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“Temptation ...”
By Robert.B.Dalton.© Menorah Publications.Australia & New Zealand. 2004.(Revised 2016.)
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* Points of distinction and emphasis, are used by our authorship solely tobring light to our dialogue.
* Unless otherwise indicated, all Scriptural references appearing arequotations from the King James Bible ...computer software, E Sword version 10.2.1 © 2013 by Rick Meyers.www.e-sword.net
Copyright © 2016. Australia by Robert.B.Dalton.Apart from the purpose of private study or review forarchive retrieval, no part may be reproduced without theexpressed and written permission of the authors (and/ or)their agents for “Menorah Publications.”
First Edition (May, 2003; Revised April, 2004 & 2011)re-edited 2016)
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==========Publications =====http://menorahpublicationsweeblycom.weebly.com/
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The “squeeze” of Temptation ...
Just this morning as I sat with my wife at thebreakfast table I started to laugh out loud as I
pondered this thing called, “temptation.”
I know that God’s sense of humour will oftencatch us by surprise, and this was one suchoccasion. The first thing that came to mind, was that
“selfishness, was a mirror image ofyou!” Wow, that’s profound.
The next thing, was a picture of an apple treegrowing by a stream and up in the branches of thisapple tree, there remained just one apple left out ona limb over the stream.
Perched in the branches, and reaching outdesperately for this last remaining apple, was acheeky monkey. The more that he reached for thefruit, the more desperate he seemed to become.
Next thing, “snap!” the branch broke, just asthis monkey reached out in frustration again.Needless to say, the fruit fell into the stream and sodid the monkey who was instantly devoured by awaiting crocodile … get the picture? I certainly did!!!
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In it’s original form, this study, was called,
“The mold of Temptation.” Reason for
this being that “Temptation,” has been
described as “a weight or a pressurewhich is applied to the will.”
This pressure to conform comes externally andonce accepted temptation, becomes manifestedby action that is produced internally. Temptation canbe described as this outward manifestation ofconformity which has been accepted in. To this wemight add, that for all intents and purposes, it
requires an ... “act of the will.”
James 4 Verse 17 “Therefore to him that knoweth todo good, and doeth [it] not, to him it is sin.”
It has been a continuous experiencethroughout life that there are two major contributorsto the “pressure to conform.”
1) Pressure to conform to “the world.”2) Pressure to conform to “temptation.”
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Both try to squeeze you into their mold. But theinjunction of God’s Word is clear as Paul stated inthe Twelfth Chapter of Romans.
Romans 12 Verse 2(a)“And be not conformed to this world ...”
Pressure to conform to either thetemptations of the world or the flesh have been anongoing concept that has been used by the devil topull down the creation of God and His created man.
James 1 Verses 2-3 “My brethren, count it all joywhen ye fall into divers temptations;” (3) “Knowing[this], that the trying of your faith worketh patience.”
From the above passage, we can see thatthere are in fact two distinct areas of conflict that willat some stage operate in the lives of each andevery Christian Brother or Sister and they are,
(a) “ ... when ye fall intodivers temptations;”
(b) “ ... the trying of your Faith ... ”
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1 Peter 1 Verses 6-7 “Wherein ye greatly rejoice,though now for a season, if need be, ye are inheaviness through manifold temptations:”(7) “That the trial of your Faith, being much moreprecious than of gold that perisheth, though it betried with fire, might be found unto praise andhonour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:”
(a) “ ... through manifoldtemptations ... ”
(b) “ ... the trial of your Faith ... ”
Both “trials of Faith,” and “manifoldtemptations” which gives you a goodindication of the type of stretching and testing thequalities of faith can be expected to endure:
For “Temptation,” Scripture uses the
Greek word, “peirasmos,” which is literally
rendered as “Proving or trying, testingor putting to the test.”
The Hebrew word on the other hand is,
“Maccah,” which simply means “testing.”
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Though the words have similar implication bothin the Greek and the Hebrew, there can be distinctreasoning from Scripture as to the actions inferred.
The basic difference being, that “trials,” are
endured “externally,” whilst “temptations”are to be resisted and usually come as
“varied internal conflicts relating tochoice.”
James 1 Verse 4 “But let patience have [her] perfectwork, that ye may be perfect and entire, wantingnothing.”
It is indeed wise, to let patience have her
“perfect work,” because both “patience,”“endurance” and “longsuffering,” arefruits of The Holy Spirit. And unless they aredeveloped in the lives of all believers, there can belittle or no development toward the maturity of otherfruits!
Then, and only then do we come of age, into a
state of maturing ... “wanting nothing,”but showing or displaying satisfaction and
contentment in growth.
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James 1 Verse 5 “If any of you lack wisdom, let himask of God, that giveth to all [men] liberally, andupbraideth not; and it shall be given him.”
If you have a cork stuck in the neck of a bottle,then you can rest assured, that nothing will comeout. The obstruction has to be removed; this wasthe purpose behind the design of the bottleneck.You have to choose to remove the stopper! Surely,there is wisdom in this, because logic would have itthat you now can reach the contents within:
Needless to say, both “patience,”“endurance” and “longsuffering” ...have proved to be very successful corks in the aidto maturing good fruits. Not forgetting, that the goodwine does in fact mature in the aging process!
James 1 Verse 6 “But let him ask in faith, nothingwavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of thesea driven with the wind and tossed.”
Again our observations single out the humblecork, this time as it bobs to and fro, this way andthat in a tub of water. Suddenly any semblance ofcontrol is lost and if you blew on the cork, itsdirection would then change, just as quickly as onewave would toss it against the force of another. Sothe onslaught would continue only until such timeas the actions of both wind and wave have ceased.
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Imagine if you will that the plug has suddenlybeen pulled and the water in the bath is free to rushinto the drain below. As it sucks downward in itstempest, it creates a whirlpool by its own
descending motion ... “temptation,” as suchdraws a direct parallel, in that it sucks you in, itdraws you down and it tosses you to and fro. Itprovides nothing but confusion amid the activity ofinstability.
When Faith is tempted, its metal is definitelytested - don’t believe me? Then get tempted andwatch the sparks fly as you struggle! Jamescontinues ...
James 1 Verses 7-8 “For let not that man thinkthat he shall receive any thing of the Lord.”(8) “A double minded man [is] unstable in all hisways.”
If we were to consider the way temptationworks, we would see four stages that areprogressed through.
Firstly, God gives us a “promise” ... aquickened word to us personally, perhaps in theform of an answer to prayer or an answer to aproblem for which we have sought the Lord.
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Now, when He gives us this “promise,” itnever comes by itself, it always has with it a
“principle” or condition we must fulfil. This maybe specific but more often than not what He
requires of us is simply “Faith” and
“Patience.”
Hebrews 6 Verses 11-12 “And we desire that everyone of you do shew the same diligence to the fullassurance of hope unto the end:” (12) “That ye benot slothful, but followers of them who through Faithand patience inherit the promises.”
