Navigating Your Trial Successfully
James 1:12-18
5-4-08
We’ve been talking about trials in James Chapter one. In the first 12 verses we learned that if we persevere through the trial, God will work some wonderful things in us during the process and in the end we will receive a crown of life. James’ encouragement to persevere culminates in verse 12 where he writes, “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.”
That verse serves as a bridge into an aspect of trials that we are all familiar with—temptation. The external circumstance is not the only thing we have to deal with when in a trial. There is also our own internal response that has to be considered as well. The Greek word, peirasmos, is translated trials in verse 2 and temptation in verse 12. The translators were right to do that because the context tells us James is using a different nuance of the word in the discussion that follows (verses 13-18). Peirasmos can refer to both the external hardships that we experience in our circumstances and the internal struggles that may go on as well. James’ overall theme has not changed; but now the focus turns to the dynamic of temptation.
When the stress is on, how will I respond? Will I draw near to God and trust Him to get me through the ordeal. Or will I grow resentful toward God and accuse Him of being unfair?
During Job’s trial what was he tempted to do? Curse God and die—that’s what his wife told him to do (Job 2:9). Raise your fist toward heaven and curse God for all this junk that’s hit your life. That’s pretty dramatic; but the temptation was very real. Fortunately, Job didn’t do that. He got close. He cursed the day he was born. He was tempted to curse God for all his troubles; but he didn’t do it.
In the first 12 verses, James has told us the good things that happen if we trust God through our trails. But to be fair and balanced (as Fox News puts it) James now has to deal with the other possibility as well. A trial will never leave us the same. It always requires us to choose between one of two responses. (1) We can trust God and faithfully endure the ordeal and gain from the experience. (2) Or we can get real made at God and turn against Him—draw back from Him and go our own way. That’s what we see happening in verses 13-15.
James 1:13-15 “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.”
Are you in a trial? How are you responding? Are you drawing closer to God or are you drawing back from God? The fact that you’re here this morning is a good indication that you’re moving toward God rather than away from Him. Remember what James told us to do in a trial? In verse 5 he tells us to ask God for wisdom. I have thought a lot about that this last week. Our tendency is to just ask God to remove the pressure-whatever it is. But maybe that’s not the right prayer. Maybe the right prayer is to say, “God, give me insight on how I can respond correctly to this situation. Give me wisdom to cooperate with what You’re doing. Show me what You want me to do; and I’ll do it.” I feel James is telling us something that we have missed in years past. A key to answered prayer is to ask the right prayer. James 1:5 tells us exactly what to pray. We are to pray for wisdom. Wisdom from above will help us respond rightly.
From verses 13-18, I want to share with you three keys to navigating your trial successfully.
1st Take Responsibility for your choices.
James 1:13 “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.” When you are tempted to curse God and die, when you are tempted to murmur and complain, when you are tempted to get drunk and kick the dog because it was a bad, bad day—don’t blame God for your choice. The inclination to do that does not come from God. It comes from some stuff inside you. The pressures are not making you do those kinds of things. The trial is not making you sin; it is only exposing what’s inside.
We human beings –every one of us—have a tendency to blame somebody else for our struggles and failures. That goes all the way back to our first parents, Adam and Eve. Remember when they made a bad choice? Rather than taking full responsibility for their actions, they passed the buck. Adam blamed Eve. And in doing so he indirectly blamed God. “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate." (Gen 3:12) So, God, it’s really Your fault. You shouldn’t have given me that woman. She lead me astray. It’s not my fault. Then what does Eve do? She blames it on the devil. The devil made me do it. "The serpent deceived me, and I ate." (Gen 3:13).
I can’t learn from an experience if I won’t take responsibility for my decisions. I can’t receive correction and growth if I’m busy blaming God. Instead I need to be asking God to teach me what I need to know—asking God to give me wisdom—acknowledging my personal responsibility to make the right choices.
Blaming others for our problems is a national pass time in America. Criminals stand before judges and say, “Your honor, it’s not my fault. I had a bad childhood. I grew up in the wrong environment.” The Mendez brother’s brutally killed their parents. Their defense was, “Our parents didn’t treat us right.” A thief seriously injured himself in the process of robbing a home. He then had the audacity to sue the owner of the home for damages. Guess what—he won the case!
When we make bad choices, the first thing we want to do is find a scapegoat. When we yield to temptation it’s easy to blame God. If the financial pressure had not been so great, I would have never cheated on my income tax. If God had not made me such a passionate person, I never would have committed adultery. If the mother God gave me had not been such a gossip, I never would have said that about my friend. The excuses are endless. The people to blame are endless. The circumstances to blame are endless. And if all else fails blame God.
