The Devil Made Me Do It
Matthew 4: 1-11 February 17, 2002
As we begin the season of Lent, we begin a journey that takes us through the life of our Savior, Jesus Christ… Over the next several weeks, we will be exploring the gospels of John & Matthew, as they lead us down the road to the cross, the tomb, and the resurrection of Jesus…
Lent is a time for us to meditate & reflect on the life of Christ – to realize & appreciate what Christ has done for us… But it’s also a time for us to reflect upon our life & our relationship with Christ…
As we begin this 40 day journey leading up to Easter, I encourage you to spend time reflecting upon the grace of God – spend time meditating & praying… let it be a time of healing & a time of change – let it be a time of renewal for your soul… May God build you up & strengthen you in the days to come…
As we look at the life of Christ, today we see that Christ was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the Devil.
On occasions, I will change the hymns on Sunday morning… I’ll tell Debbie, “The Lord led me to change a hymn this morning…” and usually, her response is, “the devil made you do it…”
I remember growing up with Flip Wilson & the character he played, Geraldine. One of his most popular sayings was, “the devil made me do it…”
This morning, I want us to realize that the devil doesn’t make us do anything… I will say that the devil gives us opportunities to do things – these opportunities are called temptations… but even though the devil may tempt us, we still have our own will & free choice…
Temptation is something that ALL OF US has to deal with… There is not a person on earth that is exempt from temptation… If the devil would tempt Jesus, you better believe he’ll tempt you… Have you ever wondered why opportunity knocks once – yet temptation bangs on the door constantly?
Temptation is an everyday thing… it’s common to be tempted – in fact, if you’re not being tempted, something’s wrong with you… I’ve always said, “If you’re not fighting a battle against Satan, it may be because you’re on his side…”
The 1st thing I want us to realize this morning, is that TEMPTATION IS NOT A SIN… The Bible says that Jesus was tempted – but it also says that He was without sin… therefore, temptation cannot be a sin… It’s only when we give in to our temptation that it becomes a sin…
To help you better understand this – temptation is like a sin in an incubator… We begin with an idea or a thought in our minds – we begin playing the “what if” games & we try to rationalize our thoughts – trying to convince ourselves that what we’re thinking is NOT that bad…
But as we continue to think & rationalize our thoughts – the incubator gets warmer & warmer… and the longer we dwell on the temptation, it begins to grow – we begin to see it, we convince ourselves that it’s not that harmful – and when we come to the point of giving in to our temptation – that temptation has grown in the incubator of our minds and has become a full sized living sin against God…
That’s why it’s important not to play with temptation… As Jesus was tempted, He didn’t hesitate to put an end to it… He IMMEDIATELY confronted His temptation and brought it to closure…
They say, “If you play with fire, you’ll eventually get burned…” That is truer than we think… For when we play with temptation, we’re playing with the fires of hell… As our temptations grow into sin, we’re drawn closer & closer to the fires of hell…
Just as a side note – that’s how Satan works… On cold nights, I’ll build a fire in the fireplace & I’ll sit there in front of the fire enjoying the warmth & the comfort it brings – and I’ll watch the flames flickering, sometimes mesmerized by its beauty – I can stare into the flames & my mind will wonder a 1,000 miles away…
Sin is often wrapped in packages that appear to bring us warmth & comfort – It’s often disguised as harmless, sometimes appearing even to be good for us… But just like that fire – If I reached out and touched it, it would burn me… it would cause great pain in my life…
Don’t let the temptations stirring in the incubator of you mind grow into sin… As Barney Fifthe would say, “Nip it in the bud…”
This week, the French Olympic judge was tempted to cast a wrongful vote against the Canadian figure pair skaters… I’m sure she convinced herself that it wouldn’t do any harm – and I’m sure she never thought she would get caught… If only she had stopped her temptation at first thought…
And then we have the Lt. Col. from the Air Force who was charged with espionage this week… He is accused of selling American secrets to Iraq for the price of 30 million dollars… I’m sure he didn’t think it would lead to this – it probably started with just a phone list of personnel & then a file or two – and then it lead into confidential top secret information… and now, if he is convicted, he is facing the death penalty… If only he had nipped it in the bud!
The 2nd thing we need to realize is that TEMPTATION IS ACTUALLY GOOD FOR US… (I know you’re thinking I’m talking out of both sides of my mouth this morning…) How in the world can temptation be good for us? Well, it’s a God thing! Temptation is the stuff that Christians are made of… if the devil never tempts us, how can we develop our resistance to sin?
I’m not sure if you caught this as we read the scripture… take another look at verse 1 in our scripture… It says, “Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil…”
Imagine that! Who led Jesus into the wilderness? The Spirit! And why did the Spirit lead Him into the wilderness? To be tempted by the devil!