“Faith” and “Patience” usually present in
neatly wrapped packages “problems” whichcan only be solved by the administering of both
“Faith” coupled with “Patience” and youcannot have one without the other. They work handin hand or not at all.
God will only give the “provision” if we stayfaithful during the problem and keep believing andwaiting for His timing.
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There is a very interesting observation here:
“Promise” … Principle” …“Problem” … “Provision”
After which, “Faith” is presented as anenduring, crowning life which the Lord describes
as ... “Blessed.”
James 1 Verse 12 “Blessed [is] the man thatendureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shallreceive the crown of Life, which the Lord hathpromised to them that Love Him.”
The trying of “Faith,” presents to us theproblem of a trial or testing which is administeredfrom without. It is a problem that tests both the
“depth” and the “endurance” capability ofthat which lies within!
Imagine if you will a set of traffic lights, theyshow the colours of ...
Red, for “Stop,”Amber, or orange for “Get ready” and
Green, for “Go” - proceed with caution!
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These colours and the code of “Stop,”“Get ready,” and “Go” are an internationalarrangement that relates to drivers in every countryof the globe.
Now, as the body of a motor vehicle containsthe passengers within, it stands to reason that the
authorities, “the law” of the land would want tosee folk transported from one place to the next bothsmoothly and with safety.
We have the “treasure” in earthen vesselsand it stands to reason, that the Lord would want usto precede through our lives and their growth stages... both smoothly and with safety.
Hence, the Lord has given us the traffic control
lights of “Guidance and Direction,” that
govern the control of “Growth.”
I don’t know whether you have seen it this waybefore, but I believe that it’s an observation that isvery helpful. God’s Word, the traffic control of TheLaw of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus, containedwithin The Word, are all the promises and principles
to both, “Guard,” “Guide,” “Protect” and
“Direct.”
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1) RED ... we “Stop” at the red light to
“Grow” in the “Promises” and
“Principles” which in turn guard us fromon-coming traffic.
2) AMBER ... “Get ready” ... here we seethe problem and then put into play the promises
and the principles of “God’s Word” - God’ssolutions and then ...
3) GREEN ... “Go” ... we launch on in thejourney with the provision, moving forward to thenext set of traffic lights in our stages of
“Growing into God!”
God’s Word tells us explicitly to,
“flee temptation ...” what does it matter,concerning the opinions of the world? Why wonderat what they would call cowardice, God calls
“Righteous intent” ... “fleetemptation,” and when you “fleetemptation,” don’t leave a forwarding address,leave no avenue in the same area again ...
“guard your heart!”
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Temptation comes to us all in some way, shapeor form. And even the most primitive tribe that everhas, or ever will be, has been blessed with a
God-given gifting of “conscience.”
Man’s conscience, has the ability to
“discern” ... it has been gifted with the ability,even in its most primitive state, to know the
difference between “right” and “wrong” and
“good” and “evil.”
Resistance to this pressure, that is, thepressure of temptation, is putting the trial to its own
test. The problem with “Faith,” is most assuredlyan internal one when we but begin to understandthe fact that “Faith” is indeed a gift from God.
Therefore, the only one with any authority to
“test the metal” of that which lies within, is
the One who put it there ... God Himself!
The attitude that satan had toward Job and theexample of his testing, was based as one wouldexpect, on his estimate that Job’s loyalty towardGod, related to the provision that The Almighty hadlaid at his feet.
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The expectancy of evil surmised, that if thepossessions and the wealth were removed, then sotoo would Job’s loyalty ... how wrong he was!
This is what God said to satan ... concerning,
“My servant Job” ... You can almost hear
Him say, “Job has My Gift birthedwithin - there’s nothing that you oranyone can do!” “My Gift, will standany trial ... !”
God set the boundaries of Job’s testing, theenemy was not to destroy him ... though the stormof turmoil broke on Job’s head and all seemedpowerless to survive its onslaught. Yet, God’s
servant stuck by his Master but best of all, TheMaster stuck by him!
Job 1 Verse 8“Hast thou considered My servant Job ... ?”
Job’s heart was full toward God in that he wasblameless and upright. Job’s goodness had two
strong points ... he was both “devout andfeared God,” he was literally “completeand upright.”
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He didn’t merely shun evil, he didn’t merelyreject evil, and he did in fact turn away from evil.Job reckoned, convinced in his heart, that all menare sinful and Job’s first recorded act toward TheLord was to offer sacrifice for sin.
The Lord is delighted with Job and this causescynicism to fester in satan’s heart. He jibes at Godbut The Lord is confident that a heart of suchcharacter cannot be broken. Job is unique, he wasas faultless as a man could be so he tells satanstraight up ...
Job 1 Verse 8(b)“... there is none like him in the earth, ...”
As priest of his house, head of his family, thegodly parent even considers sin that his childrenmight commit and say something even in the depthsof their heart against the One he loves, AlmightyGod.
Though there is no hint nor license to suspectthe latter, satan always watches like a lion inambush, his hope was with devious intent to snareJob with the thing that he desired to protect hisfamily from. But Job’s act of intercession showed abelief in the power of God as both
“Restorer and Mediator.”
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Infuriated, satan’s guile mocks with insolenceand accusation ... he despises the decent andshows even his own mind is turned inward onmalice. The horror of the diabolical is indeed a
study of both “doubt and disbelief.” Both
Job’s character and God’s Person areslighted when tormentor turns tempter.
Job 1 Verse 20 “Then Job arose, and rent hismantle, and shaved his head, and fell down uponthe ground, and worshipped,”
Smitten with boils and sores, such pain musthave been an unbearable grind, yet no one boughtrelief to Job. They continued to be satan’s vesselsof provocation. Job took a potsherd to scrape atsome relief. Even Lazarus had some ease as thedogs licked his sores. Job, like many brethren, wastreated with the disdain of accusation, the accuserof the Brethren makes well sure that even brothersand sisters treat the down-trodden like spirituallepers.
Again, Australia used to work on the policy of
“mate-ship” let alone “fellowship” from aChrist-centred perspective. Even in the world, mostAussie blokes wouldn’t kick a man when he wasdown.
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Such is the purpose of the enemy. He bantersthe heart of Job’s wife and she drips like a tap,nagging with mischief for Job to,
“ ... curse God and die.”
The most horrible of satan’s temptations is toblaspheme at the Creator and secondly, destroythat which He has Created ... by suicide, thecoward’s way out, self-murder.
Job 1 Verse 21 “And said, Naked came I out of mymother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither:The LORD gave, and The LORD hath taken away;blessed be The Name of The LORD.”
(22) “In all this Job sinned not, norcharged God foolishly.”
The man knew, that life was morethan the things that one could gather abouthimself and out of the midst of the ashes came forththe,
“sacrifice of praise!”
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Habakkuk 3 Verses 17-19 “Although the fig treeshall not blossom, neither [shall] fruit [be] in thevines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fieldsshall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off fromthe fold, and [there shall be] no herd in the stalls:”
(18) “Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, Iwill joy in the God of my salvation.”(19) “The LORD God [is] mystrength, and He will make my feet like hinds’
[feet], and He will make me to walkupon mine high places.”
