Faithful Living - Studies from the Book of James
No 5 "Sin from Beginning to End" Ch
1:13-16 - by Pastor
Jack Anderson
Introduction The verses
before us for consideration are an important segment of James’s opening message
on the tests and trials of life.
They also take up an important theological
question, namely the origin of sin with the human race.
James commences by making an emphatic statement, that no person is ever to blame God when they are
tempted to do wrong.
James 1:13 let no man say
when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil,
neither tempteth he any man: (KJV)
God uses testing of circumstances to lead His people forward in faith,
to steadfastness, and on to maturity. God never tempts a person to go the way
of self-gratification or to do wrong.
Do not blame God for the temptation, for He is a Holy God who cannot be tempted and it is
not in His character to tempt anyone.
1. Reality
to Foresee "Temptation"
Our text confirms what we already know to
be true. Many temptations begin in us. There
is something already there. Temptation calls to us from within us. We hear that
call almost every day, and we’ve all had the experience of responding to that
call. We’ve all failed to even live up to our own standards, as well as God’s
standards.
Morality is almost a
forgotten word in our generation. Few people speak of temptation. This is a day
when most people believe that there are no absolutes; consequently there are no
restraints.
Presidents, Politicians, Popular sporting personalities,
and Preachers have fallen into the murky waters of temptation.
In the moral climate, which prevails today,
James’s words regarding temptation are words of warning to all, who would seek
to live a godly life in a dark world.
James 1:16 do not err, my
beloved brethren. (KJV)
When he is tempted, 1:13 Temptation is not a
matter of "If" but "When"
we are tempted. None are exempt form temptation.
Temptation is universal. If you should hear of someone who is never tempted by
anything, there is one conclusion that you can draw about that person. He or
she is dead. Dead people are not tempted.
If you’re not being tempted right now, expect
it soon because it’s coming. Temptation is not something that you ever get
past.
It has come around before and it will come
around again. It is inevitable that it will continue to come, till all the
ransomed
The Believer who thinks otherwise has fallen
into Satan’s most subtle trap.
Christians are subject to a sharper and a
more subtle temptation than those who do not know the Lord. Temptation is
inevitable.
Each temptation leaves us better or worse;
neutrality is impossible. We need to expect temptation. We should never be
surprised.
As Matthew Henry’s said, "The best
of Saints may be tempted to the worst of sins" To face up to this fact is to face reality, flee
temptation and don't leave a forwarding address.
1. Reality
to Foresee "Temptation"
2.
Reasoning to Follow
"Let no man say when he
is tempted, I am tempted of God"
God is not the "Source, or the
Origin", of temptation which comes our way. When tempted, no one should
say, "God is tempting me".
For God cannot be tempted by evil, neither
can He tempt us towards evil. Yet many people blame God for their own sin.
They say, "
God created everything therefore He is responsible for the very impulse of
temptation. This reasoning concludes, "that God
is the author of sin" I can’t help my sin, for God just made me this way.
We look for anything and everything on which
to blame our troubles. If it is not adverse circumstances, it’s "The Devil
Made Me Do It". If it is not the Devil, then it has to be God! It surely
can't be me!
This was precisely the
thinking behind Adam’s pathetic attempt to shift the responsibility for his
sin. Adam said to God, "I am not guilty" Gen
3:12 "The woman whom thou gavest to be with me,
she gave me of the tree, and I did eat". (KJV)
"Lord the woman is to blame"! But Eve said "Lord I am not guilty for the Devil
made me do it". Gen 3: The serpent beguiled
me, and I did eat. (KJV)
What a display of the depravity of the human heart! In a moment of
crisis, when things go seriously wrong, when a fatal mistake has been
made, he seeks to avoid personal blame, and implies that the Devil or God is
responsible’
Satan does have a hand in our temptation. But often he gets too much credit.
You see there must be something there for Satan’s temptations to be effective.
The one restriction that
God placed on our first parents was a reasonable test of their faith and
obedience. It was not a temptation for them to do wrong. The power of choice
lay with them.
Temptation, is inevitable it is also personal, it one thing to be tempted, it
is another thing to fall. Adam and Eve
fell because of personal desire.
Gen 3:6-7 when the woman saw
that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a
tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did
eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
7 And the eyes of them both
were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves
together, and made themselves aprons. (KJV)
They fell into sinful depravity because of
personal desire.
As Thomas Jefferson said,
"Do not bite at the bait of pleasure till you know there is no hook
beneath it". Satan played his part
in this rebellion, a rebellion that was not God’s responsibility.
God cannot be tempted by evil. What a
dazzling diamond we have in verse 13.
a.
God’s Person can never be defiled.
Man is unclean but
God is perfect in His Righteousness and Holiness. There is absolutely nothing
in His divine nature that responds to evil. He is of purer eyes than to behold
iniquity. He is a Thrice Holy God. Holy Holy Holy!
