Walking Through James (3)
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Where does temptation come from? Who gives everything good?
Where does temptation come from? Who gives everything good?
Last time we were together, we looked at the Crown of Life that the Lord has promised to those who love Him. Let’s not lose sight of what is really important in life.
All too often, we can get side-tracked with everything that’s going on in our lives, and we fail to see what is important…Living a life with eternity in mind.
Tonight, I want to take a quick look at where temptation comes from and where everything good comes from.
Let’s read our Scripture,
And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else.
Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away.
These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.
Let’s start by looking at
Temptation
Temptation
Oscar Wilde said,
“I can resist anything except temptation.”
What is temptation?
What is temptation?
Temptation is to be tried, tested, or enticed.
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.
Let’s go back and read verse 13
And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else.
The first thing that we can take from this verse is that God does not tempt us.
Pastor Dave, what about Abraham in Genesis 22?
God tested Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, his son, to see if Abraham would hold anything back from Him.
Abraham went to the Mountains of Moriah, which is where Jerusalem is. He took Isaac and was planning to sacrifice his own son.
Sacrifices were very common in ancient culture and it happened many times that people would sacrifice their own children.
God intended to provide a ram that was caught in the thicket, a bush, to be the sacrifice, but He wanted to see if Abraham was willing.
God was not asking Abraham to do something that He Himself was not willing to do.
The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins.
He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.
Do not say
God is tempting me...
God is tempting me...
When we are tempted, it can be so easy to blame. This goes right back to the time in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve sinned.
Adam said, “the woman you gave me.” Eve said, “It was the serpent.” And the serpent, didn’t have a leg to stand on.
Brian Bill wrote about 3 temptations that Satan uses against us...
Eve’s descent into depravity is an illustration of James 1:14-15
Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away.
These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.
“This is the Bible’s description of sin’s slippery slope. Proverbs 27:20 says, “Never satisfied are the eyes of man.” Sin is never satisfied and always demands more and more.
The downward spiral into sin accelerated when Eve allowed herself to start slipping when she found the fruit to be…
• PHYSICALLY APPETIZING – “good for food.” This temptation looks like it will meet a legitimate physical need, whether that be food, sex, or comfort.
• EMOTIONALLY ATTRACTIVE – “delight to the eyes.” This enticement comes to us as delightful, not disgusting. Remember, Satan doesn’t tempt us with something ugly and atrocious; he always uses something attractive like having the newest, greatest, biggest, and prettiest.
• SPIRITUALLY APPEALING – “make one wise.” This appeals to the need for self-fulfillment and ambition.
Eve fell before she even ate the fruit. Likewise, our acts of disobedience against God begin in the mind and in the heart. Write this down: When you start fondling forbidden fruit, you’re already sliding down the slippery slope of sin. Don’t spend time thinking about how nice it would be, how good it would feel, or how much you deserve it.” (SC)
James uses a fishing or trapping illustration.
I don’t fish much anymore, but I remember the days when I’d fish with a couple of my close friends, Rod and Reel, I mean Rod and Paul.
We’d go to the lake and try to catch fish. Often we’d start with different lures and see who could catch fish with the what lure, and then we’d switch to that lure.
The goal was to catch the first fish, the most fish, and the biggest fish. It was always friendly competition.
Satan isn’t a friendly competitor.
The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.
Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.
Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are.
Satan wants to destroy you...
But we can’t blame God. We can’t even blame the devil. The devil made me do it.
but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed.
We need to guard our hearts. We need to be aware of the devices of the devil and stand firm.
Let’s read verses 16-17
So don’t be misled, my dear brothers and sisters.
Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.
Don’t be misled
Don’t be misled
Don’t be deceived.
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
Everything that is good and perfect comes from God who has created everything.
He does not change. He is not like shadows that move from one place to another depending on the time of day.
Everything that we have comes from God. Everything that we would call a blessing comes from God. Even life itself.
Just recently, I came across a story about generosity by Todd Catteau.
This is what he shared:
I recently drove my adult son to the airport for a trip he was taking with some friends. He lives in Arkansas but was flying out of DFW, so he drove to our home in Denison to spend a little time with us. While he was gone I drove his car a few times just to make sure it was running well. I guess that’s what a dad does even with grown sons.
His car had actually been given to him by my wife and me when he was in college and, as I was driving his car, the thought occurred to me how generous I was to have given him this car that is still running so well. I was thinking pretty highly of myself and figuratively patting myself on the back for being such a benevolent father.
Then I remembered.
Several years back my wife’s uncle called me. Age had crept up on him and his health was failing and he and his wife, our aunt, had gotten to the point where they had no need for a car. I suppose they could have sold it and pocketed the cash, but they had talked it over and decided to offer the car to me and my wife. That’s right, they were giving the car to us. In time, we gave that very car to our son. The very car I was now driving praising myself for my generosity.
Shortly after I went through the “how generous am I” self-speech I remembered where that car came from. I had simply given away something that had been given to me. I was struck with a sense of guilt and then a sense of clarity. What I had learned is true with every act of generosity.
Somehow, we have convinced ourselves that everything we have we have earned. Somehow, we have come to believe that any ability we have to make money is of our own devices. And somehow, we pridefully congratulate ourselves when we give even a little of it away. And many times, we fail to be generous as we selfishly clutch onto everything we have earned never realizing that “every good and perfect gift comes from God.” That’s right, everything we give has been given to us by the benevolent Father.
That epiphany driving my son’s car was a stark reminder that I am not an owner, I am just a steward. I’m not as generous as I should be, but that divine insight has dared me to be better. And the journey to being more generous perhaps begins with the realization that everything I give away was really never mine in the first place.
“God loves a cheerful giver.” (SC)
I want to close with verse 18.
He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession.
Here James speaks of
Spiritual Birth...
Spiritual Birth...
This wording might seem a little weird to you, but in John 3, Jesus spoke to Nicodemus, who was a religious leader of his day. Nicodemus told Jesus that it was evident that God was with Him because of the miracles He did.
Here’s Jesus’ response,
Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”
“How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”
Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.
Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.
You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’
This confused Nicodemus to how an old person could go back into their mother’s womb. That would be impossible.
Jesus was talking about the reason He came to earth, and that was to bring people into a relationship with God.
When we come to Christ, we don’t just add Him to our lives, but we give Him our lives because He gave His life for us.
Jesus said this to Nicodemus,
Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,
that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
When we are born again or born spiritually, we become God’s prized possession.
Here’s the deal, each and every one of us face temptation. Our mind can be a battlefield.
Because Jesus died on the cross, we too can experience victory in our lives. Even more so because He rose from the dead, we can experience life.
Because He lives we can face tomorrow. Because He lives, all fear is gone, because I know, He holds the future, Life is worth the living, just because He lives.
Let’s pray!
If you haven’t given your life to Christ, and would like to, let’s pray together.
“Lord Jesus, I want to ask you into my heart and my life. Thank you for dying on the cross to pay for my sin. Please forgive, and wash me clean, and fill me with the Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
If you have been going through a battle and would like prayer, I want to pray for you.
Lord, Thank you for destroying the power that sin and temptation have over me. I submit to you and your Lordship in my life. Empower me and fill me afresh with your Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.