238 Sermon Illustrations on Temptation

I remember as a boy reading Scottish history and learning that at the

famous Battle of Bannockburn the highlanders employed by Bruce leaped

on to the horses carrying the heavily armour-clad English knights and

then inserted their deadly dirks in the cracks between the pieces of

armour. Those chinks in their mail cost the knights their lives. Tan

6531

India is the native habitat of the gorgeous peacock, which is

peculiarly fascinated by the sight of a leopard. One has been known to

"freeze" and stare as if hypnotized at the sight of one of the big

cats creeping through the jungle. Capitalizing on that fact, native

hunters drape themselves in leopard's skins to enable them to

get--close enough to spear the fowl. Tan 6534

While journeying through the Canadian Rockies, we noticed that there

were trees growing on the edges of the steep embankments and that in

many cases half their roots were uncovered and were vainly grasping

the air around. Some trees had loosened their hold altogether and had

plunged down the steep slopes of the embankments. They had been

growing too near the edge. Tan 6536

For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall

shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they

shall deceive the very elect. -\reference{Matthew 24:2}{Matthew 24:2}

A man once watched an Indian preparing a snare with which to catch

a wild animal. He was surprised to learn that the Indian never sprang

the trap or pulled the noose the first time the animal appeared.

Instead of that, he would let it come repeatedly and feed where the

trap was. Then, when it had become bold and thoroughly familiar with

the surroundings, he would set the trap so that the next time it came

the animal would be caught in the snare.

That is the way temptation works. It does not drive its shaft into

the heart of its victim at first, but deceives it and lures it on.

Then, the fatal blow is delivered. --McCartney

Trochilus, one of the disciples of Plato, miraculously escaped from

a storm at sea in which the ship was sunk and he himself almost

perished. When he reached home, the first thing he did was to order

his servants to wall up two windows in one of his chambers which

looked out upon the sea. His fear was that on some fine, bright day,

looking out upon the sea when it was calm and tranquil and flashing in

the sunlight, he should again be tempted to venture upon its

treacherous waters.

There are not a few windows looking out upon the

sea of temptation which the soul would do well to wall up. --McCartney

Christianity has transforming power. One who has led an evil life,

and then has become a true Christian, will alter his purposes and

habits and will put away from him all temptations to former evil

practices.

A baggageman named Jim knew how to put one sort of temptation out

of his way: He owned a number of game roosters, and one morning he cut

off all their heads. When he told his wife what he had done, she said

they were too old to cook and she could not see why he had done so

foolish a thing. "I don't care," said Jim, "I haven't any use for them

any longer. I used to take a couple of them out in a lot where people

would see them Sunday mornings on their way to church, and then I

would fight them for all they were worth. I'm none too strong anyway,

and so I thought that if I killed the roosters, no fellow could come

along some Sunday morning and say: 'Come, Jim, put a couple of them in

a bag and lets go and fight them.' If they're dead I can't go can?"

--Tarbell's Teacher's Guide

In the days of the Civil War, it was illegal to trade in cotton;

but many unscrupulous speculators tried to buy cotton in the South,

run it through the Union lines, and sell it at great profit in the

North. One of these speculators approached a Mississippi steamboat

captain and offered him $100 if he would run his cotton up the river

for him. The captain declined, reminding him that it was illegal. "I

will give you $500, said the man. "No," answered the captain. "I will

give you $1000." "No," the captain said again. "I will give you

$3000." At that, the captain drew his pistol, and pointing it at the

man, he said, "Get off this boat! You are coming too near my price."

--McCartney

A tamer of wild beasts in London had a boa constrictor, cared for

by him from the time when it was little till it had grown to an

enormous size. At the close of his exhibition, the animal glided

forward on the stage, and at a word of command rose upon him fold

after fold, till at length the man was hidden from sight and the

horrible head of the monster waved aloft in the air. The audience

began to cheer wildly, when suddenly, they were still with horror. A

scream of agony had come from the center of that serpent mass, and

then as all listened appalled they heard the bones of the tamer crack

one after another and all was still. The serpent had become the

master. He had been toyed with once too often. That is what sin does

for its victim. --Addison P. Foster

If a child is playing with a toy you don't want him to have, how

can you get it away from him? Take it by force, and he'll bawl for

hours. The better way is to distract his attention by interesting him

in something else. Then while his attention is diverted, you can take

away the toy. Oddly enough, that's exactly how the devil tempts us.

