Pay the Price
James 1:12
Sept 8, 2002
James 1:12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.
What is temptation?
Why are we tested?
Can I avoid temptation and testing?
Are these things always bad?
What will happen if I endure?
These are intriguing questions aren’t they?
Within these questions, we can learn what price we have to pay when we decide to follow Jesus.
Let me ask you another very serious question this morning…
Is the price of being a Christian too high?
1. Some of you are saying “no, not for me!”
2. Others of you are saying, “Well, I didn’t think it cost anything to become a Christian.”
a. You are right! It doesn’t cost anything to become a Christian because salvation is a free gift.
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b. It is only by God’s grace that we can have eternal life.
c. In the same way, a decision has been made to be saved, then the Christian life begins.
3. However, there is a price to pay when living the Christian life.
a. Jesus says “Daily, take up your cross and follow me.”
Have you ever wondered how many blessings you missed out on because you weren’t obeying God?
Deuteronomy 11:26-28 Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse; A blessing, if you obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you today: And a curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside from the way which I command you today, to go after other gods, which you have not known.
To really enjoy life, and to find real joy, you can’t live a half hearted, slip shod life.
a. The world has the Burger King philosophy “have it your way”or says as Frank Senatra wrote “I did it my way”
b. But Jesus says, Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.
c. Blessed is the man that serves the Lord.
d. Blessed is the man that does it “God’s way.”
I. Good Discipline Helps to Overcome Temptation
1. Discipline seems to be a bad word today
a. But if we are going to live a life that is pleasing to God, we need to be disciplined.
Ex: ** A horse is not any good until it is broken and harnessed. The horse learns discipline – the greater the discipline, the greater the value to it’s owner.
** Steam is just a vapor, unless it has been confined. But if it is confined, it has power.
** Niagara Falls is a beautiful waterfall. But if the water is confined through a turbine, it gives light and power to entire cities and states.
** In the same way, Faith and life grows very little until there is focus and discipline in our lives.
b. God cannot use us if we succumb to the temptations of the world.
c. The world says “Don’t worry about temptation. If it feels good, do it. Whatever is natural must be right."
c. Do you want God’s power in your life? Let God discipline you.
d. Do you want victory in your life? Let God transform you into a vessel that He can use.
2. After all, Christ is where our Power comes from.
a. Christ is the one who gives victory, joy,
b. Christ is the one, who thru His blood gives us freedom from sin.
a. You’ve heard the song “Would you be free from the burden of sin, There’s POWER in the blood.”
2. Most of the problem of our discipline is a result of problems with our heart.
a. The problem of the heart is the heart of the problem.
b. Until our hearts are right with God, we will not have power and true victory.
c. Satan will deceive us and our emotions will control us.
D. I’ve heard the questions, “"If God really loves us, why doesn’t He annihilate Satan and stop temptation? Why not remove the allurement of sin?" But if God did that, you and I would lose the ability to be overcomers in Jesus Christ.
* Is there any victory in crossing the goal line before the other team has taken the field?
* Is there any victory in stealing home when the other team hasn’t shown up?
e. Without opposition, there is no victory.
f. God hasn’t called us to a life of ease, but to a life of victory in Jesus Christ.
That’s why we can sing “Oh Victory in Jesus, My Saviour forever!”
g. We are all subject to temptation, but those who depend on the strength of Christ can experience triumph over it.
II. Unless We Are Disciplined, Temptation Can Create Quitters
The record for the shortest major league baseball career probably belongs to a member of the old Brooklyn Dodgers, a pitcher named Harry Hartman. He was a gifted young ballplayer whose day of glory arrived in 1918 when he was called up from the minors to pitch against the Pittsburgh Pirates. This was the moment he’d dreamed about, the beginning of a great career, but his dreams began to fade when his first pitch was hit for a single. The next batter tripled. Rattled, he walked the hit for a single. The next batter tripled. Rattled once more, he walked the next batter on four straight pitches, and when he did throw a strike to the next hitter, it went for a single. At that point, Hartman had had enough. He headed for the showers, dressed, and walked out of the stadium to a naval recruiting office, where he enlisted. The next day, he was in a military uniform, never to be heard from in professional baseball again.
