An Anatomy of Temptation

Genesis 3:1-7

1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?"   2 The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.'"   4 "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. 5 "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."   6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

Genesis 3 brings us to the “fall of man”, where Adam and Eve fall into sin.  Not only does it show us where our sin nature originated from, but it also gives us important insights as to how we are tempted.  An important aspect of victory is knowing our enemy, his tactics, his personality.  That is important for Christians.  In Genesis 3 we are given a glimpse as to how Satan works to tempt believers to fall into sin.  So let’s dissect the story and find out how Satan lures us to sin.

1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made.

We are first introduced to Satan, here disguised as a serpent, and described as “crafty”.  The Hebrew word means “cunning (usually in a bad sense)”.  Notice that Satan did not show himself as who he really was.  Though we may not really know what he looks like, I think it is safe to say that his looks depict the evil character that he has in him.  And so he appears to Eve as one of the animals that God had created.  In fact, she is so innocent that she is not surprised that the serpent is talking.

Satan never reveals himself or his true nature to us.  If he did, while he was tempting us, for sure we would run away.  And so he disguises himself, and the sin he is tempting us to commit, as something good, something natural.

Notice the first thing he does:

He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?"

He now attempts to confuse Eve.  This confusion comes in two stages – first he makes Eve question God.  “Did God really say…?”.  We are assuming that Adam told Eve about the restriction of not eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil.  It should have been clear…crystal clear to her.  And yet Satan made her question the command of the Lord.

All of us have questions.  But this is why it is so important that we grow in the Word of God day by day.  Every time we have questions about life we should seek answers from His Word, so that we may understand.  When there are verses we don’t understand, we should inquire from the pastors and teachers of our church.  We should not leave any command, any question unanswered, so that His commands are clear.

The next thing Satan did was to twist the truth.  "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from ANY tree in the garden'?".  Notice how Satan twisted the command of the Lord?  God’s command focused on not eating from one tree;  Satan claimed that God told them they were not to eat from any tree in the garden.  It was as if Satan wanted Eve to question the concern of the Lord for her – doesn’t God want her to enjoy the fruits of the garden?

Many Christians fall into sin when they are tempted because in their minds they ask similar questions - “Did God really say that He doesn’t want us to be successful?”.  This lack of understanding of God’s will causes them to be successful at all costs!  Another commonly asked question - “Doesn’t God want us to enjoy life?”.  So what’s wrong with going to a disco, or having a few drinks, or spending our money on material things?  Makes you wonder who was really asking those questions…

Eve answers the question of the serpent, which revealed her weak point:  2 The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.'"

Notice how she added the phrase “and you must not touch it”.  God never said that.  This showed Satan that she was in a position of being fooled.

4 "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. 5 "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

Satan lied.  Well, he is the “father of lies” (John 8:44).  He told Eve “you will not surely die”!  He lied about the consequence of eating the fruit.  That’s what he does everytime he tempts us.  He hides from us the consequence of sinning against the Lord. All he shows us are the pleasure and enjoyment we will have as we commit the sin.  The only time the consequence becomes clear is after we sin.

Then he twists the character of God - "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."  What Satan was telling her was “God doesn’t want you to be like Him, knowing good and evil”.  He’s selfish.  He doesn’t want to share the wisdom that He has with you.

The next thing we see is the heart of Eve.

6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.

After all the prodding, luring and confusion of Satan her heart now looks at the fruit.  First she sees that it was good for food.  It must have looked really good to eat!  makes you wonder what kind of fruit it was.  There is no indication that it was an apple, though it could have been.

Not only did it look good to eat, but it was attractive!  Her eyes were now attracted to its beauty.

Then, she realized that it was desirable for gaining wisdom.  It was good for her.  It would make her as wise as God!  Who wouldn’t want that!  It would make her a better, wiser, person.  God was wrong to not want her to enjoy that!

She saw the bait, and took the bite.  “She took some and ate it”.  Notice she didn’t just eat one fruit…she took SOME.  You don’t just taste sin – you gulp it down!  She was enjoying herself, feasting on the fruit, enjoying her disobedience!  Not only that, she shared some with Adam.  He must have seen how she was enjoying herself, and himself forgot all about the command of the Lord.

I pray this anatomy of temptation will make us wiser, stronger against the craftiness of Satan and the world, who have only one thing in mind – cause us to sin against our God.  Temptation will always be there.  But we don’t have to succumb to it and fall into sin.  By God’s grace and strength we have the power to resist!

