Overcoming Temptations

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Title: Overcoming Temptation

Elevator Summary:

Focus Statement:

When trials are viewed as the means by which our faith develops perseverance, then we come to understand that whatever life brings our way, God can use to accomplish His purposes.

Function Statement:

The key to triumphant endurance lies in the ability of humans to overcome the temptation to focus only on the immediate, and instead consider the end result.

Tweetable Phrase:

Scripture: James 1:2-18

Main Text: James 1:2-18

Supporting Text: John 16.33, Matthew 5:10-11, Romans 8:28-29, Romans 5:3-5, 1 Thessalonians 5:23, John 16:13

Redemptive Closure (point to Jesus): Matthew 5:10-11, Bondage Breaker analogy walking down road toward Jesus, being tempted by demons

Benediction: Romans 8:28

WELCOME

Good morning!!! My name is Ryan Hanson and I have the honor of serving here at The Light KC as the lead pastor. I’m so glad you’re here with us.

‌Welcome to those joining us online. We hope your doing well and hope to see you in person in the coming weeks.

And a special welcome to those joining us for the first time. We’re so glad you chose to be here. As a special thank you, we’d love to give you a small gift. Just go to the info desk after service and one of our volunteers will be there to welcome you and give your your gift. It’s our way of saying thank you for worshiping with us and to let you know how much we appreciate you being here.

ME/INTRO - Tension

Last week we talked about setting goals and new years resolutions. I said that I was going to commit to a word for the year and a resolution, and asked you to join me.

My word for the year was W.I.G.I.M.I., which stands for “What is God inviting me into”. My goal is to have this be my first thought when an “inconvenient request presents itself in my life. Instead of thinking “what’s in it for me”, I’m going to be open to the invitations God presents us to join Him in His kingdom work.

My resolution was to “Look at the inconvenient requests that people make of me and ask God if it is an opportunity He is providing me to serve, and if so, say YES”.

A few years ago I was presented with one of those inconvenient request. As some of you know Andrea, Ellie, and I run races with Team World Vision to raise money for clean water to help end the water crisis. Back in 2016 I ran my first race. It was a 1/2 Iron Man. It was a big race, but there was lots of time to complete it. I wasn’t worried about winning, so I did minimal training. I knew I was going to be slow, but I was going to keep moving and finish the race. Over that year, and the years that followed, I completed almost a dozen of those 1/2 Iron Man distances races.

The World Vision employee, knowing that donations go up when the difficulty of the race increase, had been “encouraging” me to do a full Iron Man. Keep in mind I did triathlons because I hated running. I told myself that a 1/2 marathon was the farthest I could physically run. A full Iron Man consists of 2.4 miles of swimming, followed by 112 miles of road cycling, and after all that you have to run a full 26,2 mile marathon. AND to make it even worse, you don’t get any more time that I had available for the 1/2 Iron Man. You have to complete 140.6 miles in 17 hours. I didn’t think this was possible for me, so I said “NO” to this person over and over, but after getting an invitation to the NYC Marathon, saying “YES” because it is the top marathon in the world, and completing it, my excuse was gone, and I gave in. At the end of 2019, I said “YES” to a full distance Iron Man.

I trained, and trained, and trained. I went to the actual course in Madison WI to ride the course twice with friends before the race to ensure I could do it and that there would be no surprises. I was ready.

BUT…COVID happened and the race was cancelled.

BUT…since I had already paid for the race that meant that I had to train for an additional year to race the next year. Which I did.

Going into the race I was very nervous. The forecast called for a high temperature of 55F, sustained winds of 30+ MPH, and 3+ inch of rain. I may have trained for this race, but I never trained in the rain. Any day that was too cold or raining, I stayed inside on a tradmill or stationary bike. I was a fair weather exerciser!!!

Of the 2,000 people who signed up for the race only 1,500 actually showed up to the start line because of the weather.

As I started the race, the water was amazing because it was 10F warmer than the air. I completed the 2.4 mile swim, and was feeling great until I got out of the water. At that point I immediately froze. I wanted to quit, but...

I got on the bike, and did everything I could to keep going through the rain, wind, and cold. As I was biking, it took literally everything I had to stay upright. The road was slippery. The wind kept blowing me around. And on top of that I kept seeing bikes in the ditches where other people had quit and ambulances flying by me to help other that were hurt from crashing. I kept on and did finish the 112 miles of biking, which ended up being 116 because the course was lengthened due to road construction. I will admit that during that last 4 miles, I was mentally in a bad place knowing I should be done. I wanted to quit more than I have ever wanted to quit, but I kept going.

