Watch Yourself

The last two Sunday mornings we have taken a slight turn to the south in order to examine the sinfulness of sin. I believe it has been a productive study, for we are often unaware of the depth of our sin and the height of God's Grace. As we examined the Scripture yesterday, I asked the church to keep focused on God, His Grace, and His Love. In the end I feel we did so.
If there is one thing I thought I would share from the message in this post, it is the idea of how man was originally tempted and how today we are tempted in the same way. I must confess that this teaching comes from a former professor, Dr. Fowler. A few months back, he went to be with Christ. His enthusiasm is missed on this side of heaven.

Mankind was tempted in three areas:
1. Self-Preservation. When Eve (and Adam) looked at the fruit, she first saw that it was good for food(Genesis 3:6). Man has built into him a desire to survive. Like all desires, this can take a person beyond the norm and into sin. Although Adam and Eve had all of the garden in which to eat, they now felt that this plant was necessary for survival. Satan is a creature of habit, or one that returns to what has worked in the past. For that reason we see over in Luke 4:2-4, Satan attempting to tempt Christ in the same manner. Satan appeals to the hunger that Christ must have been suffering and the desire for survival, self-preservation. Jesus did not bite but stated that man's survival is due to every word of God, not just food. Today, we too are tempted in the same manner. You can see this taught in 1 John 2:16 where we see that the world tempts us with the lust of the flesh.
2. Self-Gratification. Returning to Genesis 3:6, Adam and Eve are next tempted with self-gratification. This is broader than self-preservation, for it speaks to the idea of satisfying your own desires, whatever they may be. Satan returned to this approach with Jesus in Luke 4:5-8 when he showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the world. In so many words, Satan was saying, "worship me and I will give you the desires of your heart." Again Christ rebukes him by using Scripture. Jesus reminds Satan that only God is worthy of worship and it is Him we should serve. Look at 1 John 2:16 and you will see the world tempting you in the same way by offering you "the lust of the eyes."
3. Self-Exaltation. Finally Adam and Eve bought into the idea that the tree would make them wise. In Genesis 3:5 Satan told Eve that the fruit of the tree would make her "like God." She fell for it. Satan in Luke 4:9-12 makes the same pass at Jesus. He wants Christ to demonstrate His deity. Again Jesus refuses and responds to Satan's temptation with Scripture. Look over at 1 John 2:16 and you will see the world following the same pattern of temptation where it says, "the pride of life."
So the world tempts us just like Adam and Eve were tempted and just like the temptation of Jesus. Now that we are aware of such, we need to daily evaluate what is placed before us. Is it appealing to my desires of self-preservation, self-gratification, and self-exaltation? If so, there is only one response, obey the Word of God. When Jesus was tempted in the same three areas he rebuked Satan (the temptation) with Scripture and obedience. Let us do the same.
-Mark