The Winds of Tempations

In a world in which we could say there's not many absolutes, there is one absolute that we could say that we all face, and that is temptation. Temptation. So the title of today's study is the winds of temptation. The winds of temptation. Because young or old, the winds of temptation will always be upon us. In a poem written by Ella Willer Wilcox, in a portion of it she writes this. Listen to this. One ship sells east, the other sells west. By the selfsame winds that blow, tis the set of the cells and not the gales that tells the way we go. So this afternoon we want to come to this issue of temptation. And the poetic significance of those words lies in grasping that you and I will always be in these crosswinds. And so it is how we set ourselves which will determine which way we go in life. Once the winds of temptation blow upon us, they will either move us in one direction or the other. They will either move us towards God or towards sin. And in just a moment we're going to look at two ships today. Two ships as in two individuals who will be blown by the same winds of temptation. And we will see that despite the same winds, they will go in completely different directions. One will go east, if you will, and one will go west. But before we get to those ships, let's get to know a few things about temptation. First we should ask the simple question, what is it? What is temptation? Well, it's simply an enticement to sin and evil. Temptation is an enticement to sin and evil. And sin and evil, of course, we know is just simply that which is contrary to God's way or His law. And so with that very definition, we can see that it is critical for a Christian to learn how to deal with it. And so we open our Bibles and we discover that it is in the book of James where we find the most direct word given to us with regards to temptation. So it's the perfect place to begin. So let's do that. Turn with me to James 1. Let's read verses 12-15. James 1, verse 12-15. Now, what we know about James as Jesus's brother is that he had a very unique perspective in this letter. With every topic that he takes on, James proposes that a true Christian's faith is not dormant, but a true Christian's faith is active. A Christian is actively looking to respond to all of life's dilemmas in the proper way. And we certainly could say that temptation is one such dilemma. So let's see what he says about it. James 1, verse 12.

But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when the desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin. And sin, when it's fully grown, brings forth death. Let's stop there. So, 1 James says to us, Blessed is the man who endures temptation. What does that tell us? In other words, what he's saying is that it's unavoidable. Temptation is unavoidable. It's something that we'll have to endure in this lifetime. We'll never be free from the enticement to sin and evil.

In fact, and some of you will know this very personally, when you get older, what you discover is that those temptations in which you encountered in your youth, well, they're still with you. And they've just simply taken on new faces or new forms. So, throughout their life, a Christian must endure this continual and unyielding enticement. It's an aspect of life that we will always be engaged in. Why is that, you think? Why is that?

Well, I know, I know that when I receive God's grace, when I made a commitment to God, once I said, God, I will follow you, and I'll follow the example of Jesus Christ, once I made that commitment, I know then that I'm not transported to some spiritual bubble where I'm removed from the temptation to sin. And in many ways, it's just the opposite. In many ways, that is the moment in which I truly discover the great battleground. And it is at that moment, then, that a Christian must figure out how to deal with the temptation to sin.

So we ask ourselves today, how can I, as a Christian, deal with the temptation to sin? What do you think? If you think about it, it really can be quite simple when you break it down. The way a Christian deals with temptation is by actively engaging in the battle every day. That might be a good thing to write down. Let your eyes fall upon that. I will engage in this battle of temptation every day. Why are those words important? It's because there are many Christians who are in search of some kind of experience or some kind of all-encompassing action that they can take which will deal with this battle once and for all.

But there is no such experience. The truth is, here's the truth, no matter what kind of spiritual victory that I achieved yesterday, I know that as I moved out this morning, I am faced once again with the task to reduce and eliminate any temptation that comes my way. I know that it's another day that I must refuse to allow my eyes to wander off to sin.

I know it's another day in which I must refuse to allow my mind to contemplate anything that is of a sinful nature. I know it's another day in which I must refuse to allow my affections to run after anything that is not of God. And it is my ability to be victorious in a way where it's not my ability to think back on some previous day's victory. No. It's in my ability today, I know, to close or avert my eyes, to shift or control my thinking, to realign my affections from that sinful desire back to God. And that can be a very enlightening moment because you may be looking for a time in your life in which you will be removed from the enduring.

But we must realize that God's grace receiving that does not remove you from the battlefield. And again, in many ways, it only intensifies on that day because our senses are then heightened by the Holy Spirit. And we're at no doubt, all those things are made fully aware to us, those things that are outside of God's way. And so James wants to educate us on this issue of enduring temptation. So the first and foremost thing that we must acknowledge regarding temptation is that it's an aspect in which we will always have to endure.

