1 081317 How to Overcome Temptation James 1

How many of us have ever dealt with temptations? we all have and we all do…How we handle temptations either creates problems or successes' in our lives …... You know ….What makes resisting temptation difficult, for many people, is that they don’t want to discourage it completely. Well take heart we are not the only ones who have to deal with Temptations…it been a problem since the time of Adam and Eve…as we move forward in our study of the book of James we encounter the people to whom he was writing… Jewish Christians who had been dispersed throughout the world because of persecution in Jerusalem and all over the Roman Empire. they had endured great trials because of their faith, and because of the life changing devastation of these trials Many of them were tempted to renounce their faith. These Jewish Christians were tempted to move back into Jewish life and not be a part of this new faith, this new walk of following after Christ. It was a huge temptation. We often read of the martyrs but there were many, many what we would call former Christians. Many Christians under persecution renounced their faith. It was a big, big problem up until the Roman Emperor Constantine declared the empire Christian a couple hundred years later. What do you do with lapsed Christians? Do you take them back or say sorry you rejected Christ, you’re not coming in. It was a big controversy. The church at the time of James’ writing was very tempted to just give up and give in because it was too hard to follow Christ. I think we can say the same thing today. So it makes sense as we encounter second part of chapter, James addresses temptations or testing. Why? Trials and temptations are very closely related because one can lead to the other. If you’re in a trial, you’re very often tempted to get out of it or handle it in the wrong way. Trials and temptations are very closely related. In fact they have the same root word. ans they are allowed by God as life issues to be handled successfully! James gives them and us encouragement…because both a a trial and a temptation will end … and we are promised that those who persevere under it and through these tests of faith…will receive a crown of victory…

James 1:12 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.

The crown of life…Revelation 2:10 Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.

The word used for “crown” is stephanos, which can also refer to a “reward”

2 This is not eternal life…for that is a gift…The Crown of Life, however, is a reward

for special acts of service and perseverance under trial. The Crown of Life is special reward for a special act of service and dedication to the King.

So if you are experiencing severe temptation, trials, or persecution, be encouraged and persevere through them. Just as a runner perseveres through the difficulties of the race so that he might reach the finish line and receive the reward, so also Jesus is waiting to put the Crown of Life upon your head when you reach the finish line after persevering through pain, trials, and persecution.

It will probably not be an actual crown or ring of leaves, but will be some sort of special blessing, honor, privilege, or recognition in the future, eternal reign of Jesus.

By offering this Crown, Jesus is encouraging us to stay strong, keep the course, and remain faithful.

That is precisely the problem with temptation…it often disguises itself as a reward…a prize, something good…a pleasure without a consequence that’s it’s power…it is a clever deceiver… Why wait for the Lord's reward, I can reward myself!

Temptation begins in the mind by enticing us to believe certain thoughts to be true…when in reality they are lies.... we leave the back door ajar..if things get too hard I can go back…or go a different route …How many times have we said in our hearts and then actually did acted out……”you know I have been pretty good lately…I should reward myself with some sin”….

So with that in mind..lets examine James teaching on overcoming/winning over Temptation… JAS 1:13 When tempted…

The word "temptation" refers to a deceptive offer to commit an act of sin which appeals to an individual disquised as advantageous but in reality a destructive act. Usually precipitated by frustration, anger, loneliness, curiosity, impatience, a desire to escape pain, a fear of loss, or a short cut to pleasure or accomplishment.

for example… How often are we tempted to ignore this Scripture truth..

1CO 15: 33 Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” 34 Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning….

Scripture tells us this truth, and to believe other than this is to be misled…(deceived, lied to, taken in)

That Bad…(the Greek words for bad are criminal, evil, wrongdoers, harmful) company

Will corrupt ( forces alteration and damages, corrode) good (high quality, excellent) character ( spirit or moral fiber).

3 If this is true…then by implication the opposite is also true… good company

changes bad character The saying is true…birds of a feather flock together… show me your friends and I

will tell you what you are… How often have we been tempted to call a lie truth?…and a truth a lie?.. to be tempted to believe we are the exception to the rule… I am justified in doing wrong because….He, she, them, they did such and such…and

always remember to throw in the word …first… No one can identify with what I am going through, see I have extenuating

circumstances that no one else can understand nor even appreciate… or why is this happening to me? as if I should be exempt from certain troubles or set

backs or there is No one who can identify with what I am going through You are all alone…God doesn’t even care It is so hard…whatever “it” is…I need some kind of relief…choose your favorite Why try anything new…it’s not going to work anyway…

So….Giving up or giving in…is an adequate option…at least for right now. The temptation to do wrong in the name of relief…is justifiable…because there is

no help…I am on my own…and there is no other way… After all rules have exceptions…only to sadly find out, or to experience the

devastating consequences that rule doesn’t…it’s true… We need to understand a truth which will greatly help us in overcoming temptations which sound in our head very appealing but which in reality…hurt us and others…

What you sow you will reap….maybe not immediately…but surely… Galatians 6:7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.

positive and negative… Ever notice that negative reaping or harvesting comes at the worst possible time.

And we need to quit blaming God for giving in to temptation…temptation is not brought by Him for he tempts no one… JAS 1:13 When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone;

Sin finds no place to entice the heart of God…He is all good…and all understanding…Sin or falling short never resonates with God an option……He is the fullness of life..

God is Perfection..so temtped with falling short of perfection…has no attraction to him..and is not part of his character

4 God is never tempted to do wrong and He never tempts anyone else to do wrong either Therefore he tempts no one to choose a path that is detrimental to his life giving

plan..He is not a thief who already has fallen short or sinned and entices others to do the same…

The problem with temptation is that if finds a place of resonance in each human heart…It is a problem with the human heart.

John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

Temptation to sin resonates with us…for we already lack..and sin disquises itself as a benefit to us…

Rom 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God… What is the glory of God? Perfection..falling short is not part of his character

Living in the environment of God’s Word will give you the spiritual acuity to

recognize temptation for what it is a inferior substitute..our fleeting desires…

James 1:14 but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed.

The heart of the human problem is the problem of the human heart…it is deceptive..it tricks us…

Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?

