The Lures of Temptations.
James 1:13-18
Next week we will be celebrating Mothers Day. Next week there will be time for you to share a short testimony about your mom and what she means to you, so be thinking about that and what you might share. Today we will be continuing our study in the book of James. Please turn in you bibles to James 1:13-18.
Now since we will be talking about moms so much next week I thought that I would talk about my dad Today, and you can’t talk about my dad with out talking about fishing.
My dad loved to fish. He loved talking about it. He loved sharing his special fishing tips with people, but most of all he loved taking people fishing with him. If you talk to anyone that knew my father they would tell you that he loved bragging about his fishing trips. My dad had photo albums that were filled with pictures of fish that he caught. They were his trophies.
As I thought about the message today I couldn’t help but think about my dad. We are continuing our study in the book of James. Go ahead and get your bible out and turn to the book of James and I have entitled today’s message “The Lures of Temptations.”
Let us read God’s word. Read James 1:13-18
“Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”, for God cannot be tempted by evil, not does He Himself temp anyone.” James 1:13
I was talking to someone the other day and he ask me the question, “If there is a God, why did he allow my life to be so messed up?” I told him that God didn’t have anything to do with it. You see, God gives each one of us choices and it is up to us to choose the right path. The reason that your life is so messed up, it’s because of the choices that you made.
I think one of the major problems with society today is the fact that we like to blame others for our problems. How many of us have used these excuses; If my kids were more respectful, If my dad told me that he loved me more, If my parents would have been more strict with me. If my parents would have spent more time with me. If the music was better at the church, If we had a better pastor, If my husband would spend more time with me. If my kids would listen to me…. If… If… If…
Our kids love making excuses to… It’s so and so’s fault, I couldn’t help myself, everybody’s doing it, it was just a mistake, nobody’s perfect, the devil made me do it, I was pressured into it, I didn’t know it was wrong.
People that make excuses are trying to shift the blame from themselves to something or someone else. As a Christian, God calls each of us to accept the responsibility for our own actions.
Will we mess up? Of course, but we need to rise above the world’s standards and accept the blame when we mess up.
Let me share a scripture with you it is Psalms 139:15 it says “My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in a secret place. In other words “God knows my frame” Turn to the person setting next to you and say “God knows my Frame”
I have noticed that we have a lot of farmers that love comparing trucks. You know the ones they says my ¾ ton truck, ½ truck, 1 ton truck.
When they are talking about the ½ ton, ¾ ton they are talking about the weight that the frame will be able to handle safely… Now what did we just say “God knows our frame” When it comes to temptation God knows what we will be able to handle.
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 you may stand up under it.
God does not tempt us and he does not let the Devil tempt up beyond what we can bare. Let me say though the devil always knows how to tempt us and God knows our frame. God promises that he will never allow the weight of temptation to exceed the weight our frame can handle. But it is up to us to run away from the temptation.
Lets look at the next verse, verse 14 and camp out there for a while.
But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.
The literal meaning of this verse is that of a hook with bate on it being dragged across the water.
Now like I said earlier, My dad loved to fish and some of my fondest memories of my father were while we were fishing together. My dad used many methods to catch fish. Some times he would sit on the bank throw his poles in the water and fish from the bank. Now I have to admit that wasn’t my father’s favorite way to fish.
You see, if my dad was going to fish in a lake, he preferred to take the boat and go out to where the fish were and then throw his line out.
But I have to tell you the most fruitful way that my dad fished was along the banks of the magoupin slew. He would wake up early and go to Otter Creek to sane for minnows and craw dads. Then He would stop by the bate shop and pick up some chicken liver and night crawlers. Then head off to the slew. He would put the boat in the water and set up the bank poles, tie off lines to trees and set out trout lines.
He would put cowbells on each branch so that he would know when a fish had taken the bait and hooked himself. You see what he was doing was littering the slew with bait. Then we would go back to the campsite and wait for bells to ring.
The fish would be drawn in to the bait and reach up to get a bite, and end up hooking themselves then my dad would go around and pick up the fish the gave in to their temptations. Some were drawn to the worms, some to the liver, some to the craw fish, but most to the minnows.
In our life Satan uses many methods and many bates to trap us. Sometimes he uses simple things, things that we don’t think of as being temptations. Such as family members scheduling a get-together on Sunday Mornings. Sometimes having a sports event at the school on Wednesday night. Sometimes putting scantly dressed women on you favorite show. Sometimes writing articles about how your husband or wife should act in a magazine. Sometimes He uses Music and video games.
Other times it is more obvious such as pornography sites on the Internet or sexually explicit movies. I remember one movie in particular it was the Titanic. Me and my wife Becky went to see it. And then it happened, right before our eyes in this PG 13 movie, the main charter was lying on a bed naked while the other main character drew a picture of her naked frame. The scene seemed to go on forever, and ever. Then the two main characters go down to the cargo bay and embraced in an act that should be in an x rated movie not a PG 13 movie.
