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Dr. Robert Jeffress

Robert Jeffress - How To Handle Temptation (Part 1)

September 4, 2025 | S E | 29:0

Robert Jeffress - How To Handle Temptation (Part 1)
Pathway to Victory offers a practical application of God’s Word to everyday life through the clear, biblical teaching of Pastor Jeffress.
#inActive #Temptation #Sin #Faith #Testing #Trials-HardTimes #Evil #HandofGod #Deliverance #Flesh #Heart'sDesire #Lust #Choices #Obedience #Disobedience #Death

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Dr. Robert Jeffress | Robert Jeffress - How To Handle Temptation (Part 1) | September 4, 2025
  • ♪♪
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  • Male announcer: from the pulpit of the first baptist church of
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  • Dallas, texas, this is "pathway to victory" with dr.
  • 00:00:08.198 --> 00:00:11.701
  • Robert jeffress.
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  • Dr. robert jeffress: hi, i'm robert jeffress, and
  • 00:00:14.237 --> 00:00:15.572
  • Welcome again to "pathway to victory."
  • 00:00:15.572 --> 00:00:18.007
  • Have you ever found yourself on the verge of making a decision
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  • You knew you'd regret?
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  • In that critical moment, it can feel like we're powerless
  • 00:00:23.346 --> 00:00:26.649
  • Against the pull of temptation, but god has given us everything
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  • We need to resist.
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  • Today we're diving into the book of james to discover the real
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  • Source of temptation and, more importantly, how to overcome it.
  • 00:00:36.893 --> 00:00:41.164
  • My message is titled "how to handle temptation" on today's
  • 00:00:41.164 --> 00:00:45.201
  • Edition of "pathway to victory."
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  • ♪♪
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  • Announcer: where there's genuine faith, there will always be
  • 00:00:55.278 --> 00:00:58.114
  • Visible fruit.
  • 00:00:58.114 --> 00:00:59.616
  • In his brand-new book, "how to know if you're really saved,"
  • 00:00:59.616 --> 00:01:02.886
  • Dr. robert jeffress helps you take stock of the evidence of
  • 00:01:02.886 --> 00:01:06.089
  • Your faith, the spiritual fruit in your daily life.
  • 00:01:06.089 --> 00:01:09.893
  • This outstanding verse-by-verse walk through the book of james
  • 00:01:09.893 --> 00:01:13.496
  • Will help you cultivate the spiritual fruit that reflects
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  • Genuine faith.
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  • Request "how to know if you're really saved" when you give a
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  • Generous gift to support the ministry of pathway to victory.
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  • ♪♪
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  • Jeffress: my late seminary professor howard hendricks used
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  • To tell the story of the man who boarded an overnight train going
  • 00:01:37.187 --> 00:01:42.325
  • From chicago to new york.
  • 00:01:42.325 --> 00:01:44.594
  • The train was scheduled to make a stop in pittsburgh.
  • 00:01:44.594 --> 00:01:48.231
  • And so the man, as the train pulled out of chicago, found a
  • 00:01:48.231 --> 00:01:51.868
  • Porter and said, "look, i've gotta get off the train
  • 00:01:51.868 --> 00:01:55.205
  • In pittsburgh.
  • 00:01:55.205 --> 00:01:56.639
  • It's the middle of the night.
  • 00:01:56.639 --> 00:01:58.508
  • I'll be sleepy.
  • 00:01:58.508 --> 00:01:59.876
  • I may resist you.
  • 00:01:59.876 --> 00:02:01.244
  • But whatever you do, get me off this train.
  • 00:02:01.244 --> 00:02:04.647
  • I've got a business appointment, an interview for a new job.
  • 00:02:04.647 --> 00:02:08.418
  • And by the way, here's $200 to make sure you get me off
  • 00:02:08.418 --> 00:02:11.921
  • The train."
  • 00:02:11.921 --> 00:02:13.356
  • Well, the next morning, the man awakened as the train was
  • 00:02:13.356 --> 00:02:16.926
  • Pulling into grand central station, in new york.
  • 00:02:16.926 --> 00:02:20.597
  • He realized he had missed his stop.
  • 00:02:20.597 --> 00:02:22.865
  • So he bounded out of bed, ran up and down the, you know, train,
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  • Looking for that negligent porter.
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  • And when he found him, he grabbed him and began to shake
  • 00:02:30.139 --> 00:02:33.309
  • Him and he said, "i gave you $200 to get me off this train.
  • 00:02:33.309 --> 00:02:38.681
  • You made me miss my appointment, my
  • 00:02:38.681 --> 00:02:40.683
  • Possibility of a new job.
  • 00:02:40.683 --> 00:02:42.485
  • I'm gonna sue you. i'm gonna sue the train company.
  • 00:02:42.485 --> 00:02:45.188
  • I'm gonna sue everybody i can."
  • 00:02:45.188 --> 00:02:47.257
  • And with that, he stormed off the train.
  • 00:02:47.257 --> 00:02:49.859
  • Another passenger was watching the altercation, and he came up
  • 00:02:49.859 --> 00:02:53.096
  • To the porter and said, "i've never seen anybody that
  • 00:02:53.096 --> 00:02:56.933
  • Mad before."
  • 00:02:56.933 --> 00:02:58.601
  • The porter said, "if you think he was mad, you should've seen
  • 00:02:58.601 --> 00:03:01.604
  • The guy i put off the train in pittsburgh this morning."
