A man had just started a diet and was having a difficult time staying away from tempting treats. He had to go downtown (or uptown as they say here) and remembered that his route would take him past the bakery. And so he prayed, “Lord, if you want me to stop for a doughnut, let there be a parking place in front of the place.” Sure enough, he found a place to park right in front…on his seventh time around the block!
Someone once said: “I wouldn’t be tempted if temptation wasn’t so tempting.” Oscar Wilde remarked, “I can resist anything but temptation.” Temptation can be defined as “The act of enticement to do wrong by the promise of pleasure or gain…” I want to say this today: You will not make it as a Christian if you don’t learn to deal with temptation. Knowing where temptation comes from helps one overcome it. To put it another way: Once we know the truth about temptations they won’t be so tempting.
Pastor Jeff spoke about persevering through trials from the opening verses in James 1 last week and emphasized that “God wants to grow you up in your faith. He wants to strengthen your faith and produce in you a steadfastness of character. And James tells us one of His main tools is trials.”
There’s a link between suffering with trials and succumbing to temptation. Trials on the outside can become temptations on the inside. Douglas Moo writes: “Every trial, every external difficulty, carries with it a temptation, an inner enticement to sin.” How we handle trials and temptations will determine the depth of our discipleship because either one can derail us. Someone has said that the greatest threat is not the wrong being done to me but the wrong that may be done by me. Trials are to be endured; temptations are to be avoided.
I hope you’ve jumped into the Book of James yourself this week and if you haven’t, will you read a chapter every day so that it gets into you? Two of our Connection Groups are studying James and our students in Equip are learning it as well. This book is extremely practical and also very concise. It’s filled with metaphors and illustrations that make it easy to remember. It’s similar to the Book of Proverbs in the Old Testament.
Let’s 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; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.”
“Moms in Prayer,” formerly known as “Moms in Touch” has designated today as Bless our Schools Sunday. I know of a group that meets to pray for the high school, there are a couple people praying for PCS and another group praying for college students. Hundreds of churches are taking the time in their services to pray for students, schools and staff. How appropriate today with our topic of temptation to intercede on their behalf. Let’s pray.
The Source of Temptation
When it comes to temptation, we tend to blame everyone but ourselves. The blame game has its roots in the Garden of Eden.
• Blaming others. When God asked Adam if he had eaten from the forbidden fruit, his first response was to blame Eve in the last half of Genesis 3:12: “She gave me some fruit from the tree and I ate it.” We do the same thing, don’t we? It’s very common to blame others for our sins, whether that’s a parent or a spouse or a child or a boss or our social environment or being a Bears fan.
• Blaming God. Look at the first part of verse 12: “The woman YOU put here with me – she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” Adam is trying to blame God for the shame he now feels. After all, Eve was God’s idea, not his.
• Blaming the devil. In verse 13 God turns to Eve and asks her what she has done. Eve is quick to say, “The devil made me do it.” Check it out: “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” Satan certainly is an active agent in our temptation but is often given more credit (or blame) than he deserves.
What about you? Do you make it a habit to blame others for your sins? Are you holding God accountable for your sinful choices? Do you secretly think you have an out because Satan made you do something?
Listen. If you could kick the person in the pants responsible for most of your trouble, you wouldn’t sit for a month. Check this out: “The man who can smile when things go wrong has thought of someone else he can blame it on.” Proverbs 19:3 captures our true condition: “A man’s own folly ruins his life, yet his heart rages against the Lord.”
If we want to overcome temptation we must first understand its origins. We see this in verse 13 and the first part of verse 14: “When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire…” John MacArthur writes: “The problem is not the tempter without, the problem is the traitor within.”
1. Temptations are inevitable. “When tempted...” James doesn’t say “if” you are tempted, but “when” you are tempted.
2. Temptations are not from God. “For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone…” Chuck Swindoll offers this literal translation: “Don’t even remotely suggest that God has anything to do with your temptation.” His character makes this kind of conduct impossible. After losing everything, check out what’s said about Job in Job 1:22: “In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.”
3. Temptations are universal. “But each one...” No one is immune. Each and every one of us faces temptations. 1 Corinthians 10:13: “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man…”
4. Temptations are personal. “…By his own evil desire.” Temptations are tailor-made to trip us up. A cartoon character some time ago said, “We have met the enemy and he is us.” It’s more accurate to say, “We have met the enemy and he is within us.” If you flip over a page or two we’ll hear James say this in 4:1: “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?” I resonate with what D.L. Moody said: “I have more trouble with D.L. Moody than with any man I know.”
The first thing we must come to grips with is the source of temptation. Then we must understand the snare of temptation.
