"Can't Stop the Feeling? Yes, You Can."
James • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 57:56
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· 221 viewsWe end the testimony series until the Fall with Bruce Gridley. What a powerful testimony of what Jesus can do beyond any circumstance in life! Afterwards Pastor Chase brings a message from James 1:13-18 regarding fighting temptations and fishing. Yes, fishing... just listen ;)
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“Can’t Stop the Feeling? Yes, You Can.”
“Can’t Stop the Feeling? Yes, You Can.”
Yes, I did get the sermon title from a Justin Timberlake song!
And yes, I may have rocked out to this song like many of you in my car!
But I can’t help but correlate this song with where we are in chapter 1 of the book of James.
James begins to describe this dance, so to speak that we do with trials and temptation that can lead to sin and death.
Like the song “Can’t Stop the Feeling”, we often times just push off the desire that we have for sin as a feeling, and that we can’t kick it, because we say it’s “just who we are”.
However, James makes it pretty clear that... if you’re a believer, you have some tools at your disposal and you CAN stop that feeling- that causes us to act on desire and lead to sin, and as he describes ultimately death.
So now let’s pick up where Josh left off from last week.
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.
Verse 12 is the verse that connects 2-11 and 13-18.
James doesn’t drop the subject of trials to talk about temptation.
Instead, James wants his readers to understand that we must resist the temptation that comes with the trials.
Every trial begins with a temptation.
Let’s Pray
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.
Often in our lives, financial problems can tempt us to question God’s will in our lives; the death of a loved one can cause us to question God’s love for us; when watching the poor suffer and the rich get richer can make us angry and even question God’s justice and existence at all.
But hey, it’s in our nature to blame others.
Look no further than the beginning:
And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”
The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”
We make excuses, it’s technically in our blood!
But the real answer is that, God can not tempt anyone.
It’s impossible because it’s not in His character.
First temptation of sin didn’t start with God.
Holiness started with God.
Holiness means to be set apart from evil.
Holiness means you don’t have the ability to be affected by evil nor the ability to cause evil.
And if God is the standard of holiness, which He is, then He can’t be tempted or tempt anyone.
Do a simple google search on “verses about God’s holiness” and it will be overwhelming how many that come up.
Let’s just take one:
I am the Lord, your Holy One,
Israel’s Creator, your King.”
God is holy and we must understand this to understand that God can not tempt anyone.
The question, “is God tempting me?” needs to leave our mind and James explains next why.
but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed.
The apostle Paul describes this struggle in a confusing but to the point way.
READ ROMANS 7:14-25
The word that James uses in verse 14, dragged away, is actually a fishing term.
Picture this:
You’re a fish.
It’s a beautiful day, everything’s going your way, and then off in the distance you spot this really shiny thing.
I mean who can resist at least going to check out this bright shiny object, right?
You’re not going to entertain taking it, you just want to look, right?
Well as you get closer it becomes more apparent that you have to have this shiny object to feed your own cravings and obsession with shiny objects, or whatever.
So you weren’t going to take it, but you entertain the idea of having it, soon enough it’s in your hand.
But you didn’t intend to take it, right?
To be clear; the lure is not sin, taking the bait is.
See where James is painting the picture for his audience?
READ THE QUOTE FROM BOENHOFFER IN SWINDOLL’S BOOK (PAGES 35-36)
So what we’ve learned so far is that God is holy and can’t tempt anyone and that James does not drop the subject of trials but continues talking about temptation.
So, this leaves us to ask the question: What is the difference between a trial and temptation?
A trial is an outward circumstance that can pose difficulties to our faith.
A temptation is the inner enticement of sin.
James is making sure that his readers understand that his readers should not confuse the two. and attribute temptation to God.
Temptation is always present and no one is exempt from experiencing it.
Even Jesus was lead into the wilderness and Satan tried multiple times to tempt Him.
Now.
What we do know is that God DOES test His people or put them through trials like Genesis 22:1
Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he replied.
But God doesn’t tempt His people as verse 13 explains.
He doesn’t entice people, he’s not up there with a fishing pole and a shiny lure.
He has no desire for people to sin or desire that they fail.
In fact 1 Corinthians 10:13 is proof of this.
No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.
If anything, God helps us with a way out of temptation!
So to sum verse 13-14 up we could say:
When there is an attractive lure mixed with our inward desire, it leads to disaster.
This disaster is spelled out in verse 15.
Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
When we let temptation stick around, we eventually sin.
When sin continues to happen in our life, without repentance to God (which is asking for forgiveness from that sin and turning away from it) it results to death.
But here’s the interesting thing.
James is not talking about a spiritual or physical kind of death.
According to Jewish tradition, death was seen more as a trajectory than destruction.
To them, to be dead was often meaning a poor quality of life.
See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction.
In the way of righteousness there is life;
along that path is immortality.
The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life,
turning a person from the snares of death.
Jewish Christians saw people either walking in the path of life, which is walking with Christ by the Spirit) or the path of death (walking apart from Christ in the flesh).
Walking in the flesh would be the opposite of John 10:10 where is says...
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
In this kind of death, the sinner can’t live out true life in the Spirit.
In fact, it is impossible.
Life by the Spirit would be Galatians 5:22-23.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
So, basically what James is saying to us is that those who walk in death, have no spiritual vitality.
