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Due to the large amount of sermons and topics that appear on this site I feel it is necessary to post this disclaimer on all sermons posted. These sermons are original to the author and the leading of the Holy Spirit. While ideas and illustrations are often gleaned from many sources including those at Sermoncentral.com, any similarities and wording, including sermon titles, that may appear to be the same as any other sermon are purely coincidental. In instances where other minister’s wording is used, due recognition will be given. These sermons are not copyrighted and may be used or preached freely. May God richly bless you as you read these sermons. It is my sincere desire that all who read them may be enriched. All scriptures quoted in these sermons are copied and/or quoted from the Authorized King James Version of the Holy Bible.
Pastor James May
SIN’S SEDUCTIVE POWER
God has spoken to me that I should take a little extra time to bring to you a message of instruction in the power of sin to seduce you into being unfaithful to Jesus Christ, as well as a message of deliverance from the power of sin. I think that too many Christians fall prey to Sin’s Seductive Power simply because they do not recognize what is happening to them until it is too late to stop the process.
I want you to know that Sin has power to destroy your body, soul and spirit. The only power greater than sin is the power of the Blood of Jesus Christ! Once you begin down the long path into disobedience and sin against God, it is impossible for you resist unless you turn to Christ and allow Him to wash you in His precious blood again.
God is faithful and just to forgive us, but we must turn back from our sin in absolute and true repentance before He will wash us clean again.
With this in mind I want us to examine chapter 7 of the Book of Proverbs this evening. At first glance this entire chapter seems to be just a chapter of Proverbs that gives instructions concerning the character and wiles of prostitutes and their effect upon weak-minded youth. While this is evidently a message that Solomon and the Lord wanted to leave for youth, I believe that there is a deeper, spiritual application that can be beneficial to us all.
Proverbs 7:1-5
7:1 my son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee.
7:2 Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye.
7:3 Bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the table of thine heart.
7:4 Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister; and call understanding thy kinswoman:
7:5 that they may keep thee from the strange woman, from the stranger which flattereth with her words.
These first 5 verses of this chapter are the words of advice from God, through the lips of Solomon, to all of his children for all ages. God’s advise is this: Keep the Word of God and obey His commandments all the time. Hide my Word in your heart and that word will guide your heart in every circumstance.
The scripture also says that if we must hide the Word of God in our heart that we might not sin against God. We are to keep the commandments of God that bring life and peace. We should obey His laws and keep them ever in focus.
The “apple of thine eye” refers to the pupil of the eye that allows light to enter. By focusing our pupil upon the commandments, laws and the Word of God, we will protect what enters there and we will only receive the light of His Word.
It’s when our focus begins to get off of Jesus and His Word that our problem with sin begins to enter. The eye and the pupil of the eye are easily damaged. Once that damage occurs because we have moved our focus then the light that once entered so easily is not so easy to see anymore. With time and continued degeneration of our vision of Christ, the eye grows dimmer and dimmer until complete blindness sets in and we are caught up in and surrounded by total darkness.
God’s advice is also that we should “bind the commandments, the law and His Word upon our fingers”. They are to be our constant companions. The commandments continually teach us how we should act. The Law constantly reminds us that there is a difference between right and wrong. The Law also reminds us that there are consequences to our disobedience if we fail to listen and obey. The Word of God is a constant washing. If we meditate upon God’s Word, read it and study it, that Word will be a constant cleansing agent and it will also become our most powerful weapon against the Seductive Power of Sin just as it was for Jesus in His temptation in the wilderness.
Our attitude toward God’s commandments, Laws and Word should be as though they were our best friends because that’s just what they are! We should hold them closer than a blood relative. We should love them more than we love our family. We should be just as happy, if not more so, to be with these things on a daily basis as we are to be with our sister, brother, spouse, mother or father.
