I would like to speak with you today about temptation. Our culture
is filled with it - the lure, enticement, pull, or inducement to do
something that we know that we should not be doing. It could be an attraction
to eat a certain food that we should not be eating. It could be the
pull to tell a lie rather than the truth. It could be the lure to accumulate
far more money than what we actually need. It could be the urge to blow
up and lose control of our anger. It could be an enticement to violate
our wedding vows and sleep with someone else. The temptation to do what
is wrong and violate what we know to be right is something that we all
face in this world.
Being around young children regularly, it is obvious that the lure
of temptation begins at a young age. Perhaps, maybe you are able to
think back over some early temptations that you experienced as a child.
I can remember in my growing up years an occasional spat with my sister
in the back seat of our car. Yes, these types of spats could even take
place on the way to church. And how would our parents separate us? They
would tell us, "You stay on your half of the back seat, and you
stay on your half of the back seat. And, do not touch each other."
After cowering by our respective windows for a few minutes, we then,
we would draw invisible lines across the back seat of the car. I can
still remember running my finger across the vinyl seats of our station
wagon, separating my sister's half from mine. Then we would mentally
extend these invisible lines so that they would stretch towards the
front seat and up to the front bumper. Then, they would also run through
the back of the car and even all the way to the back bumper. Now mind
you, the line was invisible, but in my mind it was the equivalent of
the Berlin wall. If someone were to cross it, the alarm bells would
all go off and there would be a call for the authorities to intervene.
Now, even though I was the one who would occasionally draw that invisible
line down the back seat of the car, the lure to venture over that invisible
line was great. I can remember even tiptoeing my fingers up to that
line, hoping to cross it when my sister wasn't looking, and then scurrying
back before the call to the front seat would occur. The enticement to
incite or provoke was a temptation that was mine from early years.
Some of you will be happy to know that I no longer do such things and
have been cured of drawing invisible lines in the back seat of the car.
Yet, there are other temptations that you and I face in this world that
are less likely to be cured by age or time. It is my hope today as we
look through this passage from Luke 4 that we will find some points
from Jesus and his temptations that can help us when we enter into times
when we are tempted.
1. Temptation comes in Christian living. (Genesis
39; 2 Samuel 11; Luke 4:1-2)
I want to start my comments today on Luke 4 by saying something rather
general about the passage first. That general point is this: temptation
comes in Christian living. That is just the way it is. Unfortunately,
many Christians are under the impression that if they live in the right
way, that if they do the right thing, and if they stay out of the way
of trouble that they will avoid temptation. While these are good plans
of action, they will help minimize temptation, but this will not avoid
temptation altogether.
This is evidenced in Jesus' life. Our passage reports how Jesus was
tempted by the devil. We read of this in Luke 4 where we read that "Jesus,
full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the
Spirit in the desert where for forty days he was tempted by the devil."
Note three factors from Jesus' life that were all in his favor when
he entered into temptation. Firstly, the Holy Spirit, the third member
of the Trinity, was leading him when he encountered great conflict.
Secondly, he had just come from his baptism by John the Baptist, likely
a time of a spiritual high. Thirdly, he was involved in prayer and fasting
- habits of admirable spiritual discipline when he encountered temptation.
He was doing everything right and following the Lord's leading, and
yet there was temptation.
His example is like so many others within the Bible - people of God
who were not doing anything wrong or looking for trouble when all of
the sudden they found themselves dealing with temptation. Joseph, from
the book of Genesis in Genesis 39, is a prime example. Joseph, the son
of Jacob, the great grandson of Abraham was someone else who was not
looking for trouble when all of the sudden he encountered temptation.
He was in Egypt serving under Potiphar. He was advancing and prospering
in his service to this official in Ephesus when Potiphar's wife approached
him and tempted him to be with her. Joseph, however, rightly fled from
that temptation. Note that this temptation came upon him when he was
doing nothing wrong.
King David also had something similar happen to him in 2 Samuel 11.
He found himself as the prosperous king of Israel in the early half
of 2 Samuel. He was known to be a man after God's own heart serving
God's people. He had done great things throughout the entire kingdom
of Israel, when one night he found himself alone at the top of his palace
in Jerusalem. It was then that he happened to look down upon Bathsheeba
from that palace, and he was tempted. Unlike Joseph and unlike Jesus,
David did not succeed. He fell at time of temptation with many unfortunate
consequences for him and for his family.
The point that I am trying to make thus far is that temptation is a
part of Christian living. It can certainly happen when we go looking
for it. Yet, temptation can come upon us when things are going well.
It can happen when we are doing the right thing, and staying out of
trouble. It comes upon the best of people, certainly David, Joseph,
and also Jesus, our perfect Savior.