  • 00:03:01.604 --> 00:03:08.711
  • You know, all of us can sympathize with the guy who got
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  • Put off the train in pittsburgh.
  • 00:03:11.414 --> 00:03:14.050
  • Sometimes we feel like we're just the victim of circumstances
  • 00:03:14.050 --> 00:03:17.553
  • Beyond our control.
  • 00:03:17.553 --> 00:03:19.555
  • Unfortunately, that feeling of helplessness sometimes extends
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  • To our attitude about sin and temptation.
  • 00:03:24.127 --> 00:03:28.231
  • When we're confronted with temptation, we take a
  • 00:03:28.231 --> 00:03:30.767
  • Passive attitude.
  • 00:03:30.767 --> 00:03:32.368
  • We excuse disobedience by saying--remember the old
  • 00:03:32.368 --> 00:03:35.672
  • Comedian flip wilson-- "the devil made me do it."
  • 00:03:35.672 --> 00:03:40.143
  • We refuse to take responsibility for sin.
  • 00:03:40.143 --> 00:03:43.212
  • We think we're victims.
  • 00:03:43.212 --> 00:03:45.248
  • But james, the half brother of jesus, offers a different
  • 00:03:45.248 --> 00:03:49.519
  • Perspective on temptation and sin, and it's one we're going to
  • 00:03:49.519 --> 00:03:53.589
  • Look at today.
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  • If you have your bibles, turn to james chapter 1 as we discover
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  • How to handle temptation.
  • 00:03:59.429 --> 00:04:02.298
  • Now, you remember the theme of james.
  • 00:04:02.298 --> 00:04:04.634
  • It's very simple: saving faith produces genuine fruit.
  • 00:04:04.634 --> 00:04:10.406
  • If you're really saved, there's gonna to be evidence of
  • 00:04:10.406 --> 00:04:13.476
  • Your salvation.
  • 00:04:13.476 --> 00:04:15.345
  • A faith without fruit is a dead, nonexistent, worthless faith.
  • 00:04:15.345 --> 00:04:21.084
  • And james gives us a number of tests in his books to see if
  • 00:04:21.084 --> 00:04:25.455
  • We're really saved or not.
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  • For example, last time we saw when trials come into our life,
  • 00:04:27.256 --> 00:04:31.227
  • Our response to those trials is evidence of whether we're
  • 00:04:31.227 --> 00:04:35.131
  • Believers, genuine believers.
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  • If we allow trials to draw us closer to god, we pass the test.
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  • If it drives us away from god, if we give up on god, it's a
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  • Sign that we're not saved.
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  • And now today, beginning with verse 13, james is gonna give a
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  • Second test.
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  • Another way to measure the authenticity of your christian
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  • Faith is in how you handle temptation.
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  • Let's first of all talk about the difference between
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  • Temptations and trials.
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  • There's a similarity we need to understand before we look at
  • 00:05:06.996 --> 00:05:09.899
  • The differences.
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  • In james 2, james said, "count it all joy, my brethren, when
  • 00:05:11.367 --> 00:05:17.240
  • You encounter various trials."
  • 00:05:17.240 --> 00:05:19.709
  • Now in verse 13, when he talks about temptations, he said, "let
  • 00:05:19.709 --> 00:05:23.513
  • No one say when he is tempted."
  • 00:05:23.513 --> 00:05:27.583
  • The common denominator in those verses is when, when you
  • 00:05:27.583 --> 00:05:32.221
  • Encounter trials, not if or should you.
  • 00:05:32.221 --> 00:05:35.792
  • They're inevitable, but so are temptations.
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  • "let no man say if he should happen to be tempted but when he
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  • Is tempted."
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  • But that's where the similarities end.
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  • There's a major difference between a trial and
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  • A temptation.
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  • Remember trials?
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  • James describes them as the testing of your faith.
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  • Trials are designed to test, to strengthen your faith.
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  • That's what the word "testing" means in verses 2 through 12.
  • 00:06:04.887 --> 00:06:09.392
  • It's the greek word "dokimion."
  • 00:06:09.392 --> 00:06:12.161
  • It means to put a piece of pottery that has just been
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  • Formed into a firing oven.
  • 00:06:15.898 --> 00:06:18.668
  • The reason you put it into an oven is not to destroy it but to
  • 00:06:18.668 --> 00:06:22.038
  • Strengthen it.
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  • And, remember, if that piece of pottery survived the fire that
  • 00:06:23.406 --> 00:06:26.776
  • Was designed to strengthen it, the sculptor would write at the
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  • Bottom of that piece of pottery, "dokimos," approved, tested.
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  • That's what trials are designed to do.
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  • Trials are designed to strengthen our faith.
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  • But temptations are altogether different.
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  • If you look up the word "tempt" in an english dictionary,
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  • Webster's dictionary, it says, "to entice to do wrong by
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  • Promise of pleasure or gain."
  • 00:06:53.469 --> 00:06:56.606
  • A temptation is a solicitation to do what is evil.
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  • Write this down.
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  • This will help you understand the difference.
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  • Tests are given to strengthen our faith.
  • 00:07:05.314 --> 00:07:10.086
  • Temptations come to destroy our faith.
  • 00:07:10.086 --> 00:07:14.257
  • There's a very big difference between trials that strengthen
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  • Us and temptations that destroy us.
