Home

Weekly Sermons
Scripture Index
Topical Index

How to Deal with Temptation

David Himes

What would take to entice you, to tempt you to do something you should not do?Would it be another woman or another man?You probably would say, “No way brother”.“I have a great wife and there is no one to compare with her.”What if for some reason she started getting involved in some activities that took her away from you?What if for some reason you were away for a long period of time.What if something caused you to drift apart?What if…

Is there anything that would cause you to leave the Church?What would it take for you to leave, just turn your back on the church and walk away?What if someone said something to hurt your feelings?What if your ideas were not appreciated?What if, for some reason…

What would it take to get you to turn away from God?What if it seems that He does not hear your prayers?What if something happened to a family member or close friend?Would you blame God and turn away.What if…

Name any great man – past or present [except Jesus] and I will tell you a person that has yielded to sin.Mark Anthony was a silver tongue orator.He was also a great military leader, but he had one great weakness.He could not resist the temptation of women.Abraham Lincoln is one person that history has been very kind to.We learn of his honesty and his compassion toward others.But I tell you – old Abe had his temptations.Maybe he overcame them better than most of us could, but most likely he yielded to some of them.Jimmy Carter, I think is one of the greatest Christians ever to be President.He worked hard for world peace and to help the needy people of the world.President Carter said he struggled daily against temptation.He also said that if a man even looks at another woman with lust in his heart, that he has already committed adultery in the sight of God.

We all have these types of problems.It is important to understand that we have weaknesses. Your weaknesses may be different than mine. But, believe me when I say that the devil knows exactly what our weaknesses are and he will use our weaknesses to try to destroy us.

This evening we will look at three principles to help us deal with temptation.Notice that I said deal with the temptations.I do not mean eliminate or prevent them from occurring.No one can do that.

First let’s see what the Bible says about Temptation.

James 1:12-16 [NIV]

Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. Don't be deceived, my dear brothers.

Now let us identify what temptation is.Temptation is different from a personal trial that one might experience.Trial is a hardship and not necessary brought about by evil.The book of Job is an example of a trial.It was an ordeal.As it is stated in the book, Job was a perfect man (in the sight of God).Those terrible things that happen to him were not the result of some evil deed in his life.

Temptation is an act of enticement to do wrong; it is a promise of gain or pleasure. Does this sound like the lures of the devil?Can you hear him say, “what a thrill it will be; what a pleasure it is?”Temptation is more than those sensual things.How about one who is tempted to gossip?How about one who is tempted to hold grudge or refuses to forgive a wrong?Sometimes the sensual temptations are the easiest to resist.It is often those little bitsy things that seem to tempt us the most.We are most easily tempted when we think we are alone, or we think we can’t be caught, or those things we think in our minds that no one will ever find out.

There are four basic facts about Temptation

In the verses that we just read from James chapter 1, there are four indisputable facts that we can learn.

1.Temptation is inevitable.Everyone no matter what age or position is tempted.The mind is the vehicle which temptation travels.There is no place you can go without be tempted.You can not lock yourself in your house or join a monastery and expect to avoid temptation.

2.God never directs temptation.God permits it or allows it, but God never tempts us.We incorrectly blame God for what we do.Adam blamed God for giving him the woman that caused him to eat of the forbidden fruit.God allows us to have a choice in the things we do, but we make the decision what to do.God cannot fellowship with sin. Sin separates us from Him.Through prayer we can ask God to help us resist temptation.We can even ask Him to separate us from the devil’s temptations.It is not wrong to face temptation, only to yield to temptation.

Hebrews 4: 14-15 [NIV]

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. 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. 

3.Temptation is an individual matter.You cannot blame anyone else for our decisions.If we are forced to do bad things, then that is not a sin.If someone pours alcohol down our throats, that is not a sin.But those are not the things that happen to us.Someone politely offers us a drink and we take it.It is that simple.We are influenced by the people around us.We get outside pressure by others, but we make the decision and follow it.

