I have been looking at Jonathan Edwards profound sermon on Temptation and Deliverance
’Tis our duty not only to avoid those things that are themselves sinful, but also, as far as may be, those things that lead and expose to sin."
6. Seeing we are to pray we may not be led into temptation, certainly we ought not to run ourselves into it.
Edwards is simply saying that as our Lord taught us to pray "keep us from temptation but deliver us from evil" (Matthew 6:13), and if we pray that prayer, then it would be very contradictory to do things that lead us or expose us into temptation. Edwards says, "By praying that we may be kept from temptation, we profess to God that being in temptation is a thing to be avoided; but by running into it we show that we choose the contrary, viz. not to avoid it. "
7.The apostle directs us to avoid those things that are in themselves lawful, but tend to lead others into sin. Surely then we should avoid what tends to lead ourselves into sin.
1 Corinthians 8:9, "But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. "
Romans 14:13,15,20-21, "Let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother...For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died...Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats. It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble."
Edwards says that if this rule obliges us to be sensitive in regards to causing others to sin, how much more does it cause us to be responsible to not do things that lead ourselves into sin.!
8.There are many precepts of Scripture, which directly and positively imply, that we ought to avoid those things.
Matthew 26:41, "Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."
Matthew 5:29, "If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell."
Edwards comments, "Christ tells us, that we must avoid them, however dear they are to us, though as dear as our right hand or right eye. If there be any practice that naturally tends and exposes us to sin, we must have done with it; though we love it never so well, and are never so loth to part with it; though it be as contrary to our inclination, as to cut off our own right hand, or pluck out our own right eye; and that upon pain of damnation, for it is intimated that if we do not, we must go with two hands and two eyes into hell fire. ".
God warns throughout the Old Testament concerning things that He knows would inevitably lead them to sin.
Deuteronomy 7:3-4, "You shall not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons, 4 for they would turn away your sons from following me, to serve other gods. Then the anger of the LORD would be kindled against you, and he would destroy you quickly."
Deuteronomy 13:6, "If your brother, the son of your mother, or your son or your daughter or the wife you embrace or your friend who is as your own soul entices you secretly, saying, 'Let us go and serve other gods,' which neither you nor your fathers have known..."
Proverbs 6:27, "Can a man carry fire next to his chest and his clothes not be burned?"
9. A prudent sense of our own weakness, and exposedness to yield to temptation, obliges us to avoid that which leads or exposes to sin.
Edwards says, "Whoever knows himself, and is sensible how weak he is, and his constant exposedness to run into sin — how full of corruption his heart is, which, like fuel, is ready to catch fire, and bring destruction upon him — how much he has in him to incline him to sin, and how unable he is to stand of himself — who is sensible of this, and has any regard of his duty, will he not be very watchful against everything that may lead and expose to sin? On this account Christ directed us, Mat. 26:41, “To watch and pray, lest we enter into temptation.” The reason is added, the flesh is weak! He who, in confidence of his own strength, boldly runs the venture of sinning, by going into temptation, manifests great presumption, and a sottish insensibility of his own weakness. “He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool.” Pro. 28:26. "
I think that Edwards is challenging us to be brutally honest with our weaknesses. The truth will set us free! Only when we are aware that we are weak and only when we desire to love and obey God can we both order our lives to avoid that which causes us to fall and persistently pray for the Lord's guidance and protection.
Edwards concludes:
"The wisest and strongest, and some of the most holy men in the world, have been overthrown by such means. So was David; so was Solomon, — his wives turned away his heart. If such persons so eminent for holiness were this way led into sin, surely it should be a warning to us. “Let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall."
May we take heed to Jonathan Edwards wise counsel and may we hate sin and love God in how we live before His beautiful presence.
Pastor Bill
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