Practical Christianity - Temptation Island!

Text: James 1:12-16

Theme: We are regularly tempted to sin, but we can be victorious.

In 1930 G.H. Charnley, wrote a book entitled, The Skylark’s Bargain: Thirty-seven talks to Boys and Girls. The book begins with the story of a young skylark who discovered a man who would give him worms for his feathers. Worms were the bird’s favorite food, but a lot of work was necessary to occasionally enjoy this delicacy because they were scarce. The thought of an easier, better life was very attractive to the young skylark, so he offered the man a deal —b one feather for two worms. The man accepted.

The skylark thought he had it made — no more hunting and working for food. The good life was his!

One day the lark was flying high in the sky with his father. The older bird said, “You know, son, we skylarks should be the happiest of all birds. See our brave wings! They lift us high in the air, away from danger, and nearer to God.”

But the young bird did not hear his Dad, for all he could think about was the man with worms. Down he flew, plucked a feather from his wings, and had a feast. Day after day this went on.

Then autumn came, and the man with the worms was gone. It was also time to fly south. The lark’s family and all their friends began gathering for the long journey.

As everyone else flew off, the young skylark had to stay behind to face the harsh winter all alone. Why? Slowly, day by day, he had exchanged the power of his young wings for worms.

When we yield to temptation, we are in essence exchanging wings for worms.

I. JAMES WRITES THAT ‘TEMPTING’ TIMES COME TO ALL BELIEVERS

“Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.” (James 1:12, ESV)

1. temptation is common to all human beings

a. and there is no temptation that you’ve experienced that has not been a problem for someone else, someplace else, sometime else

“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13, ESV)

b. but just because a temptation is common does not give us an excuse to sin

2. Adam and Eve lived in the Garden of Eden — the only perfect place on Earth that has ever existed

a. perfect weather

b. perfect environment

c. perfect marriage

d. perfect health

3. yet even in the Garden of Eden there was temptation

a. temptation is the normal state of human existence — it is an enticement to go against our conscience

4. even Jesus, because he was fully human, was tempted

a. now, let me quickly say what I shouldn’t have to say, that Jesus was also fully divine, and therefore lived a perfectly sinless life

1) the Godhead, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are absolutely incapable of sin

b. but Jesus could be, and was tempted just like you and I are

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15, ESV)

A. TEMPTATION IS NOT SIN

1. the story of Jesus’ temptation comes to us from the forth chapter of Matthew’s gospel

a. Matthew implies that Jesus did not experience temptation until after 40 days were over

b. at that time, Jesus experience three serious temptations and yet he endured every one and was victorious over Satan

1) after successfully overcoming these temptations Matthew’s gospel says, Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him

2) in Luke’s gospel there is a slight variation — it reads: And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season

c. in other words, Satan would be back with more temptations, and he was

2. the point is that temptation is not a sin, it can be endured and overcome, but it never goes away

3. this is why James says, Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial

a. when we are subjected to the influence of some temptation and successfully resist it, that makes us happy in our faith

1) blessed carries the idea of profound inner joy and satisfaction

a) it is a joy that only the Lord Himself is able to bestow on those who, for His sake and in His power, faithfully and patiently endure and conquer trials

2) when I get to the end of the day, I really like being able to pray, “Praise the Lord. God we did it! I was tempted but greater was he who was in me than he who is in the world”

3) but, if you’re like me, more time than I care to admit, I find myself saying, “God, forgive me. I blew it again. I wasn’t patient. I didn’t hold my tongue. My pride got the best of me”

4) the first is a lot more fun than the second and ought to be what we strive for in our personal conduct and behavior

5. happiness comes from having your life under control, so that there is no bad habit that is controlling you

B. TEMPTATION PUTS OUR FAITH ON TRIAL

1. now, we’ve got to be careful here

a. James says that successfully enduring temptation strengthens our faith by testing it – putting it on trial to see what it’s made of . . . for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

b. that doesn’t mean that we should rush right out and put ourselves in a compromising situation to see if we can resist it or not

2. the word that we translate as temptation here in vs. 12 is the same word that we translate at trial in vs. 2

a. one of the difficulties in understanding James is when he’s talking about trials that come from God and temptations that come from the devil

b. here is what we need to remember — God tests; Satan tempts

1) God tests us to bring out the good; Satan tempts us to bring out the bad

2) often, this is happening simultaneously

ILLUS. Consider Job, all of Satan’s attacks on him were designed to tempt him to curse God, and destroy his faith. At the same time, God was testing him in order to refine his faith, and deny the temptation of the Devil.

... James Writes That ‘Tempting’ Times Come to All Believers

II. JAMES WRITES THAT WHEN THE TEMPTING TIMES COME WE MAY BE TEMPTED TO BLAME GOD

“Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.” (James 1:13, ESV)

1. if there was ever a verse that is relevant to the mind-set of 21st century Americans, man, it’s this one

a. James speaks of the ‘victim mental’ that is so pervasive in our culture – “It’s not my fault.”

ILLUS. We live in the era of victimization — everyone is a victim; no one is accountable for their behavior or their actions any longer. Instead of the old worn cliche, made famous by black comedian Flip Wilson, “The devil made me to it,” today it’s “Society made me do it.”

b. don’t you tired of hearing all the whiners in our society?

1) “It’s not my fault. I was raised in a dysfunctional family”

2) “It’s not my fault. My parents were alcoholics.”

3) “It’s not my fault. My teachers didn’t like me.”

