Thoughts from the Sermon, “The First Temptation” Genesis 3:1-7

Thoughts from the Sermon, “The First Temptation” Genesis 3:1-7

by Vermon Pierre, Lead Pastor

1. The original origin of every temptation is spiritual attack.

There are spiritual forces opposed to God all around us, the chief of them being Satan. He was the one behind the first attack against mankind and he and his demonic forces continue to use the powerful weapon of temptation to attack mankind.

2. The beginning of every temptation is a lie.

What makes temptation so insidiously powerful is that it almost always comes to us as a lie with a few truths mixed in. The demonic forces want us to accept a reality apart from God and downplay the consequences for us accepting this reality.

3. The hook behind every temptation is desire

Temptation encourages us to let our desires go out of control. We let them become obsessions that we must satisfy, even if they go against God’s word. These obsessive desires can never be fully satisfied; they demand more and more from us all the while slowly emaciating our souls.

With Eve we see her crave to have a certain experience of pleasure (Gen 3:6 “the tree was good for food…it was a delight to the eyes”) and to achieve a better status in life than the one she currently had (Gen 3:6 “the tree was to be desired to make one wise”). Unfortunately she gave in to her cravings. Adam soon followed her in her sin. And the consequences for this were devastating for them and indeed for all humanity.

4. The only one who beat every temptation is Jesus

Jesus is the new man, the second Adam, who faced every temptation but defeated them all so that through him we also can defeat temptation. We can now with confidence come to God and receive all the grace we need to beat back and even overcome every temptation we face (Hebrews 4:14-16).

The fundamental key to this is building a life that is characterized by a simple, no reservation commitment to Christ (2 Corinthians 11:3). We must strip away all our excuses and dedicate ourselves to following Jesus and obeying his commands above all things, knowing that real joy and peace can only be found through him.

Top Regrets of the Dying

This article should make you think. Bronnie Ware, a palliative care expert, lists the five most common regrets expressed by dying people.

1. I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.
2. I wish I didn't work so hard.
3. I wish I'd had the courage to express my feelings.
4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.
5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.

The full post is worth reading. 

Before God Made…Family Was...

Great post from Dennae on the significance of the Trinity
for our understanding of God's adoption of us into his family.

http://www.togetherforadoption.org/?p=10784
HOSTED AT TOGETHER FOR ADOPTION

How Do You Suffer?

How Do You Suffer?

Dennae Pierre's new post at TOGETHER FOR ADOPTION based on Romans 5:1-4

HABAKKUK STUDY GUIDE part 5

“Faith in God Even When Your Whole World Has Crashed In On You”

THE TEXT
Habakkuk 3:17–19 (ESV)

17 Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, 18 yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. 19 GOD, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer’s; he makes me tread on my high places. To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments.

QUESTIONS
1. What kind of the trials have you been through or seen people go through? What were the reactions to these trials? Did you (or others you know) grow closer to the Lord through the trials or go farther away from the Lord? What do you think makes the difference between someone growing closer to the Lord through trials versus going farther away from the Lord?



2. What are the common means of grace God provides for us through which we can know joy and have strength even in the midst of crisis and confusion?



3. After thinking back over what we have learned from this wonderful book, list and write briefly about 2 or 3 things that have helped you to personally grow in your Christian walk.



4. The book of Habakkuk is not meant to give us all the answers we desire when it comes to suffering and tribulation. However there are a few key truths we can glean and hold onto when we face dire situations. What are some of these key truths and how can they help us in times of crisis?



CASE STUDY
While meeting with several other believers for prayer (say, during the prayer times at the end of home group), you learn that all of the other people in your group are struggling with some serious challenges. Several people are facing the loss of their jobs. Almost everyone is having some difficult issues at home. They are depressed, discouraged downtrodden, and feel badly beat up. They are looking for some help and can’t seem to find any. How do you help them? What do you say to them? How do you pray for them? What Scriptures do you use as you counsel them?



PERSONAL REFLECTION
Reflect on the difficult situation Habakkuk faced and how he dealt with it. Refer to the previous study guides if you need. Now contemplate a difficult situation you have faced in your life or are currently facing. Think about how you dealt with it, especially in regards to your prayer life. After analyzing your actions, would you say that you sinned in the process? Can you say with all sincerity that you trusted God? Be honest as you reflect on your heart’s attitude during the difficult time you experienced or are experiencing right now. Use the space below to sort of “journal out” your responses to these questions and be sure to include what (if anything) you believe the Lord would have you do differently next time you face a crisis.



