled by individuals as well as whole societies.
Do you know how to tell if you are walking down these steps….. If you don’t call it sin anymore.
Call SIN by a different name.
Alternative lifestyle
It was a mistake
Poor judgment
I am just doing what God wants me to do… God wants me to be happy
Not sin…. We love each other
When we justify sin we are being deceived. Stop call it sin. Face it and deal with it.
If you don’t you will never move forward to be who God wants you to be.
3th tactic. Know the Source of Triumph 17-18
a. The source of our Triumph over TD is not in us. It is in our relationship with God. No person in this room can resist TD by themselves. None of us can live a perfect life. There is only one who is perfect. He was born on Christmas Day 2000 years ago. Yet God still wants to give us a gift this Christmas. This gift is good and perfect.
b. Know that God does not change. 17 “who does not change like shifting shadows.”
Everything on earth is changing. But God does not change. God’s life does not change. From all eternity to all eternity he is always the same. He always has been; He always will be. Because He is perfect. He’ll never change.
c. Know that the source of our triumph wants to give us the gift of a new birth. 18
A birth that occurs through the Word of Truth. The Deep Magic reveals a way to be born again.
d. The sin that is in us… makes us enemies with God. It would be hard to overstate the magnitude of our sin.
All sin is cosmic treason against a holy God.
Every idle word we have ever uttered will be brought into judgment.
We will be tried on 10 of thousands of counts of blasphemy against God. Jesus… Jez…
If you sin once, you’ll be judged for one sin. If you sin twice, two sins. Most of us sin many times a day.
At the end of life… we will be judged by thousands of offenses.
Our sin does require a death. So who is going to die for your sin?
e. This is where the cross comes in. This gift that God wants to give you is a swap… your sin for Christ’s perfect life.
God loves you so much… he is willing to come to this planet… live among us for 32 years… then die a horrible death at the hands of his enemies… so that he can swap his life for yours.
f. This is how sin is defeated. Now because of the cross our treason has been removed. It would be hard to exaggerate the magnitude of the changes that have taken place as a result of the cross.
-We can be reconciled with God.
-I can have peace with the creator of the universe.
-Presence of God is promised each step of our journey.
-Our heavy hearts can be changed…. We can feel like a new born baby… fresh start in life.
-We can live in victory because God will give us the strength to overcome TD.
It starts at the cross with the removal of our sin.
4rd tactic… Know a Strategy against temptation. 6 “R’s”
1. Repent…
2. Receive the Gift of New Birth..
3. Refocus James 4:8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
Victory is much more than self discipline… We have to stay as close to God as we can. Victory comes to those who know they can’t do it without God’s help. Recognize we are enslaved and we can’t set ourselves free. So rather than buy into the myth… just have to try harder… learn the secret of bringing Christ’s power against temptation.
Lord I am weak, I can’t liberate myself… please help me. Lord Stay close to the Lord.
4. Resist …. Outward and inward. Fight Who’s responsible to resist temptation? Exercise self control? If we don’t fight we will be victimized. Our responsibility is to say NO, resist, renounce. Fight. Christians are pansies. I couldn’t do anything. Just happened. God expects us to fight against temp..
1 Peter 5:8-9 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith. Verbally. Satan can’t read our minds say it out loud. Say “NO”
5. Remember the consequences of sin. Sin was fun for Edmund… hot drink and TD hot is fun. It is the consequences that are painful. Never forget the Consequences of sin. It never satisfies… TD was just temporary. He wanted more.. Remember sin will eventually kill. What we earn from sin is death. It causes our spirits to crumple up, it snuffs out our prayers, and it mortifies our desire for God. Which is a lethal disease. Sin kills. From guilt and shame, ruined reputation, hurt your family, change your life forever .. there are always consequences. Time to think of consequences is before yielding. Where does this pathway lead if I take it…. Think forward.
6. Ranger Buddy. Term used in military for the person who guards your back and you guard his.
Eccles. 4:9-10 Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!
Someone asking us the hard questions. Someone telling us the truth. Alone always leads to defeat… we all need the Buddy system. Accountability partner… someone you can open up to. Great power when we confess to one another.
Prayer.. Thank you Lord for making for us to resist the Turkish Delight. We are rescued by a Savior who takes our place. Pray that Jesus will enter our lives and fill them with your power and grace. Help us find the path you have provided. Lord we need you. We acknowledge that without you we can do nothing. Free us from the bondage of sin that so easily trips us up. Come to us your children and help us find the grace and forgiveness you have promised to those who are honest enough to admit their sin. Help us find the victory over the Turkish Delight.