“Holy” Week

Gal 4:9-11
9 But now that you know God — or rather are known by God — how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again? 10 You are observing special days and months and seasons and years! 11 I fear for you, that somehow I have wasted my efforts on you.
NIV

There are many Christians of various denominations who are celebrating what we call “holy week” this week.  Even in evangelical, or bible based churches, most of the messages from the pulpit (including mine) were centered on what was being celebrated, or remembered, on that Sunday.  Last Sunday was known as “palm Sunday” commemorating the entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem and when He was met by people waving palms.  Next Sunday is commonly known as “Resurrection Sunday”, commemorating the resurrection of our Lord on the third day after He died.  The days in between those two Sundays – Thursday and Friday, are the more serious ones.  “Maundy Thursday” is known for when Jesus was betrayed by Judas, and “Good Friday” for the time that Jesus died on the cross.  They all are made for good sermons and reminders of what our Lord Jesus went through for the forgiveness of our sins, all by His grace and love.

It is important to note that it is a “traditional” celebration.  In other words these are days that have been set aside, or set apart, as “special” because of tradition, and not because of any command of our Lord to observe these days as special.  This is important for us to understand, for as human as each one of us are it is so easy for us to make traditional celebrations “holy” in the sense that they actually add something special to our spirituality.  We have the tendency to relate our spirituality to certain practices or rituals, when in actuality it is not the ritual that brings a “blessing” or “anointing”, but our faith in the Lord.

Take child dedications as an example.  Many couples still relate child dedications to baptism, and make sure that a child is “dedicated” to the Lord so that the child will be “blessed”.  But, if parents do not raise up a child in the way he should go, in the biblical way and not the worldly way, a dedication means nothing.  If parents will not stand as examples to their children, and remain worldly, the dedication ceremony has done nothing for the child.  It’s all about our faith and obedience.  This is why many children who have been “dedicated” to the Lord turn out to be non-believers when they grow up.  It is not the ritual, but the heart of faith and obedience that counts to the Lord.

Let’s go back to this “holy” week.  Many will be making this week special.  They will do something extra spiritually because it is holy week.  They will listen to messages about the passion of Christ, about His suffering, His dying on the cross this week because it is “holy” week.  There will be skits on Jesus washing the apostles feet, and of the seven last words.  For some there will be special diets, abstaining from meat on Friday.  Christians will make sure that they pray, read the Bible this week.  Why?  Because it is “holy” week.

But what happens after this week?  Will we go back to our usual daily, worldly, self-centered, God-forgetting, hectic and busy lives?  Many think that by making an extra effort to be “holy” this week it will make up for the rest of the 41 weeks that we have not been holy!  Many Christians who have been absent from many Sunday services will all of a sudden pop up during Resurrection Sunday.  Why?  Because it’s “holy” week.  Sad.

This is why Christians must always be wary and careful about making certain days as special or holy.  Just like Sunday.  Many Christians consider Sunday holy that they make sure they go to their Sunday services, wear their Sundays best, serve the Lord in ministry, and smile when they shake hands.  But from Monday to Saturday they’re back to their old carnal and worldly ways.  What happened?  Did Sunday’s “holiness” make up for our worldliness during the six days of the week?  It’s not that Sunday isn’t an important day for a Christian – it is.  But we don’t go to our services just because it’s Sunday, but because we are devoted to that which God uses to ensure our growth and encouragement as believers in Christ.  As a matter of fact, the early believers didn’t just meet on Sundays, but every day.

Acts 2:42-47

42 They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
NIV

Paul warned the Christians in Galatia about not observing the Jewish special days and thinking that it made them any special to the Lord. 

9 But now that you know God — or rather are known by God — how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again? 10 You are observing special days and months and seasons and years! 

The problem with making certain days, weeks or months special is that they now define our Christianity or spirituality.  We are “Christian” because we observe these special days, and as long as we’re observing them it does not matter whether or not we are walking in righteousness.  If we eat certain food on a certain day it brings us closer to God.  But Paul makes it clear in his letter to the Corinthians: 

1 Cor 8:8
8 But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.
NIV

It’s the same thing with days.  Is it wrong to use this week as a time to remember the death of our Lord on the cross which brought forgiveness for our sins, and victory over sin?  No.  But should it be limited only to this week?  Should we not be remembering the cross day by day, week by week?  Should we consider this week as special, to the point that we think that by doing something extra special it makes us extra special also before God?  No, we shouldn’t.  This week should simply be seen as an opportunity to focus on a certain message, a certain act that we deem important, essential even, to the Christian walk – the death of Christ.  But every day, every moment, a Christian is to be walking with God, remembering what He has done for us, and allowing that grace and love of our Lord to affect our daily lives, wherever we are.

