Two Temptation Scenes > Temptations of the evil one >
Major areas that can go wrong
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MESSAGE: 2TS03a
Preached: 5 Jun 83 ▪ Edited: 4 Apr 02
Introduction | 1. Rebellion | Temptation of Eve: disobedience, rebellious spirit | King Saul's disobedience | Overcoming the tendency to walk contrary to God's instructions | The rebellious spirit reflected in disobedience to authority | Submission to God and proper authority | Temptation of the Lord Jesus: true submission | 2. Negative influence | Temptation of Adam and Eve: the negative influence of Eve | Why did Adam disobey God? | Taking a stand on the truths we know | Effects of our sins on others | Nature and quality of our influence | Concluding remarks
In the first two messages on the two important temptation scenes recorded for us in the Scriptures, one in Genesis 3 and the other in Matthew 4, we have considered the following points:
1. Casting doubts and confusion on the word of God
2. Contradicting the word of God
3. Casting doubts on the goodness of God
4. Physical, bodily needs, appetites, urges
5. Temptation through what we see
6. Aspirations and attainments not intended by God
7. Knowledge and wisdom contrary to what God said
In this message, we will concentrate on Genesis 3:6, a verse from which we can derive many helpful truths and principles. There are three important issues that we will dwell upon:
1. Rebellion
2. Negative influence
3. The issue of choice
This message will be divided into two parts: 2TS03a and 2TS03b. I will cover the first two issues in the first part (2TS03a); the third issue will be covered in the second part (2TS03b).
God has created man to know and submit to Him, to walk according to His perfect will and work out His purposes in fellowship with Him, according to His guidance and enabling. A primary objective of Satan in his temptation of Adam and Eve was to cause them to disobey and rebel against God and thus frustrate God's intentions for man. The objective of the evil one is not merely to cause Adam and Eve to falter on that specific occasion but to bring about a fundamental change in their way of life and those of their descendants. Satan himself has been in rebellion against God and his ultimate objective is that mankind joins his camp, be subjected to him, and worship him instead of God.
Genesis 3:6
When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a
delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise,
she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with
her, and he ate.
In Genesis 3:6, Eve's action was deliberate and in disobedience to God's
instruction that forbade Adam and Eve from partaking of the fruit of
this tree. We can describe Eve's action as sin or rebellion against God.
Since the Fall of Adam and Eve, this has been a major problem area of
mankind: a tendency to disobey God and having a rebellious spirit.
In Ephesians 2:2, the apostle Paul describes mankind as “sons of
disobedience” who walk “according to the prince of the power of the
air”, that is, living according to the influence of the evil one.
Ephesians 2:1-3
1 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins,
2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world,
according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is
now working in the sons of disobedience.
3 Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh,
indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature
children of wrath, even as the rest.
Rebellion against God and disobedience to Him is the root of man's problems. It means turning away from the source of goodness, truth, righteousness, light and life, resulting in sin and darkness. This would cause us to come under the influence of the evil one and be in bondage to him.
King Saul fell from favour with God because of disobedience to God. Let us look at what Samuel has to say on this subject of disobedience to God and rebellion.
1 Samuel 15:22,23
22 Samuel said,
“Has the Lord as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
As in obeying the voice of the Lord?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,
And to heed than the fat of rams.
23 “For rebellion is as the sin of divination,
And insubordination is as iniquity and idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the Lord,
He has also rejected you from being king.”
In the above verses, Samuel sums it up very beautifully for us: to obey
is better than sacrifice (v. 22). In the Old Testament context, burnt
offerings and sacrifices offered up to God were an important part of the
lives of the Israelites. However, a heart of submission and obedience to
God is far more important than the mere outward act of sacrifices and
burnt offerings. In fact, the “sacrifices and burnt offerings” offered
will not be acceptable to God if the former is absent. Whatever man may
seek to do and offer up to God will not be acceptable to Him if there
isn't a heart of submission to Him.
The Lord seeks and desires obedience from us. Thus, when we disobey, we
rebel against God. Verse 23 tells us that rebellion is as the sin of
divination and idolatry. It brings home to us how seriously God views
the matter. Because Saul disobeyed the Lord, God rejected him from being
king.