Okay. We got that. Thank you, James. What else? What else do I need to know? Well, let's look again at verse 13 and 14. Verse 13 and 14. He continues. Let no one say when he is tempted, I am tempted by God. For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. So James makes a very clear statement with regards to where temptation originates from.

It states very clearly, God is not the tempter. God is not the tempter. God can never be the source of an enticement to evil, as it says. He himself cannot be tempted, and he does not tempt anyone else. So where does the enticement to sin originate from?

Verse 14. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Did you catch it? Temptation begins with the individual and their own internal evil desires. Each one is tempted by his own. Each one is tempted by her own. In other words, I know that the evil desires that I experience, well, I know where they come from. They come from me, and they're unique to me. And yours come from you, and they're unique to you. So let's make this acknowledgment today. In me, there is a weakness. In me, there is an inclination to disobey God. I am inclined to indulge in evil because evil emerges from within me. Jesus Christ himself made that point very clear. Let's see that. Turn with me to Mark 7. Mark 7. Mark 7. Mark 20.

We're going to break in here. Jesus had left the crowd here. He went into the house, and the disciples asked him about the parable of that which defiles a man. And he went on to give us this understanding. So Mark 7. Let's read verses 20-23. So what does defile a man? Verse 20.

And he said, What comes out of a man? That defiles a man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these things come from within and defile a man. So let's stop there. What comes out of us is what makes us unclean. It is from within. It is from within. Out of a man's heart, out of a woman's heart, these evil aspects come. From the inside, proceed these things. So all these evil things, look at this list, originate from within us. You understand that. And if you think this through, it's true.

Think about this. Your parents did not have to teach you to lie, did they?

No, yeah, they had to teach you to tell the truth. They did not have to teach you to steal. They had to teach you not to take things that weren't yours. They didn't have to teach you to lose your temper. No. They had to teach you to keep it under control. These things are from within. And so, here it is. Here it is. The devil's wind blows and entices that carnal nature in you. The devil's wind blows and entices that carnal nature in me. But let's be very clear about this. Every time that you sin, every time that I sin, it's because we made a decision to sin on the inside. Temptation cannot open the door to sin. Did you know that? Temptation cannot open the door to sin.

So who opens it?

Does the devil open it? No. No. We open it.

And now God does say in Genesis 4 that sin is crouching. He's crouching at that door. It's desires to have you. But then it goes on to say, but you must rule over it.

Sin is crouching at our door, but it's still up to you. Whether you open that door or not, we may try to explain away our personal failings on the basis of the devil. The devil made me do it. That's Tom Sawyer. Or we may try to explain it away on the basis of our peers.

Ah, they are a sorry bunch. If you knew the influence they had on me. But what does the Bible say? Each one is tempted when by his own, her own evil desire. It's our own evil desire. You can't pin this. I can't pin this.

Let's ask James what else? What else can you tell us about temptation? Let's turn back to James 1 in verse 15, if you will. James 1 in verse 15.

So, first, we have seen that we must endure temptation. It will always be with us. We've also seen that God is not the one who tempts us, but rather these things emerge from within us.

And now James is about to reveal something to us that is nothing short of remarkable. Because what James is about to reveal to us next is the exact moment when temptation turns to sin. He's about to reveal the exact moment when sin is born. Have you ever wondered that? It's fascinating. Let's read this. James 1 in verse 15 says, Then when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin. And sin, when it's fully grown, brings forth death. Let's stop there. So did you know that there is a conception process that occurs before you sin? Let's think about that a moment. What does that conception process look like? See if you agree with this. Could we say that there is a moment? There is always a moment in which you become aware and become conscious of the temptation to evil. There is always a moment in which you become conscious of an inner evil desire. And it is at that moment in which you have a choice. You can either give birth to sin or not. As we contemplate that for a moment, one thing to realize about temptation is that when it blows upon you, temptation in and of itself is not sin. Temptation in and of itself is not sin to you. It's not the first unintentional look at an attractive male or female body part that's sin. It's the second look, isn't it? It's not the accidental opening of a lewd website or movie that is sin. You saw it and you realized this wasn't what I expected. You redirect and you turn it off and close it down. No, that's not sin. It's sin when you kept it up or kept watching. Sin is born at the moment you and I become conscious of its existence and we refuse to get rid of it. Let me repeat that. Sin is born at the moment you become conscious of its existence and you refuse to get rid of it. So there is absolutely a conception process that leads to sin. There is a moment in which you can reject and redirect or you can give birth.

So temptation, we could say, must be dealt with right at its conception, the moment you become aware of it.

