Beware of the Second Temptation
Scripture: Genesis 3:1-13
- message to go with Adult SS Class....
Today we’re going to talk about temptation. And we all know the classic passage of scripture that every pastor has used at least once to preach on temptation.
What’s the story? (take answers) Yes - Jesus temptation in the wilderness, during 40 days of fasting.
Every sermon on Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness reminds us of the three places in our lives where we need to be careful of the attacks of satan.
Our needs, power, and pride.
But was Jesus ever tempted AFTER that wilderness experience?
If you read the story in Luke, you’ll find at the end of it, it says the devil “left Jesus until the next opportunity came.”
Can you think of times when Jesus might have been tempted?
Think of the stories of Jesus. Put yourself in his place - what would you be tempted with in those situations? (Take answers.)
YES! All these situations are places of vulnerability - they are all places we need to guard against - when we’re tired, when we’re popular, when we’re frustrated, when we’re hungry.
But what about when we’re not all that vulnerable?
We know that temptation is strong in our weakest moments. What about when things are just about perfect? What about when things really, “couldn’t be better”??
When things are going really well, and you feel like you have the world by the tail, why is it, in those times, that we still, often, yield to temptation? Why do pastors, apparently, at the peak of their ministry, fall.
Why is it after we’ve lost 10, 50, or 100 lbs., do we gain it all back and then some?
When we get a promotion at work and are making more money than ever before, why is THAT the time we find ourselves filing for bankruptcy? Or at the very least arguing with our spouses more than ever about money.
Why is it when we’ve finally reached retirement and we’ve got a good pension and we’re traveling and enjoying life, we make poor choices that apparently lead us AWAY from our passion for Christ and his Kingdom.
Why do we yield to temptation when things are going so well?
I think the answer may be, what I have called, “The Second Temptation.” It’s a bit of a stretch, but it’s a second phase at least - it IS like a second temptation.
Take your Bibles and turn to Genesis. Genesis, 3. We’re going to read verses 1-13. Genesis 3:1-13.
READ
Let’s look at the first temptation. It’s a set up actually. The first temptation usually is. Most Christians - generally - hopefully - don’t get caught by the first temptation.
Look at the end of the first verse. The serpent says, “Did God REALLY say you must not eat the fruit from ANY of the trees in the garden?”
There’s the first temptation.
Doubt - did God REALLY say,
and Deceit - from ANY of the trees . . .
Now here’s a great example from Eve.
Eve handles this question, that’s meant to defeat her - it’s meant to set her up for the fall. But she responds just like she’s supposed to.
Look at it. “Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden. It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’”
Notice - Eve’s response attacks the half-truth that is part of every temptation we will ever encounter.
Satan exaggerates his question to Eve. “Did God really say you can’t eat from ANY of the trees?
Eve says, Of course we can - it’s just the one in the middle we can’t eat from.
So, she exposes the lie.
Expose the lie.
She tells the serpent he’s wrong - they CAN eat from the trees in the garden, then look at what’s next. She says, “It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat IT; if you do, you will die.’”
Here she goes - Eve is doing what we’re supposed to do when we’re faced with temptation. She quotes what God has said to her. For us, it’s,
Quote scripture.
But now - having said that - what’s wrong here? Is there something not right about what Eve said? (Take answers.)
YES! You have to KNOW scripture in order to quote it, or you’re going to get caught!
God never said they couldn’t even touch the tree.
Folks - I can’t emphasize enough, how important it is for you to KNOW the Word of God. KNOW what it really says - so you don’t mis-quote it and then try to live by the lie.
NOW - here it comes - here is the second temptation. Listen for it:
Verse 4:
You won’t die! God knows that your eyes will be open as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.”
Most people land on “You will be like God.” and there follows then, a message on pride. Pride is certainly the number one sin in all of scripture, and it’s certainly the number one temptation all of us face every day of our lives.
I want to suggest to you, that while most of us are aware of the BIG SIN OF PRIDE and we do what we can to combat that one, there is a second temptation that has pride written all over it. But it’s more subtle - and if we can conquer THIS temptation, then I think we’ll have control over many, if not most, other temptations that come our way as well.
And if you look at the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness, you’ll see that this was also the temptation of Jesus.
It’s
The temptation of knowing both good and evil.
Look a little further in verse six. It says, “She - the woman - Eve - wanted the wisdom it would give her.”
That intrigues me, and it’s been something we have been wanting ever since this moment with Eve in the garden.
Listen: She wanted what she didn’t have, and she didn’t even know what it was!!!
I think that’s amazing.
And the reason I think it’s so amazing is because I think it’s a picture of our society today.
Look again at verse 6 of Genesis 3. The woman was convinced. In other words, she was persuaded - she was enticed, and the beauty of tree, the delicious nature of the tree, but most importantly - here’s the key, she wanted what she didn’t have, and THAT is what convinced her.
I’m just as convinced that the rest of the trees in the garden were also beautiful - maybe the tree of life, I would think, would be even more beautiful than the tree of knowledge. And I’m sure the fruit of ALL the trees in the garden was juicy and succulent - absolutely delicious - but THEY were not forbidden.
Eve knew what was good - she already talked about it with the serpent. The trees were good for food. The trees were beautiful - they were delicious - just like the forbidden tree was beautiful and delicious. But what convinced her to take it, was something she didn’t have - wisdom.
