TEMPTED BY WHOM?
James 1:13-17 When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. 16 Don't be deceived, my dear brothers. 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.
PROPOSITION: WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND TEMPTATION IN ORDER TO AVOID TEMPTATION
INTRODUCTION: AS WE CONTINUE ON IN OUR STUDY OF THE BOOK OF JAMES, WE MOVE FROM TACKLING THE ISSUE OF TRIAL WHICH ARE MEANT TO MATURE OUR WALK WITH THE LORD TO TEMPTATIONS, WHICH TAKE US IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION WE SHOULD BE GOING AS A FOLLOWER OF CHRIST.
ONE OF THE DEADLY CONSEQUENCES OF NOT EFFECTIVELY DEALING WITH THE TEMPTATION TO SIN IS THAT WE BEGIN TO START THE BLAME GAME. HERE ARE SOME OF THE EXCUSES:
"It's the other person's fault."
"I couldn't help it."
"Everybody's doing it."
"It was just a mistake."
"Nobody's perfect."
"I didn't know it was wrong."
"The devil made me do it."
"I was pressured into it."
AND THEN THE CHURCH OR THE FELLOW BELIEVER WHO HAS SOUGHT TO LOVINGLY CONFRONT YOU WITH THE GOAL OF SEEING YOU RESTORED AND WALKING AWAY FROM WHAT HAD TEMPTED AND DRAWN YOU AWAY FROM GOD.
JAMES GIVES US FOUR TRUTHS ABOUT THE “DOCTRINE” OF TEMPTATION AND MOTIVATIONS TO RESIST TEMPTATION.
I. THE CAPACITY OF GOD
a. WHEN WE THINK ABOUT IT, TEMPTATION IS COMMON TO ALL
i. WE WILL ALL FACE IT
ii. JESUS IN HIS HUMANITY IN THE GARDEN FACED TEMPTATION BIG TIME, AND AGAIN IN THE GARDEN
b. THE NATURE OF GOD AS GOD IS THAT GOD IS NOT TEMPTED
i. “CANNOT BE” – SPEAKS ABOUT THE UNTEMPTABLENESS OF GOD
1. GOD DOES NOT HAVE THE CAPACITY TO BE TEMPTED
2. GOD IS AWARE OF EVIL, BUT UNTOUCHED BY IT
ii. “BY” – IT CARRIES WITH IT THE MEANING OF REMOTE OR DISTANT
1. GOD IS NOT DIRECTLY RESPONSIBLE FOR EVIL
2. GOD IS NOT INDIRECTLY RESPONSIBLE FOR EVIL
c. THE SCRIPTURE TELLS US THAT GOD CANNOT LOOK ON SIN
d. Habakkuk 1:13 Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrong. Why then do you tolerate the treacherous? Why are you silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves?
THE FIRST TRUTH WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND IS THAT EVIL DOES NOT HAVE ITS SOURCE IN GOD. THE NATURE OF GOD IS INCAPABLE OF EMBRACING EVIL
II. THE CAPACITY OF MAN
a. MAN DOES HAVE THE CAPACITY FOR EVIL
b. WHEN JAMES WRITES, “EACH ONE”,
i. IT REFERS TO THE UNIVERSALITY OF TEMPTATION
ii. IT REFERS TO THE FACT THAT IT IS CONTINUAL
iii. IT REFERS TO THE FACT THAT IT IS REPEATED
iv. IT REFERS TO THE FACT THAT IT IS INESCAPABLE
c. WE LIVE IN A FALLEN WORLD THAT ALIGNS WITH OUR OLD NATURE – OUR SIN NATURE
d. WE LIVE IN A WORLD WHERE SIN HAS THE “MOMENTARY APPEARANCE” OF ATTRACTIVENESS
i. IF IT DIDN’T WE WOULD NOT BE ATTRACTED TO IT
ii. REMEMBER THAT SIN ALWAYS TAKES US FARTHER THAN WE WANT TO GO, KEEPS US LONGER THAN WE WANT TO STAY, AND COSTS US MORE THAN WE ARE WILLING TO PAY!