I hope that a number of you have had the opportunity to either read
or watch The Lord of the Rings recently. This inspiring epic written
by J. R. R. Tolkien has had over 100 million readers. The three films
that have been made concerning it have been in the news a great deal
over these past few years. These films, The Fellowship of the Ring,
the Two Towers, and Return of the King have won numerous awards. The
story that J. R. R. Tolkien tells is considered by many as one of the
finest adventure stories ever told.
This past year I have found myself reading through the letters of J.
R. R. Tolkien. In these letters, he shares about some of the driving
ideas behind his writing of The Lord of the Rings. One of the driving
ideas is about temptation. If you remember the story, the temptation
is to wear the one ring, the ring of all power. It is not to be worn
at any costs or else the power of evil will overwhelm the one who wears
it and completely consume that individual. The only thing that can be
done with this ring is to take it and destroy it in the fire that runs
below a place called Mount Doom in the land of Mordor.
It is the task of a few individuals to take this evil ring to its destruction.
Along the way, many are tempted with its beauty and power. There are
evil men who want to wear it and wield its power. Naturally, there are
people of less desirable disposition that are tempted. A creature named
Gollum most explicitly has already been corrupted by it and feels the
temptation very strongly. However, there are also good individuals such
as the good wizard named Gandalf or the elven queen Galadriel who also
feel the power of temptation to wear this ring, but refuse it. The most
persistent temptation to place it on his finger is found with an innocent
hobbit named Frodo Baggins who at times falls, but is able by in large
to take it to its final destination. Temptation comes to all types of
characters in J. R. R. Tolkien's adventure The Lord of the Rings. Certainly
those who are evil are tempted, but also those who are good and strong
as well as sincere and innocent.
This novel as well as Jesus' example is a good reminder to us that
all are vulnerable to temptation. If our perfect Savior, Jesus Christ,
led by the Holy Spirit following his baptism to pray and fast, was tempted,
then we as his followers need to be prepared to deal with temptation
as well.
2. Temptation needs to be resisted (Luke 4:3-13;
Ephesians 6:10-11; 2 Timothy 2:3-4).
When temptation is thrust upon us, its urge to lure us and overpower
us must be resisted. Perhaps, that is an obvious point, but in the past
number of years there have been a number of TV shows, particularly reality
TV shows, that push the boundaries. Many of these reality TV shows exhibit
people who could be just as we are, thrust into "real situations,"
who naturally weaken and give in to temptation. This, of course, sends
the wrong message. Not everyone needs to crumble when temptation comes
along.
The Christian calling is to resist temptation. It is not to be played
with, not to be explored, not to be toyed around with, but it is to
be resisted. Christians are not to surrender but are to stand firm.
Certainly, Jesus in Luke 4 resists temptation. He goes toe to toe with
the tempter and resists temptation. Resistance and strength are the
course of action that our Savior takes against temptation.
There, of course, are a variety of other passages that speak about
finding strength in resisting temptation. There are a number of passages
that encourage Christians to be strong and disciplined as soldiers when
temptation comes. Consider Ephesians 6:10-12 that says, "Finally,
be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole
armor of God, so that you may be able to stand." 2 Timothy 2:3-4
reminds us as Christians to, "Share in suffering like a good soldier
of Christ Jesus. No one serving in the army gets entangled in everyday
affairs; the soldier's aim is to please the enlisting officer."
The image that these verses and other verses set forward is that Christians
are to be strong and are to be disciplined. They should not cave in,
but should resist and stand up against temptation.
Many of us are familiar with the great hymn writer John Newton. We
know him to be the composer of the great hymn "Amazing Grace, how
Sweet the Sound that Saved a Wretch like Me." Many of us have been
touched by the hymn. What many do not know about John Newton was that
he was a pastor in England. His hymn writing touched many, but his messages
and letters touched many, too.
In one letter he writes to one of his parishioners about the importance
of standing strong as soldiers of Christ. He writes, "Why are we
called soldiers, but because we are called to warfare? And how could
we fight, if there were no enemies to resist? The Lord's soldiers are
not merely for show, to make an empty parade in a uniform, and to brandish
their arms when none but friends and spectators are around them. No,
we must stand upon the field of battle; we must face the fiery darts;
we must wrestle with our foes; nor can we well expect wholly to escape
wounds . . . The Captain of our salvation is at hand, and leads us on
with an assurance, which might make even a coward bold, that in the
end we shall be more than conquerors through Him who has loved us."
Resistance, strength, opposition, refusal to be defeated these are
the attitudes that John Newton as well as the writers of Scripture encourage
us to have when we encounter the real situation of temptation. Strength
rather than surrender is what the calling is.
