"The Reward Always Comes After The Temptation"
by Kenneth Carpenter

Kind: sermon
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 10:13, James 1:12

Source: https://acts238.life/repository/sermons/kenneth-carpenter--the-reward-always-comes-after-the-temptation
Published by Acts 2:38 Life from the sermon transcript on that page.
Free to copy and share with attribution.

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for just a few moments we want to turn to the Word of God 1st corinthians chapter 10 and verse number 13 the apostle paul says there have no temptation taken you but such as is common to man but God is faithful who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you're able but will with the temptation also make a way to escape that ye may be able to bear it James chapter 1 the book of James chapter 1 James informs us chapter 1 verse number 12 blessed is the man that endureth temptation for when he is tried he shall receive the crown of life which the Lord have promised to them that love him you may be seated for a few moments this morning my heart's desire and intention is to encourage someone in this house someone worshiping with us this morning is to encourage you with this simple title the reward always comes after the temptation the reward always comes after the temptation now you may be facing a temptation today of a moral sort you may be being tempted through your flesh to commit some kind of a moral sin you may be tempted to break God's laws of which we have often said no man breaks God's laws God's laws break us or today you may be going through some unexplainable without reason tests you don't know why I loved ones died you don't know why a certain situation is going on in your life and I just want to encourage someone they could be sitting in our choir today I just want to encourage someone that the reward always comes after the temptation it never comes during the temptation it is always after the temptation you see temptation of a moral sort offers us a reward in itself but yet we know that the wages of sin is death Jesus as he was tempted which is our great example when Jesus was tempted after forty days and nights of fasting Jesus was tempted by the tempter himself he came to Jesus and he tempted him with this he said if you are the son of God as you claim to be if you are the son of God then use your powers to turn these rocks into bread of which your flesh is desiring use your power to prove your identity use your power to prove your identity Jesus did not fall prey to that temptation you see there are those that have an identity crisis with themselves because they've got to have a miracle ever 24-hours to believe that they're a child of God they've got to have something spectacular happen every few hours in their life or they just don't believe they're a child of God but Jesus had something much greater for his identity than turning some rocks into bread he said Satan it is written man shall not live by bread alone but men shall live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God Satan I'm not going to fall prey to this to where I need a miracle every time I get hungry every few hours I'm not going to fall prey that I've got a god that's got to do something spectacular every two or three hours in order for me to believe in him I'm gonna believe something much better I'm gonna be rewarded with the bee ible I'm gonna be rewarded with God's Word and I'm gonna tell you whether it's the middle of the night I can get up and I can begin to read God's Word and it can bless my soul oh he passed that temptation he passed that temptation to have to have something spectacular happen you know you can't you can't beat a relationship with God through his word you can't be because the world in life is upside down and and if there's no stability in this world that we're living in ever since sin entered the human race there is absolutely no stability but ladies and gentlemen we've got a book right here called God's Word it's an anchor in the times of the storm let the stores begin to rage I can go find the Word of God and hear my masters say peace be still in the times of betrayal I can hear my masters say I will never leave you nor forsake you in the times of sickness I can hear my master say I'm your healer and I'm your God in the times of poverty I can hear the masters say I can open up the windows of heaven aren't you glad for the word today let me try the Lord Jesus Satan took Jesus up to the temple and took him up to the pinnacle of the temple high up on the top of the temple and on top of the pinnacle of the temple and oh Satan said Jesus so why don't you just why don't you just throw yourself down so why don't you discount why don't you just kind of jump off the side of the temple here and said as you're falling to the ground said see those people below that have come to worship those few people are going to see you as you're falling to the ground head over heels and said the word says that he will give his angels protective charge over you that you're not going to let a heal not a food of your ears is going to - upon a stone won't that look impressive Jesus won't people believe you're who you say you are when when here you come falling off the temple and just about the time that you smash into the pavement an angel just swoops you up and sets you down oh Jesus what a great feat what