Why Temptation?

I) Introduction

Question we ask ourselves today is "where does temptation come from?" Many times we find ourselves in situations that makes it very difficult to deal with temptation. We Feel like temptation is unbearable. We know that what were dealing with is wrong, but sometimes the craving is way too much.

The craving may be:

having our own way

doing our own thing will

indulging too much

In alcohol

Food

cell phones

clothing

shoes

and anything else causes us to be more focused on it and on God

The word temptation means = the desire graving for wrong things, things that are harmful to your spirit.

The key to the soul thing is that we need to understand just because Man says it is acceptable, does not mean that God says it is acceptable!

I) Temptation did not Come From God

Another problem that man has is blaming everything on someone else.

For example:

In Adam blames the woman

In Eve blames snake

Point is that man rarely takes responsibility for his own action

We especially like to blame God for everything

“Why did God”

Let me marry this person

have this accident

If God hadn’t gave me these feeling, I would not have had this problem

God does not arouse lust in our hearts. He tells us to control our desires.

He created us with desires.

Hunger to desire food

Sexual desire - to be drawn to each other

to keep our race of humans going

First, God cannot be tempted

He is Holy

Righteous

And Pure

to tempt a person is evil

God does not tempt man!

God:

Loves

Cares

and seeks to save man

God wants man to turn and run away from temptation, not succumb to it!

(CSB)

13 No temptation has come upon you except what is common to humanity. But God is faithful; he will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation he will also provide a way out so that you may be able to bear it.

II) Temptation is of Man, His Own Lust

we need to know:

There is lust and enticement

Every man/ Woman will go through it!

The word LUST - means to crave

The word ENTICE - means to lure or bait a person

Man has GOOD desires.

natural desires

the problem is when something is forbidden and we lust for it,

There is lust which turns into sin

when a person looks long enough to lust for something

the temptation is born in the mind

pictures the pleasure of the desire

the the sin is formed in the mind

(CSB)

28 But I tell you, everyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

(CSB)

19 but the worries of this age, the deceitfulness of wealth, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

The way to overcome temptation

Hebrews-James (King James Version) C. The Origin of Trials and Temptation, 1:13–18

1) If the temptation attacks our thoughts, then we must push the wrong thought out of our mind, and then begin to immediately focus our thoughts upon Christ and some passage of Scripture.

2) If the temptation comes from some attraction to our senses—seeing, hearing, tasting, and touching—then we must turn our head or body away and flee the temptation. Then immediately we must focus upon Jesus Christ and prayer and review some Scripture passage.

3. The result of temptation is death

man not only dies physically

but spiritually

and eternally

Hebrews-James (King James Version) C. The Origin of Trials and Temptation, 1:13–18

Thought 1. William Barclay has a thought on temptation that should challenge us to turn our total being over to Christ. We have the statements in outline form for emphasis:

“Now desire is something which can be nourished or stifled. A man can … by the grace of God, eliminate desire if he faces it and deals with it at once. But …

• he can allow his steps to take him into certain places and certain company.

• he can encourage his eyes to linger on certain forbidden things.

• he can spend his life fomenting desire.

• he can use mind and heart and eyes and feet and lips to nourish desire.

“[However, a man] can so hand himself over to Christ and to the Spirit of Christ that he is cleansed of evil desire. He can be so engaged on good things that there is no time or place left for desire. It is idle hands for which Satan finds mischief to do; and it is an unexercised mind which plays with desire, and an uncommitted heart which is vulnerable to the appeal of lust.

“If a man nourishes and encourages desire long enough, there is an inevitable consequence. Desire becomes action. If a man thinks about anything long enough if he allows himself to desire it long enough, all the chances are that in the end he will do it. Desire in the heart in the end begets sin in the action” (The Letters of James and Peter. “The Daily Study Bible.” Philadelphia, PA: The Westminster Press, 1958, p. 61f).

III) Temptation Is Not In God’s Nature

God is perfect

He can’t be God if He is not perfect

He will not give man over to temptation

because He has nothing to do with this evil

God is Light

Temptation leads to darkness

guilt

shame

hurting others

destroying ourselves

lies

STAND IN GOD’S LIGHT AND RECEIVE:

Joy

relief of shame

we are built up

secure

assured

loved

God never leaves us in the dark

(CSB)

1 The Lord is my light and my salvation— whom should I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life— whom should I dread?

5. God wills for us to be born again!

(CSB)

12 But to all who did receive him, he gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in his name,

13 who were born, not of natural descent, or of the will of the flesh, or of the will of man, but of God.