Our Temptation

Genesis 3:1-6  Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?  (2)  And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:  (3)  But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.  (4)  And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:  (5)  For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.  (6)  And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

James 1:13-15  Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:  (14)  But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.  (15)  Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

Introduction:       Genesis Chapters One and Two give us the account of the beginnings of God’s creation, at least that part of it that God would have us to know. 

              Included is a brief history of the plan and purpose of His creation.  God created man, and then formed him of the dust of the ground, breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and placed him in the Garden of Eden.

              When considering these scriptures, or any other for that matter, remember the following four im­portant things.

              (1)          God is sovereign and has done what He did according to His Own plan and will.            [per­fectly]

              (2)          Man has been made a free moral agent [being] and has, as such, the ability of  making his own choice,     

                             whether it be according to the will of God or not,   whether it be good or bad, or in-between.

              (3)          Man is never to question that which God  has done, is doing, or does in the future

                                                                                         

(Romans 9:20)  Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?

            (4)          Everything in the Bible is NOT

                            a.           Understood,

                             b.           Ex­plained, or

                             c.            Interpreted, but

                             d.           Must be accepted by FAITH and   believed

                                                                                                                       

(Hebrews 11:1-3)  Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen  2 For by it the elders obtained a good report. 3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

(Hebrews 11:6)  But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

I.            MAN'S TEMPTATION AND FALL INTO SIN!               (vv 1-6)

                       

(2 Corinthians 11:13-15)  For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.  14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.  15  Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

            A.           The Submission of The Serpent Unto Satan             (v 1)

                        1.           Satan, Through The Serpent,

              Questions the Word of God                          (v 1)

              i.            He casts a shadow of doubt  upon God's Word, and

              ii.           He adds to God’s Word also          (v 4)

II.           EVE IS TEMPTED TO SIN BY SATAN                             (vv 2-5)

                       

(2 Corinthians 6:14-17)  Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?  15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? 16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.  17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.

            A.           Eve learned that one can't

                             1.           Play with snakes and                                                                  

                                          i.              Not get bitten,

                     2.           You can't play with sin and not get trapped,

                             3.           You can't play with fire

                                           i.            Without getting burned                  (v 6)

                             4.           Eve also learned that one can't fool around with temptation and

                                    i.            Not yield to it

(1 Corinthians 10:13)  There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

            B.           Eve's Fellowship With The Serpent Brought            

                             1.           Flesh­ly lust    [Desire]

                                           i.            Fellowship with SIN always does this

(2 Corinthians 5:17-18)  Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.  18  And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;

                        2.           Eve saw

                                           i.            She lusted [desired to have]

                                           ii.           She took

                                           iii.          She ate

III.         EVE GAVE UNTO ADAM                                         (v 6)

              A.           We always take others into sin with us.

                             1.           Misery loves company!

             

              B.           Eve's Disobedience was DELIBERATE.

                             1.           God Had Said "DON'T"

                                           i.            And She DID

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

CONCLUSION: So what have we learned from this Bible story.  Without following God’s commands the Garden (Heaven) is out of our reach. 

God’s will (His command) is that we accept His Son and willing, with a true heart confess His name (Jesus) to others that Garden heaven is ours.

(Hebrews 10:22)  Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

(John 3:16)  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

(Romans 10:9)  That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Isn’t it amazing, that Adam and Eve were in the very presence of our Lord and Savior, the pre-incarnate Jesus.

Talked with Him daily, knew Him, knew what He told them to not do and what they could do.  There only bounds was “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.”  They were told NOT to eat of that tree.  Only one law, one crime, one sin and what did they do?

You and I have ten laws, and we do not have access to that tree, yet, because Adam ate of it, we now have eaten of it.  So we have ten times the requirements Adam and Eve had, yet they had a million times more freedom than you and I have.

Those 10 laws prohibit us greatly in respect to Adam and Eve and all the predecessors to the Mosaic Law.

