Dr. Annamma Abraham
Temptation
Temptation
Temptation means testing
designed to strengthen or corrupt.
As
Christians, we are living in a world that is hostile to our spiritual survival.
Every day we go up against forces that could destroy us. Some are internal- our
pride, and selfish desires. Some are
external forces- ungodly media influences, acquaintances that don’t support our
faith, stress of life, wrong decisions as we face. These blizzards can lead to
destruction.
Every
move we take, each word and action must be done in Jesus’ name.
Colossians 3:17. Whatever you do in word or
deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus.
We
must live according to God’s principles and act as we think Jesus would. When
making a decision, ask what would Jesus do? We must be sure that our thoughts
are always in keeping with God’s thoughts. Holy Spirits power flows through us
when our minds are fixed on God and his word. God is the source of everything
true, noble, just, pure, lovely, and of good report (Philippians 4: 8). We have a Savior who has paid the penalty for
our sins and broken its power forever. He loves us and gives us the ability to
accomplish all that He wants us to do. If you don’t want the fruit of sin, stay
out of the devil’s orchard
Let us
see the following aspects of Temptation
Temptation or testing of God
It is forbidden.
Matthew 4: 7. Jesus said to him “On the
other hand, it is written, you shall not put the Lord your god to test”.
Tempting or testing of God by Israel
Psalm 78: 18-56 Read.
Hebrews 3:9. Where your fathers tried
Me by testing Me, and saw my works for forty years.
Temptation or testing of God not possible
James 1:13 Let no one say when he is
tempted “ I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He
Himself does not tempt anyone.
Temptation or Testing of Christ
By devil
Matthew 4: 1-10
1.
Then Jesus was led up by the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the
devil.
2.
And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry.
3.
And the tempter came and said to Him, “If you are the Son of God, command that
these stones to become bread.
4.
But He answered and said, “It is written, “Man shall not live on bread alone,
but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God”.
Deuteronomy
8.3 And He humbled you and let you be
hungry, and fed you with manna
which you did not know, nor did your fathers know that He might make you understand that man does not live by
bread alone, but man lives by
everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord.
5.
Then the devil took Him into the Holy city; and he had Him stand on the
pinnacle of the temple,
6.
And said to Him, “If You are the son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is
written, ‘He will give His angels charge concerning You’; and ‘On their hands
they will bear You up, lest You strike Your foot against a stone.”
Psalm
91: 11-12.
11. For He will give His angels
charge concerning you, to guard you in all your ways.
12. They will bear you up in their hands.
Lest you strike your foot against a stone.
7.
Jesus said to him “On the other hand it is written, you shall not put the Lord
your God to the test”.
Deuteronomy 6:16.You shall not put the Lord your God
to test, as you tested Him in Massah.
8.
Again the devil took Him to a very high mountain, and showed Him all the
kingdom of the world, and their glory.
9.
And he said to him “All these things will I give You, if You fall down and
worship me”.
10.
Then Jesus said to him, “Begone, satan! For it is written, you shall worship
the Lord your God and serve him only
Deuteronomy
6:13.You
shall fear only the Lord your God; and you shall worship Him, and swear by His
name.
Deuteronomy
10: 20 You
shall fear the Lord your God; you shall serve Him and cling to Him, and you
shall swear by His name.
Temptation of Christ by Jewish leaders
Matthew 16: 1. And the Pharisees and
Sadducees came up, and testing Him to show them a sign from heaven.
Temptation of Christ by His disciples
Matthew 16:23. But He turned and said to
Peter “Get behind Me Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not
setting your mind on G0d’s interests, but man’s.
Temptation of Jesus like us but without sin
Hebrews 4: 15. For we do not have a high
priest who cannot sympathise with our weakness, but one who has been tempted in
all things as we are, yet without sin.
Help in Temptation Hebrews 2: 18 For since He
Himself was tempted in that which he has suffered, He is able to come to the
aid of those who are tempted.
Temptation of Satan against
Job.
Job 1: 6-12.
6.
Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the
Lord and Satan also came among them,
7.
And the Lord said to Satan “From where do you come?”
Then
Satan answered the Lord and said “From roaming about on the earth and walking
around on it.”
8.