It's not when the temptation arose in my heart that sin was born. It's when I put my affections on it. Evil desire conceived in our hearts, if it's not eliminated immediately, will without a doubt give birth to sin. And sin leads to death. It's that simple. Any time you have a concept like this or a process that is presented to us in Scripture, it can be so helpful if we see this process in action. So that's what we're going to do next. Let's get to those two ships, those two individuals that I spoke about earlier. Who are the ships, do you think?

Turn with me to Genesis 39, if you will. Genesis 39, we want to enter into the life of Joseph as he is dealing with Potiphar's wife. What we're going to see here are two ships in Joseph and Potiphar's wife. Two ships blown by the same winds of temptation. And I'll spoil the ending for you. Despite the same winds. They are going to be blown in completely different directions. And we're going to see clearly in Potiphar's wife this birth process.

This process of when temptation is blown upon and then it's conceived. It's allowed to grow until it eventually gives birth to sin. Genesis 39, let's begin in verse 1. By reading verse 1-6, this will serve to set the scene for us and establish where we are in the life of Joseph. Chapter 39 and verse 1. Now, Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. Not a good place, by the way. And Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard in Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him down there.

The Lord was with Joseph and he was a successful man. And he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian. And his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made all he did prosper in his hand. Verse 4. So, Joseph found favor in his sight and served him. He made him overseer of the house and all that he had he put under his authority. So it was from the time that he had made him overseer of the house and all that he had that the Lord blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake. And the blessing of the Lord was on all that he had in the house and in the field.

Thus, he left all he had in Joseph's hand. And he did not know what he had except for the bread which he ate. Now, Joseph was handsome in form and appearance. So let's stop there. It's an interesting last sentence, isn't it? Now, we could say that Joseph was often a favorite. He was the favorite of his father.

He was the favorite of Potiphar we see here. And with this transitional phrase here that he was handsome in form and appearance, we're going to see that he's going to become very quickly the favorite of Potiphar's wife as well. So let's continue as we do. Let's remember what we're looking for here. We're looking to identify the particular elements in this process of how temptation, once it's conceived, if it's allowed to grow, will no doubt turn and become and lead to sin.

So let's continue to read here. Verse 7. Let's see this process played out. Verse 7. And it came to pass after these things that his master's wife cast longing eyes on Joseph. And she said, Lie with me. Let's stop there. So what do we see? So notice this phrase, and it came to pass after these things that his master's wife began to cast longing eyes upon him. So what does that mean? It came to pass after a while. There was a process that was occurring here.

Something was being cultivated here. And so there came one day, however soon in the situation, in which she began to notice Joseph in a different way. I'm sure initially he was just one of the slaves of the house. But suddenly, one day, she began to notice him in this different way. And she looked at him. And then she looked back at him. You see. And she began to cast longing eyes upon him. So you can feel the wind here. She cast longing eyes upon him.

She began in her mind to conceive this desire. Look at him. Dwell upon him. She didn't reject it. And just know that the eyes are so often the gateway to giving birth to sin. The eyes in many ways are the path by which sinful affections come. And the eyes can be very subtle. She allowed her eyes to begin to ensnare her heart. And as a result, she began this birth process, if you will.

And we could ask at this moment, does this woman have any shame? How does she say this so boldly? Those three words. How does someone get to this point? How does someone get so far to reach this realm of boldness? Well, the answer is, with Potiphar's wife, rather than eliminating it, the minute those winds began to blow, she allowed it to stay. And not only that, she began to feed it. She began giving birth at this level of her imagination. And when we feed temptation at that level of imagination, so dangerous.

So dangerous. Why? Well, it's because we take forward the possibility that we might actually do what we've been thinking about. Very dangerous. If in our minds we've already gone so far, what's the only thing missing? Opportunity. And the opportunity would now come and arise with Potiphar's wife. Look at verse 10 and 11. So it was, as she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he did not heed her to lie with her or to be with her. But it happened about this time when Joseph went into the house to do his work and none of the men of the house was inside.

That's it. There's the opportunity. And so she comes and she grabs him. Verse 12. And she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie with me. But he left his garment in her hand and fled and ran outside. So first with her eyes she imagines what could happen.

Then with her feet she moves herself to that opportunity and then she grabs onto it with her hands. And we know Jesus Christ Himself has a strong word concerning the eyes, the feet, and the hands. If they offend us, if your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off.