I got to the run and had 8 hour to complete the marathon. I could walk it at this point, but it was cold, raining, and the wind was biting, so I tried to get it over with as fast as possible. Keep in mind, that I am not that fast on my best day with perfect weather. I jogged along until mile 20 when the sun went down and I was hurting like I have never hurt before. The feet were burning. I was literally falling asleep. My head was bobbing as I was jogging down the road. I made it to an aid station and asked for caffeine, which they had, but you could see they were very concerned. I loaded up on caffeine gels and set off for my last 6.2 miles. I kept moving, little by little. After what felt like forever, I finished. At the finish line, I must have looked like death, because a whole group of people rushed me, put a reflective blanket on me, put their arms under mine to support me, and walked around talking to me for a while before they were comfortable letting me leave the finish line by myself.

[Picture of me at the finish line]

The next week I was listening to a triathlon podcast C26 that described the race as the worst conditions they’d ever seen at an IronMan event.

I tell you this not because it was necessarily a day I am proud of, or look back on fondly. In fact, it was honestly one of the most miserable days of my life.

In fact this was the only time it has rained so much that by the time I picked up my bike the chain was rusty from the rain.

[Picture of rusty bike chain]

I tell you this because I find it interesting the lengths we’ll go to if we want to accomplish something.

I don’t quit…anything. And that day when 1/2 of the field quit, I was determined not to.

When asked if I’ve ever not finished a race, I tell people that luckily I have finished them all. Even though I am not good at any of the disciples; swimming, cycling, or running...I’m worse at quitting.

Charles Spurgeon describes my racing quite well. He said:

By perseverance the snail reaches the ark

Charles Spurgeon

That’s me, the snail that won’t quit.

But what scares me, is the question that God put into my mind shortly after that race. I felt a strong sense (not audible) but I believe from God asking me, “do you put the type of work and perseverance in your spiritual walk, as you did for this physical race?”

The words of Paul echoed in my mind

1 Corinthians 9:24 (NIV)

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.

Paul was not talking about physical running, but our spiritual “race” to become all that God intended for us when He created us.

WE - Tension

So that is my question for all of us.

Do we put as much work, effort, and perseverance into our spiritual goals as we do our personal goals?

What are we willing to overcome spiritually before we give up on our spiritual goals?

That is what we’re going to talk about over the next few weeks as we start our new series “RESOLVED”. We’re going to go through the entire book of James. Don’t worry it is only 5 chapters. And we’re going to see what spiritual goals, or resolutions God may want us to set this year for ourselves.

So let’s start at the beginning, James 1.

We’ll have the scripture on the screen, but if you have a Bible with you, or Bible app on your phone, I’d encourage you to turn to the passage and follow along. There is nothing that replaces having God’s word in your hand. As you turn there I want to provide a bit of background on James.

James is the brother of Jesus which in my mind adds a lot of credibility to what he writes. For someone to get to the point of believing that their brother is the Son of God, their must have been some spectacularly convincing evidence.

After Jesus’ ascension, James became the leader of the church in Jerusalem

James’ audience was the Jewish Christians that had dispersed outside of Israel

James likely wrote the book before 45-48 AD, which puts it very close (~ 15 years) to Jesus’ death and ascension

James wrote this book with practical application in mind, arranging it to contain 12 teachings and encouragements.

He pulled from the themes from Proverbs and Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount when structuring his 12 teachings

GOD - Text

With that in mine, please turn with me to James 1:1:

James 1:1–8 (NIV)

James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,

To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations:

Greetings.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.

James here is pushing back against a very common belief in many churches within the United States.

PROSPERITY GOSPEL

Just because you become a Christian, does not mean that life will be instantly easy.

Jesus says the exact opposite in John 16:33:

John 16:33 (NIV)

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

But James doesn’t just say life will be hard, there is a purpose to the trials of life. In fact, James says that is is because of these trials that we become complete. Which in this contact means:

Complete

holkleros

The finished product God has in mind

Gradual process

But...

For God to mature and complete us, we need to do a few things.

First, we need to consider.

James 1:2 (NIV)

Consider it pure joy... whenever you face trials of many kinds

Consider means that we have a choice. We need to think about what we really want and if the life God designed us to live, is the life we really want.

God loves us too much to force us to obey. True love requires free will, and God wants a reciprocal relationship.

Just like I had the choice to show up to the race, we have the choice to say “YES” to God and start walking the path that He lays down for us.

But choosing to start is not enough...

The second thing we have to do to become mature and complete is to persevere.

I could have quit and so many junctures during that race. I could have quit when I got cold getting out of the water, many did. I could have quit when I saw so many other people quitting on the bike and ambulances started flying by me on the road, many did. I could have quit when I was so tired I could barely keep my head up on the run. In fact by the run, there were so few people, I felt like I was running alone.

We have to choose to keep going when it gets hard.

We have the same choice when it comes to living the life God created us to live. God gives us that choice.

And the choice is not just to “not quit”.

