Holding On, not Out
James 1:12-18 12 Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. 13 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.
Intro: James started this chapter by talking about the suffering we encounter as we do life with God. Today we will look at the blessing for withstanding those tests and trials, but we will also acknowledge that we bring some of our suffering on ourselves by rejecting God’s leadership in our lives. There is no shortage of suffering in this world and in our lives. But, far too often people do their own thing and sin against God, and then turn around and blame God for their suffering. Sometimes they might even say that God is the One who took them down their path of temptation and failure. James is quick to say that God’s way of testing us does not lead us into temptation to sin. We lead ourselves there based on our lack of trust in God and our own desires to get what we want.
-The magazine “Discipleship Journal” asked its readers to rank the areas of greatest spiritual challenge to them. The results came back with the top 5 as follows:
1. Materialism, 2. Pride, 3. Self-centeredness, 4. Laziness, 5. (Tie) Anger/Bitterness and Sexual lust.
The respondents also noted that temptations were more potent when they had neglected their time with God (81%) and when they were physically tired (57%).
The readers stated that they had found that the greatest assets in resisting temptation to be “prayer (84%), avoiding compromising situations (76%), Bible study (66%), and being accountable to someone else (52%). Temptation is beatable, but not in our own strength.
[R. J. Morgan. Nelson’s Complete Book of Stories, Illustrations, and Quotes (electr.) (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2000)]
-Is anybody here tempted by chocolate? One person had this to say when they were told that they had to give up chocolate as a part of their diet. “A good piece of chocolate has about 200 calories. As I enjoy 2 servings per night, and a few more on weekends. I consume 3,500 calories of chocolate in a week, which equals one pound of weight per week. Therefore, in the last 3 1/2 years, I have had the chocolate caloric intake equivalent to about 180 pounds, and I only weigh 155 pounds, so without chocolate, I would have wasted away to nothing about 3 months ago! I owe my life to chocolate.”
-Well, I don’t know about that, but I do know that God wants to help us beat temptation and then reward us for staying true to Him. Here’s the main thought of this message:
Prop: God wants us to keep holding on to Him while trusting that He is not holding out on us!
TS: Let’s examine some ideas James sends our way as we look at trials, temptations, and rewards.
I. The Reward for Enduring Tests and Trials (12)
12 Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
-The idea of passing the test or trial here is more than a passive endurance. As one scholar said, “It is not the patience that can sit down and bow its head, letting things descend upon it in passive endurance until the storm is passed. It is the spirit that can bear things, not simply with resignation, but with blazing hope” (Rogers, 554). And hope is an essential ingredient, as it is so closely linked with faith. It requires a high level of trust to embrace the tests and trials of life, believing that God is with us, working His character deep within us!
-Now what about this payoff? Those who embrace their trials with blazing hope and stand the test will receive the crown of life. This crown of life is so much more than something to wear on your head. The crown of life is the high point of doing life with God. The payoff is that we will see God and be with Him! The payoff refers to the fulfillment of the new covenant God gave to mankind: “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God” (Revelation 21:3).
-Paul also referred to the payoff for staying true to God: 2 Timothy 4:7-8 7“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day-- and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”
-When Jesus left his disciples 40 days after His resurrection, 2 angels promised that this same Jesus would come back the same way He left. Jesus Himself told His followers that He would be leaving them, but would return for them one day. In the fashion of a Jewish engagement and wedding, Jesus told His disciples, “I am going to my Father's house to prepare a place for you. I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” John 14:2-3 . Later, in the last book of the Bible, Jesus said, “Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done.” Revelation 22:12
-Jesus is coming back to this earth to take us with Him and reward us for staying true to Him and not caving during our trials and temptations. He is our reward, and He will honor us in many ways far beyond what we could ever imagine!
