This clip from, "Finding Nemo" illustrates the concept of temptation leading to sin. Some questions are in order with regard to Bruce's real commitment to not eating fish. Folks who struggle with the temptation to eat fish probably shouldn't hang out in close proximity to them!
1.
Introduction
In his book, Men at Work, George F. Will
takes a close look at four baseball players. One of those examined is Orel
Hershiser (of Dodgers fame), who talks about his philosophy of pitching.
“There are two theories of pitching,”
Hershiser says. “One is that you try to convince the batter that a particular
pitch is coming and you throw something different. The other theory, that you
don’t hear as much, but that I use, is that if the batter expects a particular
pitch, you throw it, but you throw it in a place where he can’t hit it.” That
is: Know what a batter wants or expects and throw the ball almost there. If he
is a highball hitter, throw it a bit too high. His eagerness will prevent him
from laying off it, but it will be hard to hit well.
Isn’t that the way the enemy works in
our life? He knows just what kind of pitch that we are a sucker for and then
throws it our way. But, it is just a little higher or just a little bit more
outside than where we like it, and most likely we will bite on it every time.
After all, it looks so good. It feels so right.
Doug Cecil,
Dallas Connection, Spring, 1995, p. 1
2.
Body
a.
(Read
Genesis 3:4-5; Matthew 4:1-10)
b.
Lie
#1: God either doesn’t understand
or doesn’t care about your needs.
i. Genesis
1.
satan
suggested,
2.
Eve
considered,
3.
Eve
decided
ii. Matthew
1.
satan
suggested,
2.
Jesus
rejected, based on the Word of God… not how he felt.
c. Lie #2: It MIGHT NOT be disobedience…
d.
Lie
#3a: If it IS disobedience, God
probably won’t do anything about it.
e.
Lie
#3b: If He does, the penalties for
the sin will be less painful than rejecting the temptation.
i. Consequences aren’t always felt
immediately
ii. One of the most SERIOUS
consequences is broken fellowship with God, and the inability to hear Him.
iii. Sometimes, consequences are
cumulative
iv. See above on consequences
v. This is a “feelings” driven
approach which is ALWAYS wrong (doing the right thing for the wrong reason is
the wrong thing)
vi. Our real problem: the temptation is more real to us than
God.
f. Lie #4: Succumbing to the temptation will “feel good” and somehow
enhance or improve your life.
3.
Closing
It was F. B. Meyer, I believe, who once
said that when we see a brother or sister in sin, there are two things we do
not know: First, we do not know how hard he or she tried not to sin. And second,
we do not know the power of the forces that assailed him or her. We also do not
know what we would have done in the same circumstances.
Stephen Brown, Christianity Today, April 5, 1993, p. 17