The lure of wealth or fame or pleasure distracts us and lets him take

from our hearts our trust in God.

The Arabs have a fable of a miller who one day was startled by a

camel's nose thrust in the window of the room where he was sleeping.

"It is very cold outside," said the camel. I only want to get my nose

in." The nose was let in, then the neck, and finally the whole body.

Presently, the miller began to be extremely inconvenienced by the

ungainly companion he had obtained in a room certainly not large

enough for both. "If you are inconvenienced, you may leave," said the

camel; "as for myself, I shall stay where I am." There are many such

camels knocking at the human heart. --C. H. Spurgeon.

In the New Testament, the word translated "temptation"

({peiazo) }has two shades of meaning. When used of God's

tempting of man, it carries a positive intention. However, when it

refers to the temptation of man by Satan or another person, the word

implies a desire to bring out one's bad points.

The second idea might be likened to Ralph Nader's taking a G.M.

care and running a group of tests on it. The emphasis and aim to this

testing would be to bring out the bad traits of the car. However, if

G.M. were to run tests on its own car, the motivation would be to

point out the good traits.

A woodpecker is a very interesting bird. The loud rat-a-tat-tat

noise he makes as he drills into trees in search of bugs to eat always

attracts attention. The secret of his success is simple. When a

woodpecker finds a suitable tree, he begins to drill a hole. If the

wood is too hard or no bugs are found, he simply moves over a bit and

starts again. Over and over he continues, until he meets with

success.

Satan uses temptation in much the same way. He will try one

temptation on us and then if not successful will move over a bit and

try another. And so he will continue, over and over again, until he

finds a soft spot in us that he can use to his advantage.

A father had to go on a trip for a few days and instructed his

teenage son that the car was not to be used while he was gone. When

he returned, his son greeted him and said, "While you were gone, I

came very close to breaking my promise to not use the car while you

were away. You left the keys, and I carried them for three days,

fighting temptation."

The father smiled, "Son, there's nothing like temptation to show

you what you'll do - if you are given the opportunity!"

A lady was waiting at a railroad crossing while switchmen were

juggling freight cars when she heard one say: "We'll take 'er down by

the roundhouse, cut'er in two and throw 'er over the side." The lady

is still running.

- Rachel Reilly, Berea, KY, {The Funnybone, } The

Courier-Journal, Sunday, March 23, 1997, p.H7.

The driving instructor was giving lessons to an extremely nervous

student who panicked whenever another car approached on a particular

two-lane road. One day, however, they got to the same stretch of

road, and she remained completely calm.

"This time you're doing fine!" exclaimed the instructor.

"Yes," the novice driver agreed. "Now when I see another car

coming, I shut my eyes."

- M. Herbrink, "Laughter, The Best Medicine," {Reader's Digest,

}April, 1996, 77

One evening a family was gathered in the living room discussing modern technology. The father asked if anyone knew that silicon was actually like sand on a beach. Another family member pondered, “What if the sand was actually computer chips from some ancient civilization? What do you think they would tell us?” From the kitchen, the recent family college graduate bellowed in his deepest voice, “Don’t eat the apple!”

While marriages are failing at epidemic proportions among both Christians and non-Christians, couples can protect their relationships from ruin by implementing safeguards of accountability, says Bob Reccord, president of the North American Mission Board and author of the newly published book, "Beneath The Surface -- Steering Clear of The Dangers that Could Leave You Shipwrecked."

But accountability, Reccord said, cannot be forced on someone. "People don't just come up and take accountability on your behalf, you have to grant it," Reccord said. "You have to say I need you to help me be accountable."

