Triumph Over Temptations (Part 1)
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Introduction
Introduction
Read .
Explain the context
Talk about the blaming
I do not know when was the last time you ever blamed God for anything.
After God created Eve from Adam’s rib, and after they’re married, a serpent, who was Satan, came and tempted Eve. So, let’s read . READ.
What happened to Adam and Eve is not uncommon. Eve was tempted by Satan to sin. Eve was tempted by her own desire to eat the fruit, and she shared it with Adam. After they sinned, God spoke to Adam. Notice that after Adam fell into temptation, He blames God for giving him Eve because she was the one who tempted him to eat the fruit.
I do not know when was the last time you ever blamed God for anything.
The Pillar New Testament Commentary: The Letter of James E. While God Tests His People, He Never Tempts Them to Sin (1:13–18)
Financial difficulty can tempt us to question God’s providence in our lives. The death of a loved one can tempt us to question God’s love for us. The suffering of the righteous poor and the ease of the wicked rich can tempt us to question God’s justice, or even his existence. Thus testing almost always includes temptation, and temptation is itself a test.
When you’re in the midsts of trials and hardships, you might have questioned God, “God, why are you doing this to me? Why is this happening to me?” But, I wonder if you have ever blamed God for tempting you to sin.
Please turn to . You may remember that we have been going through the topic on trials for the past few weeks. So now, James is going to address a problem that the Jewish Christians were encountering in the midsts of trials…and that is temptation to sin. Let us now read and see what James is going to teach us. READ.
Big Idea: To triumph through trials, we must triumph over temptations.
As Christians, when we are in the midst of trials and hardships, it is easy for us to experience temptation to sin.
Temptation - the pressure to give in to influences that can lead people away from God and into sin.
Temptation -
Sin - the act of rebelling against God and His word.
These two words are important Bible terms for you to know when you read the Bible, because those concepts are repeated again and again. As Christians, practical Christianity teaches us to overcome sin and temptations. The world is filled with sin and temptation that always try to influence us to walk away from the Lord.
As teenagers, it is easy for you to be influence by the world. You will be tempted to commit sexual immorality, watch pornography, taking drugs and hurting your bodies, compare your image to another person, and other things. In summary, you may be tempted to do whatever your heart and desire tells you. And the world is telling you to follow your heart and pursue your desires. But, Paul instructs Timothy:
So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?
These two verses in the Bible teach us to NOT trust our feelings, don’t always follow whatever your heart tells you, and don’t pursue whatever your desire tells you. Because, your feelings, heart, and desires may trick you, deceive you, and tempt you to commit sin.
I have three points to make from today’s passage
Let me state the obvious as clearly and bluntly as possible: you will not triumph as a Christian if you do not overcome sin and temptation. If you call yourself a Christian, and you are consistently and habitually falling into temptation and sin, and you’re not fighting against it, then you are in danger.
No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him.
,
No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God.
The Bible does not mean that Christians will be completely free from sin in this life. But, genuine Christians, those who are truly God’s children, have been so transformed by the gospel of Jesus Christ that they cannot continue living in a pattern of continual or habitual sin. They’re the ones who overcome sin and temptation. When temptation appears, they’re the ones who will say “No” and walk away from it. When the sinful desires of their hearts make them feel like sinning, they’re the ones who will kill sin by the power of the Holy Spirit.
For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
And, when Christians do sin, they’re the ones who are heartbroken, quick to repent of their sins, ask God for forgiveness and renew their commitment to walking in obedience to God.
Thus the hearts of genuine Christians (those who are truly children of God) have been so transformed that they cannot live in a pattern of continual sin—though this does not mean that Christians are ever completely free from sin in this life
So now that I’m done with my introduction, let us begin studying the passage. To triumph over temptations, James will teach us to identity three things about temptations. On your handout it would say this:
To triumph over temptations, we must know:
1. The Source Of Temptations (v.13-14)
1. The Source Of Temptations (v.13-14)
We are not tempted by God (v.13)
What I mean is the origin or the beginning of temptations.