e. THE “BY” OF MAN
i. DIFFERENT WORD THAN THE “BY” WITH REGARD TO GOD
ii. IT MEANS THAT MAN IS DIRECTLY TEMPTED BY WHAT HE KNOWS HE SHOULD NOT HAVE
THE SECOND TRUTH WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND IS THAT MAN HAS THE CAPACITY FOR EVIL. AND THAT SAME MAN IS GOOD AT PASSING THE BUCK. ADAM BLAMED EVE. EVE BLAMED THE SERPENT. MAN CANNOT BLAME GOD, ONLY HIMSELF
III. THE NATURE OF LUST
a. LUST SHOWS US THAT SIN IS THE RESULT OF A SPECIFIC PROCESS
b. THERE IS THE DESIRE
i. SOMETHING THAT WE SEE OR HEAR DRAWS OUT A STRONG DESIRE IN US.
ii. LUST IS A CRAVING OR A LONGING
iii. THE GREEK WORD IS A COMPOUND WORD THAT MEANS TO BURN WITH HEAT
1. KIND OF LIKE WHEN YOU WERE YOUNG AND YOU HAD SOME “POCKET” CHANGE AS A KID. YOU WOULD BE LOOKING TO SPEND IT AND YOUR PARENTS WOULD ASK YOU “IS THAT MONEY BURNING A HOLE IN YOUR POCKET?”
iv. WHEN YOU PUT “DRAGGED AWAY” AND “ENTICED” TOGETHER,, WHAT YOU GET IS:
1. THE BAITING OF A TRAP IN ORDER TO LURE AN UNSUSPECTING ANIMAL IN
2. THE LURING OF A FISH FROM A POSITION OF SAFETY AND OUT INTO A PLACE WHERE THEY CAN GET CAUGHT.
c. THEN THERE IS THE DECEPTION
i. THE MORE WE THINK ABOUT WHAT WE DESIRE, THE MORE WE RATIONALIZE A WAY TO ACHIEVE IT
ii. WE ARE ALREADY PREDISPOSED TO SIN BECAUSE OF OUR SIN NATURE
1. MAN LOVES DARKNESS MORE THAN LIGHT
iii. ALL WE NEED TO DO IS FIND A WAY TO JUSTIFY WHAT WE WANT
iv. DECEPTION IS THE CONCEPTION AFTER DESIRE
MAKE NO BONES ABOUT IT, MALE OR FEMALE; WHEN YOU MOVE FROM DESIRE TO DECEPTION YOU ARE PREGNANT WITH A SIN BABY!
d. NEXT COMES THE DESIGN
i. THIS IS THE PLANS WE START TO MAKE TO ACHIEVE THE EMOTIONAL DESIRE THAT WE HAVE.
ii. THIS IS WHERE WE START TO RATIONALIZE
iii. WE START TO JUSTIFY IT
1. OF COURSE I DESERVE IT
2. ITS WHAT I HAVE ALWAYS WANTED
3. NO BODY WILL KNOW
4. I CAN HANDLE IT
5. I AM IN CONTROL
iv. OUR OWN WILL BEGINS TO GET INVOLVED, BECAUSE WHAT WAS FIRST A DESIRE IS NOW WHAT WE WANT.
v. OUR WILL PURSUES THIS UNTIL IT IS SATISFIED.
THIS IS THE LABOR PAINS FOR THE BIRTH OF SIN. WE ARE IN SERIOUS TROUBLE AT THIS POINT!
e. FINALLY THERE IS THE DISOBEDIENCE
i. WE WILLFULLY DO WHAT WE HAVE DESIRED TO DO, AND WHAT WAS NOT RIGHT FOR US TO DO
ii. WE HAVE BEEN DISOBEDIENT TO GOD
iii. SIN HAS BEEN BORN FRESH AND NEW INTO OUR LIVES
1. LITERALLY IT MEANS TO BRING FORTH A CROP
PROBABLY THE BEST ILLUSTRATION I CAN GIVE YOU IS ONE THAT I HAVE YET TO EXPERIENCE – LOVE BUGS.