Deceives us into thinking sin will be a benefit and give life or relief to us it is a lie…

James 1: 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

Sin usually has a life cycle…it starts out and pleasuable… …and grows until

causes death (separation) sooner or later…the disease of sin kills life we die in every way…we became disordered..seperated from God, ourselves others Separation from each-other… the effects of our sin also disordered nature…that which we were to take care of.. Temptation is like an intoxicant…and when people become intoxicated they lose touch with reality…

51. The temptation comes…we romance it…think about it……have discussions with

it in our head… 2. And like all intoxicants…it can cause a good trip or a nightmare trip 3. Good trip…do this it will be great! 4. Bad trip … this is so bad… I am spiraling out of control…panic…

There is rarely something that we tempted in that we haven’t struggled with before. ECC 1:9 What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again, there is nothing new under the sun. 1CO 10: 13 13 No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. Let me share some common temptations… First those Temptations that promise instant pleasure, relief or comfort…short term… but usually with much longer term unwanted consequences

Like …Go ahead it’s ok…no one will know…it’s only once… you deserve it…Your business is nobody else's business

Go ahead it’s ok…no one will know…it’s only once… you deserve it…Your business is nobody else's business

God is not giving you enough freedom God ways are holding you back….God is too Restrictive…too slow God knows about Good and evil… … I’m missing out... I need to see for yourself God’s motives aren’t pure…God is deceptive and weak and tries by manipulation

to keep man in check He is not any different than man…he manipulates what does this seed produce…a desire for the forbidden… because it will be

good…what a crock… But once committed tends to lead a person to regret such actions, for various

reasons: spiritual, legal, social, relational, psychological (including feeling guilt), health, economic, etc.

Besides temptations of reward, a prize, illicit pleasure …there are the temptations which want to govern us….

There is not a temptation to worry, that comes upon us that has not enticed us before.

There is not a temptation to Fear…which we have not experienced before…And we have all experienced broken trust…feeling naked…exposed…embarrassed, rejected

Catastrophe imaginations” the doom and gloom forcasts… why me I cannot believe this…it is the end… do something quick now…

The Eyore syndrome…it will never work!!…it will never happen… which are probably more common temptations …and when acted upon cause devastating consequences usually having to do with relationships…

And then Temptations in trials or trouble like…

6 Tempted to believe God does not love you… or not care…or can’t help..or does

not understand… I will handle this my way!! Tempted to believe the thought that the problem I am facing requires a great deal

of anxiety…. Tempted to self condemn..when you make mistakes… Being tempted to Call names as the best solution to this conflict… tempted to try and control people rather than love them… tempted to Isolation and insulation as the best way to handle hurt… tempted to think that Your business is nobody else’s business tempted to sulk and whine…when you don’t get your way… tempted to scheme to get around a “no” answer..because you need it tempted to manipulate…thinking that a valid way to get around someone objection

or refusal…… because you need it tempted to believe you are hopeless and helpless… because there is no way to meet

this need tempted to believe I am justified in doing wrong because….He, she, them, they did

such and such…and always remember to throw in the word …first… because you need it…

tempted to believe… No one has faced the situation your in before…why is this happening to me?

tempted to believe…you have extenuating circumstances that no one else can understand nor even appreciate…

tempted to believe…No one can identify with what you are going through You are all alone…God doesn’t even care tempted to believe….It is so hard…whatever “it” is…I need some kind of

relief…choose your favorite tempted to believe……Why try anything new or different…it’s not going to work

anyway…I have tried everything when in fact you have not… tempted to believe…Giving up or giving in…is an adequate option…at least for

right now

The truth is given us in God’s Word…the Bible.. not only have those temptations troubled man forever…and they are also common…But there is help… Listen to what Paul the apostle tells us… 1CO 10: 13 13 No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted,[e] he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. 14 Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry.

7 My experience as a Pastor tells me that people rarely plan to get into trouble, their

problem is that they fail to plan to stay out of trouble… Common to man..means there are “no together people” but they have learned that God

is faithful to them!!

God is faithful… God is not on the other side obscured by the heaps of my sin…and once I get rid of it I will be with him… quite the contrary ..he is with me and he loves me, and he is on this side of my sin working with me to face it and overcome it… all of the pain, all the regret, the loss, the would of, could of ‘s , should of’s, all the pretending I am who I am not, the lies, all that has caused shame and condemnation…

the difference is …I look at it with Jesus arm around me…I can talk to him honestly about me and my stuff…

When you are tempted He will show you a way out. God has promised you a way out. Now you need to take Him up on that promise.

We all need it. In other words we can’t just say, I’m stuck here, I don’t have anything else I can do. God will provide a way out.

quit making yourself the God off your life…idolatry When tempted you have ways of escape …it is up to you to apply them… Here is another comfort and way out of Temptation…Listen…Peter tells us…

1PE 2:11 Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul.

Aliens KJV Pilgrims…foreign travelers… What this means is that others have gone before us and have won wars with evil desires …trying to destroy our souls our personhood!!

We trod not this path alone…so do not give in to the temptation…to believe you are alone…with no options…seek help!

It is good and quite comforting to remember that someone has already lived a life that is quite similar to the one you are living now.

Someone before you was the mother of three children under the age of four… Someone else before you succeeded at a task that seemed impossible at first.. Someone else before you faced cancer...or some other disease Someone else before you suffered a financial reversal.. Someone else experienced a devastating breakup or divorce… Someone before you has struggled with trusting that God can be trusted Someone before you has failed over and over Someone before you has tried really hard to impress God with their righteousness Someone before you has believed the lie that your righteousness before God is

based on your actions not Jesus righteousness placed in you

8 Someone else before you has raised adolescents and teenagers… Someone else before you suffered the untimely or violent death of a loved one… Someone else failed at one or more careers before discovering their true calling. Someone before you also believed that God has grown impatient with them

sinning!! Whatever you have been through, are currently experiencing, or will experience in

the future….someone else has experienced it before you. You are not the only pilgrim on this path. Many have journeyed before you. So when toils and troubles become overwhelming, find a spot at the roadside and sit for a while.