They are dead to Christ and dead in sin.
Rather it should be as Paul describes in Romans 6:11-12.
In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.
This is the kind of death that James refers to in verse 15.
We might ask the question; if James later mentions Satan in 4:7, why doesn’t he mention Satan at all in this section on temptation?
Do you know why?
Because James is making the point that sin is connected and committed by an individuals choice, regardless of whether Satan is tempting you.
If sin happens in our life, it is because we’ve allowed it.
We are responsible.
It starts as temptation, then moves into sin as we take part in it and eventually grows into death.
It’s like a cancer or disease that eats away at us.
Have you ever experienced being in this kind of sin?
And then you’ve experienced walking by the Spirit in Christ?
James moves from verse 15 into what becomes and endearment to his audience.
He is literally concerned for them.
He says:
Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters.
He cares for these people.
James 13-15 and verses 17-18 is connected by verse 16.
He appeals to their minds.
See temptation thrives on inconsistent thinking.
Someone who is not in God’s Word is easily led astray.
James is basically saying not to let your thoughts stray from the truth toward deception.
The process of temptation starts in the mind and works to the heart.
We as believers, must force ourselves to face facts, apply truth and review the consequences of our desires before they happen.
If our philosophy in life is; it’s easier to ask for forgiveness than permission, you may want to check your heart.
Because in that way of thinking and living your life, there isn’t much room for walking in the Spirit.
He truly wants his fellow believers to not be led astray and so he continues saying:
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.
How many of you grew up with getting the big gift last?
I’m talking about when your parents are like, but wait… “mommy, isn’t there one more gift we’re forgetting?”...
And it’s usually hidden way behind the tree or in a closet?
You know what I’m talking about, if you don’t James puts it this way:
There are good gifts and then there are perfect gifts.
They both come from God, who is the “Father of the heavenly lights”.
What does this mean?
And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.
God created light.
He is light.
These are fundamental truths yet we often separate them when we encounter or fall into temptation.
In Greek manuscripts, most scholars agree that James, when he says “who does not change like shifting shadows”, he is alluding to the variation and movements or “shadows of turning” of them moon, planets and stars and acknowledging that they change but God does not.
What song does this remind us of? (SING)
“Great is Thy faithfulness
O God my Father
There is no shadow of turning with Thee”
Verses 17-18 bring us back to the theme of the singleness and integrity of God, especially in His giving.
The theme in these verses provides a contrast to verses 13-15 in that God doesn’t tempt anyone to evil, instead gives good gifts.
They are also a transitional statement which goes into his next section on the “word” (of God) in verses 19-27.
Now let’s look at verse 18 as we come to a close.
He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.
Jewish people in the Old testament thought of themselves as God’s firstfruits which were the best of His creation.
Israel was holy to the Lord,
the firstfruits of his harvest;
all who devoured her were held guilty,
and disaster overtook them,’ ”
declares the Lord.
The Jewish people are not wrong and thankfully for us Jesus came and radically changed everything!
All who believe in Christ are now part of His family.
Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies.
We are not only are part of His family, but we are considered his firstfruits as we remain steadfast.
We are also part of God’s new creation on earth.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
Believers are a sign among humanity and God’s desire to bring order back to a chaotic world.
This “word” of truth that James is referring to is infact the gospel of Jesus Christ.
It’s the same “word” that he mentions can save you in...
Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.
So the ultimate or perfect gift that James mentions is in fact the gift of salvation.
I love this quote from the Pillar Commentary,
“God’s grace has been extended through the gospel to people so as to bring into existence a foretaste, or down payment (Firstfruits), of redemptive plan that will eventually encompass all of creation.”
This “word” of truth, this gospel of Jesus Christ is alive today, it is just as true today.
No matter where you are in your sin, you can give it up and give it to the Lord today.
There is a way to salvation and it is only through the gospel message of Jesus Christ!
Here are 4 sources of victory that can help us as we live this life and encounter temptation.
1) Everything good comes from God.
This should remind us that we shouldn’t associate temptation or evil with Him.
2) He is the “Father of Heavenly Lights” and all of creation, and is completely holy.
3) God is light and dispels all of darkness.
No matter how dark situations seems in life, God offers lights and a way out.
4) God is unchanging.
This is especially important as we changed so much, He can not.
His character does not change.
His offer of salvation does not change.
Hallelujah!
The one (God), who creates things good and perfect is the One who “brought us forth by the word of truth”.
the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel
Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.
And think of it this way.
We are designed to be the “firstfruits”, not to be the fruit that’s rotting on the tree.
Sin really just gets in the way of accomplishing this.
Here’s 2 truths:
Victory comes from dwelling on the good!
Verse 17 and Philippians 4:8
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
It’s hard to produce evil when your heart and mind are consumed with wholesome thoughts that come from God’s Words.
Victory comes through living in the truth!
Verse 18 and Psalm 119:11
I have hidden your word in my heart
that I might not sin against you.
When we treasure God’s Word in our hearts and love and serve Him, it’s hard to have time for sin.
Here is a great quote that puts it in another way by an unknown author.
Sow a thought, you reap an act;
Sow an act, you reap a habit;
Sow a habit, you reap a character;
Sow a character, you reap a destiny.
-Author Unknown
So even though James doesn’t ask this, the only question we should asdk ourselves before going into verse 19 is,
“ What path are you on?”