Introduction:
A. Once there was a little boy who always went next door to play alone in the neighbor’s yard even though his mom had warned him against doing so.
1. This frustrated and worried his mom so she asked him why he was so disobedient.
2. He replied that Satan tempted him so much and he did not know what to do.
3. His mom suggested that whenever tempted he should say: “Get behind me Satan!”
4. The mother also had a fence put around the backyard to try to keep her son in their yard.
5. This solution worked for about a week, but then one sunny afternoon the little boy’s mom looked out the window and noticed her son was playing on the neighbor’s lawn and she noticed that he had somehow made a hole in the fence.
6. She yelled for her son to come home immediately and then she asked him: “Didn’t I tell you to say ‘Get behind me Satan!’ whenever he tempted you?”
7. “Yes,” the little boy replied, “I said to him, ‘Get behind me Satan!,’ but then he went behind me and pushed me through the hole in the fence.”
8 And that’s the problem for many Christians in dealing with temptation, though they remember to command Satan to get behind them, they forget to command him not to push.
B. Mark Antony was known as the silver-tongued orator of Rome.
1. He was a brilliant man, a strong leader, and a courageous soldier, but the one thing he lacked was moral strength of character.
2. On the outside he was powerful and impressive, but on the inside he was weak and vulnerable.
3. This so frustrated his advisor that on occasion he shouted at him, “O Marcus! O colossal child, able to conquer the world but unable to resist a temptation.”
C. That indictment fits not only Mark Antony, but also many of us today.
1. None of us is immune to the mesmerizing appeals of temptation’s sirens.
2. And some of us, like Mark Antony, find it nearly impossible to resist the pull of their alluring voices.
3. Countless people throughout time have wrecked their lives on the jagged reefs of sin, drawn in by temptation’s seductive song.
4. Temptation involves all types of sin and affects all kinds of people.
5. Adults of all ages, children and teens, professionals of all kinds, including preachers, we are all constantly being wooed to destruction by sin’s enticements.
D. So, how can all of us stay on course and avoid temptation’s power?
1. According to Greek mythology, the crew on Odysseus’s ship escaped the lure of the Siren’s voices by stopping up their ears with wax.
2. Dietrich Bonhoeffer described temptation’s power with these words: “In our members there is a slumbering inclination towards desire which is both sudden and fierce. With irresistible power desire seizes mastery over the flesh. All at once a secret, smoldering fire is kindled. The flesh burns and is in flames. It makes no difference whether it is sexual desire, or ambition, or vanity, or desire for revenge, or love of fame and power, or greed for money…Joy in God is in course of being extinguished in us and we seek all our joy in the creature.”
3. Resisting the kind of real-life temptation that Bonhoeffer describes will take more than ear wax.
4. Thankfully, as we turn to the book of James, James fills our ears, not with wax, but with important insights and truths about temptation.
5. With this knowledge and with God’s power, we can sail past temptation’s call.
E. As we continue our sermon series on James called “A Faith That Works,” let’s do a quick review.
1. So far, we have been learning about how to turn our trials into triumphs.
2. We have learned that although life is difficult, our toughest times can be marked by joy, why?
3. Because, endurance produces maturity, and that God supplies the wisdom we need.
4. Also, we have learned that faith is critical for developing perseverance and receiving wisdom.
5. And finally, we have learned that there are promised blessings for those who remain faithful, both the rich and the poor.
6. James 1:12, “Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the victor’s crown, the life God promised to those who love him.”
F. One of the interesting things about James’ discussion here in chapter one is that he used a Greek word that has two different meanings, and he used the word in both ways in this chapter.
1. The word translated “trials” in the first 12 verses, is the same word that is translated “temptations” in verses 13-18.
2. The word can refer to external stresses that press us (trials), or it can refer to internal attractions that tempt us (temptations).
3. It is the context that determines the proper translation and application.
4. Although there is not always a connection between trials and temptations, many times the trials on the outside can become temptations on the inside.
5. In the midst of adversity we may be tempted to think or act in a sinful manner.
6. We may find ourselves complaining against God, or we may find ourselves questioning His love, or resisting His will.
7. At this point, Satan may provide us with an opportunity to escape the difficulty in a sinful manner, and we might be tempted to take the bait.
8. Regardless, whether it is trials or temptations, we must be prepared to stand up under it and against it.
9. Let’s spend the rest of our time discussing four truths about temptation that we must understand if we are going to be able to handle temptation.
I. Truth #1: Temptation is INEVITABLE.
A. Verse 13 says: No one undergoing a trial should say, “I am being tempted by God,” since God is not tempted by evil, and he himself doesn’t tempt anyone. (CSB)
1. The NIV says: When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone;
2. I love how real and down to earth James is when he writes about temptation.
3. These are not wistful thoughts from a preacher’s study, but these are the painful, difficult realities of life and sin and temptation, written by someone who understands the battle.
B. James leaves no question that temptation’s assault will come.
1. Notice that James says, “When tempted…” not “If tempted.”
2. Just like death and taxes, trials and temptations are inevitable in this life.
3. We will never be without temptation - never.
4. We are certainly in for a big surprise if we think that when we become a Christian all our old struggles and temptations will be automatically and instantly be left behind.