Reccord said it is important to have someone who can ask you the tough personal questions regarding your private life, such as your thoughts or what you've been viewing on the Internet.

"Accountability is 'I want the very best in your life. I want you to succeed. Therefore, I'm willing to do whatever it takes for you to succeed in your walk.' If that's my view of you, then out of love, I have no choice but to go to you."

Reccord and his wife, Cheryl, spoke candidly with James Dobson, founder and host of "Focus On The Family," about how they've been able to avoid temptations to be unfaithful during their 30-year marriage.

The Reccords shared how the demands of work schedules and parenting put a strain on their relationship early in their marriage.

"I can remember sitting on the couch one night, and our second child, our son, was less than a year old at that point, and it suddenly dawned on me as I sat there by myself for another night, that it was more natural for Bob to be gone than it was for him to be home," Cheryl said. "He had really become kind of an interruption in our lives."

At the time, Bob's ministry had him traveling around the country 33 weeks a year.

"It was a crisis point," Cheryl recalled. "People would ask our oldest daughter, 'what does your daddy do?' and she would say he works on an airplane."

Cheryl said she knew something had to change when her feelings of loneliness were magnified when their pastor would call to check on her or compliment her about how she looked when Bob was out of town.

That's when Cheryl confided in her husband.

"It was a wake-up call to me," Reccord said. "It changed my life of understanding that as the husband, I'm responsible for more than just providing the house and finances. I'm responsible for making her feel secure and making her feel loved."

Reccord subsequently stepped down from his ministry position and began pastoring bi-vocationally.

Meanwhile, the Reccords learned later that their pastor had affairs with nine other women in their church, all of whose husbands traveled a lot in their jobs.

"It wasn't that we were on the verge of divorce," Cheryl recalled. "We weren't anywhere close. It wasn't like one of us had an affair. We'd never had that happened. We knew that if we didn't make some major changes in our life at that point we could head there."

While the Reccords heeded the warning signals and changed their lifestyle, statistics show that an alarming number of married couples, including those in full-time Christian ministry, ignore the danger signs, and like the infamous Titanic, sink into destruction.

"If you look back and study the history, they got six warnings of icebergs, and what sunk the Titanic wasn't what was above the surface, it was what was below it," Reccord said. "It's not the big stuff that brings us down, it's the culmination of the little stuff."

Citing 2000 census statistics that showed the number of single-parent households increased by 72 percent in the decade of the 90's, while the total number of original two-parent homes dropped below 25 percent for the first time, Reccord said the American family faces a crisis situation.

Although the cause of the problem, Reccord said, is obvious, it takes courage and discipline to implement the biblical principles necessary to protect husbands and wives from the lure of sexual infidelity.

"In the Book of James in the Bible, it says every man is drawn away by his own evil desires," Reccord said. "We can say the devil made me do it all we want, but Scripture is clear that we have a sin nature deep down in us."

Reccord identified three different stages of a marriage when couples are especially vulnerable to the temptation of marital unfaithfulness: about 2 years into the marriage; at the height of career success; and after the children are grown and out of the house.

"Cheryl and I have learned the value of dating weekly, finding something to celebrate monthly, escaping quarterly, and in my book we put in questions that we think every husband and wife ought to ask themselves at least once a year in a retreat," Reccord said.

"Beneath The Surface -- Steering Clear of the Dangers That Could Leave You Shipwrecked," identifies biblical principles for dealing with sexual temptation by comparing the Old Testament accounts of how David and Joseph responded when tempted sexually.

While David committed adultery with Bathsheba, Joseph fled the seductive grasp of his boss' wife. "(Joseph) said, 'How can I commit such a great sin against my God?'" Reccord recounted. "He understood that he was not only accountable to God, but to his own master, Potiphar."

Reccord concluded by saying that while consequences remain, anyone who has succumbed to sexual temptation, like David, can be completely restored by God's mercy and grace.

