Temptation

Last night at The Well, we started a new series called, “I am…because He did.”  One of the first things we talked about hit me kind of hard. The slide read, “Many struggle to fully trust God because we don’t think He really understands what we’re going through.” As much as I don’t want to say it, this statement rings true in my life. Trust is something that I struggle with and is something that in my walk with God, I have gotten better at. I am slowly growing to trust God and His plans for me. Although I may not always understand why things have to be the way they are, I know that it will only make me stronger as a person and in my relationship with Him.  We serve a god who is close and personal, He sent His only son to live as we do. And as a human, Jesus encountered the same things that we do. This includes temptation, our topic of the night.  Luke 4:1-2 “Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.”(NIV)

There are three truths about temptation; the first is that it is inevitable.  Temptation always knows where you are, there is no hiding from it. In terms of temptation and sin it is remember that sin is not in the attraction, but in the action.

The second truth about temptation is that it grows. All sin starts as an idea. When the idea is left alone and not dealt with, it grows from your head to your heart. That is when the idea becomes sin.  You must guard your heart.

The final truth about temptation is that it doesn’t have to win. When there is temptation, get away. In Genesis 39:10 we read, “And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her.”(NIV) Joseph removed himself from the temptation of Potiphar’s wife. This is the example we should follow, do not be near the thing that tempts you for you cannot be near and not end up in it. After getting away, get aligned. 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 reads, “or because of these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (NIV) There’s no anointing without affliction. No throne without a thorn. Pain forces us to depend on God instead of ourselves.

Temptation is inevitable, but being defeated is optional. God has not abandoned you and it is in your weakness that He makes you strong.

The Jesus Test

We live in a society that has a spiritual buffet. A place with plates representing each religion and it is believed by 43% of born again Christians that all plates lead to the same God. This week at The Well we took a look at 4 of those religions and put them to the Jesus test. Do they pass? Or do they fail? In the culture we live in, there is emphasis on being politically correct all the time. When looking at this topic, the goal is to be theologically correct, not politically correct. Also remember this is based from the Bible, not any one’s agenda except for God’s.


There are two questions to look at first. Question number one is “What does Jesus say about himself?” Throughout the book of John, Jesus tells that He is the Truth, the Light, the Way. Question two: “What do other religions say about Jesus? Do they pass the Jesus test?”

The second largest religion in the world is Islam, with 1.2 billion followers. They like Christians are monotheistic and have roots leading to Christianity and Judaism. There is a belief that when you die, your good works are weighed against the bad to determine your salvation. This leaves absolutely no security in the after like. We find the contradiction to this in Ephesians 2:8-9 “…salvation is not a reward for the good things we’ve done…” They do not believe that Jesus was crucified. The truth is here though, that there is not only Biblical proof, but historical proof. There is belief that Jesus is a profit and the profits cannot tell a lie and nothing can alter the words of God.
Conclusion: Jesus is not Lord, but a prophet. And you will make it to Heaven if your good deeds outweigh the bad.
Jesus test: FAIL.

Although Mormonism is not as worldwide, it is a very dominant presence locally. The religion was founded by Joseph Smith with talk of angels and gold plates. There is a belief that one day you can become a God. Look at Isaiah 44:6-8 and find that the Bible states differently. They believe that you can earn salvation by your good deeds. They believe you are forgiven until you sin again. Once you repent, you cannot commit the same sin again, and you are held accountable for former sins. We, as Christians, serve a God who is forgiving, and forgetting of those very sins.
Conclusion: Salvation is earned by good works and you can become a God.
Jesus test: FAIL. There is nothing here about God and His love.

Hinduism is the 4th largest religion in the world. There is no founder known. The religion is the most open and accepting of them all. There is a belief that “all roads led to the top of the mountain.” Hinduism has belief in polytheism (multiple gods). These multiple gods are impersonal and do not want to know you. The God we serve as Christians loves us each individually and knew us before we were even born. There is a belief that the actions you commit determine your future and it would take 6,800,000 lifetimes to cancel the evil to then be at peace and have salvation. In James 4:14 we see that we have one short shot at life.
Conclusion: Jesus is A way, not THE way. And Karma leads to salvation.
Jesus test: FAIL.

The fourth and final religion we looked at is Buddhism. This is enlightenment. There is no creator or God in the beliefs, only Buddha’s, or enlightened ones. The main belief is that Nirvana (salvation) can only be obtained via the eight fold path, which is as follows.

1. Right view

2. Right resolve

3. Right speech

4. Right action

5. Right livelihood

6. Right effort

7. Right mindfulness

8. Right concentration

Conclusion: There is no creator and salvation is obtained only via the Eight Fold Path.
Jesus test: FAIL.



There is a hint of God’s truth in each of the religions and Christians can learn a few things from them, such as the good deeds. But the enemy works by giving you just enough truth to make you comfortable and enough lies to keep you from Heaven and eternity spent with God.

Hope everyone has an incredible week. Remember the God’s Grace is a free gift, and it is only through Him and this gift that you can have eternal life.