5. The Christian life is a life of conflict - we are in a spiritual battle.
6. There are opposing forces constantly trying to draw us away from God.
7. Even though people around us may not appear to be doing so, everyone is wrestling with temptation just like you and me - temptation plays no favorites (go ahead and look around).
8. The monk living behind the monastery wall is as much assaulted by temptation as the person who works in a busy downtown office.
C. But here’s an important thing to keep in mind - Temptation itself is not a sin.
1. Hebrews 4:15 tells us that Jesus himself was “tempted in every way, just as we are – yet was without sin.”
2. Temptation is simply the invitation to sin, but we sin when we decide to accept the invitation.
3. Jesus was invited to sin, just as we are, but Jesus always refused the invitation.
4. So, first of all we need to realize that Temptation is INEVITABLE.
II. Truth #2: Giving in to Temptation is INEXCUSABLE.
A. In verses 13-14, James says: 13 No one undergoing a trial should say, “I am being tempted by God,” since God is not tempted by evil, and he himself doesn’t tempt anyone. 14 But each person is tempted when he is drawn away and enticed by his own evil desire.
1. What James is doing here is calling us to assume personal responsibility for handling temptation.
2. We must not blame anyone else, nor shift our responsibility to anyone else.
3. Temptation does not come from God, and it is not God’s fault when we give into it.
4. Proverbs 19:3 warns: “A man’s own folly ruins his life, yet his heart rages against the Lord.”
5. God does send us tests and trials for our own good, but God is never involved in tempting anyone to do evil.
B. It seems that we humans have a tendency to want to blame someone else when we fall into temptation.
1. The late comedian, Flip Wilson, was famous for his motto, “The Devil made me do it.”
2. It is certainly true that Satan is an active agent in temptation, but he’s often given far more credit than he deserves.
3. When Adam and Eve gave into temptation in the Garden of Eden, and God confronted them, and asked “What have you done?,” do you remember what they said?
4. Adam said, “The woman you put here with me…she made me do it.” (Gen. 3:12)
5. Eve then said, “The serpent deceived me…he made me do it.” (Gen. 3:13)
6. We may try to come up with excuses or try to shift the blame, but if we give into temptation it is nobody’s fault but our own.
7. The statements, “I couldn’t help it…the devil made me do it…it’s my parent’s fault, it’s my mate’s fault, or my kid’s fault, or my boss’s fault” just are not true.
8. If and when we give into temptation it is never God’s fault, but it is always our own fault.
9. God always provides a way of escape, but many times we simply do not choose that way.
10. I will have more to say about that in a minute.
III. Truth #3: Temptation is PREDICTABLE.
A. Understanding this truth is so helpful to winning our victory over temptation.
1. Temptation is more than just an event, it is a process.
2. The process of temptation, sin and death follows a very consistent pattern.
3. James writes in verses 14-15: 14 But each person is tempted when he is drawn away and enticed by his own evil desire. 15 Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully grown, it gives birth to death.
4. Here is Peterson’s paraphrase, “The temptation to give in to evil comes from us and only us. We have no one to blame but the leering, seducing flare-up of our own lust. Lust gets pregnant, and has a baby: sin! Sin grows up to adulthood, and becomes a real killer.”
B. The predictable pattern goes like this DESIRE coupled with DECEPTION leads to DISOBEDIENCE, which ultimately leads to DEATH.
1. First of all, it begins with DESIRE.
a. God has created us with normal desires of life and they are not sinful.
b. Without these desires, we could not function - many of these desires keep us alive, and healthy.
c. It is when we are tempted to satisfy these desires in ways outside of God’s will that we get into trouble.
d. Eating is good, but it can become gluttony. Sleep is good, but it can become laziness. Sexual fulfillment in marriage is good, seeking sexual fulfillment any other way is sinful.
e. Desire for any of these good things, can become obsessions that control and destroy.
f. So temptation begins with desire.
2. Desire is then coupled with Deception.
a. No temptation appears as a temptation; it always seems more alluring than it really is.
b. James used two illustrations from the world of sports to prove his point.
c. The word translated “dragged away” carried with it the idea of baiting a trap.
d. The word translated “enticed” literally meant to “bait a hook.”
e. The hunter and the fisherman have to use bait to attract and catch their prey.
f. No animal is deliberately going to step into a trap and no fish will knowingly bite a naked hook. The idea is to hide the trap and the hook.
g. Like a fish that is hungry for a worm, Satan, being a skilled angler, knows when, where, and how to drop the bait in order to lure us away from God.
h. Dietrich Bonhoeffer vividly describes what happens in our hearts when our desire lunges for the bait: “At this moment God is quite unreal to us, he loses all reality, and only desire for the creature is real; the only reality is the devil. Satan does not here fill us with hatred of God, but with forgetfulness of God…The lust thus aroused envelops the mind and will of man in deepest darkness. The powers of clear discrimination and of decision are taken from us.”
i. Temptation always carries with it some bait that appeals to our natural desires.
j. The bait not only attracts us, but it also hides the fact that yielding to the desire will eventually bring sorrow and punishment.
k. The consequences of sin are real, but the strength of our desire for sin blinds us to it.
l. Sin might promise pleasure, but in the end it only delivers pain.