-We also need to note that loving God is a stated prerequisite to the payoff. The crown of life goes not simply to those who persevere, but they must have a loving relationship with God through Jesus. Jesus said many would call Him Lord and even do good works for Him, but if He doesn’t know them, they will be turned away. God is all about relationship. He wants to know you and be known by you. He loves you and wants to be loved by you! And the only way we can know Him and love Him is to receive His life and His love, allowing Him to change us. Once we receive His love and forgiveness, then we can love Him in return.
-So, if you are facing some difficult trials, I really hope you aren’t trying to handle them yourself! There is someone who loves you and promised never to leave you stranded. If you let Him love you and then love Him back, he will help you persevere or stand strong through the trials you face – now and always!
-Now let’s take a deeper look at the suffering of this life and try to get God’s perspective on the difference between adversity and temptation to sin.
II. The Deceptive Source of Temptation (13-16)
13 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.
-Jer 17:9 "The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?”
-Temptation here specifically refers to the temptation to sin. Someone said, “Opportunity only knocks once, but temptation seems to keep banging away until you answer the door?” Sometimes when we fail and open the proverbial door to temptation, we want to play the blame game. Some would blame God for giving us a free will or blame Him for leading us into temptation only to fail. Others blame the devil. However, we need to ask the question, “What is it in me that made me susceptible to this temptation? What void is there in my life that made me accept the idea that God’s grace was not sufficient for me?” These next few verses address this issue, reminding us that God does not tempt people to sin. Looking back to v.4, the trials we face serve to make us complete, whole, fully satisfied in Christ, lacking nothing. Vv.14-15 tell us what can happen when we are not complete, when we don’t allow God to complete us through tests and trials.
A. Evil Desire – When we reject God’s work in us through trials we find that there is more room for our evil desires – what I want, whatever makes me happy or brings pleasure to me. The imagery here is that of pregnancy. If we do not respond to God in faith in the midst of the trials we face, it is like these evil, selfish desires become pregnant within us and expand. The Greek word for desire or lust here indicates a longing for what is forbidden. It is a strong desire directed toward an object.
-James says that this evil desire can drag a person away and entice them. The picture here seems to be that of a hunter or fisherman who first lures his prey from its retreat. That is what our desire for what is forbidden does. It lures us away from the presence of God where it is safe. Yet we tell ourselves that it is not really safe in God’s presence because He is allowing too many trials and tests to come our way. We begin to think that God cannot be trusted. Or we become convinced that God is not in the trials and tests, so we are lured away from them.
-After being lured away from God’s Protection by our selfish desires, we are then enticed. This implies the use of bait. Hunters sometimes use bait to trap their prey. The animals are attracted by something they need - food! Some lures and calls move beyond the mere attraction to food and play on other instincts, such as domination, territorialism, and reproduction. What kind of bait holds a strong attraction for you? You can be sure it will be used to lure you away from God and right into a trap. “Whatever makes you stumble will be your only test” (Bryan Duncan). Some say that money, power, and sex are the 3 most common temptations that people give in to, but regardless of what your story is, I can guarantee that you will be tempted. It is not a matter of if, but when.
-Some will tell you that willpower is the secret to resisting temptation: Mr. Toad baked some cookies. "These cookies smell very good," said Toad. He ate one. "And they taste even better," he said. Toad ran to Frog’s house. "Frog, Frog," cried Toad, "taste these cookies that I have made."
*Frog ate one of the cookies, "These are the best cookies I have ever eaten!" said Frog. Frog and Toad ate many cookies, one after another. "You know, Toad," said Frog, with his mouth full, "I think we should stop eating. We will soon be sick."
*"You are right," said Toad. "Let us eat one last cookie, and then we will stop." Frog and Toad ate one last cookie. There were many cookies left in the bowl.
*"Frog," said Toad, "let us eat one very last cookie, and then we will stop." Frog and Toad ate one very last cookie. "We must stop eating!" cried Toad as he ate another. "Yes," said Frog, reaching for a cookie, "we need willpower." "What is willpower?" asked Toad.
