NEW THINKING FOR A NEW YEAR
Resisting Temptation
Genesis 3:1-7
Genesis 3:1-7 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, ’You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?" 2 The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ’You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’" 4 "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. 5 "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." 6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
INTRODUCTION: Temptation is defined as something that seduces or has the quality to seduce; the desire to do or have something you know you should avoid; the act of influencing by exciting hope or desire.
Temptation is all around us; both historically and actually! We cannot get away from it. From the myriad of commercials to the aroma of a hot dog in a stadium, temptations are ALWAYS there
AS we look at avoiding temptations -- changing our thinking in order to avoid them, I would like to share three realizations about temptation, and 4 mistakes we make when seeking to resist temptations.
I TEMPTATION REALIZATIONS
A The Ultimate Source Of Our Battle Is Satan
1 One of the keys to winning ANY battle is to know who your real enemy is
a Jesus says it best -- Matthew 3:10 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.
b To deal with only the symptom is to only delay the issue
2 Jesus understood this principle
Matthew 16:21-23 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. 22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. "Never, Lord!" he said. "This shall never happen to you!" 23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."
a Jesus understood that Peter was not the root of this attempt to keep Him from the cross
b Peter was just the messenger
c Satan was the real problem
3 Text says that the devil was more crafty than any of the other creatures
a Word has the meaning of subtle
b The noun has the meaning of wisdom
c The thought is that the devil has the ability to use knowledge in a subtle way to bring about a negative result.
4 Adam and Eve were NAKED (a similar form of the word for crafty)
a The nakedness of Adam and Eve was evident in that they did not know "crafty". They did not know where the traps were.
b Satan would use that against them (and against us)
B The Devil Is Smarter Than We Are
1 The Devil knows the Word of God
Matthew 4:5-7 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written: "’He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’" 7 Jesus answered him, "It is also written: ’Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’"
2 The Devil knows the weakness of man
a The Devil knows the hidden desires of man
Job 1:11 But stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face."
Job 2:4 "Skin for skin!" Satan replied. "A man will give all he has for his own life.
1 Take away a man’s things and he will turn from God
2 Take away a man’s health and he will curse God
3 Most of mankind will do just that
b The Devil knows the right buttons to push
Revelation 20:7-8 When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison
8 and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth--Gog and Magog--to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore.
1 Does not need previous influence
2 Does not need a lot of time
FACE IT! THE DEVIL HAS OUR NUMBER AND WE NEED TO REALIZE IT!
C Sin Cannot Be Hidden, Only Forgiven
1 Adam and Eve sought to hide their sin -- to disguise it
a Sin cannot be disguised away
b Temptation came in a disguise (the devil came like a serpent)
2 Adam and Eve thought to works away their sin
a Adam and Eve sought to make something to deal with their sin
b We cannot work ourselves free of guilt
3 Adam and Eve sought to hide their sin from God
Genesis 3:9-11 But the LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?" 10 He answered, "I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid." 11 And he said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?"
a No act we have done is hidden from God
b No thought we have had is hidden from God
c No motive for either is hidden from God
ONLY BY SACRIFICE WAS SIN DEALT WITH:
Genesis 3:21 The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.
II TEMPTATION MISTAKES
A We Battle Temptation By Ourselves
1 After all, "I can handle it!"
2 If we could handle it ourselves then God NEVER would have had to tell us:
Ecclesiastes 4:12 Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
Matthew 28:20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
John 14:16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever.
Hebrews 13:5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."
3 God promises us His presence because we need it!
a It is foolish not to involve God in our temptations
b It is UNSCRIPTURAL not to involve God in our temptations
B We Add To God’s Instruction And Teaching
1 Want you to see the similarity and differences in the temptation of Eve and the temptation of Christ
Satan’s Temptations of Eve and of Jesus Temptation Genesis 3 -- Matthew 4
Appeal to physical appetite -- You may eat of any tree (3:1).
You may eat by changing stones to bread (4:3).
Appeal to personal gain -- You will not die (3:4).
You will not hurt Your foot (4:6).
Appeal to power or glory -- You will be like God (3:5).
You will have all the world’s kingdoms (4:8-9).
a Eve did not know God’s commands very well, or did not want to remember God’s commands
b Christ was victorious by His knowledge of the Word of God
2 Belittled the privileges, added to the prohibition, and weakened the penalty
C We Rely On Our Feelings And Senses
1 Eve accepted Satan’s suggestion that God was jealous.
2 Eve was excited at the thought of gaining what she did not have.
3 Eve was enamored by the beauty of the tree and fruit.
a That word desirable or pleasant comes up again in Scripture, and gives us a hint as to the strength of Eve’s emotion:
Exodus 20:17 "You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor."
b It would seem that before Eve ever ate, she was well on her way to sinning against God
HERE IS WHAT EVE’S (AND OUR) SENSES TELL US WHEN WE ARE BEING TEMPTED
1. Hey this is practical (Good for food)!
2. Hey this is aesthetically beautiful )Looks Great!)
3. Hey, just think of the potential (We will be in the know)
WHEN WE START THINKING THESE KIND OF THINGS WATCH OUT! OUR TEMPTATION METER MAY BE GOING OFF AND TRYING TO TELL US SOMETHING!
D We Involve Others To Relieve Our Guilt
1 The basic structure of this passage is:
The woman saw,
she took,
ate,
she gave and he ate.
2 Results of their actions -- succumbing to temptation
a They were ill at ease with each other
1 Mistrust
2 Alienation
b They were ill at ease with God
1 Fear
2 Hiding
3 The promises NEVER came true
a Satan’s promises never come true
b Wisdom is NEVER attained by disobeying God’s Word
c Fearing the Lord is the beginning of knowledge
Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.
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