  • 00:07:18.794 --> 00:07:22.899
  • But here's the interesting thing: in english, we have two
  • 00:07:22.899 --> 00:07:26.068
  • Different words: "trials" and "temptations."
  • 00:07:26.068 --> 00:07:28.804
  • In greek, there's one word that is used to describe
  • 00:07:28.804 --> 00:07:31.641
  • Both: "peirasmos."
  • 00:07:31.641 --> 00:07:33.876
  • It literally means a difficult situation.
  • 00:07:33.876 --> 00:07:37.647
  • In verses 2 to 12, james says, "count it all joy when you
  • 00:07:37.647 --> 00:07:40.950
  • Encounter various difficult situations," peirasmos.
  • 00:07:40.950 --> 00:07:46.188
  • And then in verse 13, james says, "let no man say when he
  • 00:07:46.188 --> 00:07:50.626
  • Comes into a difficult situation, 'i'm being tempted
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  • By god.'"
  • 00:07:54.030 --> 00:07:55.398
  • Peirasmos simply means a difficult situation.
  • 00:07:55.398 --> 00:07:59.569
  • It can either be a trial designed for the strengthening
  • 00:07:59.569 --> 00:08:03.606
  • Of our faith, it can be a temptation designed to destroy
  • 00:08:03.606 --> 00:08:07.710
  • Our faith, or it can be both at the same time.
  • 00:08:07.710 --> 00:08:13.182
  • Let's say you get a diagnosis of terminal cancer in your own life
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  • Or the life of somebody you love.
  • 00:08:17.853 --> 00:08:20.222
  • Is that a trial, or is it a temptation?
  • 00:08:20.222 --> 00:08:24.727
  • Well, it can be both.
  • 00:08:24.727 --> 00:08:26.796
  • A difficult situation can be used by god to draw you closer
  • 00:08:26.796 --> 00:08:31.367
  • To himself.
  • 00:08:31.367 --> 00:08:32.802
  • At the same time god is rooting for you, satan is rooting
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  • Against you.
  • 00:08:37.206 --> 00:08:38.541
  • He's using it as a temptation to destroy your faith.
  • 00:08:38.541 --> 00:08:41.777
  • Whether or not it ends up being a trial or a temptation depends
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  • On your response to that difficult situation.
  • 00:08:46.315 --> 00:08:50.319
  • That's why jesus prayed in matthew 6.
  • 00:08:50.319 --> 00:08:53.689
  • Have you ever wondered about this in the model prayer?
  • 00:08:53.689 --> 00:08:56.225
  • Why did he say, "and lead us not into temptation"?
  • 00:08:56.225 --> 00:09:00.796
  • Is it possible that god would tempt us and try to
  • 00:09:00.796 --> 00:09:03.499
  • Solicit us for evil?
  • 00:09:03.499 --> 00:09:04.834
  • No.
  • 00:09:04.834 --> 00:09:06.168
  • But remember that's not what the word temptation means.
  • 00:09:06.168 --> 00:09:09.005
  • It's just a difficult situation.
  • 00:09:09.005 --> 00:09:11.407
  • When jesus taught us to pray, he was teaching us, "lead us not--"
  • 00:09:11.407 --> 00:09:15.611
  • It's okay to ask god to "lead us not into a difficult situation."
  • 00:09:15.611 --> 00:09:21.851
  • Well, why would jesus say to pray that way?
  • 00:09:21.851 --> 00:09:24.587
  • Couldn't a difficult situation strengthen our faith?
  • 00:09:24.587 --> 00:09:27.690
  • Yeah, it could.
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  • Or it could destroy our faith.
  • 00:09:29.625 --> 00:09:32.061
  • It's just like a student who says to a teacher, "teacher, if
  • 00:09:32.061 --> 00:09:35.197
  • It's all the same to you, please don't lead us into a
  • 00:09:35.197 --> 00:09:38.601
  • Final exam."
  • 00:09:38.601 --> 00:09:41.237
  • A final exam has the possibility of success.
  • 00:09:41.237 --> 00:09:44.240
  • You could pass it, or there's the possibility you could
  • 00:09:44.240 --> 00:09:48.210
  • Fail it.
  • 00:09:48.210 --> 00:09:49.545
  • "so if it's all the same to you, teacher, i'd just soon not
  • 00:09:49.545 --> 00:09:52.415
  • Have one."
  • 00:09:52.415 --> 00:09:53.916
  • It's okay to pray to god to keep you and your family from
  • 00:09:53.916 --> 00:09:57.920
  • Difficult situations.
  • 00:09:57.920 --> 00:10:00.389
  • But sometimes god said, "i'm gonna use this to strengthen
  • 00:10:00.389 --> 00:10:03.292
  • Your faith."
  • 00:10:03.292 --> 00:10:04.627
  • And that's why the next part of the prayer is "lead us not into
  • 00:10:04.627 --> 00:10:07.997
  • Temptation, but deliver us from evil."
  • 00:10:07.997 --> 00:10:12.134
  • "lord, if you do send a test into my life, keep me from
  • 00:10:12.134 --> 00:10:15.971
  • Making an evil, a wrong response to it."
  • 00:10:15.971 --> 00:10:19.742
  • These are two very different things.
  • 00:10:19.742 --> 00:10:21.677
  • James is talking about temptations that don't come
  • 00:10:21.677 --> 00:10:25.448
  • From god.