Man has a tendency to walk in his own ways rather than in obedience to
God. There are many whose hearts are rebellious and are bent on
indulging the desires of the flesh. However, even for those who want to
walk with God, they may still succumb to temptations and walk contrary
to God's instructions.
The Scriptures teaches that if we desire to walk in the ways of God, we
cannot do so in our own strength. To overcome the tendency to indulge in
the desires of the flesh, especially in the context of the temptations
of the evil one and the attractions of the world, we must look to God to
help us. We must learn to walk by the Spirit so that we will not carry
out the desires of the flesh (Gal. 5:16). We must be prayerful at all
times, constantly asking the Lord to guide and strengthen us to walk in
His ways.
We have been created in the image of God so that we can know Him and
walk in fellowship with Him. We have not been created such that we are
able to live a life of righteousness on our own. To walk in God's ways,
we must walk with God and be guided and empowered by His Spirit. An
important strategy of the evil one, which can be seen in the temptation
scene in the Garden of Eden, is to alienate us from God. When the evil
one succeeds in drawing man away from God, man will then move in
the direction of sin and bondage to the powers of darkness. This
strategy of the evil one to draw us away from God and alienate us from
God will be considered in greater detail in the subsequent messages
2TS07 and 2TS08.
The rebellious spirit in man is reflected in disobedience to authority
in general. We see many instances of rebellion and unwillingness to
submit to the authority of the state and the laws of the country. In the
area of personal relationships, whether it is the relationship between
parent and child or husband and wife, many have difficulty maintaining a
healthy submissive spirit according to the will of God as revealed in
the Scriptures.
Although we can observe many outward expressions of this spirit of
rebellion in the world, the situation would have been worse if this
rebellious spirit within man were not restrained by the fear of
punishment, fear of the loss of reputation and other adverse
consequences.
Many may outwardly appear to be law abiding and submissive to those in
authority, not because they recognise that it is the right thing to do,
but because they know that if they were to rebel or contravene laws and
regulations or refuse to submit to their superiors, there would be
penalties and unpleasant consequences involved. Thus breaking the laws
of the land may mean a fine or going to jail or both. Defying one's
superiors may mean jeopardising one's career prospects and promotion or
even losing one's job.
Many are very concerned about what others would think of them and are
fearful that their reputation may be adversely affected or others would
laugh at or ostracise them if their wrongdoings become known. In
contexts where people are confident they can get away with it or nobody
would know, manifestations of the rebellious spirit are seen in various
deeds of darkness. When law and order breaks down, many crimes including
looting and robbing may suddenly erupt.
The Scriptures emphasises the importance of having a submissive spirit. Submission and obedience to God is primary and is part of our expression of love for God. As the Lord Jesus tells us, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments” (John 14:15).
God is a God of order and He has instituted various areas of order. We
find constant references being made in the Scriptures of the need to
submit to authority in society, to proper order in relationships and to
leadership that the Lord has instituted for man to live under.
In the epistles of the apostle Paul, we often find that a major section
is devoted to this area of submission. For example, in the book of
Ephesians, we find that Paul, after sharing very deep spiritual truths
in chapters 1-4, continues with practical areas of outworking. We find
in chapter 5 that a major section is dedicated to proper relationships
and submission. From 5:21 to 6:5, he tells us that we need to be subject
to one another, that wives are to be subject to their husbands, children
need to obey their parents, and slaves to be obedient to their masters.
In Colossians 3:18-22, Paul gives the same exhortation, after sharing
deep spiritual truths and principles in the earlier chapters. He talks
about how wives ought to be subjected to their husbands, children to be
obedient to their parents, and slaves to be submissive and obedient
toward their masters. In Romans 13, Paul emphasises the need to submit
to the governing authorities.
Besides the apostle Paul, the apostle Peter also talks about the need to
submit to those in authority (e.g. 1 Pet. 2:13, 14, 18).
Hebrews 13:17 records the need to submit to spiritual leadership.
Hebrews 13:17
Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your
souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and
not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.
Submission to these various authorities is not in the absolute sense but
only where we recognise that it is in line with our submission to God.