We must be careful not to make days, weeks or activities take the place of our personal faith, walk and love for the Lord.  Every day, every week, must be a “holy” week, setting apart our hearts, our lives, for He who suffered and died to set us free from the punishment and hold of sin!

The Garden

Gen 2:8-9   8 Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. 9 And the Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground — trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Gen 2:15-17   15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die."
NIV

Why did God create a garden?  The way I see it, the garden became the focal point of God’s relationship with man, or with man’s relationship with God.  How God created it, and why, gives us a glimpse of how we, as God’s created beings, should look at life.  The garden was where God initially placed the first man.  How He made it would show man how God wanted him to live.

BEAUTY

9 And the Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground — trees that were pleasing to the eye…

God didn’t just fill the garden with trees and plants, He made them pleasing to the eye.  It’s interesting how the concept of beauty comes from the Lord.  When we plant gardens in our homes we always want them to be beautiful, so that they are pleasing to our eyes, and to those who visit our homes.  It’s nice to know that God Himself first thought of this.  Imagine when Adam first opened his eyes, as he looked in wonder at all the beauty that God wrought in nature.

The beauty of nature, of created things, should always bring our hearts back to the One who created them.  Sad to say many stand in awe of the beauty of nature, and just stop there.  We’ve even invented the term “Mother Nature”.  The beauty of nature is meant to lead us back to the Creator, and give Him glory.

PROVISION

9 And the Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground — trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food

The Lord also made the trees good for food.  Adam didn’t have to ask.  God knew that he would need something to eat.  So He provided for him.

This is the same God we trust in.  There are times when we pray we doubt whether He does know our needs, or whether He will provide for us.  But as far back as creation the Lord already shows us that He is concerned for us.

WORK

15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.

The moment the garden was prepared the Lord placed the man in it.  To what?  To sit back, relax and enjoy the view?  No.  He placed the man to work it and take care of it.  Other versions say “to tend it and keep it”.  This is what work was meant to be – something that we tend, care for, and protect.  Why?

First, we believe that work comes from God.  It is the Lord who provides for the work that we have now.  Not man, not a company.  God.

Second, we are to be good stewards of what God has given us.

Because of sin work has become “toil”.  But if we treat work as a blessing from the Lord, and recognize that we are to care for it and keep it, work becomes more than just a way to make money.  It becomes an avenue to see God’s faithfulness, and for Him to build up our character and faith.

COMMAND

16 And the Lord God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die."

Then God gave them a command.  This becomes the very foundation, the very heart, of mans relationship with God.  It was man’s disobedience to God’s command that destroyed their relationship.  This was all that God wanted from man – his obedience.

Obedience to God’s command was all that God wanted man to be concerned about.  He took care of the beauty, provisions and work.  And yet, today, man concerns himself with his beauty, provisions and work, and makes his relationship with God his last priority.  But this was not how it was meant to be.

All God was asking was to obey.  And here we see the very purpose of the garden.  First it was to be a source of blessing.  Second, it was to be the setting for God to test man.

The blessings that God bestows upon us also become the very object that the Lord tests us with.  He blesses us with finances, but will test if we spend it wisely.  He blesses us with promotion at work, but will test us if we remain faithful to Him.  He blesses us with success, but tests us if we allow success to take His place.  God tests us to make sure that our allegiance is not on the blessing, but on the “BLESSER”.

Thus, each one of us is provided with our own “garden” today.  He blesses us with our “beauty”, with provisions and with our work.  But let’s make sure the foundation of our life are not what we enjoy in this garden of ours, but in our relationship with Him.

THE SPIRIT IS WILLING, BUT…

Matt 26:40-41  40 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. "Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?" he asked Peter. 41 "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak."
NIV

Yes, you read the title correctly - “the spirit is willing, but…”.  Many Christians say this, mostly in our hearts.  Yes our spirit is willing to follow the Lord, to walk in His ways, to obey.  “But”.  That’s the sad word.  It is many times followed by a “but”.  And it is what follows after the word “but” that causes us to disobey what God has been speaking to our spirit, prompting us to obey.  My spirit wants to walk in righteousness with you, Lord, but…my friends want me with them, doing the same things.  My spirit knows I should not compromise in my business, Lord, but…I need the money, and that’s what everyone else is doing.  My spirit knows that I should be praying for someone in my life who walks in the Spirit and loves you, but…he/she is just so cute, and we’re so “bagay” together (with the Kris A accent please, hehe).

All these “buts” (yes, I know it sounds funny, just keep reading!) hindering the willingness of our spirit to walk with the Holy Spirit.  How do we overcome this?

Most of the time, if not all the time, Jesus taught His disciples through His example.  The story in Matthew 26:36-46 is one of those stories where both the Lord’s example and teaching were meant to teach His disciples an important lesson.

