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.
Every weekend there are a lot of people who like to head out onto the lake to go fishing, and although some will cast from the shore, a lot of us who have boats like to go trolling instead. Whenever you troll, you want to make sure that you put on a lure that attracts fish, and there are plenty of them that can be found at the nearest bait shop. They come in all types of different colors, sizes and shapes, and some of them actually move like a real fish when you pull them through the water. To catch fish, you want to find a lure that entices the fish when it comes whizzing by their weed bed, grabbing their attention so much that it causes them to start following it. Finally, when they get to the point that they cannot resist anymore, they will take the bait, getting snagged on the hook and eventually becoming supper on someone’s dining room table.
This reminds me of the Christian Life.
Temptations are very much like a fishing lure. They will try to attract you, and deceptively seduce you until you finally take the bait, become caught in its grasp, and are snared in the bond of iniquity.
James 1 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.
There are many types of fish in the lake, each of which are attracted to different kinds of lures. In many respects they are just like men, who have many different weaknesses in their flesh. But whatever they may be, we must be capable of overcoming them all if we truly want to enter into eternal life.
“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.” James 1:12
“Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.” Mark 14:38
There have been many times that I was out fishing for sunfish, but nothing would bite the hook at all. When you looked over the side of the boat there were fish all over the place but when you dropped the worm in front of them, they just stared at it and turned the opposite way. No matter what you did, they just wouldn’t take the bait, which is the way that each of us must react when temptations arise.
“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
Again, the Apostle James teaches us that when lust hath conceived,… It bringeth forth sin. Lust is a longing for something that goes against the will of God. It is a strong desire or craving for that which is outside the teachings of our faith. This is why we need to keep our hearts and our minds on Spiritual things, because the carnal mind is enmity with God.
Romans 8 ⁵ For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. ⁶ For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. ⁷ Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. ⁸ So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
Philippians 3 ¹⁸ (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: ¹⁹ Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)
The word conceive means to form in one’s mind, or to plan or to develop an idea. When sin has conceived, you are thinking about it so much that you try to figure out a way to actually obtain what you are lusting after. Like a fish clamping down on the hook, the next step is putting the thoughts of one’s mind into action, which will result in death.
“For the wages of sin is death;…..Romans 6:23
“Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” Romans 6:16
“What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death.” Romans 6:21
When you lust after something, it is to have an unbridled desire, in which you are incapable of saying no. It can be an unbridled sexual desire, and rather than resisting it, people will get caught up in fornication and other forms of lasciviousness.
1 Thessalonians 4 ⁴ That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour; ⁵ Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God:
To completely overcome sinful temptations, we must render our hearts and our minds to God.
Romans 6 ¹² Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
¹³ Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
“Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.” 1 Corinthians 10:6
We can defeat sin by walking in the Spirit.
“This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.” Galatians 5:16
Ephesians 4 ²² That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; ²³ And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; ²⁴ And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
“And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.” Galatians 5:24
To fulfill the lust of the flesh is to bring it to completion. Like I said, it begins with a thought, and then overwhelms a person until an action finally takes place. We must never allow ourselves to become snagged on the hook of sin.
“But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.” Romans 13:14
When we are strong in our faith we will be able to turn away from sin and overcome the devil’s temptations.
“I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one.” 1 John 2:14
To obtain eternal life we must get to the point in our lives that when we see a temptation come whizzing by, we are strong enough to look the other way. We must be wise enough to recognize the sinful lures that surround us, and keep ourselves from being seduced into biting their hook. When you are capable of overcoming temptation, it is a sign of Christian maturity, just like an older fish in the lake that won’t allow themselves to be duped into…
……Taking the Bait
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 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.❤️
tlkjbc.com
Teufer Lake King James Bible Church 