“Discovering Nania – 2. The Temptation of Turkish Delight”
Gladstone Baptist Church – 5/2/06 am
Based on the Sermon “Narnia: Ten Tasty tidbits about Turkish Delight” by Pat Cook Nov 2005.
Last week if you were with us, we began to look at the real story that lies behind the fiction of the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. We compared Narnia to our world and discovered that they weren’t all that different. Both Narnia and our world are not as they should be. They are both held captive under a powerful curse – a curse that affects all that is alive in them and even the world itself.
For Narnia, the curse was in the shape of Winter. The White Witch had held a curse over the whole land and had brought a winter that never ended. She removed all joy and celebration. She banished all hope and replaced it with fear. Her desire was to rule and gain all power and to do this she destroyed all who would stand against her – even the true ruler of Narnia – Aslan, the one who created Narnia in the first place.
For our world, we see pain and suffering everywhere. We see our natural world suffering under our selfishness and exploitation of it. Our world is not as it should be because there is a curse of sin over it. Every single person in this world is sinful and we all deep down have our own concerns as our top priority. We want to do our own thing, satisfy our own desires and as a result others suffer. It is not a witch that holds the curse over our world, but a created angel - a powerful and mighty angel who turned bad. His name – Satan. Just like the white witch though, Satan desires to rule and stands in opposition against the true ruler and owner of this world – God. Satan will do anything to control people in this world. He is the master of deception and the father of all lies.
Tonight I want to talk about one central character in the Story – that of Edmund. Edmund is the sort of kid you just want to give a clip around the ears. He’s rude and arrogant. He has a chip on his shoulder about almost everything. He is jealous of his older brother and loves teasing his younger sister. Generally he is a pain.
I want to start off tonight by showing you a clip from the BBC version of the Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe … But to set the scene for you. Lucy discovered Narnia, but no-one believed her and Edmund gave her a hard time. That afternoon, the kids were all playing hide and seek and Lucy found herself in the room with the wardrobe in it and so chose to hide in there. Edmund had been following her and followed her into the wardrobe and thus into the land of Narnia. That is where we pick it up from …
View clip from the Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe (BBC version)
When Edmund steps through the door, into the snow-covered forest, he is cold. All of a sudden, he hears sleigh-bells. That would normally be a good thing in winter – Father Christmas or someone. But what approaches is a sleigh pulled by 2 small white reindeer, and driven by but is led by a fat little dwarf. And then he saw this … “behind him, on a much higher seat in the middle of the sledge sat a very different person – great lady, taller than any woman that Edmund had ever seen. She also was covered in white fur up to her throat and held a long straight golden wand in her right hand and wore a golden crown on her head. Her face was white – not merely pale, but white like snow or paper or icing-sugar, except for her very red mouth. It was a beautiful face in other respects, but proud and cold and stern.” P. 33 Edmund had met the evil white witch - Jadis.
When she first sees Edmund, she is abrasive and vile, insulting and demeaning. However, once she realizes he is not just a beardless dwarf but rather a human, she changes her tune. You see, there is a prophecy that says 4 human children would come and rule Narnia. So if Jadis, the White witch, can capture one of those children, or better yet all 4, she would not need to afraid of that prophecy.
So she softens towards Edmund. She gives him a hot drink, and then asks if he would like anything to eat. Edmund’s thoughts go to – Turkish delight.
By giving Edmund this Turkish delight, she is able to manipulate him into trying to get his siblings to go to her castle. This Turkish delight is even slightly narcotic, addictive and deceptive. Turkish delight leads Edmund to go places he never imagined.
The Turkish Delight offered to Edmund reminds me of sin. Edmund was tempted to eat Turkish Delight, just as we are often tempted to sin. The temptation itself was not evil, but Edmund’s decision to give in and indulge himself in the sweets offered to him was. Tonight I want to spend some time looking at the temptation of Turkish Delight in our lives. I’m going to give you 10 truths about Turkish delight and sin.
Truth #1 – Sin attacks us where we are weakest. When Edmund stumbled into the wardrobe, he was already grumpy and unpleasant. He longed to get revenge on Peter and Susan particularly. And by the time he found the Witch, he was cold, lonely and scared. He was ripe for giving in to something.