THEY ARE PERHAPS THE BIGGEST BUNCH OF SINNERS. THEY ALL CAN BE MARRIED, BUT THEY ARE ETYMOLOGICALLY FORNICATING TWICE A YEAR AND THEY ARE A TERRIBLE CROP!
iv. WE HAVE SINNED
v. THE CONSEQUENCE OF SIN IS ALWAYS DEATH
1. DEATH MEANS SEPARATION NOT ANNIHILATION!
2. PHYSICAL DEATH SEPARATES THE MATERIAL PART OF ME FROM THE IMMATERIAL PART OF ME
3. MY SIN BEFORE SALVATION SEPARATES ME FROM GOD ETERNALLY
4. MY SIN AFTER MY SALVATION SEPARATES ME FROM GOD RELATIONALLY.
5.
WHAT WE NEED TO SEE IS THAT THE BATTLE FOR SIN IS FOUGHT IN THE MIND. IN ORDER TO AVOID THE PROCESS OF SIN WE NEED TO NIP IT A QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.
WE ALL KNOW WHERE ARE WEAKNESSES ARE.
SINCE WE KNOW WHERE THEY ARE, WE KNOW WHERE WE ARE TEMPTED.
WE NEED TO DO TWO THINGS
#1 – AVOID THEM
#2 – WE COME ACROSS THEM WE NEED TO REPLACE THEM WITH THINGS THAT HONOR GOD
FOR IF WE DO NOT DEAL WITH THEM THEY WILL BECOME A HABIT, AND THE CONSEQUENCES ARE SEVERE.
THAT IS WHY JAMES CAUTIONS US IN VERSE 16 TO NOT BE DECEIVED. LITERALLY, DO NOT BE DECEIVED ABOUT GOD GOODNESS AND THE ROOT OF TEMPTATION.
WHICH BRINGS ME TO THE FINAL TRUTH ABOUT TEMPTATION
IV. THE NATURE OF GOD
a. GOOD COMES FROM GOD
b. PERFECT COME FROM GOD
c. SIN DOES NOT COME FROM GOD – NEVER HAS AND NEVER WILL
d. GOD IS THE GIVER OF LIGHT
i. POINTS BACK TO THE CREATIVE ACTIVITY OF GOD WHEN HE CREATED THE SUN, MOON, AND STARS – THE LIGHTS
ii. GOD NOT ONLY GIVES US WHAT IS GOOD AND PERFECT, HE GIVES US THE CAPACITY TO SEE AND DISCOVER THEM
e. AND IT DOES NOT DIM. GOD WILL NEVER STOP GIVING AND MAKING WHAT HE GIVES VISIBLE
f. WE HAVE TO WANT TO SEE IT
WHICH LEADS ME VERY QUICKLY TO THREE MOTIVATIONS TO RESIST THE TEMPTATION TO SIN
· THE JUDGMENT OF GOD – WE MUST ALL GIVE AN ACCOUNT OF HOW WE HAVE SERVED
o GOLD, SILVER, PRECIOUS STONES
o WOOD, HAY OR STUBBLE
· THE GOODNESS OF GOD
o ALL SIN GIVES IS TROUBLE
o ALL SIN BRINGS IS DEATH
o SIN HIDES IT TRUE INTENTIONS AND EFFECTS
o EVERYTHING GOD GIVES IS GOOD AND PERFECT
o GOD’S GIFTS ARE CONSISTENTLY GOOD
· OUR SALVATION FROM GOD
o GOD BROUGHT US OUT OF AN ENVIRONMENT OF SIN
o GOD HIMSELF WAS THE SOURCE OF OUR SALVATION
o JESUS WAS THE INSTRUMENT OF OUR SALVATION
o MAYBE WE NEED TO THINK OF OURSELVES WITH THE SAME VALUE THAT GOD THINKS ABOUT US!
LET ME CLOSE WITH THESE THOUGHTS
GOD LOVES YOU ENOUGH TO SAVE YOU FROM THE SIN THAT WOULD SEPARATE YOU FROM HIM.
GOD MAKES IT HIS JOB TO SHOW GIVE YOU AND SHOW YOU WHAT IS GOOD AND PERFECT
DON’T LET YOURSELF FOLLOW THE PROCESS OF SIN. NIP IT IN THE BUD – BEFORE BIRTH AND THE SOONER THE BETTER.
VALUE YOURSELVES THE WAY GOD VALUES YOU!
