Sermon Note #8

Sermon note: You can't fall off a cliff if you're 100 feet away from it. 

Simply put, it's better to avoid temptation altogether than to put myself in a vulnerable position. 

I never even had to write down this sermon note; it has stuck with me for years. I remember when the pastor said it because my thoughts drifted to one of the most memorable passages I'd ever read. Not from the Bible, but from the classic book The Catcher in the Rye. Holden Caulfield's famous line when asked what he wants to do with his life:

. . . I’m standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff—I mean if they’re running and they don’t look where they’re going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That’s all I’d do all day. I’d just be the catcher in the rye and all.

The loss of innocence is a theme of the novel, and I drew parallels to the image of temptation as a cliff that we can fall off of. 

I've tumbled down many cliffs in my lifetime. I may be older and wiser now, but I still have weaknesses. And I can be assured that the enemy will play to my weakness. I believe the Bible when it says Satan roams the Earth seeking people to devour. In fact, I don't even need to read the Bible to know it; people are being devoured daily. I can make choices that move me away from the edge. 

From the very first story of human history found in the book of Genesis, God has wanted to protect our innocence and He has always given us fair warning. His message is still the same today. "Take heed lest ye fall."


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