  • 00:10:25.448 --> 00:10:26.816
  • Well, then what is the source of temptations?
  • 00:10:26.816 --> 00:10:29.952
  • God tested abraham, genesis 22:1, to strengthen his faith.
  • 00:10:29.952 --> 00:10:34.957
  • But where do temptations come from?
  • 00:10:34.957 --> 00:10:37.393
  • Well, look at the false excuse beginning in verse 13: "let no
  • 00:10:37.393 --> 00:10:41.864
  • One say when he is tempted, 'i am being tempted by god.'"
  • 00:10:41.864 --> 00:10:48.204
  • This phrase, "tempted by god," is in present
  • 00:10:48.204 --> 00:10:51.574
  • Passive participle.
  • 00:10:51.574 --> 00:10:53.542
  • It pictures a man who is on the verge of giving into a
  • 00:10:53.542 --> 00:10:57.813
  • Temptation who says as his last excuse, "well, this must be from
  • 00:10:57.813 --> 00:11:02.651
  • God for some reason, so i have to give into it."
  • 00:11:02.651 --> 00:11:05.521
  • "no," james says, "god cannot be tempted by evil, and he himself
  • 00:11:05.521 --> 00:11:12.695
  • Does not tempt anyone."
  • 00:11:12.695 --> 00:11:15.331
  • Now, will you give me three minutes to talk about greek
  • 00:11:15.331 --> 00:11:18.701
  • Grammar for just a moment?
  • 00:11:18.701 --> 00:11:20.669
  • I know it sounds boring, but it's key to understanding
  • 00:11:20.669 --> 00:11:23.506
  • This verse.
  • 00:11:23.506 --> 00:11:24.840
  • Let's look at that false excuse, "let nobody say, 'i'm being
  • 00:11:24.840 --> 00:11:28.944
  • Tempted by god.'"
  • 00:11:28.944 --> 00:11:31.046
  • That english word, "by," b-y, is a preposition.
  • 00:11:31.046 --> 00:11:34.683
  • You may remember that from english class.
  • 00:11:34.683 --> 00:11:37.453
  • It shows cause or agency.
  • 00:11:37.453 --> 00:11:40.389
  • For example, if i said, "the man was killed by his wife," "by"
  • 00:11:40.389 --> 00:11:45.227
  • Was--indicates the direct cause of his death was his wife.
  • 00:11:45.227 --> 00:11:50.332
  • The man was killed by his wife.
  • 00:11:50.332 --> 00:11:53.202
  • If i were to write that in greek, i would use the word
  • 00:11:53.202 --> 00:11:56.438
  • "upo" for "by," u-p-o.
  • 00:11:56.438 --> 00:11:59.408
  • It means direct agency.
  • 00:11:59.408 --> 00:12:01.477
  • It was used in matthew 4:1, when matthew records that jesus was
  • 00:12:01.477 --> 00:12:08.384
  • Led up by the spirit of god into the wilderness to be tempted by
  • 00:12:08.384 --> 00:12:14.423
  • The devil.
  • 00:12:14.423 --> 00:12:15.925
  • The holy spirit is the one who led jesus by; satan was the one
  • 00:12:15.925 --> 00:12:21.330
  • Who tempted jesus.
  • 00:12:21.330 --> 00:12:23.365
  • So if i'm gonna show direct agency, i would use the
  • 00:12:23.365 --> 00:12:26.268
  • Word upo.
  • 00:12:26.268 --> 00:12:27.837
  • But there's another word for a preposition in greek.
  • 00:12:27.837 --> 00:12:32.241
  • It's the word "apo," a-p-o.
  • 00:12:32.241 --> 00:12:35.811
  • It means indirect agency.
  • 00:12:35.811 --> 00:12:38.881
  • For example, if i were to say, "the man was killed by a gun,"
  • 00:12:38.881 --> 00:12:44.253
  • What am i saying?
  • 00:12:44.253 --> 00:12:45.588
  • And i'm saying the gun is directly responsible
  • 00:12:45.588 --> 00:12:47.389
  • For the man's death?
  • 00:12:47.389 --> 00:12:48.724
  • No, the gun didn't get angry, load itself up with bullets, and
  • 00:12:48.724 --> 00:12:52.595
  • Pull its own trigger.
  • 00:12:52.595 --> 00:12:54.196
  • The gun was an indirect cause.
  • 00:12:54.196 --> 00:12:56.932
  • The cause was the man's wife.
  • 00:12:56.932 --> 00:12:59.368
  • The indirect cause is the gun.
  • 00:12:59.368 --> 00:13:02.471
  • But if i were trying to show indirect cause, i would use
  • 00:13:02.471 --> 00:13:05.107
  • Apo, a-p-o.
  • 00:13:05.107 --> 00:13:06.976
  • Now, when james wrote this, he could've said, "let no man say
  • 00:13:06.976 --> 00:13:11.647
  • When he is tempted, 'i am tempted by, upo, direct
  • 00:13:11.647 --> 00:13:15.751
  • Agency,'" but he doesn't use that preposition.
  • 00:13:15.751 --> 00:13:18.821
  • He uses the second preposition, apo, indirect agency.
  • 00:13:18.821 --> 00:13:23.359
  • In other words, james is saying, "when you are tempted, don't
  • 00:13:23.359 --> 00:13:27.429
  • Blame god.
