TOPSY-TURVY STATUS

TOPSY-TURVY STATUS James 1:12-15 October 17, 2010 Given by: Pastor Rich Bersett [Index of Past Messages] Introduction Did you bring your Bible with you? Good. Get it open to James 1, and we’re going to continue our study of this vital chapter and what the Holy Spirit, through the pen of James, has to teach us concerning the most frequent and most pernicious challenge we face in our lives. Many of you will remember the 1993 Academy Award-winning film, Schindler’s List. The central figure, Oskar Schindler, is a daring German officer under Hitler’s regime who risked his life, using his wealth and position to save the lives of some 1,200 Polish Jews. As the film closes, those whom he saved rewarded him with a commemorative gold ring fashioned from the gold tooth fillings of those he had rescued and put to work in his factory. Schindler weeps as he is presented this sacrificial gift, because he only wished he could have done more. He embraced his Jewish friends and drove off with his wife. In real life, though, this noble war hero abandoned his wife and family, became a womanizer and drunkard, eventually falling into destitution and utter dependence on the handouts of friends. He even pawned the commemorative gold ring—for a bottle of schnapps. How could such a good man fall so far? Because every human being will face temptations that threaten to destroy them. Some will avoid ruin by not falling prey; others will allow sin’s allure to entice them, engage them and eventually annihilate them. James, the brother of Jesus and leader in the early church, was determined to help Christians like us understand the deceptive nature and working of temptation, so that we may be victorious over this enemy that is common to all men, and a part of the trials we face in life, and against which we are called to persevere. Temptation as Trial This teaching is part of a larger discussion about the many kinds of trials Christians encounter. And verse 12 serves to summarize James’ earlier exhortation to learn perseverance in trials and to actually learn to count it all joy. Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. The trials you face personally can either make you or break you. They will make you better or they will make you bitter. What will make the difference is whether or not you are drawing on the strength and promises of God.   Temptation to sin works exactly the same way. We all know by experience what temptation is and the power it has to lure us into actions that displease God. One man was shopping with his wife when another woman walked by. This woman was very attractive and he watched her ‘til she walked out the door. Without looking up from the dress in her hand, his wife said, “Was it worth the trouble you’re in?” Temptation is common to man, the scripture says, and if you’re human, you will face temptations all your life. Being a Christian does not exempt you from temptation. The church father Jerome said in the 5th century said, “Baptism does not drown the devil.” But if you are devoted to God, living in faith and reliance on Him, you can know that you have the resources to be victorious over sin. 1 Peter 1:3 reminds the Christian that His divine power has given us all we need for life and godliness and 1 John 4:4 assures the believer that Greater is the one who is in you than the one that is in the world. Notice that James moves easily from talking about trials right into the subject of temptation. Verse 13: When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Temptation is Normal In 1 Corinthians 10:13 we are taught, No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. It may be helpful to review a couple of biblical teachings about temptation in order to better understand the text we face. First, the experience of temptation is normal. As sinners, living in a fallen world, it is inevitable that we be faced with the evil of the world, the flesh and the devil.   As the enemy of our souls, the devil, is called by scripture the “Prince of the Kingdom of the Air,” the “deceiver of the whole world”; even Jesus called him the Ruler of this world, until his final defeat. And he is now at work in those who are disobedient. (Ephesians 2:2) Secondly, we should be reminded that temptation is not a sin. Verse 15 of our text tells us clearly that it is not until one consents to the temptation, whether in thought or deed, that it becomes sin. Third, that we are tempted is not the God working against us. James makes this plain here in verse 13: When tempted, no one should say “God is tempting me.” God does not tempt, even as He is not tempted. Why would anyone even want to say God is tempting me? The term temptation as used here is not just putting an opportunity before someone to do wrong or right. It is extending that opportunity with the intent to snare, wound or kill. God’s tests are not like that. When your child is 16 and driving, the day arrives when you allow them to face the dangers of the road solo. The opportunity to drive dangerously is there, and you are allowing it, but your