*"Willpower is trying hard not to do something you really want to do," said Frog. "You mean like trying hard not to eat all these cookies?" asked Toad. "Right," said Frog. Frog put the cookies in a box. "There," he said. "Now we will not eat any more cookies." "But we can open the box," said Toad. "That is true," said Frog.
*Frog tied some string around the box. "There," he said. "Now we will not eat any more cookies." "But we can cut the string and open the box." said Toad. "That is true," said Frog. Frog got a ladder. He put the box up on a high shelf.
*"There," said Frog. "Now we will not eat any more cookies." "But we can climb the ladder and take the box down from the shelf and cut the string and open the box," said Toad. "That is true," said Frog.
*Frog climbed the ladder and took the box down from the shelf. He cut the string and opened the box. Frog took the box outside. He shouted in a loud voice. "Hey, birds, here are cookies!" Birds came from everywhere. They picked up all the cookies in their beaks and flew away.
*"Now we have no more cookies to eat," said Toad sadly. "Not even one." "Yes," said Frog, "but we have lots and lots of willpower." "You may keep it all, Frog," said Toad. "I am going home now to bake a cake." -- Renewal, Ray & Anne Ortlund, 1989, Navpress, pp. 73-74
-Well, this desire for what is forbidden, possibly supported by the idea that God is holding out on us, conceives or becomes pregnant within us. Eventually it gives birth to sin.
B. Sin – perhaps needs no explanation. Sin is disobedience to God’s moral standards. Sin is committing an offense against God and/or others. Sin damages our relationship with God. The Bible says that all have sinned and fall short of God’s glory, or cannot enjoy God’s glory due to their sin. Sin cannot remain in God’s glory. God’s glory can simply refer to His presence, His closeness, His brightness. It also refers to heaven which is filled with the radiance of who He is. Sin is a violation against God and all He stands for. So when our selfish attraction to what is forbidden compels us to act out that desire, sin is the result.
-Maybe you’ve heard this before, but it bears repeating: Sin will take you farther than you planned on going. Sin will keep you longer than you plan on staying. Sin will cost you more than you planned on paying!
C. Death – is the result of sin. The word death essentially means separation. When we die, our spirits are separated from our bodies and our bodies become lifeless. Now sin may not cause immediate physical death, but there is another kind of separation that is caused by sin. Isa 59:2 (RSV) “…your iniquities (sins) have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you so that he does not hear.” When we are separated from God we experience spiritual death. Without God we become driven by our desires and instinctively grab for anything that will comfort us or satisfy our deep longings. Yet nothing works. This is what we might call temporary death, or a temporary separation from God. We all were there once. Eph 2:3 (BBE) “… we all at one time were living in the pleasures of our flesh, giving way to the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and the punishment of God was waiting for us even as for the rest.”
-So, James is showing the downward spiral of doing life without God. It is a path of following our own desires, which leads us to sin against God, which results in spiritual death, causing separation between us and God.
D. Deception – This path is deceptive because it looks good and feels good, but it will destroy your life! That’s why James gives the warning in v.16, “Do not be deceived, my dear brothers.” Eve was deceived in the Garden of Eden when the serpent convinced her that God was holding out on her. He lured her away from God’s protection, sowed seeds of doubt in her mind about God’s love and care for her, and enticed her with what was forbidden. James goes on to say that God is not holding out on us and that every good thing in this life is from Him! You won’t find any good thing apart from God and His love for you! That leads us to our final point today.
III. The Unchanging Source of all that Is Good (17-18)
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.
-Tonight is supposed to be a full moon. If the clouds stay away, you will be able to see half of the moon’s surface with no shadow on it. However, if you watch it the next several nights, you will notice a shadow that creeps over it until eventually it appears to be completely dark. Sometimes we think God is like that. Sometimes, when problems and trials come (whether self-inflicted or not), we believe that God goes dark on us and doesn’t shine his light on us.