God’s final advise in these verses is that if we will keep these things as close to our heart and even hidden in our heart, that we will not fall prey to the advances of Sin’s Seductive Power! We will not heed Sin’s call! We will not hear Sin’s words that sound so good and yet carry the power of death!
That’s what God’s advise is to you and I right now! Stay close to God, hide His Word in your heart, meditate upon His commandments and obey these and the Law of God and you will be safe from Sin’s Seductive Power!
Now comes the rest of the chapter and God begins to reveal to us through metaphoric terms as though it were a parable, just what Sin’s Seductive Power is all about!
Proverbs 7:6-23
7:6 for at the window of my house I looked through my casement,
The first thing you must notice is that when Solomon took his eyes off of the Word of God and failed to heed God’s advise, the next thing that happened was that Solomon began to see the sin around Him in a different light! If he had kept his focus on God instead of looking out of the window at what the world had to offer, he would never have been involved in what was happening around him.
That is the starting point for my focus this evening. The starting point for any of us that will begin our long journey into the depths of sin is the fact that we take our eyes off of Jesus! We don’t study His Word. We don’t obey His commandments. And, we don’t heed the advise of His Law! At that moment we begin our downward spiral. Either we are focusing on God, or we are already beginning our ride into the pits of sin!
Looking through the casement (a small opening in the window), or in this case, a latticework that covered the window, we begin to see things that we should not focus our vision upon.
In the Far East, before the days of air-conditioning, the windows were left open to allow for airflow to cool the inside of the house. The latticework, or casement, allowed for airflow but also allowed for a certain amount of privacy. It was easier to see out of the casement than it was to see inside when you stood outside because it was darker inside.
This is an example of the fact that when we first begin to look upon sin, we don’t get the whole picture of what is there. Satan limits our view so that we only see what he wants us to see. The sin is only partially revealed to allow us to see the best, the brightest or the most alluring view so that we are not immediately taken aback but continue to look.
Also we think, quite often, that we can look upon sin and watch it without anyone noticing what we are doing. We think that we can focus on it and no one will ever find out! What we don’t realize is that, by beginning to look and changing our focus, Sin’s Seductive Power has already began to draw us and seduce us into being unfaithful in obedience to God and the path leads down from there.
The “air” that flows to our heart from the world is necessary because we are all a part of this world. We all face the power of sin that flows upon us everyday. The thing that we must realize is that, along with the good that this world has to offer, in the form of sweet odors and good sounds, there are also the “stench of sin” and those sights and sounds that will enter the mind and begin to take root. We must be ever mindful of what we hear, what we see, what we do and where we go. Let the Holy Spirit lead us and let the Word of God be our roadmap so that we stay out of the path of Sin’s Seductive Power as much as possible.
We must ever remember that we have the power to overcome sin and that God has ever given us a way to escape if we want it, but God will not force us to leave it alone. That choice is ours alone!
7:7 and beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a young man void of understanding,
Listed among the “simple ones” are the inexperienced and naïve young Believers who have not yet learned the ways that the Devil can and will come against them. They are not yet grounded and rooted well into the Word of God. It is at that weakest moment, when the heart has been cleaned out and we have not began to fill it with God’s commandments, Laws and Word, that Satan has his opportunity to re-enter that clean heart and even bring more demonic power with him.
Also listed among the “simple ones” are those who are inconsiderate of what Jesus has really done for them along with most of the rest of the world who doesn’t consider God or His ways at all!
Solomon says that this was a young man. The power of sin is greatest among the youth and young adults. Life carries more temptation for them and they are easier to entice than those who are older. Once you have lived many years and been through so many temptations, it becomes easier to recognize the handiwork of the devil. You also lose some of the desire for some things that used to matter so much because now, with age and much learning, you can look back and see that many of those things that seemed so important were and still are meaningless in the grand scheme of life.
