Trials and Temptations

Good Morning. I am so glad that we can be here together this morning. Let’s continue in our study of the book of James.

James 1:12–18 NIV

12 Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. 13 When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. 16 Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. 17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. 18 He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.

Sermon Title

It is the summer of 1979 in Colorado Springs. Coach Herb Brooks is holding a tryout for the United States Hockey team for the 1980 olympic team.

A group of young men almost all of whom are College age young men who have not yet gone on to professional hockey. Coach Herb brooks was faced with the task of narrowing down the team from 68 players to 20 that he would be able to take to the Olympics.

The Trial that Herb Brook faced is the fact that the Soviet Hockey team was without a doubt the best team in the world. Since the 1960 Olympics the Soviet team was 27-1-1 going into the 1980s Olympics. They were nearly perfect in Olympic play.

Many of the players on the current soviet team were considered by many to be the best in the world at their positions. This team was so good they regularly beat Professional hockey teams with no problem.

This was trial that Herb faced. How to beat the best team in the world with a group of Guys who’s average age was 21 years old?

Herb Brooks was known for challenging his hockey players in ways that no one had ever really done before. He was a master at knowing the limit of his players and pushing them to the absolute edge before he would back off.

There is an example of this from exhibition play leading up to the 1980 Olympics. The Team was playing Norway and they ended up tying 3-3. Herb brooks thought that his team was not putting in sufficient effort and after the game was over he told his team to get back on the ice where they skated suicides, or as the team called them “Herbies”. They ran this skating drill so long that the manager of the rink shut of the lights trying to kick them out but Brooks kept on going until his point was received. The next night they played Norway again and won 9-0.

In their final exhibition game before the Olympics they faced off against the soviet team where they suffered a terrible loss of 10-3.

It seemed like there was no hope no chance the challenge the trial they were facing was possible.

The men’s hockey team went on to make it all the way to Medal rounds where they opened up against the Soviet Union. The US Hockey team battled their great foe and with a little over 10 min left in the game they managed to take the lead 4 to 3. The next ten minutes was described as the longest 10 min of hockey they ever experienced. People were on Edge and then Al Michaels delivered one of the most epic lines in sports casting history.

11 seconds, you've got 10 seconds, the countdown going on right now! Morrow, up to Silk! Five seconds left in the game! Do you believe in miracles? YES!"

The Team didn’t win the medal that night but they might as well have.

It was this story that came to mind because this hockey team faced a trial that was difficult. They in turn went on to receive their crown for their hard word.

Blessed in Perseverance

James talks about the fact that when we face trials and difficult times we will receive our crown if we are able to persevere. The word used there for crown is the same word that would have described the wreaths that the champions of the Olympic events would have received back in Ancient Greece.

IT is this reminder of the hope that we have in hard times that we have the promise of God. Yet, We face the truth that there are hard times in trails and in the thick of things we face challenges.

James 1:13–15 NIV

13 When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

Herbies

I shared earlier about the moment of doing herbies late into the night for the hockey team. Imagine being in that situation for a moment. You are exhausted and tired and you have to skate and skate and keep pushing longer into the night.

What would you be desiring in that moment?

To keep Skating or to go home and get some sleep?

Most people would be wanting to go home and to quit. To give in to their human desires to meet their needs. Yet, this team didn’t they pushed past their desires and they persevered.

Now I know this is a Hockey team and that isn’t quite the same thing as spiritual struggles but how often do we find ourselves in the same battle.

We are struggling through something and we keep seeing easy outs or ways to just give into the desires we have and stop facing the trials.

That is the challenge we face in hard times. We face difficulty and the hardship and it is in those times that it is easy for our desires to pursue something easier in life.

It is in these moments that we recognize that we have to make a choice to do what is right instead of what is easy.

I think of Hebrews 12:11

Hebrews 12:11 NIV

11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

We recognize that the hardship we face will lead to great things if we allow it to be our training.

One of the other problems that can happen when we are in these hard times is we can blame god for what is happening. That is when we need to remember

James 1:13 NIV

13 When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone;

When we read this passage we need to know that the core root word for Tempting, or tempted is the same as the root word used for trial. Yet, we must always remember that the nature of God prevents him to be the author of the trial or temptation that we are facing. He is not seeking us to commit evil but this does not mean that he doesn’t allow for trials to come our way.

We face the tension of free will that God allows things to happen in this world that will lead us to have moments of temptation. It also leads us to another problem that we need to wrestle with.

How many of You have ever heard this statement?

The Devil Made Me Do It

We like to use this statement to try to deny the reality of our position and role in the hard times and the struggles with sin that we face.

James paints a very different story for us and reality that we have to come to terms with.

James 1:14 NIV

14 but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed.

We each find that when we are tempted it is born out of our own evil desires. The things that we want and long for can draw us away from living a life that honors God.

It isn’t Satan dragging us away kicking or screaming and we just couldn’t do anything to resist.

It isn’t even that the temptation was so great that we couldn’t do anything other than give in to what Satan wanted us to do.

Instead we have to face the reality that we are the ones who give into our desires and follow after the choices that lead us astray.

Romans 1:25 NIV

25 They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.

It is the reality we face that we are exchanging the truth for a lie. yet is this the end for us. Does that mean there is no hope.

Hope in the Hard

The truth is that hardship can help remind us of the promise and the hope we might find.

I imagine that as they did those Herbies the Hockey team wanted to quit. Yet, there was a part of them that saw their coach cheering them on and wanting them to recognize their potential. They saw in the moment the hope the chance they could be a better team.

They didn’t quit.

James reminds us of how God feels and views us.

James 1:17–18 NIV

17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. 18 He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.

He choses humanity to be the fristfruits of his all he created. Yes, we are special. God wants us to recognize that he wants good for us and he wants us to experience hope and good things. Yet, in the hardship we have to see that if we are trained and work through it we can be reminded that he is the source of our hope and leads us forward.

There is no better example of this than that of what Christ did for us on the Cross.

Transition to Communion.