Temptation in Christian preaching illustrates the spiritual struggle to resist sin and remain faithful to God’s commands. It often uses vivid images like traps, warnings, and battles to show the danger and deceit of sin, emphasizing vigilance and reliance on God's help (James 1:12; 1 Corinthians 10:13). Temptation both tests and reveals the believer’s faithfulness and holiness.
Yielding to temptation in a polluted place leads to ruin, like a drunkard’s relapse.
A liquor seller in Brooklyn spread sawdust over the sidewalk in front of his saloon, and then saturated it with whiskey. A reformed inebriate, passing by this doorway to Hell, inhaled the enticing fumes, yielded to the old tempter, entered the saloon, drank, and was ruined. He should have fled from the polluted spot as a man flies for his life.
Satan attacks those spiritually blessed, seeking to rob their joy and lead them into sin.
Satan, like a pirate, sets on a ship that is richly laden; so when a soul hath been laden with spiritual comforts, now the Devil will be shooting at him to rob him of all, and he dislikes to see a soul feasted with spiritual joy. Joseph’s colored coat made his brethren envy him, and plot against him. After David had the good news of the pardon of his sin, Satan presently tempted him to a new sin in numbering the people.
Intervention can free the tempted from spiritual danger, enabling escape from evil.
Pullen, while in Africa, watched a snake in the water, which had fixed its eye upon a frog sitting amongst the grass on the bank. The frog, though greatly alarmed, seemed unable to stir, until Pullen gradually pushed a rush growing near, so that it intervened between the eyes of the snake and its intended victim; when the frog as if suddenly liberated, darted away.
Luther counters Satan’s accusations by affirming salvation through Christ for sinners.
Luther says, “The Devil came to me and said, ‘Martin Luther, you are a great sinner, and you will be damned.’—’Stop, stop!’ said I, ‘one thing at a time. I am a great sinner; that is true, though you have no right to tell me of it. I confess it. What next?’ ‘Therefore you will be damned.’ ‘That is not good reasoning. It is true I am a great sinner; but it is written, “Jesus Christ came to save sinners;” therefore I shall be saved.’ So I cut the Devil off with his own sword.”
A wrong start in youth often leads to ruin through yielding to temptation and sin.
Many a man is lost because he does not start right. He makes a bad start. A young man comes from his country home, and enters upon city life. Temptation arises, and he becomes false to his principles. He meets with some scoffing, sneering man, who jeers at him because he goes to a church service; or because he is seen reading his Bible; or because he is known to pray to God. And the young man proves to be weak-kneed; he cannot stand the scoffs and the sneers and the jeers of his companions; and so he becomes untrue to his principles, and gives them up.
I want to say here to young men, that when a young man makes a wrong start, in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred it is ruin to him. The first game of chance; the first betting transaction; the first false entry in the books; the first quarter-dollar taken from the cash-box or the till; the first night spent in evil company — either of these may prove the turning-point; either of these may represent a wrong start.
Avoiding temptation is wiser than relying on strength to resist after falling into it.
A steamboat was stranded in the Mississippi River, and the captain could not get her off. Eventually a hard-looking fellow came on board, and said:
“Captain, I understand you want a pilot to take you out of this difficulty?”
The captain said, “Are you a pilot?”
“Well, they call me one.”
“Do you know where the snags and sand-bars are?”
“No, sir.”
“Well, how do you expect to take me out of here if you don’t know where the snags and sand-bars are?”
“I know where they ain’t!” was the reply.
Beware of temptations. “Lead us not into temptation,” our Lord taught us to pray; and again He said, “Watch and pray, lest ye enter into temptation.” We are weak and sinful by nature, and it is a good deal better for us to pray for deliverance rather than to run into temptation and then pray for strength to resist.
Avoiding temptation altogether is the only safe course against Satan's attacks.
There is a legend that the Apostle John was much distressed over the fall of a young convert. He summoned Satan before him, and reproached him for ruining so good a youth.
“I found your good youth on my ground,” said Satan; “so I took him.”
The only safe course is to avoid temptation altogether.
Avoiding temptation altogether is wiser than risking close encounters with sin's edge.
There is a story that tells of a man who advertised for a coachman, and three men answered the advertisement. They all made a good appearance, and the man was at a loss to know which one to choose. Finally he hit upon this scheme. There was a road near his house that ran along the edge of a precipice. The man asked each one of these coachmen in turn how close he could drive to the cliff without going over. The first said he could drive within six inches of it; the second said he could drive within two inches of it. When the third man was asked he said, "I should keep away from it as far as possible." The man said, "You are the coachman I want." The way that last coachman felt about the precipice is the way for boys and girls to feel about temptation. Some things that are wrong are like thin ice: they tempt you to see how far you can go, and the first thing you know you are in. A boy, especially, is tempted to be what is known as a "daredevil;" that is, one who is not afraid of anything. But there is nothing in it, boys. That sort of thing is not courage: it is rashness, which is just another name for foolishness. Shakespeare once said: "I dare do all that may become a man, Who dares do more is none." The really brave boy is not the one that blusters and brags: the brave boy is usually quiet, but, as we say, "all there" when the pinch really comes. Christ was one of the bravest men the world ever knew, and yet He told us to be afraid, actually afraid, of things that hurt our souls. Do not see how near the fire you can go without getting scorched; don't see how near sin you can go without getting caught. It is poor business. Take this as your motto when you are inclined to tamper with wrong: "Who eats with the devil needs a long-handled spoon." The farther you keep away from him, the better.