"If there is someone out there who is falling, it's not hopeless," Reccord said. "You can be put back together, but you've got to want to be, and you've got to say, 'I was wrong,' and then you've got to say, 'I need help and I want to be cleaned from the inside out,' and then 'I'm willing to turn 180 degrees and walk God's way, not mine.'"

Twinkle, Tinkle, Tattle

Read: 1 Peter 5:6-11

Be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. --1 Peter 5:8

A man was repeatedly robbed by burglars who entered his house through a window while he was asleep. He finally solved his problem by using three things. He called them a twinkler, a tinkler, and a tattler. The twinkler was a candle that he kept burning in the window all night. The tinkler was a bell attached to the window. And the tattler was a small, noisy dog. Because of these, the burglars were kept away.

Every Christian lives in a house that Satan seeks to burglarize. We too need a twinkler, a tinkler, and a tattler. The twinkler is the candle of God's Word. Its truths provide light that exposes Satan's lies. Daily attention to the Word keeps the lamp bright. The tinkler is the bell of our testimony. Keep it ringing as you tell others of the Savior, and Satan will be frustrated. The tattler is the life of prayer. When the enemy comes, send up the warning that you are telling Jesus about it all. Yes, twinkle your light, tinkle your testimony, and bark the enemy away by prayer.

A godly woman, when asked the secret of her victory, replied, "Whenever the devil raps at my door, I just say, 'Jesus, You go to the door and take care of him.'"

Twinkle, tinkle, and tattle! --M. R. De Haan, M.D. (founder of RBC Ministries)

The only way to overcome

Temptations that we face

Is to be focused on the Lord,

Who strengthens by His grace. --Sper

If you would master temptation, let Christ master you.

The Portia spider is a master predator whose chief weapon is deception. To begin with, says Robert R. Jackson in National Geographic, the spider looks like a piece of dried leaf or foliage blown into the web. When it attacks other species of spiders, it uses a variety of methods to lure the host spider into striking range.

Sometimes it crawls onto the web and taps the silken threads in a manner that mimics the vibrations of a mosquito caught in the web. The host spider marches up for dinner and instead becomes a meal itself.

The Portia spider can actually tailor its deception for its prey. With a type of spider that maintains its home inside a rolled-up leaf, the Portia dances on the outside of the leaf, imitating a mating ritual.

Jackson writes, “Portia can find a signal for just about any spider by trial and error. It makes different signals until the victim spider finally responds appropriately -- then keeps making the signal that works.”

Like the Portia spider, Satan's weapon of choice is deception.

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Choice Contemporary Stories & Illustrations For Preachers, Teachers, & Writers, by Craig Brian Larson, Baker Books, p. 63.

The men in our family are avid football fans. It is not an uncommon malady in the American male. And no matter how many games you’ve watched, there is one highlight that never ceases to be exciting – when the quarterback lofts a long pass downfield to a receiver who leaps into the air to catch it. Unfortunately, as dramatic as those catches are, they don’t all count. Because sometimes the pass receiver steps out of bounds in the process of bringing in that pass. That’s why those players try every kind of twisting and turning imaginable to stay in bounds. Because it doesn’t matter how impressive the play is – if you’re out of bounds, it just doesn’t count.

Well, I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A WORD WITH YOU today about “Immovable Boundaries”.

Staying “in bounds” at all costs – that’s not just good football ... that’s integrity – refusing to go out of bounds morally, no matter what. Because as far as God is concerned, it doesn’t matter how impressive the play is – if you go out of His bounds, it just doesn’t count.

Unless you’ve been living in a cave recently, you’re probably faced with temptations to compromise your integrity over and over again. To tell something less than the truth ... to cut corners ethically ... to do something financially that is less than honest ... to compromise your purity for someone you care about ... or to watch or listen to or laugh at things Jesus would never be a part of. For all of us who feel that pull to make the play by going out of bounds, there is some powerful encouragement in the life of Nehemiah, the man God chose to lead His people in the amazing rebuilding of Jerusalem’s walls and gates.