Martin Luther, the writer of the hymn "A Mighty Fortress is our
God" had much to say about temptation. He also had catchy sayings
about temptation, too. He had this to say about temptation, "I
cannot keep birds from flying over my head, but I can keep them from
building under my hat." The encouragement, of course, is for resistance.
We may not be able to keep temptation from flying over our heads, but
we can certainly resist it from building nests under our hats. Resistance
not admission of defeat is what the Christian calling is.
3. In defeating temptation, look out for truth being
twisted. (Luke 4:3-12; John 8:44)
Let's now return to Luke 4 and look at two ways that Jesus goes about
resisting temptation. There are two points that can be helpful from
this text as we deal with temptation in our world.
Firstly, in resisting temptation, look out for the truth being twisted.
This occurs in all three temptations set forward in Luke 4. In Luke
4:3 we read, "The devil said to him (i.e., Jesus), 'If you are
the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread." The tempter is
not quizzing Jesus to see if he is the Son of God. Indeed, he knows
that already. If we were reading this in the original language, we would
recognize that more readily for it reads better like this, "Since
you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread." Instead
of figuring out who Jesus is, the tempter is trying to see if he will
act independently, outside of God's will. How so? He is asking Jesus
in his weakened condition to do something outside of God's will - turn
the stones in front of him into bread thereby satisfying all of his
needs. Jesus is sharp enough to realize that "Man does not live
on bread alone." If Matthew's version of the story is brought to
bear, "Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that
comes from the mouth of God." Life does not come from bread nor
by satisfying one's needs outside of God's will. Rather, it comes from
following the word of God.
The next two temptations once again twist the truth. The next temptation
has the devil saying, "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. So if you worship me, it will be yours." Once again, it
is the truth being twisted. While the Bible leads us to believe that
evil forces do have some power in this world, they do not have full
power for that comes from God the creator of this world. Jesus rightly
recognizes the lie and chooses not to give into this scheme.
The final temptation once again twists the truth. Jesus is taken to
the highest point on the temple and goaded to cast himself down since
he is the Son of God and the angels of God will protect him. Luke records
how the devil even uses the words of the Old Testament from Psalm 91
to support his contention that Jesus will be safe if he throws himself
down. While the words of Scripture are true and while it is true that
the Son of God will be protected, once again Jesus recognizes that the
truth has been twisted. The issue is not about Jesus being protected
but rather about provoking God. Putting God to the test is what is really
going on here, and once again Jesus chooses not to yield to such twisted
logic. Twisting the truth, bending it, drawing improper ramifications
are the hallmark of these temptations.
For that matter, lies and falsehoods ought to be expected in other
temptations as well. The temptation in the Garden of Eden in Genesis
was based on a lie from the serpent. John 8:44 reminds us that the tempter
is the "father of lies." Twisted truths, lies, falsehoods,
and untruths are a part of temptations.
Earlier this message I spoke with you about a man named J. R. R. Tolkien
who wrote The Lord of the Rings, an excellent adventure story that deals
with temptation. A friend of his whom J. R. R. Tolkien led to Christ
also wrote about temptation. The man's name is C. S. Lewis. He has been
called by some as the greatest Christian writer within the twentieth
century. He is certainly one of the brightest, an Oxford University
don, and a professor of Medieval and Renaissance literature at Cambridge
University. He has written a very witty book called The Screwtape Letters
that has been called by reviewers, a timeless classic on temptation.
The book is a series of one tempter writing to another. These tempters
are at work upon a young Englishman who has become a Christian.
In The Screwtape Letters, Lewis repeatedly shows how temptation comes
not in bold and brash ways but by subtly twisting the truth, warping
it so that truth comes out as falsehood. His tempters do not run around
causing evil in obvious ways like starting natural disasters or spreading
fatal diseases. Instead, they bend the truth to exploit common human
weaknesses.
The tempters bend the truth so that this humble Christian will want
to think that he is humble and actually turn out prideful. The tempters
warp the truth so that this Christian thinks that he is being devoted
to God but in reality his prayer life is wasting away into nonexistence.
The tempters bend the truth so that this Christian who loves his relatives
will pick up all of the blemishes and might turn out to hate them. C.
S. Lewis, one of the greatest minds in Christendom over the past century,
presents temptation as a bending of the truth; a warping of what is
genuinely true. His classic work as well as Luke 4 reminds us that temptation
occurs from the truth being twisted and bent. As we seek to resist our
own temptations, we need to be on the look out for the untruths and
falsehoods. And of course, like Jesus, we should choose not to believe
the lies.
4. In defeating temptation, remember God's goodness.
(Luke 4:4, 8, 12; Philippians 4:8; James 1:12, 17)
The final point that I wish to make about Luke 4 is that Christians
need to remember the goodness of God. God is good, and he is good all
of the time. Temptation has lies and twisted truths, but it also is
totally absent of God's goodness. It is important to remember that God's
goodness is great to those who seek him.
