"The Devil Made Me Do It," James 1:12-18
Paul Redwine, Northside Christian Church, Sunday, July 6, 2003
INTRODUCTION
[READ TEXT, James 1:12-18]
Verse 12 is a reminder: the servant who endures trials passes the tests in life will:
1. Be blessed
2. Receive the crown of life
Now we see by the context of verses 13-18 that there is a particular type of trial that James discusses.
Verse 13 -- the context shows that this particular type of trial is temptation.
Matthew 6:13, Jesus prays, " . . . and lead us not into temptation . . ."
Examples of temptations people face today:
-- Pornographic temptation
-- Sexual temptation
-- Food temptation
[ILLUSTRATION - JOKE] Toad baked some cookies. “These cookies smell very good,” said Toad. He ate one. “And they taste even better,” he said. Toad ran to Frog’s house. “Frog, Frog,” cried Toad, “taste these cookies that I have made.” Frog ate one of the cookies, “These are the best cookies I have ever eaten!” said Frog. Frog and Toad ate many cookies, one after another. “You know, Toad,” said Frog, with his mouth full, “I think we should stop eating. We will soon be sick.” “You are right,” said Toad. “Let us eat one last cookie, and then we will stop.” Frog and Toad ate one last cookie. There were many cookies left in the bowl. “Frog,” said Toad, “let us eat one very last cookie, and then we will stop.” Frog and Toad ate one very last cookie. “We must stop eating!” cried Toad as he ate another. “Yes,” said Frog, reaching for a cookie, “we need willpower.” “What is willpower?” asked Toad. “Willpower is trying hard not to do something you really want to do,” said Frog. “You mean like trying hard not to eat all these cookies?” asked Toad. “Right,” said Frog. Frog put the cookies in a box. “There,” he said. “Now we will not eat any more cookies.” “ But we can open the box,” said Toad. “That is true,” said Grog. Frog tied some string around the box. “There,” he said. “Now we will not eat any more cookies.” “ But we can cut the string and open the box.” said Toad. “That is true,” said Frog. Frog got a ladder. He put the box up on a high shelf. “There,” said Frog. “Now we will not eat any more cookies.” “ But we can climb the ladder and take the box down from the shelf and cut the string and open the box,” said Toad. “That is true,” said Frog. Frog climbed the ladder and took the box down from the shelf. He cut the string and opened the box. Frog took the box outside. He shouted in a loud voice. “Hey, birds, here are cookies!” Birds came from everywhere. They picked up all the cookies in their beaks and flew away. “Now we have no more cookies to eat,” said Toad sadly. “Not even one.” “Yes,” said Frog, “but we have lots and lots of willpower.” “You may keep it all, Frog,” said Toad. “I am going home now to bake a cake.” -- Renewal, Ray & Anne Ortlund, 1989, Navpress, pp. 73-74
Greed -- temptation to work too much or steal money
[ILLUSTRATION] Have you heard the folk story of the bandit Jose’ Rivera, who became notorious in several little towns in Texas for robbing their banks and businesses? Finally the townsfolk, weary of the constant plundering, hired a ranger to track down Jose’ Rivera in his hideout in Mexico and retrieve the money. The ranger at last arrived at a desolate, ramshackle cantina. At the counter he saw a young man enjoying his brew. At one of the tables, hands over his ample stomach, hat over his eyes, snored another patron. With much gusto, the ranger approached the young man at the bar and announced that he was on a mission to bring back Jose’ Rivera, dead or alive. “Can you help me find him?” he asked. The young man smiled, pointed to the other patron, and said, “That is Jose’ Rivera.”
The ranger shifted his southern girth and ambled over to the sleeping bandit, tapping him on the shoulder, “Are you Jose’ Rivera? he asked. The man mumbled, “No speak English.” The ranger beckoned to the young man to help him communicate his mission.
