Theological term
Temptation
3 sermons · All terms
The Believer's Response to Trials
James 1:2–8 addresses the believer's proper response to trials in a fallen world, pressing two demands: a joyful disposition toward suffering and a prayerful request for wisdom to navigate it. Drawing on John Calvin, Thomas Manton, and John Gill, the sermon distinguishes the trials of verse 2 (divine testing aimed at maturity) from the temptations of verse 13 (solicitations to sin), and traces the progression from endurance through testing to the perfection of verse 4. The sermon closes with a gospel call: the one who mastered suffering perfectly was Christ himself, whose righteousness is given to the believer by grace alone through faith alone.
Genesis 39:1-23
Genesis 39 is often read as a story about Joseph's moral courage, but the chapter's governing theme is God's faithfulness to His covenant promises. The Lord's presence with Joseph — announced in verse 2, reaffirmed in verse 21, and confirmed in verse 23 — is the cause of every blessing Joseph receives and the power behind every temptation he resists. Joseph's typological role as a savior for Israel unfolds through a chain of providential reversals: sold as a slave, falsely accused, imprisoned — yet each step is a necessary preparation for his eventual exaltation over Egypt. The sermon calls hearers to pursue communion with God through Scripture, prayer, and corporate worship as the indispensable means of resistance against sin.
The 6th Petition: Protection
Matthew 6:13 presents the sixth and final petition of the Lord's Prayer, a twofold request — 'lead us not into temptation' and 'deliver us from the evil one' — that together constitute a comprehensive prayer for spiritual protection. The sermon distinguishes between God's sanctifying trials and Satan's solicitation to evil, drawing on James 1 to clarify that God tests but never tempts, while remaining corruption in the believer's heart gives every temptation a potential ally within. Four features of the negative petition are unfolded: acknowledgement of divine sovereignty, admission of the believer's weakness, recognition of temptation's power, and humble appeal for divine aid. The doxology closing the prayer grounds every petition in God's kingdom, power, and glory, and the sermon closes with a direct call to unbelievers to seek justification by faith alone in Christ alone as the only basis on which anyone may rightly address God as Father.