Deuteronomy 6:16 warns that “Ye shall not tempt the LORD your God…” When the Israelites questioned God in Exodus 17:7, saying, “Is the LORD amongst us or not?” they were practically trying to cause God to prove Himself to them because they lacked water to drink. They only needed to pray to God in faith to provide water for them and not trying to get God to prove to them that He was with them. We see something similar in Matthew 4:5-7 when the devil took Jesus to the pinnacle of the temple and tempted Jesus to prove that he is the son of God by throwing Himself down so that God would send His Angels to catch Him. Jesus responded by saying, “It is written again, thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.”

We don’t have a right to test or prove God. It is God that tests us or allows satan to tempt us in order to prove us. The son doesn’t test the father, the student doesn’t test or examine the teacher. It is always the other way round. God doesn’t need to prove Himself to us, we walk by faith not by proving God. We must believe all God says even if the manifestation has not come or isn’t apparent – Romans 1:17 and 2 Corinthians 5:7. We can only please God by walking in faith – Hebrews 11:6.

Proverbs 3:5 commands us to trust in the LORD with all our heart. We are not to lean unto our own understanding in a situation but trust wholly on God. Adam and Eve did not wholly trust God, and, as a result, the tempter (satan) got them. The way that seems right to a person will always end in death – Proverbs 14:12. Only God’s way is sure.

Nevertheless, why does mankind tempt God? The answer is that there is a tempter (satan) whose duty is to tempt us and cause us to tempt God. In Revelation 12:9-13, we see that satan is the accuser of the brethren who is quick to accuse us before God once we succumb to his temptation.

Unfortunately, a lot of Christians have bought into the lie that satan doesn’t exist, or that he is powerless, or he is unable to be in the Church or around Christians. If satan had the audacity to come around Jesus and tempt Him, why should we think he cannot do the same to us? In Job 1:6, when the sons of God presented themselves to God, satan came as well. He didn’t come as satan, but as an angel.

Satan’s aim is to cause people to fall into reproach – 1 Timothy 3:7 and 2 Timothy 2:26. Adam and Eve fell into reproach after falling into temptation and were cursed and driven from God’s presence in Eden – Genesis 3:1-24. David fell into reproach when he slept with another man’s wife – 2 Samuel 11:1-5.

What are the sources of temptation?

The sinful nature of man – Ephesians 2:1-3: because of this, man is vulnerable to temptation as a result of the lusts in our lives – James 1:13-15. For example, if we love food, food can be used to lead us astray. Likewise praise, money, lustful desires, worldliness etc., are points of entry for temptation.

Other people: the temptation that penetrated Adam was from Eve – Genesis 3:1-7. Proverbs 5: 3-6 – Some people’s tongues are as smooth as silk. They sound sweet and enticing but if one listens and obeys, the and thereof is destruction.

Ourselves: our inordinate desires can cause one to fall into temptation. 1 Timothy 6:9-10 – The love of money is the root of all evil therefore those who desire riches fall into temptation. Some steal, kill, prostitute and join occultic societies just because of money.

Lust for power: the lust for the power that satan offered Eve in Genesis 3:4-6 caused her to fall into temptation.

Pride – 2 Chronicles 26:16: King Uzziah was full of pride and this led him to transgress against the Lord. In fact, it was pride that caused lucifer, who became satan, to fall – Isaiah 14:12-15.

Seasons of Temptations

Loneliness and temptation go hand in hand. In Matthew 4:1 – Jesus was alone in the wilderness and the tempter came. Psalm 78:17-24 and Psalm 106:14 – The Israelites continuously tempted God in the wilderness.

Temptation also comes in times of abundance and rest – 2 Samuel 11:1-5. Tribulation will always be in the world – John 16:33 – we need to be aware and be prepared. Having said all this, we must realise that God will never permit us to be tempted above that which we are able to bear. He will also make a way to escape for us – 1 Corinthians 10:9-13. Also, always remember that Satan has limitations.

