ARTICLES ON TEMPTATION
DATE: 25 August 2002
SPEAKER: Pastor Tayo Adeyemi
TITLE: The dynamics of temptation - Part II
TEXT: James 1:12-15, I Corinthians 10:13
Last week we learnt that the devil's triangle is the triangular connection between the devil, his bait and our desires. Until the three are in place, temptations cannot be effected. The devil has a cycle of temptation which he repeats over and over again. There are four elements to the cycle of temptation:
Enticement -> Conception -> Birth -> Death
Enticement happens when we are lured or pulled out - when our desires are aroused and we are entrapped by a bait. Beneath every bait there is a hook and beyond every hook there is a line and rod and a hand holding the rod.
Conception occurs when the devil's suggestions gain access into our lives and implant themselves. These suggestions can only grow when we feed them and eventually the conception becomes a …
Birth. What you dwell on you will act out. You will indulge in your " five minutes of madness".
Sin always produces death, whether we are conscious of it or not. At every stage, there is a way of escape. Now, in order to overcome temptation, we must learn how to recognise the bait that the devil presents before us.
Every bait we will be tempted with can be summed up in I John 2:15-17.
•The lust of the flesh,
•The lust of the eyes and
•Pride of life.
1. The Lust of the Flesh:
That which pampers the sensual appetites. All that is connected with the indulgence of animal prosperities. This speaks of the desire, which resides in the flesh. The lust of the flesh is the lowest form of worldly indulgence. It is the desire for pleasure.
2. The Lust of the Eyes:
That which is designed to merely gratify the eyes. It is the desire for possession. David and Achan fell by this - 2 Samuel 11:2, Joshua 7:21
3. The Pride of Life: Arrogant assumption and vain glorious display.
Once again, these are the three basic ways in which the devil tempts us - all the time. He is not creative, so he repeats the same pattern over and over again.
Notice three things the bible has to say about these three pronged attack of the devil.
•These things are in the world:
When the devil tempts us, he uses natural things - things and people that we are used to everyday.
•These things are passing away:
The things we hold so dear today - money, fame, power, position, possessions, pleasure - are all fleeting and temporary - I Peter 1: 24,25
•We must not love these things:
We are allowed to have positions and to use them, but not to love them. No wonder Paul said, "the love of money is the root of all evil" I Timothy 6:10
Also, notice how the devil used this basic patent in tempting Eve and Jesus.
Eve - Genesis 3:6
Good for food - lust of the flesh - pleasure
Pleasant to the eyes - lust of the eyes - possession
Desired to make one wise - pride of life - position.
Jesus, in explaining the parable of the sowers to His disciples, described three kinds of heart that were unsuitable to receive the seed of the word. These three kinds of heart have been adversely affected by these three aspects of temptation Matthew 13:18-23
•The Wayside Heart - could not retain the word because the devil himself came and snatched it away. The devil represents the pride of life -- he himself had fallen because of the sin of pride - PRIDE OF LIFE.
•The Stony Place Heart - could not retain the word because there was no root. The tendency to preserve the flesh was still very high - LUST OF THE FLESH.
•The Thorny Place Heart - Could not retain the word because the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches chocked the seed of the word - LUST OF EYES.
Jesus was also tempted on these three count - Luke 4:1-13.
•Vs 3: Turn stones to bread - the lust of the flesh.
•Vs 5-7: Worship me and you can have the world and its glory - the lust of the eyes.
•Vs 9: Throw yourself down - the pride of life.
Notice that through the entire temptation, the devil kept saying, " if you are the son of God". Whenever, the devil comes to tempt you, he is hoping that you do not really know who you are.
You will find that when the devil returned at a more opportune time - the time of Jesus' passion, the same challenge came up again and again.
The soldiers asked him, "are you the son of God?" Luke 22:70,71. In fact, the accusation at His mock trial was based on this. The high priest asked Him the same question Matthew 26:63. The thief on the cross and the passers- by also challenged him "if you are the son of God…" Matthew 27:38-43
After He died, the centurion who supervised His crucifixion testified "truly this was the Son of God".
When the devil comes to tempt you, his critical line of attacks will revolve around your identity. You have the responsibility to resolve the question of identity because you will operate in life on the basis of who you believe yourself to be, Your entire life will be built on your self-image.
If you have a poor self-image, you will build a poor life. You will accept the low things of life. You will accept poor relationships, you will agree to make poor choices, you will welcome poor treatment from other people
When you don't think much of yourself, you will live like it. What you would not do to a £1m horse or a £50 dog or a £20 cat, you will do to yourself.
You will never rise above the image you have of yourself, for out of your self-image comes your sense of worth and value. Your self image is clearly reflected in everything you say and do - the way you think, the way you talk, the clothes you wear, the books you read, the music you listen to, the entertainment you enjoy the places you visit the clothes you wear, the people you associate with.
Jesus got His self-image from His Father and God has an image of Himself - Genesis 1:26. God's image of Himself is reflected in the kind of home He lives in, the names He allows Himself to be called, even the home He put Adam and Eve in.
When you get born again - when you receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour - this image of God is birthed in you again.
How did Jesus respond to the temptation of the devil? How did He handle the appeal and enticement of the list of the flesh, the lust of the eye and the pride of life?
•Luke 4: 4 : He decided to live His life according to the word of God. Whatever decision you make in life - if it contradicts scripture, it is a bad decision.
•Luke 4:8: He determined to put the worship of God first. Anything you embrace that pulls you away from the worship of God, will eventually cause you to sin.
•Luke 4:12: He determined not to test God. Never put yourself in such an awkward position that God must now save you from your own foolish decisions.
