Believer Beware

Good things come to those with faith!

James 1:12 CSB

Blessed is the one who endures trials, because when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.

Backing up just a bit to last week’s message, remember that good things come to those who remain faithful even when trials come.

The faithful will receive the crown of life.

First, the crown wouldn’t be some gem-studdded headpiece worn by kings and queens. Instead, James is talking about the wreath that you would think of when you think of the original olympics. So, it’s a picture of victory.

The crown of life is not an earthly reward. James is describing eternal life.

Most anyone can sprint, but not everyone can run a marathon. Marathons require endurance and a certain mental toughness. The Christian life is a marathon, not a sprint, filled with difficult, but worth it in the end.

Should we go with our gut and follow our heart?

James 1:13–15 CSB

No one undergoing a trial should say, “I am being tempted by God,” since God is not tempted by evil, and he himself doesn’t tempt anyone. But each person is tempted when he is drawn away and enticed by his own evil desire. Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully grown, it gives birth to death.

God cannot be tempted to do evil and will not tempt anyone else to do evil.

God allows us to be tempted, this is true. However, we should never believe that God Himself is cruelly tempting us.

Since God does not tempt us TO sin, we can turn to Him when we are tempted to sin.

James knows people are great at shifting blame.

Can you imagine the twisted picture of God believers would give to the world if we believed that God is the One purposefully putting obstacles in our path to make us fall? God DOES NOT want us to fail, and actually gives us the WISDOM we need to endure temptation (see James 1:5).

Temptation is an impulse to sin, and God is not prone to any evil desire.

God’s character is what’s at stake, and since He cannot be tempted to sin, we can be sure that He won’t tempt anyone to sin.

Temptation comes from our own hearts.

We are utterly sinful.

We might expect James to blame the devil for sin, but he doesn’t. Instead, James says it’s our fault.

Tripping my sister and saying, “The Devil made me do it.”

We are responsible for our sin.

Paul said in Romans 7:18a “For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh (NASB). We are guilty of trying to shift blame for our sin, but we have to remember that naturally, we are rebellious toward God. In a world always trying to shift the blame, never willing to own their mistakes, James says sin is ultimately our fault. We can’t blame family or friends or our upbringing and home life. Those things do create struggles, but ultimately it’s our sinful nature that’s to blame.

Sin takes us down a dark rabbit hole.

James’ illustration is the grisly picture of a dead child.

The desire in verse 14 is not sin. It only becomes sin when a person gives in to the enticement.

The opposite of the crown of life is death.

God gives the good things!

James 1:16–18 CSB

Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. By his own choice, he gave us birth by the word of truth so that we would be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

We must be careful about how we talk about God — He gives what is good, not bad.

God is good, and everything He does is good.

His greatest gift is the gospel.

While death comes by sin, life is given by God. Here, the “word of truth” is quite different from the deceptive words of temptation that promise to make us happy but never can make good on what it claims.

How does life come by His word? It happens first when we the gospel is preached and second when the Word causes us to “bear fruit.”