GOD TEMPTS NO MAN
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Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
When does normal desire become sin?
How is sin conceived?
How can you avoid crossing over from normal desire into the realm of sin?
What does sin always cause?
What does “spiritual death” mean?
Quit blaming God
Quit blaming the devil for everything
Blame mans former nature of man....
TEMPTATION IS NOT OF THE NATURE OF GOD
TEMPTATION IS NOT OF THE NATURE OF GOD
Three important points about God and temptation.
1. God is good and perfect.
He would not be God if He were not good and perfect.
When we say God, we mean the Supreme and Majestic Being of the universe, the Being who is the Creator, the Being who is good and perfect—who is the Source of all good and perfect gifts.
Being good and perfect, God can have absolutely nothing to do with temptation and sin.
Therefore, He is not the One who tempts man.
God is the One who gives man every good and perfect gift that man receives.
As for God, his way is perfect:
The word of the Lord is tried:
He is a buckler to all those that trust in him.
2. God is the Father of lights and He is unchangeable.
Temptation leads men into darkness, into the darkness of guilt and shame, of personal disappointment and accusation, of hurting and damaging others, of destruction and death, of secrecy and hidden affairs, of the night and closed doors, of hidden and secret acts.
It is temptation that leads men into such a world of darkness, not God.
God is the Father of lights, the Creator of the sun, moon, and stars and of light itself.
God is unchangeable.
He always gives us the things that will stand in the light, things...
that give us joy.
that are good for us.
that do not shame us.
that can build us up and perfect and mature us.
that give us assurance and confidence.
that make us secure. that bring us love and joy and peace.
that will open up the light of truth.
that will take us out of darkness.
that are good and perfect
that show forth Christ and God.
3. God wills to see us born again.
He wills for us to know the Word of truth.
If we ever hear the word of error, it is not of God.
All thinking which does not first acknowledge God, or any false teaching about truth is not of God.
It is of some other source, some source that is out to tempt man away from God and His truth.
God wants man to be born again.
Man has been physically born—every man—and the way of physical birth is death.
Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
Every human person will die.
But God’s will is what the Word of truth proclaims: that man can be born again.
He can experience a spiritual rebirth and live forever with God in the new heavens and earth.
We can all become one of His new creatures, a new person who is going to be perfected and live forever and ever.
We can all be like the first fruits of the vine, a new fruit, a new creature that is unlike the physical creature that we are upon this material earth.
We can be made into one of God’s new creatures—made into a perfect being who will live forever to worship and serve God in the new heavens and earth.
But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.
The Preparations Necessary to Withstand Trials and Temptation
Preparation - the action or process of making ready or being made ready for use or consideration.
Memory Verse:
But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
1. preparation one—be quick to hear the Word of God
The thrust of these three verses is seen in v. 21
Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.
: receiving the Word so that a person's soul will be saved.
The greatest temptation in the world is for a person to walk through life doing what he wants and pleases, and thereby ignoring, neglecting, and rejecting God.
The result is death (Jas. 1:15).
Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
Therefore, if a person is to be saved—if he is to be delivered from the great temptation that will doom his soul—he must prepare himself.
He must be quick to hear the Word of God.
How can a person make sure that he hears the Word of God?
Make sure that he can receive the Word and save his soul?
This passage says that he has to do five things.
1. He must be slow to speak.
This means that a person must be willing to listen instead of speaking his own ideas about right and wrong and about how a person is saved.
He must be willing to listen to God's Word instead of insisting upon what he thinks.
2. He must be slow to wrath or anger.
This means at least two things.
1. A person must not react against what God says about temptation and sin nor about what God says about salvation.
If a person reacts against God's plan of salvation and follows his own plan, he is dooming himself.
No person can ever be saved or conquer temptation if he reacts in anger against God's Word of salvation and righteousness.
2. A person must not become angry and act against others in wrath.
Anger and wrath disturb and distract.
An angry person cannot focus his thoughts and spirits upon God's Word, not enough to hear what the Word is saying.
An angry person just cannot do what God says; he cannot live righteously nor receive the righteousness of God's salvation.
For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.
3. He must put aside all filthiness.
The picture is that of taking off a dirty garment and putting it aside.
A person must put off every dirty thing and lay it off to the side away from himself.
If he enjoys the dirt and filth, then his mind will not be clear, not enough to hear the Word of God.
William Barclay makes the point that the word for "filthiness" is sometimes used to refer to wax in the ear.
The picture is descriptive: a person with wax in the ear cannot hear the Word of God, not clearly. Therefore, he must take the wax out of his ear and put it away or else he will be deaf to the Word of God.
4. He must put aside all that remains of naughtiness, wickedness, and evil.
The idea is this: even after putting aside all filthiness, there will still be some naughtiness or wickedness that will show up within us.
Therefore, we must be alert to these uprisings and put them off and lay them aside as well.
5. We must receive the Word of God with meekness.
We must be as a child before God our Father, that is, sit before Him meekly just as a child does his father.
The idea is that we must be humble, gentle, quite, and attentive in listening to the Word of God.
Note the word "engrafted." It means to implant; to be born within. When a person listens and hears the Word of God, it is planted within his heart and life.
What God says is actually born within his heart, and the person hears exactly what God says.
The Word of God is born within his heart and life and the person's soul is saved.
He conquers and triumphs over all temptation, including the terrible temptation of rejecting God and living like he wants.
He is saved to live eternally with God.
The first preparation a person must make to withstand temptation is to be quick to hear the Word of God.
But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.
ILLUSTRATION:
We must allow God to test our hearts.
We must not only let His Word stir us inside but also let it come alive within us, search us, change us.
Jesus described this vital fact with the picture of the Sower and the seed.
Consider the important teaching concerning the seed of the Word of God in the following quote:
The heart, that is so prone to be deceitful, must first be dealt with. The good seed is only fruitful in a "good and honest heart"