Sunday Postscript - Temptation Tactics

Yesterday’s message was from Gen. 3:1-5 and we focused on the “Temptation Tactics” that Satan uses and how we might overcome them.  There are essentially three tactics revealed here.

The first temptation tactic Satan uses comes in vs. 1. But it is not found in what Satan says, but rather whom he says it to. “And he said to the woman”.  Why the Woman?  Because Satan always attacks the most vulnerable.  Now to say that the Woman was the weakest link or the most vulnerable does not mean that the Woman was mentally incompetent or inferior to the Man.  But the reality is that since the Woman was not in a position of authority in the family and the Law was given before she was created – she was the most vulnerable.  This is why Paul concludes that a woman cannot teach or have authority over a man 1 Tim 2:13-14.

But this tactic that Satan uses is not just restricted to the Woman; it applies to all of us.  If you have any weakness, vulnerability or character flaw – Satan will find it, expose it and try to use it to his advantage. So how do we defend ourselves against such a tactic?  
     First, we follow Jesus’ pattern.  When Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness – Jesus had been fasting for 40 Days.  At this moment, hunger was Jesus’ weakness and Satan attacked that weakness. Mat 4:3  "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread."    But Jesus responds by quoting Scripture about Scripture, saying Mat 4:4 "It is written, 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.'"
Secondly, God’s all sufficient Grace.  As Paul notes 2 Cor 12:9-10 "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness … Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.  Weaknesses such as Paul mentions here are not to be despised; we know that God will be most glorified when we are small and He is big.  But we remember that God’s Grace is sufficient for us and if we trust in Christ we can say with Paul that we are content even with our weaknesses because of the power of Christ dwelling in us.  And if we are content with our weaknesses by God’s grace, the power of Satan’s temptation will be made of non-effect.  

A second tactic that Satan uses in temptation is also found in vs. 1.  “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the Garden?’ Satan encourages doubt and raises questions about God, His Character and His Word. Consider the way Satan asks the question; you can almost sense a tone of condescending surprise:  “Did God really say you can’t eat from any of the trees of this beautiful Garden?  I’m surprised.  What kind of God would make all these trees but then tell you not to eat from them?  Are you sure God is good?  Maybe He is keeping something from you? Don’t you think you deserve better?” And so the seed of doubt is planted.  Of course Satan’s question is not exactly what God had said.  God never said, “You shall not eat from any tree of the Garden” (cf. 2:16,17). God was emphasizing the generous abundance with one exception. Satan subtly takes the exception and makes it the general rule. The result is doubts and questions?  

So what was Eve to do – does she doubt God, the Creator of all things or does she believe the talking serpent. For starters, she and Adam both should have been concerned that a talking serpent was questioning God’s goodness and God’s Word. Such a broach of the creation design should have been squelched right then and there. Secondly we note something alarming in Eve’s response to Satan in vs. 2-3. If you look closely and compare this with what God did say in 2:16,17 you will notice several discrepancies.  Eve didn’t know God’s Word!  Granted she got the general gist of it, but she exaggerated God’s prohibition.  Nowhere in 2:16,17 does God tell Adam that they are not to “touch” the tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.  Whether it was because Adam did not teach her well or she did not grasp it well enough – Eve was ignorant of what God really said. And here is the real kicker – Satan knew God’s Word better than Eve!! When Eve recounted the penalty for disobedience, she does so almost with uncertainty “You shall not eat from it or touch it, lest you die”. Truly a far cry from God’s certainty of “you shall surely die”.  And yet we see Satan using God’s exact words (with the addition of one distorting word of course) vs. 4.  Because Eve did not know God’s Word the door of doubt and foolish questions was held wide open.

We, too, are open to the same attacks.  Doubts are common to all people because of sin; but we must be alert to the fact that Satan will use this tactic even with the most faithful of Christians to tempt them to doubt and from doubt to go down the road of despair and forsakenness from which there may be no recovery. Again we look to the example of Christ.  Satan in his boldness attempts to use this tactic with Jesus Mat 4:6  "If You are the Son of God throw Yourself down; for it is written, 'He will give His angels charge concerning You'; and 'On their hands they will bear You up, Lest You strike Your foot against a stone.'" Consider the possible doubts that Jesus would be tempted by:  “Is God’s Word really true?  Would the angels really come and lift Me up?  How could I be sure?  There is only one way to find isn’t there – just jump!”  But wait – there is another way.  Again Jesus responds with God’s Word Mat 4:7  On the other hand, it is written, 'You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.'"  This time God’s Word dispels any doubts or foolish questions. Having Faith in God’s Word is a key to dispelling doubts.  God has revealed Truth to us.  We have no logical reason to doubt what He has revealed to us.  We also have no reason to ponder the foolish questions like: “Can God make a rock so big that He cannot pick it up?” Doubt cannot stand in the presence of Faith.  