  • 00:13:27.429 --> 00:13:28.797
  • God has nothing to do with your temptation directly or even
  • 00:13:28.797 --> 00:13:34.103
  • Indirectly," apo.
  • 00:13:34.103 --> 00:13:37.039
  • Well, then where is the source of temptation if it doesn't come
  • 00:13:37.039 --> 00:13:42.011
  • From god?
  • 00:13:42.011 --> 00:13:43.345
  • He answers the question in the next verse.
  • 00:13:43.345 --> 00:13:45.714
  • Notice the legitimate cause of temptation: "but each one is
  • 00:13:45.714 --> 00:13:51.253
  • Tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust."
  • 00:13:51.253 --> 00:13:57.726
  • I call verse 14 "the temptation equation."
  • 00:13:57.726 --> 00:14:02.698
  • Look at the components that lead up to sin.
  • 00:14:02.698 --> 00:14:06.302
  • Write it down on your outline: corrupt desires plus the right
  • 00:14:06.302 --> 00:14:12.608
  • Bait plus a wrong choice equals sin.
  • 00:14:12.608 --> 00:14:19.081
  • That's how sin comes.
  • 00:14:19.081 --> 00:14:21.317
  • Corrupt desires plus the right bait plus wrong choices result
  • 00:14:21.317 --> 00:14:26.088
  • In sin.
  • 00:14:26.088 --> 00:14:27.423
  • Let's look at each of those components.
  • 00:14:27.423 --> 00:14:28.924
  • First of all, corrupt desires-- each person is tempted when he
  • 00:14:28.924 --> 00:14:33.929
  • Is carried away.
  • 00:14:33.929 --> 00:14:35.731
  • That's what "carried away" refers to, corrupt inward
  • 00:14:35.731 --> 00:14:39.935
  • Desires we have.
  • 00:14:39.935 --> 00:14:42.271
  • The word here, "exelkomai," means to be drawn with an
  • 00:14:42.271 --> 00:14:46.575
  • Inward power.
  • 00:14:46.575 --> 00:14:48.243
  • In john 12:32, jesus said, "if i be lifted up," i will," what?
  • 00:14:48.243 --> 00:14:53.415
  • "draw all people to myself."
  • 00:14:53.415 --> 00:14:56.585
  • That's the same word, "helkomai," to draw with an
  • 00:14:56.585 --> 00:14:59.188
  • Inward power.
  • 00:14:59.188 --> 00:15:00.522
  • Jesus doesn't drag us kicking and screaming to salvation.
  • 00:15:00.522 --> 00:15:05.127
  • He draws us with an inward power.
  • 00:15:05.127 --> 00:15:09.231
  • The same is here.
  • 00:15:09.231 --> 00:15:11.233
  • What's the first component of temptation?
  • 00:15:11.233 --> 00:15:13.402
  • It is our corrupt desires.
  • 00:15:13.402 --> 00:15:16.538
  • These can be legitimate desires that we're tempted to fulfill in
  • 00:15:16.538 --> 00:15:20.609
  • An illegitimate way, or they can be legitimate desires we pursue
  • 00:15:20.609 --> 00:15:26.882
  • In excess.
  • 00:15:26.882 --> 00:15:28.751
  • But our desires, our righteous desires, have been infected
  • 00:15:28.751 --> 00:15:34.356
  • By sin.
  • 00:15:34.356 --> 00:15:35.691
  • We have corrupt desires for either the right thing in the
  • 00:15:35.691 --> 00:15:38.727
  • Wrong way or too much of the right thing.
  • 00:15:38.727 --> 00:15:41.363
  • It becomes a god in our life.
  • 00:15:41.363 --> 00:15:43.465
  • Corrupt desires plus the right bait.
  • 00:15:43.465 --> 00:15:47.636
  • There's an external cause of temptation as well: the
  • 00:15:47.636 --> 00:15:51.974
  • Right bait.
  • 00:15:51.974 --> 00:15:53.308
  • That's indicated by the word "enticed."
  • 00:15:53.308 --> 00:15:55.911
  • Each person is tempted when he is carried away and enticed.
  • 00:15:55.911 --> 00:16:02.484
  • That word "enticed" is a fishing term in greek.
  • 00:16:02.484 --> 00:16:06.688
  • It literally refers to "hook a fish."
  • 00:16:06.688 --> 00:16:11.193
  • You know that well, how that works.
  • 00:16:11.193 --> 00:16:14.830
  • I hate fishing.
  • 00:16:14.830 --> 00:16:16.165
  • Some of the most miserable times of my life have been
  • 00:16:16.165 --> 00:16:19.134
  • Spent fishing.
  • 00:16:19.134 --> 00:16:20.702
  • And please don't email me and say, "oh, pastor,
  • 00:16:20.702 --> 00:16:24.006
  • I can show you a good time.
  • 00:16:24.006 --> 00:16:25.340
  • You've been out with the wrong person."
  • 00:16:25.340 --> 00:16:27.543
  • I've tried it every way and failed miserably.
  • 00:16:27.543 --> 00:16:30.946
  • But i know enough about fishing to know that to be a successful
  • 00:16:30.946 --> 00:16:35.117
  • Fisherman, you've gotta have two things: first of all, the
  • 00:16:35.117 --> 00:16:38.554
  • Right bait.
  • 00:16:38.554 --> 00:16:39.888
  • You've gotta have the right lure to dangle in front of that fish.