Wisdom was something she didn’t know about, so she wanted it.
I’m convinced that much of the weakness endemic among believers today is wanting something we don’t know about. Wanting to know BOTH good and evil.
Wanting to participate in both good and evil.
We’re living in a time when people want to do whatever they want to do. We’re living in a time when we want it ALL. We’re living in a day and age when people want the security of their religion - whatever their religion may be, but they also want to change and modify that religion to suit their own personal tastes and lifestyle.
We want what the second temptation offers - we want the knowledge of both good AND evil.
We want to be called Christian - we want to believe we’re Christian - while we’re still hanging on to the sinful lifestyle that the world offers. So we want to be SAVED, but we don’t necessarily want to be HOLY.
Here’s what the 2nd temptation does:
Distorts God’s Word.
The devil says, “You won’t die!” But that’s what God said.
Make God appear harsher than what he is.
God knows your eyes will be open. God’s not really as GOOD as what you think he is. He did it with the first temptation too - You really can’t eat of any of the trees in this beautiful garden? Wow - that’s pretty mean isn’t it? That’s an awful burden you have to bear. God is keeping a secret from you - he’s keeping you from knowing EVERYTHING. He knows something you don’t - that’s not very fair, is it?
The devil will always try to make you feel like the Christian life is a burden to bear, that the cross is so heavy.
My parents won’t let me ___________
My church wouldn’t like it if I _____________
I’m a Christian so I can’t ________________
It doesn’t take very long, once we start thinking that God isn’t all he says he is, to yield to whatever temptation lies before us.
I want to touch on five things that yielding to temptation always leads to, and then we’ll look at how to overcome temptation in our lives.
Yielding to the temptation, first and foremost, no matter what the temptation is - no matter what the enticement is - it will eventually, lead to:
SHAME - it will lead to shame-based thinking in our lives - and that will motivate us to do all kinds of things. Things we wouldn’t otherwise do.
That’s the second thing yielding to temptation does:
2) Leads you to do things you wouldn’t otherwise do.
Adam and Eve saw their nakedness, they were ashamed, so they sewed fig leaves together to cover up. They never needed to sew before! Here they were now, spending their time engaged in an activity that they wouldn’t ever have had to do.
Their spending their time in sewing, instead of in what God had for them to do - enjoying the garden - enjoying the fruit of their labor - naming animals - walking together.
Young people - the choices you make today, will determine your activities later in life. What I mean by that is that every sin you engage in now, the devil will use years from now to remind you of and try to make you feel ashamed. So you will need to spend more time and energy in keeping your thoughts under obedience to Christ than Christians who don’t have those sinful memories.
If you’ve only ever been with one person, you don’t have to work to shut out the memories of other encounters.
If you’ve never said an unkind word, you don’t have to replay the words you’ve spoken trying to forget the look on the person’s face that you hurt.
If you’ve respected other people’s property, you’ll never have the memory of the damage you’ve done and the disappointed look of those you love.
If you don’t watch the movies you know are not pleasing to God, you won’t ever have to spend hours praying that God would help you purify your thoughts.
3) Miss the blessing.
- the cool evening breezes - God with us - they were hiding
4) Lay Blame
(v 13) “And the Lord God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate…”
Blaming someone or something else is just an excuse for not taking responsibility for our own actions.
1. The Devil made me do it…
2. My parents didn’t raise me right…
3. I’ve got so much peer pressure…
4. Every body else is doing it…
The woman YOU made me . . .
The serpent . . .
Do you know nobody can MAKE you do anything? Just think about it.
Finally, yielding to temptation will make you want to:
5) Bring other people with you.
She gave some to her husband, who was with her. You will always try to engage others in your sinful behavior.
So how do we deal with temptation?
1. No more excuses.
Understand that as human beings we have appetites: For things like: food, power, money, popularity, and sex… These appetites aren’t wrong to have but we need to control them… I know I didn’t need to eat all the leftover halloween candy on Friday- but for some reason I wanted it. It was THERE!
But listen - the fact that I ate that candy is not because there were kids at my door on Thursday night. It’s not because we celebrate Halloween every year. Eating it, is totally and completely my responsibility.
But now listen to some really good news - the Bible says, “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it…(1 Cor. 10:13)”
Wow - aren’t you glad God provided a way of escape for us?
God provided the way - we have to walk in it. How do we do that - number 2.
2. Know the Word of God. Don’t make the same mistake Eve did - KNOW what God says! Don’t misquote Him to justify your desires.
Remember God’s blessings. God is Good, all the time. Always keep in your rear view mirror a few of the blessings God has provided for you - that will keep you on track for moving forward.
Be content with what’s good. You don’t have to know what’s bad in the world, in order to know what’s good. Be content with what’s good, and leave the bad alone.
Enjoy the blessings.
When God gives you blessings, enjoy them to the fullest. Don’t be burdened with guilt over the blessings God has given you that perhaps he hasn’t given someone else. Be generous - and then enjoy what you have.
Think of others as better than yourself.
Philippians 2:3 says to be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Thinking of other people ahead of ourselves - putting others above ourselves, will help us to resist temptation.
Obey Him. (John 3:36)
Obey God. Obey what He says and you’ll never have to worry about yielding to temptation. Jesus, when he was on earth, obeyed the Father perfectly.
Love is not complete without obedience.