And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is
no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man fearing God and
turning away from evil.”
9.
Then Satan answered the Lord, Does Job fear God for nothing?
10.
“Hast Thou not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on
every side? Thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have
increased in the land.
11.
“But put forth Thy hand now and touch all that he has, he will surely curse
Thee to Thy face.”
12.
Then the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power, only do
not put forth your hand on him.” So Satan departed from the presence of the
Lord.
Temptation of Satan against David
1 Chronicle 21: 1. Then Satan stood up
against Israel and moved David to number Israel.
Temptation of Satan against Joshua
Zachariah 3: 1-5. 1 Then he showed me, Joshua
the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at
his right hand to accuse him.
2.
And the Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, Satan! Indeed, the Lord who
has chosen Jerusalem rebukes you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?
3.
Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments and standing before the angel.
4.
And he spoke and said to those who were standing before him saying, “Remove the
filthy garments from him”. Again he said to them, “See, I have taken your
iniquity away from you and will clothe you with festal robes.”
5.
Then I said, “Let them put a clean turban on his head. So they put a clean
turban on his head and clothed him with garments, while the angel of the Lord
was standing by.
Temptation of Satan against Jesus
Luke 4: 1-13. Read.
Temptation of Satan against Ananias and Sapphira
Acts 5: 1-3.
1.
But a certain man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of
property,
2.
and kept back some of the price for himself, and bringing a portion of it, he
laid it at the apostle’s feet.
3.
But Peter said, “Ananias why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy
Spirit, and to keep back some of the price of the land?
Temptation of Satan against Christians
1Corinthians 7: 5
Stop
depriving one another, except by agreement for a time that you may devote
yourselves to prayer, and come together again, lest Satan tempt you because of
your lack of self-control
Temptation of Christians by
Lust James 1: 13-15.
13. Let no one say when he is tempted,
“I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and he Himself
does not tempt anyone.
14.
But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.
15.
Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is
accomplished, it brings forth death.
Riches
1 Timothy 6:
9 but
those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish
and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction.
Liability to
Galatians 6: 1. Brethren, if a man is
caught up in any trespass, you who are spiritual; restore such a one in a
spirit of gentleness, each one looking to yourself, lest you too be tempted.
Warning against the necessity of Prayer
Mathew 26: 41. Keep watching and praying,
that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is
weak.
Warning against limitation of Temptation
1Corinthians 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.
Deliverance from Temptation
2 Peter 2: 9 Then the Lord knows to
rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment
for the day of judgement.
The public enemy No:
1 uses the same tactics today as he did in the Garden of Eden. He
appeals to our sinful desires. 1 John
2:15-16.15. Do not love the world nor the things of the world, If anyone
loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
16.
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and
the boastful pride of self, is not from the Father, but is from the world.
Satan even disguises
himself as an angel of the light and his cohorts appear as ministers of
righteousness.
2 Corinthians 11: 14-15
14.
And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.
15.
Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as
servants of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their deeds.
1 John 2:18-19
18.
Children it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming,
even now many antichrists have arisen; from this we know that it is the last
hour.
19.
They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of
us they would have remained with us; but they went out in order that it might
be shown that they all are not of us.
To resist temptation and
to detect Satan’s deceptions, we must live in close fellowship with Jesus
Christ.
1 John 2: 28
And
now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have
confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at his coming. Then we won’t
be fooled by Satan’s disguises.
When sin entices and
allures, its lies must be ignored. The strength to gain the victory comes when
we trust the Lord.
As Christians, we
know that the ability to think is a God given gift. But sad to say, we can
misuse it by entertaining thoughts that are vulgar, foul and mean. Paul
told us to meditate on whatever is true, noble, just, pure and of good repute,
if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise. (Philippians 4: 8).
Of all God’s creatures, only man can worship, meditate
and Plan. The gift of thought sets him apart to love the Lord with all his
heart.
Godly
character is shaped by Godly Thoughts.
By relying on the Holy Spirit and the
word of God, as Jesus did we can resist
temptation rather than be ruined by it.
Every temptation is an opportunity to trust God.
