:: Transcript - "Faced With Temptation"

Date: Friday, September 21, 2007
Speaker: Roberto Martins Duarte (USA)
Key Text: Matthew 4:1

Dear Brethren, We have the opportunity to think about this subject, "Faced with Temptation." As never before, or even after, Jesus was faced with temptation. He was led of the spirit to the wilderness to be in communion with God to prepare Himself for His great mission of redemption. But the devil took the opportunity to meet Him and to attack him with his special temptations, hoping to overcome Him. But praise the Lord, He was not overcome. He overcame all temptations.

What is temptation? Is temptation sin? No. We just sang, temptation is not sin but to yield to temptation constitutes sin. We find in James 1:13-16, "13 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. 16 Do not err, my beloved brethren."

No man is tempted of God, in this sense, but every man is tempted when he is drawn away by his own lusts. Jesus had not this propensity or inclination this response we have in our mind, when temptations comes.

But God permits temptations to come upon us as trials or tests to help us, to give us opportunity to develop character, and to enable us to resist temptations of evil.

We have the opportunity to feel our dependence on God. We have no natural power in us to resist but enough provisions are made to do what God wants us to do.

We have some common situations in our daily life. To those, we respond just naturally and we cannot be surprised. For example, when we hurt ourselves. Sometimes with a nail and hammer we hurt our finger or hand. What kind of reaction would we instantly have? Bad words? Anger? Or if there is a child around we are inclined to blame the child. Though he is without any guilt we tell the child to go out. Instead we should work our minds to suffer the pain to resist and to absorb this situation in a calm and proper way.

But we are tempted. As a beaver we have a strong desire to cut down a tree. It is very natural to him. So we do when we are faced with temptations—we react like that beaver towards the tree.

But we need to learn to resist to trust in God, elevate our thoughts to Him, and then to escape. Temptations will come every where all the time. We cannot flee from them. There will be no place secure or safe. We need to be prepared to resist by the power of God.

Sometimes, unfortunately, we may manufacture temptations ourselves. Sometimes we invite temptations to tempt us. We put our feet in the path of temptation and then we are in trouble. We should not do so.

It is written [in The Great Controversy, p. 510] that Satan with all his snares, his power to devise to tempt us, is not able to force us to go into temptation, to do his will. He can try to seduce and cause anguish but not force. The final decision is ours. It is in our hands. But we, by ourselves without divine power, cannot respond in the right way.

Our first parents, Adam and Eve, were free. They were free moral agents. They were not forced either to obey or disobey. However, they had a strong stimulus to obey and not give heed to the strange words of the enemy. But they yielded to temptation. First the woman, then Adam, was not able to stand firm and were overcome by the enemy. Now it is our turn to be aware, to be ready and willing to work out our salvation, to cooperate with God, that we may be overcomers.

We are tempted even during this session. We are here as brethren and coworkers. But we can be sure the enemy of God is not sleeping.

I would like to read some statements from the devotional book, That I May Know Him [page 186].

"The greatest service we can render to the cause of God, and which will reflect steady beams of light upon the pathway of others, is to be patient, kind, steadfast as a rock to principle, God-fearing. This will constitute us the salt of the earth, the light of the world. We shall be often disappointed, for we shall not find perfection in those who are connected with us, and they will not see perfection in us. It is only by agonizing effort on our part that we shall become unselfish, humble, childlike, teachable, meek and lowly of heart, like our divine Lord. We must bring our hearts and minds up to a high point of education in spiritual and heavenly things."

We have met sometimes in previous sessions, most of us, and if we see one another, it looks like we are still the same. We did not improve so much. It is not negative input. We are not comparing among ourselves--we need to compare with Jesus. Then the difference would be greater.

"This world is not heaven, but it is the workshop of God for the fitting up of His people for a pure and holy paradise."

Then trials are blessings in disguise. One time one brother was wondering what this means, "blessings in disguise." He was thinking, They are blessings—they cannot be in disguise. They are real! But some blessings at our side don’t look like blessings, yet may be the greatest blessings we receive. This is the way God works with us. We need to be patient, submissive to His work. He is the potter; we are just the clay.

"And while each one of us is to feel that he is a part of the great web of humanity, he must not expect that others in that web will be without a flaw any more than himself."

We are humans and all in need of the power o God to be saved. We need the grace of God, we are in the same boat, sinners in need to be saved.

"Mistakes will be made, and if the erring are willing to be corrected, a valuable experience is gained, so that their defeat is turned to victory. You should consider that many of your own errors are not brought to light, and be careful not to make the mistakes and imperfection of others appear in their worst light, either to yourself or to others."

But we must confess that sometimes we do this. We consciously or unconsciously make the failures of others appear in the worst light.

We can recall the golden rule. What does it say? “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets” (Matthew 7:12).

"No man is perfect, and unjust criticism indulged towards others is not wise or Christlike."

Unjust criticism. Some criticism is beneficial in the proper time and in the proper manner, observing, suggesting. But unjust criticism is not Christlike. It is not wise.

"We have a serious, solemn work to do for ourselves to cleanse our own souls from spot and stain if we will stand before the Son of man when He shall appear, acquitted of Him."

We have this solemn work to do for ourselves and for one another.

"We must be educators as well as reformers."

Notice these two words, educators and reformers. We must be—not simply should be. We must be. The first ones to be educated and reformed—who are they? Ourselves. We need to look to ourselves in the first place.

"To cut loose from every one who errs and does not follow our own ideas is not doing as Christ is doing for us."

This is completely opposite from our methods. We are different and diverse but even in diversity we can be united in purpose and spirit, to the same goal.

"We are all fallible, and we need pity, forbearance, kindly consideration, and sympathetic love for those with whom we are connected. We are all unworthy of the love and confidence of God."

This last phrase impressed me a lot—"We are all unworthy of the love and confidence of God."

Nevertheless He has given us a second chance. He has given us an opportunity. He is loving us with unspeakable love. He has given us a vote of confidence, that we are sometimes even unwilling to give to our companions. It was said here that we need to trust one another more than we do. We need to give a chance one to another. And confidence inspires confidence, respect inspires respect, love inspires love. In this way we can reach the goal of the salvation, of our own soul and many others by our efforts and cooperation.

I want to close with this marvelous promise in 1 Corinthians 10, remembering the Lord's prayer, "Lead us not into temptation."

"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).

Praise the Lord for this. Let us believe and make our experience and may the Lord give us power to conquer the enemy and to be in His kingdom for ever. May the Lord bless us and give us His grace, A-men.