TEMPTATION

Genesis 3:6 “When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it.”

In some overseas areas, a pigeon is a game bird. Here is an account from an English Sportsman – “They roosted on the cliffs of the eastern side of the island in the morning and would fly across to the western cliffs around the middle of the day. When I hunted them, I knew their pattern. The problem was, they flew so high and fast, they were nearly impossible to hit. The hardest thing was to get the first one. You’d have to be almost a perfect shot to get the first one. But once you got one, it was easier to get the second one. See, once you got one, you’d leave it lying in the field like a decoy. Then the next one flying by would slow down, bank, and fly a little bit lower to see what his buddy in the field was doing. And then he got to join him. Once there were four or five in the field, it was so easy it almost wasn’t sporting anymore. The unsuspecting birds would look down, see the bait and take it. They were tempted, succumbed to the temptation and my 12-gauge made sure they paid the price.” -- That is the basics of temptation, isn’t it? And it’s really no different than the way we’re tempted every day. See, the basics of temptation have never changed.

Temptation doesn’t come from God. James 1:13 says, “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man.” God does not tempt us. But he does test us. The Bible is full of examples of God testing man. As you go through Genesis, the bitter water of Mara was a test. The Manna was a test. Even the giving of the Law was a test. In the New Testament when you look at Jesus’ temptation, how did that begin? It began by the Holy Spirit leading him into the wilderness where he would be tempted by the devil. God does not tempt—he tests. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil was a test. God placed the tree in the midst of the Garden and told Adam not to eat of it. He placed it there as a test of Adam’s obedience. Now the interesting thing is that in the original language, tempt and test is the exact same word. So what is the distinction? When God placed a tree in the Garden and made a rule for the sole purpose of seeing whether or not Adam obeyed it… what makes that a test and not temptation? Because even though the original word is the same, the intent is different. That’s how translators came up with two different English words.

The intent behind a test is that God wants us to obey his will. The intent behind temptation is that Satan wants us to rebel against God’s will. God placed the tree in the Garden seeking Adam’s obedience to his command. Satan took God’s command and twisted it seeking Adam and Eve’s rebellion and destruction. God’s tests seek obedience. Satan’s temptations seek rebellion. That’s the difference.

What does temptation look like? All too often, we can’t answer that question until after we’ve succumbed to it. Then we look back and say, “Why didn’t I see that coming?” Well, the truth is, most of the time we can see it coming. And if we can’t we should be able to. Because Satan hasn’t changed his tactics in over 6000 years. Why should he? They seem to work awfully well. His first tactic is to question God. The result of temptation depends on how we respond. We know how Adam and Eve responded. They gave in. They succumbed to the temptation. Of course, when they succumbed to the temptation, sin entered the world.

We know what temptation looks like. It questions God. It twists his Word. And it is appealing to our desire for control. Are you trying to be in control of your life? Or are you submitting your wants and desires to God’s control? Finally, we know what temptation results it. It either results in our succumbing to it or resisting it. Are you resisting the temptations that have been coming your way? Or have you been giving in to them? A calloused spirit is a hard thing to overcome, but you can overcome it by simply confessing your sins before a loving and merciful Jesus.