Victorious Christian Living: Definitions & Purposes of Habits and Temptation

Name of Assembly: United Apostolic Church
Type of service: Bible Study
Date: August 25th, 2020
Series Topic: Victorious Christian Living
Lesson 1: Definitions & Purposes of Habits and Temptation

Scripture Text: James 1:12-15; 1 Corinthians 10:13
Memory Verse: James 1:12

“Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. 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: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” James 1:12-15

“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.” – 1 Corinthians 10:13 (KJV)

“The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.” 1 Cor.10: 13 (NLT)

Introduction

The focus of this Bible Study Series is designed to affirm what is written in Titus 2:11-14, “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.” Throughout this series of lessons, we will focus on some of the common hindrances to us living “ soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world” and what we must do to ensure that we seize victory and walk therein every day for the rest of our lives.

Focus of this Lesson:

In this Lesson, we will do the following:

1. Define habits and look at its formation
2. Define Temptations and consider their purposes

Formation and Definition of Habit

THE GENESIS OF A HABIT

Sow a THOUGHT; you reap an ACT
Sow an ACT; reap a HABIT
Sow a HABIT; reap a CHARACTER
Sow a CHARACTER; reap a DESTINY

When the evil desire is admitted into the mind, and, instead of being resisted, prayed against, and driven out, is retained, fostered, indulged, and through dwelling upon the object of it, grows in strength, and at length is fully matured, it will come forth in ACTION. After the period of pregnancy and growth (gestation), the child in the womb will be born.

Definition of a HABIT:

• A disposition or condition of the mind or body acquired by custom or a frequent repetition of the same act.
• Habit is that which is held or retained, the effect of custom or frequent repetition.
  Hence, we speak of good habits and bad habits.
• We should endeavor to correct evil habits by a change of practice.
• A great point in the education of children (adults), is to prevent the formation of bad habits.

Definition of Temptations and its Purposes

It's important to first explore some definitions of the words involved with temptation so that we have a clear understanding of the meanings. The definitions themselves reveal important aspects of temptations that will help us battle them more effectively.

Tempt: (Webster’s Dictionary)

1. “To entice to do wrong by promise of pleasure or gain”
2. “to make trial of: TEST”

Temptation: pirasmos – is the only Greek word used for temptation in the New Testament and means:

1. “an experiment, attempt, trial, proving”
2. “the trial of man's fidelity, integrity, virtue, constancy”
3. “an enticement to sin”

Since temptation is "enticement to sin," we should also consider the words used for sin:

1. Hebrew Chatta'ah: “an offence, and its penalty” (Brown, Driver, Briggs, Lexicon)
2. Hebrew Chatta’: “to sin, miss, miss the way, go wrong, incur guilt, forfeit,” (Brown, Driver, Briggs, Gesenius Lexicon)
3. Greek Hamartano: “to be without a share in; to miss the mark; to err, be mistaken; to miss or wander from the path of uprightness and honor, to do or go wrong; to wander from the law of God, violate God's law, sin” (Thayer's and Smith's Bible Dictionary)

An Important Distinction:

God does not tempt us, but God does test us, or a better way to put it is that He entrusts us. What's the difference? Temptation is being enticed or allured to sin. God will not tempt us with sin because He is good, and no evil is found in Him. “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.” James 1:13

Testing, on the other hand, is God trusting us to make the right choice. Deuteronomy 30 for example, God gave the Israelites a choice, " I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live " Deuteronomy 30:19.

He presented them with a choice and He wanted their buy-in, but He also gave them the answer, " That thou mayest love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them " Deuteronomy 30:20. This is an incredible promise from him. He gave the Israelites full disclosure. He gave them a choice, gave them the answer, and gave them the reasons for it. He wanted them to choose correctly and entrusted them to make the right choice.

God has always sought to prove or to test His people’s love and commitment to Him, but He has never tempted us to do evil. Genesis 22: 1; Deuteronomy 8:2; 2 Chronicles 32:31; James 1:13

“And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.” Genesis 22:1.

“Do you remember how the Lord led you through the wilderness for all those forty years, humbling you and testing you to find out how you would respond, and whether or not you would really obey him?” – Deuteronomy 8:2

“However, when ambassadors arrived from Babylon to find out about the miracle of his being healed, God left him to himself in order to test him and to see what he was really like.” 2 Chronicles 32:31

Purposes of Temptation

Block our inheritance as sons of God by enslaving us to sin:

“Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir” Galatians 4: 7. (NLT) From the very beginning, Satan has been attempting to block and destroy our rightful inheritance as sons of God. This inheritance includes dominion over the world and a personal relationship with God.
“And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So, God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth” Genesis 1:26-28. When Satan enticed Adam and Eve to disobey God, Adam forfeited mankind's dominion over the world to Satan and was separated from
God because of his sin.

