Foundations: Temptation
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Good morning! If you have your bibles, you can turn with me to the book of James and specifically chapter 1. This morning we will be continuing our study in foundations. Does anybody here enjoy history. Without threatening to make it feel like we are back in school, I would like to tell you a quick story.
Illustration
Our story takes place during the second Wold War. specifically in the pacific theatre (or battlefield). The subject of our story is..
Beauford T. Anderson
In the dark, elements of a reinforced battalion stealthily climbed the south slope and moved down a draw that separated Kakazu Ridge and Kakazu West in a bid to break through the American lines. Little in the saddle stood in their way, except for a mortar squad on Company A’s vulnerable flank led by Sgt. Anderson. At 3:00 am, a column of 75 Japanese soldiers crashed into the surprised Americans. Taking cover from the grenades, knee mortars, and satchel charges, Anderson guided his men into one of the sturdy Okinawan tombs that dotted the landscape. All were wounded, but some were still able-bodied. Still, he ordered his men to shelter there. Then the diminutive 5-foot-7, 130-pound sergeant disappeared back into the dark to take on the enemy alone.
As the Japanese pushed the attack down the saddle, Anderson engaged the column point-blank with only an M1 carbine and some grenades. He fought back against fanatical charges, but was quickly out of grenades. Desperate, Anderson grabbed a dud enemy mortar round and threw it back at the Japanese soldiers, killing several in the explosion. That gave him an idea. Locating his squad’s ammunition in the inky blackness, he opened a box of 60mm mortar rounds and pulled the safety pin on one. Banging the projectile’s base on a rock to arm it, he threw it football-style into the enemy ranks. The blinding flash and loud crack brought screams. He started an alternating pattern, hurling a shell and then firing his carbine. Before the counterattack stopped, Sgt. Anderson had thrown 14 mortar rounds into the enemy’s ranks.
As dawn broke, the Japanese began pulling back toward the south slope. The growing light revealed not only had Anderson held back the entire attacking enemy force in the saddle, but in the fray he killed 25, protecting his unit’s exposed flank. Bleeding badly from a severe shrapnel wound, he refused evacuation. Against the protests of his men, Anderson again set off alone, this time to find his company commander to report the enemy’s retreat. With the help of Anderson’s information, American artillery wiped out the remaining Japanese attacking force. For his actions on Kakazu Ridge, Sgt. Anderson received the Medal of Honor, one of only five 96th Infantry Division soldiers, and the last from Wisconsin, honored with the award during World War II.
The National WWII Museum
Just as Beauford T. Anderson endured the attacks of the enemy…
Proposition: God wants us to endure the attacks of Temptation
Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.
Pray
Temptation is something that each of us will face at some point (probably today, or in the next few minutes). If we want to follow God in our daily lives, we will face temptation. We live in a very corrupt world that is constantly throwing sinful ideas, thoughts, and actions at us.
Temptation is a word that is thrown about quite a bit. So today we are going to dive into this topic so that we can be better prepared to face temptation. So, this morning, we will ask two questions: what is temptation and how do I resist it?
I. What is Temptation?
I. What is Temptation?
Before we face any problem, we must define what we Are facing.
So, What is Temptation?
But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.
A. Temptation is our inward drawing away and enticement due to our fleshly desires.
Just as a magnet can be pulled to metal, our hearts can be pulled toward sin. Why? Because we still live in the flesh. The flesh comes with its own desires.
For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.
Our sinful flesh comes with sinful desires.
Sin can bring pleasure, but it will only be for a short time. Sin looks good to our flesh, but we must continue to follow Christ in resisting sin. Moses had the correct attitude...
By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin,
Moses saw that sin brings pleasure, but that it would only be temporary. This is a constant battle we must have with ourselves. We must resist our own flesh.
The ironic thing Christians face is that...
We are both victim and villain.