In Luke 4 when Jesus is being tempted, notice how he remembers the
goodness of the Lord. He regularly refers to the Bible that reminds
him of God's goodness. "Man does not live by bread alone."
What does this imply? It implies that there is life giving sustenance
and goodness found in God and not merely in bread.
In the other two temptations that are found in Luke 4, Jesus recalls
two Scriptures from Deuteronomy 6. Much of that great chapter from Deuteronomy
6 can be summarized in this way: keep God's commandments so that it
may go well for you (Deuteronomy 6:18).
The importance of remembering the goodness of the Lord in times of
temptation is even more explicit in the book of James. In James 1:12-17,
James the brother of Jesus is speaking about the matter of temptation.
It is the goodness of the Lord that he speaks about in times of temptation.
Consider God's goodness from these two verses. "Blessed is anyone
who endures temptation. Such a one has stood the test and will receive
the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him."
God's goodness is granted in "blessing" and "the crown
of life" that comes to one if that one endures temptation. James
1:17 is also explicit about God's goodness. The verse says, "Every
good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of
heavenly lights with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow."
It is interesting to me that James puts these two verses in relation
to temptation. When we are tempted, the impression is that if we do
the wrong thing then we will get our needs satisfied. If we give in,
temptation says that our lives will be better. It is just the opposite
from James' perspective. The good gifts of life are from above. They
come down from our heavenly Father. It is his goodness that we need
to remember in times of temptation. God will provide our needs, and
God will bless our lives if we endure and resist temptation.
Of course, the world and its ways are quite alluring and it is easy
to forget about God's goodness. Recently, there has been a story placed
on film that suggests that doing the wrong thing leads to an exciting
life. The story is found in the film Catch Me If You Can. It is a film
about the master con artist Frank Abegnale, Jr. who is played by Leonardo
DiCaprio. The FBI agent Carl Hanratty who is played by Tom Hanks pursues
him. It is an entertaining movie and has been quite popular.
The story begins with Frank Abegnale, Jr. who due to family problems
begins to perpetually lie to find pleasure and excitement. He first
starts by deceiving people in a school setting. There, he passes himself
off as a substitute teacher so that he can get even with someone who
affronted him in the hallway. His small-scale success encourages Frank
to impersonate others. He tricks people into believing that he is an
airline pilot, a doctor, and an attorney. Along the way, Frank learns
how to become a master forger, and uses his talent and charm to forge
2.5 million dollars in phony checks. It is an astounding and true story
of a man who was able to trick and deceive so many, and seemingly benefit
from it. It may appear in viewing this movie that choosing not to do
the right thing is the more enjoyable way to go.
After the movie was shot, the real Frank Abegnale, Jr. was interviewed
by Speilberg Films the maker of the film Catch Me If You Can. As the
real Frank Abegnale, Jr. reflects on his life, he shares the problems
of deceiving people over and over again. Speilberg Films asked him,
"Do you have any regrets regarding your teen years as far as not
choosing a different path in life?" To which he answered, "Yes,
I have a lot of regrets. Though some people are fascinated with what
I did as a teenager and find it very exciting, I lost my entire youth,
age 16-21 running from the police and age 21-26 sitting in prison. Being
on the run was a very lonely life. I never got to go to a senior prom,
a high school football game or share a relationship with someone my
own age . . . I wouldn't want to have to live it over again." In
succumbing to temptation, Frank Abegnale, Jr. missed out on so many
of the good things that God gives to us. God gives us so many good things
in life to enjoy like high school football games and relationships with
people our own age. Unfortunately, Frank Abegnale, Jr. forgot about
these things and about God's goodness.
Conclusion
I began this message by sharing about a temptation that I had as a
young boy - the temptation to provoke my sister. Drawing imaginary lines
down the back seat of the car and provoking her was periodically a temptation
of mine. While there are some temptations that we might outgrow, temptation
is a part of Christian living. It is to be resisted by looking out for
lies and remembering God's goodness.
Of course, we as Christians may periodically fall. This has not been
the focus of this message today, because Luke 4 speaks of Jesus' victory
over temptation. Yet, if we fall all that is necessary is to confess
our sins to God, and then get up and try again with sincerity. Psalm
51 reminds us that "a broken and a contrite heart, the Lord our
God will not despise." Our God is the God of sincere, second chances.
If we turn to him sincerely, then he will heal us and restore us. May
God give us extra grace to defeat temptation, and may he provide for
us mercy if and when we fall.
A Sermon delivered by Rev. Dr. H. H. Drake Williams, III
Minister of Spiritual Enrichment
September 19, 2004