But someone greater than others is also available.. God who did not only observe the human condition from afar…but became one of us and experienced our condition first hand… Listen.. it is important to note here that temptation in itself is not a sin. It is not a sin to be tempted. In Hebrews 4 we are told that Jesus was tempted in all points as we are and yet He did not sin. Heb 4:14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Jesus was Tempted to make choices out of fear, to run, tempted to isolate, Tempted to make choice out of anxiety, tempted to rage…Tempted to love money…tempted to all the ism’s…Tempted sexually, tempted to hate, to despair, to hurt his enemies…Tempted to be unforgiving, bitter revengeful….Tempted to quit, tempted to lose hope, … Tempted In every way just as we are…but always chose the right response….

So what does he do Get a big head, Gloat over his victories over temptation or condemn us of weaker character…. NO…But beseeches us to approach his throne of Grace…His throne made out of Grace…(undeserved favor)

Not shaking or with fear of rejection …but with confidence…confident he will help in our time of need…

Promising us we will receive mercy and help…when our time of temptation., is present…and give us a way out! There are ways out…use them…

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Secondly, it is important to note here that temptation in itself is not a sin. It is not a sin to be tempted. In Hebrews 4 we are told that Jesus was tempted in all points as we are and yet He did not sin. temptation is one thing and our choice to obey the temptation is where sin comes in. That’s where the problem comes in. He draws the distinction in understanding the nature of temptation. He says you can’t stop temptations from coming but you can decide what you’re going to do with each one.

So God allows us to be tempted..not so we give in, but to give us opportunity to overcome it! to conquer it…It is not meant to make us bad but to make us good…

Just like when Jesus was led into the Desert…alone… you know.we are often most vulnerable to temptation when alone…so Jesus dealt with his alone…

LK 4: 1Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” 4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’

Jesus had been in the desert 40 days without food…tired and hungry…also makes us vulnerable to temptation… it seems the odds were intentionally stacked against Jesus…just like sometimes it feels

that way to us… He was attacked in his mind with this thought…if your God’s son as he said…why are

you having these basic kinds of physical needs un met? you do not look like his son to me…

This is the most basic form of temptation, leaning on the natural to deal with the spiritual…..one to which we should all be able to relate.

We are very needy creatures. We need physical sustenance, relational closeness, significance through

accomplishment, security, etc.

10 God, who created us with these needs, calls us to a love-trust relationship with him

in which we rely on his Word to define our needs and tell us how God will meet them. Satan tells you this is madness, and urges you to meet your needs and make your life

work independently from God. Can you recognize this temptation in your own life? That’s why Jesus did not say “I think”--he said “It is written.” Idols…anything including you and your good intentions…your own abilities…Trust God!

A. there are only so many temptations…which by implication means there are only so many sins….a finite number

B. and these are common ( ordinary, frequent, general, universal, familiar, widespread) A. (truthful, realistic, accurate) you can bear up under it…able to carry it…because B. he will show you the way out so you can stand up under it….

and this is how he does it…. 1. Provides us help through Jesus..

Who as God did not only observe the human condition from afar…but became one of us and experienced our condition first hand…

HEB 4:14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin. 16 Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Tempted to make choices out of fear, to run, tempted to isolate, Tempted to make choice out of anxiety, tempted to rage Tempted to love money…tempted to all the ism’s Tempted sexually, tempted to hate, to despair, to hurt his enemies Tempted to be unforgiving, bitter revengeful Tempted to quit, tempted to lose hope, Tempted In every way just as we are…but always chose the right response…. So what does he do…Get a big head, Gloat …condemn us of weaker character…. NO

11But beseeches us to approach his throne of Grace…His throne made out of Grace…(undeserved favor) Not shaking or with fear of rejection …but with confidence…confident he will help in our time of need… Promising us we will receive mercy and help…when our time of need is present. His greatest act of mercy as our high priest was to present his blood as the sacrifice for our sins to his father…the consequence of sin being death…he presented his death as represented by his human life force…his blood….on our behalf… Opening the way to his throne for all who would come… I am both a saint of the Kingdom and a sinner in the flesh!!

21 So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; 23 but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. I am Guilty in sin and troubled in Spirit…

24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Than I Become Grateful…

25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin. in my mind I am a slave God's law…what God calls good in my flesh a slave to sin nature…a slave to the law of sin…falling short resides in

my flesh… that is why I leave my body here …my flesh is the contagion of sin…it is still under

the curse… Yet I am Free of all condemnation!

Romans 8:1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

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Last week…turning stones into bread …get the cd Today…the next temptation… LK 4:5 The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And he said to him, "I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7 So if you worship me, it will all be yours."

LK 4:8 Jesus answered, "It is written: `Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.' " “Worship me” Read 4:5. This was probably a vision, because no mountain on earth is high enough to see all the kingdoms of the world. Luke adds that he showed this “in a moment of time”—probably because their glory is so superficial that it wouldn’t stand close scrutiny! Read 4:8. Why did Satan do this? Because he knows that, as the Messiah, Jesus has come to attack his kingdom and forcibly re-establish God’s authority over the earth. What is the temptation?

Essentially, it is a deceptive offer by Satan to surrender to Jesus without a fight, to accomplish God’s will without having to war or suffer.

The cost of surrender…give me my props…worship me…call me father… The original language implies that Satan is demanding only a one-time, private act of

worship (“Only this once! No one will know!”). And because Jesus knew what it would cost him to re-establish God’s kingdom, this

must have been a more tempting offer than we can ever imagine! So the root temptation is: “You can achieve God’s ends without suffering by compromising his means.” But Jesus rejected this offer (read 4:10).

He knew that it was not only idolatry, but that it was (like all of Satan’s suggestions) a lie.

13 Had Jesus accepted this offer, he would have become Satan’s slave just as Adam and

Eve had—because to obey God’s enemy in anything is to accept his authority and come under his cruel dominion.

No Crown without the Cross! No victory without a battle…we need to understand this…

This form of temptation is especially dangerous for committed Jesus followers. We are committed to God’s goals—bring people to Christ, helping others to grow, living unselfishly We want God’s goals—but we also want to avoid the suffering that it will cost us to attain those goals. So Satan will suggest in various ways that we can cut this corner and still be fruitful workers. EXAMPLES:

“You can become a fruitful worker, husband wife, father mother, true friend without undergoing painful discipline by God.”