  • 00:16:39.888 --> 00:16:43.992
  • Not all fish are tempted by the same bait.
  • 00:16:43.992 --> 00:16:46.795
  • You've gotta understand the fish and what he's hungry for.
  • 00:16:46.795 --> 00:16:49.665
  • You've gotta have the right bait, and you've gotta have the
  • 00:16:49.665 --> 00:16:51.867
  • Right timing.
  • 00:16:51.867 --> 00:16:53.702
  • You've gotta know exactly when to drop that bait in front of
  • 00:16:53.702 --> 00:16:56.839
  • The fish.
  • 00:16:56.839 --> 00:16:58.173
  • One thing i learned: fat fish don't get tempted by a lure;
  • 00:16:58.173 --> 00:17:02.377
  • It's hungry fish.
  • 00:17:02.377 --> 00:17:03.879
  • It's hungry fish who at the right time of the day are so
  • 00:17:03.879 --> 00:17:07.249
  • Blinded by their hunger that they snap at that bait, not
  • 00:17:07.249 --> 00:17:11.253
  • Realizing there's a hook in the middle of it that will
  • 00:17:11.253 --> 00:17:14.289
  • Destroy them.
  • 00:17:14.289 --> 00:17:15.757
  • In the same way, satan knows exactly what bait to dangle in
  • 00:17:15.757 --> 00:17:21.263
  • Front of you, what it is that you think is gonna satisfy your
  • 00:17:21.263 --> 00:17:25.601
  • Corrupt desires.
  • 00:17:25.601 --> 00:17:26.969
  • And he knows exactly the right time to dangle it in front
  • 00:17:26.969 --> 00:17:31.807
  • Of you.
  • 00:17:31.807 --> 00:17:33.175
  • How does this bait work with our corrupt desires to produce sin?
  • 00:17:33.175 --> 00:17:37.880
  • Remember, corrupt desires plus the right bait plus the
  • 00:17:37.880 --> 00:17:41.850
  • Wrong choices.
  • 00:17:41.850 --> 00:17:43.719
  • That's what verse 15 says: "then when lust has conceived, it
  • 00:17:43.719 --> 00:17:49.158
  • Gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings
  • 00:17:49.158 --> 00:17:54.696
  • Forth death."
  • 00:17:54.696 --> 00:17:56.031
  • Underline those words in your bible: "conceived,"
  • 00:17:56.031 --> 00:18:00.002
  • "birth," "accomplished."
  • 00:18:00.002 --> 00:18:02.638
  • These are all words related to the birth process.
  • 00:18:02.638 --> 00:18:08.010
  • Just as a man's sperm and a woman's egg have to come
  • 00:18:08.010 --> 00:18:14.550
  • Together at just the right time to produce an embryo, so our
  • 00:18:14.550 --> 00:18:21.423
  • Corrupt desires plus the right bait come together to
  • 00:18:21.423 --> 00:18:26.862
  • Produce sin.
  • 00:18:26.862 --> 00:18:28.430
  • But there's that third element: our choice.
  • 00:18:28.430 --> 00:18:31.200
  • There comes the time we have to snap at the bait.
  • 00:18:31.200 --> 00:18:34.803
  • It's the same way with sin.
  • 00:18:34.803 --> 00:18:37.105
  • There comes a time when we yield to those corrupt desires.
  • 00:18:37.105 --> 00:18:42.044
  • And what is the result of temptation?
  • 00:18:42.044 --> 00:18:43.979
  • Look at verse 15: "and when sin is accomplished--" that's
  • 00:18:43.979 --> 00:18:49.918
  • Another pregnancy term.
  • 00:18:49.918 --> 00:18:51.787
  • "the days were accomplished that she should give birth," the
  • 00:18:51.787 --> 00:18:55.457
  • Bible says.
  • 00:18:55.457 --> 00:18:57.059
  • When the wrong choice and the right bait come together in a
  • 00:18:57.059 --> 00:19:02.164
  • Wrong choice, "when sin is accomplished, it brings forth--"
  • 00:19:02.164 --> 00:19:07.102
  • Not life but death, death.
  • 00:19:07.102 --> 00:19:12.374
  • Sin always produces death.
  • 00:19:12.374 --> 00:19:15.978
  • Now, what kind of death is he talking about?
  • 00:19:15.978 --> 00:19:19.147
  • Is he talking about physical death?
  • 00:19:19.147 --> 00:19:21.283
  • He could be.
  • 00:19:21.283 --> 00:19:22.651
  • That word, "thanatos," in greek means separation.
  • 00:19:22.651 --> 00:19:27.456
  • Physical death is the separation of our spirit from our body.
  • 00:19:27.456 --> 00:19:32.761
  • And sometimes in the life of a christian, sin produces
  • 00:19:32.761 --> 00:19:37.699
  • Physical death.
  • 00:19:37.699 --> 00:19:39.468
  • Remember the story in numbers 16 about korah, who led the
  • 00:19:39.468 --> 00:19:43.939
  • Rebellion against moses and aaron?
  • 00:19:43.939 --> 00:19:46.975
  • God judged that sin by destroying korah and
  • 00:19:46.975 --> 00:19:50.145
  • 250 israelites.
  • 00:19:50.145 --> 00:19:52.347
  • You say, "well, that's the old testament.
  • 00:19:52.347 --> 00:19:54.049
  • God doesn't do that today."