In James chapter 1, it states,“ ... that when you are tempted, don’t believe
that it is God who tempts you.”
Temptation plucks at the strings of the heart togain the attention of a sympathetic chord. But let itbe understood that there is no possibility toovercome in the area of temptation unless one isfirst saved in God’s Grace! Then we canacknowledge the words,
“Lead us not into temptationbut deliver us from evil!”
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James 1 Verses 12-13 “Blessed [is] the man thatendureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shallreceive the crown of Life, which The Lord hathpromised to them that love him.”
(13) “Let no man say when he istempted, I am tempted of God: forGod cannot be tempted with evil,neither tempteth he any man:”
In the Gospels, Jesus was tempted and Herevealed who the source of temptation really is ...satan, the father of lies, and none other. As God is
the source of “good gifts” ... so the enemy ofour souls, satan is the source of both evil and thetemptation to participate in that evil.
James 1 Verses 16-17 “Do not err, my belovedbrethren.” (17) “Every good gift and every perfectgift is from above, and cometh down from TheFather of lights, with whom is no variableness,neither shadow of turning.”
We see the marks of the enemy by the veryact of we being tempted, in that if the action of
response would cause you to either “Doubt” God
or “Disobey” Him, then the source can only be... the devil, or pressures to conform in the areas inwhich he tries to operate.
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In the affairs of “the world,” or our old
“flesh nature” ... but Jesus shows us thevery source from which that temptation comes! Itproceeds from the enemy of our souls himself and itall started with a simple question,
“ ... hath God said! ... ”
It can be said, that as,
“Faith is the substance ofeverything that will lead toward God... sin on the other hand is thesubstance of everything that wouldlead one away from Him!” (Dalton.)
Ultimately, God wants us to see and
understand that, “Temptation has itsorigins in the evil estate of all thatwould draw away from God.”
James 1 Verses 14-15 “But every man is tempted,when he is drawn away of his own lust, andenticed.” (15) “Then when lust hath conceived, itbringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished,bringeth forth death.”
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Here we see and acknowledge that as
“trials,” relate to “external testings,” so
too, the “pressures” that build within become a
focal point called now ... “temptation.”
Trials are “external problems!”Temptations are “internal conflicts!”
Trials are “endured!”Temptations, are “resisted!”
I guess most people have had the chance tosee the effect that one domino has had against awhole line of dominos standing end on end.
Once the first domino strikes its partner and itin turn falls, the chain reaction flattens the entire lineand as all dominos began in an upright position sotoo the chain reaction lays them all down.
(a) “Temptation,” is a triggering device,
“Temptation, triggers lust!”
Verse 14 “But every man is tempted,when he is drawn away of his ownlust, and enticed ... ”
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(b) “Lust triggers ... sin.”
Verse 15(a) “Then when lust hathconceived, it bringeth forth sin: ... ”
(c) “Sin triggers ... death”
Verse 15(b) “ ... and sin, when it isfinished, bringeth forth death.”
From the above picture, we can see that thereis a definitive scriptural example to the effects ofthis wisdom which proceedeth not from above ...
James 3 Verse 15
“This wisdom descendeth not fromabove, but [is] earthly, sensual,devilish.”
But as James warns it is earthly, it is sensual,
and it is devilish. The satanic “bombs of themind kind” are set in motion by the hair trigger
... “temptation.”
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The second trigger called “lust” takes a little
longer but its results are just as sure ... sinwhen it is conceived brings with it,its own wages. The last trigger before all is
initiated is the explosion of the wages called ...“death!”
Jesus said to the woman after He forgave hersins,
John 8 Verse 11(b) “ ... Neither do I condemn thee:go, and sin no more.”
We need to remind ourselves, that sin is indeed
seen as a “passing pleasure” ... do notturn off the internal warnings andchecking to your spirit man.
But turn away from your desires and turntoward God. Thus honouring Him with the manifest
fruit of “self-control” ... counteract“temptation” with “temperance” ...the fruit of the Holy Spirit.
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2 Peter 1 Verses 4-8 “Whereby are given unto usexceeding great and precious promises: that bythese ye might be partakers of the divine nature,having escaped the corruption that is in the worldthrough lust.” (5) “And beside this, giving alldiligence, add to your Faith virtue; and to virtueknowledge;” (6) “And to knowledge temperance;and to temperance patience; and to patiencegodliness;” (7) “And to godliness brotherly kindness;and to brotherly kindness charity.”(8) “For if these things be in you, and abound, theymake [you that ye shall] neither [be] barren norunfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord JesusChrist.”
You need to understand, that it’sthe nature within that’s of mostimportance; it’s not wrong in thatsense to be tempted, it’s whatcomes out when you are that is!
If you squeeze a lemon, what do you expect to
come out ... sweet smelling rosewater? Once the pressure oftemptation is applied, you’ll soonsee who really is Lord in your life!
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2 Peter 1 Verses 9-10 “But he that lacketh thesethings is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hathforgotten that he was purged from his old sins.”(10) “Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligenceto make your calling and election sure: for if ye dothese things, ye shall never fall:”
Surely then to us, this must relate to a decisionon our behalf to make certain that we are notplaced in a situation of being drawn away to be
tempted by the lusts of the “old fleshnature.”
Which brings us to the problem of
“confrontation with sin,” a problemwhich faces all men, a problemwhich I endearingly refer too as ...
“Paul’s Dilemma ... the law of sin.”(Romans 7 Verses 5-25 & Chapter 8:1-2)
Romans 7 Verse 5 “For when we were in the flesh,the motions of sins, which were by the law, did workin our members to bring forth fruit unto death.”
(a) “... the motions of sins, ... ”
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(b) “ ... did work in our members tobring forth fruit unto death.”
This word “Motions,” is literally translatedas wrenching passion and suffering felt in the inner
most being, the Greek word is “pathema.”
From this one can ascertain the agonizing andgut-wrenching pain of sin at work. Followed closelyby guilt and corruption ... so passionate is its pursuitof the individual that it enjoys all the more theirsuffering.
The intensity of sin at work within, can belikened to a woman in birth pangs. The babydemands the satisfaction of birth and though theMum suffers ... yet it will be born!
I somewhat suspect that Paul was given aglimpse of what Jesus agonized over inGethsemane’s garden. All the weight, the pain, the
agony of sin’s past, present and future.
Any wonder Jesus sweat with great drops ofblood. I am certain that The Father allowed Him toview humanity caught in the throws of a seemingtemporary gain.
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Temptation draws with a passion ... the victimcaught then begins to suffer in a tar-pit of noescape.
James 1 Verse 15 “Then when lust hath conceived,it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished,bringeth forth death.”
Maybe now we can understand a little of whatJesus said when He grieved over Peter ...