“You can be effective in Christian leadership without being honest about your problems and sins.”

“You can develop spiritual leaders without the costly investment of personal mentoring.” In rapid-growth situations, it’s easy to fall prey to cutting this corner. When burned by disciples, it’s easy to want to avoid this.

HEB 12:7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? 8 If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. 9 Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! 10 Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. 11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

There was no way Jesus could save humanity except through suffering. Thank God he refused to cut corners! And there is no way to serve Jesus effectively that does not involve suffering. But the

benefits are more than worth it! Conclusion…Let’s not miss one more important lesson in this passage about temptation: Our main weapon against temptation is knowing God’s Word! Why was Jesus victorious in discerning and rejecting Satan’s temptation? Because he knew God’s Word! That’s why Jesus did not say “I think”--he said “It is written.”

Living in the environment of God’s Word will give you the spiritual acuity to recognize temptation for what it is a inferior substitute

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But even that is not all….

2. We have God’s manual on how to live while on earth His Book, which is a gift from Him to each of us….

HEB 4:12 For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

His word speaks to our hearts…and judges our motives…bringing understanding , correction and training to our lives…

But that is not all…he gives us help fellow pilgrims…

3. He gives us help through our previous travelers on this earth in His word... some of them show us what not to do… for example… The Israelite’s in Moses time…

1CO 10:6 Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did.

And many of what To do… Paul the Apostle in the New Testament… 1CO 10: 32 Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God-- 33 even as I try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved. 1 Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.

4. Help comes through those contemporary pilgrims traveling with us 2CO 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. 5 For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. 6 If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. 7 And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.

15 Other have gone through what you are experiencing …open yourself to them They are present…but you must reach out…

GAL 6:1 Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. 2 Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. 3 If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4 Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, 5 for each one should carry his own load.

Caught …tangled in sin...restore gently…remove the net gently Tempted…do not put yourself in compromising situations Help with each others burdens… You are not the hero…I'm’ something…I am no thing…just of service… Get to the place of carrying your own burden… Taking your burden from one to another…someone carried until they cannot

anymore…now I find someone else… If they are not learning and being strengthened to carry their own burden

…something is wrong…. How do I carry my own burden…when I am tempted to just quit…I get proactive… I think of other pilgrims…

How did they handle…what did Jesus do? Pray for help…read his word for direction What would so and so do? Who is currently where I want to go? I go to or call an older relative, mentor, friend…spend an hour or so…share what is going

on…how I am being tempted… That is why community is so important…it is the way in which we battle the

temptation…which proceed many hurtful actions… You are all alone…

As I open my life and discover that whatever I am going through has been gone through before…and not only survived…but people have become better, stronger…they have become overcomers…they have persevered and conquered…temptations. Example of snickers…. Left to my own device…

Keep it… talk to it….look at it….handle it…taste it… If I would have got help…they would have taken it away…that which I did not think to do….

They have learned the truth of what the Lord’s brother has taught us…. JAS 1:2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.

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TEMPTATION

SAVED FROM DANGER BY LOVE Christ, love of; Love; Savior, Christ our; Temptation JOHN 3:16; 1 JOHN 4:9

Several years ago my wife, Kathy, and a friend gathered up their kids and made a trip to the St. Louis Zoo. A new attraction had just opened called "Big Cat Country," which took the lions and tigers out of their cages and allowed them to roam in large enclosures. Visitors observe the cats by walking on elevated skyways above the habitats. As my wife and her friend took the children up one of the skyway ramps, a blanket became entangled in the wheel of the friend's stroller. Kathy knelt to help untangle the wheel while our boys--roughly ages three and five--went ahead. When next she looked up, Kathy discovered that the boys had innocently walked right through a child-sized gap in the fencing and had climbed up on the rocks some 20 or 25 feet above the lion pen. They had been told that they would be able to look down on the lions, and they were doing just that from their hazardous vantage point. Pointing to the lions below, they called back to their mother, "Hey, Mom, we can see them!"

They had no concept of how much danger they were in. Kathy saw immediately. But now what could she do? If she screamed, she might startle the boys perched precariously above the lions. The gap in the fence was too small for her to get through. So she knelt down, spread out her arms, and said, "Boys, come get a hug." They came running for the love that saved them from danger greater than they could perceive.

With similar love, our Savior beckons us from temptation that would devour us.

HEB 4:14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin. 16 Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

172CO 10:1 By the meekness and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you--I, Paul, who am "timid" when face to face with you, but "bold" when away! 2 I beg you that when I come I may not have to be as bold as I expect to be toward some people who think that we live by the standards of this world. 3 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 6 And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.

Don't ever take a fence down until you know why it was put up Frost, Robert What makes resisting temptation difficult, for many people, is that they don’t want to discourage it completely. Jones, Franklin P Opportunity may knock only once, but temptation leans on the doorbell. Unknown

The 'temptation factor' -- candy on the desk is candy in the mouth, Cornell study of women finds By Susan S. Lang

When it comes to candy, it is out of sight, out of the mouth, a Cornell University researcher finds.

The study finds that women eat more than twice as many Hershey Kisses when they are in clear containers on their desks than when they are in opaque containers on their desks -- but fewer when they are six feet away.

Wansink and his co-authors, James E. Painter and Yeon-Kyung Lee, assistant professor and visiting scholar, respectively, in food science at the University of Illinois-Champaign, gave 40 university female staff and faculty members 30 chocolate Kisses in either clear or opaque candy jars on their desks or six feet away. Each night, the researchers counted how many candies were eaten and refilled the jars.

"Not surprisingly, the participants ate fewer candies when the Kisses were in opaque rather than clear candy jars on their desks and even fewer when the opaque jars were six feet away from their desks," Wansink said. "The less visible and less convenient the candy, the less people thought about it and were tempted."

Specifically, participants ate an average of 7.7 Kisses each day when the chocolates were in clear containers on their desks; 4.6 when in opaque containers on the desk; 5.6 when in clear jars six feet away; and 3.1 when in opaque jars six feet away.

