SERMON OUTLINE:
(1). Temptation is Inevitable (vs 13a).
(2). Temptation is Never Directed by God (vs 13).
(3). Temptation is an Individual Matter (vs 14).
(4). Temptation That Leads to Sin Always Follows the Same Process (vs 14-15).
(5). Temptation Flourishes on Inconsistent Thinking (vs 16).
(6). Temptation is Overcome in God (vs 16-18)
SERMON BODY
Ill:
• Mark Anthony was known as the silver-throated orator of Rome:
• He was also credited with being a brilliant statesman,
• A strong leader,
• And a courageous soldier who was magnificent in battle,
• And he was handsome.
• The more I read about him the less I like him!
As far as personal qualities are concerned:
• He had the lot, he was the envy of his peers.
• In fact the more you read about him the more you hate him!!!
• But there was one major flaw in his make up:
• Despite his many great qualities, he lacked strength of character.
• On the outside he was impressive and magnificent,
• But on the inside he was weak and vulnerable.
• This so enraged his personal tutor,
• That on one occasion he shouted into his face;
"O Marcus! O colossal child......
able to conquer the world but unable to resist a temptation!"
• TRANSITION: That indictment fits not only Marc Anthony:
• But many of us today, because, no-one is immune.
• And some folks, like Marc Anthony:
• Find it virtually impossible to resist temptation and to overcome it.
Note: As we look at the subject temptation:
• Keep in mind;
• That there are other temptations beside sensual ones.
ill:
• Drew Anderson writes in one edition of Reader's Digest.
• While my wife and I were shopping at a mall kiosk,
• A shapely young woman in a short, form-fitting dress strolled by.
• My eyes followed her.
• Without looking up from the item she was examining,
• My wife asked, "Was it worth the trouble you're in?"
• TRANSITION: When it comes to temptation keep in mind;
• That there are other temptations beside sensual ones.
• i.e. the temptation to gossip or to be Envious.
• i.e. the temptation to steal or to lie.
• i.e. the temptation towards materialism,
• i.e. the temptation to hold a grudge, or to be selfish.
Ill:
• In one survey (by Discipleship Journal);
• The readers ranked areas of greatest spiritual challenge to them:
• 1. Materialism.
• 2. Pride.
• 3. Self-centeredness.
• 4. Laziness.
• 5. (Tie) Anger/Bitterness.
• 6. (Tie) Sexual lust.
• 7. Envy.
• 8. Gluttony.
• 9. Lying
• TRANSITION: Don’t forget that temptations are always many and varied;
• And because they are many and varied,
• They are constantly testing the strength of our resistance.
• Quote: Dictionary definition of the word "temptation":
• "To entice to do wrong, by promise of pleasure or gain".
• Temptation motivates, encourages us to be bad,
• By promising us something good.
• In fact James informs his readers that there are:
• Four basic principles, four facts about temptation:
(1). Temptation is inevitable (vs 13a).
“When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone;”
• Notice the verse does not say: "If.............. we are tempted".
• But "When........ we are tempted".
• So don't be alarmed..... expect it.
• No-one can escape temptation:
Ill:
• The monk who lives hidden away behind monastery walls,
• Suffers just as much as the businessman/woman in a busy down town office.
• Because temptation is not restricted to a location:
• i.e. If I go to an isolated Caribbean Island I take my biggest problem with me:
• Now you might say to me;
• "But can't you leave your wife at home!" – only joking!!!
`
• The reason I take my biggest problem with me:
• Because temptation is not restricted to a location or an individual;
• James the apostle tells us that it is our thoughts, our minds, our hearts;
• Which are the vehicles of temptation.
• So we will never be in a place on earth,
• Where there is no temptation!
Quote: But don’t get depressed, to quote an old saying:
"You cannot stop birds from flying over your head,
but you can stop them building nests".
(2). Temptation is never directed by God (vs 13).
“When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone;”
• Note: God may permit us to be tempted.
• But he never directs it, he is not the author or source of temptation.
• So it is not sinful to face temptation,
• It is not sinful to have tempting things come before us,
ill:
• Even Jesus was tempted:
• "Tempted in every way, just as we are- yet was without sin".
• (Hebrews chapter 4 verse 15).
• TRANSITION: So it not sinful to face temptation,
• It is not sinful to have tempting things come before us
• But we are responsible as to how we respond to those temptations;
• We can resist or we can give in!