In our word for today from the Word of God, Nehemiah is now the governor of the city. He has an opportunity to use his position to his own advantage, but against a background of people who are exploiting their own people, Nehemiah is a glowing model of integrity. In Nehemiah 5:14, he says, “Neither I nor my brothers ate the food allotted to the governor. But the earlier governors – those preceding me – placed a heavy burden on the people and took forty shekels of silver from them in addition to food and wine. Their assistants lorded it over the people. But out of reverence for God, I did not act like that. Instead, I devoted myself to the work on this wall ... we did not acquire any land.”

Nehemiah’s predecessors had done it ... many of the people he governed had done it ... but Nehemiah refused to exploit his position. He had immovable boundaries, even when it would have benefited him greatly to compromise them just a little.

On the job application of one of our new Team members, I was impressed with three little words that described his “reason for leaving” his last job. His department insisted on continuing some unethical practices to which he had objected – but, in his character-revealing words, “I could not." While this man has an impressive resume and some great abilities, that integrity was what impressed me most. It’s what impresses God the most – and qualifies you for His greatest blessings.

Compromise may be the order of the day around you – but, “in reverence for God”, will you say, “I cannot." Compromise might get you ahead, maybe give you something you really want – will you, for God’s sake, say, “But I cannot.”

Immovable boundaries – the heart of a man or woman God can trust, God can bless. As far as your Lord is concerned, if it isn’t inside His boundaries, it just doesn’t count.

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Copyright © Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc., PO Box 400, Harrison, AR 72602. Used by permission. Written by Ron Hutchcraft. "Practical Answers to Real Life Issues"

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The other day, while I was out of town, my wife woke up to the sound of hoofbeats in our yard. That's actually a problem. Misty, her horse, is supposed to be out in the pasture, inside a barbed wire fence. But this particular day, Misty was having a grand old time running around our yard - and, without quick action on Karen's part - soon she would have been out of our yard and in harm's way. Fortunately, my wife managed to get Misty back to her pasture before any harm was done. But the big question was, "How do you prevent this horse from getting out again?" The problem was that storm with 80 MPH winds the other night - it uprooted the tree that was anchoring one corner of the pasture's barbed-wire fence. We were hoping that the downed tree and the partially intact fence would be enough to keep Misty in until we could close the gap. It wasn't. Our horse just found the gap and ended up going where she really should not go.

Well, I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A WORD WITH YOU today about "Closing The Gap."

It's not just a horse that exploits a gap in the fence. It's the lion, too - the one the Bible says is prowling around, looking for someone to devour. (1 Peter 5:8) Satan, of course. And you can be sure the destroyer is prowling around your life, your home, your ministry right now, looking for a gap in the fence - a way to go where he should never really be allowed to go.

So here's a quick lesson in how to drive your enemy nuts. It's in our word for today from the Word of God in Nehemiah 4:6 and 7. It comes from Nehemiah's fascinating account of how a small band of Jews rebuilt the walls and gates of a devastated Jerusalem in fifty-two days, all the time surrounded by enemies that were determined to stop them. And here's one important step they took to cut off their enemies' attacks - a step you may need to be taking to keep your eternal enemy out.

The Bible says, "So we rebuilt the wall until it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart. But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the men of Ashdod (that's a lot of guys against you!) heard that the repairs in Jerusalem's walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were very angry." I guess so. Those gaps were weak spots in the wall that they could use to go where they should never be allowed to go.

Now, you want to send your enemy Satan away frustrated and fuming? Close up the gaps in the wall around your life ... your marriage ... your family ... your ministry. Because right now he's doing all he can to get inside through those gaps and destroy everything that matters. You can't neglect the gaps any longer - there's too much at stake.

The gap through which Satan is getting in may be one of your important relationships that you've been neglecting - and ugly stuff, you know, grows in a garden that's neglected. Or maybe it's a strained relationship that is allowing your enemy to sow resentment and anger. The hard feelings you've allowed to grow inside you are a gaping hole for Satan to exploit. Or it could be a compromise you've allowed - in your integrity, in your sexual standards, in what you watch or listen to for entertainment. Maybe the gap is a past sin you have not dealt with ... or lustful thoughts. Or just allowing yourself to consider quitting - on your marriage, on a commitment, on a ministry God has called you to.

