HoHum:
Mark Twain said, “I can resist everything except temptation.”
WBTU:
Salvation is not a barrier to temptation! On the contrary, Satan is more likely to attack the Christian that the unbeliever. After all, he already has the lost person! He loves nothing better than causing one of God’s children to fall into sin. However, temptation, while it cannot be completely avoided, can be overcome! While it is hard to endure temptation it can be used to help us grow in Jesus. Every Christian needs to know how to turn temptation into triumph.
When temptation arises, people usually respond in one of three ways. The primary method for dealing with temptation is to simply give in to it. Many live by an “If it feels good, do it,” mentality. They live like animals, doing everything they can to gratify the flesh. Nearly all lost people live like this, but sadly, so do many Christians!
Others struggle against temptation daily. They spend all their time fighting temptation in their own strength. They fight and fail, because no one can overcome temptation alone. If we could defeat the power of sin on our own strength, then it would have been pointless for Jesus to die for us. This type of person hates what he does, but he goes on doing it because he is unable to stop.
Finally, there are those who overcome temptation through the power of Jesus Christ. They turn their temptations into triumphs. This may sound like wishful thinking but we can win over temptation. It is possible to live in victory. Let’s think together this morning on this thought,
“How To Tame Temptation.”
Thesis: Some things we need to know about temptation
For instances:
THE SUBJECT OF TEMPTATION (Who is affected by temptation?)
A. All humans are open to temptation. Adam and Eve, Abraham, Samson, David, Jesus, Peter- some refused the temptation and others gave into the temptation. All are tempted.
B. We are daily assaulted with a wide range of temptations. (A PRAYER FOR THE DAY
Dear God, so far today, I’ve done all right. I haven’t gossiped, and I haven’t lost my temper. I haven’t been grumpy, nasty or selfish, and I’m really glad of that! But in a few minutes, God, I’m going to get out of bed, and from then on, I’m probably going to need a lot of help.
Thank you! Amen.)
C. It is not a sin to be tempted. (James 1:13- When tempted) (“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin.” Hebrews 4:15, NIV.) Sin enters the picture when temptation is surrendered to.
D. Our greatest danger is to think we have arrived at a place where we are above sinning, v. 12. “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” Proverbs 16:18, NIV. When our pride tells us that us that we cannot fall, then we are headed for trouble!
II. THE SOURCE OF TEMPTATION (From where do temptations come?)
13 - “Common” - No matter how weird or unusual we think our temptations are, they are just all common, run of the mill, garden-variety temptations. Nothing new under the sun. There are three primary sources of temptation: The world, the flesh and the devil. Let’s look at these three sources and how they attack us.
1. The World - The Bible speaks of this system called the world and says that it is evil. This world that leaves God out and is actually in opposition to God. This is a world that is filled with greed, with selfish ambition, with deceit, lying and danger. Two verses apply here: “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” 1 John 2:15, NIV. “You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred towards God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.” James 4:4, NIV. We are not to allow the world to force us into its mold, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Romans 12:2, NIV.
2. The Flesh - This is flesh (point to hand). However, the flesh I am talking about is the pursuits to satisfy the flesh rather than using our flesh in service to God. Everyone has a carnal, fleshly, sinful nature. There is a general leaning toward sin. For the Christian, we have the old nature but also the new nature within us. “For the sinful nature (flesh) desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature (flesh). They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.” Galatians 5:17, NIV. “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,” Titus 2:11, 12.
3. The Devil - We find Satan tempting in the Garden and he is still doing this today. “He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.” 1 John 3:8, NIV.
THE STRENGTH OF TEMPTATION (How do we go from temptation to sin?)
James 1:13-15- 2 things from these verses:
1. A divine impossibility- No one should say...- Since evil has no place in God, not even the possibility of evil, temptations to evil must never be laid at God’s door. Man wants to blame his sin on God. Most people don’t come out and say, “God made me sin.” When Adam sinned, God found Adam and Adam said, “The woman you gave me...” God made the woman and brought her to Adam. Behind the woman is God so... Here is the usual argument. God gave us natural desires for intimacy, nourishment, security and many others. If God put those desires within us, then it find to satisfy them in any way possible. If some ways to satisfy them are not right, then why did God put those desires within us? Like a friend of mine who said since God made marijuana then He must have meant for us to smoke it. God is to blame. Now most do not say, “The woman you gave me,” but it is similar. “The environment I was raised in,” or “the body that I was given”, or “the parents who raised me.” Overarching thought: Man is not sinful, he’s just ill, he’s just sick. It’s not really his fault. It’s something that just happened to him. Who allowed all of these unfortunate things to occur? Well, God. God’s not buying this argument: “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.” Galatians 6:7, NIV.
2. A direct responsibility (Vs. 14-15): Sin is an inside job. Cannot even say that the devil made us do it. Why? Because the devil cannot make anyone do anything. In the Garden we notice that the devil tempted but did not make or force them to give into temptation. James illustrates this by an immoral woman seducing a man, or vica versa. Now, he is talking about more than sexual sin. He is just using this as an illustration to talk about all sin. The word drawn away or dragged away is a fisherman’s word. It is a term that describes a fisherman who catches a fish by using a special bait or lure. When the fish sees that special bait and decides that he wants that bait, he just gobbles it up and he finds out it’s got a hook in it and the fight is on. Temptation is dangled in front of us and we want it and so we are enticed and when we take the bait we are dragged away. When we take the bait, an unholy marriage takes place. Down the isle comes evil desire, and coming from the other side is the will and the devil presides over the ceremony. When the will and desire agree, then an unholy marriage is formed. First there is the courtship, then there is the consent, then there is the I do, then the conception. After desire or lust has conceived, it gives birth. This marriage produces an unholy child, sin. Look at the conclusion of it all. Evil desires and the will bring forth sin; and sin, when it is full grown (finished product), leads or gives birth to death. Eternal death if not dealt with.
IV. THE SUBDUING OF TEMPTATION (What can we do?)
There are three words to remember when facing temptation: Flight, Faith, Fight.
1. To Overcome The Flesh We Need Flight - The key to defeating fleshly temptations is to flee from them. (Ill. 1 Cor. 6:18 - “flee from sexual immorality”; 1 Cor. 10:14 - “flee from idolatry”; 2 Tim. 2:22 - “flee the evil desires of youth”) (Ill. We cannot expose ourselves to fleshly temptation and expect to walk away untouched - “Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned?” Proverbs 6:27, NIV) (Ill. Joseph and Potipher’s wife - But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house.” Genesis 39:12, NIV.)
2. To Overcome The World We Need Faith - Faith that Jesus will take care of us (God is faithful) when we willingly give up the attachment to worldly things. If we are loving the world, we are not loving God. “For everything in the world--the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does--comes not from the Father but from the world.” 1 John 2:16. If we really victory over the world, then we must love Jesus more than we love the world or the things in the world. “for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.” 1 John 5:4.
To Overcome The Devil We Must Fight - If we stand up to him and fight, he will flee - “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7, NIV. We cannot run away from him, but we can drive him away from us. Jesus and His temptations from the devil - “When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.” Luke 4:13, NIV.
There is always a way of escape, a way out.
So What?
“Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.” Hebrews 2:18, NIV.