I remember it specifically because at the time I was teaching 5th and 6th grade Sunday School and the kids were talking about how many times they saw the movie. And how great the movie was as Satan fixed another trophy on the wall.
You see The Evil One is the master angler.
Out of all the ways that my Dad loved to fish, I think fly-fishing was his favorite. My dad would spend hours tying his own flies. You know what is so amazing about those flies… none of them were exactly the same. Each one was designed for a specific purpose.
Today I brought with me My fathers Fly pole. (Cast it out onto floor … if church is to small just uses the casting motions)
Satan is the Master angler and he has a fly that is designed just for you because he knows where is your life you are venerable and he just casts and casts. He just puts the fly down and waits, he waits and he entices.
How does he tempt you? (cast at each one and slowly pull back)
Web sites, members of the opposite sex, Alcohol, Drugs, unhealthy desire to be accepted by others, Gossip, uncontrolled anger, unforgiven past hurts, marriage disharmony, materialism, a fragmented life, keeping you to busy.
How does the Devil temp you?
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.
You see it not a sin to be tempted, all of us are tempted. It is a sin when we give in to that temptation. Then were hooked, and no matter how hard we try to get off the hook its to late because we have swallowed the hole thing hook, line and sinker. We just dangling there waiting for Satan to come and pluck us up and put us on his wall.
I remember the first time I went to Lloyd Farrow’s house. The first thing that I noticed was the dear head on the wall. Have you ever been to the house of someone that loves to hunt and fish?
Their walls are covered with trophies that they have caught. My best friend as I was growing up had bass mounted on a plaque on his wall. I have seen Marlins, Crappie, Bass, Moose, Deer, Bear, and Buffalo, even badgers and armadillo’s. All trophies of the things they were able to entice and catch.
Satan has a huge Trophy Room filled with all the times he was able to entice us and catch us. All the times we did resist the temptation and took the bait. The problem now is that were to scared to admit that we got caught. To scared of what others might think so we keep those sins hidden in our heart.
Satan has a special trophy Room for Christians. Christians that have fallen, Christians that have secret sin in there lives. Satan knows that God cannot use old wine skins or broken vessels. He knows that as long as he can keep Christian from confessing their hidden sins the longer he can keep them from being all that God intended them to be. As long as he can keep Christian with unconfessed sin in there life them more he knows that their prayers don’t reach God and they have no power.
Satan has a special room for Pastors too. He knows that if he can keep us down, keep us caught up in sin, there will be no power in the words we speak. If he can put us in the trophy room there will be many trophies to follow.
Let me tell you something else, Satan doesn’t catch and let go!
The Bible says in Revelations 9:11 that Satan is like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.
I’m telling you brother and sister, his trophy room is huge and he probably has your picture right dead in the middle. He has trophies on his wall right now where he has caused you to fall. Secrets that you are to embarrassed to tell, Satan loves keeping you right where you are. He loves having you as a trophy on the wall that he can show off to demonic friends. You know what I am talking about he uses it every time you try to get close to God.
Verse 16 warns us do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.
(get out the fly pole again)
Do not be deceived. He has a fly that he has designed just for you and he keeps casting and casting, drawing it slowly across the water just waiting for you to bite.
Brothers and sisters there is hope and there is a way of discerning the truth look at the next two verses.
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation of shadow of turning. Of His won will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits of His Creatures.
Satan know your faults, You know your sins, but most importantly God knows.
There is only one way to get your Satan’s trophy of you, whether it is your hole self or just a picture, off the wall. So do you want it to remain or would you like for it to come down? Are you tired of Satan throwing your past faults in your face? The bible says in 1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleans us from all unrighteousness.
Some of you here today have your picture on the wall because your soul belongs to Jesus and all Satan can have is that unconfessed sin that keeps holding you back from being totally useful to God.
Others of you Satan has the whole stuffed body, because you have never accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. You belong to 100% to Satan. You may be a good person, you may go to church, you may even believe in God but you have never committed your life to Jesus and you have never been Born again.
Don’t you think its time to get off the wall? You can. You can do it today.
If you are truly repentant of your sins you will have no problem making it public. I will not embarrass you. I will not hang out your laundry. But I will ask if you will be willing to step out today and by that making a public statement that you want the picture back and off Satan’s wall. Will you step out and accept Christ’s forgiveness… You don’t need mine, this is not about me… When you step out you are saying Jesus Christ is the most important thing in you life.
(fly pole) Satan keeps casting and casting… putting the fly down and just waiting to put another picture on the wall. Lets Pray.