The ensuing conversation was tedious. First the ranger spoke in English and the young man translated it into Spanish. Jose’ Rivera responded in Spanish, and young man repeated the answer in English for the ranger.
Finally, the ranger warned Jose’ Rivera that he had two choices; the first was to let him know where all the loot he had stolen was hidden, in which case he could walk away a free man. The second choice was that if he would not reveal where the money was stashed, he would be shot dead instantly. The young man translated the ultimatum.
Jose’ Rivera pulled himself together and said to the young man, “Tell him to go out of the bar, turn to the right, go about a mile, and he will see a well. Near the well he will see a very tall tree. Beside the trunk of that tree is a large concrete slab. He will need help in removing it. Under the slab is a pit in the ground. If he carefully uncovers it he will find all the jewelry and most of the money I have taken.”
The young man turned to the ranger, opened his mouth...swallowed...paused—and then said, “Jose’ Rivera says...Jose’ Rivera says...’Go ahead and shoot!’” -- Ravi Zacharias, Can Man Live Without God, (Word Publ., Dallas: 1994), pp. 98-99
While I preach this morning, think about a thing or two you are most tempted by.
[CENTRAL THESIS] The Christian servant has a responsibility to handle temptation properly.
If, however, you handle temptation improperly, you must realize that:
I. IT’S NOT THE DEVIL’S FAULT
-- "The devil made me do it."
-- Many people blame the devil. I.e., they listen to the devil sitting on the one shoulder after hearing both from the devil and the angel on the other shoulder.
-- The devil tempts, and he wants you to sin, but it’s not his decision as to how you will handle it. He goes fishing. The language used here (v14) is one that envisions a fisherman baiting a fish and reeling it in. That’s how Satan works. But Satan does not make the decision as to whether or not you will take the bait.
II. IT’S NOT SOMEONE ELSE’S FAULT
-- Genesis 3:11-13, [God] said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?"12 The man said, "The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate." 13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this that you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent beguiled me, and I ate."
-- Blame shifting: Adam blamed Eve, Eve blamed the devil, i.e., "He started it!"
III. IT’S NOT GOD’S FAULT, v. 13
-- It goes totally against God’s nature to sin, therefore it goes against His nature to tempt!
-- Everything that God gives is good, v17
-- He is consistent in doing so, "No variation," v17
-- Everything that God gives is truthful and for our benefit
IV. IT’S YOUR FAULT! v14-15
-- Desire -- Sin -- Death
-- Conception -- Birth -- Maturity
-- There are those who sue McDonald’s, Wendy’s and Burger King because they are overweight!
CONCLUSION
[APPLICATION]
If you have had past problems handling temptation:
1. Try better next time
-- Don’t get discouraged because you failed to handle temptation before
-- The devil wants you to feel guilty
2. Know your weaknesses and work on them.
[ILLUSTRATION] In his book, Men at Work, George F. Will takes a close look at four baseball players. One of those examined is Orel Hershiser (of Dodgers fame), who talks about his philosophy of pitching. “There are two theories of pitching,” Hershiser says. “One is that you try to convince the batter that a particular pitch is coming and you throw something different. The other theory, that you don’t hear as much, but that I use, is that if the batter expects a particular pitch, you throw it, but you throw it in a place where he can’t hit it.” That is: Know what a batter wants or expects and throw the ball almost there. If he is a highball hitter, throw it a bit too high. His eagerness will prevent him from laying off it, but it will be hard to hit well.
Isn’t that the way the enemy works in our life? He knows just what kind of pitch that we are a sucker for and then throws it our way. But, it is just a little higher or just a little bit more outside than where we like it, and most likely we will bite on it every time. After all, it looks so good. It feels so right. -- Doug Cecil, Dallas Connection, Spring, 1995, p. 1
Know your weaknesses when life throws temptations at you
3. Are you asking for wisdom?
-- James 1:5, "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives to all men generously and without reproaching, and it will be given him."
