James 1:12-15 | God’s Purpose in Our Trials
Notes
Transcript
SERMON TITLE: God’s Purpose in Our Trials
SCRIPTURE: James 1:12-15 (ESV)
SPEAKER: Josh Hanson
DATE: 2-15-26
TURN MIC ON / WELCOME
As always it’s a joy to be with all of you this weekend at Gateway Church. And there’s one thing I want you to know — and this is true if you’re worshiping with us for the first time — if you’re joining us at our North Main Campus or are with our friends in Bucyrus — I want you to know that God loves you and that I love you too.
PASTORAL PRAYER
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INTRODUCTION
We’re continuing our series in James this weekend. James is the wisdom literature of the New Testament. And we’ve been learning what it means to be wise from the younger brother of Jesus on a variety of topics. And today’s topic — like the ones we’ve previously looked at — is practical for all of us — Christian or not. So let’s see what wisdom has for us today.
If you have your Bible, please turn with me to James chapter one. We’ll be in James chapter one — beginning in verse twelve. There we read…
12 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. 13 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. 14 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.
We’re going to do something different today — and that is — we’re going to start at the end of our verses and work our way to the beginning. We’re doing so because this will lead us to James’ point — which he states in verse twelve — and I don’t want us to forget his point — so we’ll save it until the end.
We’ll begin by looking at where temptation comes from. Then we’ll see a way that God is not like us. And — finally — we’ll discover God’s purpose in our temptations.
Where temptation comes from. How God is not like us. And God’s purpose in our temptations.
WHERE TEMPTATION COMES FROM
So — first — where does temptation comes from? We’re in verse fourteen.
14 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.
Now — to me — these two verses are like a bad version — or a bizzaro version — of one of Jesus’ parables. A parable is a short story that teaches a moral truth — and Jesus loved to use parables to teach his listeners. And — the parable I’m thinking of — is the parable of the soils.
We’ll look at this parable in a few weeks but — for now — know that it’s a story where Jesus compares our hearts to different kinds of soil. And Jesus’ point is that when the message of hope — what’s called the gospel — the news of what Jesus has accomplished in his life, death, and resurrection — is heard — it’s similar to a farmer throwing out seed on to a field. The seeds thrown are all the same — what matters is the condition of the soil on which a seed lands. And Jesus’ point for his listeners — and us — is for us to each examine the condition of our hearts and our receptivity to the gospel message.
Now here — in James —we have a similar kind of examination of our heart before us. For our hearts are either soil that produces a gospel harvest — a harvest of life — or — as James is making clear — our heart is a soil that produces death. For those who — when tempted — give into the lure and enticement of their desires — these people create the right conditions for those desires to give birth to sin — which — when matured — leads to death.
Something interesting to be aware of is that the word James uses — that we translate as “desire” — is a neutral word. Meaning — though we may read into his statement “sinful desires” — that’s not what James meant. He simply means “desires” — and desires can be good, neutral, or sinful. And by using this neutral word for “desire” — what James is saying is that — even non-sinful desires — can lead to death. For good desires can lead to sinful decisions when — instead of trusting God and his timing — we do whatever we can to get what we desire.
This is the individual who desires to be married — a good desire — and — instead of waiting on God’s timing — takes things into his own hands and finds himself married to someone who does not love Jesus. And — inevitably — the person who doesn’t love Jesus influences the person who does more than the other way around. As a pastor — I’m telling you — this is just how it works. Thus — this non-sinful desire — to be married — results in a life that seems more like death — for sin now controls the marriage you’re in.
That’s just one example — of many — where our desires entice us — as James says. Now the word “entice” means “to be baited.” This is where the desire we have — again, not necessarily a sinful desire — but this desire we have — is like a worm on a hook baiting us to take a bite.
“Wait. Josh, are you saying we’re the fish here?”
In what James is describing to us — yes — that’s exactly it. We’re the fish — not the fishermen.
But the Bible does give us some examples of what the fishermen are like — those who are trying to entice — or bait us — by our desires. The apostle Peter tells us…
12 But these men, like irrational animals—creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed—do not understand whom they are insulting, and consequently in their destruction they will be destroyed,13 suffering harm as the wages for their harmful ways. By considering it a pleasure to carouse in broad daylight, they are stains and blemishes, indulging in their deceitful pleasures when they feast together with you. 14 Their eyes, full of adultery, never stop sinning; they entice unstable people. They have trained their hearts for greed, these cursed children!