FURTHER READING

The Sovereign Lord gives triumph over circumstances to those who trust Him. The way to get out from under the load is to get right under the Lord. To be under the Lord is to be over the circumstances. That lesson is worth the price of the book, especially when the world seems like a cesspool of quicksand.

Habakkuk was about to “go under” when he started this book. Destruction, violence, strife, conflict, injustice, and wickedness were all he could see. But he cried out to God and his cry did not go unheeded. The Lord not only answered his complaint but also provided the confidence needed to lift him from the quagmire. Habakkuk started in the pits, but ended on the mountaintop. His journey was not exactly an easy one, but it was certainly worth it.

God directed Habakkuk through the dialogue (chap. 1) in which He revealed His plans for disciplining Judah and destroying Babylon. Then at God’s command Habakkuk recorded a woeful dirge (chap. 2) that further justified God’s judgment on Babylon. Finally, the prophet reached a pinnacle of praise in which God revealed Himself in all His glory and power. The doxology (chap. 3) concluded with Habakkuk’s unwavering trust in the Lord.

The prophet’s complaints were swallowed up by confidence. His fear turned to faith. Habakkuk was transformed from a sour, jittery prophet weighed down with burdens to a secure, joyous preacher bouyed up with blessing. The just, the upright, the happy, the contented, the victorious live by their faith. Yes, faith is the victory that overcomes the world! (1 John 5:4)

SOURCE: J. Ronald Blue, The Bible Knowledge Commentary.


CLOSING HYMN

The final verses of Habakkuk 3 prompted William Cowper (1731–1800) to compose the poem “In Him Confiding,” which became “Sometimes a Light Surprises” (usually sung to the tune of “The Church’s One Foundation”)

Verse 1
Sometimes a light surprises
The Christian while he sings;
It is the Lord who rises
With healing in His wings:
When comforts are declining,
He grants the soul again
A season of clear shining,
To cheer it after rain.

Verse 2
In holy contemplation,
We sweetly then pursue
The theme of God’s salvation,
And find it ever new.
Set free from present sorrow,
We cheerfully can say,
‘E’en let the unknown morrow
Bring with it what it may:

Verse 3
‘It can bring with it nothing
But He will bear us through;
Who gives the lilies clothing
Will clothe His people too.
Beneath the spreading heavens,
No creature but is fed;
And He who feeds the ravens
Will give His children bread.’

Verse 4
Though vine nor fig-tree neither
Their wonted fruit should bear,
Though all the fields should wither,
Nor flocks nor herds be there,
Yet, God the same abiding,
His praise shall tune my voice;
For, while in Him confiding,
I cannot but rejoice.

HABAKKUK STUDY GUIDE part 4

QUESTIONS

1. Habakkuk’s prayer in Habakkuk 3 anticipates God’s judgment but also pleads for God’s mercy. How does affirming the rightness of God’s judgment help us better appreciate and receive God’s mercy?



2. Habakkuk’s prayer also shows an expectation of God’s salvation. Even in the worst trials we can be confident that, because of God’s great mercy, he will save his people (3:13). How does this truth help us understand and deal with our own trials today? How does it help reinforce our faith in the midst of trials?



3. In Habakkuk 3:3-4, God’s coming is compared to a thunderstorm. What are some of the comparisons made and why are they significant?



4. In Habakkuk 3:5-7, God is portrayed as a cosmic king and in 3:8-15 he is portrayed as a divine warrior. What is the significance of having a God who is described in these ways?



5. According to Habakkuk 3:8-15, what is God coming to do? Which specific verses do you draw your answer from? How does this reinforce the concept of God as a powerful and righteous judge? Do you struggle with the concept of God as a powerful and righteous judge? Why or why not?



