======================================================================== THE SUBTLETY OF TEMPTATION by John Henry Jowett ======================================================================== Summary: The sermon emphasizes the importance of discernment in recognizing and resisting the subtlety of temptation. Topics: "Spiritual Warfare", "Discerning Truth" Scripture References: Proverbs 2:6, 2 Corinthians 11:14, Ephesians 6:12, James 4:7, 1 Peter 5:8 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ DESCRIPTION ------------------------------------------------------------------------ John Henry Jowett warns about the deceptive tactics of the enemy of our souls, who disguises evil as good, offering promises of life but delivering death, and hiding chains in beautiful flowers. He emphasizes the importance of having clear discernment to see through the enemy's mirages and traps, even when he appears as an 'angel of light.' Jowett stresses the need for a refined moral sense to distinguish between truth and falsehood, which can be obtained through the wisdom of God, enabling believers to recognize the enemy from afar. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ CONTENT ------------------------------------------------------------------------ JAMES i. 12-20. Evil enticements always come to us in borrowed attire. In the Boer War ammunition was carried out in piano cases, and military advices were transmitted in the skins of melons. And that is the way of the enemy of our souls. He makes us think we are receiving music when he is sending explosives; he promises life, but his gift is laden with the seeds of death. He offers us liberty, and he hides his chains in dazzling flowers. "Things are not what they seem." And so our enemy uses mirages, and will-o'-the-wisps and tinselled crowns. He lights friendly fires on perilous coasts to snare us to our ruin. And therefore we need clear, sure eyes. We need a refined moral sense which can discriminate between the true and the false, and which can discern the enemy even when he comes as "an angel of light." And we may have this wisdom from "the God of all wisdom." By His grace we may be kept morally sensitive, and we shall know our foe even when he is a long way off. ======================================================================== Source: https://sermonindex.net/speakers/john-henry-jowett/the-subtlety-of-temptation/ ========================================================================