Avoiding temptation requires wise safeguards and self-control, like Ulysses' strategy.
When you boys and girls get older and further along in school, you will probably learn of a famous Greek whose name was Ulysses. He was noted as a heroic seaman, who travelled over dangerous seas and into unknown lands. In one of the seas where Ulysses sailed was an island known as the Isle of the Sirens. The sirens would attract sailors to their shores by beautiful music. But when the sailors drew near the land they would irresistibly cast themselves into the sea, to their destruction. Now Ulysses had heard of the sirens through Circe, and he wanted to hear the maidens sing, but he did not want to come within their power. So this is the way he managed it. One day he put wax in the ears of all his sailors, so that they could not hear the music, and then had himself strapped to the mast. Then he ordered the sailors to row near enough to the island for him to hear the music. In this way he heard the singing, but did not get caught. That was a clever way of getting tempted, and yet not getting caught, was it not? But someone has said in a joke it would have been better if Ulysses had had an orchestra on board which would have made better music than the sirens. Then neither Ulysses nor the sailors would have been tempted to go too near the dangerous isle. That is a pretty good way of dealing with all kinds of temptation, -- not by trying to keep temptation out, but by putting something more attractive in its place. If you are tempted to go to the moving pictures, when you were told not to, do not simply stand around outside the place with nothing else to do. Go off and play something which will be more attractive than moving pictures. If you are told that you must not go fishing, don't sulk around wishing that you could go. Just go at baseball or something else, and soon you will have forgotten about the other thing. Always put something else in the place of the thing you are not to do, and it will help you to overcome temptation.
Trials purify believers by burning away the bonds of lust and sin.
Our lusts are cords. Fiery trials are sent to burn and consume them. Who fears the flame which will bring him liberty from bonds intolerable?
Like Moses refusing Pharaoh's daughter's kindness, resist friends' temptations to compromise faith.
The lady in Millais' famous picture would fain save her lover's life from the massacre of Bartholomew, by binding the popish badge around his arm; he kisses her for her love, but firmly removes the badge. So when the dearest friends we have, out of mistaken tenderness would persuade us to avoid persecution by relinquishing principle, and doing as others do, we should thank them for their love, but with unbending decision refuse to be numbered with the world. Moses must have loved Pharaoh's daughter for her kindness, but he refused to be called her son.
Idleness invites temptation, but diligent obedience shields believers from the devil's attacks.
all temptations attack the idle. Idle Christians are not tempted of the devil so much as they do tempt the devil to tempt them. Idleness sets the door of the heart ajar and asks Satan to come in; but if we are occupied from morning to night, should Satan get in, he must break through the door. Under sovereign grace, and next to faith, there is no better shield against temptation than obedience to the precept, that ye be "Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord."
Inordinate desires blind us to truth and lead to ruin through temptation and sin.
An adventurer waits upon you one of these days and offers you on terms absurdly easy some diamond-field in Africa, or silver-mine in Nevada, or ruby-mine in Burmah--a few shares at a trifling cost will make you a millionaire. You are smitten; your brain is filled with pleasant dreams; and without the least investigation, you invest your good money to find ere long that you have been cruelly deceived. Will the public greatly pity you? They will not. There was a personal moral fault at the bottom of your misfortune. You were willingly ignorant, you were easily blinded, because of your inordinate desires. So is it in all temptations of life to which we fall a prey. A certain morbid disposition of soul is the secret of our loss or ruin.--W. L. WATKINSON, “The Transfigured Sackcloth.”
The bladderwort plant traps prey with a trapdoor, symbolizing temptation's deadly snare.
It is easy to go into evil by the trapdoor of temptation; it is not so easy to retrace the steps.
The bladderwort is a water-plant and catches much of its food. Underneath the surface of the water in which the plant floats are a number of lax, leafy branches spread out in all directions, and attached to these are large numbers of little flattened sacks or bladders, sometimes one-sixth of an inch long. The small end of each little bladder is surrounded by a cluster of bristles, forming a sort of hollow funnel leading into the mouth below, and this is covered inside by a perfect little trapdoor, which fits closely, but opens with the least pressure from without. A little worm or insect, or even a very small fish, can pass within, but never back again. The sack acts like an eel-trap or a catch-’em-alive mouse-trap. These little sacks actually allure very small animals by displaying glandular hairs about the entrance. The small animals are imprisoned and soon perish and decay to nourish the wicked plant. (Text.)--Prof. W. J. BEAL, _The Popular Science Monthly_.
The devil’s slide metaphor warns how tempting shortcuts lead to ruin and sin’s depths.
A while ago the omnibus on its way from Gray’s Inn Road to Islington (England) had to traverse a narrow and dangerous piece of roadway--a sharp, slippery declivity called “The Devil’s Slide.” How terrible, indeed, is the devil’s slide! How tempting it is!--a short cut, a very short cut, to fame, wealth, power, pleasure. How graduated and smooth it is! What a specious name it often has! Strangely enough, that declivity in London was called “Mount Pleasant”; and the downward roads of life often are known by charming names. But enter on that slide, and you soon attain a startling velocity; sooner or later you arrive at an ignominious doom. Let no man think himself safe. The circles of crime dipping to very murky depths of hell are not far from any one of us. (Text.)--W. L. WATKINSON, “The Transfigured Sackcloth.”
