Proverbs 1:10-19 My son, if sinners entice you, consent you not.… I. TEMPTATION IS INEVITABLE. 1. The name of temptation is legion, for they are many, and yet one. The strongest agencies appear in human form — sinners, who are agents of the devil. They may be our companions. They may even call themselves our friends. 2. It is not a sin to be tempted. II. THE POWER OF TEMPTATION. Its power lies in the word "entice." Enticements are the bait on the devil's hook. "Pleasure" is one of them. "Seeing life " is another. The love of liberty or of asserting independence is a powerful lure. The dread of being laughed at is a strong compulsion. "Nobody will know " is often the last inducement which subdues the will and silences the conscience. III. THE LIMITS OF TEMPTATION. Temptation is mighty, but it is not almighty. No one has power over our will so that we must yield. IV. THE WAY OF ESCAPE. "Consent thou not." traced the ways of the battle. They are "Cogitatio, Imaginatio, Delectatio, Consensio." Consent is the final stage of a lost battle. It is the lowering of the flag before the enemy; the opening of the gates of the citadel of life. V. SAY "NO" TO THE TEMPTER, BUT SAY "YES" TO CHRIST. He says, "Lo, I am with you alway"; "I have prayed for you that your faith fail not"; "Take therefore the whole armour of God," etc. (John Reid, M. A.) Parallel Verses KJV: My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not. |
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