This passage is still connected with the overarching theme of trial. Back in verse 12, James declares that the Christians who perseveres through trials will be blessed. When there are trials, temptations will come in the same package.
The Jewish Christians, who were experiencing trials, might have said, “God is tempting me to sin in the midsts of trials! He’s the one who is testing my faith so He must also be tempting me to sin!” Therefore, because trials tempt them to sin, they blame God for it. But...
We are not tempted by God (v.13)
When James heard that the Christians were blaming God for tempting them to sin, he commands them not to say such a thing! It is a ridiculous thing to say about God. And James is going to teach us two things about God.
First, God cannot be tempted with evil. God does not have weaknesses nor does God have the tendency to be taken advantage of by temptation. One of the characteristics of God is that He is Holy, Pure, or Perfect. There is absolutely no sin in God. And because God is holy, temptation cannot even come close to Him.
Second, God does not tempt anyone. Indeed, God does put us in a difficult situation where our faith will be tested and refined, but those situation is not meant to encourage us to sin, but to grow our character and to depend on God.
In other words, James is saying that God is NOT the source of temptations. One commentator said:
First, Jesus Christ claimed to be God. And if Jesus is also God and God cannot be tempted by evil, then how could Christ be tempted at all?
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.
How can God the Son be tempted and not be tempted by evil at the same time?
But while God may test or prove his servants in order to strengthen their faith, he never seeks to induce sin and destroy their faith.
But while God may test or prove [the Christians] in order to strengthen their faith, he never seeks to induce sin and destroy their faith.
Douglas J. Moo, The Letter of James, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: Eerdmans; Apollos, 2000), 73.
So, what is the source of temptation? Look at verse 14. READ.
We are tempted by our own desire (v.14)
The source of temptations begins in the weakness and sinfulness of the human desire. Verses 14-15 uses the language of fishing. That is the picture James wants us to think about.
The overall temptation is like a fish seeing the juicy worm on a hook of the fishing rod. The fish is enticed by its juicy and delicious taste because maybe it is starving. But the worm is meant to lure the fish closer to the fisherman. Lure literally means to be dragged away. And once the fish take the bait, well, the fisherman will do his best to capture the fish. That’s how temptation works.
And James is going to point out some painful truths that would get me into a lot of trouble because they are countercultural. And I want to carefully word so that you don’t misunderstand me because what I’m about to say is in the context of sin. Our society seems to have forgotten this important principle of “Taking Responsibility For Your Own Actions.” We tend to make excuses for our sinful behaviours and shift the blames to other things, such as people and environment. For instance, we tell white lies because we do not want to offend anyone or someone told us to tell a lie. And James is going to say, “No, you tell lies because you desire to lie. And you desire to lie because you desire to be a liar. You lie because you want to protect yourself and your reputation rather than to be honest and truthful as God is.”
Temptation targets your itching desires. The desire can be sexual, emotional, curiosity,
And James is going to point out some painful truths that would get me into a lot of trouble because they are countercultural. And I want to carefully word so that you don’t misunderstand me because what I’m about to say is in the context of sin. Our society seems to have forgotten this important principle of “Taking Responsibility For Your Own Actions.” We tend to make excuses for our sinful behaviours and shift the blames to other things, such as people and environment. For instance, we tell white lies because we do not want to offend anyone or someone told us to tell a lie. And James is going to say, “No, you tell lies because you desire to lie. And you desire to lie because you desire to be a liar. You lie because you want to protect yourself and your reputation rather than to be honest and truthful as God is.”
The evil and sinful desire in your heart
Or, when we live a sinful lifestyle, we make excuses for it by saying, “Well, I was born this way, or God created me this way, or that’s just the way I am or the environment that I lived in nurtured me this way.” For instance, you might be a person who has anger management (by the way, we will talk about anger next Sunday). You may say, “I’m just an angry person. I grew up being angry. That’s just the way I am.” And James is going to say, “No, you’re an angry person because you desire to be angry rather than to be self-control, or repent of it.”
I also know that some Christians would always blame Satan for all the sins that they commit. Whenever they sin, they put the blame on the evil one. Indeed, Satan is also responsible for tempting people to sin. He did so with Adam and Eve. He did so with Jesus Christ. Listen to what Peter says.
Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.
But, James does not mention Satan in this passage, right? He’s talking about your sinful desires.
Remember Adam and Eve? When they sinned, they did not immediately take responsibility for their own actions. Rather, Adam blamed God for giving him Eve, which in a sense indirectly blames Eve. Eve then blames the serpent.
Remember Adam and Eve? When they sinned, they did not immediately take responsibility for their own actions. Rather, Adam blamed God for giving him Eve, which in a sense indirectly blames Eve. Eve then blames the serpent.
Remember King David in the Old Testament. He was the greatest king in Israel. He was a man who deeply loved God. But, he did sin by committing adultery with Bathsheba.
Remember King David in the Old Testament. He was the greatest king in Israel. He was a man who deeply loved God. But, he did sin by committing adultery with Bathsheba. But how did he end up sinning?
Adultery means a married person having sex with someone other than his/her spouse.
Read . What were the steps that David made to commit sin?
It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking on the roof of the king’s house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful.
It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking on the roof of the king’s house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful. And David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, “Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?” So David sent messengers and took her, and she came to him, and he lay with her. (Now she had been purifying herself from her uncleanness.) Then she returned to her house.
It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking on the roof of the king’s house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful. And David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, “Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?” So David sent messengers and took her, and she came to him, and he lay with her. (Now she had been purifying herself from her uncleanness.) Then she returned to her house.
2 Samuel 11:2
Look at how specific the Bible tells us about David’s sinful desires: First, he saw the woman bathing.
Look at how specific the Bible tells us about how sin and temptations work: First, he saw the woman bathing. But, he could have just looked away immediately, but he did not. He continued to look so that he can see what a beautiful woman she was. Second, because she was beautiful and naked, he was enticed or sexually aroused. Jesus said that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. So, David could have stopped and walk away, but he did not. He was already being baited. Third, because he was being baited, he wants to know more about her. In other words, he was sinfully and lustfully curious about Bathsheba because his intention is to have sex with her. And fourth, he finally committed adultery.
The sinful desire was already in David’s heart in the beginning. And if you do not know the rest of the story, after David committed adultery, he impregnated Bathsheba, but instead of taking responsibility for his own actions, he tried to cover up his action.
The Bible will not let us blame God for our sins, or blame the environment for our sins, or blame other people for our sins. The responsibility rests on you. You must take responsibility by placing your faith what Jesus Christ has done for you on the cross, repenting of your sins, confessing your sins, and renew your commitment to following Jesus for the rest of your lives.
Lured literally means to be dragged away or swept away.
To triumph over temptations, we must know:
2. The Stages of Temptations (v.15-16)
2. The Stages of Temptations (v.15-16)
We are in danger of falling deep into sin (v.15)
And this is the
This sinful desire would ultimately destroy the life of a person, especially the spiritual life. Boys and girls, here’s the truth that you need to know about sin: it makes false promises to you. Sin promises you pleasure and excitement, but they are temporary. Sin may be “fun” initially, but it eventually leads to death and destruction.
It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking on the roof of the king’s house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful. And David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, “Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?” So David sent messengers and took her, and she came to him, and he lay with her. (Now she had been purifying herself from her uncleanness.) Then she returned to her house.
James is going to use another illustration of a child birth to teach us about what happens after we fall into sin. James is saying that our sinful desire is like a pregnant woman. Our desire is conceived by the offspring of sin. And then this desire gives birth to sin. And when sin grows up, it leads to death.
Look at how specific the Bible tells us about the stages of David’s temptations: First, he saw the woman bathing. But, he could have just looked away immediately, but he did not. He continued to look so that he can see what a beautiful woman she was. Second, because she was beautiful, he was enticed or sexually aroused.
Stage 1: Temptation by the desire to move toward sin.
I need to make it very clear that experiencing temptation is not a sin. Temptation toward sin will always be a part of our Christian life, just like Jesus Christ who was tempted by Satan, but without sin. James is not concerned about temptation because it’s a reality, but what he is concerned about is the Christians’ ability to overcome sin and temptation. At this stage, you must resist to move toward sin by God’s grace. If not, then you move towards stage 2.