“In the biblical story, we are both the antagonists causing the problem and the victims in need of rescue.” - John Stonestreet, A Practical Guide to Culture
The true battle we face is in on the inside. Each day our flesh pulls us to various temptations that surround us. True temptation occurs when we feel the desire for sin, Sin begins when we move towards it. This could be in our actions or in our thoughts. Sin’s such as jealousy, envy, and lust are the fist sins that develop because of inward temptation.
Jesus holds our thoughts to a high standard. That is why Jesus says
But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
What we think about is very important to God. We can sin just as much in our minds as in our actions.
However we must point out a distinction between external temptation (or testing) vs. inward temptation
External temptation occurs when the world or Satan presents alluring, and sinful things to us in order to have us sin. External temptation and testing does not have to be sin, but it can become sin very easily.
For Example, Say Mrs. Cruice (or Cassie), told me that she was going to try and quit eating taco Bell for the next year (not that taco bell is sinful). However, I actually just picked up a job at taco bell, and I really wanted her to eat at my restaurant. She was so strong that no matter how much I begged her to eat TB, she didn’t even think about it. She did not give in. She did not even allow it to become internal temptation.
However, external temptation is very dangerous. Most of the time, we don’t sin internally without first being tempted externally. But we must also realize, that we can resist temptation.
Cross Reference: Jesus Christ is our biggest example
Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
We are to be like Christ in all that we do, this includes how we deal with external temptation. So just keep this picture in your mind, because we will come back to it.
B. Temptation often comes with consequences
B. Temptation often comes with consequences
But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.
1. When desire has taken root, it produces sin
Just as a baby is conceived, sin is conceived when we act on our fleshly desires.
When we are not quick to resist temptation, we easily allow sin to take root.
2. Sin that is left untreated will lead to Death
”Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay”
Don’t Dabble in Sin.
II. How do we resist Temptation?
II. How do we resist Temptation?
Can we resist it? Yes!
A. By submission to the Word of God (Matthew 4:1-4)
A. By submission to the Word of God (Matthew 4:1-4)
We must return to the example of Jesus. Turn with me to...
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”
But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ”
Jesus was tempted externally, but he never allowed himself to be enticed. Jesus never sinned. Instead, he combatted the devil’s temptation with clear Scripture.
We must know the Word of God, this way we can better resist sin. When we allow ourselves to be controlled by the Word of God, God will empower us to accomplish His instruction.
Your word I have hidden in my heart,
That I might not sin against You.
Knowing the word of God is the most important thing we can know and memorize.
B. By Fleeing from the Temptation
B. By Fleeing from the Temptation
In the Book of Genesis, we find a very well known story: Joseph and Potiphar’s Wife.
And it came to pass after these things that his master’s wife cast longing eyes on Joseph, and she said, “Lie with me.”
But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Look, my master does not know what is with me in the house, and he has committed all that he has to my hand. There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?”
So it was, as she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he did not heed her, to lie with her or to be with her.
But it happened about this time, when Joseph went into the house to do his work, and none of the men of the house was inside, that she caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me.” But he left his garment in her hand, and fled and ran outside.
Temptation came to Joseph in the form of Potiphar’s wife. But he chose to say “no” to sin. Why did he say no? He recognized that He was sinning against God. We must fear God, and respect His Commandments. God wants us to do what is right, and He will always give us a way to follow His will.
No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
God will always give us an away of escape. When you first feel those desires drawing you away, you must run! Just like Joseph.
Conclusion
Conclusion
God wants us to endure temptation. We saw what temptation is and how we resist it. The questions is, are you resisting temptation. Resisting sin is one of the hardest things in the Christian life, but God commands us to do it!
Illustration:
When I was in high school, I ran track. I specifically ran the one mile and two mile. My coach was intense, and he would push us to the limit!
When it got to race day, I was always miserable. Races were brutal. We push ourselves to the limit for 10-11 min.
However, one invitational race, I won. I recieved a prize. God is waiting to give us a prize, if we just run this race and resist temptation. We will all fall and mess up at some point, but we must always get back up.