Temptations

James  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  32:51
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Today we are talking about Temptations, not the singing group.

Historical/Cultural Context -

The book of James was written by the half-brother of Jesus. The Son of Joseph and Mary. Written in the early 40s. He wrote to primarily Jews who were Christians, as at this time it was so early in the spread of Christianity that it had not been widely adopted by non-jews, also known as Gentiles. James encouraged his readers to live consistent Christian lives in the midst of persecution for their faith in Christ.
He says he writes to the “12 tribes in dispersion” which is likely due to the fact that Christians in and around Jerusalem were being persecuted for their faith in Jesus and were being driven out of the area and were settling in farther and farther regions.

Biblical Text -

James 1:9–18 NKJV
Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation, but the rich in his humiliation, because as a flower of the field he will pass away. For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits. Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.

-[Prayer]-

Life Principle -

Life Point- Temptation Must Be Endured

Exegetical -

James 1:9–12 NKJV
Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation, but the rich in his humiliation, because as a flower of the field he will pass away. For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits. Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.

Homiletical -

Last week we studied about trials. This week we are looking at temptations.
James continues his thoughts from trials and brings up temptations with this little section tucked in between
James 1:9–11 NKJV
Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation, but the rich in his humiliation, because as a flower of the field he will pass away. For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits.
This section is to show that trials and temptations come to us all. From our trials in this life we may be financially poor, or we may be financially rich.
The temptation for the poor is to lament in their circumstances, while the temptation for the rich is to trust in their circumstances.
Both of these are wrong in the face of a super natural God. Why?
Because in the face of eternity, what is temporary circumstances? It is nothing. It means nothing.
The poor should glory in his exaltation. His sins have been forgiven. We have access that no one since the fall of mankind has ever had. That is to have fellowship, communion, friendship and worship directly with God.
1 John 1:3 NKJV
that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.
John 14:23 NKJV
Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.
Matthew 27:50–51 NKJV
And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split,
This splitting of the curtain in the temple was of massive significance and indeed is to this day.
This was no Walmart brand curtain. This was no flimsy curtain that someone would hang around a window.
The veil that is referred to here was thick and heavy. it would not have been easy to move, there is no way this thing would flutter in the breeze.
It stretched from wall to wall as you were going into the Holy of Holies before God.
This is where God was said to dwell, and nothing unholy could come before Him. As a matter of fact it is said that when the High priest went in to make sacrifice for the people once a year, he would wear bells on his robes and a rope around his ankles. If the people didn’t hear the bells for a long period of time. They would know that he entered unclean and had been struck dead before a Holy God.
The rope was there to pull his body out of the Holy Holies if that were to happen.
So you see, this curtain had to be absolutely heavy, thick and nowhere near able to be torn. Otherwise the people run the risk of God’s glory spilling out and killing them because of their sin.
When Jesus died, the veil was literally torn in two from top to bottom. This signified that there no longer need be a mediator between God and man, because of Jesus’ sacrifice on that cross and the work that was finished.
To die once and for all time to make us, not just ceremonially clean, but truly clean for all time. Through the sacrifice of one, many are made clean.
Romans 5:18–21 NKJV
Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous. Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Hebrews 4:14–16 NKJV
Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Seeing what was at stake, for Paul to be so certain that we can come to God directly, through the son, is absolute shock and awe.
Yet we take this privilege for granted. We flippantly talk to God, and forgot about His majesty and awe.
Nor should the rich man put his faith in this world’s economic system or be tempted by wealth. To be boastful in his riches. To be prideful or arrogant.
Or like we used to say growing up. “To be snooty.” “To be a stuck up snob.” As it were.
Look at what James says. Verse 11
James 1:11 NKJV
For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits.
Just as quickly as riches come, so they can go. How many people during the .com surge lost everything they had in tech startups. How many people went bankrupt during the housing boom. Many. Many people went from being really wealthy to paupers.
Many people lost their retirements in these fiascos.
Many people had to start all over again. They had a salary of $25,000 -$50,000 and put what little they could afford in the stock market and quadrupled their money, only to lose it all.
During the housing burst my neighbor bought a new house for his land because he was contractor and making really good money. Only when it burst he had no work, couldn’t pay his mortgage and lost everything. He had a paid off mobile home, the housing bubble started and he started making money. Then, just as quickly he lost it all. He told before he moved he wished he had never taken that mobile home off of his property. It was paid off, now he had to move.
Riches come, and riches go. I hope that I can be as Paul.
Philippians 4:11–13 NKJV
Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
The temptation for the poor man is to look at his current circumstances and wallow in negativity.
The temptation for the rich man is to look at his current circumstances and wallow in his great gain.
The sin here is to look at the temporary and not to the eternal for the circumstances that await the Christian.
James 1:12 NKJV
Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.

