Good morning and welcome in everybody. Today, we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture, but before we do that, I wanted to tell you a little story.
How many of you have ever read about officers who would stand out in the middle of a heavily congested intersection and direct traffic? Traffic control has always been a great need in large cities, but in August, 1914 in Cleveland Ohio, something was done to help with this developing problem. There on the corner of Euclid and East 105th Street was installed what is considered by many historians as the very first electric traffic signal. A few years earlier a police officer from Utah named Lester wire had made a wooden box with colored lights mounted on a pole. This traffic system was operated manually from a control booth, where the operator would turn the lights on and off at the appropriate times.
Many things have changed since then, even with the adding of the yellow caution light. Many times when people see a yellow light, instead of cautiously slowing down and stepping on the brake, they will step on the gas instead. That’s not really what is supposed to happen. It is a warning that is given to you beforehand, so that you have enough time to stop when the light turns red. Many people won’t heed that warning, which results in numerous accidents and fatalities.
This reminds me of the Christian Life.
Like a caution light, temptations are warning signals. They are a precursor to committing a sinful act. What I mean by this, is that you haven’t actually done something wrong yet, but the temptation serves as a caution signal, warning you that you must apply the brakes, stop what you are doing, and take a different direction.
James 1:2-4 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
A temptation is anything that might influence you to disobey God’s will. It is clear that each person has their own weaknesses, which can greatly differ. One person might be tempted by one thing, while the next person is not. This is why we don’t want to be a stumbling block to each other or cause another person to become weak. It is also clear that temptations originate from within the sinful carnal nature.
James 1:13-15 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.
When you are driving down the highway you can tell beforehand if your car is going to run out of gas. It will give you numerous warning signals, such as a blinking fuel level indicator on the dash, or your car engine will begin to sputter. When these things occur you need to do something immediately, such as pulling over to the shoulder of the road. A temptation serves the same purpose, warning you that sin is rapidly approaching if you don’t alter your course.
Someone might approach you and tempt you to commit fornication, adultery or theft. During those moments, you must recognize in your heart that partaking in activities such as these is wrong, and that you should have nothing to do with them. You must quickly realize that they go against God’s will and purpose. The temptation serves as a red flag so that we can change direction before the actual sinful act is committed. Those who are followers of Christ must learn to overcome sin and the carnal nature by not submitting to those desires, and one of the best things that we can do is learn to avoid situations that we know are going to send up warning signals in our hearts. God delivered Lot from all the wickedness and temptations lurking in Sodom and Gomorrah.
2 Peter 2:6-9 And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly;
And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked:
(For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)
The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:
Success in the Christian Life is learning to avoid temptations. It is being capable of turning away from them when they appear. To consistently do this will result in becoming an overcomer of the sinful nature. Any temptations that we might encounter during our life, we can overcome, as God provides us with a way out.
1 Corinthians 10:13 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.
The Apostle teaches that we are to be filled with joy when we fall into temptations. The reason why, is because when they present themselves, they give us yet another opportunity to show God that we can obediently turn away from them to serve Him. When we overcome sin, it greatly pleases God.
Temptations are a warning that we can use to our advantage, when we heed their warning and turn away from committing sin before it happens. For example, your earthly body has physical warning sensors. If you were to place your hand on a hot stove, you would feel the burning sensation on your skin, which would give you a split second to pull your hand away before you did any real damage. If you were swimming, and went under the water too long, your body would naturally warn you that you need to get to the surface to get air. If you were standing outside without any gloves on, in 60 below zero, your body would warn you that you needed to quickly find warmth, because you were losing feeling in certain parts of your body. Temptations warn us too.
Once you feel tempted, that is the time for immediate action. If there is a temptations on the television or Internet, then you need to shut them off or leave the room and do something different. You have to address the problem at the moment the problem begins. Like a fireman who immediately leaves the firehouse when he is dispatched to a fire, our response to temptations must be even quicker. We must act in a quick and decisive manner as every second counts. Joseph was tempted by Potiphar’s wife, but instead of giving in, he fled the scene. Right at that moment he made a quick decision, he recognized the warning sign, and took the appropriate steps to save himself from an occurrence of sinful behavior.
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.
We are given great and precious promises in the scriptures, but in order to obtain them, we are going to need to change. We will have to shift our minds, attitudes and our behaviors, from worldliness to holiness through the power of faith in Christ. In order to enter eternal life, we need to show our unconditional love for Christ Jesus. This is done through our perfect obedience to His will and purpose. Overcoming the sinful nature is not optional, it is mandatory in the Christian Life, and those who do so will be blessed by God, both now and forever.
So whenever you experience temptations, just remember that you need to heed their warning, because they are the signs of an approaching intersection of danger, just like….
…….The Traffic Signal
Let’s think about these things for right now. We can be found on your web browser by searching, tlkjbc where you can find our diaries distributed through various platforms. We are not associated, nor affiliated with any other religious groups. You can get our entire podcast feeds directly, along with transcripts at tlkjbc.com or I suppose that you could find us somewhere up here, in the Great Northern Minnesota woods. Peace to you all, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody.
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