  • 00:19:54.049 --> 00:19:55.817
  • Don't be so sure.
  • 00:19:55.817 --> 00:19:57.352
  • In 1 corinthians 11, verse 30, paul said to the corinthians,
  • 00:19:57.352 --> 00:20:01.423
  • "because you've taken the lord's supper in the wrong way without
  • 00:20:01.423 --> 00:20:04.760
  • Judging yourself or getting drunk at the lord's table, for
  • 00:20:04.760 --> 00:20:08.263
  • This reason, many of you are sick and some are asleep.
  • 00:20:08.263 --> 00:20:12.467
  • You've died."
  • 00:20:12.467 --> 00:20:14.136
  • God sometimes takes a christian's life who is involved
  • 00:20:14.136 --> 00:20:19.107
  • In sin.
  • 00:20:19.107 --> 00:20:20.742
  • That is expressed in 1 john 5:16, when john talks about sin
  • 00:20:20.742 --> 00:20:27.149
  • Unto death: "if anyone sees his brother committing a sin not
  • 00:20:27.149 --> 00:20:31.887
  • Leading to death, he shall ask and god will give him life to
  • 00:20:31.887 --> 00:20:36.458
  • Those who commit sin not leading to death.
  • 00:20:36.458 --> 00:20:39.895
  • But there is sin leading to death."
  • 00:20:39.895 --> 00:20:44.199
  • Now, in your english translation it says, "a sin."
  • 00:20:44.199 --> 00:20:48.070
  • A's an article.
  • 00:20:48.070 --> 00:20:49.404
  • It makes us think, "there is one particular sin.
  • 00:20:49.404 --> 00:20:52.407
  • If you commit that, god's going to kill you."
  • 00:20:52.407 --> 00:20:55.377
  • That's not what it says in the greek text.
  • 00:20:55.377 --> 00:20:57.579
  • There is no article.
  • 00:20:57.579 --> 00:20:59.014
  • It's "anarthrous."
  • 00:20:59.014 --> 00:21:00.782
  • It literally reads, "sin leading to death."
  • 00:21:00.782 --> 00:21:04.186
  • It's not a particular sin that causes god to take your life,
  • 00:21:04.186 --> 00:21:08.290
  • But it's a state of sinning.
  • 00:21:08.290 --> 00:21:10.759
  • That is, you get so hardened to sin, sin has become so
  • 00:21:10.759 --> 00:21:14.896
  • Characteristic of your life that, in some instances, god
  • 00:21:14.896 --> 00:21:18.900
  • Takes your life.
  • 00:21:18.900 --> 00:21:20.802
  • You are a miserable witness for jesus christ.
  • 00:21:20.802 --> 00:21:23.572
  • You're leading other people astray.
  • 00:21:23.572 --> 00:21:25.841
  • God sometimes says, "it would be better to take this child and
  • 00:21:25.841 --> 00:21:29.378
  • Call him home than to leave him here and disrupt my reputation."
  • 00:21:29.378 --> 00:21:34.649
  • There is sin unto death.
  • 00:21:34.649 --> 00:21:36.818
  • So i think when james talks about sin bringing forth death,
  • 00:21:36.818 --> 00:21:40.689
  • He is referring sometimes to physical death, but that word,
  • 00:21:40.689 --> 00:21:44.526
  • Thanatos, "death," also means a separation of our spirit from
  • 00:21:44.526 --> 00:21:49.798
  • God, a separation from god.
  • 00:21:49.798 --> 00:21:52.167
  • Now, as a christian, we don't have to worry about eternal
  • 00:21:52.167 --> 00:21:55.871
  • Separation from god.
  • 00:21:55.871 --> 00:21:57.639
  • Paul says in romans 8, "for i'm convinced that nothing can ever
  • 00:21:57.639 --> 00:22:01.810
  • Separate us from the love of god."
  • 00:22:01.810 --> 00:22:05.447
  • Jesus said in john 10:28 to 30, "i give eternal life to them,
  • 00:22:05.447 --> 00:22:09.684
  • And they shall never perish; no man shall snatch out of my hands
  • 00:22:09.684 --> 00:22:14.189
  • Those whom the father has given me."
  • 00:22:14.189 --> 00:22:17.526
  • That can never change positionally.
  • 00:22:17.526 --> 00:22:20.195
  • Once you're a part of god's family, you're always a part of
  • 00:22:20.195 --> 00:22:23.498
  • God's family.
  • 00:22:23.498 --> 00:22:25.267
  • But even though sin doesn't affect our positional
  • 00:22:25.267 --> 00:22:30.238
  • Relationship with god, it can affect our relational fellowship
  • 00:22:30.238 --> 00:22:36.378
  • With god.
  • 00:22:36.378 --> 00:22:37.746
  • Sin can break our fellowship with our heavenly father.
  • 00:22:37.746 --> 00:22:42.217
  • When we sin, we put up a wall of separation that keeps us from
  • 00:22:42.217 --> 00:22:47.823
  • Wanting to seek fellowship with god because we feel guilty.
  • 00:22:47.823 --> 00:22:52.093
  • ♪♪
  • 00:22:52.093 --> 00:22:57.165
  • Jeffress: the temptation equation is clear: corrupt
  • 00:22:57.165 --> 00:23:00.235
  • Desires plus the right bait plus the wrong choice equals sin, and
  • 00:23:00.235 --> 00:23:06.741
  • Sin always brings death.