Persevere

hypomone

Press to the limit

Remain optimistic

To persevere is to give it everything we got. To commit to continuing no matter how hard it gets. To live in such a way that quitting is not an option. To know that God’s plan is good, God won’t test us beyond what we can bear, and that whatever God has for us on the other side of this trial is worth it.

So, what choice do you make when life gets hard?

But there is one more thing we need to do...

The third thing we have to do is not doubt. The word here for doubt means to hesitate or debate.

Doubt

diakrino

Hesitate / Debate

James is making the point that to walk the path that God has for us, it requires faith.

If we are at all unsure whether or not God can really provide the strength we need to get through the trial, we lack the required faith.

It is one thing to doubt ourselves and our ability to do what’s right, but we run into problems when we doubt God and let those doubts drive our actions. We need to humbly accept that we can’t do right by ourselves, we need God’s help, grace, and provision. We need to have faith that God will provide everything needed to get through the trials and stop asking for God to deliver us from the trail.

I’m not sure where the quote is from, but I’ve heard it multiple times

“Christians in North America pray for God to deliver them from trials, while Christians in developing nations pray for grace to persevere.”

author unknown

We need to stop praying for deliverance, and start praying for the grace to persevere.

YOU - Takeaway

So I bring it back to you, when facing trials do you...

choose to live as God calls us to live through the scripture and promptings of the Holy Spirit?

persevere, refusing to give up when things get tough?

believe that God will provide what you need to get through the trial and not doubt God’s desire or ability to provide the grace to persevere?

BUT…James doesn’t stop there.

James ends this section with a warning.

James 1:13–15 (NIV)

When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

Here, James warns us about blaming God for the temptations we will face. He clearly points out that the temptations we face are due to either our own fallen nature, our own evil desires for the things of this world or that we’re enticed to evil by the devil.

In either case, if we give in to the temptations, no matter where they come from, giving into temptations is sin, and sin leads to spiritual death.

I’m reminded of a quote by J.M. Walters. He says

The key to triumphant endurance lies in the ability of humans to overcome the temptation to focus only on the immediate, and instead consider the end result

J.M. Walters

Too often we get caught up in the moment we’re living, think that nothing is going to change, and defeated, give into temptation feeling like we’ve already lost. Does this ring true for anyone else?

James calls us to have a longer view, to look past our immediate situation, and look forward to the time after God has helped us thought the trial or temptation. James calls us to practice DELAYED GRATIFICATION.

WE / JESUS - Redemptive Close - Call to Action

The best visual of this that I have seen is from a visual from a book called “The Bondage Breaker” by Neil Anderson. [picture of man on street walking toward Jesus being tempted by demons]

Imagine you’re standing at the end of a long narrow street lined with apartments and shops.

At the other end of the street is Jesus, and your Christian life is the process of walking down the street toward Jesus, the author and finisher of your faith.  There is nothing stopping you from walking directly to Him.

But since the world is still fallen and under the dominion of satan, the apartments and shops are full of demons.  Some tempting you to step off the road, enter the shop, and enjoy the pleasures of this world.  Others mocking and accusing you; telling you that you that God doesn’t love you and you can’t make it to the end of the street to Jesus anyway, trying to get you to stop or turn around.  They’ll say things like church isn’t important and you can do the “Christian thing” by yourself.  They’ll say you don’t need to spend time reading the bible or praying. 

They’re tempting you to just give up.

Even though satan has no power to stop you from walking toward Jesus, he’ll do everything he can to tempt, accuse, and deceive you into giving up.  We need to PERSEVERE, keeping our eyes on Jesus, and our feet moving toward the only one who has the power to save.

Because we will go through trials that God will use to help grow and mature our character, we need to CHOOSE to start the race God plans for us, we need to choose to PERSEVERE when things get tough, and we need to choose to have FAITH and not DOUBT God’s ability to help us through the rough times and to the good place that He has waiting for us on the other side.

PRAYER

Will you join me in prayer...

SONG

As we enter into our final song, I want to open the steps up front as an altar to anyone who needs God this week. The steps are open for you to pray to the God who is with you, who loves you, you wants to give you His peace.

‌

You may feel a hand on your shoulder as I or one of the elders join you in prayer.

BENEDICTION

Romans 8:28 (NIV)

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

[Picture of fork in the road]

James reminds us we have a choice. We’re at a fork in the road. We can persevere through the trails of today, delaying gratification, allowing God to do His work of refining, maturing and completing us. OR, we can give in to the temptations of today, sin, and walk down the path that leads to spiritual death.

This week, let us embrace the trials we face with joy, knowing that God is at work within us, perfecting our faith and character. Let us seek His wisdom, trust in His unwavering goodness, and stand firm in our faith. May we pursue holiness of heart and life, living as true reflections of God’s love and grace in this world.

Quick reminder...

I hope you have a great week.

Go in peace.

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