Yet all God ask of you is to accept His Son and follow to the best of your ability those 10 laws.

Your salvation rests on nothing more than the amount of faith God will give you to accept His Son as your Saviour.

Remember, because of Adam you are a sinner, and because of Adam and Eve we were sons of the devil. Born into a sinful wicked world, born of the devil himself.

You can change that, God has given us a way out, away to no longer be born of the devil.

(Romans 5:8)  But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

God took His love off of Christ and put it on us, even though we were sinners and Jesus wasn’t a sinner.

(Romans 6:23)  For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

If we stay with the devil, death an everlasting death in hell, whereas if we accept the gift of God, Jesus, then we have eternal life with God in Heaven with God and His Son Jesus.

(Acts 2:21)  And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Just call on His name in sincerity with faith and belief, salvation is then yours.

You don’t have to know the Bible, you don’t have to do tricks or answer a lot of questions, just call on His name.

(Romans 10:9)  That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Confess within your heart, and then confess to men, tell others what God has done for you.

Our Honour and Authority

Romans 13:1-7  Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.  (2)  Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.  (3)  For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:  (4)  For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.  (5)  Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.  (6)  For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing.  (7)  Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.

INTRODUCTION:  The foremost thought in these verses is our relationship to the church and state, (State being any Government above Family and the Church.)  This is not intended as a political message, yet it is a message defining our position on earth as temporary residents, awaiting our call home.

              We all know that the Supreme leader is God in Heaven.  Our focus in this message is our relationship to the state.

              We as Christians ought to know what God expects from Him.  We as temporal citizens of this world are abiding and consequently we are to first look like, live like we know Him in a world who does not know Him.  As we abide we are not do disobey the laws the world, unless they conflict with the Family or the Church.  We must consider worldly laws as if they are Laws of God.

I.            GOVERNMENT IS ORDAINED BY GOD                       (vv 1-2)

              A.           The Believer

                             1.           Is not to resist the government by

                                           i.            Being identified with

                                                          a.           Civil disobedience

                                                          b.           Rebellion, Murder

                                                          c.            Terrorism

                             2.           When civil law affects

                                           i.            The Family

                                           ii.           The Church

a.               We are obey God

B.              The Believer Who Resists Government

1.               Will be condemned by God

i.           Damnation = Judgment

Ezra 7:26  And whosoever will not do the law of thy God, and the law of the king, let judgment be executed speedily upon him, whether it be unto death, or to banishment, or to confiscation of goods, or to imprisonment.

                             2.           That judgment will be in our reward

Romans 14:12  So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.

II.           THE GOVERNMENT IS ORDAINED TO PROMOTE GOOD        

              AND RESTRAIN EVIL                                                        (vv 3-5)

A.              Rulers Are Ordained To:

Matthew 22:21  They say unto him, Caesar's. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's.

1.               Restrain evil

2.               Promote good

              i.            If we break the law

                             a.           The state punishes us

3.           As a believer we should

                                                                       

1 Peter 2:13  Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme;

i.                Obey the laws of the land

ii.               Do what is good and lawful

B.              Our Rulers Are Ministers Of God

1.               Ordained by God for good

i.           For our protection

           a.           Not the Mexican border

ii.        For our good

Psalms 2:10-11  Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth.  (11)  Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

2.               We must fear breaking civil laws

i.           It exists

a.               To maintain order

C.              Obey For Our Consciences Sake

1.               Because of the fear of punishment

2.               Knowing your conscience is clear

III.         THE GOVERNMENT IS ORDAINED TO PROVIDE

              BENEFITS FROM TAXATION    (Tribute)                      (vv 6-7)

              A.           Rulers Provide Benefits of

                             1.           Justice

                                           i.            Protection

                                                          a.           What about Arizona

                                           ii.           Services to citizens

3.               Keeping order

              i.            Restraining chaos

B.              The Believer Must Pay Taxes

1.               Every citizen is obligated

Matthew 22:21  They say unto him, Caesar's. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's.