Luke 22 Verse 31 “And the Lord said, Simon,Simon, behold, satan hath desired [to have] you,that he may sift [you] as wheat:”
Only the enemy of God’s created would desiresuch a morbid preoccupation. Grace, adds strengthto Faith and upholds God’s standard ...
Luke 22 Verse 32 “But I have prayed for thee, thatthy faith fail not: and when thou art converted,strengthen thy Brethren.”
Under the Old Covenant dispensation of thelaw, the law became to us like a marriageagreement that lasted in its outworking till death.
After death, you could do no more “goodworks” ... you were dead! The time towork at it, was gone, dead and buried with the
victim ... the claim of “sin’s wages.”
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Such was the contract of the law, it becamebondage. Paul is not saying that marriage isbondage, by no means. He is using the analogythat should be found as true commitment.
As the wife was under marriage, so it wasexpected that fruit would be produced from theunion of the couple. But union under the lawrevealed the product of sin and death exposed tothe light of God’s Holiness.
Romans 7 Verses 6-9 “But now we are deliveredfrom the law, that being dead wherein we were held;that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not[in] the oldness of the letter.” (7) “What shall we saythen? [Is] the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had notknown sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust,except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.”(8) “But sin, taking occasion by the commandment,wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. Forwithout the law sin [was] dead.” (9) “For I was alivewithout the law once: but when the commandmentcame, sin revived, and I died.”
Temptation and the lust to be tempted buildslike pressure in a furnace boiler. In times of intensepressure, this fire fuelled lust burns at the heart ofhearts to conceive the fruit called sin. Either it isreleased or the boiler explodes ... temptation needsan outlet!
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Temptation, must be satisfied, in the naturalscheme of things some plants in the Australian bushrequire the regularity of the intense heat of bushfires to burst the hard outer core of some species ofnative seed pods in order for them to germinate.
This is a wonderful picture describing the waythat temptation burns in the bosom of man in orderto burst forth the seeds of destructive lust. Lustwhen it breaks out, brings forth sin and the fruit orwages of sin is death. The plan of the enemy was tobring death to the ministry of Jesus, that is why hetempted Jesus personally.
1 Peter 4 Verses 12-13 “Beloved, think it notstrange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you,as though some strange thing happened unto you:”(13) “But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers ofChrist’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall berevealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.”
Romans 7 Verses 10-11 “And the commandment,which [was ordained] to life, I found [to be] untodeath.” (11) “For sin, taking occasion by thecommandment, deceived me, and by it slew [me].”
Consider the indelible marks that are left onone’s body by the depth of penetration of a tattooartist’s ink. Sin has an indelible stain of penetrationthat is why it is stated that The Word of God is theonly thing that can divide asunder even to the verydepth of the marrow and the bone.
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The taint of sin’s stain can only be washed fromthe life of an individual by the precious, preciousBlood of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
You know you cannot take anything of
“the old life” into “the new” lest it give aplatform for future temptation.
Let it be fully understood that sin’s pre-occupation is to lull you into a sense of falsesecurity in order to slay you. I am reminded of atime that my wife and I stumbled upon a bubblingbrook in the foothills of New Zealand’s volcanicregion.
This was a place that contained the waterways,lakes and hatcheries for the trout that inhabited thearea. In one small pond off to the side of the brook Isaw a rainbow trout sunning itself in the still watersof the pond.
I always wanted to try the art of tickling a troutso I slipped my hand into the water and edged it upunder the belly of the sleeping trout.
Stroking the belly brought the fish to raptureswhich soon had it lifted from the safety of the waterbelow. Satisfied with my accomplishment it wasreturned to the water to recover from the shock ofbeing deceived.
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What a picture of sin’s taint and the lullingeffect that it can have unless our lives aremaintained by both devotion in communion and thewashings of the water of The Word.
Romans 7 Verses 12-13 “Wherefore the law [is]holy, and the commandment holy, and just, andgood.” (13) “Was then that which is good madedeath unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it mightappear sin, working death in me by that which isgood; that sin by the commandment might becomeexceeding sinful.”
If you drop a drop of ink into a glass of water,what happens? Doesn’t the water which waspreviously crystal clear become tainted? Well, thelulling of sin and its penetration has acorresponding effect on the life of each and everyindividual concerned.
Firstly, “a thought of evil.”
Secondly, “a strong imagination.”
Thirdly, “fanaticising or taking delightin entertaining the imaginations.”
Fourthly, “motions,” toward thethoughts.
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And finally, “being involved ... delight indoing the act.”
Romans 1 Verses 21-22 & 28 “Because that, whenthey knew God, they glorified [him] not as God,neither were thankful; but became vain in theirimaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.”(22) “Professing themselves to be wise, theybecame fools,”Verse 28 “And even as they did not like to retainGod in [their] knowledge, God gave them over to areprobate mind, to do those things which are notconvenient;”
Proficiency in “Grace,” shows that one hasa mastery over various areas of his soul.
1 Corinthians 10 Verses 11-12 “Now all these thingshappened unto them for ensamples: and they arewritten for our admonition, upon whom the ends ofthe world are come.” (12) “Wherefore let him thatthinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.”
Thomas a’ Kempis in his volume “Imitation ofChrist,” suggests that, Quote, 1“Fire trieth iron, andtemptation a just man.” “We know not oftentimeswhat we are able to do, but temptations do shew uswhat we are.”
1 Thomas a’ Kempis “Imitation of Christ.”Blackie & Son Ltd.
(London/Glasgow.)
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“Yet we must be watchful, especially in thebeginning of temptation.” “For the enemy is thenmore easily overcome, if he be not suffered to enterthe door of our hearts, but be resisted without thegate at his first knock.” “Wherefore one said,withstand the beginnings, for an after remedycomes often to late!” end quote.
Romans 12 Verse 21 “Be not overcome of evil, butovercome evil with good.”
One might ask the question, “How do Iknow the beginning from the end?”The answer for this comes from The Lord JesusHimself concerning the question of the seriousnessof adultery.
Matthew 5 Verse 28 “But I say unto you, Thatwhosoever looketh on a woman to lust after herhath committed adultery with her already in hisheart.”
What the eye does not see, the heart does notlong for! If you entertain it, if you dwell on it ... it willovertake you! If you give place to the temptation orthe area in which you are being tempted, if you
dwell on it, you can rest assured that it willovertake you!
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Job 3 Verse 25 “For the thing which I greatly fearedis come upon me, and that which I was afraid of iscome unto me.”
Being “watchful,” means exactly that, itdoes not purport to a misguided pre-occupation orparanoia. It is real, because it knows, that the area
concerned is an area of weakness. God, hasnot called us to be judgementalregarding those who are beingtempted.
This is a side of Christian “compassion,“that many are not able to come to grips with: Goddoes in no way condone sin, but He does Love the
sinner. This is what “compassion” and
“confidence” are all about. Support of the totalbody comes only as each muscle and sinew is both
supported and supporting.
“Blind guides,” are those who are not
schooled and skilled by “compassion” and
“confidence” by following The Master’s touch.