Fishing Lures are designed to trick a fish into thinking that what they are just about to eat is something delicious and tasty and beneficial for them, but unfortunately, the lures we use for fish are a means to gain control of them. The hooks on the lure dig in and they are meant to hold long enough for the fisherman to drag the fish in where in many cases it meets an untimely death. What looks nice initially is catastrophic. But fishing lures are ineffective if the fish is not hungry. Fishing lures only work if the fish is weak and hungry and that is when temptations work best also.
I don’t know about you, but when I am tired or angry or tired or frustrated, I am more likely to do something I will live to regret. Why? Because I am weak. If I am hungry, the temptation to steal a chocolate bar is strangely stronger. If I am upset by something that my work or employer had done, the temptation to steal some stationary or steal some time and work on my own little projects is stronger. I can justify doing it because I am angry. Most of you guys know, that the temptation to watch porno movies is greatest when we are in a motel room away from our wives. We are usually tired after a big day of work or travel, we are not accountable to others, we are lonely and there is the temptation at the foot of the bed.
So we need to recognize this in your own life. Notice when we are the most vulnerable, and be alert to the temptations that come our way.
Truth #2 – Sin is tailored to your desires. Jadis asked Edmund this question: “What would you like best to eat?” His answer – Turkish Delight. What do you want? The only sins that really tempt us are the ones that offer what we really want. If we want company, sin can offer us ways not to be so lonely. If we want money, sin can offer us ways to get or keep it. If we want power, sin can offer us ways to rise to the top.
One of the things I am constantly guilty of is putting my own interests before others. When I start on a project, I usually get consumed by it to the exclusion of everything else. I would say, I concentrate, others would say I get fixated. In itself, that is good, but what it means for Deanna is that I am completely self absorbed and forget about her needs. The Sin is satisfying what I want to do and neglecting the needs of others. I think that what I am doing is more important that caring for Deanna, but that is a lie which leads me to the next truth.
Truth #3 – Sin lies about your importance. Sin always is centred on you. Jadis told Edmund that he was the cleverest and handsomest boy she’d ever met, but his face was red and his hands were sticky. He wasn’t particularly clever or handsome at that point, but he was gullible – he believed the lies.
Sin loves to say you are the most important person you should think of. Sin says that everyone should listen to you and do what you want. Sin says what you think of yourself is most important. Of course, none of this is true. What matters most is what God thinks of you. Romans 12:3 says, “Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought.” You are not the centre of this universe and neither am I. God, who created it and sustains it want us to consider others more highly than ourselves. And what he thinks about us is more important than what we think about ourselves. But this is opposite to what Sin tells us to do. Sin says to judge yourself and decide for yourself whether you are good or bad. Sin says look after your own interests first. Sin says you are the most important …. But Sin Lies
Truth #4 – Sin’s promises are lies. Not only is Sin’s advice full of lies, it’s promises are full of lies. Jadis wanted to get Edmund’s siblings to her castle, where she would turn them to stone, and she told Edmund he would rule as a king. Sin promised Edmund that things would be better if he just gave in. But it’s promises are all lies.
Sin lies to us, all the time also. It says that we will be better off if we do this or that. No one will know, but somehow, we’ll be happier or will feel better about ourselves if we do some other thing. We will feel more important if we put others down, but it’s all lies. Sin may promise better days, but it just can’t follow through. The Bible tells us that Satan is called the Father of lies …
John 8:44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
Sin’s promises are all lies because Satan is making the promises. He want you to think that enjoying the Turkish Delight is the best option for you, but that is so short sighted and selfish. That leads me to the 5th Truth about Sin.
Truth #5 – Sin’s pleasures don’t last long. Let me quote p38 of LWW: “At last the Turkish Delight was all finished and Edmund was looking very hard at the empty box and wishing that she would ask him whether he would like some more.” Edmund quickly ate it all, and immediately wanted more. Like drinking seawater to quench your thirst, it just didn’t satisfy for long. That day, Edmund ate 2 pounds (nearly 1 kg of Turkish Delight) and would have eaten more if he could have. It didn’t satisfy him and neither does sin.