Younger people, and new Believers, have less understanding and are so very quick to allow the desires of the flesh to overcome them. 1 John 2 calls this "...the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life…"
Yielding to these lusts will bring about a destitute heart because to seek after these things is to be in direct disobedience to the Father in Heaven for these are things of the world and those who live in this manner are counted as the enemies of God.
Once the presence of the Holy Spirit is gone because we have grieved Him with our sin, then we have no power or understanding to discern what is happening. We cannot see the evil that is coming upon us for Satan has us blinded. We have not the power, nor the courage, to stand against temptation with the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit.
7:8 Passing through the street near her corner; and he went the way to her house,
First we see sin, and then we are enticed to follow after it. Slowly, but surely, almost imperceptivity, we follow Sin’s Seductive Power until we are totally engrossed and trapped.
This harlot had a house that was well known by those of the city. The path to her door was traveled quite often. There seemed to be an unending stream of unlearned, young men who would follow her home.
The strange thing about falling into sin, backsliding from the Lord, or just yielding to temptation is that it is not some strange thing that only happens occasionally. This is a path that is well worn and used by multitudes. Yet, we do not see the danger ahead for we are blinded by Satan’s power to deceive.
7:9 in the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night:
The farther we follow the enticement of sin, the dimmer the light of the gospel and the presence of God in our heart becomes. We actually walk away from the source of life and light to walk off into a sin-darkened world. The more sin we commit, the darker our heart is until finally we are totally wrapped in the gross darkness that death brings to our soul. It’s as though the “son” has begun to “set” over the horizon of our soul! God will allow the twilight to last for a little while because He is so gracious and willing to forgive but sooner or later, He will leave us to our desires. The light of the gospel is extinguished and the Word of God no longer serves as a light to light our path. Now we are under the power of Sin’s black lies!
John 3:19-21, "And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God."
7:10 and, behold, there met him a woman with the attire of a harlot, and subtle of heart.
This harlot was sneaky and deceiving in her manner. Her very nature and heart was to entice this young man into a bed of iniquity and she would stop at nothing to get him where she wanted him. She wasn’t just any harlot on the street. This harlot was claiming to be what she was not in an effort to fool her intended victim. She claimed to be a married woman. She claimed to be one who cared for her household. All of her claims and appearances were calculated to make her victim feel secure in following after her. She did all she could to prevent him from feeling any danger in going with her.
Once the darkness of sin has covered us, it is easy to think that we can hide our sin. Satan keeps us blinded from the danger ahead. He even appears at times as an angel of light. He can imitate miracles, imitate signs and wonders, imitate just about everything that God will give for real and he has the power to deceive greatly and make us believe in his power.
Even those who are watching and trying their best to serve the Lord can fall prey to Satan’s tricks. He has had many thousands of years to perfect the art of deception and he has learned his lessons well.
He will make us believe that no one will ever know. He will make us believe that we can get away with sin. . He will tell us that God loves us too much to condemn us to hell for our sin. He will tell us that we will all be saved in the end. He will tell us lies and we will believe him
7:11 She is loud and stubborn; her feet abide not in her house:
This harlot was never at rest with herself. She was always busy, always agitated, and always being the temptress to gain advantage for herself. She went all over town and in every street to find her victims. She didn’t just hang out a sign and then wait for her suitors to come to her. That wasn’t good enough. She went hunting to get what she wanted.
1 Peter 5:8, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:"
Satan is out to destroy and he will not allow anything to get in his way except the power of the Blood of the Lamb. Once you are caught in the snare of Sin’s Seductive Power, there is no escape of rest and no place of peace. The guilt of sin hounds you day and night without ceasing. The Holy Spirit is constantly reminding you that you need to turn back to God before it is too late but sin’s power is strong and it’s hard to come back home again. There is no place of peace and sin’s grip on your heart is stubborn.
7:12 now is she without, now in the streets, and lieth in wait at every corner.