What was surprising, however, was that the women consistently thought they ate more when they had to get up to get them. This suggests, Wansink said, that you are likely to eat fewer cookies in the

18cupboard versus those on the counter for two reasons. They take more effort to get, and you tend to think you ate more than you did.

"You eat more chocolate if it's visibly nearby, but the silver lining is this might also work for fruits and vegetables -- in other words, what makes the close candy dish nutritionally dangerous might just bring the fruit bowl back in vogue," he concluded.

Wansink, the author of the new book "Marketing Nutrition: Soy, Functional Foods, Biotechnology and Obesity," is also director of the Cornell Food and Brand Lab, made up of a group of interdisciplinary researchers who have conducted more than 200 studies on the psychology behind what people eat and how often they eat it.

In our present series on Understanding Man we have gone back to the very beginning, to the Garden of Eden, and there we are seeking to understand the mysterious power which we call temptation.

All men are tempted. There is no man that lives that can't be broken down, provided it is the right temptation, put in the right spot. ~Henry Ward Beecher, Proverbs from Plymouth Pulpit, 1887 A man generally has two reasons for doing a thing. One that sounds good, and a real one. ~J. Pierpoint Morgan History is the chronicle of divorces between creed and deed. ~Louis Fischer Throughout our lives, we see in the mirror the same innocent trusting face we have seen there since childhood. But boy what goes on in that head! ~Mignon McLaughlin, The Neurotic's Notebook, 1960 Consider how hard it is to change yourself and you'll understand what little chance you have in trying to change others. ~Jacob M. Braude

"Temptation" is usually used in a loose sense to describe actions which indicate a lack of self control, such as procrastination or eating junk food.

In advertising, temptation is a theme common to many of the marketing and advertising techniques used to make products more attractive for purchase by consumers.

[edit]

Christian views of temptation

19In a Christian religious context, "temptation" refers to the inducement to commit an act of sin or immorality; in a strictly Biblical sense, the word means evil that is tempting, or the state of being tempted by Satan.

PRIDE

300 MEN CONFESS PRIDE Confession; Intercession, prayer; Prayer; Prayer, need for; Pride; Sin; Sin, confession of PSALM 32:1-7; PSALM 51:1-19; JAMES 5:16; 1 JOHN 1:9

During the Great Awakening, when the Spirit of God revived much of our nation's early faith, Jonathan Edwards was presiding over a massive prayer meeting. Eight hundred men prayed with him.

Into that meeting a woman sent a message asking the men to pray for her husband. The note described a man who had become unloving, prideful, and difficult.

Edwards read the message in private and then, thinking that perhaps the man described was present, made a bold request. Edwards read the note to the 800 men. Then he asked if the man who had been described would raise his hand, so that the whole assembly could pray for him. Three hundred men raised their hands.

Citation: Bryan Chapell, Holiness By Grace (Crossway, 2001), p. 80. Used by permission of Crossway Books, a division of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois

DIRECTION

WRONG WAY REGALS: INSTINCT WITHOUT DIRECTION Community; Correction; Direction; Error; Mistakes; Sin PSALM 16; MATTHEW 18:15-18; ROMANS 3; 1 CORINTHIANS 5; GALATIANS 6:1-2; PHILIPPIANS 1:9-11; JAMES 5:19-20

Roy Regals was a lineman for the University of California in 1929 when they went up against Georgia Tech at the Rose Bowl. The game was scoreless when he picked up a fumble from the other team, and headed for the end zone--the wrong end zone. A teammate chased him and tackled him with one yard to go, but on the next play, Regals's quarterback got sacked in the end zone for a two-point safety. When the game was over, his team had lost by one point. Thus, Roy Regals has been known ever after as Wrong Way Regals.

Regals later said he had heard his teammate behind him yelling, "You're going the wrong way," but thought, What's wrong with him?

One author said of Regals: "He had instincts without direction." We're all like that. Sometimes we have the right instincts, but we go in the wrong direction, and

it's dangerous.

Citation: Lee Eclov, pastor of Village Church of Lincolnshire; Lake Forest, Illinois; from his sermon "Safety Zone"

20THIRST

WHAT QUENCHES SPIRITUAL THIRST Desire; Discontent; Satisfaction; Thirst PSALM 42:1; JOHN 4:6-29

In his book Sahara Unveiled, William Langewiesche tells the story of an Algerian named Lag Lag and a companion whose truck broke down while crossing the desert:

They nearly died of thirst during the three weeks they waited before being rescued. As their bodies dehydrated, they became willing to drink anything in hopes of quenching their terrible thirst. The sun forced them into the shade under the truck, where they dug a shallow trench. Day after day they lay there. They had food, but did not eat, fearing it would magnify their thirst. Dehydration, not starvation, kills wanderers in the desert, and thirst is the most terrible of all human sufferings.

Physiologists . . . use Greek-based words to describe stages of human thirst. For example, the Sahara Desert is dipsogenic, meaning "thirst provoking."

In Lag Lag's case, they might say he progressed from eudipsia, "ordinary thirst," through bouts of hyperdipsia, meaning "temporary intense thirst," to polydipsia, "sustained excessive thirst." Polydipsia means the kind of thirst that drives one to drink anything.

For word enthusiasts, this is heady stuff. Nevertheless, the lexicon has not kept up with technology. I have tried, and cannot coin a suitable word for the drinking of rusty radiator water. Radiator water is what Lag Lag and his assistant started into when good drinking water was gone. In order to survive, they were willing to drink, in effect, poison.

Many people do something similar in the spiritual realm. They depend on things like money, sex, and power to quench spiritual thirst. Unfortunately, such "thirst quenchers" are in reality spiritual poison, a dangerous substitute for the "living water" Jesus promised.

Citation: William Langewiesche, Sahara Unveiled (Vintage, 1997); submitted by Jeff Ingram

EDUCATION

GOOD CHOICES BY THE SPIRIT Change; Education; Holy Spirit; Lifestyle; New Life; Self-control ROMANS 7; ROMANS 8:6-11; GALATIANS 5:22

In the 1990s, a group of Washington children participated in an eight-year antismoking-campaign program. The results were not impressive. Of the group that went through the program, 25.4 percent now smoke regularly. And of the control group--those who did not participate in the study--25.7 percent now smoke regularly. The education campaign hardly made any difference at all.