-James says that God isn’t like that. See, God made the sun, moon, stars, and planets. For ages people have looked to the moon and the stars for signs and for the meaning of life. Many have believed that their lives were controlled by fate, which was beyond anyone’s control. So their view of God was that He could offer no answers to the adversity that the stars brought their way. But James said that God gives every gift that is good and perfect and He is not affected by the stars and luminaries that He Himself made. The language of shifting shadows and turning seems to indicate the movement of these heavenly bodies. God does not change! God’s grace is never eclipsed from us! He is good all the time! And here are 2 amazing gifts that He offers to us.
A. Truth – The word of truth is the good news about Jesus. It is the good news that God loved us so much that He gave His Son Jesus to die for our sins. And if we put our trust in Him, we can do life with Him – not just now, but forever! If we believe this and receive God’s truth, then the 2nd half of the gift comes.
B. Birth – The Bible talks about a spiritual birth that must take place in us if we want to know and love God. First, let me say that God is not a hard guy to love, but still, we can’t do it on our own. God is made up of spirit. Therefore, we must become spiritually alive if we want to connect with Him. Again, this is something He does in us, but we must ask Him and let Him work in us. Jesus called this being born again when He spoke to Nicodemus in John 3. He said, “Unless a person is born again, he cannot enter God’s kingdom.”
-If you have not experienced what Jesus talked about, He wants to give you the greatest gift you could ever have. The Bible tells us that believing in Jesus is more than just agreeing in your mind that He really lived. 2 things are needed: Words and faith. What words are needed? Confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord (God in the flesh, the Son of God, Creator of all things). What kind of faith? Believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead. The result? You will be saved, born again, entering into a relationship with the One who created your identity and knows and loves you.
-God is such an amazing gift giver! Romans 8:32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all-- how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?
-You won’t miss out on any good thing if you choose to do life with God! The world will try to convince you that you are missing out, but all that is truly good comes from God, not from any other source!
-“He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.” What is this firstfruits all about?
-In the OT, the people of Israel gave God the first part of their crops as an act of faith that He would fulfill His promise of a full harvest to come. In the same way, those who receive God’s truth and are born spiritually are the first evidence of God’s blessing that is yet to come to many. As a type of first fruit, God wants each of us to produce additional fruit. God did not save us just to take us to heaven. He saved us so we can help others get there too!
-So if you are a Christ follower, are you passing it on? If you are just waiting for people to come to church, remember this: You are the church and Jesus said GO! Yes, invite people to come to church, but BE the church to them as well. Be the sermon they need to see! Yes, they may need to hear the word of truth, but let them see it first in you.
-Maybe you’ve never made a commitment to follow Jesus with your life, and you’ve never experienced what He called being born again, or born spiritually. You know, when people need help with their taxes, they go to a CPA or someone who really knows the tax codes. When their car isn’t running right, they go to a mechanic. If someone needs medical attention, they go see a doctor. Well, choosing to do life with Jesus is the most important decision you can ever make. Wouldn’t it make sense to talk to somebody about this and get your questions answered? There are several people here who would love to talk with you and help lead you into a relationship with Jesus. I would love to talk with you and help answer your questions about God and sin and other things we’ve looked at today. Please don’t put this on hold. You are too important to God and to us.
-So if we could close our eyes for a moment, let me ask, “Is there anyone here who would like to receive God’s gift of life?” It starts with trust and is followed by words. If you want to receive God’s gift of life and forgiveness, please just lift your hand.
-I would like us all to repeat this prayer after me. If you mean it from your heart, I believe you will experience new life that comes from God and He will never leave you.
“Jesus, / I believe you are the Son of God / You paid for my sins by dying on the cross. / I believe that God raised You from the dead / and He wants to give me new life. / Please take me as I am / and make me come alive inside. / Thank you. / Amen.
-God is holding onto you, not holding out on you! So hold onto Him, but don’t hold out!