Ultimate submission is to the Lord. In fact, we submit to various
authorities as part of our expression of submission to God.
A submissive spirit towards the Lord has a moral element in it. It does
not mean that we simply obey whatever people tell us. That is not what
the Bible encourages us to do.
James 4:7
Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
In James 4:7, we are asked to submit to the morally perfect God and to resist and reject the devil because he is of darkness and is evil. In the Garden of Eden, Eve failed to resist the temptation from the evil one and to submit to the Lord God Almighty.
Having a submissive spirit means submitting to the truth and to God. As part of the expression of our submission to God, we also submit to people whenever it is in line with God's intentions and desires. Therefore, we will not simply submit to whatever people tell us. If what they tell us to do is evil, our stand should not be submission but rejection. We are to resist whatever is evil regardless of the source. Proper submission has a quality and meaning behind it. We submit to God because we love the truth and desire to walk in it.
Let us look at the Lord Jesus Christ, the perfect example for us in the
area of submission. We find that in the three temptations that the Lord
Jesus encountered, He submitted to God the Father and He overcame. In
the first temptation, Satan tempted Him to change stones into bread. But
the Lord Jesus Christ resisted and said to the evil one, “Man shall not
live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of
God.” It is submission to the will of God - every word that proceeds out
of the mouth of God.
On the second occasion, when Satan tempted Him to throw Himself down,
His answer was, "On the other hand, it is written, ‘You shall not put
the Lord your God to the test.'” The Lord Jesus knew that to throw
Himself down was not what God wanted Him to do and so He rejected
Satan's temptation. The Lord Jesus shows us that we must not be
presumptuous and do whatever people may expect of us even though it may
appear to be a very heroic act or a glorious thing to do. He knew that
the evil one was distorting the true intent of the words of the
Scriptures that he had quoted. In submission to God the Father, the Lord
Jesus Christ rejected this temptation.
In the third temptation, the evil one offered the Lord Jesus the world
and all its glory. But He rejected it and told the evil one, "Go, Satan!
For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him
only.'” These words of our Lord Jesus are very helpful and appropriate
for us to consider in relation to the subject of submission.
Submission has to do with the worship of God and our desire to serve
Him. If we maintain the spirit of true worship of God, it would include
the spirit of submission to Him. To serve God only, means that ultimate
service, loyalty and obedience is to the Lord. We can see this
throughout the life of the Lord Jesus. He constantly manifested an
attitude of submission, always doing what was pleasing to God the
Father. Take for example Philippians 2:5-8.
Philippians 2:5-8
5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,
6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality
with God a thing to be grasped,
7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made
in the likeness of men.
8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming
obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
The Lord Jesus humbled Himself by being obedient. He submitted to God
the Father even to the point of the painful and agonizing death on the
cross. He had left His glory in heaven to come down to earth as part of
the submissive spirit that He had. The Lord's actions had meaning and
quality. There is an ultimate purpose behind it. This kind of submissive
attitude towards God the Father will always have a meaningful, beautiful
and good result. It will lead to bearing fruit in our own lives and also
contribution to the kingdom of God.
People in the world often have wrong ideas of submission. They tend to
sneer and look upon submission as something humiliating. People with a
submissive attitude are often misunderstood as people who are weak and
unable to stand up for their rights. In reality, it requires moral and
spiritual strength to submit properly and consistently in the way God
desires of us. The Scriptures repeatedly highlights to us the importance
of a healthy submissive spirit if we desire to walk well with the Lord
and bear fruit in every good work.
In Genesis 3:6, Eve became a negative influence. She not only took the
fruit from the tree of good and evil and ate but also gave it to her
husband to eat. Not only did Eve disobey and sin against the Lord, but
Adam also faltered similarly.
There is a principle here that is helpful for us to bear in mind: we
need to be aware of the danger of yielding to negative influences,
thereby disobeying God. This can come in many different forms and ways.
Very often it is the evil one seeking to draw us to sin against the Lord
through situations and people.
This problem of coming under bad influence is common in the world.