Christian maturity is not indicated by the infrequency of temptation but by the infrequency of succumbing to temptation.
Desires conceive sin
Stage 2: Desire conceives sin
If you do not resist temptation, but rather you WELCOME that temptation with an open arm, then that desire conceives. You embraced that temptation. You walked towards it. You walked right into the trap of temptation. And then it leads to stage 3.
Stage 3: Desire gives birth to sin
Hopefully, you realize in your conscience that this desire of yours led you to commit sin. You can commit sin by your actions, thoughts, words, and motivations. That is usually known as the sin of commission. But, there is also the sin of omission. The sin of omission means that sinned by failing to do what you are supposed to do what God told you to do. And this leads to stage 4.
Stage 4: Sin grows up
Stage 4: Sin grow up
Sin is like a hungry child that wants you to feed it. This is how addiction to sin comes into play. Sin always itches your desire and tells you to feed its hunger. And the more you feed this sin, this sin will continue to grow. And when it grows, it becomes stronger and it becomes harder for you to fight against it…because when you feed it, it gives you pleasure and excitement and addiction. It’s like drugs. Sooner or later, it’ll lead you to stage 5...
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
Stage 5: Sin brings forth death.
Stage 5: Sin brings forth death.
This is sin’s ultimate goal…to bring you to death. Death is broad enough to apply physical death, emotional death, spiritual death, financial death, marital death, and societal death. Sin may be pleasurable, but it is not friendly.
And I have read stories where lives were destroyed because of unrepentant sin.
I also knew a story of a Christian scholar who wrote an extensive theological book on the topic of sin. But, this scholar committed adultery with his secretary, and he later on committed suicide.
This is something that terrifies me as a pastor because I have read stories where Christian pastors destroyed the church and their marriage because of their addiction to pornography.
There was a story of a Christian who used to practical homosexuality. It took many years for him to become a Christian and recognize that homosexuality is a sin. Although he became a Christian, his lifestyle left a mark on his life forever, and that is HIV. It is a virus that weakened his immune system. That’s the consequence of sin.
We are in danger of falling deep into sin (v.15)
I also knew a story of a Christian scholar who wrote an extensive theological book on the topic of sin. But, this scholar committed adultery with his secretary, and he later on committed suicide. Therefore, like all of you, I also need to fight against sin and temptation.
This happens to politicians, school teachers,
And verse 16, James tells us not to be deceived. Don’t be tricked by temptation. Don’t think that God is tempting you to sin.
Conclusion
So, what’s the solution to our temptations? Well, you would have to come back next Sunday school to learn the answer. But for now, understand that temptation and sin are dangerous. It can lead you to eternal damnation for eternity. My hope is that this lesson would serve as a warning to you, a reminder to you, and to give you a deeper understanding of the danger of sin and temptation. Unless you repent of your sins and trust Christ for salvation, you are heading towards destruction, death, and hell. If you call yourself a Christian, and you have a pattern of continual and habitual sin, then you need to examine yourself and see whether if you are truly a Christian. If you are a follower of Jesus, and you have been fighting against, but you are feeling tired and maybe there are times when you did stumble, then believe in the promise of .
3. The Solution To Temptations (v.17-18)
3. The Solution To Temptations (v.17-18)
We need to be in a closer relationship with God. (v.17)
Instead of falling into temptation and instead of thinking that God is the tempter, we need to have a right perspective of the God of the Bible.
God does not give us temptation. Sin and temptation are not gifts from above. Rather, the gift is referring to the wisdom that comes from above. When you are facing temptation, you can always go back to verse 5 and ask God for wisdom…because wisdom is the gift from above.
But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.
James is reminding the Jewish Christians that God grants wisdom to His people to discern the will of God in the midsts of trials, and even in the midsts of being tempted by our own desire. We need God’s wisdom, not our own wisdom and desires.
And there are two truths that we can learn about God:
First, God is the Father of lights. The word lights simply means heavenly lights. It means that God is the creator of the starry universe, such as the sun, moon, and stars.