“They entice unstable people” — which can’t help but remind me of all of the “tossing to and fro by the winds and waves” imagery that James used earlier in his letter.
Peter goes on to say…
18 For by speaking high-sounding but empty words they are able to entice, with fleshly desires and with debauchery, people who have just escaped from those who reside in error.19 Although these false teachers promise such people freedom, they themselves are enslaved to immorality. For whatever a person succumbs to, to that he is enslaved.
“Lure” is the same word as “entice” or “to bait” — and these false teachers lure people — even God’s people! — into sin and corruption by getting us to bite down on the hook of our desires. Again, notice their messaging. They appeal to our desires and promise that freedom will be the result of us getting what we want — only to enslave us all over again to the sin we’ve been freed from.
Again — James warns us…
14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.
We’ve looked at the words “desire” and “entice” — now the word “lured.” The word that James uses — that’s translated as “lured” — is only used here in the New Testament. And the word means “to be dragged away.”
So — back to our fishing illustration. Our desires — sinful or not — can bait us like a worm on a hook to a fish. And — once we’ve taken the bait — we’re dragged away in a direction we do not want to go — just like a fish on the end of a line.
Friends — my concern right now is that some of us think we’re above being dragged off in a direction towards death by our desires. We think that such things may happen to others, but not to me. And such thinking is exactly what false teachers — used by our enemy, Satan — do to get us hooked on their lines of deceit and lies.
This isn’t meant to make you fearful of desires that you have — but is meant to make sure that all of your desires are submitted to God and his authority on your life. Because — the answer to our question — where does temptation come from — is: It comes from within us. That’s what James is telling us.
Though outside factors may play a role — ultimately — we’re responsible for the decisions we make, for whether or not we give into our desires, for whether or not we take the bait and get dragged off in a direction we never intended to head in.
GOD IS NOT LIKE US
But — there is someone who tends to get more of the blame than others — when it comes to us taking the bait. And — unfortunately — it’s not the false teachers that we just learned of. No — one of mankind’s go to — for casting blame for the temptations we give into — is God. So let’s see what James has to say about God and our temptations. We’re in verse thirteen.
13 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.
Here — James pushes against what many people believe. For — in not wanting to be responsible for giving into temptation — we look for someone else to blame. And many people have no issue in blaming God for the temptation in their life. “If God is really in control of everything — as you Christians say you believe — then he shouldn’t have put that drink in my hand, or that porn on the internet, or that opportunity to cheat in my life.”
Yet James say’s, “God does not tempt us with evil” — which is another way of saying that God doesn’t tempt us to sin. James also gives us a profound truth about God — for he tells us that God also can’t be tempted with evil.
You see — God is holy — which means he’s completely pure and without sin. Thus he has no inclination to sin nor to be tempted by it. And God is righteous — which means he only does what is right — and — he does what is right all the time — in every situation — including in every situation in your life — Christian or not.
So the question then becomes, “If God cannot be tempted with evil and also doesn’t tempt us with evil — then what is his purpose in the trials — or temptations — that we face? Because he doesn’t stop them. And — if he doesn’t stop them — yet he’s not responsible for them — then what is his purpose in them?” For as Scripture tells us…
28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
And “everything” means “everything.” Nothing is excluded.
So what’s God’s purpose — or his goal — in us facing temptation?
We find our answer in two Old Testament accounts that would have been familiar to James and his original readers. These may be stories you’re familiar with as well. One is from the book of Job and the life of the man for whom the book is name. And the other is from the book of Genesis and is from the life of Abraham.
First — Job’s story. Job’s story begins this way.
1 There once was a man named Job who lived in the land of Uz. He was blameless—a man of complete integrity. He feared God and stayed away from evil. 2 He had seven sons and three daughters. 3 He owned 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 teams of oxen, and 500 female donkeys. He also had many servants. He was, in fact, the richest person in that entire area. 4 Job’s sons would take turns preparing feasts in their homes, and they would also invite their three sisters to celebrate with them. 5 When these celebrations ended—sometimes after several days—Job would purify his children. He would get up early in the morning and offer a burnt offering for each of them. For Job said to himself, “Perhaps my children have sinned and have cursed God in their hearts.” This was Job’s regular practice.