Anyone who tells you sin isn’t fun probably never did it. Sin is fun, and it has pleasures. The problem is, the pleasure doesn’t last. Sin doesn’t satisfy for long and before long, you want to do it again and again and take a bigger risk. It creates a thirst in you like drinking salty water. It can’t satisfy.
Truth #6 – Sin hurts others. Edmund promised to bring his siblings to the witch, even though he didn’t know the full extent of her plans for them. But still, he planned to turn them in to her.
Listen to me : your sin hurts others. It impacts on other people not just yourself. What you steal – someone has to pay for. The words you speak in anger are like knives that cut to the heart of another person. The bitterness you harbor breaks down relationships. In one of the previous churches I attended, our associate pastor had an affair with one of the young ladies in the congregation. He was married and his wife was expecting their second child at the time. Can you imagine the impact that this had on his marriage, his ministry his whole life? The church felt betrayed. His wife was crushed. His marriage was ripped to shreds and his kids are growing up now without their dad in their home. When you think only of yourself and give in and eat your Turkish Delights, it hurts other people as well. Sin is horribly selfish that way, to make you think it doesn’t hurt anyone else. But it doesn’t just hurt people, it … spoils anything good.
Truth #7 – Sin spoils good things. Let’s skip ahead in the story. Edmund had gone back to this world, and eventually all 4 kids end up in Narnia. They are all eating dinner at Mr. and Mrs. Beaver’s, but Edmund wasn’t enjoying the meal at all. The book says: “There’s nothing that spoils the taste of good ordinary food half so much as the memory of bad magic food.” Once Edmund tasted the magical Turkish delight, nothing else would taste good.
And so it is with sin. Sin steals the joy out of many aspects of our life. I had a friend I grew up with who is addicted to gambling and has served time in jail because of several thefts and frauds he committed to fund the addiction. He can’t keep down a job, because before long he screws it up by trying to steal equipment to pawn to feed his gambling. He has ruined an engagement and taken many relationships to the brink because he steals their possessions to pawn. His Mum has even had to change the locks on her house to stop him coming and stealing her stuff when she is out. Sin spoils even the good things in life – things that should taste wonderful. The sin of an affair steals the joy out of marriage, which should be fantastic. The sin of bitterness or envy steals unity out of a church, which should be a warm and friendly place to be part of. Sin steals, sin robs, sin cheapens, sin molests… sin spoils good things, to the point that bad things seem better than the good – Sin spoils everything good and it clouds your judgment.
Truth #8 – Sin clouds your judgement. When Edmund started eating, he started talking, and what he said put his family and their friends in great danger. He didn’t notice how eager she was to meet his brother and sisters. Sin made Edmund not see clearly, and he lost common sense because of it.
When a man or woman starts a secret affair – what are they thinking. Do they really think that it won’t have consequences, for their marriage for their kids. When a university student cheats on an exam, do they really consider the consequences of failing the exam and potentially being kicked out of their course? When a kid shoplifts, are they thinking about the criminal record that might result if they are caught? When a young person speeds because of the thrill of it, are they thinking about what it would be like to attend the funeral of their friend who is sitting in the front seat? When we sin, our judgment is clouded and we can’t see the full ramifications of our actions or the effect that they will have on other people. Sin has huge consequences and is evil. Unfortunately, Sin clouds how evil the evil of sin really is.
Truth #9 – Sin clouds how evil evil really is. At first Jadis was very rude and cruel to Edmund. Then, all of a sudden, she changed her tone, and became very nice to him. And though he noticed the change, he didn’t seem to question why. And once the Turkish delight arrived, he threw off all inhibitions. You see, he couldn’t see how evil she really was.
Sin clouds reality. Sin makes things look not nearly as harmful as they really are. The more we steal, the less likely we are to think that stealing is wrong. Have you ever experienced this? Of course you have, not with stealing maybe, but with some other thing that is wrong that you do regularly. The first couple of times you felt really guilty about doing it, but now, you’ve done it so often, it doesn’t really even bother you now.
We justify it away and point to other’s far worse sins. But in actual fact, there are no worse sins or more serious sins. That is a lie of Satan, an attempt to hide how evil all sin is. The Bible says in James 2:10 “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. 11 For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.” James says, it doesn’t matter what law you break – a big one or a small on, if you break any law you are a lawbreaker … two verses before, he says this … “ 8 If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right. 9 But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers.”