a great thing to know the people will know that you're the Son of God he said Satan get behind me get behind me we are never to tempt the Lord God but can I add this to the story I'll tell you reward comes after the temptation because can I tell you what's better than falling headlong off the temple and just before you smash the payment angel swooped you up and set you down I can't tell you something much better because the reward comes after the temptation is be dead three days and laid in a tomb and on the third day roll the stone away and come out with the scar saying I'm alive forevermore I'm telling you the reward always comes after the temptation if you're tempted today to commit a motive you're tempted to throw your morals away hold on to them young person hold on to him father because God's got a reward Jesus let me take you up to the high mountains you came to the world to save the world why don't we just settle it right now he took him up a high mountain showed him all the kingdoms of the earth he said let's bypass Calvary let's bypass all this so all you got to do to get all of them now notice the one word that Satan left out he said all you got to do is fall down and worship Me first thing he's a liar they were not his to give he did not have the power please hear this today Church he did not have the power to deliver what he had promised and when that devil comes to your mind in your life and begins to tell you I've got this for you do this or do that and you know the Word of God has something totally different he's lying to you he's lying to you he doesn't have joy to give you he doesn't have peace to give you he doesn't have a plan for your life like God has an individual set of blueprints with your name on it in his plans for your life with his joy and peace he's lying to you all he wants you to do all he wants you to do is deserving because that's the word he left out of which the word Jesus mentioned because you can never worship anything without serving it Satan said why don't you just fall down here and worship Me oh you sly devil you you left the word out didn't you because whoever you worship you become the servant to Jesus said Satan it is written it is written you're to worship the Lord thy God and him only shalt thou serve I'm not gonna serve you you see when the devil wants you to go ahead go ahead and smoke this little marijuana here it's gonna make you happy no it's gonna make you a servant of drugs you're gonna work all week long and spend all your money on a few hours that's draining your brain sales and wrecking every part of your life come on Church the reward comes after the temptation if you're being tempted push on through in Jesus name I said push on through in Jesus name there's not another name like the name of Jesus because God will with the temptation make a way of escape but you there is there is no other name like the name of Jesus this week I was in a place of business and a man came in that worked there and on his uniform he had the name shineth across his uniform and I struck up a conversation with the fella and I said dumb I said man pretty good name you got there he said obviously he said is it your Nancy that's my name also and I said Kenneth's a good name he agreed Kenneth was a good name we went talked about you know he said sometimes I'm called Kenny and I said sometimes I'm called Kenny mean he said to them times I'm talking called Ken and I'm I guess too much like the doll I've never called Ken so so we talked about that and we kept talking I said well I'm Kenneth ray I'm shineth ray and he looked at me he said I'm kid of Rage ooh I see Gracie your kid he's an Almond Sheena ray yes I said now here's what's gonna leave you I'm gonna leave you here I said I'm Kenneth ray carpenter and he looked at me and he said I'm Kenneth ray Carson can I tell you there's a lot of Jesus's in this world there's a lot of children called hey-zeus there's a lot of Jesus man fat I'm not preaching about that I'm free ship gets that false Jesus if Paul talked about you see there's a lot of names that are false names but when it comes to the Lord Jesus Christ there is no other name like the name of the Lord Jesus Christ are you an alcoholic this morning are you a drug addict this morning are you hooked on pornography this morning are you battling depression this morning do you have some great moral test in your life call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ because there is no oh I promise you he'll get in the ring and fight with you he'll get in your temptation and fight with you Paul said Paul said you may be seated Paul said there have no temptation taken you but such as common demand but God who is faithful will make a way of escape can I tell you you're not the first one that's battled what you're battling you're not the first one that's another trick of the adversary is to isolate you and to get you to think you're the only one messed up can I tell you somewhere either on a Pew shouting the glory victory or on the streets of gold shouting glory is a person that had a trial just like you but through the name of Cheeta I want you to hear this this morning I'm not just preaching you a revved up sermon I'm not just preaching you a hyped up sermon I'm preaching your way out of your dilemma this morning here's the name of Jesus I know tempted but the reward comes after the temptation