Younger people are especially vulnerable to such influences because of
peer pressure, picking up bad habits. It is not uncommon for people to
be influenced and drawn into very harmful activities including criminal
activities, taking drugs and a promiscuous lifestyle. It is easy to be
led astray when mixing with bad company. 1 Corinthians 15:33 tells us
“bad company corrupts good morals”.
Let us now look more closely at the lessons we can learn from the fall of Adam.
1 Timothy 2:14
And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell
into transgression.
1 Timothy 2:14 makes clear to us that it was not because of deception
that Adam fell into sin, unlike Eve who was deceived. The reasons for
Adam's disobedience are not clearly indicated in Genesis. We are simply
told that Eve ate the fruit and gave also to her husband and he ate.
However, it is not difficult to understand the possible reasons although
we cannot be conclusive.
If we look at the issue casually or carelessly, we may say that Adam
sinned because “he happened to be around and he took and ate what Eve
offered. He was not thinking about what he was doing. Perhaps he was
half asleep!”
As this is a very major issue with far reaching implications for the
whole course of human history, it is highly unlikely that Adam did not
know what he was doing and that he ate the fruit unthinkingly.
I see two likely reasons why Adam sinned. One likely reason could be his
feelings for Eve because she was his helpmate and it is natural that he
had feelings for her. Because of his feelings for Eve and his desire to
please her, he took the fruit without resistance when Eve gave it to
him. Another possible explanation is that he yielded to Eve's
persuasion. Perhaps after eating the fruit, Eve persuaded Adam to do
likewise and because of his feelings for her, he succumbed to her
persuasion.
Whether or not Adam's eating of the fruit was due to either possibility,
the above scenarios do often occur in many of life's situations. Because
of our feelings for someone or due to persuasion, we do things that are
improper. We may then try to justify ourselves by saying that “I did not
consider very carefully,” but this would not free us from blame.
We need to be mindful of the requirements of true discipleship: supreme
love for and obedience to God. In Genesis 3:12, Adam tried to excuse his
wrongdoing when God questioned him. He said, "The woman whom You gave to
be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate." Adam's answer was
that he had listened to his wife. But did God accept this excuse? No,
instead we see God pronouncing judgment on him in verses 17 to 19.
Just as Adam could not excuse himself on the ground that he had listened
to his wife, neither can we excuse ourselves that we have been
influenced or persuaded by others. Here, the important principle to be
mindful of is that we need to take a stand on the truths that we know.
Adam knew the truth. He knew what he ought to do and what he ought not
to do. Adam knew that he had transgressed God's expressed instruction
and he could not excuse himself for listening to his wife although she
was someone dear to him and it was not wrong for him to have affection
for her. He had to take a stand on the truth that he knew and
understood.
In this instance, we also see that Adam failed in his responsibility to
exercise leadership. God had created Adam first and Eve was created to
be a helpmate for him. Adam was to exercise leadership but he failed to
do so. Instead he listened to his wife in an area that he knew to be
wrong.
As we look at the words "Eve gave" in Genesis 3:6, we should remind
ourselves to be careful in regard to what we “give” and how we affect
the lives of others. When Eve sinned against the Lord, not only did she
bring adverse consequences to herself but she also failed to fulfill
God's intention for her as a helpmate to Adam. Instead of helping Adam
fulfill God's intentions for their lives, Eve contributed to his fall
and ruin.
In life, those we are close to, those whom we love or with whom we have
a deep bond, can strongly influence us. Such people, whether they are
spouses or loved ones, can strongly influence our lives for good or ill.
Likewise, we can also influence their lives for good or evil.
The sin of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, generally referred to as
“the Fall”, has serious negative consequences on all mankind. It has
resulted in a fallen world in which it is very easy to sin. The whole
world lies in the power of the evil one (1 John 5:19); Satan is actively
at work, taking advantage of the weakness of the flesh and through the
attractions in the fallen world, easily tempts us to indulge in the
desires of the flesh (Eph. 2:1-3).
The lesson for us to take note is that we need to be mindful that sinful
living can have a strong negative effect not only on our own lives, but
also on those around us.
We are called to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world
(Matt. 5:13, 14), exercising positive influence by our lives on others.