The Snare of Temptation
Temptation is designed to trip us up. Look at verses 14: “But each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.” I like J. B. Phillips’ paraphrase of this passage: “A man’s temptation is due to the pull of his own inward desires which can be enormously attractive.” Douglas Moo says, “This picture is both vivid and terrifying.”
The word “enticed” means to lure by bait; to entrap, capture or catch. The idea is that we’re drawn out of the place of safety and lured by a specific attraction. The fish sees the bait and bites, thinking he’s getting a meal. Instead, he’s hooked and becomes the meal! The root in Latin means to “stir the fire or to provoke.” And it’s in the present tense which means that there is continual danger ever lurking to catch us off guard, to entice us and then drag us away.
I did a lot of fishing with my dad when I was younger. We primarily focused on blue gills and bull heads. We didn’t need a lot of equipment -- just a pole, a bobber, a hook, a couple sinkers and some night crawlers from our lawn the night before. And of course some A&W root beer and a bag of Snicker bars. I’ve passed along my love for fishing to our daughters, though we only go once a year when on vacation. Each of them had their own Barbie or Mickey Mouse fishing pole (hold up).
I’m really impressed with guys who have huge tackle boxes and fancy poles. This summer I went out in a boat with my brother-in-law Dave who is a faithful fisherman. I don’t think he owns a bobber and I didn’t see any night crawlers (I couldn’t find the Snicker bars either). His tackle box was so big that he had to carry it with a strap over his shoulder. His pole was beautiful. He told me that he had fished that lake for years and never caught anything until he started doing some research on the lake and on the fish he was trying to catch.
I also talked with John Grampp (he uses a Barbie fishing pole), Jason Montello (who fishes for Muskies in Wisconsin – most of this equipment is his), and Alan Bachman. We talked about fishing and the spiritual applications as it relates to temptation and sin. It was really enjoyable. I’m going to ask Alan to come up in order to recreate some of these conversations so we can draw out some lessons for each of us.
The first question I asked John Grampp was this: “What do you do if the fish are not biting?” He said you go home and start telling fish stories about the big one that got away. That wasn’t really the answer I was looking for. Because I didn’t get very far with John, let’s go to Alan the Angler.
1. What do you do if the fish are not biting?
A: Change bait or location or angle…or go home.
• We might not bite on a particular kind of bait, but we can get hooked on something else that looks different or comes at us from another angle. For example, a rock of cocaine has no allurement to me. You could set it right in front of me and I’d just walk away. On the other hand, a bag of garlic and dill cheese curds would be tremendously tempting.
2. I’m told that fish like to hide out in “cribs.” Can you explain what these are?
A: It’s like their home; a place of safety where they congregate.
• We’re vulnerable when we think we’re safe or when we’re coasting spiritually. Proverbs 16:18 says: “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.”
3. Why do fish bite on something that is fake and artificial and has a huge hook in it?
A: They’re caught by the appearance and only thinking of the satisfaction of eating.
• We deceive ourselves when we chase after those things that only get us hooked. We’re prone to follow the flashy and we often settle for cheap substitutes as well.
4. Alan, you mentioned that fish have no idea how close they are to being caught. Explain.
A: There are dangers everywhere and fishermen are determined to hook them with every cast.
• Most of us have no idea how close we really are to moral catastrophe. We think we won’t get caught; that we’ll never get hooked on a substance or an experience. Danger is everywhere because of the desires inside us.
5. How can subtle changes be the difference between catching or not catching a fish?
A: It doesn’t take much to get a fish to bite.
• The same is true for us. Just a subtle change can make us more vulnerable to temptation.
6. You told me that sometimes the goal is to get a fish irritated and then he’ll bite. Why is that?
A: Because he wants to get rid of what’s bothering him.
• We need to watch out when we’re weary and crabby as well. It’s interesting that in the midst of all his pain, Job declares that he made “a covenant with his eyes to not gaze lustfully at a maiden.” (Job 31:1)
7. Jason told me that it can take 10,000 casts to catch a trophy Muskie. Why so many? How old can a fish like this get?
A: Sometimes the bigger ones are harder to catch. They can be up to 30-40 years old.
• Satan is persistent and will continue to go after you. Our evil desires may be under control for 9,999 times but then we’ll take the hook. We must always be vigilant. We could say no to the same temptation over and over and over and then we might give in. 1 Peter 5:8: “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”
8. How important is setting the hook?
A: Otherwise the fish will get away.
• There are people today who are nibbling on bait but sooner or later the hook will be set! . Numbers 32:23: “…Be sure that your sin will find you out.” Sin will take you further than you were planning to go and keep you longer than you were planning to stay.
9. Why is some bait designed to show weakness like blood or erratic behavior?
A: This is to deceive the fish to think that there is no danger.
• It’s very easy to be deceived. Jeremiah 17:9: “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?”