4.Temptation always follows the same process.This is good.If we know the process and recognize it, it gives us a chance to stop the process prior to committing the sin.

a.The devil entices us.If we think of the devil as ‘fishing’ for us like a sports fisherman, then we can think that of our temptations is bait that is dropped to catch us. The devil knows how to bait us.He will use this information to hook us.

b.We must be in the area where sin can occur.If we have some particular weakness, we must stay away from that place where we are likely to be tempted.If you have a drinking problem, you must stay away from places that serve alcohol.If you are tempted to over-eat then you must stay away from places that serve food. The longer you stay around the bait the more you will be tempted.

c.Sin occurs when you grab the bait.I mentioned earlier that Jimmy Carter said that if a man even looks at another woman with lust in his heart, that he has already committed adultery in the sight of God.The sin of adultery begins with the sin of lust.The devil will dress up the bait (or undress it in some cases) to the point where we go beyond just noticing the bait (sorry ladies) to the point where we must have that lure.And you don’t even have to touch it to be caught!

d.Death occurs when you are caught and fried.We may not feel dead when we sin.In fact, we will probably feel alive like never before.We must remember that the sin resulting from the temptation is only momentary.Then we begin to feel guilty, sorrowful, and sooner or later, we wish we were dead.

Here are three things to help us to avoid temptation.

1.Do not tolerate it.1 Thes 5 14-22 [NIV]

And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else. Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not put out the Spirit's fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil. 

I am amazed that we try to co-exist with the things that tempt us.Do not stay around the things or people that will cause us to sin.Remember the story of Joseph as he was tempted by the wife of Potipher in the book of Genesis?

Genesis 39: 1-12

Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. Potiphar, an Egyptian who was one of Pharaoh's officials, the captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him there. The LORD was with Joseph and he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. When his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD gave him success in everything he did, Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned. From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the LORD blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the LORD was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field. So he left in Joseph's care everything he had; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate. Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, and after a while his master's wife took notice of Joseph and said, "Come to bed with me!" But he refused. "With me in charge," he told her, "my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care. No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?" And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her. One day he went into the house to attend to his duties, and none of the household servants was inside. She caught him by his cloak and said, "Come to bed with me!" But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house. 

2.We must not let our emotions overrule our mind.People will risk their wives, or their husbands, their jobs, and their reputation without thinking of the consequences.Learn to control our emotions by substituting good actions instead of sinful actions.Don’t let others push you into something stupid.Peer pressure is a real thing.It will cause you to do the things you normally would not do.Think.

Hebrew 11: 24-25 [NIV]

By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.

I read a story once about a young boy about 8 years old that sold papers for 3 cent paper.[You can tell that this is a story that happen a long time ago.] One day the boy was standing on the corner, selling his papers when a man came up to him and told him, “ I’ll flip a coin and if you can call correctly ‘heads’ or ‘tails’ I’ll give you a nickel for that paper.”The boy ignored him and continued to try to sell his papers.The man said then, “I’ll flip a dime and if you can call correctly “heads’ or ‘tails’ I’ll give you the dime for the paper. The boy ignored him and continued to try to sell his papers.The man said then, “I’ll flip a quarter and if you can call correctly “heads’ or ‘tails’ I’ll give you the quarter for the paper.

Well all this activity was not going unnoticed and people were gathering around them wondering what the boy would do.The man was getting a little frustrated, and the boy kept trying to sell papers and ignoring the man.Well, the man, beginning to feel the pressure of getting the boy to gamble with him.Raised the stakes to an entire dollar for the 3-cent paper.Still the boy ignored the man.Finally, the man bought the paper for 3 cents and walked away.

One of the bystanders came to the boy and said, “Why did you not bet with the man?You could have many things with that money.”The little boy looked up and said, “I could not afford to lose.”

Can you afford to lose if you gave in to temptation?Can you afford to lose your wife, husband, home, family, and your self-respect?Can you afford to lose your reputation?Can you afford to disappoint your Heavenly Father and lose the opportunity of spending eternity in with Him in Heaven?

3.God has never allowed us to be tempted beyond that which we can’t overcome. 

1 Cor 10: 12-14 [NIV]

So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. Therefore, my dear friends flee from sin. 

God will provide a way out.Thank you Lord!It is great to know that you will be tempted, but that God has provided a way out.We do not have to sin!

There is a name for a person who tries to co-exit with sin – Sinner.Sooner or later, you will be overcome by its influence.

We are all sinners.That is why Jesus came and died upon the cross.That is why we can have that hope of eternal life in Heaven.Jesus died for you and me.We can continue living in sin as Paul said.We must try to live a life pleasing to God, but it is great to know that we have that safety net below us.To save us if we fall.

Invitation

If you have fallen, you can still be saved.If you never have been saved then you can be saved by putting that sinful person to death in a watery grave and rise up again a new person by being baptized into our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins.

As a baptized believer in Jesus Christ and have fallen to temptation, you can be restored to the way you were when you were first baptized.You can have your sins forgiven and again have fellowship with God.

Come as we sing this hymn of invitation.