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F.B. Meyer once wrote, “When we see abrother or sister in sin, there are two things that we
do not know.” Firstly, “we do not know how hardhe or she tried not to sin ... ”
Secondly, “we do not know the power of theforces that assailed him or her.” “But
more importantly, we do not know whatwe would have done in the samecircumstances!” Needless to say, “Guardyourself!”2
Galatians 6 Verse 1 “Brethren, if a man beovertaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restoresuch an one in the spirit of meekness; consideringthyself, lest thou also be tempted.” (2) “Bear ye one
another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law ofChrist.”
Romans 7 Verses 14-17 “For we know that the lawis spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.”(15) “For that which I do I allow not: for what Iwould, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.”(16) “If then I do that which I would not, I consentunto the law that [it is] good.” (17) “Now then it is nomore I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.”
2 Brown Steven, “Christianity Today.”April 5th, edit. 1993.
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More literally, the word “Temptation” can
be described as ... “an attraction to dothat which the conscience knows isnot of God and ultimately calledsin.”
Look at the example of a fisherman with a lureand a spinning reel. The lure is presented as bait toentice the fish to leave caution to the wind and bite
to satisfy the stomachs hunger pangs ... “till thenext time.” I feel that more fishermen arecaught by than the fish they are supposed to catch.
Romans 7 Verses 18-20 “For I know that in me (thatis, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will ispresent with me; but [how] to perform that which isgood I find not.” (19) “For the good that I would I donot: but the evil which I would not, that I do.”(20) “Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I thatdo it, but sin that dwelleth in me.”
Ephesians 2 Verses 8-9 “For by Grace are ye savedthrough Faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] TheGift of God:” (9) “Not of works, lest any man shouldboast.”
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Sin is a law, which wages war in our members.
Sin as a law, brings us into captivity both to “sin”and “death.” Any time we will do good, evil ispresent, because of the presence of sin as a law in
“unsaved man.” The authoritative power ofsin is because it is a law ... our will, cannot do battle
against the law without the enabling of “DivineGrace.”
1 Peter 1 Verse 23 “Being born again, not ofcorruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word ofGod, which liveth and abideth for ever.”
It is God’s Word that is incorruptible, the oldnature that is within us is that which is corrupt. Whatscripture does say is that once a Christian is bornagain, a completely new nature is birthed by theseed of God’s Word into our being. This new nature
is described by Paul the apostle as “the newman.”
Ephesians 4 Verses 22-24 “That ye put offconcerning the former conversation the old man,which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;”(23) “And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;”
(24) “And that ye put on the new man, whichafter God is created in righteousness and trueholiness.”
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The unregenerate man is inevitably a slave tohis own corrupt fallen nature. The kind of life whicha born again Christian lives is an outworking of the
new nature which is contained within.
As long as the “old man” is kept in
subjection to the new man there is proper
control, order, balance, victory andpeace in the life of the believer.
But whenever the old man is allowed to rise upand regain control, the consequence is inevitablefailure, backsliding into sin and defeat. That is why itis so important to continue to,
1 Peter 2 Verse 2 “As newborn babes, desire thesincere milk of The Word, that ye may growthereby:”
Williams has stated in his book,3“Wisdom the missing link.”
Quote. “If the A,B,C of life is Attitude, Balance andContentment, then seek “Balance” in ALL things.”(end quote.)
3 Williams, Jim. “Wisdom ... The Missing Link.”1986 edit. Clark & Matheson.Hamilton. N.Z.
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Attitude, determines your altitude ... are ourthoughts seated in Heavenly places or are welocked in at ground zero? If we walk in balance, ourwalk and or growth into the things of God will beprogressive. We will never be unbalanced ... Paulwarned young Timothy,
1 Timothy 6 Verse 5-6 “Perverse disputings of menof corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth,supposing that gain is godliness: from suchwithdraw thyself.” (6) “But godliness with
contentment is great gain.”
Paul was telling Timothy, don’t waste your timeon trivial things.
John 3 Verse 31 “He that cometh from above isabove all: he that is of the earth is earthly, andspeaketh of the earth: He that cometh from Heavenis above all.”
Romans 7 Verses 21-24 “I find then a law, that,when I would do good, evil is present with me.”(22) “For I delight in the law of God after the inwardman:” (23) “But I see another law in my members,warring against the law of my mind, and bringingme into captivity to the law of sin which is in mymembers.” (24) “O wretched man that I am! whoshall deliver me from the body of this death?”
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Just stop for one minute to consider thisthought ... it took the very same power of God’sAwesome Holy and Creative Presence. That’s thevery same Creative touch that made The Heavens,the earth and all that are contained within them.
It took the infilling power of The Spirit ofCreativity ... The Holy Ghost to keep Jesus fromsin’s taint and to present Him as
“a Lamb without spot, withoutwrinkle, without blemish!” So just howdoes mere man possibly think that he, by himself,
can cope with “temptation” without being filledwith The Holy Ghost! Isn’t that why Jesus said to,
Luke 24 Verse 49(b & c)
“ … but tarry ye …”
(c) “ … until ye be endued withpower from on high.”
Romans 7 Verse 25 “I thank God through JesusChrist our Lord. So then with the mind I myselfserve the law of God; but with the flesh the law ofsin.”
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Hebrews 4 Verse 15 “For we have not an highpriest which cannot be touched with the feeling of
our infirmities; but was in all pointstempted like as [we are, yet] withoutsin.”
Jesus wore the weight of our sin upon His Ownshoulders but He was totally “Sinless.” He neverparticipated in those things which separates us fromour Father God. Let us always remember theavailability of our Great High Priest, who can alwaysbe called upon to deliver us out of our despair.
Temptation, always brings with it the intensity ofpressure to conform ... temptation always comes asa weight or a pressure which is applied to our
“WILL” to conform to it! It wants to pouryou into it’s own mold of conformity.
James 1 Verse 12 “Blessed [is] the man thatendureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shallreceive the crown of Life, which The Lord hathpromised to them that Love Him.”
As Christians we are exhorted to both
“Watch and pray” that we do not enter intotemptations by our own carelessness ordisobedience but in such cases God provides theway of escape.
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We are living in days, when it has almost
become fashionable to “backslide.” Butscripture tells us;
Proverbs 14 Verse 14 “The backslider in heart shall
be filled with his own ways: and a goodman [shall be satisfied] from himself.”
When “self,” and “self-seeking,” areno longer the ambition of your heart, you will becontent in the way that The Lord has led you.
Matthew 26 Verse 41 “Watch and pray, thatye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed [is]willing, but the flesh [is] weak.”
“Watch and pray, does not mean to enter
into the paranoia of being, “so Heavenlyminded, that you are no earthlygood!”
People are lured aside by the fantasy tobecome something other than what they aresupposed to be in God. And backslide because theallurement is so strong.
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Often, we are deceived into thinking that wecontrol the situation ... but this only leads to our
“root” motive being uncovered.
