Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
This automated analysis scores the text on the likely presence of emotional, language, and social tones. There are no right or wrong scores; this is just an indication of tones readers or listeners may pick up from the text.
A score of 0.5 or higher indicates the tone is likely present.
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(Mom baking cookies)
(Son playing in the neighbor’s yard)
None of us is immune to the appeals of temptation…
None of us can say that we have never been tempted… or that we have never fallen to the mesmerizing appeals of temptation…
Mark Antony — one of Rome’s greatest military minds, one of its strongest leaders — on the outside, was powerful and impressive, but on the inside…
He was so weak that it caused one advisor to shout at him: “O Marcus!
O colossal child, able to conquer the world, but unable to resist temptation!”
Is that us?
Is that you?
Do you look strong, powerful, like you have it all together… on the out side, but… on the inside… you are torn apart by temptation time and time again?!
Temptation is not easy to resist… It lures us… It draws us in with its beauty and promise!
Temptation is like the “Siren’s song” in ancient lure… Luring us away from the safety of the sea of God’s presence, and into the rocky shore of sin’s destruction…
Noone is immune to it… It affects adults, children, professionals, pastors…
And it is deadly!
“In our members there is a slumbering inclination towards desire which is both sudden and fierce.
With irresistible power desire seizes mastery over the flesh.
All at once a secret, smoldering fire is kindled.
The flesh burns and is in flames.
It makes no difference whether it is sexual desire, or ambition, or vanity, or desire for revenge, or love of fame and power, or greed for money…
Joy in God is in course of being extinguished in us and we seek all our joy in the creature.”
- - Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Greek mythology tells us that the crew of Odysseus’s ship escaped the lure of the Siren’s song by plugging their ears with wax.
Resisting the temptation of life that Bonhoeffer speaks of will take more than wax!
James tells us: “Temptation is inevitable”
James doesn’t say “IF tempted...”
He says, “WHEN tempted…”
Just like trials and tribulations… Temptation is a part of life.
Let’s face it — The Christian Life is a life of conflict, amen?
We are in a spiritual battle — between the Spirit and the Flesh!
There are opposing forces constantly trying to draw us away from God.
Everyone is wrestling with temptation!
Noone is immune.
(Take a look around you) No matter how well someone looks… no matter how “together” they appear… everyone struggles with temptation!
But remember - - Temptation is not sin!
How?! How did Jesus “not sin”?
— He didn’t “give in” to temptation…
— He stood against it… He resisted it… and He fled from it…
(I know I know) But Pastor… Jesus was God!
Of course He didn’t sin!
— Understand… in His temptation, Jesus was in His humanity… Scripture tells us that He was “severely famished”… His temptation was purely in the weakness of His humanity!
Temptation is an invitation to sin.
You see… Jesus knew the Father’s plan… He knew why He was here… He knew what we needed… He knew who He was…
— He was hungry and weak — “Feed yourself from this world”
— “You’re the King of Kings… take it for yourself”
— “You’re God’s chosen… use His protection and provision selfishly”
Jesus was invited by satan to sin… BUT… He refused the invitation.
Temptation is real… it is dangerous… and it WILL come!
If we want to resist it like Jesus did, then we must “Give credit where credit is due.”
We must realize who God is, and what temptation really is — where it comes from…
Let me ask you:
What are trials?
Conflict from outside sources.
What is Temptation?
Where does it come from?
Have you ever noticed that we ALL tend to BLAME someone else when we fall short?
James tells us: “Assume personal responsibility!”
We… humans… have a tendency to want to blame someone else when we fall into temptation.
The comedian Flip Wilson coined the phrase: “The devil made me do it!”
Now… it is true that satan is an active agent in temptation, but we give him way more credit than he deserves.
— satan is not creative… he is incapable of creating anything… he merely mimics, tricks, whispers, gossips… he takes simple truths and the thoughts we already have, and he twists them… in order to lead us into sin…
The ultimate source of temptation is within!
Eve’s temptation came from her own desires…
James says: We must not blame anyone else…
Temptation does not come from God… AND, it’s not God’s fault when we give in to it!
HEAR THIS: “God does send us tests… He does allow us to face trials… to strengthen our faith, BUT… (listen)… God is NEVER involved with tempting us to sin!”
Look back at Adam and Eve’s story…
When they gave in to temptation… when they ate the fruit… God confronted them, and asked them, “What did you do?”
Do you remember what they said?
Adam is saying… “You’re to blame.”
“That woman YOU gave me...”
Every since then, man has been trying to blame God.
“If God created everything, then He created sin, so… It’s His fault.”
James confronts that!
James declares, “God cannot be tempted to evil and He never tempts anyone else to evil.”
That would be contrary to His nature… God is Love…
James says:
To place “temptation” in our path… to “tempt” us to sin… goes against everything that God is… God is not the Author of evil!
Statements like:
“I couldn’t help it”
“The devil made me do it”
“It’s my parents fault”
“It’s my spouse’s fault”
“It’s my children’s fault”
“It’s my boss’s fault”
ARE… NEVER… TRUE!!!!
Did you hear that?!
Temptation — and giving in to it — is never somebody else’s fault… and it’s not God’s fault.
God allows us to be “tested” by temptation, but… He does not send it… and He [God] always provides us an escape…
Now, here’s the truth…
We simply do not choose to use it.
James tells us the truth:
Temptation comes from our own hearts.
Understanding this truth is vital to winning our victory over temptation.
Temptation is a process.
— it has a starting point, and follows a path…
It begins in us!
In our hearts!
Do you see the pattern?
It’s predictable!
Temptation — DESIRE coupled with SELF-DECEPTION leads to DISOBEDIENCE — sin, which ultimately leads to DEATH!
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