Real Temptations
Real Life, Real Faith: Lessons from James • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Introduction
We’ve begun a series in the book of James.
Before I get to this next section I want to highlight a concept that I’ve discovered in life:
To really be successful at anything— you need to fall in love with the process. Too many people want the end result— they are in love with the product-(the end result) MORE than they are invested in the process.
Living the Christian life is a process. It’s certainly got a wonderful destination and end result… but I want us to see today that we are not only IN a process— that if we actually understand and become experts IN the process of following Christ— we will be an even more glorious tool and instrument in His hands.
Last time, we read that James focused on trials and sufferings which believers face.
James encouraged us to be joyful going through them knowing that God is using them to grow us into mature Christians.
As we go through the trials, we must seek wisdom from God so we can endure afflictions and difficulties which threaten to overcome us.
Those trial were mostly attacking us from the outside, today we’ll look at the inner attacks--- the temptations we face.
Trials= outward threats
Temptations= inward threats
11093 Temptations in the life of faith are not accidents; each temptation is part of a plan, a step in the progress of faith.
Oswald Chambers
Three key questions that we will tackle today: We hopefully will see these answers clearly in our text:
Who is responsible for temptations? (What is the source?)
Is there a pattern of temptation that we can recognize and stop? (What is the strategy?)
What is the ultimate cure or solution to our trials and temptations? (What is the solution?)
13 When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone;
We must understand the source of temptation. (v.13)
We must understand the source of temptation. (v.13)
Temptation is not evil, but rather an invitation to evil.
Temptation is not evil, but rather an invitation to evil.
James states here that whatever the source is— it’s NOT God.
God may allow it— the trials and the temptations—for our good-- but He is not the cause. That is stated very clearly here.
What is?
14 but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed.
It’s like a fishing expedition. The language here is a lot like what we do when we go fishing. We cast a wee little line with a wee little hook hidden inside either a real piece of food that a fish would like to eat, or something manufactured to look like it— and we entice a fish to bite. If the fish are not biting, we are not catching. But if we time things just right, and we have patience— we can get just the right conditions where fish bite — and we can drag them into our boat or onto the shore. The fish made the decision— we just provided the bait.
Likewise: We read in Proverbs:
3 A person’s own folly leads to their ruin, yet their heart rages against the Lord.
As we read this—regarding our own dealings with the “bait”--- there isn’t anyone else to blame. We really may not want to face this— but the source of the sin in our lives… it’s not your parents. It’s not your job, it’s not your coworkers, it’s not traffic, or the weather, or a myriad of other things we want to blame--- it’s you. Now don’t get too down about that— it’s that way for “each person” — everyone!
Temptation is the Devil whistling at the keyhole; sinning is opening at the door and letting him in.
Billy Sunday
To understand this a little deeper, we need to consider the origin and back story behind sin in the first place:
1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” 2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,
3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’ ”
4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
Satan always distorts and questions God’s word.
He will then blatantly lie to us.
That’s the bait— Eve’s own desire (to be like God, to know Good and Evil, to have a tasty snack)—takes care of the rest. Satan works extra hard to entice us by suggesting to us a way to satisfy what could be a very healthy desire— in a rebellious or evil way.
WE are the only way a temptation becomes sin. (v.14)
WE are the only way a temptation becomes sin. (v.14)
Even though we are looking for a way to get out of the responsibility— by blaming others— James is making a clear distinction here that “the devil, did not make you do it”— you did.
Chris Stapleton is a popular country singer and songwriter. One of my favorite songs he wrote is titled “Nobody but me”---and the lyrics go like this:
She took down the photograph of our wedding day. Tore it down the middle, and threw my half away, and I got nobody to blame but me.
She broke all my fishin rods, put my guns in hock, threw my clothes out in the yard and changed out all the locks, but I got nobody to blame but me.
The song goes on to reveal that this man has no where else to turn— he truly has ruined his life, and has nobody to blame— but himself.
Sometimes we really want to pass the blame to someone else— but that is only us running from the real issue. Postponing the truth.
It’s a very thin line between stating that God can USE my trials and temptations for my good— to stating that God is the cause of those trials and temptations. God is not the source— but there is a strategy:
We must understand the strategy behind temptation. (v. 15)
We must understand the strategy behind temptation. (v. 15)
15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
He switches from the fishing metaphor to a baby being conceived and born!@
It’s so vivid. Once again— follow the way our enemy corrupts something that is supposed to be really good—
Desire is conceived— It’s created.
Grows and is birthed as sin--
And sin, when it’s full grown, is death.
This process or strategy mirrors in some ways the process we spoke about last week!
Trials lead to perseverance, perseverance leads to maturity, completeness, and lacking nothing— and a crown of blessing and life at the end!
[slides to show the sequence]
8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
Four strategies our enemy uses against us:
Enticement: persuading through rewards or incentives.
Entrapment: leading someone to commit a crime they will be prosecuted for.
Endorsement: expressing approval or favorable opinion
Enslavement: forcibly controlling, dominating, removing freedoms.
11 But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.
A main goal of our enemy is to move us off the path God intends for us.
A main goal of our enemy is to move us off the path God intends for us.
Pilgrims progress--- They are chained! Keep moving forward, just stay on the path!
How many times to we travel off the path? At times of temptation— immediately ask yourself if you’re on the path? Are you where you should be right now?
King David is involved with one of the most tragic stories in all of scripture— It’s really a hard story to read and experience. He not only commits adultery with a married woman, probably many times and she becomes pregnant— he uses his authority and power to send Bathsheba’s husband to the front lines of war— thus murdering him to end her marriage so David could marry her. But it all starts— this whole ugly affair— because David was NOT where he should have been— he left the path.
2 Samuel 11:1 (NIV)
1 In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king’s men and the whole Israelite army. David remained in Jerusalem.
We can rest in the solution to temptation. (v.16-18)
We can rest in the solution to temptation. (v.16-18)
16 Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters.
I can hear the pastors heart in these words. “Don’t be fooled”. Enticed, Entrapped, endorsed, or enslaved.
Keep reading here:
17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
17 every good giving, and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the lights, with whom is no variation, or shadow of turning;
Immutable— unchanging. We just experienced a bit of that creative force this week— an eclipse like we saw is very strong evidence for an intelligent designer to the universe. He is truly the Father— of the Lights. He is all present, all knowing, all-powerful, and unchanging.
That’s the opposite of how I feel sometimes— Most of the time, I’m Not present--Not-knowing, Not-powerful, always changing!
God will always provide a way out of temptation. (I Corin 10:13)
God will always provide a way out of temptation. (I Corin 10:13)
13 No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.
That is the good and perfect gift that you can rest in. God knows.
And this section ends with a powerful cresendo! This last verse really sets up whats at stake here:
18 He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.
“He chose:” That’s His will.
“Through the Word:” That’s His way.
“That we would be firstfruits:” That’s His worship.
God has called us his children. He’s correct in that— because, (look at the verse again) HE chose to give us birth! His will, not yours.
The enemy has a plan to steal kill and destroy the pinnacle of God’s creation— that’s you.
But God, in His infinite wisdom, will use the devils best plans against him— and we become more like Jesus as a result.
External trials--- Internal temptations. All part of the process.
Everytime we resist a temptation— it is a victory.
Realize that you are in a process. And we must love that process.
Zoom out — remember there will be good days and bad days.
Look for trends and themes— are there areas of your life that you are struggling in? Make some subtle changes and see if this improves.
Be thankful!
Temptations … put nothing into a man, but only draw out what was in him all along.
John Owen