10. Fish bite because they’re attracted to the bait or irritated but sometimes it’s just out of instinct, right?
A: Yes.
• In a similar way, we sin because we are sinners. It’s our nature. Romans 3:10-11: “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God.”
11. How important is it to know everything you can about the fish that you are trying to catch?
A: If you know their habits, preferences, location, and even quirks you can catch them.
• We must understand ourselves. There are some things you just can’t do because of your past or your tendencies. You have to be careful to not go in the wrong locations as well.
12. Can you describe the design of a hook and why it’s so important to keep it sharp?
A: They’re designed to go through their lip easily but then to not come out.
• Sin is like that. It goes in smoothly but then we get hooked and can’t spit it out.
13. What happens when a fish breaks the line?
A: He will have a hook in his mouth for a long time and will have the scars until he dies.
• Likewise, we are forgiven for our sins but sometimes there are long-lasting consequences.
14. What happens if a fish swallows the hook?
A: It will eventually die.
• Sin leads to death.
15. Have you ever released a fish only to catch him again a few minutes later?
A: Yes.
• We’ve been set free by God’s grace if we know Jesus Christ as our Savior and yet many of us go back to very things that we were hooked on before.
Temptation is more than an event…it’s a process. The pattern is predictable and can be spelled out. I like how Warren describes it.
1. Desire. It starts with our evil desire. We sometimes think that the problem is “out there” but the desire to sin lives “in here.”
2. Deception. The hook is hidden. One reason we’re enticed by sin is because we don’t see the hook. We are deceived into thinking it’s not there. Sin seems enjoyable at the time but in the end pain outweighs the pleasure. Bait not only attracts but it disguises the sorrow, pain and consequences sure to follow.
It’s at this point that James changes metaphors. He moves from the world of fishing to the process of human development, from bait to biology. We see this in verse 15: “Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” Conception leads to birth which leads to growing up which ends in death. The force of temptation has a life of its own…lust and sin has the ability to conceive and give birth. In this case, we must abort.
When we play around with temptation a conception occurs and gives birth to sin. As sin is allowed free reign it grows and develops, leading finally to death. We could call it the lifecycle of sin. Or more accurately, the death spiral of sin.
3. Disobedience. It begins with desire and then we move to deception which then leads to disobedience. Listen. It starts with our emotions (desire) and then it goes to the intellect where we rationalize (deception) and then to the will (disobedience). Friends, the place to deal with temptation is at the point of desire.
4. Death. It may take years but sin always to leads to separation or death. There is no future in sin. Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death…” Desire coupled with deception leads to disobedience which ultimately leads to death. Sin might promise pleasure but it always ends in pain. When we yield to sin, there are consequences.
Have you ever watched the show called, Swamp People? I enjoy watching them hunt for alligators (I also find it funny that they have to use subtitles so you can understand what they’re saying). First some bloody and rancid meat is put on a big hook. They come back some time later to see if they’ve hooked one. Then they try to drag the river monster close to the boat. And when they get it close enough, they take out a rifle and shoot it in the head. The alligator’s desire leads to deception and his disobedience results in death.
I’m not sure where I first heard this: “Watch your thoughts, they become words. Watch your words, they become actions. Watch your actions, they become habits. Watch your habits, they become character. Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.”
We must understand the source and then the snare of temptation and finally we come to the solution to temptation.
The Solution to Temptation
Verse 16 calls us to not give into deception. It can either refer to what we just studied or to the verses that follow: “Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers.” The word for “deceive” means “to wander away.” The tense reads this way: “Stop being deceived.” It’s an action that has already been in progress. We should stop blaming others and believe God because He can be trusted. James has been sharing some pretty tough stuff but notice how he calls them “dear brothers.” The word for brothers means, “from the same womb.” He is giving a warning but he does so with great warmth and affection.
The key to overcoming temptation is to recognize its source and how it’s designed to ensnare us. If we want victory we must focus our attention on the Almighty. We must not be deceived about the doctrine of God. Check out verses 17-18: “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth…”
If we want to win over temptation we must come back to the character of God. You see, while it’s important to resist, the real key is to refocus. Since temptation begins with inner thoughts, changing our thoughts is the way to victory. Let’s focus on who He is and what He has done in the past, what He is doing right now, and what He will do in the future. A theologian from years ago put it like this: “What you think about God is the most important thing about you.”
I came across an illustration of this with our dog Charlie. If I put a tempting treat in front of him he will inhale it. But if I first get his attention and have him look into my face, I can put the treat on the floor and he won’t eat it. If he looks at the forbidden fruit he’ll wolf it down. I tried it out this week and would like to show you how well he did. [Play video]
The key for us is to keep focused on the Father’s face. Tullian Tchividjian says that the key to overcoming temptation has to do with belief, not behavior: “Every temptation to sin is a temptation to disbelieve the gospel. The sin we need to root out is disbelief.”