Second, with God, there is no variation or shadow due to change. James is making a point here in comparison to the universe that God created. Just as the starry universe is constantly moving, God does not move or change like the sun, moon, and stars do.
The point is that God does tests and refines us through trials, but God never switches from doing good to doing evil. He never changes from being Holy to unholy.
Again, God has the single intention to give wisdom to His children when we ask Him in faith. Our God never changes, and He will give generously. We need to be close to Him. We need to know Him better Never forget that you can always come to God as the solution to temptations. We need to avoid blaming God for the temptation that we experience in our daily lives.
We need remember how God saved us (v.18)
How did God save you?
There are four lessons from this verse:
1. God saved you by His own will.
Salvation is not accomplished ultimately by your choice, but salvation is God’s choice. You did not save yourself; it’s God who saves you.
2. God saved you by giving you a new birth.
James uses the phrase “he brought us forth.” That phrase carries the idea of the new birth. The concept of the new birth is found .
Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
The new birth means that a person experiences spiritual transformation only and solely by the work of the Holy Spirit. This spiritual transformation brings the person from being spiritually dead to becoming spiritually alive.
3. God saved you by the word of truth - the gospel.
3. God saved you by the word of truth - the gospel.
How God gives you is through the word of truth, the message of the gospel.
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.
4. God saved you to be His new creation.
Ideas:
Don’t blame God.
Don’t blame the environment or those around you.
Don’t even blame Satan.
The blame rests on you. Take responsibility of your own action: repent.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Temptation is present and wanting to lure you. And the word, “lure,” means to have a change of beliefs so that your beliefs would align with someone else’s beliefs. Perhaps after the youth retreat, you came out wanting to follow Jesus and have the desire to honour Him. But, perhaps in the past 6 months, you might have fallen into temptations, and your love for God is disappearing. Your mind has changed since the last six months. Well, what happened?
And not only, you are sinners born with sin.
And unless you repent of your sins and trust Christ for salvation, you are heading towards destruction, death, and hell.
To triumph through trials, youmust triumph over temptations.
And unless you repent of your sins and trust Christ for salvation, you are heading towards destruction, death, and hell.
The Source of Temptations
Since God gave you a new birth through the gospel by His own will, you are firstfruit of his creatures. You are His new creation.
Remember Adam and Eve? When they sinned, they did not immediately take responsibility for their own actions. Rather, Adam blamed God for giving him Eve, which in a sense indirectly blames Eve. Eve then blames the serpent.
Before we turn to the letter of James, I want us to read as a way to begin the lesson. If you’re not familiar with the Bible, took place after God created the world in six days and rested on the 7th day. After God created Adam from the dust, He placed him in the place called the Garden of Eden. God told Him that he can eat of every tree in the garden, but there was one tree known as the tree of the knowledge of good and evil that he shall not eat, because if he eats it then he shall surely die.
After God created Eve from Adam’s rib, and after they’re married, a serpent, who was Satan, came and tempted Eve. So, let’s read . READ.
What happened to Adam and Eve is not uncommon. Eve was tempted by Satan to sin. Eve was tempted by her own desire to eat the fruit, and she shared it with Adam. After they sinned, God spoke to Adam. Notice that after Adam fell into temptation, He blames God for giving him Eve because she was the one who tempted him to eat the fruit.
As teenagers, it is easy for you to be influence by the world. You will be tempted to commit sexual immorality, watch pornography, taking drugs and hurting your bodies, compare your image to another person, and other things. In summary, you may be tempted to do whatever your heart and desire tells you. And the world is telling you to follow your heart and pursue your desires. But, Paul instructs Timothy:
So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?
These two verses in the Bible teach us to NOT trust our feelings, don’t always follow whatever your heart tells you, and don’t pursue whatever your desire tells you. Because, your feelings, heart, and desires may trick you, deceive you, and tempt you to commit sin.
There is no reason why one of God’s new creation has to yield to temptation. He must learn to resist its deadly force, or he can never grow into the spiritual maturity God desires of His children of light.
J. Ronald Blue, “James,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 822.