But James says one thing for sure: if you or I sin, it is never, never God’s fault. God does not lead anybody into sin. It’s an absolute impossibility because there is nothing at all sinful in God. God cannot be tempted to sin because there is nothing in his nature that is drawn to evil. And because He is wholly and completely good, He influences no one toward evil. The Greek in verse 13 is very emphatic. God is apeirastos –untemptable. And he tempts no one.
So what does God do? 1 Cor 10:13 “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” What God does is provide “the way of escape” so that we are not defeated by temptation. How do we find the way of escape? James 1:5, we ask God for wisdom.
So what is the source of our sin? It is not God. It’s not even the devil. It’s our own inner desires. James 1:14-15 “But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.” The word translated “desires” (epithumia) is neutral in nature. The desire itself is not necessarily evil. That just refers to the human motivations that we all have. God makes a way for those to be legitimately satisfied. But sin comes in when we decide to fulfill a desire in an illegitimate way. For example, it is right to desire food and fulfill that desire by earning money and buying groceries. It is sin to fulfill that desire by stealing somebody else’s groceries. Paul told the Ephesian Christians to “...not be drunk with wine...but be filled with the Spirit” (Eph 5:18). On the surface it seems strange that he would bring such opposites together. But behind both is the same desire. Why does a person get drunk with wine? Because it exhilarates him and lifts him above his troubles and makes him feel alive. God has a legitimate way for that desire to be fulfilled. It happens when we are filled with the Spirit. The desire is the same. The legitimate fulfillment is to draw near to God and be filled with the Spirit. Getting drunk is an illegitimate effort to fulfill a legitimate desire. The passion you feel in your soul is God-given. It is a gift from God for without it you’re dead. It is a part of being alive. There is nothing wrong with that. What you do with it is the issue. How you satisfy it is your responsibility.
So, (1) take responsibility for those choices.
2nd Understand the Consequences of those Choices.
James gives a powerful contrast between the ultimate consequence of persevering through a trial verses rebelling and blaming God. One the one hand, the person who perseveres receives a crown of LIFE (vs 12) On the other hand, the person who goes astray in sin experiences DEATH (vs 15). James 1:14-15 “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.” God gives us everything we need to deal with the trials of life. He has provided all things that pertain to life and godliness. If we ask for wisdom He will give it to us liberally. There is no one—absolutely no one, who has to fail. But everyone of us has to do one thing that God will not do for us. We have to choose how we will respond. We have to decide whether we will trust God or whether we will blame God and rebel. Nobody can make that choice for us. God won’t even make that choice for us. He will draw us to Himself. He will speak to us and encourage us. But we have to choose. As Joshua put it to Israel, “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD” (Josh 24:15 KJV). What a strange phrase, “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD...” Yet there are people today who decide it’s a bad choice to serve the Lord. So they go serve something else—some other god like money, comfort, pleasure, etc.
Since God does not lead people into sin, how does it happen? James lays out the process.
(1) It begins with human desire. If that is disciplined within legitimate boundaries there is no problem. But when immediate gratification of a desire becomes more important to a person than obeying the will of God, then there is a problem.
(2) An enticement to satisfy the desire in an illegitimate way. “But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.” James uses a double metaphor to communicate the seduction and entrapment into sin. Like a fish drawn to the bait on a fish hook, the person is drawn by his on desire to the object—thinking only of immediate gratification—not considering the hook camouflaged by the bait.
James then likens the whole progression to the reproductive process.
(3) Sin is conceived when the desire is joined with the illegitimate object of desire. Being tempted is not sin. But choosing to fulfill the desire outside the will of God is sin. The child that is born is sin.
(4) Sin develops toward its ultimate end which is death. The growth of the sin is described by the verb apoteleo (a combination of apo (at) and teleo (finish). James is bringing us to the contrast between the end result of sin (death) and the end result of perseverance (life).
Hebrews 3 & 4 reviews the history of Israel in the wilderness. Why did God bring Israel into the hot, dusty wilderness? Was it to provoke them to wrath? Was it to set them up for sin? Absolutely not! God brought Israel into the wilderness as a part of the process of bringing them out of bondage into a land flowing with milk and honey. God’s intention for that first generation of Israelites that came out of Egypt was to bless them with abundance and provision. Is that what happened? No, they died in the wilderness. Why? Because they made a choice to rebel against God rather than trust Him. They refused to follow Him into the Promise Land. They drew back in unbelief. They murmured against God. They accused Him of bringing them into the dessert trial to destroy them. The good that God intended for them was never realized because of the choices they made. 1 Cor. 10 says they are a warning for us.
The point James is making is in verse 16 “Do not be deceived....” Do not go astray while you’re in the trial. The word translated “deceived” carries both the idea of deception and the idea of going astray —like we saw in the children of Israel in the wilderness—like we would see in Balaam if we had time to study his case. James is not talking about a mistake, a slip of the tongue although it could start there. He’s talking about the danger of forgetting the truths contained in his message, and departing from the course God has for you. He’s telling us that can happen and we need to guard against it.