  • 00:23:06.741 --> 00:23:09.678
  • I hope you'll join me again next time as we discover how to break
  • 00:23:09.678 --> 00:23:13.281
  • Free from this destructive cycle.
  • 00:23:13.281 --> 00:23:16.318
  • Well, nearly every day, we receive testimonies from viewers
  • 00:23:16.318 --> 00:23:19.688
  • And listeners whose lives are being transformed through
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  • "pathway to victory."
  • 00:23:23.291 --> 00:23:24.826
  • This happens because people like you, our pathway partners and
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  • Supporters, believe in the power of god's word to change lives.
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  • Gospel, we're grateful for your partnership.
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  • Together we are piercing the darkness with the light of
  • 00:23:53.121 --> 00:23:56.558
  • God's word.
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  • Now, stay right there. i'll be back in just a moment.
  • 00:23:57.893 --> 00:24:02.764
  • Announcer: every believer wants to see clear evidence of their
  • 00:24:03.932 --> 00:24:06.835
  • Spiritual growth and discover the fruit that god is producing
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  • In their lives.
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  • Dr. robert jeffress shows you exactly how to recognize that
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  • Fruit in his brand-new book, "how to know if you're
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  • Really saved."
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  • Jeffress: the book of james teaches us that the christian
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  • Life is about more than just knowing god's word.
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  • It's about living it out.
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  • In my new book, "how to know if you're really saved," i'll walk
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  • You through what it truly means to be a doer of the word,
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  • Showing you how to respond to trials, control your speech,
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  • Endure hardships, resist temptation, and so much more.
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  • Announcer: this outstanding 232-page book will help you
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  • Examine the evidence of your faith and see the spiritual
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  • Fruit that should be growing in your daily life.
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  • Be evidence of it.
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  • There are some tests that you need to apply to your life.
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  • Announcer: thank you for your generous support of pathway
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  • Jeffress: today we learned that temptations don't come from god.
  • 00:25:34.689 --> 00:25:38.326
  • They're born from our own corrupt desires meeting satan's
  • 00:25:38.326 --> 00:25:41.863
  • Perfectly-timed bait.
  • 00:25:41.863 --> 00:25:43.999
  • When we take that bait, sin is conceived, leading inevitably
  • 00:25:43.999 --> 00:25:48.903
  • To death.
  • 00:25:48.903 --> 00:25:50.238
  • But here's the good news: giving in to temptation
  • 00:25:50.238 --> 00:25:53.108
  • Isn't inevitable.
  • 00:25:53.108 --> 00:25:54.976
  • Next time, we'll discover the practical steps for resisting
  • 00:25:54.976 --> 00:25:58.446
  • The devil.
  • 00:25:58.446 --> 00:25:59.781
  • God has given us powerful tools and strategies that can help us
  • 00:25:59.781 --> 00:26:04.185
  • Experience victory over even our strongest temptations.
  • 00:26:04.185 --> 00:26:08.590
  • Stay tuned for a preview of what's coming up next in our
  • 00:26:08.590 --> 00:26:10.992
  • Series "how to know if you're really saved."
  • 00:26:10.992 --> 00:26:15.330
  • Jeffress: it's helpful sometimes to imagine the consequences of
  • 00:26:15.330 --> 00:26:19.934
  • Your temptation.
  • 00:26:19.934 --> 00:26:22.037
  • If you were to say yes to that temptation, how would it affect
  • 00:26:22.037 --> 00:26:25.774
  • Your friends who have grown to respect you?
  • 00:26:25.774 --> 00:26:30.478
  • How would it affect your mate who trusts you?
  • 00:26:30.478 --> 00:26:35.283
  • What impact would it have on your children who admire you?
  • 00:26:35.283 --> 00:26:40.088
  • Announcer: set your dvr and join
  • 00:26:40.088 --> 00:26:41.423
  • Us next time for part 2 of the
  • 00:26:41.423 --> 00:26:43.258
  • Message "how to handle
  • 00:26:43.258 --> 00:26:44.592
  • Temptation," here on "pathway
  • 00:26:44.592 --> 00:26:46.661
  • To victory."
  • 00:26:46.661 --> 00:26:49.230
  • Take a journey through alaska's awe-inspiring wilderness
  • 00:26:50.331 --> 00:26:53.568
  • On the 2026 pathway to victory cruise to alaska
  • 00:26:53.568 --> 00:26:56.671
  • With dr. robert jeffress aboard holland,
  • 00:26:56.671 --> 00:26:58.773
  • America's magnificent koningsdam.
  • 00:26:58.773 --> 00:27:01.109
  • Share laughter with dennis swanberg.
  • 00:27:01.109 --> 00:27:03.845
  • Be inspired by award-winning musician michael o'brien's,
  • 00:27:03.845 --> 00:27:06.815
  • Powerful worship.
  • 00:27:06.815 --> 00:27:08.083
  • Make plans to set sail
  • 00:27:08.083 --> 00:27:09.551
  • For an unforgettable week of adventure.
  • 00:27:09.551 --> 00:27:11.720
  • June 13-20, 2026.
  • 00:27:11.720 --> 00:27:14.389
  • Call 888-280-6747
  • 00:27:14.389 --> 00:27:17.592
  • Or visit ptv.org.
  • 00:27:17.592 --> 00:27:17.592