Sin deceives through imagination, appearing as beauty and freedom to lure people away from God.
A certain legend relates that one of the Piscayan mountains is accurst, and that Satan dwells there. The grass is withered, a sinister hue rests upon everything, the sounds are mournful, the mountain stands a dark fantom in the midst of bedecked nature. But this is not the method of evil. The mountain up which the devil took our Master, and up which he takes us, is bathed in purple; in its rocks gleam jewels, its dust is the dust of gold, in its clefts spring flowers, and from its crest is seen the vision of kingdoms and the glory of them. Things, principles, maxims, amusements, relationships, creeds, ideals, utterly base and vile, are through the power of imagination purged into the lily’s whiteness, perfumed with the violet, steeped in the color of the rose. We are never invited to sin; the things which have ruined generations are prest upon us as nature, freedom, spirit, knowledge, gallantry, beauty, love, and we are deceived through the legerdemain of passion and fancy. (Text.)--W. L. WATKINSON, “The Transfigured Sackcloth.”
A cautious eagle fell into a trap by ignoring suspicious signs, illustrating vigilance in temptation.
C. G. D. Roberts tells of the capture of a great eagle at the head waters of the St. John River in the Northwest. The eagle occasionally found its food at the edge of a lake where the fish came into the shallow water. One morning he found on the spot a great stone which aroused its suspicions, and perched on the stump of an old tree to watch matters. Nothing further happening, it went down and hopped on the stone and breakfasted as before. It did this for several days, when one morning he found a stick laid across the stone in a slanting position with something hanging loosely from the upper end. Further suspicion led to a closer examination, but, satisfied again, he ate as before. This he did for several days, becoming more careless and confident, until one day while enjoying his morning meal on that stone and hopping about, an Indian hidden in the reeds pulled two strings, dropping the stick and unloosing the meshes of a net around the eagle and caught it.
A poor boy resists temptation despite opportunity, showing strong moral character.
* * * * *
A little Jewish newsboy was selling evening papers among the clerks in a large office in one of our great cities. Unawares, as he approached the cashier, he found himself right next to an open cash-drawer overflowing with coin. The little fellow’s eyes shone at the sight. But, quicker than a wink, he stept back beyond reach, and nothing would induce him to approach any nearer, even to sell a paper, until the drawer had been shut.
I happen to know that this little fellow comes from a home of poverty, where there are many children and little time or strength is left for parental training of the children, and that the poor boy often goes hungry, finding it too far to go home for a bite, and not daring to spend a copper of his hard-earned treasures for any self-indulgence.
But how many native boys of ten years of age, think you, would have had the moral perception, the strength of character, and the quickness to act that was exhibited by this little son of a poor immigrant family? (Text.)--GEORGE W. COLEMAN, “Search-lights.”
Ancients resisted temptation by binding themselves or focusing on other music, illustrating spiritual strategies.
* * * * *
There were two ways in which the ancients kept from yielding to the music and final destruction of the Sirens. Ulysses fortified himself with bonds that held him fast to the mast while his boat carried him, listening, by the seductive strains. The Argonauts carried Orpheus with them in their boat, and were so engrossed in listening to his music that they never even heard the tempting sounds from the shore. (Text.)
A Christian doctor resists subtle pressures to deny faith, showing wisdom and faithfulness under trial.
During the Boxer troubles in China, the greatest stress was brought upon the native Christians to have them recant their faith. Dr. Li, a Christian physician of Peking, was not only in imminent peril of his life, but, to add to his anxiety, kind but mistaken friends were urging him to pursue a questionable course of action in order that his life might be saved. One of his friends of the nobility came to him and said:
Things are getting worse and worse. Allow me to put a few idols in your room, and if the Boxers come they will think you are not Christians. Now, I knew that this was Satan’s plan. I was in a difficulty. Could I refuse my protector’s request, and so endanger him? But God gave me wisdom and words so that I was able to keep clean, and yet not to offend my friend, who was so genuinely anxious for my safety.
On another occasion, as he was trying to escape from the city, he says:
Just as I was about to start, some one urged me to carry some strings of paper money in my hand, “for,” said he, “then people will imagine you are going to burn it at a grave.” This seemed a very simple and safe expedient; but I would not agree to it, because I felt it would, after all, be nothing short of a denial of Christ. (Text.)
Historical figures refused worldly honors to remain faithful, showing true spiritual nobility.
Ever since that bait was offered to the Redeemer and rejected, the tempter has been constantly setting the perilous alternative before the souls of men. The glittering bait is specially dangled before the greatest and noblest souls, and these prove their greatness and nobility by exchanging it for a cross.
