Temptation and Sin
A Sermon on Temptation from Ephesians 6:10-13
Scripture
10Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against …
Sermon Description
Many Christians live burdened by a misunderstanding of what it means to be tempted by sin. They think that because they experience involuntary evil thoughts that they have sinned. In this sermon on temptation from Ephesians 6:10–13 titled “Temptation and Sin,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones uses the example of the temptations of Jesus to refute this belief. Jesus was repeatedly tempted by Satan when He was in the desert, but he never sinned. The temptation that Jesus faced was not because He wanted to sin but it came through external promptings. In the same way, Christians may have thoughts that they do not desire to have and that are not their own. Many times these thoughts are the result of Satan and his demons who tempt the children of God. As Dr. Lloyd-Jones proclaims, the only way to truly fight the devil and sin is to flee to Christ who alone has the power to overcome sin and temptation. Christ died for all who believe so that though they are still in the flesh, they will one day be free from all sin and temptation when Christ returns to finally destroy death, sin, and the devil. This great hope is the remedy against all sin and spiritual depression.
Sermon Breakdown
- Christians are not perfect or sinless in this life. Our old self was crucified with Christ but our body is not yet redeemed. Sin still remains in our mortal body.
- The devil attacks our minds and experiences. He tries to rob us of the assurance and joy of our salvation.
- The devil persuades us that temptation itself is sin or that Christians should not be tempted. This is false. Even Jesus was tempted in every way as we are yet without sin.
- Temptation only becomes sin when we accept and enjoy it. We can test if it is temptation or sin by asking if we hate it, long to be rid of it and desire to know God.
- We must recognize the devil's attacks and not attribute them to ourselves. The devil hides himself but hurls fiery darts at our mind.
- We must not feel condemned when tempted. We stand on justification by faith. Jesus was tempted like us yet without sin.
- We must resist the devil. Refuse to argue or reason with him. Reject all his suggestions. Have nothing to do with him.
- Remind ourselves of our position in Christ. We have died and been raised with Christ. The devil cannot touch us.
- Doubts also come from the devil. He even said to Jesus "If you are the Son of God..." We can answer like Jesus did. Our desire is to believe and know God.
- When the devil drives us into a corner, fall back on the fact that we want to believe. We are not at enmity with God like the carnal mind. We receive the things of the Spirit, not considering them foolish like the natural man.
- Thank God for the Scriptures and the Spirit which enable us to resist the devil. We overcome him by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony.
The Book of Ephesians
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.