All
heaven’s triumphant choirs shall sing.
When
ransomed nations fall at the footstool of their King
Holy
Holy Holy" is the Lord
of all.
If God is Holy
he cannot be tempted.
b.
God’s Purposes can never be defeated
Dan 4:35 all the inhabitants
of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will
in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none
can stay his hand, or say unto him, what doest thou?
The eternal purposes of God can never be deflected, because He cannot be tempted
by evil.
God sometimes moves in the dark, but He is
never in the dark as to where He is moving. Every child of His can trust Him
wholly and will find Him wholly true.
c. God’s Perception can never
be dulled
Because He cannot be tempted! How often have we made wrong decisions, or displayed
a wrong attitude? How many opportunities,
have we missed because our perception was dulled by sin, because we were out of
touch with God? But our blessed Lord can never
be touched or tainted by sin. His perception is always clear and perfect.
This is the One who is familiar with all our ways, aware of our
needs, and is touched with the feelings of our infirmities.
He has the answer to our many problems
because His perception can never be dulled.
Ps 147:4-5 He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth
them all by their names.
Great is our Lord, and of
great power: his understanding is infinite. (KJV)
d. God’s Power can never be
diminished
Sin robs men of their power. Lot chose
to live in
Samson broke his solemn vow and soon his power was gone, and
he knew it not when the Philistines came upon him.
Sin can rob the Christian of their power
but it can never touch God’s Power.
God is never weakened; His power is never
less than omnipotent. The mighty power of God, which raised Christ from the
dead, is the same power that works in all those who trust Him.
e. God’s Promises can never
be devalued.
How often have we made promises to man and to God and failed to
keep them, because of compromise or a lack of faith.
God never fails to keep His promises. Thank
God, even when we forget His promises, He still remembers.
Illustration. Old
man, who was dying, couldn’t remember God’s promises, but was
reminded that God never forgets.
The Promise of His Presence to enjoy—
His Presence Is Personal "Lo I am with you always" not an
angel but the Lord Himself will be with His people.
The Promise of His Power to
encourage--
He Will Strengthen Us –
He will give us the power to see every duty
and every day to its conclusion. There will be grace and strength for every
need –
2 Cor. 12:9 and he said unto me, My grace is
sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.
He Will Support Us –
He will give us what we need, when we need
it, in the exact proportions that we require it – Phil. 4:19. Psalm 23:1-6 –
He Will Sustain Us –
God will keep us and get us safely through
the journey until we all reach Heaven; God did not save us to abandon us along
the way –
Our journey may be long, or it may be short. Whatever the length of it, or
whatever we may face, I am thankful that we can count on God and His promises
during our journey.
At the dedication of the
1 Ki
8:56 Blessed be the LORD, that hath given rest unto his people Israel,
according to all that he promised: there hath not failed one word of all
his good promise, which he promised by the hand of Moses his servant.
I praise the Lord for His
promises! Don’t you? However,
let’s be honest, we do not always live like we believe these things, do we? For
so often we can yield to temptation and bring dishonour to God.
Illustration. Let us seek to remember, that feather-by-feather the goose is plucked,
and that for every great temptation, there will be many small ones.
Wolves and bears are more dangerous than
flies, but mostly flies bother us.
James sets forth the nature of God, "God cannot be tempted with evil" he also
set forth the character of God "neither tempteth he any man" v 13
Reality to
Foresee
Reasoning
to Follow
Responsibility to Face.
James 1:14,15
But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin:
and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
Having made a powerful defence of the
character of God, James now describes the workings of temptation, the source
and course and the force.
The Source of Temptation-- is Desire.
James 1:14 but every man is
tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. (KJV) But each one
is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. (NKJ)
Temptation begins with desire. This
is where the responsibility lies. James tells us that it is our own evil
desire, and our desires are extremely powerful. The desire to sin is already within us. If it were not
in us, sin would not be attractive to us.
Many desires are legitimate, but when
they attach themselves to an evil object they draw us away, and then drag us
away from a secure place and leave us on the open place of sin.
The more one seeks to satisfy a selfish inward desire, the more the
craving grows. When a selfish desire enters the mind and takes root, that root
should be immediately removed for soon it will produce fruit.
Jer. 17:9 the heart is deceitful above all
things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? (KJV) James aligns himself with the Biblical teaching of the
total depravity of man. Where there is no evil desire, there is no temptation.
How right the Puritan Preacher
Thomas Browne was when he said " Our corrupted
hearts are the factories of the Devil"
The Source of Temptation-- is Desire. James understood that Satan is busy at tempting believers, but he also
understood that the root of the problem is our own evil sinfulness.
Ultimately each person is faced with the
responsibility of his or her own temptations. A man's heart is right when he
wills what God wills.
The Course of Temptation V 14, 15 James introduces to us the three-generation family of, Lust, Sin and
Death, and they continue to be passed down to each generation of man.