Here we learn that Job is blameless, a man of integrity, he feared God, and he avoided evil. We learn about his family and his wealth. And we even learn how he offered sacrifices to God on behalf of his children in case they had sinned.
Then — after these opening words — quite possibly one of the strangest events in all of the Bible takes place. We’re taken to the heavenly court — where angels are present before God. And Satan is there too! And here’s what happens.
7 “Where have you come from?” the Lord asked Satan. Satan answered the Lord, “I have been patrolling the earth, watching everything that’s going on.” 8 Then the Lord asked Satan, “Have you noticed my servant Job? He is the finest man in all the earth. He is blameless—a man of complete integrity. He fears God and stays away from evil.” 9 Satan replied to the Lord, “Yes, but Job has good reason to fear God. 10 You have always put a wall of protection around him and his home and his property. You have made him prosper in everything he does. Look how rich he is! 11 But reach out and take away everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face!” 12 “All right, you may test him,” the Lord said to Satan. “Do whatever you want with everything he possesses, but don’t harm him physically.” So Satan left the Lord’s presence.
And what comes next is a shock. We learn that Satan takes everything away from Job: his animals, his wealth, and even his children — they’re all killed. It’s one blow after another after another. And how does Job respond to all of this tragedy?
20 Job stood up and tore his robe in grief. Then he shaved his head and fell to the ground to worship. 21 He said, “I came naked from my mother’s womb, and I will be naked when I leave. The Lord gave me what I had, and the Lord has taken it away. Praise the name of the Lord!” 22 In all of this, Job did not sin by blaming God.
As you can imagine — Job’s response did not please Satan. So we’re taken back to the heavenly courts and God asks Satan how things are going with Job. And…
4 Satan replied to the Lord, “Skin for skin! A man will give up everything he has to save his life. 5 But reach out and take away his health, and he will surely curse you to your face!” 6 “All right, do with him as you please,” the Lord said to Satan. “But spare his life.”
And we’re told that Satan struck Job with some sort of disease on his skin that covered him from head to foot. The pain was so unbearable that Job took broken pottery to scrape at his skin. And…
9 His wife said to him, “Are you still trying to maintain your integrity? Curse God and die.” 10 But Job replied, “You talk like a foolish woman. Should we accept only good things from the hand of God and never anything bad?” So in all this, Job said nothing wrong.
The book of Job — which is part of the wisdom literature of the Old Testament, by the way — goes on to record the back and forth conversation Job has between some of his friends. His friends think they know why Job is suffering — and Job disagrees with them. And — in the end — though Job is an imperfect man and did receive correction from God — he’s proven faithful.
And that was God’s purpose in allowing him to experience this trial in life — along with all of the temptations that came with his suffering. God proved to Satan that Job was a man who — with integrity — mean it when he said, “The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord!”
Now we turn to Abraham. At this point in Abraham’s life, God had promised to him that one day he would be the father of many nations. It was an incredible promise for many reasons — one of which was that he — and his wife, Sarah — we’re old. And — I mean — old, old. We’ve got a few among us in their nineties and I don’t think any of them would be eager to have a child at their age — but that’s how old Abraham and Sarah were when Isaac was born.
Now Isaac was the promised child. The one through whom God’s promise to Abraham would be fulfilled. The son through whom descendants would come numbering like sand on a seashore or the stars in the sky. Yet here’s what happened.
1 Some time later, God tested Abraham’s faith. “Abraham!” God called. “Yes,” he replied. “Here I am.” 2 “Take your son, your only son—yes, Isaac, whom you love so much—and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.” 3 The next morning Abraham got up early. He saddled his donkey and took two of his servants with him, along with his son, Isaac. Then he chopped wood for a fire for a burnt offering and set out for the place God had told him about. 4 On the third day of their journey, Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5 “Stay here with the donkey,” Abraham told the servants. “The boy and I will travel a little farther. We will worship there, and then we will come right back.” 6 So Abraham placed the wood for the burnt offering on Isaac’s shoulders, while he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them walked on together, 7 Isaac turned to Abraham and said, “Father?” “Yes, my son?” Abraham replied. “We have the fire and the wood,” the boy said, “but where is the sheep for the burnt offering?” 8 “God will provide a sheep for the burnt offering, my son,” Abraham answered. And they both walked on together. 9 When they arrived at the place where God had told him to go, Abraham built an altar and arranged the wood on it. Then he tied his son, Isaac, and laid him on the altar on top of the wood. 10 And Abraham picked up the knife to kill his son as a sacrifice. 11 At that moment the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Yes,” Abraham replied. “Here I am!” 12 “Don’t lay a hand on the boy!” the angel said. “Do not hurt him in any way, for now I know that you truly fear God. You have not withheld from me even your son, your only son.” 13 Then Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught by its horns in a thicket. So he took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering in place of his son. 14 Abraham named the place Yahweh-Yireh (which means “the Lord will provide”). To this day, people still use that name as a proverb: “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.” 15 Then the angel of the Lord called again to Abraham from heaven. 16 “This is what the Lord says: Because you have obeyed me and have not withheld even your son, your only son, I swear by my own name that 17 I will certainly bless you. I will multiply your descendants beyond number, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will conquer the cities of their enemies. 18 And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed—all because you have obeyed me.” 19 Then they returned to the servants and traveled back to Beersheba, where Abraham continued to live.