6. Commentator Ken Barker in the New American Commentary writes the following about v.13:

“’Anointed’ meant chosen of God for a particular purpose. The term “anointed one” was used of the high priest or the king as a member of the Davidic line but could also indicate another divinely selected individual, such as Cyrus in Isa 45:1. In this context the term has multiple meanings. In reference to the exodus it would most likely point to Moses. But in Habakkuk’s day it referred to God’s anointed people in general and a hoped-for king/deliverer in particular. In the context of sacred canon it looked forward to Messiah, fulfilled in the life, sufferings, death, resurrection, and salvation of Jesus of Nazareth.”

How does the fact that Jesus is the ultimate “anointed” of God help us apply v.13 to the believer today?



FURTHER REFLECTION

In James Joyce’s Ulysses, his young hero represents the modern spirit of many. “History,” Stephen said, “is a nightmare from which I am trying to awake.” Henry Ford had a more down-to-earth way of putting the same thing: “History is bunk.” These are, hopefully, the last cries of the Enlightenment, which viewed history as the worthless fabric of superstition and error.

Christians cannot afford to by-pass such knowledge of the past, for a nation or a society without a memory is not only a society devoid of a past, but a society with a detached present and no direction for the future.

The importance of acknowledging that the events recorded in the Bible actually happened is poignantly demonstrated in D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones’s stern warning:

If God did not actually do the things recorded in the Old Testament for Israel, then the whole Bible may be just a piece of psychology meant to keep me happy. The Bible, however, plainly shows that my comfort and consolation lie in facts—the fact that God has done certain things and that they have literally happened. The God in whom I believe is the God who could and did divide the Red Sea and the river Jordan. In reminding himself and us of these things, Habakkuk is not just comforting himself by playing with ideas; he is speaking of the things that God has actually done. The Christian faith is solidly based upon facts, not ideas. And if the facts recorded in the Bible are not true, then I have no hope and no comfort. For we are not saved by ideas; but by facts, by events.

The theophany of this section of Habakkuk’s message has brought us full circle from the prophet’s first complaint at the beginning of this book. Now Yahweh stands face to face with the enemy, the “proud”; they were at the opposite end of the spectrum from the justified by faith! This great power, and, apparently, all haughty nations that take Babylon’s path, will suffer smashing defeat and God’s victorious conclusion. The victory over the wicked is described in a memorable picture. God will strike the head from the house of the wicked (v. 13). How reminiscent of Genesis 3:15 this is! The enemy may nip the heel of the coming Seed of the woman, but God will crush the head of Satan himself.

The prophet’s vision is rooted in the historic past of Israel. Each of the themes Habakkuk chooses for his hymn-prayer comes from decisive chapters in the history of salvation. Thus the basic elements of theophany are woven together with remembrances of God’s past acts, which serve to encourage Judah in desperate moments to keep on believing. Prayers of praise and thanksgiving to God are responses to His bounteous acts of grace.

Moreover, in this way the people not only called to mind with deep gratitude what God had done, but they expressed in a most vivid way that God is the One who truly lives. He is the sovereign Lord of history as well. Nothing takes place without His knowing it. History is not bunk; it is “His-story,” and He will write its ending as well as its mission statement.

SOURCE: Walter C. Kaiser and Lloyd J. Ogilvie, The Preacher's Commentary Series, Volume 23.



HABAKKUK AND THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS: DID YOU KNOW?
Habakkuk was one of the books found in the Dead Sea Scrolls. These ancient scrolls are important because they are much older than any of the copies we previously possessed. The biblical portions of the Dead Sea Scrolls showed great consistency with copies which were made hundreds - and in some cases - thousands of years later.

The Pesher Habakkuk, or Habakkuk Commentary (1QHab) was among the original seven scrolls found in 1947 in the Qumran Caves by the Dead Sea in Israel. The Dead Sea Scrolls versions of Habakkuk show only very minor differences from the Masoretic text of our Bible today (one of the small alterations is found in Habakkuk 2:6).



HABAKKUK BIBLIOGRAPHY
adapted from an article by Keith Mathison for ligonier.org

If you want to learn more about this book, here are some works we commend to you:

O. Palmer Robertson — The Books of Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah (NICOT).
Very helpful at explaining the larger theological themes found within the book.

Thomas E. McComiskey — The Minor Prophets.
Technical but insightful.

David W. Baker — Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah (TOTC).
The best introductory level commentary available. Brief but communicates the main ideas very well.

Kenneth L. Barker and Waylon Bailey — Micah Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah (NAC).
A thorough and helpful commentary.