3. Desire coupled with Deception, leads to Disobedience.
a. Disobedience is the act of sin. “After desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin.”
b. What starts with our initial thoughts and feelings, if allowed to germinate, leads to definite action - an act of disobedience to God.
c. And here’s the key – the quicker we turn away from temptation, the better, and the longer we linger with temptation, the more likely we will give into it.
d. Here James works with the analogy of reproduction.
e. Desire leads to conception, which eventually leads to birth.
4. Finally, when the Disobedience continues, and matures, it ends in Death.
a. There is no future in sin. Sin’s course is inevitably downward.
b. Uncontrolled desire becomes an evil deed, which if not followed by repentance but by repetition, becomes an evil state which brings eternal spiritual death.
c. What an awful state, and what a terrible price to pay for sin.
d. Although there is nothing funny about being caught in sin, I came across this picture that so vividly captures how the bait can quickly turn the tables on us. (Show Picture.)
e. That which looks innocent and so easily in our grasp, can imprison us in an instant.
5. This pattern is so predictable that James declares in verse 16, “Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters.” Don’t be taken in. Don’t let sin and Satan pull one over on you!
6. So far we have seen that temptation is INEVITABLE, INEXCUSABLE, and PREDICTABLE.
IV. Truth #4: Temptation is CONQUERABLE.
A. James concludes this section with an affirmation of God’s character.
1. Verses 17 - 18: 17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. 18 By his own choice, he gave us birth by the word of truth so that we would be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
2. We can win the battle against temptation and sin, not because of us, but because of God.
3. Victory comes from dwelling on those “good things” and “perfect gifts” that God has provided.
4. James reminds us that God does not change like shifting shadows – we can trust Him – but we can’t trust Satan because he is a deceiver and a shape-shifter.
5. James also reminds us that God has given us birth through the word of truth.
6. If we can trust God to give us spiritual birth, we can trust Him for deliverance in our daily struggle against temptation.
B. Let’s consider two other verses that declare God’s good provision for us in the spiritual battle.
1. In 2 Peter 1:3, Peter declared, “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who call us by his own glory and goodness.”
2. In 1 Cor. 10:13, Paul reminds us: “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.”
3. And so we learn that everything we need to resist temptation is available to us in Christ.
4. Through God’s power everything we need for godliness is available.
5. God restricts the power of temptation, so that it cannot overpower us.
6. God promises to provide a way out, so that we can stand up under temptation.
7. So, the battle is certainly winnable - temptation is conquerable.
C. What are some things that can aid us as we try to conquer temptation?
1. In a survey from Discipleship Journal (Discipleship Journal, November / December, 1992), respondents noted that temptations were more potent when they had neglected their time with God (81%) and when they were physically tired (57%).
2. They also said that the greatest assets in resisting temptation were: prayer (84%), avoiding compromising situations (76%), Bible study (66%), and being accountable to someone else (52%).
3. I can say that all those things have been helpful for me over the years.
D. Here’s a summary of the things that I think should be part of our game plan to handle temptation:
1. We should trust in the Lord – He is there for us - He is faithfully providing a way out.
2. We should fight temptation with prayer and the Word. That was Jesus’ method – if we resist the devil he will flee from us, and will give us a break until a more opportune time.
3. We should rely on the encouragement of brothers and sisters in Christ (Heb. 3:13)
4. We should run from tempting situations.
a. We can do what Joseph did when Potiphar’s wife tried to get ahold on him – cut and run!
b. Or like the old doctor said to the patient who said his arm was broken in two places: “I would suggest that you stay out of those places!”
Conclusion:
A. Let’s conclude by returning to the story of Mark Antony.
1. Mark Antony’s most widely known and costly temptation floated to him on a barge.
2. Cleopatra sailed up the Cydnus River straight into Mark Antony’s unguarded heart.
3. Their adulterous relationship, with its passing pleasures, cost him his wife, his place as a world leader, and ultimately his life.
4. Mark Antony couldn’t and wouldn’t resist temptation, I hope that all of us with God’s help will overcome our temptations and win the spiritual battles we face.
B. In the end, learning how to handle and overcome temptation it is a matter of life and death.
1. The consequences of sin are great, both in this life and in the next.
2. Paul wrote: For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23).
3. Praise God that we can turn away from sin and receive God’s gracious gift of eternal life!
4. If you’re not yet a Christian, I would encourage you to put your trust in Jesus and repent and be baptized into Christ – you will receive the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38).
5. If you’re already a Christian, but find yourself struggling to overcome temptation, then I would encourage to you repent and ask both God and someone in the church for help.
6. Please let us know how we can help you to walk with God and handle temptation.
Resources:
• How to Handle Temptation, Sermon by David Owens (2006).
• Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Creation and Fall and Temptation (New York, N.Y.: Collier Books, 1959), p. 116-117.
• James – Hands-on Christianity, by Charles Swindoll, Insight for Living, 2003.