Both John Knox and Richard Baxter were offered by carnal state powers a bishopric in the Erastian Church. How unspeakably poorer would have been the religious history of both Scotland and England had these men found their popular success in ecclesiastical preferment! To-day Spinoza is honored for declining the fortune that was offered to him, and it is refreshing to read how Diderot instantly said “No” to the bribe of a hundred thousand francs a year from Catharine the Great to become a member of her court. It is the glory of the memory of Faraday that he declared “He could not afford to be rich.” Cobden stood for the poor, and therefore he stood out against Palmerston’s offer of a baronetcy and a seat in his Cabinet. Gold weighed heavy then, as now, but it did not outweigh the souls of these heroes. (Text.)
A youth explains temptation requires both opportunity and desire, emphasizing personal responsibility.
A lad of seventeen was telling an older friend, recently, of an experience he had had that day. As the apprentice of a carpenter, he had been sent to a saloon to take the measures for a new counter. It was very cold weather, and he arrived with his teeth fairly chattering in his head, for his coat was thin. The saloon-keeper immediately mixt a hot drink and pushed it over the counter to him. “It’ll cost you nothing,” he said; “drink it down, and you’ll soon stop shivering, my boy.”
“He meant it kindly, too, and didn’t think any harm,” said the apprentice, as he told the story. “That’s what made it harder to push it back, and I didn’t want it.”
“It must have been a big temptation,” said the friend. “That saloon-keeper might have started you on the road to ruin.”
“Well,” replied the lad frankly, “I’d rather have had it than some other kinds. You see, it takes two to make a temptation. There’s no saloon-keeper and no cold weather can make me drink when I don’t want to. The temptation I’m afraid of is the one that I’m ready for before it comes, by hankering after it. I don’t take much credit to myself for refusing that drink; and, if I had taken it, why, I wouldn’t have put all the blame on the saloon-keeper, as some folks do. It takes two, every time, to make a successful temptation.”
It was an honest way to look at the question. Temptation is not all a matter of outward happening, but also of inner readiness. No outsider can be responsible for our sins as we are responsible. “He tempted me” only explains one side of the temptation. The other side--the personal side--we must answer for, and no excuse will save us. “It takes two,” and one of the two is always our own responsible self.--_Michigan Christian Advocate._
False courtship is a common trap leading young women into sin.
Among the many methods used by these fiends in human form to trap girls into houses of sin, is courtship and false marriage. These men go into the country districts, and, under the guise of commercial men, board at the best hotels, dress handsomely, cultivate the most captivating manners, and then look for their prey. Upon the streets they see a pretty girl and immediately lay plans to become acquainted. Then the courtship begins. In the present condition of society it is a very easy thing for well-reared girls to begin a promiscuous acquaintance, with ample opportunity for courtship. There was never a time when the bars were so low. With the public dance, or even the more exclusive german, the skating-rink and the moving-picture arcades, all of which lend themselves to the making of intimate and promiscuous acquaintances under questionable surroundings, it is easy for a man to come into a community and in a few days meet even the best class of girls, to say nothing of the girls who are earning a living and who have no home influence. These girls are flattered by the handsome, well-drest stranger paying them marked attention, and are quick to accept invitations to the theater or to walk or drive with him. If the girl is religious, he is not above using the cloak of religion, expressing fondness for church- and prayer-meetings, and is frequently to be found at such places. When a girl’s confidence and affection have been won, it is a comparatively easy thing to accomplish her ruin, by proposing an elopement. Her scruples and arguments are easily overcome by the skilled deceiver, and trusting him implicitly as her accepted lover, she unwittingly goes to her doom. (Text.)--ERNEST A. BELL, “War on the White Slave Trade.”
Every person has a unique vulnerability to temptation and sin under pressure.
Men are like timber. Oak will bear a stress that pine won’t, but there never was a stick of timber on the earth that could not be broken at some pressure. There never was a man born on the earth that could not be broken at some pressure--not always the same nor put in the same place. There is many a man who can not be broken by money pressure, but who can be by pressure of flattery. There is many a man impervious to flattery who is warped and biased by his social inclinations. There is many a man whom you can not tempt with red gold, but you can with dinners and convivialities. One way or the other, every man is vincible. There is a great deal of meaning in that simple portion of the Lord’s Prayer, “Lead us not into temptation.”
— HENRY WARD BEECHER
Gordon MacDonald is restored to the ministry after more than a year of counseling following his 1987 confession of an affair he had in 1984. He will continue reporting to 3 anonymous Christian leaders.
Examples and statistics of international terrorism. Spiritual forces of evil work in the same way. Many Christians are destroyed by sin: money, sex, pride, and power.
Principles:
1) Everyone will eventually fall victim to spiritual terrorism; no one
escapes it.
2) Spiritual terrorism is a deadly serious attempt to destroy us.
Not just harass us.
3) It is time to finally take responsibility for our own spiritual maturity.
Most of us are undisciplined, lazy, weak, and inexperienced.
If attacked, we would be overwhelmed.
4) We will not obtain battle strength in a day.
Spiritual discipline takes years.
Author committed herself to accountability with a friend.
Set up a timetable to develop prayer muscle.
Kept a journal, but hadn't been working at it.
Fasting, one day a week.
Control over thought-life.
Jeremy Levin taken hostage in Beirut, escaped. According to Detroit News, February 1985, he thought he was going crazy. Marked beginning of an inward spiritual journey that ended with belief in God. Conversion was April 10, 1984. Instant tranquility. Helped him think clearly. (Probably Jewish belief, though wife is Episcopalian - CT 11/17/89, p 51.) Christians must be prepared for spiritual battle.