Even as the young man is caught in her web of enticement, this harlot is still “strutting her stuff”. By her walk, by the gestures of her lips, her eyes, her hands and her whole body, she lets the whole world know what she is and what she wants. This shows the character of a harlot who was totally committed to finding and deceiving as many young victims as she can find while there is time for, one day, her body will give out and her looks will fade and she will not be able to sway young men aside any longer.
Even as the young man follows her home, the harlot is letting the whole world know that she has another victim and is looking for more.
Satan never gives up trying. He is out to get everyone he can for his time is short and he knows it. Yet, even as we think we are hiding our sin and that we will get away with it, Satan has already begun to search for another victim.
Your sin is visible to everyone else but you. Your attitude toward the House of God, your manner of speech, everything about your life makes it glaringly evident that you have chosen to follow after the adulterous affair with sin instead of being faithful to God.
7:13 so she caught him, and kissed him, and with an impudent face said unto him,
This harlot knew how to keep her “catch”. Shower him with kisses, hugs and promise him love.
Satan knows this trick too. He will make sin “fun” in the beginning. Your first thoughts will be, “What can be so wrong with something that feels and does me so much good?” You will sound like the singing artist, James Brown who once sang, “WOW, I FEEL GOOD!” Sin is fun sometimes and it feels right sometimes, but realize this: Satan loves to keep you deceived and fun and good feelings are one of his greatest tools of deception. THAT’S THE GREATEST TOOL IN SIN’S SEDUCTIVE POWER!
7:14 I have peace offerings with me; this day have I paid my vows.
7:15 therefore came I forth to meet thee, diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee
This Harlot begins to deceive her victim even more by lying to him of her care for him and tells him that she has his best interests at heart. She acts as a protector and a benefactor who has given sacrificially to see to it that the young man has every thing he needs or desires. She even insinuates that she has given a “peace offering” on his behalf that was designed, in the Old Testament, to bridge the gap and make peace between God and man.
I want you to know that Sin does not bring real peace. The peace that the world offers and the peace that God gives are not even close to the same thing. The world’s peace is fleeting while God’s peace is eternal. The world’s peace disappears at the moment of trouble but God’s peace will stand in the midst of the storms of life. There can be no lasting peace when your soul and heart are shattered by sin and guilt.
7:16 I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry, with carved works, with fine linen of Egypt.
7:17 I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
This is a picture of the “false beauty” that Satan places before your eyes! Sin’s outward appearance is one of glamour, glitz and fun while inside, under the façade, there is nothing but death, destruction, sadness and despair. Sin may look good, show wealth and prosperity, smell good and even taste good, but the end of it is certain death and destruction in Hell for all eternity. Satan knows your weaknesses. He knows how to push your hot buttons. He knows what really entices you and he knows how to get those things before your eyes. That’s why we must be on constant guard against him!
It’s not fun and games – it’s death!
7:18 Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning: let us solace ourselves with loves.
The Harlot’s true nature is showing through now but the young man doesn’t see it. He is too engrossed in her alluring charms. He will follow her anywhere, no matter what the cost. The original is even more revealing in its meaning but I think you get the idea without going any further.
After Sin’s Seductive Power has taken full grip upon the heart of man, there is no turning back. The door is opened and the lid is off of “Pandora’s Box”. That simply means that sin drags us into depths of rebellion against God that we never dreamed we would do. We go deeper and deeper into degradation and there seems to be no end to the depth of our perversion. The worst part of this is that we really won’t care anymore for we have abandoned every good thing to have the worse that Hell has to offer!
Sin will take farther than you want to go and keep you longer than you want to stay!
7:19 for the good man is not at home, he is gone a long journey:
7:20 He hath taken a bag of money with him, and will come home at the day appointed
The harlot continued to lie to her victim to make him feel secure. My husband is gone on a long journey and will not return soon. He has taken a load of money with him to purchase things that he needs. There are some half-truths in this portion of scripture. Satan tells you just enough of the truth to deceive you into believing the bigger lie.
