Entragged Under Pressure Series

MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK SERIES

ENTRAGGED UNDER PRESSURE

JAMES 1:13-18

#JAMESatCCC

INTRODUCTION… MADE UP WORDS (http://www.jasperfforde.com/madeupwords.html) + Ian

Huggle (verb) A cross between hug and cuddle. Lasts slightly longer than a hug and is good when comforting mildly upset people.

Confrazzled (noun) The state of being simultaneously confused and at the end of one's wits

Hattitude (adjective) Having an attitude but with a hat on

Jobfusticate (verb) To arrange matters to other people so that your job appears to be so complex and technical that nobody else, especially your boss, can understand exactly what it is you do, thus leaving you to do pretty much what you want the way you want to do it.

Scrittle (verb) To scratch gently

Plug-Out (verb) To remove a cord from a socket, opposite of plug-in (Ian)

Yeet (interjection) A multi-use word of exclamation and surprise and approval and celebration (Ian)

I also made up a word for our sermon today. I was reading in James chapter 1 and saw a few key words that James uses, and for some reason I just made up a word. So let’s read from James 1 today and then I will share about the word I made up.

READ JAMES 1:13-18

When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone; 14 but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. 16 Don't be deceived, my dear brothers. 17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, Who does not change like shifting shadows. 18 He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all He created.

The word I made up is ENTRAGGED. Entragged is a verb and is a combination of the words Enticed and Tempted and Dragged from verses 14 and 15. Enticed + Tempted + Dragged = Entragged. Now this is a serious word because it has to do with temptation and sin and serious spiritual issues. Today we are talking about being entragged under pressure… which immediately makes me wonder what being “entragged without pressure” is like, but I made up the word so I’m not sure how to answer that.

To begin to unpack being “entragged,” I’d like to review two passages from the Book of Genesis first and then go back to what James says. We need to remember that James is looking back on his very Jewish upbringing and thinking back on his life with his parents and his half-brother who happened to be Jesus Christ. He came to faith after Jesus rose from the dead and yet he had a lifetime growing up with Jesus. I can imagine that perhaps he and his brother talked about being enticed and tempted and dragged into sin at some point because James saw Jesus resist temptation every single time. James is relaying to us solid practical living advice as we seek to be more like Jesus.

TWO STORIES ABOUT TEMPTATION FROM GENESIS

So let’s read from Genesis 4 and Genesis 39 and reflect on two Biblical stories that play out very differently and then we will focus on what James is speaking on.

READ GENESIS 4:3-10

“In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD. 4 But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, 5 but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast. 6 Then the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it." 8 Now Cain said to his brother Abel, "Let's go out to the field." And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him. 9 Then the LORD said to Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?" "I don't know," he replied. "Am I my brother's keeper?" 10 The LORD said, "What have you done? Listen! Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground.”

Here we have a story from the first family. Adam and Eve, the first people, have two sons Cain and Abel whose relationship seemed fine until one day presenting an offering. Both men offered sacrifices to the Lord, but God only looked on Abel’s with favor. Hebrews 11:4 tells us, “By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings.” What was the difference between the two offerings? Hebrews 11 tells us it was faith and the heart behind the offerings given. Cain must have brought his offerings grudgingly, but Abel did so with a clean and pure heart.