Christianity Today, 4/5/90, p 45: Jerry Levin was an agnostic and grandson of a rabbi, and came to Christ during his 11-month captivity. Sis Levin, his wife, is an evangelical Christian.
1987-88 saw many American leaders fall, including Christians. All are liable to fall to temptation. Reasons for falling:
1. Neglect of the inner spiritual life.
2. Lack of accountability.
Prophet Nathan held David accountable.
Temptation of a worldly lifestyle. (Luke 9:58)
Saying of George Sweeting's predecessor at Moody Bible College, chancellor William Culbertson: "I want my life to end well."
Accounts of bear attacks on people. Prime motivation - garbage-habituated bears lose fear of people, prey on them (or attack when surprised).
Application: Satan is also attracted by garbage in our lives, can then prey on us.
Give specific accounts: ........
Christian classics can be spiritually edifying. A passage from "The Imitation of Christ" by Thomas a' Kempis reflects modern struggles:
"Lord, I confess my sinfulness, and acknowledge my weakness. Often it is but a small matter that defeats and troubles me. I resolve to act boldly, but when I am assailed even by a small temptation, I am in sore straits. From a trifling thing sometimes arises a strong temptation; and when I am secure, I am almost overwhelmed by a mere breath.... I am weary of living constantly at conflict. My weakness is apparent to me, for evil fancies rush in on me more readily than they depart."
Information is given on how to study classics, and different ones are suggested.
*
Bumper sticker: "Lead me not into temptation, I can find it myself." Temptations are often a misdirected desire for security. God does not want us to be anxious.
1. God has set a limit on the intensity of every temptation.
2. Alongside every temptation, God has designed a way out.
3. God provides us with the power to overcome.
Eph 6:11 is analyzed. "Temptation may be a private thing, but sin rarely is."
How to deal with failure. (Seven principles from Psalm 51):
1. Repent.
2. Accept God's forgiveness.
3. Restitution.
4. Accept God's discipline.
5. Identify the lesson(s) God is teaching us.
6. Consult a qualified counselor.
7. Be ready to share what you have learned with others.
[Condensed from Stanley's book, TEMPTATION.]
Monty Christensen led a hard life, was in prison, reform school, mental hospital. A 77-year-old uncle witnessed to him; he had gone to rip him off and ran away when he heard about Jesus, but the next night he accepted him. Things did not become perfect. He still had setbacks and committed crimes. Facing 75 years in prison, the time was miraculously reduced. He now speaks to prisoners.
“As Monty talked about the struggles he faced after accepting Christ - the spiritual warfare that raged; the setbacks that led to the old life of crime; his wife’s fight to keep their marriage alive despite Monty’s string of broken promises - prisoners around the room sat in stunned silence. ‘Sure, I read the Bible, went to church, and got a job,’ he said. ‘But I couldn’t deal with the pressures of life. Sometimes choosing the right nail overwhelmed me.” Monty’s words hit home. That afternoon 23 men gave their lives to Jesus.”
“Monty Montana” has written a book called “70 x 7 and Beyond.”
“But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve… But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15, NIV
“Unbelievable!” I thought to myself as I drove down the highway the other day. “If this guy in the car behind me gets any closer, I’m going to have to invite him over for dinner! I mean, I’m going the speed limit, but he thinks he’s racing in the Indy 500!”
At first, I had just ignored the guy. Before I knew it, though, my pragmatic side was threatening to get the better of me: “Well, maybe I could go a few miles faster,” I thought. “What’s the difference? I mean, it’s better than having this guy ride my back bumper all the way home!” Thankfully, he turned off before I had to make a decision.
Has this situation, or one like it, ever happened to you? If you live in even a semi-urban area, I’m sure it has. As Christians, we know that we have to obey the law and not set our own speed limit, but it’s hard not to notice that other people on the road are driving like Jeff Gordon on a victory lap. And the worst part (for me, at least) is that they don’t ever seem to get a ticket. You might be forgiven for thinking that going a little faster and pushing the limits isn’t such a bad idea, but as Christians we still should do the right thing.
The rest of our lives can also follow this pattern. Most of us pray, read our Bibles, and go to church regularly. But we can’t help but see non-Christians around us eating, drinking, and being merry — and it can be so tempting to go along. A little sin here and a little sin there. What’s the difference?
God has our best interests at heart, and he has told us in Scripture that all sin is destructive. When the temptation comes, think about Paul’s words of encouragement: “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it” (1 Cor. 10:13).
– Matt Donnelly,
Gives a history of policing, and discusses a theology of policing. They need special attention from pastors. Talks about problems, temptations they face.
Sermon on Jesus' prayer in Gethsemane asking for the cup of suffering to be taken away, but submitting to God's will.
[But compare Buswell's argument based on Hebrews 5:7-8 (in Buswell II.62ff) that Jesus's prayer WAS answered.]
Sermon on Roxbury, New Jersey, 250th anniversary Sunday.
1. We must learn from the past.
2. Lessons from the Old Testament.
a. Exodus and manna.
b. High privileges didn't guarantee final blessing.
3. History of Ledgewood Baptist.
4. Applications from history.
a. Corinth.
b. Ledgewood.