Our society believes education is the answer to our culture's problems. And for some of them, it is. But for many, it is not. People don't need new ideas or new techniques but a new power within to change bad behavior or to resist temptations. It is by the Spirit that we gain self-control (Gal. 5:22); it is when we live by the Spirit that we gain life and peace (Rom. 8:6).

Citation: Mark Galli, managing editor, Christianity Today; source: "Harper's Index," Harper's (March 2001)

21ADULTERY

HOW-TO BOOK ON ADULTERY Adultery; Deception; Marriage; Sex; Sin; Temptation EXODUS 20:14; ROMANS 1:21-32; 1 THESSALONIANS 4:1-8; HEBREWS 13:4

The publisher's review of a recent book describes it as "a thoughtful, detailed discussion of every aspect of considering, preparing for, beginning, and conducting a successful and emotionally fulfilling extramarital affair." The book is called Affair! How to Manage Every Aspect of Your Extramarital Relationship with Passion, Discretion, and Dignity (by Cameron Barnes, UPublish.com, 1999). For just $19.95, plus shipping and handling, you can get a practical summary of the lies the devil would have you believe concerning adultery.

Citation: Bill White, pastor of Emmanuel Church; Paramount, California

DISCOURAGEMENT

MOTHER TERESA FELT ABANDONED BY GOD Calling; Devotion; Discouragement; Doubt; Experiencing God; Faith; God, faithfulness of; God, sovereignty of; Temptation; Trials PSALM 27:13-14; JEREMIAH 14:19-22; EPHESIANS 4:11; HEBREWS 2:18

Archbishop of Calcutta Henry D'Souza knows that at times in her life, Mother Teresa felt abandoned by God.

He said that in one letter, she wrote that she had been walking the streets of Calcutta searching for a house where she could start her work. At the end of the day, she wrote in her diary, "I wandered the streets the whole day. My feet are aching, and I have not been able to find a home. And I also get the Tempter telling me, 'Leave all this, go back to the convent from which you came.' "

She found her home, and the rest is history. The Missionaries of Charity feeds 500,000 families a year in Calcutta alone, treats 90,000 leprosy patients annually, and educates 20,000 children every year.

Citation: Kevin A. Miller, vice president, Christianity Today International; source: CNN

TEMPTATION

SAVED FROM DANGER BY LOVE Christ, love of; Love; Savior, Christ our; Temptation JOHN 3:16; 1 JOHN 4:9

Several years ago my wife, Kathy, and a friend gathered up their kids and made a trip to the St. Louis Zoo. A new attraction had just opened called "Big Cat Country," which took the lions and tigers out of their cages and allowed them to roam in large enclosures. Visitors observe the cats by walking on elevated skyways above the habitats. As my wife and her friend took the children up one of the skyway ramps, a blanket became entangled in the wheel of the friend's stroller. Kathy knelt to help untangle the wheel while our boys--roughly ages three and five--went ahead. When next she looked up, Kathy discovered that the boys had innocently walked right through a child-sized gap in the fencing and had climbed up on the rocks some 20 or 25 feet above the lion pen. They had been told

22that they would be able to look down on the lions, and they were doing just that from their hazardous vantage point. Pointing to the lions below, they called back to their mother, "Hey, Mom, we can see them!"

They had no concept of how much danger they were in. Kathy saw immediately. But now what could she do? If she screamed, she might startle the boys perched precariously above the lions. The gap in the fence was too small for her to get through. So she knelt down, spread out her arms, and said, "Boys, come get a hug." They came running for the love that saved them from danger greater than they could perceive.

With similar love, our Savior beckons us from temptation that would devour us.

Citation: Bryan Chapell, Holiness by Grace (Crossway, 2001), pp. 107; used by permission of Crossway Books, a division of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois 60187, www.crosswaybooks.org

TEMPTATION

TOXIC SIN Devil; Sin; Temptation GENESIS 3:1-5; 2 CORINTHIANS 11:3

A recent news article reported on a dangerous practical joke played by a nursery employee: A British Columbia-based nursery is trying to track down people who bought poisonous plants

that were incorrectly labeled "tasty in soup." Valleybrook Gardens, which distributed the plants, has worked with government officials to

locate the buyers of 17 improperly labeled perennials sold at stores in British Columbia and Ontario from April 18 to 25. Only eight of the plants had been accounted for by Sunday.

The label should have read, "All parts of this plant are toxic," but an employee changed it to, "All parts of this plant are tasty in soup," said Michel Benoit, the nursery's general manager. "The employee was making a practical joke and thought it would be caught by a horticulturist," said Benoit.

The devil has done the same to us. God put a warning label on sin that declared, "Do not eat from this for you shall surely die." But our enemy switched labels. The label he attached to sin reads, "Looks good. Tastes great. Is desirable to make one wise."

Citation: The Appeal-Democrat (4-30-01); submitted by Tom Tripp; Colusa, California

SINNER

SIN ISN'T POLITICALLY CORRECT Sin; Sin, avoidance of; Sinful Nature; Sinner LUKE 12:2-13; ROMANS 3:23; 1 JOHN 5:17

Four congregation members with concerned faces met in their pastor's office. With earnest and imploring eyes, they presented him with a clipboard filled with sheets of signatures.