But what is the nature and quality of our influence? By “nature of the
influence”, I mean whether the influence is for good or ill; and by
“quality of our influence”, I mean the strength of our influence. The
nature and quality of our influence depend not only on our intentions
but also on the quality of our lives.
It is true that the kind of influence we exert depends to some degree on
our intentions, that is, whether our intentions are good or evil, but
beyond intentions, the quality of our lives is also important. Often we
may want to exercise good influence on people and our intentions are
noble, but because of the poor quality of our lives, the outcome
intended could not be achieved. Therefore, there needs to be sufficient
quality in our spiritual life and in our life in general because we
exercise positive influence on others not just through the words we
speak, but also through the life and power that come forth.
Some parents may at times lament that they do not understand why their
children are not growing up well when they have tried so hard to instil
good values and attitudes. But when we look at the lives of the parents,
we see that their personal values and attitudes are not good and they do
not set good examples. Although these parents' intentions may be good,
they are not able to influence their children positively because of the
poor quality of their own lives.
In a general sense, we are influencing others by our lives all the time
and God will hold us accountable for the influence of our lives on
others. Likewise, we are subject to various kinds of influences all the
time.
However, though the influence that we exert on another person may pull
him in a particular direction, it may not necessarily result in him
moving in that direction. Each one of us can still choose how we want to
respond to the influences that come upon us. For example, a person may
be exerting a bad influence on those around him but it doesn't mean that
the others will necessarily become bad. However, the stronger the
influence, the stronger will be the pull in that direction and if it is
negative, it would be more difficult to resist it.
The Scriptures does record instances of godly parents with ungodly
children. One example that comes to mind is the prophet Samuel's
children. Samuel had good attitudes and he lived a godly life, but his
children's lives were quite terrible.
Similarly, we see this happened in the life of another outstanding
character in the Scriptures - David, the man after God's own heart.
Although he had his weaknesses, he was basically a godly man. Generally
his life and attitudes were much appreciated by the Lord. In the Old
Testament, David was often lifted up as a standard, with other kings
being compared with him and whether they were walking in the ways of God
like David did. Nevertheless, he did have children who lived quite
terribly and with poor quality lives.
Therefore it does not mean that our influence on another is absolute
because each person will still have to exercise his responsibility and
live accordingly. In the same way we cannot simply blame others for our
own failures. Yes, the Lord does bear in mind what kind of influences we
come under. The fact that we are under good influence and yet live lives
of poor quality will be a factor against us. The fact that we fail in
the context of adverse circumstances and unhealthy influences God will
take into account, but we will not be excused.
God does bear in mind all relevant factors when He judges us, whether it
be the adverse circumstances and influences we have been subjected to or
the opportunities and degree of knowledge that we have. The words of the
Lord Jesus in Luke 12:47, 48 are relevant:
Luke 12:47, 48
47 “And that slave who knew his master's will and did not get ready or
act in accord with his will, will receive many lashes,
48 but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a
flogging, will receive but few. From everyone who has been given much,
much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will
ask all the more.
The slave who knows what is wrong and yet does it will be given more
lashes than the one who does not fully understand. But that does not
excuse the latter from wrongdoing.
For personal reflection, we need to ask ourselves two questions: -
a. Do we exert positive influence on the people around us?
Are we the salt of the earth and the light of the world as we are called
to be, or are we bad influences? Do we build up the lives of others or
do we tear them down? It is important that we learn to exert good
influence not just by the words that proceed from our mouths but what
comes forth from within our hearts and the quality and whole direction
of our lives.
b. Do we allow ourselves to be negatively and adversely influenced?
While we live in this world, negative, adverse and corrupting influences
surround us, but we cannot excuse ourselves by saying, “I was under
adverse influence.” We must be prepared to stand by the truths that we
have come to understand and not excuse ourselves.
Let us reflect on our lives. Do we have a rebellious spirit within us? Do we easily yield to adverse influences upon our lives? What kind of influence do we exercise on others? Is it a positive one? Or do we destroy other people's lives? Let us prayerfully evaluate before the Lord and ask Him to search our lives and help us deal with all the different areas of failures and weaknesses that we have.
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Two Temptation Scenes > Temptations of the evil one >
Major areas that can go wrong
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