4) “It’s not my fault. The computer ate my homework.”

5) “It’s not my fault. My addiction made me do it.”

6) “It’s not my fault. Society won’t let me advance.”

2. there are those who look for anything and everything to blame their troubles on

a. from the beginning, one of the chief characteristics of sin has been the propensity to pass off blame

ILLUS. When God confronted Adam and Eve about their disobedience, Adam pointed at Eve and said, the woman ya gave me ... she made me do it. Adam first blames his wife, but then brazenly points the ultimate finger at God. “God, if you just would have left well enough alone, I wouldn’t be in this mess.” When God turns to Eve she pointed to the serpent; “He begild me.”

1) when God confronted Eve, she pointed at the snake

2) and if the snake had fingers, I’m sure he would have pointed to someone or something

ILLUS. I’ve always appreciated Mark Twain’s perspective on this. Twain, who was not a believer, nevertheless wrote, “It was not that Adam ate the apple for the apple's sake, but because it was forbidden. It would have been better for us — oh infinitely better for us — if the serpent had been forbidden.”

A. YOU CAN’T BLAME TEMPTATION ON GOD

1. God does test us to develop our faith, our endurance and our character

2. but God never tempts us to do evil or break His commandments

a. we are not to blame God for our bad behavior — to do so is spiritual libel

B. WE MUST ACCEPT THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR OUR OWN SINFUL BEHAVIOR

1. James clearly has no patience with a foolish fatalism by which a poor man blames his poverty for turning him into a thief and therefore justifies his stealing

2. nor does he allow for the notion that “the devil made me do it.”

3. even more repugnant to the Apostle is the notion — that evidently some believers had taken up — that temptation comes from God

ILLUS. The Scottish poet, Robert Burns, once wrote,

“Thou knowest Thou hast formed me with passions wild and

strong, and listening to their witching voice has often led me wrong.”

“By passion driven: But yet the light that led astray was light from heaven.”

a. James is writing to men like Burns — don’t blame God!

... James Writes That When the Tempting Times Come We May Be Tempted to Blame God

III. JAMES WRITES ABOUT EFFECTIVELY DEALING WITH TEMPTATION

“But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.” (James 1:14–15, ESV)

A. WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND THE SOURCE OF TEMPTATION

1. James understood that the world, the flesh and the Devil are busy at tempting believers

2. but he also understood that the root of the problem is in our own evil sinfulness — our own sinful fallen nature

a. ultimately, each person is nailed with the responsibility of his or her own temptations

b. our desires and lusts drag us from the safety of God’s hands and sets us to chasing after that which is not God’s will

3. notice the pattern that James lays out

a. 1st, the Temptation Presents Itself

1) it may be fame or position or power or wealth or illicit sexual relations

b. 2nd, Our Lust Draws Us Away from the Safety of Self-restraint

1) lust is the natural craving and longing we have for forbidden things

2) the phrase drawn way in this verse means to lure away

c. 3rd, When Lured Sufficiently, We Are Enticed

1) the word enticed is the same word that is often translated as bait in secular Greek literature

2) every fisherman knows that just throwing bait into the water does not necessarily mean a catch

3) there are particular ways of presenting or luring a fish with your bait and the presentation can make all the difference

ILLUS. Thomas Jefferson said, "Do not bite at the bait of pleasure 'till you know there is no hook beneath it."

d. 4th, the Result of ‘Taking the Bait’ So-to-speak, Is That Lust and Temptation Unite And Give Birth to Sin

4. when the ‘gotta have it’ takes over, we throw caution to the wind and bite

ILLUS. I think the most powerful description of what takes place in us when sin is conceived was written by German pastor and theologian, Dietrich Bonhoeffer. He wrote: “With irresistible power desire seizes mastery over the flesh ... It makes no difference whether it is sexual desire, or ambition, or vanity, or desire for revenge, or love of fame and power, or greed for money. At this moment God is quite unreal to us, He loses all reality, and only desire for the creature is real; ... Satan does not here fill us with hatred of God, but with forgetfulness of God. The powers of clear discrimination and of decision are taken from us ... It is here that everything within me rises up against the Word of God.”

5. when we understand how temptation works we can more effectively deal with it

B. DON’T BE DECEIVED – GOD GIVES GOOD GIFTS THAT HELP US DEFEAT TEMPTATION

“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13, ESV)

1. how do we handle temptation?

a. 1st, Be realistic about your temptations

b. 2nd, Be responsible for your temptations

c. 3rd, Be ready for your temptations

d. 4th, Know how to fight your temptations – with truth

e. 5th, The best thing we can do when temptation comes is flee from your temptations

ILLUS. The story of Joseph.

1) how different this is from the mentality of the day, that puts one in the middle of temptation

ILLUS. Temptation Island. Temptation Island is an American reality dating show, in which committed couples agree to live with a group of singles of the opposite sex, in order to “test the strength of their relationships.” The show usually features four couples, whose relationship is already rocky, who travel to a private resort in Hawaii, where they're pursued by aggressive young singles hoping to lure them away from their partners. There's nonstop arguing, backstabbing, and sleazy innuendo. Couples bicker and treat each other disrespectfully, insults are traded frequently. Lots of revealing outfits and bathing suits, people drink to excess.

2) only in America does this stupidity make sense — I’m struggling to remain faithful so let me put myself in a situation where temptation surrounds me!

Con. The good news is that there is not a temptation we face that God will also provide the way of escape, the you may be able to endure it.”