James 1:12-18
You can say “no” to temptation
Scripture Readings:-
Job 1:6-22
James 1:12-18
Congregation of the Lord,
As Christians we are called to walk in the footsteps of Jesus. Sometimes that is not so easy. But, tonight, we are going to focus on an issue that makes us walk exactly in the footsteps of Jesus. We walk in the footsteps of Jesus when we are tempted. Does that sound like heresy?
• This is what Hebrew 4:15 says … “we have (a High Priest … meaning Jesus) who has been tempted in every way, just as we are”. Finally an area of life where we excel in being just like Jesus. Life and temptation go hand in hand.
• Jesus recognised this truth when He taught us the Lord’s Prayer. “Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one”. It’s a daily requirement that we have – the need to acknowledge God’s help to handle temptation.
• Even our own text in James 1:12-18 talks about ongoing temptation. James does not say “if temptation comes”, he says “when temptation comes”.
Temptation is going to be part of our life. And when it comes along it puts us in the good company – indeed the excellent company - of Jesus.
And that is important to recognise. Because as we seek to be people who say “no” to temptation it is pretty clear that we will not just be able to “get rid of temptation” – we can’t remove the times of temptation. Rather we need to look at the Scriptures to see how we can be people who deal with temptation when it comes. And that is where our text sets the agenda. James is equipping us to be able to say “no” to temptation.
The first piece of that equipment comes by recognising our responsibility in this whole matter.
“When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me”. For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone”.
Obviously James says these words because there were people who were saying, “God is tempting me”. Basically they were accusing God of setting them up for failure. You still hear the same accusations today.
People say things like:
“I’m struggling with this issue because my parents struggled with this issue. They didn’t raise me in the right way or give me all that I needed. So I can’t help it – of course when I am tempted in this area I’m going fall”.
What they are really saying is:
“Lord You gave me the wrong parents. You had and could have put me in a different family. If You had put me in a different family I wouldn’t be struggling so much”.
People say things like:
“I’ve been born with a melancholy character. Everyone knows that a melancholy character is going to create a person who is prone to depression and bouts of self doubt. If I was more phlegmatic this wouldn’t be happening. I can’t help it”.
What they are really saying is:
“Lord, You’ve made a mistake, I’ve been given the wrong personality. You could have made me to be so much different; more outgoing. You can’t expect me to stand firm when You made me like this”.
That’s how it goes, doesn’t it. "Lord You gave me too much to bear, that is why I stumbled. You put me into this situation because You didn’t answer my prayer as I wanted You to. Now look, I’m drowning in guilt and shame and I have fallen”. It’s an accusation that God Himself is setting us up for failure. And when we think like this of course we will fall into temptation. If God is at fault, how can we say “no” to temptation?
That is why James says no one should say God is tempting me. It’s a false accusation which gives us an excuse to fall into temptation. The biblical fact is that God is not in the business of making you do something that is evil – the biblical fact is quite the opposite. James 1:18 tell us:-
“He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits of all He created”.
Our heavenly Father is totally committed to the business of drawing people to Himself out of darkness into His wonderful light. He chose us for eternal success. He chose us so that the truth could reign in us. He chose us as a first fruit. The first fruit being that which is dedicated to God at the beginning of a new harvest. That’s God’s heart. And He revealed that heart to us in Jesus Christ. Jesus who came to save us from sin – all the effects of sin.
• The guilt.
• The shame.
• The times when temptation has grabbed us and enticed us and given birth to sin.
• The occasions when we have just given in without a fight.
Jesus came to be the comprehensive answer. So there is no way – no way at all – that we can turn to God and say, “You’re doing this to me and I’ve got no hope”.
Until we understand that truth we will never be able to say “no” to temptation. All we will keep on doing is falling into the enticement of temptation and then blame everyone – except ourselves, for the predicament that we are in.
Do you want to be a person who fights – and succeeds in the fight – against temptation? Then you have to start taking responsibility for you. That is the equipment you need. But we also need more. We also need to recognise that temptation has a great ally. And that ally is - us. Now maybe you were expecting me to say that the alias of temptation is Satan. I’ll agree. Satan does play a role in the whole scenario. In 1 Peter 5:8 we read about our “enemy the devil who prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour”. Satan is out there. Waiting for us to drop our guard. Seeking the right moment to make us fall. Tempting us in new ways so that we may be deceived. Satan is doing his best to turn us against God.
He tries his best in Job 1. Satan comes into the presence of God accusing God of playing favourites with Job. “The only reason Job is faithful is because You bless him so much. Take away the blessing and the man will turn on You”. That is Satan’s accusation. So God agrees to a test. A test that will see Satan tempt Job to question the justice of God and sow the seeds of doubt in Job’s heart. Above all else it is obviously Satan’s task to be allowed to do this.
But something else stands out here. Satan cannot force Job to do anything that Job himself doesn’t want to do. And that truth applies just as much to us. We stand as people of the cross. More specifically we stand as people of the empty cross and the empty grave. These are reminders of a resounding eternal victory.