Luke 8 Verse 13 “They on the rock [are they],which, when they hear, receive the word with joy;and these have no root, which for a while believe,and in time of temptation fall away.”
1 Thessalonians 3 Verse 5 “For this cause, when Icould no longer forbear, I sent to know your Faith,lest by some means the tempter have tempted you,and our labour be in vain.”
1 Corinthians 10 Verse 13 “There hath notemptation taken you but such as is common to
man: but God [is] faithful, who will notsuffer you to be tempted above thatye are able; but will with thetemptation also make a way toescape, that ye may be able to bear[it].”
Neither let us be flippant in the treatment ofbeing or entertaining temptation knowing full wellthat we are ultimately responsible for our actions.
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I can almost hear you asking,
“is there any benefit to temptationthen ... why does it exist at all?”
The only conceivable answer to this is the factthat God has so blessed His Created - man with two
things, firstly a “conscience” and secondly a
“will.” As The Lord Himself, is the only One whocan turn the evil for the good, it would follow closelythat we would do well not to stray down temptations
path by “act of choice!”
Throughout the life of Jesus, scripture bearswitness to His growth steps in obedience.
Luke 2 Verse 40 “And the child grew, and waxedstrong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and The Grace ofGod was upon Him.”
From the cradle to manhood, the span of thirty
years prior to the “wildernesstemptation,” Jesus triumphed daily inunceasing victory over all temptations of the enemyrailed against the private life of both babe, teen,youth and young man.
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Hebrews 4 Verse 15(b) “ ... touched withthe feeling of our infirmities; but wasin all points tempted like as [we are,yet] without sin.”
The temptations of youth, are set on a courseto derail to either the left or the right from the coursewhich had been set before it.
Luke 2 Verses 46-47 “And it came to pass, thatafter three days they found Him in the temple,sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearingthem, and asking them questions.”
(47) “And all that heard Him were astonished at Hisunderstanding and answers.”
Matthew 17 Verse 5(b) “ … This is My beloved Son,in whom I AM well pleased; hear ye Him.”
Confirmed by “Divine acclaim” atJordan’s baptism, The Dove of God guides Jesusfilled with The Spirit without measure to the place ofempowering by the Holy Ghost and the launch into
three years of public ministry from which theworld would never be the sameagain!
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As Jesus grew as a boy He knew what it waslike to walk in the Spirit. There is a distinctionbetween being filled with the Holy Spirit and beingable to minister in the power of the Spirit.
Luke 2 Verse 52 “And Jesus increased in wisdomand stature, and in favour with God and man.”
John 3 Verse 34 “For He whom God hath sentspeaketh The Words of God: for God giveth not theSpirit by measure [unto Him].”
The knowledge that Jesus gained was theknowledge of knowing and growing in Father God,the depth of His relationship with Father God.
Jesus Himself knew the distinct working of both
the Word of God and the Spirit ofGod, you cannot divorce one fromthe other. Without the Holy Ghost, the Word willnot come to life and the old man, the old nature willcontinue wanting to wander in the wilderness of
“sin,” battered by the winds of “doubt” and
“unbelief” buffeted by “self” and “self-seeking” and tossed to and fro byevery wind of doctrine.
Galatians 5 Verse 16 “[This] I say then, Walk in theSpirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.”
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This shows a direct parallel to that of Israel andher possessing the land. God gave thempossession and we Christians in our walk withJesus have been called to possess that which Hehas conquered for us.
That is why the example was given concerningJesus’ temptation in the wilderness. He was led ofthe Holy Spirit into the wilderness for a distinctpurpose and that purpose was to reveal the might
of “The Lord thy God in the midst ofthee.”
Zephaniah 3 Verse 17 “The LORD thy God in themidst of thee [is] mighty; He will save, He willrejoice over thee with joy; He will rest in His Love,He will joy over thee with singing ...”
Thus it became Him to fulfil all righteousnessand God’s declaration of Acts 10 Verse 38 whichstates ...
Acts 10 Verse 38 “How God Anointed Jesus ofNazareth with The Holy Ghost and with Power: who
went about doing good, and healing all thatwere oppressed of the devil; forGod was with Him.”
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And finally, 1 John 3 Verse 8(b) which statesemphatically ...
“… For this purpose The Son ofGod was manifested, that He mightdestroy the works of the devil.”
Jesus destroyed the works of the devil bydestroying with the sword of His mouth the threedistinct areas of temptation that satan boughtagainst Jesus as addressed in Matthew Chapter 4Verses 1-11.
The devil found that Jesus could withstand thelure of every bait which had been laid before Himright down to the three waves of buffeting thatpounded like strong men ...
1. “the lust of the eye,”2. “the lust of the flesh,”3. and “the pride of life.”
The aim of the enemy was to bring total doubt
of Jesus’ “Divinity in humanity” to poison
His heart with the corrupt touch of both “doubt,”“distrust” and “despair.”
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There is strange marvel in the temptation ofJesus, firstly in that He was tempted as man andsecondly, that He was tempted as The Son of man.
Previously, the Lord allowed satan to try thereins of His servant Job. Now the gauntlet has beenlaid down and he tries it against The Servant of TheMost High, Jesus who is The Christ!
Luke 4 Verse 1 “And Jesus being full of The HolyGhost returned from Jordan, and was led by TheSpirit into the wilderness,”
There is the point in question,
“no man can stand the wiles of thetempter unless he be full of the HolyGhost” but above all we learn that Jesus was ledby the Spirit into the wilderness.
A tree which grows by itself is more exposed towinds and storms than another that stands in themidst of the forest of trees. Alfred Lord Tennyson
once stated that “no man is an islandunto himself ...”
As we see the day of the Lord approaching wewould do well to consolidate in the
“communion of saints and thefellowship of the Holy Spirit.”
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All the tactics of tempting to alter one’s courseare nothing compared to the onslaught in thewilderness. This affront, is more like three waves ofa continuous full-fledged attack to either
“make or break” ... but the outcome is
assured in the triumph of “The Word madeFlesh!”
At the end of the temptations it is written that
Jesus said unto satan “ ... it is written,”
“Get thee hence.”
“This was a commandment fromwhich there was no appeal. Theenemy was defeated and he knew itfull well.”
1) The first temptation entailed;
“ lust of the flesh” ...which was countered by,
“It is written ... !”
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2) The second temptation entailed;
“lust of the eyes” ...which He countered by,
“Again, It is written ... !”
3) The third temptation entailed;
“the pride of life” ...which He conquered by stating,
“For it is written ... !”
Verse 11(a) “ then the devil leaveth Him ...”
Well tried, the loyalty of Jesus stood strongagainst satan’s suggestion of unbelief toward thewill of God.
In strength He withstood thesnide slander,
“ ... if thou be the Son of God ...”
Jesus left no room for neitherfleshly appetites, presumption orworldliness.
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And as Luke’s Gospel declares ...
Luke 4 Verses 14-15 “And Jesus returned in thepower of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out afame of Him through all the region round about.”(15) “And He taught in their synagogues, beingglorified of all.”