Our Lord knew that the time had come where He was to be crucified, put to death in what was the most painful and horrible way of death during the time of the Roman Empire – crucifixion.  A death reserved only for the worst of criminals.  And by this time the humanity of our Lord started coming out.

Matt 26:36-38  36 Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, "Sit here while I go over there and pray."  37 He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me."

First, His emotions started taking over - “he began to be sorrowful and troubled”.  And we all know how our emotions will take over our logic and actions.  Jesus Himself said “my soul is overwhelmed with sorrow…”.   And then He started praying:

Matt 26:39  39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will."

This is probably the strongest proof of the humanity of our Lord – He wanted out!  “If it is possible, may this cup be taken from me”.  Translated loosely - “if possible, can we change our mind about this?”.  The reality of the pain, the sorrow, started eating Him up.  He started thinking of the possibility of not doing what He was called to do.

But He was in Gethsemane.  And He was there to pray.  As Jesus faced the hardest trial of his human life, He went to a garden to come face to face with His Father.  He opened His heart as to how He was feeling, but His heart was also open to what His Father had for Him.  And this is where He got His strength.

Yet not as I will, but as you will.  Your will Father, not mine.

How many times do we find ourselves in the same situation.  All of a sudden the force of temptation stands before us;  the hardship of the trial becomes real;  the pressure of persecution gets to us.  And we want to quit.  We want to stop.  The example of Jesus stands for us to follow.

Matt 26:40-41 40 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. "Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?" he asked Peter. 41 "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak."

The command of the Lord was clear:  “Stay here and keep watch with me”.  But when Jesus returned to where they were they were asleep.  They were not doing as He asked them.  I’m sure they wanted to.  But this was not acceptable to the Lord.  (This should change our minds the next time we say “but Lord I really wanted to, but…)

And the Lord’s teaching was clear – watch and pray…  Yes, our spirit is always willing, but the flesh is indeed weak.  From the human point of view our flesh is strong.  Have you noticed that, when it comes to sin, our bodies are so alive and eager to do what sin asks it to do?  That’s how strong it is.  But from the spiritual point of view the body is weak – why?  Because it just follows what it feels, what it wants to do.  And it is weak because it seeks to do what is opposite God’s will.

This is also when a Christian is weak – when he just follows what his body wants to do.  Whether it’s temptation to sin, or losing our faith in trials, or giving in to compromise – we are weak when we allow the flesh to take over.  Yes, our spirit is strong in the sense that it knows what our Father’s will is, and strongly desires to obey it, to do it.  You know that “fire”, the zeal and eagerness in our hearts to walk with the Lord, and to love Him with all our heart?  That’s what makes the spirit strong.  But it easily falls into weakness because of the pull of the flesh.  Our flesh fights it, goes against it.  The weakness of the flesh pulls down our spirit, wanting it to fall into the same weakness it is in. 

When this happens, what should we do?  Jesus said it clearly - WATCH AND PRAY.

WATCH.  Be aware of the strength and influence of your emotions.  The moment fear comes in, begin to watch!  The moment self-confidence comes in, begin to watch!  The moment pressure from friends, colleagues, or society comes in, begin to watch!  Be aware of the power and influence of love, of hate, of pleasure.  Be alert with regards to everything that is happening around you, and in your heart.  And then fight it.  Stay spiritually awake!  How?

PRAY.  The battle is fought and won in prayer.  Not while we confront sin.  Many Christians fall because they confront sin, but they have lost the battle because they have not prayed.  Many Christians think that because they have perfect attendance on Sunday, or serve the Lord 24/7, or even know every important doctrine there is to know, that when confronted by the flesh they shall win.  But it is not in these things that we are strong – we are strong when we pray, when we spend times of prayer with our Lord.

Come before your Heavenly Father.  Pour out your heart to Him, just as Jesus did.  And submit, just as Jesus did.  Yet not my will, but Yours be done, Lord!  Be filled with the knowledge of His will.  God wants you walking in righteousness, enjoying the peace and joy of holy living.  He wants you trusting totally in Him, and not in yourself.  He wants you enjoying Him, and not just your friends.

You may feel like giving up.  But look for your “Gethsemane”, and pour out your heart to the Lord.  Allow Him to fill your heart with His will, knowing that it is the best for you.  And just as our Lord was refreshed and revived spiritually, and eventually went to bear our sins on the cross, we, too, will be able to say “Our spirit was willing, AND WE DID IT!”.  No “buts”.  No excuses.

Only in His presence, only by His grace and strength, as we watch and pray, shall we have His victory.  WATCH AND PRAY.