Cast it from you. It's better for you to enter into life lame or maimed rather than have two hands or two feet and be cast into everlasting fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. Cast it from you. It's better that you enter into life with one eye rather than two eyes and be cast into hellfire. That's Matthew 18 if you want to look it up later.

That is the radical symbolism of how we are to deal with temptation immediately, immediately, ruthlessly when it begins to blow. Because failure to do so in a decisive way leads to sin. Sin leads to death.

But Joseph wasn't going to let that happen. He was very decisive. And you and I are going to have to be as well. And it's apparent that Joseph here had already settled this matter in his mind. There was certainly somewhat of a premeditation we can see here on Joseph's part. He must have identified the challenges of a handsome man there in Egypt. And he must have settled in his mind if once that wind begins to blow, this is what I'm going to say. And this is what I'm going to do. I'm going to make this decision of, no, we can't wait till the heat of the moment. If you wait till the heat of the moment to make this decision, you know what your answer is going to be, don't you? I know what mine's going to be, don't I? You can't wait till the heat of the moment. The only way to deal with temptation is before it comes. Before those winds blow. And Joseph was absolute. Look at his refusal here. Such a decisive stand. Look at verse 8 and 9 again. It says, but he refused and said to his master's wife, look, my master does not know what is with me in the house. He's committed all that he has to my hand. In fact, there's no one that is greater than I in the house, nor has he kept anything back from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God? I'm in charge of everything. He's kept nothing back from me. Except... So what does he do here? He introduces right and wrong. He introduces right and wrong to the situation. He introduces truth. And he says that wouldn't be right. He's unashamed. How could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God? And here's the kicker. That's the kicker.

There is something very important to bring out here regarding his fear of God. And I want you to know this. Look at the kind of fear it is. It's not that I'm afraid of what you, God, are going to do to me. It's more, I'm afraid, about what my actions might do to you.

So think about that for a moment. What is this fear of God? It's not necessarily the fear of punishment. But it's the fear of the implications of bringing down a family name. Boy, get that kind of fear in your life. That's the kind of fear you and I need. He didn't come to Potiphar's wife and say, I don't want to do this. Oh, I would be hurting you. No. None of that stuff. What does he say? How could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God? God, I love you. I'm not going to bring this shame to your name. No way. And his response was unyielding. If you look at verse 10 again. So it was, as she spoke to Joseph, what does it say? Day by day. That he would not heed her or lie with her or be with her day after day. You know, it's one thing to resist temptation after its first attack. It's quite another to have to confirm that decision on a daily basis. But what did James teach us earlier? We must endure temptation. Again, I can't rest on any victory that I had yesterday. No. I know those winds are going to come and blow upon me today. And Joseph knew it too. Every day of our lives we make a choice. We're either going to be moved in the realm of obedience or disobedience.

We must endure it because we know sin is crouching at the door. It desires to have us. But we must rule over it. So, don't let desires conceive and remain in your mind. The time to deal with temptations is immediately and decisively. That's what verse 12 tells us. He just took off. He just ran. What a wonderful inspiration Joseph is to us today. We can all thank Joseph for this wonderful example. I admire him greatly.

Let's move to a conclusion here this afternoon. Turn with me to 1 Corinthians. 1 Corinthians.

1 Corinthians 10 and verse 13. 1 Corinthians 10 and verse 13. We're going to here conclude with what I think is one of the most powerful and encouraging parts in all the Bible. Those who are enduring today. This promise is for you. Those who face these winds of temptation. This is for you. 1 Corinthians 10 and verse 13. See if you can pick up on what it says.

Verse 13, No temptation has overtaken you except such as common demand. But God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able. But with the temptation will also make a way of escape that you may be able to bear it. What's the truth here? The truth is, there has never been an occasion in my life in which I willfully sinned because the temptation was too strong.

There has never been an occasion in my life in which I willfully sinned because the temptation was too strong. In every occasion, it's because I wanted to sin.

Let's get honest.

If you want to overcome temptation, God will always, always give you a way of escape. Every time. He provides a way of escape if you want it.

Where are yourselves set this afternoon in relationship to temptation? Decide today. Be a Joseph. Decide today to be someone who, when temptation blows upon you, you're going to refuse to let it grow. You're going to decisively get it out of your life. Why? Because you know who you're actually sinning against. You're sinning against the one who has given you everything.

Every day, the Christian faces these crosswinds. Young or old, these winds of temptation will always blow upon you. Yet, yet, one ship sails east and the other west. By the selfsame winds that blow. Why? How can that be? How can the same winds blow two ships in completely different directions?

Ah, indeed. It is the set of the sails and not the gales that tell the way we go.