SPRINGCREEK FELLOWSHIP
Sunday, March 20, 2022
- All My Ways
Psalms 18.1-3CSB
- Goodness Of God
- Well Done
- Before The Throne Of God Above
- James 1:12-18Last week we learned that trials come from God to help us grow!This morning we will discover that temptation comes from Satan to cause us to sin!When we fall into trials we are to count it all joy, but temptations are to be renounced & abandoned!God tests us to bring out the good! Satan tempts us to bring out the bad!As one writer put it, "The Christian has the external world, the internal flesh, and the infernal devil to deal with every day; however, it is the devil who tempts to evil!
Matthew 4:3 CSB Then the tempter approached him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”1 Thessalonians 3:5 CSB For this reason, when I could no longer stand it, I also sent him to find out about your faith, fearing that the tempter had tempted you and that our labor might be for nothing.While trials & temptations are different experiences, they do have this in common--without proper preparation, the believer can be VICTIMIZED!NOTHING tests the integrity of our faith like our response to temptation!Knowing the enticements his scattered Christian friends were facing, James offered five principles for overcoming temptation:I. ACKNOWLEDGE THE REALITY OF TEMPTATION – (1:13)(v.13a) – “...when”The story is told of a young priest who was serving in the confessional booth for the first time and was being watched over by an older priest. At the end of the day, the older priest took the young man aside and said, "When a person finishes confession, you have got to say something other than "Wow!"Temptation is inevitable--NO ONE ESCAPES IT! IN FACT, the more we grow toward the Lord, the more we are tempted!Lest you be discouraged, remember that all the great men & women of God were subject to temptation!Charles Ryrie catalogs a list of biblical people who were involved with temptation:Remember Noah's drunkenness? Or Abraham's cowardice and lying before a heathen ruler? Or Moses' self-exaltation which made him strike the rock and kept him out of the Promised Land? Or Jacob's stratagems? Or the Patriarchs' mistreatment of Joseph? Or Elijah's murmuring? Or David's double sin? Or Jonah's rebellious spirit? Or Peter's denial of his Lord? Or John Mark's defection? Or Paul & Barnabas's strife? Some of the noblest men of the Bible have not only experienced temptation but have yielded to its power.Oswald Chambers rescues the concept of temptation from its totally negative environment when he writes these words:The word temptation has come to mean something bad to us today, but we tend to use the word in the wrong way. Temptation itself is not sin; it is something we are bound to face simply by virtue of being human. Not to be tempted would mean that we were already so shameful that we would be beneath contempt...Temptation is not something that we can escape; in fact it is essential to the well-rounded life of a person. Beware of thinking that you are tempted as no one else--what you go through is the common inheritance of the human race, not something that no one has ever endured. God does not save us from temptations--He sustains us in the midst of them!All of these writers make the same point: Unless we acknowledge the REALITY of temptation, we have programmed our spiritual lives for failure! However, if we rely on the Lord, we have a path to victory!(1 Corinthians 10:13) (Hebrews 2:18; 4:15-16)1 Corinthians 10:13 CSB No temptation has come upon you except what is common to humanity. But God is faithful; he will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to bear it.Hebrews 2:18 CSB For since he himself has suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are tempted.Hebrews 4:15–16 CSB For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin. Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need.II. ASSUME THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR TEMPTATION – (1:13)Will Rogers said that there are two great movements in the history of America. The first is the passing of the buffalo, and the second is the passing of the buck!The first person to blame God for temptation was Adam!Genesis 3:12 CSB The man replied, “The woman you gave to be with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate.”Today we carry on the tradition of our first parents in a subtle way. We say, "It must be God's will, or He would not let this happen," or "God has allowed me to be in this situation...He could have stopped it if He wanted to!"James will have NONE of our excuses – (v.13)!God may test you to strengthen your faith, but He NEVER tempts you to subvert your faith!III. ANTICIPATE THE ROUTINE OF TEMPTATION – (1:14-16)"If God is not responsible for temptation, then who is?"James clearly answers that question in (vv.14-16)Besides declaring each person responsible for his own temptation, James is careful to point out that temptation is not an event, but a PROCESS!Donald Witney – People don't lead moral lives one day and have an affair the next. It may appear that way, but it is a process. The process is often overlooked because some stages are not obvious to us, the viewer, and thus they are difficult to detect. That's why it seems to happen overnight.Any of us could be in the process right now. None of us are immune. The earlier danger signals can be detected and responded to, the easier it is to change direction.