A different kind of test than what Job faced — what was God’s purpose in this test in Abraham’s life? God’s purpose was for Abraham to learn that his God will provide for his every need — and — as we learn in the New Testament…
17 It was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him. Abraham, who had received God’s promises, was ready to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, 18 even though God had told him, “Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted.” 19 Abraham reasoned that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life again. And in a sense, Abraham did receive his son back from the dead.
God’s purpose was never for Abraham to kill Isaac — God’s plan was always to provide the ram as a substitute. But Abraham would never have known this was God’s purpose without first going up the mountain in complete trust that — somehow, someway — Isaac would survive what was about to happen.
CONCLUSION: GOD’S PURPOSE IN OUR TRIALS
And both of these biblical examples lead us to our final point: God’s purpose in our trials. We’re in verse twelve.
12 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.
Notice how — though the English word “tempt” is used throughout our verses — here the word “trial” is used. There’s a reason for that. James uses a different word here. It’s a word that often can mean “temptation” — but here — the word has a different sense to it. Instead of “temptation” the word means “examination.”
So James is saying, “Blessed is the man — or woman — who remains steadfast under examination.” And this helps us to understand God’s purpose in our trials — or examinations — that often include us being tempted. For God’s purpose — just like with Job and Abraham — God’s purpose for the trials in your life is not your failure — but his purpose is that you will remain steadfast during the examination.
James goes on to say, “For when he has stood the test” and — here — “stood the test” means to be approved — to be accepted. Approved by whom? Like Job, approved God. Like Abraham, accepted by God.
Friends, what greater reason do we have to remain steadfast under trial — to stand firmly when tested — to remain faithful to God when we’re being examined by life — than to know that this is an opportunity to please our Father in Heaven — to be approved by him — to be accepted by him?
We see this in children, don’t we? They want the approval of their mom and dad. They desire to be accepted by those in authority over them — like a teacher. In fact — I find it quite common for us to never grow up and out of this desire to be approved and accepted by others. And — here — James tells us how we can please the God who created everyone and everything.
How awesome is that? What a different way to view the current trial you may be in the thick of right now? As an opportunity to be approved by God as you remain steadfast and faithful to him while in this trial. As an opportunity to be accepted by him — who loves you and sent his Son to rescue you.
This is what God did for Abraham after he stood the test on the mountain. A ram was provided to be the substitute for Issac.
This is what God did for Job — when he restored everything Job had lost.
And this is what God has promised for you — if you’ve believed in his Son. For Jesus is One who substituted himself in your place. He stood the test on the mountain — giving his life — in love — for the sins of the world.
And Jesus is the One who’s guaranteed an eternal inheritance for those who believe in him. For he’s promised them the riches of Heaven which are his — to those who’ve given up the desires of this world for him.
And Jesus has done this — because — he knew that we’d never pass the test, we’d all fail the exam of life — he knew that none of us would remain steadfast and would — instead — bite on hook after hook after hook — being dragged off towards sin and death to the delight of the one who — just like with Job — wants to destroy our lives. So Jesus die for us what we couldn’t do for ourselves: He passed the test. He earned his Father’s approval and acceptance by living the perfect life of faith on our behalf, and gave his life as the payment for our sins, and rose from the grave — defeating the power of sin and death — so that — we will receive a crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.
May these sweet words of truth ignite in your soul a great love for the God who loves you. Let’s pray.
PRAYER
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BENEDICTION (Prayer teams available)
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God loves you. I love you. You are sent.