Ill:
• Classic illustration to illustrate that;
• Then think of the first people to face temptation in the Bible.
• (Genesis chapter 3 verse 12).
• God confronts Adam & Eve,
• Concerning their disobeying him, by eating the fruit.
• God then asks Adam; "What have you done?".
• And Adam replies: "The woman YOU put here with me - she gave me some fruit…"
• Adam does two things here:
• First: He blames the woman; "SHE gave me some fruit".
• Second: He blames God; "The woman YOU put here".
To paraphrase exactly what he's saying:
"You set me up God! Here I was, enjoying all the good things in this place, and along came this woman that YOU brought into my life. And if it hadn't been for her giving me the fruit, I wouldn't be in this mess now".
That is the sort of logic that James here is wanting to contradict:
• God is never, not even indirectly:
• Engaged in bringing us to sin.
• When we sin it's our own choice,
• God has no part in the act.
(3). Temptation is an individual matter (vs 14).
“…but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed”
• Because temptation is an individual matter
• We must take personal responsibility.
Quote: Theodore Roosevelt who said:
“If you could kick the person in the pants responsible for most of your trouble,
you wouldn’t sit for a month."
Ill:
• Ancient Romans understood the concept of personal responsibility.
• After a Roman arch was completed,
• The engineer who built it had to stand underneath it when the scaffolding was removed.
• While you might not get crushed by a giant arch if you give in to temptation,
• You still have personal responsibility for your actions
Notice:
• The four words contained in verse 14:
• "Each one" and "His own".
• i.e. Like metal to a magnet.
• The sinfulness of our hearts is so often drawn by sinful things.
• When we choose to give in to temptation:
• It is an individual matter,
• You cannot blame anyone but yourself!
• Nothing outside ourselves:
• No set of circumstances or any allurement,
• Is strong enough in its self to force us to sin.
• Sin only occurs when WE agree and give in to the temptation,
• And follow the idea with an action.
For a temptation to become a sin it takes an agreement on our part:
• And as soon as we agree to give in,
• Sin takes place.
• Up until then,
• We are safe and pure.
(4). Temptation that leads to sin always follows the same process (vs 14-15).
“…but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.”
Ill:
• Fishing joke:
• One day, two guys Frank and Bob were out fishing.
• A funeral service passes over the bridge they’re fishing by,
• And Bob takes off his hat and puts it over his heart.
• He does this until the funeral service passes by.
• Frank then said, “Wow Bob, I didn’t know you had it in you!”
• Bob then replies,
• “It’s the least I could do. After all, I was married to her for 30 years.”
• TRANSITION: Fishing is a good metaphor for how temptation works.
• Because there are always four steps to how we get enticed:
• FIRST: The bait is dropped.
• SECOND: Our inner desire is attracted to the bait.
• THIRD: Sin occurs when we give in to temptation.
• FOURTH: Sin results in tragic consequences.
LET’S LOOK AT THOSE FOUR STAGES AGAIN:
FIRST: The bait is dropped:
The reason we get hooked by temptation:
Is same as why a fish gets hooked by a worm, Because we are hungry.
• We are hungry for our physical needs.
• And we are hungry for our spiritual needs.
• Now we can have those needs met by God:
• But our enemy, Satan also knows our hungers and tries to get in first.
• Now although he cannot force us to eat:
• He is a skilled angler at knowing; when, where and how;
• To drop the bait into our paths and thus to lure us away from God.
FIRST: The bait is dropped.
SECOND: Our inner desire is attracted to the bait.
• The Greek word used for 'enticed' (vs 14)
• Is actually a fishing term.
ill:
• Everyone knows that a hook baited with light bulbs won't catch fish!
• In order to attract that fish and hook it:
• You have to find bait that will interest it,
• The type that it can't resist.
• Then once the bait is dropped and the fish sees it,
• It is as good as caught.
• TRANSITION: As Christians we have to remain obedient to the Lord:
• Drawing our daily strength and our daily food & pleasure from him,
• So that when the evil system around us:
• Drops all sorts of tempting bait in front of us it's pull will be lessened.
• But when we choose not to feed on God,
• We are vulnerable, and if not careful we are as good as gone.
First: The bait is dropped. SECOND: Our inner desire is attracted to the bait.
THIRD: Sin occurs when we give in to temptation.
• When we allow temptations to join with our sinful desires:
• Within the womb of our minds,
• It gives birth to sin.