Soon desire leads to deception.
James tells us that because of desire
we are dragged away and enticed. The word enticed is
fishing term that means, "to bait a
hook" The hunter and the fisherman both use bait to catch their
prey.
If you bait your hook with a nice juicy worm,
you have two purposes in mind. The first is to lure the fish. The second is to
hide the hook.
The fish does not see the hook, and neither do we. But the hook is there. The
consequences of sin are very real, but we are blinded to them by the strength
of our desire. If we could see them clearly, we might make another choice.
Lot would not have moved to
David would never
have committed adultery if he had not looked with desire on his neighbour’s
wife, or if he had seen the consequences of his sin.
The death of a baby,
It’s the bait, which keeps us from
seeing the consequences of sin.
Jesus warned His disciples Mat 26:41 Watch and
pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing,
but the flesh is weak.
Inwardly man has the desire and the potential to sin; outwardly
he is surrounded by enticements, allurements, and temptations.
As long as he resists he is safe. If he yields, his desire leads to deception, and
deception leads to disobedience.
"When lust hath
conceived it bringeth forth sin"
How often the grass looks greener on the
other side. Desire and deception are an unholy marriage.
Illustration. - Erwin Lutzer-- tells
the story of a man who walked into a mental institution one day, and was taken
on a tour. The tour led him to one cell where a man was beating his head
against the padded walls. He kept saying, "Linda, how could you do
it? Linda, how could you do it?"
The guide explained that the man was in love with Linda, and when Linda
jilted him, he drifted off into the ozone. He just couldn't handle it.
They went to the next cell, and there was a
man saying, "Linda, Linda, how could this happen? Linda, Linda."
The visitor said, "Who's he?"
The guide said, "He's the man who married Linda."
That's the myth of the greener grass.
James goes on to make it abundantly clear
that no one can escape the personal guilt that is involved in his or her acts
of sin.
Reality to
Foresee
Reasoning
to Follow
Responsibility to Face.
Recklessness to Forsake.
"When lust hath
conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is
finished, bringeth forth death". V 15
The Force of Temptation
Look ahead to where sin ends. Sin and lust gives birth to death.
Adam and Eve, the moment the desire in their heart conceived and
gave birth to sin, experienced instant spiritual death, and ultimately physical
death.
Gen 3:19 In
the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou
return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou
taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou
return.
Rom 5:12 Wherefore,
as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed
upon all men, for that all have sinned: (KJV)
The Greek word for "death" (Thanatos)
means separation. In physical death the spirit is separated from the body.
In eternal death the spirit of man, his soul,
is separated from God forever. This is the terrible conclusion, for the
unconverted. "The wages of sin is death"
G.H. Charnley tells
the story of a young skylark. One day it discovered, a man who would give it
worms for a feather. A bargain was made— one feather for two worms.
Down it flew, plucked two feathers from its wings and had a feast
of worms. Day after day this went on. Autumn came and it was time to fly south.
But the young skylark couldn’t do it.
It had exchanged the power of its wings for
worms. It didn’t see the consequences of its desire. He was deceived by his
desire and made the wrong choice.
Don’t be deceived by your desires. "For sin when it is finished bringeth
forth death".
How does "sin
when it is finished bringeth forth death" effect
believers who are no longer under condemnation because they are in Christ?
The Bible teaches that the Lord will punish
His children where there is wilful sinning. The Apostle John reminds us "That there is a sin unto death 1John 5:16
Both the Old and New Testaments
contain example of this chastisement from the hand of God.
It happened to the sons of Aaron
Lev 10:1
And Nadab
and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his
censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon,
and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not.
And there went out fire from
the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD.
In Acts 5, this
judgment fell on Ananias and Sapphira
who sold some property and lied about the price. The charge against Ananias was "Thou hast
not lied unto men but unto God"
Acts 5:5 And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the
ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things. And the young
men arose, wound him up, and carried him out, and buried him.
The Lord dealt with
those in the
1 Cor
11:29 for he that eateth and drinketh
unworthily, eateth and drinketh
damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.
For this cause many are weak
and sickly among you, and many sleep.
How solemn theses thoughts are and how
they should challenge every believer to honest and Holy
living.
James says,
"Do not err, my beloved brethren"
The Apostle John writes
My little children, these
things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any
man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
1 John 2:1
His
Precious Blood and full atonement
Makes
us right with God
Sin
and Satan are overcome
By
it’s almighty power.
When we are faced with temptation let
us remember God’s wonderful promise.
There hath no temptation
taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will
not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the
temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. 1 Cor 10:13
God says that he will always make a way of
escape. So, don’t be surprised by temptation. You can win over temptation! God
has given you the power to forsake this Recklessness.
Yield not to Temptation.
Ask the Saviour to help you
Comfort, strengthen, and keep
you
He is willing to help you
He will carry you through