So we need to understand what is at stake. It matters how you respond in a trial. Will we do it all perfect? Probably not. Trials tend to bring out the worst in us rather than the best. Trials help us see our need for God and give us opportunity for us to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God. But in general we will either trust God or accuse God. We will either persevere or go astray. And the end result is either life or death.
3. Remember the faithfulness of God when making your choices.
In answer to the accusation that somehow God is being unfair or making life too hard or tempting us to sin, James now reminds us of what God is really like. James 1:17-18
“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.”
First, rather than being the source of any evil, God is the source of every good thing in our lives. He is good in His giving and He gives only perfectly good gifts . Instead of accusing God of tempting us, we should constantly be thanking Him for blessing us. Do you have food to eat? It ultimately came from God regardless of any secondary means. You may have worked hard to buy the food. But God gave you strength to do the work.
You may have planted flowers in your front yard. But God caused those seeds to germinate and grow. God is the one and only source of all good things.
Never forget that when you’re in a trial. The harder the trial, the greater the temptation to accuse God. The harder the trial, the more important it is to remember the good things God has done for you and is in the process of doing for you. Maintaining a thankful heart is not always easy when you’re in a trial. But it is the right thing to do and it will strengthen your resolve to trust the Lord all the way through the ordeal.
James refers to God as the Father of lights. He is not the father of darkness but of light. He said, “Let there be light.” And there was light. In the midst of your darkest night He can say, “Let there be light.” And your whole world will immediately brighten up. It doesn’t even require a change of circumstances. Just one word from Him can change everything.
God is sovereign. He created the sun, moon, and stars. “He sits on the circle of the earth and the inhabitants are like grasshoppers” (Isa 40:22). If He hasn’t changed your circumstances, it’s not because He can’t. If you’re still in a wilderness, it’s not because He’s unable to lead you all the way into the Promise Land. God is able. Settle that.
So what are God’s intentions toward me? Nothing but good! James assures of that by reminding us that in His love and through the word of His truth, God has made us His own dear children. Verse 18, “Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth...” Nobody coerced God into bringing you into His family. He did it of His own will. Rom 5:8-10 “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.” When you’re in a trial, know without a doubt that God is for you, not against you. He has already demonstrated that.
His purpose for you remains the same whether you’re having a good day or a bad day. James 1:18 “He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.” We were born again “that we might be.” We are walking through a process “that we might be.” God is getting at some things in us “that we might be.” Be what? Be conformed to the image of Christ. Be a kind of firstfruits of all he created—like the grain offering reserved for God—first in importance and consecrated to God.
At the end of verse 17 James says this about God, the Father of lights, “...with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” James is saying God can be relied upon. There is not even a shadow of variation in God’s nature, in God’s love, in God’s purpose for you. Mal 3:6 "For I am the LORD, I do not change; Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.” God never wakes up having a bad day. God never loses His temper and acts out of character. We do those things at time. If we’re not careful we can project that on God and think somehow He is like us in those things. But James is saying, God is eternally the same. You can count on it.
Why is that important to remember when we’re in a trial? Because sometimes it doesn’t feel like God is the same. It doesn’t feel the same when you’re in a trial as when you’re in times of refreshing and revival. But just because my feelings changed, does not mean God changed. In fact, one thing God has to teach us is to not rely upon our feelings but rely upon truth as revealed in His word. In the trial, don’t think some strange thing has happened to you. It happens to all of us. Don’t think somehow God is mad at you and doesn’t like you anymore. His love for you is unshaken and unaltered. Don’t think for a minute that God has changed just because your circumstances have changed. In Him is no variation or shadow of turning. That’s very important to remember during a trial.
Conclusion
So, how are we going to navigate our trials successfully?
1. We will take responsibility for our choices. We won’t blame God. We won’t blame our parents. We won’t even blame the devil. We will ask God for wisdom to make good choices during this time and we will own them as our decisions.
2. We will consider the consequences of those choices—not just the immediate gratification or lack of immediate gratification—but the end of the matter—life or death.
Deut 30:19-20 “I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the LORD your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them."
3. We will remember God’s faithfulness and love toward us while making our choices. It’s not a love that removes accountability for decisions made. But it is a love that provides everything we need to succeed in any situation we encounter.
Trials and temptations are inevitable in this life. But God will walk through us in every set of circumstances. His promise is: Isa 43:1-3 “But now, thus says the LORD, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: ‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.
When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you.
For I am the LORD your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior...”
Invitation
For Footnotes/Sources go to www.crossroadsnixa.org
Richard Tow
Gateway Foursquare Church
Nixa, Missouri
www.GatewayNixa.org
TEXT: James 1:12-18
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. 13 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. 14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. 16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. 17 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. 18 Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures. NKJV
