The Devils favorite tool – Temptation (part 2)
By Ben Fronczek
What is your favorite tool. Every trade
requires using different tools. As a teacher and preacher is tools of my
trade are pens, books and my computer. Farmer have tractors, plows, and
milking machines. Hairdressers use combs and scissors. We all have our
favorite tools.
In our last lesson I mentioned that the
devil wants to rob you and me. I believe he want to rob you of any kind
of good relationship we have with God, he wants to rob you of a good
relationship with others, and he want to steal from you peace of mind.
But how will he attempt to rob us of those
precious things? Well the devil has his own special tools; like the use
of lies, fear, doubt and more. As I am sure you know, one of the most
devilish methods he uses to hurt us and ultimately rob these things from
us is through tempting us to do things that may seem appealing at
first, yet in the end they are not really appropriate or in our best
interest.
Every one of us is bombarded by temptations
every day; young and old, wise and foolish, educated and illiterate…
without exception, all will be tempted.
A little boy is at the grocery store with
his mom. He asks her, “Mommy, will you buy me a treat?” She answers to
his dismay, “No, not today.” But as she checks out, he stares at the
candy rack right in front of him. He stares, and stares, and then
reaches out and takes a candy bar and put it in his pocket. We all
face temptations.
If you could carefully examine your self
and count how many times you are tempted to do something in one day I
think you would be shocked how often you are tempted in some way or
another. Some things we act on, some we do not. Some temptations may
lead to sin, some do not.
This morning I would like to talk to you
about temptation in light of the temptation that Jesus experienced after
His baptism.
Read Matthew 4:1-11
“Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted[a]
by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was
hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God,
tell these stones to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Then the devil took him to
the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If
you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is
written: “‘He
will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up
in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a
stone.’”
Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” Again,
the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the
kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he
said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”
Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’” Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.
There are a few observations that I’ve made while reading this that I would like to share you this morning.
First, the reality that all of us
will be tempted, there are not exceptions.
If you are human and if you
are breathing, you are going to be tempted in some way at some time, and
probably more often than you realize.
Sometimes we may even be disturbed, even
full of guilt when we realize that within our heart lurks all kinds of
desires that we know are wrong, especially when we indulge in them.
- Like when we have a desire to get stuff; to get more and more.
- Or like when we desire to lash out in anger and rage.
- Or when we desire to mock, insult, or put someone down
- Or when we desire to make excuses, or even sidestep the truth
- Or even if we hunger for food, power, wealth or even sex
And sometimes we feel, oh so guilty for
having such thoughts in the back of our mind, or even sometimes in the
front of our mind. We may even think God is mad at us for having such
thoughts
Out of guilt, some may think we would not
be tempted with such thoughts… …if we were a better Christian… If we
prayed more, …If we read the Bible more… If we isolated ourselves from
all the bad influence out there like TV, bad music, the internet, bad
people and the like…. Then I wouldn’t be tempted…. WRONG!
Take Jesus for example, He had just been
baptized.. The Heavenly Father personally testified as to who He was…
His Son, and then He was endowed with the Holy Spirit.
And the very next thing we read is this
story about how Jesus was being tempted. And when the devil leaves
Him, in Luke’s account, in 4:13 it says that he (the devil) departed until a more opportune time…. In other words, Satan wasn’t done with Jesus yet.
The point I’m trying to make is this, Jesus
is the most spiritual, the most morally correct and perfect person who
ever walked the earth, yet He was tempted. So just because you are
tempted to say or do, or think something, that does not make you some
kind of moral degenerate. Rather it proves that you are human and
alive.
So we have to be careful not to beat our
self up just because we think something or are tempted. Just realize
that temptations are just part of this life, and the devil’s primary
tool to mess us up.
And it’s only sinful if we give into something that is contrary to God’s will and way.
The Second observation I see here
based on this text regarding temptation is the fact that they usually
come when we are weak, tire, sick, lonely, or depressed.
Consider when the devil tried to tempt Jesus. I wasn’t when He was at His physical peak, but only after He had fasted 40 days.
It wasn’t when He was surrounded by those
who loved Him, His family, friends or disciples. Rather, it was when He
was all alone in the wilderness.
Many times the same thing happens to us.
When we are feeling good, and healthy, when we are surrounded by loved
ones, when we are serving God and enjoying it…. We’ve too busy or
feeling too good to be tempted.
In 1 Peter 5:8, Peter wrote that
the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
In the wild, lions don’t usually attack the strongest and largest prey
in a herd, but rather they look for those who are the weakest. (Not to
say that the devil does not ever try to tempt those who are strong.) .
And the Third thing I see in this
text that I would like to share, is how the temptations so often seem
like the most logical, or the easiest and most pleasing way to go.
Satan is not going tempt you to do or say
something that is totally repulsive or impractical for you. It would not
be a temptation for you then.
2 Corinthians 11:14 Paul wrote that he (the devil)
disguises himself as an angel of light.
He appears to shed light on things and comes around to show you the
easiest way out or around something. His advice may seem to make sense,
it may even seem logical, at least up to a point; especially if you are
in some kind of pain and you want the pain or hurt to go away.
Consider our text and what is taking place in it with Jesus.
It seemed reasonable to make bread. The text says that Jesus was hungry.
And why not perform a great sign in
Jerusalem at the Temple where all the Jews could see Him. If angels had
carried Him down to the court yard in front of the priests and other
Jews there, He would have had instant recognition as the Messiah.
And what about immediate rule of all the kingdoms of the world?
But Jesus knew and later taught, one has to
count the costs of what his or her actions are. He knew that if He took
these short cuts it would have far reaching consequences. They probably
would not have crucified Him.
This is something we often forget or do not consider when we make our choices; the consequences.
This is a lesson we have to learn when a
temptation comes our way. We have to consider the consequences no matter
how logical or pleasing the temptation may seem at the time.
For example:
Anger and rage can lead to
argument, fights, battles and even war. Giving in to the temptation to
buy stuff can result in debt. Adultery can lead to heart ache, crumpled
families, a bad reputation and more…etc.
So how do you fight temptation?
First of all expect to be tempted as long as you are alive… it a given.
Then prepare. I heard it said that the best defense is a good offence.
In other words, prepare your mind and heart
and spirit for these attacks. Even prepare your physical body. Get the
rest you need, eat right, get enough sleep. Just like an athletic team,
or an athlete preparing to meet an opposing team, prepare and get in good shape mentally, spiritually, and physically.
God has given us everything we need to
stand up strong and to face to these temptations when they come our way,
just like Jesus did.
But you are not going to have much luck if you are exhausted, and weak, and down trodden and ill equipped.
In Ephesians 6 Paul tells those early Christian to get ready and prepare. He said
- Put on the belt of truth: be honest even if it hurts (one lie can lead to many)
- Put on the breastplate of righteousness: that is always choosing to do the right thing.
- Know and stand firm in the Gospel which
brings peace. Use and depend on your faith and trust in God like a
shield to extinguish those questionable temptations and doubts.
- Trust in your salvation in also in the word of God which you can use to overcome your enemy.
You are in control of the choices you make,
no one else. Choose Jesus and His way and you will always be safe.
And
remember, no matter what, God loves you…. Even if you mess up.
For more lessons click on the following link: http://granvillenychurchofchrist.org/?page_id=566