The third and final tactic that Satan uses to tempt Eve into sin is that he mixes lies with elements of truth.  Vs. 4-5. especially note:  “You surely shall not die” and “you will be like God”.  First “you surely shall not die” – indeed the greatest, most monstrous lie ever told.  Satan takes God’s very own words “You shall surely die” and he adds just one little word to make this truth an evil lie.  Now, one could argue that Satan was right – after all Adam and Eve were not immediately struck down by God for their violation of His Law. So was Satan correct in this charge? The answer is “No” on 2 counts.
First, physically, though Adam and Eve did not die immediately – they did immediately begin to die and they would eventually surely die.  Physical suffering, pain, disease and illness are all indications that the body is indeed dying.
Secondly, Adam and Eve did immediately die spiritually. They previously had communion and fellowship with God; but now all that was lost. Dying spiritually means they were separated from God’s Most Holy Presence. Adam and Eve and all their descendents after them were dead in their sins and trespasses (Eph. 2:1,5).  They were not merely sick nor even just close to death; they were dead, dead, dead; unable to do any spiritual or moral good in God’s sight. With Satan’s Lie, he was suggesting that Adam and Eve would continue to live on without any change in their lives, their surroundings or their relationship with God.  Satan was indeed wrong – Dead wrong!

But there is another great lie: “you will be like God”.  What a marvelously crafted temptation.  If there were any doubts or questions of discontent in the heart and mind of Eve at this point certainly this proposition would be most attractive.  Why be a “creature” when you could be “like God”?  All knowing, All powerful, Ever present.  Could the Creature actually become like the Creator?  Certainly not. Yet isn’t this the desire we see all around us today?  Doing away with God so that each individual can be their own god; making their own laws, their own morals, and their own choices.  Nowhere else do we see this more clearly perhaps than in the culture of death.  
Isn’t abortion essentially trying to gain control over one’s life? “I will have a child when it suits my life.  If I become pregnant at an inconvenient time when I am not ready to raise a child – I will get rid of the blob of cells in my body. It’s my choice, my body and my life that is most important.  I will bring forth a life when I want.  Keep your laws off my life.”  
At the other end, isn’t euthanasia and physician assisted suicide an attempt to gain control over death? “I will appoint the time when I should die.  I don’t want pain and suffering in my life – I will die when I want and how I want. I will have control over my death and it’s circumstances.”

Well to make these lies a little more palatable, Satan mixes in a little truth. The truth is that they certainly will have their eyes opened and they certainly will know good and evil.  The first thing they will see is that they are naked; but, they will be shamed by what God intended to be good.  Adam and Eve knew that there was a good choice and a bad choice that could be made – so the “knowing” of good and evil is not just a knowledge; it is an experience.  They had experienced God’s goodness and nothing else.  They had never experienced evil and its destructive torments.  This would all change with their disobedience.    

Jesus also faced this very same temptation from Satan.  After showing Jesus all the kingdoms of the World Satan said to Him: Mat 4:9 "All these things will I give You, if You fall down and worship me." The truth here is that Satan is the ‘ruler of this world’ and has his evil grip upon the unbelieving world.  But the lie is that Jesus will not receive these kingdoms from Satan’s hand; but, He will receive them because of His obedience to His Father’s will.  Jesus after His death and resurrection was seated at the Father’s right hand reigning, even now, over the Kingdoms of the Earth until His enemies are made a footstool under Him. (Heb. 1:13).  And how does Jesus respond to this temptation?  He once again gives us the example of turning to the Word of God Mat 4:10 "Begone, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.'"  The best defense against false teaching and the errors of false prophets is sound biblical doctrine (Titus 1:9).

