Did the Devil REALLY Make You Do it?

Intro

The Devil made me do it.

Flip WIlson -

(talk about what you saw.)

Main Point

The Devil is not strong enough to MAKE you do ANYTHING.

Why Does it Matter

We need to have a healthy understanding of who the devil is and what he isn’t.

He isn’t not any of the omni’s.

He is not omnipresent - Everywhere

He is not omniscient - All knowing

He is not omnipotent - All powerful

If he was any of these things...

The last part of the Lord’s Prayer that we are going to look at is

Scripture

Matthew 6:13 NIV

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’

Save us from ourselves and remind us we are already delivered from the evil one.

Jesus died on the cross.

James 1:2–18 NIV

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do. Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position. But the rich should take pride in their humiliation—since they will pass away like a wild flower. For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich will fade away even while they go about their business. Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.

2 - There is a pastoral tone in this passage; decide to be joyful in the face of trials; Trials should be an occasion for rejoicing

Not because they fun or because it means God is testing us. Trials are an oppotunity for growth. We are always stronger after a trial.

We should be any way. A failure isn’t failure if a lesson from it is learned.

Fox 40 whistle inventor, Ron Foxcroft…

Professional ref...

Pea whistles… blow too hard nothing comes out.

"We worked for 3 and-a-half years and had about 25 prototypes but narrowed it down after two years to 14 prototypes. Finally in July 1987, I had two prototype whistles that worked."

While Foxcroft was excited about the news, his wife, Marie's enthusiasm was tepid, at best.

"My debt was $150,000 and I owned TWO Whistles. My wife freaked out and said we own two whistles @ $75,000 each. She bought a suit case," he laughed.

Knowing he had to do something, Foxcroft used a brilliant promotional strategy.

"I took the two whistles to the Pan Am Games in August 1987. I went upstairs in the dorm where the referees were living, and at 2 am, I blew the whistles. Hundreds of referees opened the doors, standing there in their underwear, wondering what kind of whistle they heard. The next day, I got orders for 20,000 whistles @ $6.00 each in US funds. That was $8,00 per whistle in Canadian funds. My $150,000 debt was covered. And my wife has been spending my money ever since," he said chuckling.

From that event, things took off.

He failed 25 times. Every prototype brought him closer to this. (show the whilstle)

3 - Trials don't detrmine the amount of faith a believer has rather they can strengthen the faith they do have; We meet our trials with a strong and challenging response; We can meet them with joy because we know they will make us stronger.

This is important. AS ALWAYS it isn’t the quantity it is the quality. As iron sharpens iron so trials strengthen faith. Because God is with us we will never break.

4 - Mature christians are the result of trials - they push us closer to perfection (teleios)

Complete oneness.

5 - James is drawing upon Proverbs 2:6 and matthew 7:7; God will give wisdom to those who ask; come boldly and God will answer

6 - faith is more than a belief that God will give what we ask; it also includes confident, unwavering trust in God; Doubt is to have divisions in ones self; The one who lacks faith is the "divided person"; The sea is always changing never the same always controlled by the wind; Having no anchor of the soul; no unwaivering confidence in God

7&8 - The divided person is not living the greatest commandment which echos Deuteronomy 6:5; Double mindedness is the opposide of wholeness

9 - We are citizens of Heaven NOT this world; God has chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom

10&11 - Even the rich become dirt. We all die; death is the great equalizer

We store our worth and value in God and we will always win. We are more than conquerors. We are heirs.

12 - Endure temptation and trials; we are rewarded for our faithfulness; Because of our love and devotion.

13 - God will test our obedience (Isaac and Abraham) but He will never seek to induce Sinto destroy their faith. Jesus and the cross vs Judas and his betrayal of Jesus - Temptation is an impulse to sin and therefore God will not use that to "tempt" us. It is our sinful desires living within us and around us that we have to overcome.

14 - Temptation springs from an evil impulse; We alone are responsible for our Sin - God didn't dangle it infrount of us to see what we would do.

15 - Desire is not Sin; It is only sin acts on it by an act of will; We can say no. And ask God for wisdom.

16 - Do not be decived; God does NOT tempt us.

17 - Creation changes God Does not; all good and perfect Goft comes from God; Evil came through us; We are created and thefore change;

18 - We are the first installment in the universal redemptive plan of God. More gifts to come

Application

What does this all have to do with the Devil making us do it?

Well, He was jealous of us. He wants to hurt God. He does not have the power to hurt God. The next best thing…hurt the thing God loves most.

He is the father of lies. He is vindictive. He is defeated. He knows he cannot win. He is done. He will do what he can...

Revelation 20:10 “And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur...

That is what awaits him.

1 Corinthians 15:54–57 NIV

When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

That is what awaits us. Even though we broke it. HE is the one who restored it.

1 Peter 5:8–9 NIV

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

He has been declawed and defanged. He is still dangerous. He speaks lies and spews hatred. Speaks to our hearts. Which is why our passage in James is so important.

The thing about omni’s and the devil not having any of them - he is a finite being like us. He has a beginning and will have an end. They both start and end with God. Like us.

Conclusion

James 1:2-18 is what helps us to keep our minds sober. We are not hindered by unbelief and doubt. We are united in our knowledge and belief that we are heairs to what’s to come next.