If I asked you what laws were important to God, most of you would probably say the ten commandments right? If I asked you whether if you were measured by the standard of the 10 commandments, God would find you guilty or not, most of you would probably say that you think you’d scrape through with a pass. Let me show you a video clip quickly … Screen Way of the Master Street Interview …
After looking at that? How do you think that you would fare if you were being interviewed. Most of us would have to admit also that we were Lying thief and a blaspheming adulterer. We would be guilty on the day of judgment no questions asked. But Sin tries to tell us that we’ll be okay. That it is not as bad as it seems. Sin tries to tell us that we are actually a good person who God will look kindly on. But the Bible tells us differently. It doesn’t mince words and it doesn’t hide the real consequences of our actions behind a sugar coated sweat. The Bible says … “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. That is hard hitting isn’t it. And the consequences of that is that we must all face the punishment for our sins and that is death …
Truth #10 – Sin will eventually kill. This Turkish delight was enchanted, and Edmund did not know that if he had been allowed, he would have kept eating it until he died of it. Eventually, the candy would have cost him his life. He didn’t eat himself to death, but the mere fact that he ate and betrayed his brother and sisters meant that he was condemned to die. I read this passage from the "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" out last week, But I want to read it again. It is when Jadis confronts Aslan about the fate of Edmund. Edmund was a traitor and the penalty for his sin was death. Jadis knew this … she says “You at least know the Magic which the Emperor put into Narnia at the very beginning. You know that every traitor belongs to me as my lawful prey and that for every treachery I have a right to a kill” (p.128)
Edmund had eaten the Turkish Delight and in so doing had betrayed his brothers and sisters. He stood condemned and the punishment was death.
Rom 6:23 says the same thing For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in a Christ Jesus our Lord. James 1:15 says “Each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” Our sin had a penalty – just like Edmund’s – death.
We are all condemned to death because of the choices we have made. Every single one of us. – That’s the bad news.
But there is some good news… There is a way we can be free from the power of sin. No we can never escape temptation completely and I’m not saying that in this lifetime we can ever stop sinning. We are human and we can never be perfect because we are corrupt to the core.
But what I am saying is that we don’t have to remain condemned as criminals. Another has already come and offered to pay the penalty for our sins so that we don’t have to.
It’s like if you were driving me down the road and you the police caught you for speeding – he slapped you with a fine of $130 and you didn’t know how you were going to pay it. Just say, I said that I’d pay that fine for you. Are the police going to come harassing you to get the money after I pay it? No – the debt has been paid for you are free from punishment. Someone else – me voluntarily paid your debt.
The same thing happened when Jesus died on the cross. God knew that we were all sinners – we all deserved to die, but Jesus volunteered to live a perfect life – and that is important because if he had sinned, he would have had to die for his own sin. He was perfect and could voluntarily give up his life for others and he volunteered to die for you, for me, for every person in this world. Our debt has been paid if we want to accept it.
Some of you tonight are still under the condemnation of sin. You are trying to earn your own way to heaven. But Sin has deceived you – you can’t work your way to heaven and God won’t accept you just because you are better than 50% of the world’s population. It doesn’t work that way. To be acceptable to God, you have to be perfect and that is an impossible mark to reach by ourselves. We can’t live perfectly, so we need to seek a way to be cleansed and forgiven. Jesus offers us forgiveness if we ask him.
Next week, we are going to be talking about Aslan. He is the key character in this story that is able to destroy the curse of the White witch and rescue Edmund from death row.
Listen: sin is dangerous. Sin is addictive. Sin is to be avoided in our lives at all costs. We all have Turkish Delights in our lives that are hard to resist. But know that they aren’t all that they appear – They are serious and deadly. They will result in hurt for others and condemnation for you. But know this also - sin is also forgivable. We have One who forgives, Jesus Christ. If you haven’t got a relationship with Jesus, you need one, because without it you are a lying thief and a blaspheming adulterer who will be punished. If you want a relationship with Jesus, I would love to introduce you to him. So come and see me after the service.