intent is that he arrives safely. The unmixed love and goodness of God will not bring to you or me a temptation to evil with the intent of tripping us up. When He does allow tests to come our way, His intent is that we pass the test and inherit the blessing. Someone wisely said that we never fail the tests that God administers—though we may get to take them again until we pass them! But when God allows temptations to come to us, as he did in the case of Job as He sparred with Satan, isn’t that the same as tempting? After all, God is almighty, and He could protect us from even the temptations! Yes, He could. But He doesn’t. He knows every temptation we face—in fact He has experienced all such temptations, according to Hebrews 4:15—and He graciously gives us the choice to submit to it or to submit to Him. He is not interested in robotic beings serving Him.   The other night we attended a high school football game with friends whose son is one of the quarterbacks on the Althoff Crusaders team. He was injured on one play and had to be taken out of the game in the third quarter. I watched his parents, and I could see nothing but concern. They weren’t there hoping that young man would get hurt. They were there cheering him on to do his best. All the while we deal with temptations to evil, God is our cheerleader, our fan in the stands, rooting for our good choice. Temptation and Source So God is not trying to bring us down when we face temptation. But, get this, it’s not the devil who makes temptations defeat you, either. Satan’s intent is to destroy you, for sure, but the power of temptation is not so much in him. It’s in you. Look carefully at verse 14: but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. In the process of sin, it is the darkened heart in us that drags us away and entices us. The devil is delighted when that happens, true. In fact, he has been busy setting up circumstances in your life that would lead to the point of temptation. But if you did not have the sinful desire to rebel against the will of God, the temptation could not occur. The serpent brought temptation before Eve, suggesting that God lied to her and wanted to deny her good things. But it was her own decision to listen, to be persuaded and to act in a way contrary to the clear command of God. An old Indian legend told of a young brave who went off into his retreat of solitude to prepare for manhood. He tested himself by climbing to the cold, snowy peak of a mountain. As he began to descend he heard a rustling at his feet, and he looked down to see a snake. The snake spoke to him and said, “I am about to die. I am freezing from the cold. There is no food and I am starving. Put me under your shirt and carry me with you to the valley.” The brave replied. “No, I have been warned about you. You are a rattlesnake. If I pick you up you will bite, and your bite will kill me.” “Not so,” said the snake. “I will treat you differently because you helped me. If you do this for me and save my life, you will be special. I will not harm you.” The young man’s resistance faded before the persuasive snake. He tucked the snake under his shirt and carried it down to the warm valley. There he laid it gently on the grass, when suddenly the snake coiled, leapt and bit him on the neck. “But you promised!” he cried. As he slithered away, the snake said, “You fool! You knew I was a snake when you picked me up.” Snakes will always lie, but it is our foolish hearts that listen. We are quick to blame everything on the devil, quick to blame our sin on some demon, but the ugliest and most sinister demon of all is the pride and evil desire in our own hearts. So, when you fail to live up to the perfect will of God, never say, The devil made me do it; and never, ever, blame it on God playing tricks on you—He doesn’t do that. Always be ready to admit ownership of the evil desire that made you look twice, to entertain the idea, to toy with the enticement. Mark Twain used to say, I can handle anything except temptation! Temptation as Process We tend to think of sin as a single act, but God sees it as a process. The last time you disobeyed your God, it didn’t just “happen.” You planned it. Listen, there is a space of decision time that occurs between the initial temptation and the carrying out of sin, and that gap is your opportunity to honor God. Don’t play around in there, don’t hang out and toy with it, don’t try to prove yourself strong. Just run while you can. If you dawdle, before you know it, you’ve sinned. A burglar broke into a home through a window. Armed only with his loot bag and a small flashlight he began to move through the room. Suddenly he heard a voice, “Who are you?” He turned and shined his light in the direction of the voice. It was a parrot and it repeated, “Who are you?” Satisfied he was safe he started to move and heard a deep growl from the other side of the room. His flashlight shined on a huge Doberman pinscher bearing his teeth and growling. They stared one another down, but the dog didn’t move. So the thief decided to finish what he came to do. He took the valuables from a couple of rooms, as the parrot repeated, “Who are you?” He returned to the room where the escape window was. The growling Doberman was still in his place and the parrot kept saying “Who are you?” Just before he got to the window, he turned to the parrot and said, “you dumb bird, is that all you can say, just “Who are you”? The parrot said, “S-s-s-ic ‘em!” James outlines four stages in the temptation-to-sin process: Desire – each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire...(14) The word translated as “desire” is the word “lust.” It means any kind of craving that rises out of our appetites. At any moment something seemingly harmless may present itself to you, igniting an enticement. In and of itself that is not bad. The desire to eat, to sleep, to sexual expression of love, to comfort, to ownership, to control, to competition —these are all part of the human state and not bad in themselves. But, mixed with sinful orientation, they degenerate easily into the seven deadly sins: gluttony, laziness, fornication/adultery, greed, anger, envy and pride. These unbridled attitudes and practices morph from emotional responses into destructive behaviors almost automatically. Thus they require careful attention immediately, before they move to phase two. Deception – he is dragged away and enticed… (14) You know, temptation doesn’t ever appear as temptation. James uses 2 words from the world of sports: drawn away means to lure, to dupe. Picture Albert Pujols at first base, not on defense, but as a runner. See him stretching his lead off, trying to convince the pitcher he is going to attempt a steal. He’s doing his part to distract the pitcher, get him off his game just enough to make a mistake. He’s drawing him away. Our carnal natures are experts at distracting us from living the godly life. You’re doing pretty well, staying in the Word, praying regularly, enjoying deepening fellowship with other believers. You just finished a challenging devotional time this morning. You get to work, and a co-worker says he got a promotion, meaning you got passed over. Jealousy, even a little anger, sets in. Presto: drawn away. Enticed is the other term, and it has to do with allure, the hypnotic attraction of bait for a hungry animal. Did you ever tease a pet dog with a doggie treat? Move it around while he sits and waits. His eyes stay focused, his head moves in the direction of the food. He is trans-fixed. There is a deep well of dominating desires within us—the fatal weakness that makes us feel defenseless against anything that glitters potential satisfaction for those desires. Early in the game, before you are dragged away and the allure grabs you—that’s when you must do battle with temptation. This is the point where the slide is at its slipperiest, near the point of no return. Don’t wait, don’t flirt with the idea any longer. Experience has taught you to say no now or fall, because the next phase is sin fully formed. John Piper: The power of temptation is that it will make me happier. Lie. Disobedience – Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin. (15) This is the point where you move from the emotions (desire) and the intellect (deception) to the will. Desire has set the stage; the mind gives in to deception; now the will is ready to approve and act. It is almost irreversible by this stage. That’s why it is so urgent to fight the battle against temptation early. The disobedience stage is too late. On the TV show “Hee Haw” Doc Campbell is confronted by a patient who says he broke his arm in two place. In his wisdom the good doctor replies, “Well, then, stay out of them places!” Death - …and sin, when it is full grown, gives birth to death. (15) Being saved may guarantee our heavenly salvation, but it does not make us immune to the death of an existence of not pleasing God. There is no indication that giving in to a temptation and sinning will rob you of your inheritance in heaven. But, why would a Christian do anything to weaken the faith that saves him? James sets up a most interesting contrast: in verse 7 the one who perseveres under trial receives the crown of life, and in verse 15, the one who allows sin to become full-grown brings about death. I don’t know how far to carry the implications of this, but I will tell you it makes me sit up and take notice. It makes me want to do all I can, as early and completely as I can, to not allow sin to be conceived, born and grow up in my life. Conclusion The key to overcoming temptation is your devotion to Jesus. Lexy Fowler tried everything to stop the coyotes from killing her sheep. She tried odor sprays, corals with electric fences, battery powered alarms and radios. But the Montana rancher still lost over 50 sheep a year. Then she discovered llamas. Those funny-looking animals are fierce. Afraid of nothing, when llamas see something strange they stand tall and walk straight at it. That aggression is very off-putting to coyotes and they leave the sheep alone. Devotion to Jesus is your llama.         [ Back to Top]