The Bible clearly says that the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness TO BE TEMPTED by the devil… That was the whole purpose…
I think now is a good time for us to understand the Biblical meaning of the word “temptation…” It’s means to test or to prove… Therefore, Jesus was led into the wilderness to be “tested” by the devil as a means of proving Himself to God…
My son worked in the steel mill for several years… They would take scrap metal and throw it into a fire and melt it down and form it into rebar – which is used for adding strength in construction & foundations…
As the metal is liquefied in the fire, the weak parts are burned & turned into smoke that goes up the chimney – and after this process, what’s left is the strong, pure metal…
A blacksmith does the same thing… He puts the soft metal in the fire & heats it up – then he takes his hammer and beats the old loose metal off, forming the metal into a work of art – and then he heats it to a desired temperature – it’s a process called hardening… And once the object is removed from the fire – it’s pure & solid & hard as steel…
Temptation is the process of TESTING us to see if we’re for real… It’s a battle between the Sprit & the flesh – The results will indicate if we’re closer to heaven or of we’re closer to earth…
Temptations are necessary… they teach us several things…
· They aren’t there to weaken us, they’re there to make us stronger
· They aren’t there to make us bad, they’re there to make us better
· They aren’t there as a penalty, they’re there as a privilege to prove ourselves to God
· They’re there to strengthen us for God’s purpose
James says (1:2), “Whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing…”
But it all depends on the results – it depends on how we handle the test – if we pass or if we fail…
Let me say something to our young people for a minute… All of us face temptation but I think young people are at most risk…
It’s hard being a young person, especially these days – I think you’re faced with the greatest temptations of all… There’s drugs & alcohol, parties & sex… there’s the need to be accepted & to fit into the crowd… there’s the desire to have all the pleasures of the world… there’s the desire to experience life & to find yourself… to have meaning & purpose…
The chances are that you will experiment with all of these temptations – but let me help you to avoid some heartache & pain… because that’s what they bring… not only to you, but to your family… All of these things are of the devil… It’s simply a test…
The good news is, you’re in Church this morning… You’ve been raised by a Christian family… therefore, you know right from wrong… you know good from bad – You have the background… you have the tools – BUT DO YOU HAVE THE COURAGE to stand against the devil… It takes courage…
The devil is a big, mean, cheating, stealing, evil person – the Bible says that he prowls around like a lion waiting to devour us…
Many times we’re tempted to do things we know are wrong – but we don’t have the courage to say no… We think to ourselves – this is what I’m supposed to be doing… this is normal… this is just part of growing up… it’s just a part of the process of “finding & defining” ourselves in this big ugly world… But that’s not true – that’s just the devil talking…
Let me help you through your temptations by reminding you of some Biblical truths…
First of all, YOU ARE NOT ALONE… Who led Jesus into the wilderness? The Spirit… Who leads you into the wilderness? The Spirit… So remember, you’re not fighting the battle by yourself – you’ve got the Spirit on your side… That’s so encouraging… because if we were fighting the battle by ourselves – it would be a loosing battle… we wouldn’t have a chance… BUT YOU HAVE THE HOLY SPIRIT!
The second thing I want you to know is you have to REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE… That’s sounds simple, but I want to explain that to you… because sometimes, we forget who we are…
When we go out into this world, the world sees us for who we are… For example, (I hate to pick on Misti) but if Misti goes out tomorrow and robs a bank, do you think that’s just a reflection on Misti? Absolutely not! That’s a reflection on all of us…
I can hear people talking now… Misti – She’s the daughter of Jeanne & Bobby – She’s the grand daughter of Sonny & Virginia (I thought they raised her better than that?) – She’s lives out there on Hedi Ben Road – She’s a student at Co-Lin (Well, what kind of students do they have at Co-Lin these days?) - She’s a Methodist (Didn’t her pastor teach her not to steal?) - She’s a Sunday school teacher (Well, you never can tell about those Methodist.) - I thought she was a Christian! – You know so & so are her best friends (I wonder if they were in on it?)