5. Special exposition of 1 Cor 10:13.
a. Broader sense of "testing."
b. Our situation is not exceptional.
c. God always provides a way of escape.
Martin Luther on temptation:
"We aren't able to stop birds from flying around our heads
but we are able to stop them from building nests in our hair."
Another version from the internet:
"I can't stop the birds from flying over my head, but I can
prevent them from building a nest in my hair." ...
On the TV show "Hee Haw," Doc Campbell is confronted by a patient who says
he broke his arm in two places. The doc replies, "Well then, stay out of them
places!"
He may have something there. We cannot regularly put ourselves in the face of
temptation and not be affected. When faced with the problem of temptation, we
need to take the good doctor's advice and "stay out of them places."
#1793
*
Mike Yaconelli wrote in The Wittenburg Door: "I live in a small, rural community. There are lots of cattle ranches around here, and, every once in a while, a cow wanders off and gets lost... Ask a rancher how a cow gets lost, and chances are he will reply, 'Well, the cow starts nibbling on that one, and then it nibbles on a tuft of green grass and starts nibbling on that one, and then it nibbles on a tuft of grass right next to a hole in the fence. It then sees another tuft of green grass on the other side of the fence, so it nibbles on that one and then goes on to the next tuft. The next thing you know, the cow has nibbled itself into being lost.'
"Americans are in the process of nibbling their way to lostness... We keep moving from one tuft of activity to another, never noticing how far we have gone from home or how far away from the truth we have managed to end up."
Sermon in James series. Temptation. James 1:13-18
====================================
I CAN RESIST ANYTHING BUT TEMPTATION
====================================
I. Different views of temptation.
A. Trivial or serious.
B. Severe consequences.
C. For good or evil?
II. Where temptation comes from.
A. It cannot come from God. James 1:13
B. Satan can tempt.
C. Our inner self is ultimate source. Romans 7
III. The lifecycle of sin. James 1:14-15
A. Desire lures us.
B. Sin brought forth.
C. Death results.
IV. The solution to temptation.
A. God wants us to have good things, not death. James 1:17
B. Misunderstandings that get in the way.
C. Victory over temptation. 1 Cor 10:13
"Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." [basic of sermon]
I. Most perplexing phrase in Lord's Prayer.
A. Would a holy, loving God consider leading us into temptation?
B. Questions asked since 2nd century.
1) Tertullian bristled at suggestion.
a) Echo of James 1:13-14.
b) What are similarities // differences?
II. Meaning of Temptation.
A. Peirasmos. Matt 6:13; Luke 11:4
1) Variety of meanings in Greek as well as English.
B. Trial or testing.
1) James associates term with perseverance. Jam 1:2-3,12
2) But even trials usually involve some sense of
enticement to sin.
a) Painful circumstances may make us doubt God's
goodness.
C. Enticement to sin.
1) In James 1:13-14 meaning shifts to enticement,
which is stated explicitly.
2) But this enticement comes from devil or ourselves.
III. God's role in temptation.
A. God's part is indirect - "don't LEAD us into temptation."
1) Is this different from tempting us?
B. Even if God won't entice us, will he lead us to a place
where we will be?
1) Temptation of Jesus shows he can do just this.
2) Note that Spirit led him into the desert. Matt 4:1
C. Evidently temptation - whether testing or enticement -
can be used redemptively by God for his glory and for
our good.
IV. How God can use temptation.
A. It reveals what is in our hearts.
1) Temptation is a test of character.
a) Abraham & Isaac.
1> He overcame temptation to disobey.
2> God gave him a commendation and a promise.
b) David & Bathsheba.
1> Showed extent to which lust ruled his heart.
2> He repented, and so showed that he also desired
to please God.
3> He failed his test, but God used it to correct
him, as shown in Psalm 51.
c) King Saul.
1> Tempted several times, and failed.
2> Nation could see God's wisdom in dumping him and
choosing another. 1 Sam 15:28
B. It allows us a choice that clarifies significant issues.
1) Temptation of Jesus.
a) Enticement to worship and preserve self pinpointed
the ultimate issues involved in Jesus' mission.
2) Martin Luther - "My temptations have been my masters
in divinity."
C. It fortifies our will.
1) Our commitment is strengthened each time we overcome.
2) Train self to be godly. 1 Tim 4:7
D. We can provide an example for others.
1) Also we can be a witness of God's grace before enemies.
a) Job.
2) When we maintain faith despite suffering, we present
Satan with a frustrating enigma and unbelievers with
a reason to ponder.
V. Why pray against a good thing?
A. Jesus has us pray to escape it. Why?
1) Comparison with doctoral exams.
2) They are good for us, but we may not be ready for them.
a) We have limitations.
B. Petition protects us from pride.
1) It is an (implied) confession of our weakness.
C. Lord's Prayer teaches us about God, and ourselves.
1) Daily bread shows our dependence on the Lord.
2) Forgive our debts assumes we are sinful.
3) Lead us not into temptation says we are weak.
D. We tend to make ourselves the focus of our prayers.
1) Lord's Prayer keeps focus on God.
2) Our most subtle temptation is to put ourselves in
God's place.