Maybe you can identify with Harry Hartman. There have been times when you given up. You remember that dream you dreamed so vividly as a youth? You had your sights set high. But somewhere along the line the price for achieving that dream cost too much, so you quit. You settled for what you could get.
1. It’s very tempting to quit. Matter of fact, it’s easier to quit than carry on.
2. The trouble with most of us is that we want to BE without first BECOMING.
a. We want instant success, instant pay raises, instant promotions.
b. We want jobs that are fulfilling, but expect that fulfillment to be handed to us on a silver platter.
c. We want to be the best without the price that goes with it.
"It’s easier to go out and play than to practice scales.
It’s easier to watch TV after work than to take care of the house or the yard.
It’s easier to walk out of the room during an argument than to stay and work through the conflict.
It’s easier to read the paper and drink coffee in your bathrobe on Sunday morning than to get yourself and your family up, dress everybody, face traffic and go to church.
3. It’s easier to do what you want to do with your life than to kneel before God, turn the reigns over to him, and wait patiently and expectantly and sometimes agonizingly for him to lead you.
4. It’s easier to quit following Jesus than to go through with the painful process of daily surrender.
II. The Test of Discipline is not Just in our Words, But our Actions
1. Did you know that sometimes, in each of our lives, God will ask us to do something that is very much in conflict with what we want to do?
a. He may ask us to give money to someone in need.
b. He may ask us to spend 15 minutes each morning reading the Bible.
c. He may ask us to get up on Sunday morning for Sunday School.
d. He may ask us to do some chores that your parents asked you to do.
e. He may ask you to be a Sunday School teacher.
f. He may ask you to do something that will be a big sacrifice (or small)
2. If we are going to be true disciples of Christ, whatever He calls us to do, we need to do it.
a. God expects us to put action to His commands.
b. Jesus says Matthew 10:38 And he that does not take up his cross, and follow after me, is not worthy of me.
i. When? Immediately! Not tomorrow, or next week, or next year….But NOW!
ii. Think about it. As He called His disciples, they immediately got up and followed Jesus.
3. But there are so many things in this life that I want to do
a. I want more of this or that.
b. I don’t want this or that
c. First of all take your eyes off of yourself and look toward Christ.
Hebrews 13:21 Now the God of peace make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in HIS sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever.
4. Temptation comes along to us to keep us from doing the things that God has called us to do.
a. Temptation comes from our evil nature within us, not from God.
b. It usually begins with some evil thought which grows into sin.
c. Then we allow that thought to become an action that entangles our lives within the sin.
d. Once that sin grabs us, it is hard to let go.
In the country of Tialand lives a very small monkey, called the spider monkey. It is given its name because, it hangs from the tree by its tail and lets its arms and legs dangle.
The children of Tialand catch this monkey and sell it for extra money. Because of its size it is very difficult to catch. It is so small that you cannot even catch it in a net.
However, they have found, that they could take a very long necked bottle and tie a rope around the neck of the bottle, place peanuts in the bottle and a few on the ground around the bottle, and wait for the spider monkey to come.
The spider monkey would see the peanuts on the ground, eat them, then notice the peanuts in the bottle, and reach its arm into the long neck bottle and grab a hand full of peanuts.
Well, when the spider monkey would try to pull its arm out of the bottle, it could not, because of the hand is clinched to a fist, full of peanuts. Because of the great treasure the spider monkey had found it would not let go of the peanuts.
Then the trapper would take hold of the rope and lead the spider monkey off, to be sold.
There is one thing that the spider monkey loves more that peanuts and that is fruit. There has been test run, to see if the spider monkey would let go of the peanuts. They would scatter fresh fruit just out of reach all around the bottle, but the spider monkey would not let go of the peanuts.
In fact the only way to get the spider monkey’s arm out of the bottle is to break the bottle.
5. Satan has many of us trapped in our sin.
a. We need to be free but we are not willing to let go of our sin.
6. This morning, I’m here to say that God knows how to deliver you
a. He also wants to deliver you.
7. There is a price to pay for being a Christian and becoming a disciple of Christ.
a. Whatever the price we pay for following Jesus, it will be worth it all.
b. How do I know that?
c. Because the Bible says that the cost of not following Jesus is much greater than the cost of turning my life to Him.
John 3:16-18 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
8. Jesus paid it all. All to Him I owe. Sin has left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.