There are three key doctrines taught in these two verses.
1. God is good. Because God is good, He gives good and perfect gifts: “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down…” God doesn’t send temptation; He gives good gifts. The idea here is that he gives gifts continually; they come down and don’t stop; an unending succession of good gifts. Even in trials, and faced with temptation, God is good. We see this in Psalm 119:67-68: “Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word. You are good, and what you do is good; teach me your decrees.”
2. God is great. “…from the Father of heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” He is the father of every born again individual. In the Jewish mindset the heavenly lights referred to the sun, moon, stars and planets. God is the Creator of all things and stands above all that He has made. These heavenly lights turn and rotate and shift and cause shadows. Not so with God. There might be a dark side of the moon but there is no dark side to God. God’s light does not dim; He doesn’t shift or change. He is our Father and He is Light. That means He is completely reliable as Malachi 3:6 says: “I the Lord do not change…”
Friends, lock into God’s goodness and greatness when things around us are shaky. When I called the Block’s Thursday night after they were robbed, they were holding on to God’s character and praying for those who wronged them. As we watch our world shake and rattle as our embassies are attacked, we can count on the character of God and gaze into His unchanging face.
3. God is a giver. God is the source of salvation, not temptation: “He chose to give us birth through the word of truth…” Aren’t you glad that God chose to give you the new birth? He does so through the instrument of His Word – that’s why we teach and preach from the Bible in our Connection Groups, classes, all of our ministries and on Sunday mornings.
For those of you who are Christ-followers, your new birth is a real event, a historical reality. It’s in the aorist tense which means it’s a once-for-all action in the past. Many of you know that my mom was in the hospital for over a month up in Madison. On our first trip there to visit her I took Beth and our three younger girls to the dorm where I was saved in 1979. It was a very moving experience for me …and for them. Then a couple weeks ago I took Emily and we actually walked into the courtyard and I stood under the window of the room where God redeemed me. Is there any greater gift than salvation? God saves us from the penalty, power and ultimately the presence of sin.
Have you believed and received Him as your Savior and Lord? He’s offering you a gift right now but you must take it.
Because these three doctrinal truths are so critical in our fight against temptation, I’d like us to say them together. God is good. God is great. God is a giver. Come back to these when you’re faced with a trial or a temptation. Repeat them out loud. Let’s do it again. God is good. God is great. God is a giver. If you want to overcome temptation, embrace the attributes of God and interpret your circumstance in light of His character.
Before we wrap up, let’s ponder the last phrase of verse 18: “…That we might be a kind of firstfruits of all He has created.” Jewish background believers would have understood this concept of “firstfruits.” The Israelites were to bring the first portion of their crops as a thank-offering to God. It was like a pledge or a down payment to indicate that everything belonged to God. In addition, God claimed ownership of all first-born males. I wrote down some implications for us today.
• As firstfruits we are to be set apart for God to use.
• Since God owns us, He is free to use as He sees fit…and to send trials our way.
• As God’s firstfruits we are to bear fruit for Him.
• Let’s give him our all; He has the first part; now let’s give him the rest.
Here are some specific action steps.
• Baptism is a great way to say, “I’m all in.” Our next service will be on October 14th.
• Read your Bible. While the majority of churchgoers desire to honor Christ with their lives and even profess to think on biblical truths, a recent study found few actually engage in personal Bible reading. According to LifeWay Research 90 percent of churchgoers agree that “I desire to please and honor Jesus in all I do” but when asked how often they personally read the Bible, 19 percent said “every day,” 26 percent said “a few times a week,” 14 percent said “once a week,” 22 percent said “once a month” or “a few times a month,” and 18 percent said “rarely/never.”
Respondents in a Discipleship Journal survey noted that their temptations were most potent when they neglected their time with God (81%) and when they were physically tired (57%). They also said that the greatest assets in resisting temptation were prayer, avoiding compromising situations, Bible study and being accountable to someone else. Pick up a study Bible or download the free YouVersion app on your mobile device.
• Avoid tempting situations. On the old TV show “Hee Haw,” a patient tells Dr. Campbell that he broke his arm in two places. The wise doctor replied, “Well then…stay out of them two places.” There are places we need to stay out of as well and donut shops to avoid. Look for and then take the way of escape as promised in 1 Corinthians 10:13: “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”
As we close today, I’d like us all to stand and declare the three truths about God that we just learned. I’ll say the phrase and you repeat after me.
God is good. God is good!
God is great. God is great!
God is a giver. God is a giver!
When you leave today you’ll receive a small lure. Take it with you and put it somewhere to remind you that temptation is everywhere…but you can overcome it through Christ.
