God's Word and the Christian

You guys probably grow weary of me saying this, but I am going to say it again. If you are going to mature as a Christian, the process toward maturation is found in God’s Word.

There is no secret, magic formula to becoming a rock-solid mature Christian, but if you do not study God’s Word, you will not mature or grow in the faith. YOU WILL NOT!

In the latter part of James Chapter 1, James gives us some important information about God’s Word and its impact on the Christian that will study it.

1. God’s Word: The Truth about Sin and the Christian.

James 1:12–14 “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.”

In every Christian’s life, there is a warfare that wages between the flesh and the Holy Spirit.

The flesh is our old nature to sin. That old nature to sin is what the Devil uses to tempt us. The Holy Spirit could never be tempted to sin, and the Holy Spirit would never tempt our old nature to sin, so you know when you are tempted to sin, or you should know, that it is the Devil attacking the flesh trying to gain access to your life.

The Holy Spirit, however, makes it possible for every Christian not to sin.

Now, personally, I really do not want to believe that because on occasion, I like to frolic in the flesh. AMEN? And I really do not want to believe this verse.

1 Corinthians 10:13 “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”

As a Christian, if I know God’s Word and apply it in my life, I can know that I can overcome any temptation. If we overcome the temptation to sin, we are being guided by the Holy Spirit, and we will win the crown of life which we said Sunday night is the quality of life every Christian can have that is grounded in God’s Word and being led by the Holy Spirit.

Every time I overcome a temptation to sin, I am given the Crown of Life.

This is very important. It is God’s Word that reveals the source of the temptation to sin.

A. The Source of Temptation.

James 1:13 “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:”

God tests His children as we talked about in our last session on James, but He does not tempt men with sin.

Satan tempts; God tests.

Take a magnet as an example.

A magnet cannot attract a piece of silver, a gold coin, or a lump of lead. A magnet can only attract iron because the iron has the same nature as the magnet. In the same way, nothing in God’s character can initiate the temptation to sin. The temptation to sin is totally contrary to God. Only holiness emanates from His throne.

God finds sin utterly repulsive, and His whole being burns against it.

We, even in our born-again state, find sin attractive. That’s why we sin. Sin appeals to our flesh. A Christian can be controlled by that flesh, but a Christian that is grounded in God’s Word and filled with the Holy Spirit will not be controlled by the flesh.

We still possess our fallen natures. That is why I have to be wrapped in the righteousness of Christ.

Since I am wrapped in Christ’s righteousness, and since God lives in me in the form of the Holy Spirit, I can overcome any temptation the Devil throws my way, but make no mistake about it. The Devil knows exactly what kind of temptation to throw your way. I believe the Devil knows us better than we know ourselves.

God cannot be tempted, and neither will He tempt any man. When you and I try to justify sin, guess who and what is controlling us? The Devil and our old nature. We are to mature as Christians to the point where we view sin as God views it.

Let me give you an example that many churches are having to deal with today.

Take living together outside the sacred bonds of marriage. It is sin to do so. Yet many so-called Christians do not even consider it a sin. Well, dear friend, what you think does not matter. It is fornication, and actually, the spiritual leaders of the church should confront that situation and bring that individual up before the church for discipline if necessary.

A person living in out-and-out fornication is not only hurting himself or herself, but he or she is hurting this body, and we should not allow it to happen.

Now, here is where we need to be careful, Mrs. Sylvia.

A trial can be both a trial and a temptation. It might be a trial from God and a temptation from Satan.

Job is the perfect biblical example. He suffered from Satan as he was tempted to deny God. At the same time, however, God allowed Satan to do what he did. From God, it was a trial being used to strengthen Job’s faith. As Job did, every Christian can overcome any temptation and can withstand any trial if that Christian is grounded in God’s Word and filled with the Holy Spirit.

****Now, this is very important.****

Satan can tempt us to sin, but he cannot make us sin. When we sin, we sin of our own volition.

You will understand that if you know what God’s Word says about the sequence of sin.

B. The Sequence of Sin.

James 1:15–16 “Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. Do not err, my beloved brethren.”

Sin begins with a seed planted by Satan, and our lust responds to that seed.

Now, we might not believe this or like this, but we all have all kinds of lusts in our fallen natures. Satan comes along and fertilizes the seed of lust with a living temptation.

Take anger as an example. The seed is there. Satan comes along and fertilizes that seed with an insult or a disappointment. Instantly, the lust and the temptation are in a position which leads to an explosion of temper.

James urges all Christians not to sin. He says do not err, my beloved brethren. In other words, Christian brothers and sisters, do not sin, but since sin is in our nature, how are we not to sin?

2. God’s Word: The Key to a Sin-Free Life.

What does a sin-free life mean? A sin-free life means that as soon as you sin as a Christian, you recognize that sin immediately and take care of it biblically.

1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

When I sin, if I immediately confess that sin to God, which means agreeing with God that it is a sin, I will be forgiven and continue my journey toward maturation; however, if I do not confess that sin, my maturation is stopped dead in its tracks. Let’s see what James says.

James 1:17–18 “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.”

A. God’s Word is a GIFT.

Anything that is good in us or that happens to us comes from God.

It is God’s Word and the indwelling Holy Spirit that makes victory over temptation possible. Left to our own natures, we sin easily and freely, and God knows that which is why He gave us His Word and His Spirit.

Do you know what we always need to be thankful for? We always needs to be thankful that God’s goodness is constant.

God is not moody. There is no variation with Him.

Hebrews 13:8 “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and forever.”

Isaiah 40:8 “The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: But the word of our God shall stand forever.”

I want you to consider these two verses in the context of what James wrote.