The heart of a backslider or sinner really knows the truth of their sinfulness. Though Satan may say that God doesn’t care or will not punish, we really know, down deep inside, that God has only removed from us His blessing. The best that God has to offer is not ours any longer. God has left us to our desires and has gone to search for those who will serve Him willingly.
Jesus went away and that part is true, but the deeper truth is that He is coming again soon! He took his physical presence from us but He sent the Holy Spirit and now we must prepare for His return when He will bring the greatest blessings that we can receive.
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7:21 with her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him.
7:22 He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks;
7:23 till a dart strike through his liver, as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for his life.
Proverbs 7:24-27
7:24 Hearken unto me now therefore, O ye children, and attend to the words of my mouth.
7:25 Let not thine heart decline to her ways; go not astray in her paths.
7:26 for she hath cast down many wounded: yea, many strong men have been slain by her.
God speaks through Solomon once again and says to “LISTEN! PAY ATTENTION! THIS IS IMPORTANT!” There are many who were mighty men and women of God who have fallen into the grip of Sin’s Seductive Power!
There are many prayer warriors, soldiers in the army of the Lord, and strong men and women of faith who have fallen before because they become careless! Don’t think that you are better than they or that it could never happen to you! History is full of examples of people who thought the same thing and yet have fallen under the power of sin! Don’t get caught! Stay faithful to God!
7:27 Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death.
The young man is completely ensnared now. There is no turning back. The sin is done and the innocence is dead. He has no power to decide to leave now! We cannot resist sin within our own power! He is led away as a slave in chains, unaware of the real results of yielding to Sin’s Seductive Power!
Genesis 6:3, "And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, …”
When we decide to follow after spiritual adultery and leave faithfulness to God behind, God will not stop us. He will let us go our way, turning us over to Satan to bring us shame and guilt! He still loves us and is always waiting for us to repent but He will not interfere with our decision to leave Him!
What did God’s advice tell us in the beginning of this chapter? Stay in the Word of God, obey His commandments and live according to His Laws and you will not fall into the snare of Sin’s Seductive Power!
Once we have started down that road it’s hard to turn back. It’s hard but it’s not impossible. So how do we turn around? What must happen if we are to be redeemed from Sin’s clutches?
WISDOM’S POWER TO DELIVER FROM SIN’S POWER OF SEDUCTION
Proverbs 1:20-23, "Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets: She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, saying, How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? And the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge? Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you."
Job 28:28, "And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding."
Psalms 111:10, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever."
Proverbs 8:13, "The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate."
These verses reveal the path back to God! Turn around in true repentance! Get knowledge of God’s Word! Listen to the correction and leading of the Holy Spirit as He draws you back to the Cross! Learn to have the Fear of the Lord once again.
That’s the reason we started down the road of sin in the first place, we lost our Fear of the Lord! There isn’t enough of that in the church anymore. We have become lax in our reverence for God and for the things of God! It’s time to turn around and Fear God once again.
Learning to have respect, awe and reference for God and His Word are the starting point for learning, understanding and getting wisdom to deal with the wiles of the Devil. The eyes of our heart are opened to know and discern the advances of sin when they come. We have wisdom to combat Satan’s power because we know the Lord and His Word is hidden in our heart.
Acts 9:31, "Then had the churches rest throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied."
This final verse lets us know just how important the Fear of the Lord really is. Only when we Fear God, get wisdom and understanding, and follow the leading of the Holy Ghost, can we begin to grow in Christ! God’s blessings to us are multiplied. The more we Fear God; the more we know Him; the more we know His Word; the stronger our relationship with the Lord; then the greater we will be multiplied in our spiritual growth and strength to overcome temptation!
Check your heart right now? Have you spent time in prayer and seeking God’s face, in learning His Word, in repentance for the sin in your life? Get it right with God right now. Don’t follow the harlot until it’s too late to turn back.