Jesus Christ restored peace between God and humanity through his death on the cross and won back man’s right to rule over the world. Those who place faith in Jesus can now move forward in taking dominion over the world and subduing it for God’s kingdom. Satan resists the execution of man's rightful dominion through Christ and he does everything in his power to thwart man through temptation into sin. Satan aims to keep people enslaved to sin and unable to subdue the world as God intended.

“Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?” Romans 6:16 (NKJV)

Temptations appeal to our primary sin tendencies of lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh and the pride of life. “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.” - 1 John 2:15-16

Since he cannot force us to sin, Satan tries to persuade us to sin through clever lies, tailor-made for our specific weaknesses. For example, Satan appealed to Eve’s desire for wisdom with the notion that she could be like God if she ate the fruit. Her desire for wisdom and the attractive appearance of the fruit was the winning combination that enticed her to sin. “And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food (lust of the flesh), and that it was pleasant to the eyes (lust of the eyes), and a tree to be desired to make one wise (the pride of life), she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.”
Genesis 3:6 (KJV)

Following the temptations of our sinful nature will prevent us from enjoying the fruits of our inheritance as sons of God. The Holy Spirit grows these fruits in us, and they include the fruit of the Spirit. Our sin prevents the growth of such fruits because it directly opposes the Holy Spirit’s work in us. Paul wrote, “So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions” (Galatians 5:16-17 NLT).

Following the sinful nature not only opposes the Holy Spirit, but also it prevents us from being able to please God. Paul explained this in Romans 8:5-8 NIV: “Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of the sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.” With our minds hostile to God, we will not move into our role as sons of God in
Christ.

Lead us to entertain evil thoughts with our minds:

Once we entertain an evil thought, we engage the power of our imaginations and commit sin. Our imaginations are powerful tools that God has uniquely gifted us with. Made in God's likeness, our imaginations are scaled down versions of God's imagination. God imagined creation and then spoke it into existence. Likewise, we too can create realities in our imaginations.

When based on evil thoughts, our imaginations are against God. For example, pornography is often the visual bait that Satan uses to get people to fantasize about having sex. Once we’re entertaining the thoughts of adultery or fornication, or any other sin, we’re essentially committing the sin. Jesus identified this principle of “thought sin” in Matthew 5:28 NIV: “But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” This isn’t just limited to adulterous thoughts. For example, Jesus explained that hating another person is basically the same as murdering him. “Ye have heard that it was said of them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.” Matthew 5:21-22

Even Lucifer’s sin began in his thoughts. “For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High” Isaiah 14:13-14.

To test our faith:

Though God does not send temptation to us (James 1:13), He may allow us to be tested for a time to assess the sincerity of our faith. Here are some verses that mention this:

“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” James 1:2-4 NKJV

“In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith – of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire – may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.” 1 Peter 1:6- 7 NIV

God will not let us be tempted beyond what we can bear. Paul wrote, “God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it” (1 Corinthians 10:13 NIV).

Jesus explained in Luke 8:13 that some people who hear God’s word will fall away during temptation because they have no “root.” When our faith is not grounded in the truth of God’s word, it will be weak like plants without roots. A key to defeating temptation which will be discussed later in this series is strong faith in the truth. If we stand fast in our faith and overcome the temptations, we will bring praise, glory and honor to God. We’ll also be “perfect and complete, lacking nothing” (James 1:4 NKJV).

Closing Illustration

Example of Fighting Temptation - Law Firm Lady

Setting: Bob Smith is a senior partner at the Smith & Salmon law firm. He works with an attractive paralegal, Julie, who is single and in her early twenties.

Bob’s wife is pregnant with their third child and was advised by her doctor to refrain from sexual intercourse until the birth of her baby. This advice was given to Mrs. Smith four months ago, when she was two months pregnant.

Bob is working with Julie on a critical project today that requires frequent interaction with her.

Temptation: As Bob greets Julie that morning, he notices she looks particularly attractive. She smiles as their eyes meet. Out of the corner of his eye he has that 6th sense that Julie's shirt may be open down one button to far. He feels the draw of his flesh to look down her shirt.

Action: Bob also feels the conviction of the Holy Spirit as he is tempted to look at Julie. His conscience tells him, “You’re happily married, Bob. Remember your wife and kids. Keep your eyes out of trouble and keep moving.” Instead of stopping for a chat with Julie by the coffee station, he decides to say a quick hello and keep moving down the hall toward his office. He doesn't take the second look at Julie. For the rest of the day, Bob takes the precaution of leaving the office door open when he must talk with Julie about the project.