[See also HolwickID #3901]
Final sermon in Lord's Prayer series. Deliver from temptation. Matt 6:13
==============
DON'T TEMPT ME
==============
I. The comedy of temptation.
A. It gets light treatment from the world.
B. Temptation is no joke.
C. Most perplexing phrase in Lord's Prayer.
II. Meaning of Temptation.
A. "Peirasmos" Matt 6:13
B. Enticement to sin. James 1:13-14
C. Trial or testing. James 1:2-3,12
D. God's role in temptation.
III. How God can use temptation.
A. It reveals what is in our hearts.
B. It allows us a choice that clarifies significant issues.
C. It fortifies our will.
D. We can provide an example for others.
IV. Why pray against a good thing?
A. Emphasis is on protection.
B. Respect temptation. 1 Cor 10:13
V. Petition protects us from pride.
A. Lord's Prayer teaches us about relation of God and ourselves.
B. Keep God in his place, and remember he is there.
[See also HolwickID #3897]
At 19, Hermann Brandt had his final conversation with God. Or so he thought. "God, I've tried Christianity and it doesn't work. If you want me, you come to me," he prayed.
Brandt, now 33, grew up in a minister's home in South Africa. He tried to live the Christian life but knew he was a hypocrite. "I felt like a liar. I finally got brave enough to say, 'I'm going to stop trying.' I felt enormously relieved! I no longer needed to perform and pretend."
That was the beginning of a 10-year quest during which Brandt threw himself with unbridled passion into everything the world had to offer. He still dropped in at church occasionally, but by the time he was 24, church and everything that goes with it were no longer part of his life. "I let my fleshly desires rule. It was easy and exciting and momentarily fulfilling," Brandt said. "I was suddenly one of the guys for the first time in my life and I spent time drinking and socializing."
Brandt eventually found this life was just as empty as the one he had rejected. "I had a hollow feeling in the pit of my stomach after spending the night in the pub with my drinking buddies," he said. "I knew this was not where it's at either, but I kept on for years."
Meanwhile, Brandt's wife, Wilmien, quietly pursued her relationship with God, remaining faithful in prayer, submitting to her husband and never retaliating no matter how bad things got.
"I quit church altogether but Wilmien stayed faithful to the Lord -- stayed rock-solid. I wanted to corrupt Wilmien, to pull her down to my level. Deep down I knew there IS a God. I knew Wilmien knew him. I had an incredible desire in my heart to really know him too ... but everything she did ticked me off! She loved Christian radio. I hated it. She went to church and took our son, Carl, against my wishes."
For 10 years, through many moves and the loss of more than one of her husband's businesses, Wilmien remained faithful. Finally, the Brandts emigrated to Camden, Alabama. Wilmien, an occupational therapist, was under contract and had a work visa. Brandt was Mr. Mom, caring for the house and 6-year-old Carl.
"Carl was the brightest spot in my life," Brandt said. "I was overwhelmed by him. There was a tremendous link between us from the very beginning."
God used fatherhood to keep the marriage together. Several times over the years, Brandt threatened to leave. "But the Lord would cause Carl to walk right into the middle of my situation. I felt the desperation of a little boy growing up without a dad. Then I could not leave."
Both Brandts were dissatisfied with the marriage. "We didn't meet each other at the same level on all fronts. Wilmien had God to meet her needs. I did not. I sought elsewhere for fulfillment."
Brandt, a wildlife artist and graphic designer, was also a professional hunter. He began to look for American clients to take on safari in South Africa as a new business venture. His wife, fearing abandonment in a foreign country, was desperate.
Then her husband stayed in bed for five full days, refusing to speak, and she feared the worst. But late on the fifth night he asked her to sit down for a talk. His words could not have been more shocking to a woman who thought her husband might be contemplating divorce.
"Wilmien," he began, "the other day the Lord came to me and he changed my life. He told me I must commit myself to you 100 percent. And that's what I'm doing now."
They embraced, weeping, both sensing God's powerful presence. Then Brandt told his wife this incredible story:
While listening to a business presentation in a nearby city, Brandt heard an inner voice: "Hermann, I love you just like you love your little boy. This much I love you but so much more!" He knew it was the voice of God. It continued: "Everything you are looking for -- joy, peace, fulfillment -- you'll find in me. But I want one thing. You must be righteous."
He instantly responded, "Lord, if that's what you're giving, that's what I want."
At that moment, it was as though the heavy stone doors of a dungeon were flung open, flooding the interior with the light of day, Brandt said.
"In my mind's eye, I saw a face, smiling at me." Brandt left the meeting and drove home. He said he'd felt as if Jesus was sitting beside him in the car, bringing up his sins. As each sin was revealed, Brandt said, "I confess it." For three hours, he confessed and was forgiven. When he arrived home, although completely drained, he was a new man. He went to bed and stayed there for five days, afraid to speak, wondering if he would ever recover.
Satan tormented him day and night, trying to convince him he had only imagined it, that it never happened, that God was a lie. He prayed one prayer a thousand times: "Lord, give me peace!"
On the fifth day, Brandt found his wife's Bible and opened it randomly to Luke 19:41 and began to read: "If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes ... because you did not recognize the time of your visitation from God."
Jumping to his feet, he shouted, "So it was you!" At that moment Satan left him, Brandt said. He continued to read the Bible as God spoke to his spirit.