Life Point - Temptations Do Not Come From God

Exegetical -

James 1:13–15 NKJV
Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.

Homiletical -

James has set the stage for the general realities of temptation and that it affects poor, rich and everything in-between.
Now he goes on to enlighten us about where temptations come from.
While trials can come from God and not generally in our control, temptations come from another source.
While trials are an exterior force, our response to them comes from the inside. How we behave and react to things is our morality being proven.
For example, you can lose everything you own. Your temptation may be to blame God, become bitter, react badly and generally lead to sin.
Even Adam in the book of Genesis fell to temptation when he blamed God for his own disobedience.
Genesis 3:9–12 NKJV
Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?” So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.” And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?” Then the man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.”
Well you see God, YOU gave me this woman, and she did this thing. So really it is your fault God, because if you had not made this woman none of this would have ever happened.
James makes it clear here that our natural bent toward sin, also called iniquity, is what makes temptation possible.
God cannot be tempted because nothing evil resides in him. He cannot sin. Therefore He does not tempt anyone.
Look at verse 14 & 15 again.
James 1:14–15 NKJV
But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.
desire is conceived in the mind. Jesus taught on the same concept when dealing with lust.
Matthew 5:27–28 NKJV
“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
The thought when dwelled upon, whatever the temptation may be, will move you to commit the sin. Sin brings forth death.
No, not necessarily, literal death. But death of relationships, life, belief etc.
For example, a man who lusts after a woman, or vice versa, will play that out in their mind, and it could lead the person to act on it. If adultery happens, eventually the spouse will find out about it and then there will be death of the marriage relationship and all the hurt that goes along with it.
Proverbs 14:12 NKJV
There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.

Life Point - Every Good & Perfect Gift Comes From God

Exegetical -

James 1:16–18 NKJV
Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.

Homiletical -

God is not the giver of evil. Evil does not come from Him.
This is a wonderful passage that has sound teaching in it.
God gives good gifts.
He is called the Father of lights.
This goes back to the Old Testament. Where the phrase “The Most High God” comes up a lot. You see it was believed that if a nation overtook another nation it was because their gods were more powerful than the conquered nations gods. You have all these nations around Israel that were polytheistic, meaning they believed in many gods.
So no matter what happened to Israel, whether they were conquered or not, They believed in one God. They would say that their God is above all other gods, because they aren’t really gods.
Every Israelite would know what is called the Shema, which is Deut. 6:4.
Deuteronomy 6:4 NKJV
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one!
The stars in the sky were believed to be gods by the peoples around them. These gods were petty and cruel. They had a hidden motive, or would try to trick mankind.
One god in the land was call Baal and His statue was a 30ft. statue made of metal that they would heat up until it glowed. Then, families would bring their new born babies and place them in this statues hands and literally watch them cook to death.
This was done, so they believed, because Baal controlled the weather. So they would sacrifice their children’s lives for rain, so that they might live.
In contrast to that ridiculous thought, Israel stood apart from that and James says here that our God is the Most High God. He is the father of lights; and unlike these other idols that are worshipped around us our God is pure, Holy, and is not petty and has no shadow of turning, no variation.
God has revealed Himself, His character in the Bible. Jesus said:
John 14:9 NKJV
Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
Malachi 3:6 NKJV
“For I am the Lord, I do not change; Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.
Numbers 23:19 NKJV
“God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?
Isaiah 40:8 NKJV
The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.”
Hebrews 13:8 NKJV
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
God will not change. What He promised He will do. It may not be in our time, or they way we thought, but His promises will happen.
Why?
Because He does not lie, and there is none greater than He is. All good things come from God.
The most good thing He ever did was die for our sins. God the Son, Jesus died for my sin, and your sin. That is the best gift that comes from the Father. He chose us and because of this nothing can take us out of His Hand.
Romans 8:38–39 NKJV
For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Life Principle

Call to Action – altar call….

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