              C.           We Must Fulfill Our Commitment

                             1.           We as believers must live to

                                           i.            Honour God

                                           ii.           Honor our country

iii.             Honor state, county, city

CONCLUSION:               We as Christians may complain, we may work peaceably to make changes to our government, however, regardless of the outcome we must obey the ruler.

God created three institutions:

1.               The Family

2.               The Church

3.               The Government

All exist because it is God’s Will.  He wanted you and I to have a civil relationship with one anther.  A civil relationship between man and man. 

Enlarge My Coast

1 Chronicles 4:9-10  And Jabez was more honourable than his brethren: and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, Because I bare him with sorrow.  (10)  And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested.

INTRODUCTION:           Jabez, at least to our knowledge, was a praying man.  I chose this scripture because of his prayer.  Prayer, as Bro Eddie Kelso so aptly described, is such and important part of what we are supposed to be about.

              God gave us the Holy Spirit to allow us a path of communication with Him.  Yet, it is believed for most Christians, it is an unused, abused blessing.

              This Nation was founded on prayer.  Those who came across on the Mayflower in 1620.  They signed an article called the Mayflower Compact, which reads in part:

“In the name of God, Amen. We, whose names are underwritten, the Loyal Subjects of our dread Sovereign Lord, King James, by the Grace of God, of England, France and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, e&. Having undertaken for the Glory of God, and Advancement of the Christian Faith, and the Honour of our King and Country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the northern parts of Virginia; do by these presents, solemnly and mutually in the Presence of God and one of another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil Body Politick,….”

Our First Continental Congress opened with Prayer; they prayed:

September 7th, 1774           Carpenters Hall, Philadelphia

O Lord, our Heavenly Father, High and mighty King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, who dost from Thy throne behold all the dwellers on earth and reignest with power supreme and uncontrolled over all the Kingdoms, Empires and Governments:

Look down in mercy we beseech Thee, on these American States, who have fled to Thee from the rod of oppression, and thrown themselves on Thy gracious protection, desiring henceforth to be dependent only on Thee, they have appealed for the righteousness of their cause; to Thee do they now look up for that countenance and support which Thou alone canst give; take them, therefore, Heavenly Father, under Thy nurturing care; give them wisdom in Council and valor in the field; defeat the malicious designs of our cruel adversaries; convince them of the unrighteousness of their cause; and if they persist in their sanguinary purpose, O, Let the voice of Thy own enerring justice, sounding in their hearts, constrain them to drop the weapons of war from their unnerved hands in the day of battle! 

Be Thou present, O God of wisdom and direct the councils of this honorable assembly; enable them to settle things on the best and surest foundation. That the scene of blood may be speedily closed; the order, harmony and peace may be effectively restored, and truth and justice, religion and piety prevail and florish among Thy people. Preserve the health of their bodies and vigor of their minds; shower down on them, and the millions they here represent, such temporal blessings as Thou seeth expedient for them in this world, and crown them with everlasting glory in the world to come. All this we ask in the name and through the merits of JESUS CHRIST, THY SON, OUR SAVIOR. AMEN  - Rev. Jacob Duché 

              But what should we pray?

I.            JABEZ' PLACE IN HISTORY.

              A.           Consider the Chronicles Genealogies.

1.           It is sad to think that multitudes are listed and all that is said about them is that they lived, begat sons and daughters, and then died.

 2.          Jabez' name means "Son of sorrow"

              B.           What About Us?

1.           Ten years after our death, will it have mattered that we lived?

                            2.           It doesn't have to be that way!

C.           Jabez' Name Stood Out From Among Those of Insignificance.

1.           He was not a great prophet or preacher.

              i.            As far as we know

2.           He was remembered because of his prayer!

3.           He was "more honourable than his brethren".

II.           THE PRAYER OF JABEZ.

              A.           He Prayed For Spiritual Prosperity.

1.           "Oh that thou would wouldest bless me indeed"

                                           i.            Solomon’s prayer

(2 Chronicles 1:10)  Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people: for who can judge this thy people, that is so great?