"This petition," said the spokesperson of the group, "requests changing the term 'sinner' to 'person who is morally challenged.' "

23Citation: From an original cartoon by Dan Pegoda, The Best Cartoons from Leadership Journal,

Volume 1 (Broadman & Holman, 1999) He was calloused toward his brother’s and father’s feelings, he judged them worthy to be

deceived, lied to and stolen from if it broke both their hearts it mattered not…getting what he wanted is what mattered….Judging others can take many forms

MT 7:1 "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Mercy is receiving what you don’t deserve

How you judge others you will be judged… o If others matter to you, you will find that you matter to others o If you’re a taker, you will be took. o If you’re a giver, you will be given too. o One of my favorite scriptures…

MT 5:7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

o For I know what I am and I need God’s mercy… this statement sums it up beautifully by long time football coach Frank Leahy

Egotism is the anesthetic that dulls the pain of stupidity. Frank Leahy, football coach. (1908-1973

o One is stupid to think they don’t need mercy…all the time o so I better be willing to give a lot of mercy… o Jesus said…

LK 6: 35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

o You see I’m not the smartest man around but when I see scripture that says this… The merciful will be shown mercy and Your reward will be great if you show mercy and you will be like your Father in

heaven… I snap to attention…. I know I need mercy and I like rewards and I can represent

my father well… I can do simple math. If I give mercy I get to be like my father, I receive great reward, and I receive

equal or greater mercy back… That’s a great deal…I signed up!! Hope you do too… It is way to hard to judge people, however you judge them you have to live up to

that judgment ….good luck We all want mercy by the bucket but often give it by the grain.

We pick up the conversation…What the Lord wants us to Hear and know. .The enemy’s strategy John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy;

24 1 Cor 14:33 33 For God is not a God of disorder ( confusion) but of peace. The enemy sows confusion and disorder…a clue to an attack

Satan says... Did God really say “You must not eat from any tree in the Garden...

1. For his strategy to work …he must get you to dialogue with him. John 8:44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. EPH 2:1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts.

2. His dialogue always has purpose… To determine the accuracy of ones knowledge of God’s Word…Did God really say??? The truth is the devil knows the word better than a lot of God’s kids. In Luke 3 God no sooner tells Jesus in Verse 21

LK 3:21 When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened 22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased." LK 3:23 Now Jesus himself was about thirty years old when he began his ministry. Then Jesus is immediately led into the desert and the Devil tempts..(dialogues with him) LK 4:1 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, 2 where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. LK 4:3 The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread." LK 4:4 Jesus answered, "It is written: `Man does not live on bread alone.' " He asks Jesus…Did God Really say you are his son? Jesus knew the word. Deut. 8:3

3. the response determines the attack…whether it ceases or takes another avenue of probing GE 3:2 The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, `You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.' "

25Eve added to God’s word…she exaggerated… She said they could not touch it either…

Exaggeration is a nice word for lying…and so many of us do it on a personal basis…. And many in the name of Christ… All cults add to Gods word…to their and others detriment much harm has been done by people who are well meaning , yet add to God’s Word…thereby

doing great harm to the faith. MK 7:6 He replied, "Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: " `These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.MK 7:7 They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.' MK 7:8 You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men." MK 7:9 And he said to them: "You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions! When were not sure of what God’s word says…were open to attack The word is the truth…if I don’t know the truth how can I tell what’s a lie??

4. She added…The serpent …Crafty shining one added and subtracted!

GE 3:4 "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman.

Since she demonstrated she did not know God’s word…Satan was then free to subtract from it…for perhaps that’s not what he said either

1. He cast doubt… Did God really say?….God’s directives are open to interpretation, added too or subtracted from…

2. Denies God’s Judgment…You will not surely Die…his stated consequences aren’t really in

actuality his consequences…God is a liar

He tells Eve the judgment for disobeying him won’t happen…you wont get in trouble for disobedience, He diminishes God’s word to her

He tells Jesus that if you are a child of His …you can manipulate him..he has to help you no

matter what. Commit suicide hell stop it! After attempting to manipulate the Word. He will attempt to cast doubt on the author Himself… You can’t trust God

26verse 5 "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

1. Eve you will be a divine being like him… and me…he doesn’t want that.. 2. He is not giving you freedom 3. He is holding you back 4. He is Restrictive 5. God knows about Good and evil…I know about…You don’t… your missing out 6. God is deceptive and weak and tries by manipulation to keep man in check He is not any

different than man…he manipulates Ever had this motto…I’ll try anything once….like that’s a good move What does that say about the Serpent…..

1. I am here to help you 2. I am not restrictive but offering freedom 3. …I tell the truth, I come to give you a pleasurable life 4. I’m your friend

Temptation is based on a threefold attempt to undermine man’s relationship with God:

1. Against his Word 2. Against His Judgment 3. Against his character… His character is the same as man’s. 4. He is not other as he says…

ISA 55:8 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. ISA 55:9 "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Everyone in here Is confronted with the same temptation… Is God who he says he is?? Is his revealed character other than ours? Is his word truth? Will he do what he says he will?

27Is his judgment real? Will man face the consequences of his choices? Will disobedience really by punished?

Is there a tree God has told you not to eat from?? God’s plan of Redemption Immediately implemented Genesis 3:14-15 God declared War on Satan AND HE DOES TODAY ALSO

GE 3:14 So the LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, "Cursed are you above all the livestock and all the wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. GE 3:15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." 1 JOHN 3:8 The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work. How? Jesus removed the curse of the tree by becoming the curse on the tree Gal 3:13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree." Jesus removed Sin by becoming sin Jesus removed the stain of sin by becoming a sin offering for us 2 Cor 5l21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. Jesus conquered the penalty of sin…Death by his Resurrection 1CO 15:20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.

28 Jesus wins in the end

1 Cor 15:24 Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death.

That is what is available to us today, right now, victory over sin… Through what Jesus did… We celebrate his victory and recognize his help now when we are tempted to sin.

HEB 4:14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin. 16 Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Satan and his demons stalk the path of every believer, offering all manner of enticements to lure the Christian away from an obedient and faithful walk with Christ. No one is exempt from Satanic attacks, and no one is completely successful in countering them (I John 1:8, 10), but some Christians succumb to temptation so often that they see no hope for victory. They give up and give in without a struggle. This is an unfortunate condition, born out of despair, for it will blind the believer to the marvelous provision God has made for overcoming temptation.

The first thing the Christian must learn is that God does not lead him to sin. The Apostle James clearly condemns the attitude of blaming God for tempting circumstances (James 1:13-15). God may test His children, a process designed to purify and strengthen them, but He does not lead them into sin. Without exception, sin results when temptation strikes a sympathetic chord in the human heart, and man has no one to blame but himself.