But the point being was the fact that Jesus wasled of the Holy Ghost, being full of the Holy Ghostand returned in the power of the Holy Ghost. Forthe birth of three years of public ministry requiredHim to be,
“Full of ... ”“Led by ... ”“The Power of, The Holy Ghost!”
No other weapon in the Christian’s armour, is of
greater importance than the “Sword of TheWord.” No other piece of “Divine armour”nor human experience can supersede the thorough
honing of The Sword of The Lord!
Our early Christian forefathers, though oftensimplistic and termed ordinary or unlearned menfollowed one example and one example only andthat certainly was not the Degrees of academicattainment.
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It was depth of relationship withHim who is,
“The Word made Flesh.”
Yet, all the disciples continued to do this one
thing. “Study to show themselvesapproved ...”
In other words, a sword is not asword by merely experiencing it, the
metal has first honed an edge which is to be
wheeled with both “skilful” and “trainedhands.”
Not the hack and slash of a bloodstainednovice bolstering his own ego by the experience oflittle but a blunted edge and living in the dreams ofa yesterday.
“Today, if you will hear His voice!”
You would never send an untrained soldier intothe battlefield without at least giving him the chanceof survival by honing within the individual, the skillsrequired for survival against the onslaught of theenemy.
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Conversely, without training, you can only runon emotions. Without training, you contradict youraims and aspirations before God ... without training,you have a whole bunch of people all whipped up,and nowhere to go ... !!!??
When Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit,the declaration of Luke’s Gospel declares ...
Luke 4 Verse 15 “And He taught in theirsynagogues, being glorified of all.”
The glory was not in Himself but in the
“Father’s Word of instruction” inpreparation to do battle against the wiles of the evilone.
In this day, the Church is screaming for herrights without honing the responsibility to see youngmen and women schooled and skilled in the basicsof foundational doctrine.
The apostle John wrote,
1 John 2 Verse 14(b)-17 “... I have written unto you,young men, because ye are strong, and The Wordof God abideth in you, and ye have overcome thewicked one.” (15) “Love not the world, neither thethings [that are] in the world. If any man love theworld, The Love of the Father is not in him.”
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(16) “For all that [is] in the world, the lust of theflesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life,is not of the Father, but is of the world.”(17) “And the world passeth away, and the lustthereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.” (distinctions mine)
John makes three specific statementsconcerning his charges:-
1) “ ... because ye are strong ... ”2) “ ... and The Word of God
abideth in you. ”3) “ ... and ye have overcome
the wicked one.”
How many young people today can stand insolemn declaration and say that they are strong,they are steadfast and that they have overcome thewicked one?
Young men and women who are not thoroughlyinstructed in God’s Word are in grave dangerbecause we have underrated the power of potentialcarried in the vessels of tomorrow’s church.
Colossians 2 Verse 8(a) “Beware lest any man spoilyou through philosophy and vain deceit,”
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We have a duty to the stewardship The Lordhas blessed us with to ensure that people areskilled to understand the practical application ofGod’s Word, that is,
“line upon line,precept upon precept.”
Again Jesus was tempted to battle against theface of religion, coupled with deceit and vainphilosophy from the traditions of men.
Matthew 16 Verse 1(a) “The Pharisees also with theSadducees came, and tempting ...”
Religion is often the bed partner of politics,people often cry that there should be a totalseparation of Church and State but this can onlyhappen when folk finally come to the realisation that… God did not give religion, He gave relationshipand either we have that relationship or we do not!
The relationship that we have is meant to be aheart to heart encounter with Him who is,
“Divinity veiled in humanity.”
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Matthew 22 Verses 35-40 “Then one of them,[which was] a lawyer, asked [him a question],tempting him, and saying,” (36) “Master, which [is]the great commandment in the law?”(37) “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lordthy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, andwith all thy mind.”(38) “This is the first and great commandment.”(39) “And the second [is] like unto it, Thou shalt lovethy neighbour as thyself.” (40) “On these twocommandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
The manipulations of a legalistic academicmind can never be brought to bear on an encounter
of “The Divine Kind.” When Jesus comes
back, He is expecting to find “Faith” on the earth.
He is expecting to find a Bride without blemish,one who bathes regularly in the washings of thewater of The Word. Do we fulfil our Saviour’scoming expectation or do we give in to temptation tofulfil the temporary expectation of our carnal naturesthat scream ...
“I want what I want,and I want it now!”
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Revisionary Questions.
Question1.There comes pressure to conform to two main
areas, what are they?
Answer.
i) Pressure to conform to “the world.”ii) Pressure to conform to “temptation.”
Question 2.Temptation has been described as a weight, or
pressure which is applied to our what? To force usto conform.
Answer.
“Our will...”
Question 3.
The “perfect work” of patienceproduces what two fruits of the Holy Spirit?
Answer.
“Endurance andlongsuffering.”
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Question 4.
As “doublemindedness” producesconstant instability, what is a wavering personcompared too?
Answer.
“... like a wave of the sea drivenwith the wind and tossed.”
Question 5.What is the crowning glory of the man that
endures temptation?
Answer.
“... The Crown of Life, whichThe Lord hath promised to
them that Love Him.”
Question 6.Job held his strength in God, what did God’s
Word say of Job?
Answer.
“There is nonelike him
in the earth.”
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Question 7.
Temptation applies pressure as,a weight to “the will” to ...................and .................... God.”
Answer.
“Doubt” and “Disobey.”
Question 8.Please fill in the gaps.
i) “Trials” are ............................ii) “Temptations” are ...................iii) “Trials” are .............................iv) “Temptations” are ...................
Answer.
i) “External problems!”ii) “Internal conflicts!”iii) “Endured!”iv) “Resisted!”
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Question 9.
i) “Temptation” triggers, ............ii) “Lust” triggers, ......................iii) “Sin” triggers, .......................
Answer.
i) “Lust.”ii) “Sin.”iii) “Death.”
Question 10.Like a drop of ink stains a glass of water, what
are the stages that “temptation” uses to drawus into sinful acts.
Answer.
i) An evil “thought.”ii) A strong “imagination.”iii) Delight in “giving place”
(to those thoughts).iv) We “moving from thought
to action.”v) Delight in “doing the act.”
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Question 11.With the temptation, there is choice in the
matter.
Answer.“... but God is Faithful, who will not suffer you to
be tempted above that ye are able; but withthe temptation also make a way toescape, that ye may be able to bearit.”
Question 12.If we continually make the effort to choose to
“walk in the Spirit, we will not fulfilthe lusts of the flesh.” What waydoes “the flesh nature of man” giveaccess to temptation?
Answer.
i) “Through the lust of the eye.”ii) “Through the lust of the flesh.”iii) “Through the pride of life.”
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Question 13.How did Jesus neutralize the power of
temptation?
Answer.
By “The Word of God,”... “It is written!”
Question 14.How is it that young men can be strong and
“... overcome the wicked one?”
Answer.
“The Word of God abideth in you...”