Suddenly Brandt remembered telling God 10 years earlier that if he wanted him, he would have to come after him. And so he had.
"When I look at God, I understand grace," Brandt said. "I don't deserve anything. God is God and I am nothing and I just love him to death. I would die for him. Today."
As a first-year seminary student at the Canadian Baptist Seminary in Cochrane, Alberta, Brandt reflected on his marriage now. "I never imagined marriage could be so good. I never saw Wilmien for who she was -- she's precious!"
Ugolino Boniscambi on persevering through the dry seasons of prayer. He was an Italian friar in the 14th century who collected the acts and sayings of early missionaries who followed Francis of Assisi (c. 1181-1226).
Brother Giles was one of Francis's first missionary companions and was known for his holiness, optimism, and deep insight into human nature. His advice on dry seasons in prayer:
1. God doesn't owe us good feelings.
2. Temptation is often great while praying.
3. Feelings in prayer are a gift.
Diana Cooper, a live wire in British society between the wars, always edited the Lord's Prayer when reciting it, refusing to say "Lead us not into temptation" because "it's no business of His."
According to a radio report, a middle school in Oregon faced a unique problem.
A number of girls were beginning to use lipstick and would put it on in the bathroom. After they put on their lipstick, they would press their lips to the mirrors leaving dozens of little lip prints.
Finally the principal decided that something had to be done. She called the girls to the bathroom and met them there with the custodian. She explained that all these lip prints were causing a major problem for the custodian, who had to clean the mirrors every day. To demonstrate how difficult it was, she asked the custodian to clean one of the mirrors. He took out a long-handled brush, dipped it into the toilet, and scrubbed the mirror. Since then there have been no lip prints on the mirrors.
Try thinking of this story when you’re tempted to sin. If you could only see the real filth you’d be kissing, you wouldn’t be attracted to it.
*
Are you a weak Christian if you struggle with temptation?
1. Why is my conscience bothering me?
2. Am I a weak Christian because I struggle with temptation?
3. Can I turn my weakness into strength?
4. Is there anything I can do to end the struggle?
5. What will happen if I listen to my feelings?
6. How can I find the strength to be obedient?
7. Must I change my feelings before I can obey God?
8. Do I believe in God's promises?
#3876
*
Sermon in Fresh Look at Jesus series. Hebrews 12:2-4
BELIEVING IN THE DARK
=====================
I. When is it hardest to believe?
A. For many, faith is simple and easy.
B. Others see faith as a struggle.
C. Hardest to believe when it doesn't seem to work.
II. Jesus knew what it was to struggle in faith.
A. Don't assume it was easy for him.
B. Evidence of Jesus' inner combat.
C. Jesus' struggle intensified at the cross.
III. Faith won out over fear.
A. In each struggle, Jesus kept his faith.
B. His final struggle was the hardest.
IV. Where we struggle.
A. Moral choices.
B. Life events.
C. Spiritual struggles.
V. Through the darkness to victory.
A. Crosses are great educational tools.
B. Maintaining our faith through the dark valley.
RELIGION
If 'religion' is understood ... as man's search for God on man's own terms, as
his effort to make some kind of adjustment to the 'ground of being' on a level
less radical than that of the self-forgetful commitment of faith, it clearly
can become faith's greatest enemy, the last bastion of human pride to hold out
against God. The experience of the Jews in relation to Jesus, and of the
churches throughout the ages, demonstrates that this is the most persistent
and far-reaching temptation which confronts men. To call attention to this is
always an urgently necessary part of the prophetic ministry within the Church.
... Daniel Jenkins, "Religion and Coming of Age"
#4291
*
Does your heart seem set on sin?
Strategies for refocusing your affections.
Intimacy with Jesus helps us see the "rubbish" in our lives for what it is.
Jam 1:14, Rom 8:5-9, 1Pet 2:11, Heb 12:4, John 17:17
Affections Aligned. Phil 3:7-11, 4:6-7, Col 3:1-2, Isa 26:3
Seeing Sin Clearly. 2 Cor 7:10, Eccl 2:10-11, Rom 3:19-20
Taking a Closer Look.
QUESTIONS ABOUT SIN.
What sins did I commit today?
What did I perceive to be the value of those sins?
What did they cost me?
How did they affect the advancement of the kingdom of God?
What steps led to those sins?
What response does that sin cause in my heavenly father?
If opportunity to commit those sins comes again tomorrow, what will
be my response?
STRUGGLE WITH PRIDE
Pride sets me up for discipline by God.
Pride is the ugliest expression of independence from God.
Pride is repulsive to the godly.
Pride induces sinful boasting in me.
Pride demonstrates that I misunderstand the source of my abilities.
Pride keeps me from recognizing my need for God and, therefore, keeps
me from prayer as well.
Pride in my speech is tiresome to people listening to me.
Working Out Your Salvation. Phil 2:12-13
It was F. B. Meyer, I believe, who once said that when we see a brother or sister in sin, there are two things we do not know: First, we do not know how hard he or she tried not to sin. And second, we do not know the power of the forces that assailed him or her. We also do not know what we would have done in the same circumstances.
_____________
Stephen Brown, Christianity Today, April 5, 1993, p. 17
Everything we make is available for free because of a generous community of supporters.
Donate