Jesus has gone through the same temptations and is able to see us through – Hebrews 4:15.

God is aware of every temptation – Job 1:12. Job never knew that God approved his temptation. Jesus knew satan was after Peter and prayed for him – Luke 22:31.

God uses temptation to teach, chisel, and humble us – 2 Corinthians 12:7. The thorn in Paul’s flesh was to keep him humble and dependent on God.

When we are alert and prayerful, it is difficult for us to fall into temptation – Matthew 26:41, Mark 14:38, and 1 Peter 5:8.

Let God ever grant us the grace to follow him by faith and not by temptation, and to ever overcome the temptations of the enemy. God bless you as you reflect on this message and share it with others, in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

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All have sinned – Romans 3:23 – but we cannot by our own strength be righteous before God – Isaiah 64:6 – because they are like filthy rags before Him. Our Adamic nature makes it impossible for us to be righteous apart from God – Romans 9:30.

So, what does the topic mean? Dimension and dynamics of righteousness has to do with the different angles or measurements of righteousness and the action or activities associated with it. Jesus made us to understand that our righteousness must exceed the righteousness of the Pharisees – Matthew 5:20 – which was steeped in self-righteousness due to their knowledge of the law, their obedience to the oral tradition of the Jews and the Mosaic law, and their ability to measure up even the minutest details of the law, like tithes of herbs like mint etc. – Matthew 23:23-24.

In today’s world, a lot of people are more concerned with the doctrines and traditions of the Church they attend than what the Word of God is saying – Matthew 15:1-9 and Mark 7:1-13. Just as Jesus was angry with the Pharisees because their oral traditions were more important to them than the Word of God, how much more we who are under grace are upsetting God by adhering to dead traditions, doctrines and laws that are devoid of life, do not bring us closer to God and cause us to know God less, become self-righteous and hypocritical.

A classic example of self-righteousness as exhibited by the Pharisees is seen in Luke 18:9-14. A Pharisee and a Publican went into the temple to pray. Whilst the Pharisee was extolling his own good works and debunking the so called “evils” of others before God, the Publican saw himself as he really was and as human beings really are: sinners and unable to be clean apart from God. The Publican was the one justified before God and God expects us to realise our hopelessness without Him.

What are the manifestations of the righteousness of the Pharisees?

1) “Do as I say, not as I do” – Matthew 23:1-4 – The Pharisees put yokes and heavy burdens on others which they themselves cannot and will not carry. As Christians, we should not put expectations on people that we ourselves are not willing to meet. Calling Jesus “Lord lord” doesn’t mean anything if we are disobedient to God`s will – Matthew 7:21 – It is the doers of the Word that are justified. We might fill ourselves with God`s Word, quote it, speak it but if we don’t obey it, we are self-righteous – Romans 2:13 and James 1:22. Don`t do things to get man`s applause and don’t work in eye-service to be seen by others – Matthew 23:5-7 and Matthew 6:1-8.

2) Those who neglect some aspects of God`s Law – Matthew 23:23-24. Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for majoring on minor issues. We cannot pick and choose the aspects of the Word of God to accept and obey and those to ignore or push aside.

3) They are lovers of money – what you love, you cannot easily give out but what you do not love, you can easily give out. Those who love money cannot give to God or others. 1 Timothy 6:9-10 – The love of money is the root of all evil and can become a snare to those who love it. The Bible clearly states that we cannot serve God and Mammon – Matthew 6:24 and Luke 16:13. Pharisees are only after what they can gain to feed their own desires – Philippians 3:18-19 – and they do not care about those who are in lack – James 2:14-17. Pharisees are worldly and think that they are better than others because of their wealth and status. I John 2:15-17 warns against worldliness. The standards of the world are not of God. A worldly person can never be righteous. The lust of the things of the world can cause one to become self-righteous. When we depend on the righteousness of God, pursue after righteousness by having a living relationship with Christ, obey the Word of God by being separated from the world; we will give glory to God with our lives as He has always intended.

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