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Bibliography of Reference Material.
Brown, Michael. L. “Go and Sin No More.”Regal Publications, Gospel Light.Ventura, California, U.S.A. (1999 edit.)
Dalton, Robert.B. “Old Testament Biblical Theology.”Menorah Publications (1992 edit.)
Finney, Charles. G. “Chrystal Christianity.”Whitaker House (1985 edit.)
Henry, Matthew. “Commentary on The Whole Bible.”Hendrickson publications. (1991 edit.)
Hira, Peter. “School for Ministry.”Vol.2 N.Z. (1985 edit.)“Amplified Bible.”Lockman Foundation,
(chapter reference notes.)Zondervan Bible Publishers. (1987 edit.)
Morgan, G.Campbell. “An Exposition of The Whole Bible.”Marshal Pickering (1992 edit.)
Payne, J. Barton. “The Theology Of The Older Testament.”Zondervan Bible Publishers. (1978 edit.)
Thompson, Frank Charles. “Thompson Chain Reference Bible.”B.B.Kirkbridge Bible Company, Inc.
(K.J.V. 1964 edit.)
Strong, James. “Exhaustive Concordance of The Bible.”Hendrickson publications. (1995 edit.)
Uren, Bruce.C. “A Friend of God.”Printcorp publications. Tauranga. N.Z.
(May, 1988 edit.)
Vine, W. E. “Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Old andNew Testament Words.”
Thomas Nelson, inc., Publishers.(1985 edit.)
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TM
Menorah PublicationsCatalogue 2014.
Series, “Discovering Discipleship … ”
Hebrews 6 Verses 1-2
No.1 - “Let us go on …”No.2 - The “how to,” called …
Repentance:No.3 - The “can do,” Faith from God:No.4 - “Baptism … the waters.”
No.5 - “The Laying on of Hands:”No.6 - “Resurrection of the dead.”
No.7 - “The Eternal Godhead:”
“ ... Going on to perfection ... !”
The first of a three part series of Bible Studies,these lay the foundation teachings of our Faithbased on Hebrews 6 Verses 1-2. Good for youngdisciples, each lesson is prepared so it can be usedas private, group or classroom study material.
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Series, “Growing Discipleship …”“The Be- Attitudes, Love‘s Divine Attitudes”
Matthew 5 Verses 3-11
1.“Blessed” … “are the poor in spirit.”2.“Blessed” … “are they that mourn.”3.“Blessed” … “are the meek.”4.“Blessed” … “are they which do hunger.”5.“Blessed” … “are the merciful.”6.“Blessed” … “are the pure in heart.”7.“Blessed” … “are the peacemakers. ”8.“Blessed,” “are they which are persecuted.”
If you “be in Christ,” then it stands toreason, that whatever curved balls are thrown
to you in this life, you will “Be-in-Christ’s-Attitude,” and not react in an inappropriatemanner. As hard as that may be!
“Blessed are …” relates to the presenttense, to the here and now, not only to the future.But from here, to there and beyond!
This second of a three part series of Biblestudies, are designed to help understand thedevelopment of our Christian Character in our dayto day walk.
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Series, “Overcomers…Discipleship.”
That ye might be ... “partakers.”2 Peter 1 Verses 1-11
1.) “And beside this, giving all diligence ...”
2.) “... add to your Faith virtue ...”
3.) “… and to virtue knowledge;”
4.) “And to knowledge temperance; …”
5.) “ … and to temperance patience; …”
6.) “ … and to patience godliness;”
7.) “And to godliness brotherly kindness; …”
8.) “ … and to brotherly kindness charity(or LOVE.)”
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Our third in the Discipleship series, is
“Discipleship that Overcomes,”
And is titled,
That ye might be ... “partakers.”
These lessons come from the second letter ofPeter and work well alongside the previous series
entitled, “The Beatitudes” which cover thedevelopment of our Christian Character.
If a man has come to the place of little or nogrowth, then surely, he has remained as a babe. Ifhe has not given himself over to be dealt with byThe Spirit of Grace, then he is marked by the arm ofthe flesh.
He is still a Christian, but a carnal Christian, ababe in Christ. But if he completely surrenders hiswill to The Holy Spirit, he will rapidly and willinglychoose to put down the deeds of the flesh andbecome what God’s Word calls a
“Spiritual man.”
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Copy-right ... personal observations.
To those Brethren, that have laboured long andhard in The Word of our God ... I take time to Bless them publicallyfor their endeavours to pass on that Holy Ghost inspired Wordthroughout His Church ...
Hebrews 6 Verse 10 “For God [is] not unrighteous to forget yourwork and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward His Name,in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.”
Therefore, edify The Body of Christ, encourage and exhort;but remember, if you are tempted to call the work of another yourown, you are the one that will in the end be held responsible foryour actions. “The Spirit of Grace,” gave the work to the hand of“the scribe,” who faithfully put pen to paper. Plagiarism, is not onlyillegal, it is immoral; above all, we must ...
Romans 12 Verse 10“[Be] kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly
love; in honour preferring one another;”
So I exhort you in The Name of our Lord and Saviour, to feelquite free to use the material with which The Lord has so blessedus and those before us, bearing in mind that the pre-eminencebelongs to
The Lord Jesus Christ Himself ...
Your brother in His service,Robert .B. Dalton.
Matthew 10 Verse 8(b) “ ... freely ye have received, freely give.”
http://menorahpublicationsweeblycom.weebly.com/
e mail [email protected]
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“The stronger the foundation,the brighter the future!”
1 Corinthians 3 Verse 11“For other foundation can no man
lay than that is laid, …which is Jesus Christ.”
Let us join together to,
“Church the Un-Churched,Teach the Un-Taught,”and most of all,
“Reach the Un-Reached ...for Jesus!”
“Go Ye ... !”“Speak Ye ... !”
“Do Ye ... !”
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About the author.
Born and raised in inner Sydney, N.S.W. Australia, Robertwas a child when the likes of Arthur Stace, Alan Walker and TedNoffs ministered to Sydney in the nineteen fifties.
The Lord spoke to Robert at the age of seven, outside of theold Cleveland Street Congregational Church. For many years, hecontinued to live for himself. That is, until The Lord again spoke tohim in The Bay of Plenty in New Zealand. He received JesusChrist into his life as Lord and Saviour in February, 1980. BeingWater Baptised in April, Born Again and Filled with The Holy Spiritin May of the same year.
Bob and Nikki married, in October of 1987 and have anawesome family of five plus four of Bob’s older children withaltogether and to date nineteen Grandchildren.
Bob has compiled and published materials helpful for growthand development in Christ Jesus. Sadly, but with great joy, Nikkipassed into Glory to be with our Lord. 21st July, 2014.
Over the years, Bob has ministered as a Pastor/ Teacher andfunctioned as itinerant Preacher with a strong call to Missions.
His desire, is to see more folk, coming out of themselves,and going deeper into personal relationship with our Lord andSaviour, The Lord Jesus Christ.