• Sin - which separates us from God - Christ has defeated it.
• Death - which is a punishment for rebellion against God - Christ has defeated it.
• Satan - who constantly seeks to turn us against God - Christ has defeated him.
Because that is the case Satan cannot make us do anything that we ourselves don’t want to do. We are children of light, the Light who is Jesus Christ. We are not. I’ll say it again. We are not children of darkness. The prince of darkness has no rights or claims over us. Do you want to be a person who fights – and succeeds in the fight – against temptation? Then recognise who the ally of temptation is. The ally is not Satan - its us.
Are you surprised by that answer? Don’t be. By grace we have been saved. Through grace we will be given the crown of life. But the road from here to eternity has many snares, and many detours, and many false paths. We are born sinners. We are born with an evil desire to turn against God. Satan knows it is difficult for a leopard to change its spots. So out comes the temptation – to do what? James 1:14 says:-
“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 fully grown, gives birth to death”.
A young couple, deeply in love, have sneaked down to the beach. "Why can’t we go all the way? What’s the difference between our parents and us? They love each other, and so do we. A piece of paper and a wedding ring don’t make a difference". A desire has been enticed
Back at home mum and dad are filling in the tax return. "Why do we have to pay so much tax? I work hard for a living and all I do is give it to those cosy politicians. What have they ever done for me? How will they ever know our income? They won’t, if we don’t tell them". A desire has been enticed
When it comes to enticing, Satan is playing an easy game. Satan is dragging us away and getting us hooked. He doesn’t care what sin you do, as long as you sin. All he wants to see is that you become comfortable with the process.
But we want to be people who say “no” to that process – “no” to temptation. How does James equip us? By showing us that the process of move from temptation to sin hinges on this issue of desire. If you are going to overcome temptation you have to get your desires cleaned up. Somewhere - somehow - we have to fight against our attraction to sin.
• Not blaming God for our sticky situation.
• Not being dragged away and enticed.
• But having something else happen instead.
That somewhere and somehow is found in verses 16-17.
“Don’t be deceived … every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights”.
How do we say “no” to temptation? We have to rely on this gift from above.
Now, of course, that is going to involve the work of Jesus Christ. Jesus paves the way of making us right with God and building us into a holy priesthood, a royal nation, a people belonging to God. Jesus brings hope and renewal which can be ours even in the midst of total failure. Jesus is a sure guarantee to each one of us that, when we confess His name, we will be saved and given eternal life. Jesus gives us all of these wonderful eternal treasures – but He gives us so much more.
Jesus promised, “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you”.
Jesus promised, “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you”.
Jesus may have ascended to heaven, but He has not left us to our own devises. Jesus promises ongoing support and encouragement. It’s all about transformation which can happen now.
We see this transformation in Galatians 5:16-18:-
“So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law”.
This is a clear pointer towards a transformation that has occurred. Before we are Christians we are under the governing power of the flesh – or the sinful nature. That governing power will always takes us to a life of unholiness. Once we are in Christ we – our hearts, our desires, our motives – they are under the governing power of the Spirit. The Spirit who will always lead us to a life of holiness. The “attraction factor” of the flesh is gone.
What has all that got to do with saying “no” to temptation. Well, once we have the Spirit we can be guaranteed that sin will not be allowed to give birth to death in us. That means the Spirit will help us not to be surprised by temptation – rather we will be made aware of it. We know that Satan works in the dark things. Secrets. Incognito. Lurking. Prowling. The Spirit helps us to see these things – shining the light of the Word onto it to make us aware. And the more we are aware – the more we can say “no” because we can see where the process is going.
The giving of the Spirit also means we can change and not be attracted to sin. A conflict will arise in us when we are walking down paths that are not of God’s making. As we rely on the Spirit – and walk in tune with the Spirit – we will find ourselves becoming more and more uncomfortable in those occasions when we are out of tune with God. Sin may attract us for a while – but the Spirit will make sure it doesn’t hold us for good.
Having the Spirit also means knowing that God will not allow us to walk in our own strength. And as we realise this we will also realise that, when it comes to temptation, the only option we have is to be driven back to the cross of Christ.
• A cross of suffering.
• A cross of anger.
• A cross of unspeakable sin.
• But a cross that has been defeated.
Defeated by One who has taken you by the hand and said, “Let Me do it all for you because you have come to another dead end”.
When we walk in the Spirit we cannot disqualify ourselves from inheriting the glories of heaven. That means we have now the guarantee that we will receive the crown of life.
• As we fight against the temptation to blame God for our situation.
• As we recognise that we can have an ally against temptation.
• As we know that Jesus has given us the gift of life, and the Spirit, so that sin doesn’t give birth to death.
• As we see the Spirit changing our desires.
As we recognise these things we know that we will get through life with success.
“Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him” (James 1:12).
You can be blessed. You can stand under the trial and test of temptation. You can say “no” to temptation. It’s not a matter of if. It’s a matter of when.
Amen.