Do not put yourself in a position that requires a miracle to get you out.
TO ORDER THIS MESSAGE ON AUDIO OR VIDEO TAPE, CALL 020 88 555 888 NOW
Enticement -> Conception -> Birth -> Death
Enticement happens when we are lured or pulled out - when our desires are aroused and we are entrapped by a bait. Beneath every bait there is a hook and beyond every hook there is a line and rod and a hand holding the rod.
Conception occurs when the devil's suggestions gain access into our lives and implant themselves. These suggestions can only grow when we feed them and eventually the conception becomes a …
Birth. What you dwell on you will act out. You will indulge in your " five minutes of madness".
Sin always produces death, whether we are conscious of it or not. At every stage, there is a way of escape. Now, in order to overcome temptation, we must learn how to recognise the bait that the devil presents before us.
Every bait we will be tempted with can be summed up in I John 2:15-17.
•The lust of the flesh,
•The lust of the eyes and
•Pride of life.
1. The Lust of the Flesh:
That which pampers the sensual appetites. All that is connected with the indulgence of animal prosperities. This speaks of the desire, which resides in the flesh. The lust of the flesh is the lowest form of worldly indulgence. It is the desire for pleasure.
2. The Lust of the Eyes:
That which is designed to merely gratify the eyes. It is the desire for possession. David and Achan fell by this - 2 Samuel 11:2, Joshua 7:21
3. The Pride of Life: Arrogant assumption and vain glorious display.
Once again, these are the three basic ways in which the devil tempts us - all the time. He is not creative, so he repeats the same pattern over and over again.
Notice three things the bible has to say about these three pronged attack of the devil.
•These things are in the world:
When the devil tempts us, he uses natural things - things and people that we are used to everyday.
•These things are passing away:
The things we hold so dear today - money, fame, power, position, possessions, pleasure - are all fleeting and temporary - I Peter 1: 24,25
•We must not love these things:
We are allowed to have positions and to use them, but not to love them. No wonder Paul said, "the love of money is the root of all evil" I Timothy 6:10
Also, notice how the devil used this basic patent in tempting Eve and Jesus.
Eve - Genesis 3:6
Good for food - lust of the flesh - pleasure
Pleasant to the eyes - lust of the eyes - possession
Desired to make one wise - pride of life - position.
Jesus, in explaining the parable of the sowers to His disciples, described three kinds of heart that were unsuitable to receive the seed of the word. These three kinds of heart have been adversely affected by these three aspects of temptation Matthew 13:18-23
•The Wayside Heart - could not retain the word because the devil himself came and snatched it away. The devil represents the pride of life -- he himself had fallen because of the sin of pride - PRIDE OF LIFE.
•The Stony Place Heart - could not retain the word because there was no root. The tendency to preserve the flesh was still very high - LUST OF THE FLESH.
•The Thorny Place Heart - Could not retain the word because the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches chocked the seed of the word - LUST OF EYES.
Jesus was also tempted on these three count - Luke 4:1-13.
•Vs 3: Turn stones to bread - the lust of the flesh.
•Vs 5-7: Worship me and you can have the world and its glory - the lust of the eyes.
•Vs 9: Throw yourself down - the pride of life.
Notice that through the entire temptation, the devil kept saying, " if you are the son of God". Whenever, the devil comes to tempt you, he is hoping that you do not really know who you are.
You will find that when the devil returned at a more opportune time - the time of Jesus' passion, the same challenge came up again and again.
The soldiers asked him, "are you the son of God?" Luke 22:70,71. In fact, the accusation at His mock trial was based on this. The high priest asked Him the same question Matthew 26:63. The thief on the cross and the passers- by also challenged him "if you are the son of God…" Matthew 27:38-43
After He died, the centurion who supervised His crucifixion testified "truly this was the Son of God".
When the devil comes to tempt you, his critical line of attacks will revolve around your identity. You have the responsibility to resolve the question of identity because you will operate in life on the basis of who you believe yourself to be, Your entire life will be built on your self-image.
If you have a poor self-image, you will build a poor life. You will accept the low things of life. You will accept poor relationships, you will agree to make poor choices, you will welcome poor treatment from other people
When you don't think much of yourself, you will live like it. What you would not do to a £1m horse or a £50 dog or a £20 cat, you will do to yourself.
You will never rise above the image you have of yourself, for out of your self-image comes your sense of worth and value. Your self image is clearly reflected in everything you say and do - the way you think, the way you talk, the clothes you wear, the books you read, the music you listen to, the entertainment you enjoy the places you visit the clothes you wear, the people you associate with.
Jesus got His self-image from His Father and God has an image of Himself - Genesis 1:26. God's image of Himself is reflected in the kind of home He lives in, the names He allows Himself to be called, even the home He put Adam and Eve in.
When you get born again - when you receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour - this image of God is birthed in you again.
How did Jesus respond to the temptation of the devil? How did He handle the appeal and enticement of the list of the flesh, the lust of the eye and the pride of life?
•Luke 4: 4 : He decided to live His life according to the word of God. Whatever decision you make in life - if it contradicts scripture, it is a bad decision.
•Luke 4:8: He determined to put the worship of God first. Anything you embrace that pulls you away from the worship of God, will eventually cause you to sin.
•Luke 4:12: He determined not to test God. Never put yourself in such an awkward position that God must now save you from your own foolish decisions.
Do not put yourself in a position that requires a miracle to get you out.
TO ORDER THIS MESSAGE ON AUDIO OR VIDEO TAPE, CALL 020 88 555 888 NOW
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