You see, it’s not just you… you represent us all… Your family, your friends, your Church, your religion, your community, your school – but most of all, YOU REPRESENT YOUR GOD…
When we give into temptation, I think part of the reason we fall is because we forget who we are… We have an “out of body, out of mind” experience… We don’t think! We forget the teaching of our past…
The Bible says that we are children of God… God’s children are tempted & tested, but they have the courage to pass the test…
Several years ago, the WWJD (What WOULD JESUS DO) bracelets were very popular… everybody was wearing them… I was in a fast food place & noticed that all the workers were wearing identical WWJD necklaces that held their name tags… I thought it would be fun to ask the guy waiting on me what WWJD means… So I told him I liked his necklace & asked what the WWJD stand for… His answer shocked me – He said, “I don’t know, the manager gave them to us & told us we had to wear them… I think it has something to do with Wendy’s…” I said, “I think it has something to do with Jesus…”
If we’re to pass the test of temptation, we need to ask the question – WWJD… Jesus is a prime example of how to pass the tests of temptation… What did He do? He leaned on the strength of God’s Word… He leaned on the wisdom & knowledge of His upbringing… His family values… And if we’re to pass the tests, we need to do the same…
The third thing I want you to see is that WE HAVE AN ESCAPE… You see, we don’t have to fall into the trap of Satan… When we’re faced with temptation – remember that God always gives us an out…
Our call to worship this morning is a verse of encouragement – you should memorize it & hide it in your heart…
Paul said, “No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. GOD IS FAITHFUL, and he will NOT let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may endure it…” (1 Corn. 10:13)
Thanks be to God! God always gives us a way out… There is NO temptation that we can’t endure, because God will NOT test us beyond our strength… We just have to be wise enough to see it…
Many times, we look for the easy way out – but that’s not always God’s way… Sometimes, God’s way is the hard way – but whether it’s hard or easy – God will give us a way out…
Young people, I’ll go ahead and tell you – Generally speaking, it’s the hard way… I’ve always said, “It’s hard to be a Christian…” And it’s even harder to be a young Christian… But I believe it’s the hard lessons in life that teach us the most…
As I close, the 3rd thing I want us all to see this morning is that the OUR REACTION TO TEMPTATION IS THE KEY TO OUR SURVIVAL…
We need to understand that the devil enjoys testing us… It gives him a thrill… He enjoys tearing families apart – he enjoys bringing hardships – he enjoys seeing children arguing with their parents – he enjoys stealing your happiness – he enjoys stealing your time from God – he enjoys it when you don’t have time to read your Bible or time to pray – he enjoys it when your sick & don’t feel like coming to Church – he enjoys bringing doubt to your trust & faith in God… It’s when we are at our lowest, weakest points that the devil enjoys us the most…
He came to Jesus when Jesus was in the wilderness after fasting for 40 days… Jesus was at His weakest point… The devil knew that it was a perfect time for temptation – and he came & attacked Jesus with all he had…
· Jesus was hungry – so the devil tempted Him with bread…
· Jesus was searching for His ministry – so the devil tempted Him with the Holy City…
· Jesus was about to establish a kingdom – so the devil offered Him his kingdom…
The devil had all the right stuff… He made it appear that he had everything that Jesus was looking for & everything he needed – He made it real easy for Jesus to give in to his temptations… but in the end, it wasn’t enough…
Finally, after the third temptation, Jesus commanded Satan to be gone… Verse 10 says, “Jesus said, ‘Away with you Satan! For it is written, “Worship the Lord your God, and serve only Him…” And we’re told that the devil left Him & that angels came and waited on Him…
The lesson we need to learn today is that no matter what temptations we face, I want you to know that you can put your absolute trust in the goodness & mercy of God…
There’s a Christian secret that the devil doesn’t want you to know… The secret is that as a Christian, we have the power of God… and with the power of God, we control the devil, he doesn’t control us…
There is no doubt that the devil attacks us, we go through the temptations & tests, our Spirit battles against our flesh… but we can have the same victory that Jesus had… For Jesus resisted temptation the only way it can be done; by doing what the Word of God says… Jesus simply obeyed God by staying in the will of God… As long as you & I are in the will of God, we’re protected…
Another one of my favorite verses is found in the 4th chapter of James (4:7) It says, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you…”
How will you react to temptation? Which direction will you go – will you take the easy road or the hard road?
It’s been said,
· If you’re not growing – you’re dying
· If you’re not getting closer to God – you’re getting further away from Him
· If you’re not getting stronger – you’re getting weaker
Because of the trails & testing, Jesus was able to accomplish His goal – to seek & to save that which was lost… Because of the suffering that He endured – Jesus was able to show His worth to the Father & to us…
Jesus lived His whole life in the light of the cross… He knows pain… He knows frustration… He knows letdown… He knows firsthand that if anything on this earth would have given Him what He really needed, He could have had it anytime He wanted…
But what He wanted was you… And knowing that, we can make it through our pain, frustrations, & letdowns – but most of all, we can endure our temptations…
Temptations – they need not be a hindrance – for as we put them beneath our feet, they will lift us up to higher ground…
This is the Word of the Lord for this day!
Rev. Mike DuBose
Newhebron United Methodist Church
Newhebron, MS
February 17, 2002
