Bible Class: Lesson 40

What is temptation?

·      Temptation is the desire, enticement and luring to do something, especially something that is wrong or unwise. The enticement that comes with temptation comes with deception. Temptation can come with pressure and influence. Not all temptations involve immoral acts or behaviours. The devil tempted Jesus with food and power.

Matthew 4:1-3

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

Temptation is broad

·      When people hear of temptation, they often think of immorality and moral issues. Temptation is broad. The devil can tempt us with greed, pride, power, material and wordily things. The devil will use three areas to tempt and lure us to do things that are wrong. He will use things we see, the desires we have, and he will appeal to our pride and ego. All three areas were used when he tempted Jesus.

Mattew 4:2-9

After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: “’He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’” Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”

1 John 2:15-17

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the father is not in them. For everything in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life come not from the father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.

People experience temptation

·      Temptation is common to all people. No one is exempted. The devil will expose our minds, feelings and emotions to things that are wrong and sinful. We hear, feel and see things that are wrong. The desire and urge to have, try and do enters the mind. The mind is altered. The struggle begins. Resisting and the urge to do and engage are real. Some may control the desires they have; while others may have the desires control them. The desires of flesh and the Holy Spirit are at war with each other.

Galatians 5:16-17

So, I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.

Romans 7:14-24

We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. So, I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?

God, the devil and temptation

·      Persons are confused when they read and hear of the word tempt being associated with God. They associate the word tempt with evil. The word temptation, when used with God, it means to test, prove and try. When the word is used with the devil, it means to lure, seduce, trick and deceive. God tested Abraham’s faith. The devil tricked and deceived Adam and Eve.

Genesis 22:1-2 (KJ)

And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. And he said, take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.

Genesis 22:1-2 (NIV)

Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”

Genesis 22:11-12

But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”

1 Thessalonians 3:5
For this reason, when I could bear it no longer, I sent to find out about your faith, for fear that the tempter had somehow tempted you and that our labor might have been in vain.

2 Corinthians 11:3

But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.

How does temptation work?

·      The devil plays on our minds. He presents things to entice and deceive us. He may come presenting the same information in different ways based on our weaknesses. We may resist at first, but he will continue to try until he weighs us down, and we give in and fall into his trap.

James 1:13-15

When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

How does the temptation appear?

·      The devil may disguise temptation. He is subtle. He may use people, family, friends, things and places to tempt us. He may appear as an angel of light. His intent is to deceive.

Proverbs 1:10

My son, if sinful men entice you, do not give in to them.

2 Corinthians 11:3

But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.

2 Corinthains 11:14

And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.

The devil and temptation

·      Temptation comes in all forms and sizes. The devil will use all means possible to tempt, and lure us to do and engage in things that are wrong and sinful. He will disguise himself presenting darkness as light and error as truth.

2 Corinthians 11:14-15

And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.

2 Corinthians 11:3

But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.

The devil and the temptation to leave God and church

·      The devil is not happy when people become Christians. He will use and try everything possible to get his disciples back. The devil is working twenty-four hours, day and night. He will sow negative thoughts in the minds Christians about God, worship and Christianity. He will encourage people to miss worship and bible studies. The missing becomes a habit, and the habit turns into unfaithfulness, that turns into departure from God and church. The devil also sows the seeds of spiritual tiredness in the minds of people. He will sow the negative thoughts that the Christian life and journey are boring and too long. That feeling of spiritual tiredness and weariness will take control of the mind. Gradually persons will lose interest. They will stop attending worship, church activities and bible studies. Finally, they we depart from God and church. The devil is smart. Do not underestimate his wisdom.

Galatians 6:9

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

2 Thessalonians 3:13
But as for you, brothers, do not grow weary in well-doing.

Hebrews 3:12-14

Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end

God provides a way of escape in temptation

·      Temptation can blind or minds and thinking that we do not see the escape route that is before us. Some persons convince themselves that they are spiritually strong to stand and fight the devil and temptation. How, where and when do we look for the escape route. Joseph was wise and able to see the escape route and flee.

1 Corinthains 10:13

No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. 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 endure it.

Genesis 39:6-14

So, Potiphar left everything he had in Joseph’s care; 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. When she saw that he had left his cloak in her hand and had run out of the house, she called her household servants. “Look,” she said to them, “this Hebrew has been brought to us to make sport of us! He came in here to sleep with me, but I screamed.

Jesus was tempted by the devil

·      We are in a daily spiritual fight for our souls with the devil. When we give our lives in obedience to serve God, he will not be happy. He will try everything to influence and get us to serve him. This fight is called a spiritual warfare. This warfare starts immediately after we become Christians to serve God. Jesus was tempted by the devil immediately after his baptism.

Matthew 4:1

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

The temptation of Achan

·      Covetousness and the desire to steal sometimes go through a process. We see, we desire to have, and the devil plays on our minds to take. Achan found himself in that trap.

Exodus 20:17

“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

Joshua 7:20-21

Achan replied, “It is true! I have sinned against the LORD, the God of Israel. This is what I have done: When I saw in the plunder a beautiful robe from Babylonia, two hundred shekels of silver and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. They are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath.”

Do not give the devil an opportunity in temptation

·      Temptation will always be with us. If we open the door, the devil will enter our lives. We are to resist and shut the door. He will lure us with simple things to lead us astray.

Ephesians 4:27

And do not give the devil a foothold.

James 4:7
Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Be alert to temptation

·      God has put out an advisory. Be on the look out. Do not live carelessly. Your enemy is out to get you.

1 Peter 5:8

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

Temptation and prayer

·      When our hour of testing comes, prayer and faith will carry us through.

Luke 22:40

On reaching the place, he said to them, “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.”

Revelation 3:10

Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.

Overcoming our temptation

·      The testing of our faith will come. Not everyone has the resilience and mental fortitude to weather the storm. Some will quit. Those who weather the storm will be rewarded.

James 1:12

Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

Luke 8:13

But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away.