(1 Kings 4:29)  And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea shore.

2.      He was not satisfied with the status quo...

i.                He wanted God's blessings

ii.               He knew what was most important

3.           He wanted the fullest blessings from God.

              i.            Though they may come,

ii.               It is about seeking God's Will

              B.           He Prayed For Widened Horizons.

                             1.           “Enlarge my coast”

a.           Hannah needed her horizons widened

(1 Samuel 1:19-20)  And they rose up in the morning early, and worshipped before the LORD, and returned, and came to their house to Ramah: and Elkanah knew Hannah his wife; and the LORD remembered her.  (20)  Wherefore it came to pass, when the time was come about after Hannah had conceived, that she bare a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, Because I have asked him of the LORD.

2.           She didn't want to stay in the “comfort zone”

3.           The word “enlarge” means simply to make larger,

              i.            Extend in limits or dimensions, to extend; more purposes.

4.           The word “coast” here is used to refer to boundaries and borders.

C.           He Prayed That The Hand Of God Would Be With Him.

1.               Indicating power,

i.                Means, (Wealth / Prosperity)

ii.               Direction in life.

2.           Jabez prayed that God's open hand of direction and power would be with Him.

3.           What a comfort to know that God is there with an open hand

i.                To take ours and

ii.               Lift us up when we are down,

iii.             Encourage us when we are weak.

              D.           He Prayed For Deliverance From Sin.

1.           Jabez was aware of the power of evil and the fact that God could deliver him.

2.           Perhaps he had witnessed others who were grieved over the result of sin in their lives.

3.           Whatever the reason, Jabez prayed and sought God's help in this matter as well.

              E.           God Answered His Prayers.

(1 Chronicles 4:10b) ..And God granted him that which he requested.

CONCLUSION:   We have seen where Jabez just wanted to be in God’s Will.  I believe that is where every individual in this room and many outside this room want to be, to be in God’s Will.  That is where I want to be, and I don’t want to be anywhere else.

Deuteronomy 6:5  And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

              Yet, individually, are we satisfied with our “comfort zone”? There is safety in staying within the boundaries that we know.  That is why it is called a “comfort zone”...it's comfortable!

              Yet it is always changing.  We accept more and more trash of the world.  Like an ostrich we just bury our head in the sand. 

              Our Nation was founded on prayer and God’s Word.  We sing “God Bless America” yet we will not drop to our knees, and ask Him to forgive our Nation.  We will not seek Him.

2 Chronicles 7:14  If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

              Have we repented of our sins, have we humbled ourselves, have we sought after God, do you know Christian, in order to get order, we must do as this verse teaches.  If we truly want God to bless America, we must get ourselves right with God.

              We must get our Executive, our Congress and our Judicial system right with God. We vote in to these Governments men and women who are willing to kill babies in the name of Choice.  We let the 10 Commandments reside in a locked room in a courthouse basement.

              Are we growing complacent? May we each receive the challenge from this brief testimony concerning Jabez.

              Our nation under the current leadership is in deep financial trouble.  In order to change what God may have set in motion, we as a nation must Pray that God would forgive our nation and change the wicked evil hearts of our Government leadership and get us back on track for Him. 

              Only then will God truly bless us with great spiritual prosperity, that He would widen our horizons, that His hand would be upon us, and that He would keep us from evil.

              May we receive the challenge to ask God for more Not that we might be lifted up in pride, That God might be glorified!

               With more ministries, more workers, more fruit, more work to do!   We have a great opportunity to make a difference for the cause of Christ.

              Yes, we have had some great blessings from God and we have seen some wonderful results.

              But God help us not to become comfortable and lose sight of what can be done if we will simply ask God.  

"...God granted him that which he requested"

He will do the same for us!