(2 Corinthians 2:11) – “…for we are not ignorant of his designs.”2 Corinthians 2:11 CSB so that we may not be taken advantage of by Satan. For we are not ignorant of his schemes.If we don't want Satan to take advantage of us, it is vital that we understand the process of temptation!STEP ONE: You Are ENTICED – (v.14)Desires are all right if they are in proper place and in control!Satan wants to take routine desires and turn them into runaway desires!Obsessions with good things create bad things!We RESPOND to temptation from within our own hearts – (Mark 7:20-23)Mark 7:20–23 CSB And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of people’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immoralities, thefts, murders, adulteries, greed, evil actions, deceit, self-indulgence, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a person.”The two terms that James uses here come from the world of the outdoorsman:· “…drawn away” lit., "being drawn away."· “…and enticed” belongs to the world of the fisherman and means "lured by the bait."These words portray something being lured and caught, and Satan knows how to use the right bait for each one of us!(v.16) - James describes this process as being "…deceived!"STEP TWO: You EMBRACE TEMPTATION – (v.15a)The illustration that James uses in (v.15) is of a pregnant woman!As we will soon see, sin is the union of the will with lust, or desire!Just as at human conception a process is initiated that will result in the birth of a child (after a prescribed period of time), SO when temptation is coddled, it too has an inevitable outcome!James declares that the child born to temptation is SIN!Folks, don’t be fooled/deceived: indulging temptation brings about an inevitable result!STEP THREE: You Become ENSLAVED – (v.15b)When you overcome temptation, you receive the crown of life; when you give in to temptation, you receive death!Romans 8:13 CSB because if you live according to the flesh, you are going to die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.You can choose how you want to live. You are free to choose the actions, but not the RESULTS!You are free to have your kicks, but not to avoid the kickbacks! You are free to make choices, but not to avoid the consequences!"How do we avoid this DECEPTION (v.16)?"IV. ACTIVATE THE REPLACEMENT OF TEMPTATION! (1:17)(v.17) is pivotal in this whole discussion!Up to this point we've been concentrating on the evil of temptation. NOW James turns the page to the goodness of God!There are TWO words (nouns) used for “gift”: “…πᾶσα δόσις ἀγαθὴ καὶ πᾶν δώρημα τέλειον”– (‘every act of giving good and every gift perfect’), with dosis indicating God’s continual giving and dorema referring to the final gift of eternal life.In contrast to the evil enticements that come from within us, all good gifts are from God who is over us and all perfect gifts come down to us in a steady stream from the Father of Lights!KEY - (Romans 13:14)Romans 13:14 CSB But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh to gratify its desires.The way to deal with temptation is NOT to grit out teeth and make up our minds that we will not do a certain thing. The KEY is to fill our minds with other things!Instead of resisting, refocus! The more you fight a feeling, the more it grabs you! What you RESIST tends to PERSIST!Since temptation begins with your inner thoughts, changing your inner thoughts is the key to victory!(Colossians 3:1-11)V. ACCEPT THE REASON FOR YOUR TEMPTATION! (1:18)James reminds us that we experience temptation because of who we are!In (v.15) he says that sin gave birth to death.In (v.18) he states that God gave us birth through the Word of truth--SPIRITUAL BIRTH!John 1:12–13 CSB But to all who did receive him, he gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in his name, who were born, not of natural descent, or of the will of the flesh, or of the will of man, but of God.When James uses the word "firstfruits"to describe his believing friends, he is reminding them that they belong exclusively to God! It is BECAUSE we are God's special people that we are targets of the enemy!“God does not cause temptation; he engenders life.” – Kurt Richardson Matthew 4:3CSB
1 Thessalonians 3:5CSB
1 Corinthians 10:13CSB
Hebrews 2:18CSB
Hebrews 4:15–16CSB
Genesis 3:12CSB
2 Corinthians 2:11CSB
Mark 7:20–23CSB
Romans 8:13CSB
Romans 13:14CSB
John 1:12–13CSB
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