Blame himself he must, though, if he is to be forgiven. Our age is one in which blame is passed to society, to the pressures of the times, or to some other faceless, nameless creature. If one is to be forgiven, he must first humbly admit, "I have sinned." As long as he looks for someone or something else to blame, he will be totally helpless in combating temptation.

The Christian needs to recognize the role of Scripture in overcoming temptation. The Psalmist stated, "Thy Word have I hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against Thee" (Psalms 119:11). When God's Word becomes an integral part of the believer's life, it fortifies that person against temptation's power. Christ Himself demonstrated the Word's power

29when He submitted to Satan's temptations with a quote from the Old Testament (Matthew 4:7). A systematic, prayerful study of Scripture is an absolute prerequisite to defeating temptation. The Word not only warns of Satan's methods (II Corinthians 2:11), but it empowers against attacks (Ephesians 6:11-17).

Another essential to victory is to avoid temptation. On several occasions, Christ told His disciples to pray that they might not fall into temptation (Matthew 6:13; Luke 22:40). Some believers understand that temptation is not the same as sin, so then feel that they can enjoy the enticements of temptation without any harm. This behavior becomes a type of game - seeing how much titillation one can 'enjoy' without falling into overt sin. Such an attitude is sinful in itself, for it fails to take seriously God's commands for holiness in attitude as well as in action.

One of the most crucial passages concerning temptation is I Corinthians 10:13.

"No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able; but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it."

This verse is God's guarantee that He will never allow Satan to go too far. The temptation's intensity and the escape route will be uniquely tailored to the individual, and will not exceed his capacity.

Knowing there is a way of escape, and using that way of escape, may be quite different things. If one is ignorant of God's Word, one will likely not recognize the escape when he sees it, for he won't know how God works. Whether or not he uses the escape, though, the believer can never truthfully claim that the temptation was so strong that he had to succumb to it.

Another promise is that no one in this universe is uniquely tempted. While no two people are exactly alike, the temptations confronting each individual are basically the same as have confronted others. Consequently, the Bible can say that Jesus Christ was tempted in all points like we are, and even suffered in this temptation, but did not sin (Hebrews 2:18; 4:15-16). He is, therefore, a sympathetic Savior, knowing from His own incarnate experience the pressure that temptation can exert.

Since no one is uniquely tempted, Christians can help and learn from one another. Merely knowing that another Christian has overcome greed, for instance, may be just the assurance that someone needs to make another attempt to overcome it in his own life. The Christian who has grown in one facet of his spiritual life is responsible for helping other Christians who have not yet grown in that area. In this manner, Christians can edify (or, "build up") one another in their faith (Ephesians 4:15-16).

The Scripture contains no promise of help in overcoming temptation for those who are unsaved. Indeed, until one repents of his sin and accepts by faith Jesus Christ as Savior

30and Lord, he has no capacity for pleasing God. But those who are saved may appropriate the power and wisdom of the Word, relying upon God's grace, and can therefore have victory, even over Satan's most subtle and compelling temptations.

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This element is always present in temptation. Each of us is well aware, because we are all experts in this, that sin is always fun -- for awhile! It has an element of pleasure about it and there is no use trying to blind our eyes to that fact. It is the pleasure of sin which makes it so enticing and alluring to us. The desire to have that pleasure, at whatever cost, is really the essential element of temptation. You know this is true. It feels good to indulge myself. I love the feeling of splurging, of doing something that gives me pleasure. It feels great. That is why I do it, even though my mind may be telling me that it may be ultimately harmful.

It feels good to act on pride. It satisfies me in some way. It feels good to lose my temper. Have you ever had the perverse delight of telling somebody off? Oh, how good that feels -- for awhile! It feels good even though you do not do it to someone's face, but go out in the woods to do it. Even that relieves the pain for a bit. It feels good to hurt my wife when she has done something that displeases me. There is pleasure in sin.

Howard Butt, a well-known Christian layman, puts it this way:

It's my pride that makes me independent of God. It's appealing to feel that I am the master of my fate. I run my own life. I call my own shots. I go it alone. But that feeling is my basic dishonesty. I can't go it alone, I have to get help from other people. And I can't ultimately rely on myself. I'm dependent on God for my very next breath. It's dishonest of me to pretend that I'm anything but a man, small, weak, and limited.

There lies the deceitfulness of sin. It offers pleasure. As Eve saw the fruit she said, "It is good for food, and it is a delight to the eyes. It gives me an esthetic sense that is pleasant."

Finally, she saw that it was "to be desired to make one wise." It ministered to the ego. It was an ego-satisfying thing. Again, in the book of James, we have a reference to the wisdom that is in view here, ("desired to make one wise"). Yes, says James, but there are two kinds of wisdom. There is the wisdom that is from above, from God: and there is a wisdom which is from below, which, he says, is "fleshly, sensual, devilish," (James 3:15b KJV). Notice the threefold division there: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes (sensual, pleasurable), and the pride of life (the Devil) (1 John 2:16). For the snare of the Devil is pride of heart, the ego in man.

This is what Paul calls in another place "the wisdom of the world," (1 Corinthians 1:20, 2:6, 3:19). It appears to be alluring, satisfying, giving tremendous results. How much of the philosophy of the world around us is based upon this. We must discover ways of building ourselves up, enhancing self, taking special courses by which we can develop the powers of our personality or going to school to

31develop charm or poise -- a Dale Carnegie course, or a Powers school. All of this is ministering to that pride of life, the satisfying of the ego.

The fall has rendered us victims of emotional urges, and we cannot change that, no matter how desperately we try. We try urgently to be rational about things, but we cannot see the facts rightly. We do not even see the whole range of facts, and, ultimately, we find ourselves the unconscious victim of emotional twisting.

What can we do about it? If anything points up the absolute necessity for the new birth, it is this. As Jesus said, there is no other way out for humanity except through him. "I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man comes to the Father but by me," (John 14:6). There is no way to see reality apart from Jesus Christ. It is he who opens the eyes, it is he who restores balance to life, it is he who redeems my humanity, and helps make it possible for me to distinguish between what is right and what is wrong.