Mathew 4:1 Jesus was led by the Holy
Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
We learn from the
temptation of Jesus Christ that when we have an occasion to sin, God will always
provide a way for us to escape or He will give us the strength to resist it.
1 Corinthians 10: 13 Written already-Read
Luke 4:1-13 (The Temptation of Jesus
Christ) –Read.
Every
Christian lives in a house that Satan
seeks to burglarize God’s word and its truth which provide us light that
exposes Satan’s lies. By our daily
testimony of Jesus the saviour, Satan will be frustrated. Our life of prayer
will keep the enemy away. The only way to overcome temptations that we face is
to be focussed on the Lord, who strengthens us by His grace.
1 Peter5: 8. Be of sober spirit, be on
the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking
someone to devour.
When we are in a
situation where temptation seems overwhelming, we are in danger. Our best
option is to “flee” temptation and choose to do what is right. Physically leave
that place or situation as fast as possible.
2 Timothy 2: 22. Now flee from youthful
lusts, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on
the lord with a pure heart.
Genesis 39: 12. And she caught him by his
the garment saying “Lie with me!” and he left his garment in her hand and fled
and went outside.
If you flee from sin,
you won’t fall into it. When temptation comes let us remember what God is
accomplishing in us. It will help us to avoid the lure and trap of yielding to
temptation. When you are tempted rely upon the Lord for strength to flee from
sin. Satan tempts us to bring out the worst in us; God tests us to bring out
the best.
Victory over
temptation is not simply a matter of willpower. Self-control is a fruit of the
Holy spirit.
Galatians 5: 22-23.
22.
But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23.
Gentleness, self-control, against such things there is no law.
Our weak human spirit
cries out for spirit’s strength. There is only one way to overcome temptation. We
must rely on God’s help continually .As we trust Him and do what we know is right;
He will guide us into His truth and holiness .Make a daily commitment to walk
with God. Every temptation is an opportunity to say, no to sin and yes to God.
Pray for the Holy Spirit’s help.
John 14:26. “But the helper, the Holy
Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and
bring to your remembrance all that I said to you”.
When we fail to
recognise the danger of sin and allows ourselves to become obsessed with it, we
are in danger of self-destruction-as was Haman.
Esther 7: 7-10. 7. And the King arose in
anger from drinking wine and went into the palace garden, but Haman stayed to
beg for his life from Queen Esther, for he saw that harm had been determined
against him by the King.
8.
Now when the King returned from the palace garden into the place where they
were drinking wine, Haman was falling on the couch where Esther was. Then the
king said, “Will he even assault the queen with me in the house? As the word went
out of the king’s mouth, they covered Haman’s face.
9.
Then Harbonath, one of the eunuchs who were before the King said, “Behold
indeed, the gallows standing at Haman’s house, fifty cubits high, which Haman
made for Mordecai who spoke good on behalf of the King”. And the King said
“Hang him on it.”
So they hanged Haman on
the gallows which he had prepared for Mordecai, and the King’s anger subsided.
To avoid that end, let
us daily open our hearts and lives to God’s examination, and ask Him to forgive
us for the sin He exposes .Self-indulgence leads to self-destruction. Wherever
we as followers of Christ happen to be- at work, in the mall, on a business
trip, even among fellow believers- we need to know about Satan’s methods and be
prepared to resist. He always seems to attack at our vulnerable moments. But if
we stay alert and armed, we can fend off his most powerful attacks.
Ephesians 6: 11. Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able
to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.
Spiritual victory comes
only to those who are prepared for battle.
Our
Christian credibility is lost when our behaviour reveals that we are controlled
by sinful desires rather than the Holy Spirit. We can’t expect others to believe a message that is
contradicted by our actions. Every day we must “put to death” those actions that
would tarnish our testimony.
Colossians 3:5. Therefore consider the
members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil
desires, and greed, which amount to idolatry.
Only then we can be sure
of offering “dying proof” of living faith. A bad example undermines good words.
Apostle Paul knew that replacing evil desires by pursuing the righteous things
of God is the best way to stay out trouble. Give sin an inch and it will take a
mile. Satan’s enslaving power is demolished by enduring faith in God. Godly
wisdom defeats satanic schemes. God keeps us safely grounded in truth through
His word, and His armor shields us from Satan’s schemes.
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