Quote Dietrich Bonhoeffer in his booklet 'Temptation' writes:
"Satan does not fill us with hatred of God when we are tempted, but with forgetfulness of God.... the lust thus aroused envelops the mind and will of man in the deepest darkness.
The power of clear discrimination and of decision are taken from us".
First: The bait is dropped.
SECOND: Our inner desire is attracted to the bait.
THIRD: Sin occurs when we give in to temptation.
FOURTH: Sin results in tragic consequences.
• Sin is very pleasurable, if it was not we would not continue to practice it!
• But with it comes consequences.
• i.e. It is a bit like a credit card;
• The pleasure is in the spending but then comes the bill and the interest etc.
• Sadly that pleasure has a high cost of hurt to ourselves,
• And also to others (because we never sin in a vacuum),
• And most importantly it affects our relationship to God.
(5). Temptation Flourishes on Inconsistent Thinking (vs 16).
“Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters.”
Ill:
• The psychiatrist asked his patient: "Do you have trouble making decisions?"
• The patient replied; "Yes and no!"
• TRANSITION: Every Christian needs to make right choices;
• In fact the Greek word translated here as ‘deceived’;
• Literally means ‘led down the wrong path’.
• The apostle James is warning his hearers;
• Not to allow their sinful natures to lead them down the wrong paths,
• Do not forsake the truth to follow a lie.
• Do not believe the li that giving in to temptation will lead to contentment.
Ill:
• Solomon in the book of Proverbs writes (chapter 27 verse 20);
• “The eyes of man are never satisfied”
• We know that we so often choose one more lustful look;
• One more piece of pie,
• One more… fill in the blanks.
• Sadly the opposite effect takes place;
• Every time we say yes to temptation,
• We make it harder to say no the next time.
(6). Temptation is Overcome in God (vs 16-18)
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. 18 He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.”
• Although temptation is powerful and alluring,
• It is not a unbeatable giant that cannot be defeated.
• James gives two principles in these verses for overcoming temptation;
• For living in victory and not defeat.
FIRST PRINCIPLE: victory comes from dwelling in God (vs 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.”
Ill:
• The old sketch show joke used to go like this:
• A doctor is confronted by a patient who says he broke his arm in two places.
• The doctor replies, "Well then, stay out of them places!"
• TRANSITION: There is actually a lot of truth in that old corny joke.
• We cannot regularly put ourselves in the face of temptation and not be affected.
• When faced with the problem of temptation,
• We need to take the good doctor's advice and "stay out of them places."
• And we need to stay in the presence of God;
• Who is good and has good, wholesome and satisfying gifts for his people.
SECOND PRINCIPLE: victory comes through living the truth (vs 18).
“He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.”
• Every Christian has been brought to faith in Christ through the word of truth,
• i.e. we heard the message of the gospel, we believed and were saved.
• Now says James we are to continue to rely on his word for deliverance;
• We rely on his word for daily strength against temptation.
ill:
• When the devil launched his full-scale attack against Jesus
• (Matthew chapter 4).
• Jesus withstood each temptation by using the word of God;
• Three times he replied: "It is written... It is written... It is written..."
ill:
• David the Psalmist asked a pertinent question
• (Psalm 119 verses 9-11): "How can a young man keep his way pure?”
• His answer was no complicated, he said:
• “By living according to your word”
• He went on to say;
• “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you".
• TRANSITION:
• Every Christian has been brought to faith in Christ through the word of truth,
• James says James we are to continue to rely on his word for daily strength.
Quote Charles Swindoll:
"We acquire truth from various sources, as we allow that truth to pervade our inner lives,
deep down where attitudes are formed and decisions are made, then when circumstances arise and call for a supernatural response, the in-dwelling Holy Spirit has sufficient ammunition to give us stability and power to cope".
• TRANSITION:
• We need to store up God's word in our hearts and minds:
• So then our weapon of resistance is loaded and ready to fire when needed.
• But REMEMBER it is up to us to make the effort:
• We have to store up God's word in our hearts and minds,
• We have to make the effort to read it each day.
• We have to make the effort to memorize and learn it!
• So that our weapons of resistance is loaded,
• And ready to fire when needed.
SERMON AUDIO:
https://surf.pxwave.com/wl/?id=no9ArpxsBcfawYKjn0kUKDkGJTl3ffzR