Wherever the gaps are, you can be sure your enemy has identified where you're vulnerable, and he's planning to use those gaps to get into the core of your life. When there's a gap in the fence, a gap in the wall, it can only put you in harm's way - actually in hell's way. Don't wait another day to start closing the gaps. You've got too much to lose.

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Copyright © Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc., PO Box 400, Harrison, AR 72602. Used by permission. Written by Ron Hutchcraft. "Practical Answers to Real Life Issues"

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Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.” 1 Peter 5:9

I cannot accept someone saying, “The devil made me do it.” No, he didn’t make you do it; you did it. Somewhere along the line, you chose to give the devil a foothold. He merely took advantage of the opportunity you gave him. You have all the resources and protection you need to live a victorious life in Christ every day. If you’re not living it, it’s your choice. When you leave a door open for the devil by not resisting temptation, accusation or deception, you are vulnerable. And if you continue to allow him access to your life, he can gain a measure of control over you. You won’t lose your salvation, but you will lose your daily victory.

Many Christians today who cannot control their lives in some area wallow in self-blame instead of acting responsibly to solve the problem. They berate themselves and punish themselves for not having the willpower to break a bad habit, when instead they should be resisting Satan in an area where he had obviously robbed them of control. Anything bad which you seemingly cannot stop doing, or anything good which you cannot make yourself do, could be an area of demonic control.

God’s protection from demonic attack is not something you can take for granted irrespective of how you behave. This protection is conditional on your willingness to respond to God’s provision. We are told to put on Christ and make no provision for the flesh (Romans 13:14), to put on the armor of God and to stand firm (Ephesians 6:11), to submit to God and resist the devil (James 4:7). If we irresponsibly ignore God’s resources by failing to obey these commands, how can we expect Him to protect us?

”Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.” — Jesus (Matthew 26:41, NIV)

I read recently about certain ants that have a passion for the sweet glandular substance given off by the caterpillar of a large blue butterfly. The ants become so enthralled by this substance that they carry the supplier into their nest with great delight. What they don’t realize is that the caterpillar gorges himself on the ant larva.

Usually such a threat would be attacked by an army of ants which would attack and repel such an invader. But because they enjoy the caterpillar’s tasty secretions so much, they become “addicted” to it. And all the while they are oblivious to the fact that their young are being destroyed!

Many temptations for we humans can be very “sweet to the taste” too, but can readily lead down a path of destruction. This is why we need to constantly “watch and pray” so we don’t fall for the “sweet” temptations.

It’s very easy to become addicted to the “sweeter things of life” too. It may not be to drugs or alcohol, but it can be to living for fame, fortune, success, or the so called “good life” of materialism and ignore or neglect the lasting values of life such as living for family, loving relationships and God.

On the other hand, a pig goes around looking for a mud-hole. When he finds it, he slides in with a grunt of satisfaction. In fact, he will squeal if an attempt is made to pull him out.

By nature, and without the convicting work of God’s Spirit, a sinner is like a pig — he seeks evil and temptation and has no desire to be delivered from sin. The follower of Christ, however, is compared in the Bible to a sheep. He should never be found in the mud of sin.

It is a sad fact that many of Christ’s sheep do fall into sin, but no born-again Christian will ever be comfortable in such a place. They will cry for forgiveness and cleansing. In Psalm 32, King David said, “When I kept silent, my bones grew old through my groaning all the day long” (v.3). He found, though, that the Lord was ready to provide forgiveness and relief when he confessed his sin to Him (v.5). The same is true for us.

Have you yielded to temptation? Do you ever doubt your salvation? Then return to Him and He will have mercy — and He will “abundantly pardon” (Isa. 55:7). — MRD

Lord, I’m prone to halt and stumble,

Grief and sorrow dwell within,

Shame and guilt my spirit humble,

Help me, pardon all my sin! —Anon.