But there are some other truths that are here in Satan’s words.  For in this passage even in the midst of his wicked scheme of temptation, Satan is compelled to speak the truth, even the Gospel and he does so twice – “You shall not surely die” and “you shall be like God”.  No doubt these are bold face lies – but listen closely to the truths that they reveal for those who would trust in Jesus Christ alone for salvation.
First, “You shall not surely die”.  Friends, the truth here is that those who have turned away from their sin and turned toward God, placing their hope and trust in Christ alone; indeed for them the promise of God is that they shall not die, but will live and tell Jehovah’s power to save for though the Lord has sorely chastened them, He will spare them from the eternal grave (Ps. 118).
Secondly “You shall be like God”.  If ever there was such a splendid promise it is this very thing – as the Apostle John calls to our remembrance: 1 Jn 3:2-3    Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is.  And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. What wonderful Truth.
Brothers and Sisters, strive to know the Word of God so that you may be adequately equipped to defend yourselves against Satan’s temptation tactics.  But beloved, it is not enough to just know the words, for even unbelievers can do that much – we must strive to know and experience the Word of God become Flesh, who indeed was tempted in all ways that we are tempted yet without sin.  Praise God that we have such a Savior and High Priest in Christ Jesus our Lord.  To Him be the glory forever and ever.

Sunday Postscript - The Problem of Evil

Well, I figured there would be times like this.  It is difficult to find the time to keep up on the blogging; even if it is once a week.  I sincerely don’t know how some folks post everyday.  Had a good discussion last week on a pastor’s forum (now there is where a lot of time can go).  It started out with me asking a question about the Fall of Satan but then turned into a fruitful discussion on the Problem of Evil.  Theodicy is the technical theological name for the justification of God in relation to the existence of evil.  This then became good fodder for my message on Sunday on Satan and the Problem of Evil from Genesis 3:1 (kind of a text-topical message).  Here is a short post-script on the “problem of Evil” portion of the message.

Certainly there is more that we don’t know than what we know on this issue – but here is what we do know from God’s revelation – The Bible.

• Since God is Creator of All things; God is indeed sovereign over all His creation – as Is. 46:9 states there is one God and no one like Him.  This includes the fact that God is sovereign over Satan (Job 1:12; 2:6).


• Secondly, we know God has a plan and all things work toward that plan with nothing thwarting it: Is 46:10-11 Declaring the end from the beginning And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, 'My purpose will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure'; Calling a bird of prey from the east, The man of My purpose from a far country. Truly I have spoken; truly I will bring it to pass. I have planned it, surely I will do it.


• Thirdly, we know God is able to use the evil deeds of Satan and men to accomplish His plan.  E.g. Joseph being sold into slavery by his brothers.  After Jacob’s death, Joseph’s brothers were fearful that Joseph would seek revenge on them; but Joseph understood God’s sovereignty: Gen 50:20 "And as for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.


• Fourthly as this passage also shows us; God’s sovereignty over Satan, evil and the sinful deeds of sinners does not discount human responsibility.  Joseph’s brothers were still responsible for their wicked deed.  In Ro 5:12 Paul tells us that because of Adam’s sin; we all have sinned and we all stand guilty before God. In Ps. 58:3 we discover that because of our sin nature we come forth from the womb speaking lies. God does not force us to sin – we do so willingly because that is our nature.  Is it unjust of God then, that He allows us to do what comes naturally to us and indeed, is what we want and desire to do?  Is it unjust that God allows us to suffer the consequences of those deeds?  Absolutely not.  Nor can we shift the blame entirely to Satan as some are apt to do, saying “the Devil made me do it” – thereby giving Satan all the credit and responsibility for our sin when we, because of our sin natures, are willing accomplices.  Ro 14:12 So then each one of us shall give account of himself to God.


• And Fifthly, we know that because God is sovereign – all things work together for the good of His people (Rom. 8:28) and for the Glory of God Is 48:11For My own sake, for My own sake, I will act; For how can My name be profaned? And My glory I will not give to another.

Another point we could add here is that God is also sovereign over death. God who is the giver of life is also the one who sovereignly appoints the time for life to be taken (Eccl. 3:2; Heb. 9:27).  Again God is even able to use the foolish sinful actions of men to bring this about (e.g. unhealthy habits and sinful lifestyles).  None of us will die before our time – but we all will die at the appointed time.   But God’s sovereignty over death is most especially seen in the resurrection of Jesus Christ – who suffered and died on the Cross for our sins and yet death could not maintain its grip upon Him: 1 Cor 15:54-57  "Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?  The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Praise God for His sovereignty over all things – including Satan, Sin, Sinners and Death.