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We'll be in James 1 this morning. We're continuing our study we began last week through the epistle of James. And so many just practical instructions in this letter written almost 2,000 years ago. We'll be looking at verses 13 to 18 in particular this morning. Let's ask God's help as we go to His Word. Father, we are so thankful for the privilege that we have to be your people, to gather as a family. We're thankful that all of these truths that we sang of this morning, the truths about you, about what you have done through Christ, about who we are in Him, and the encouragement that it is, and to be able to lift our voices together, to have the fellowship as brothers and sisters in Christ, And we thank You for Your Word that You have given to us. As we give our attention, we're thankful that the Holy Spirit indwells us to illumine our minds and to empower our actions. May we be doers of the Word and not only hearers. In Jesus' name, Amen. When I was a youth pastor, I used to play a little game on unsuspecting students. We would have a group of teenagers gather together and we would have two tables that would be lined up end to end. And on these tables were different balls for sports. So basketball, football, baseball, volleyball, soccer, whatever. And they were out. And I would explain to the students how the game was played. It was a timed race. And so each of the balls would be covered by a towel. And so you begin at one end, and you uncover the towel, and you have to identify the correct ball. Soccer ball. And then you go to the next one. You uncover it. And you go all the way down the line until you're done. And when you do the last one, then we'll stop the time. And then we're going to do this with several people to see who has the shortest amount of time, who was the quickest in identifying each of the balls. So then I would ask for volunteers and have several volunteers, maybe choose four or five of them, and I'd have them leave the room. And as they left the room, where the two tables came together, we'd move them apart just a little bit, enough for someone to get in under the table and to put their head as one of the balls. We had a long tablecloth so that you couldn't see that someone was under there. And so we covered, of course, that person's head with a towel, just like the others. And so the first person would come in and say, OK, got my stopwatch here. Ready, go. And they would start soccer ball, baseball. And then they would get to the head. And they would uncover it. And the person who is there would just go, ah! You know, and then we would all watch their response, and it would, of course, be very funny, and it was interesting to see what would happen. Some would just freeze, some would continue on to do the other balls, just in case they were still being timed and there was a prize that they could win. I don't think anyone fainted, but the whole point was there was really no contest at all. It was a prank. It was really a deception. And they were the butt of the joke, and of course, we all would just have a good laugh. Now, it could be fun to deceive in a good-natured way so that the person is not harmed in any way. But there are many others of life where deception is dangerous and even deadly. The Bible often warns about deception, and we see deception here in life. Criminals use deception in order to steal, to abuse, to take advantage of others. And as we look in the Scripture, we see that all the way back in the very beginning in the Garden of Eden, The first woman uses this excuse after eating of the forbidden fruit. She says, the serpent deceived me and I ate. Through Moses, the Lord tells the people of Israel, take heed to yourselves lest your heart be deceived. And you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them. Jesus warned His disciples saying, take heed that no one deceives you. We quoted together words that the Apostle John wrote. And he often uses this word, deceive, saying, my little children, let no one deceive you. This is a continual theme in Paul's letters to the Ephesians. He says, let no one deceive you with empty words. To the Corinthians, let no one deceive himself. To the Galatians, do not be deceived. And to the Thessalonians, let no one deceive you by any means. He warns Titus about idle talkers and deceivers. And he told Timothy that impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. This is also a theme in the epistle of James. According to verse 22 in chapter 1, a person who is a hearer of the word, but not a doer, is deceiving himself. Verse 26 says something similar. A religious man who cannot control his tongue is deceiving his own heart. His religion is useless. What is deception? Well, it is straying away into error. It is being misled, being tricked into believing a lie. In our passage of study this morning, we get a wake-up call from James. Verse 16 of chapter 1, Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Because this prohibition is in the present Greek tense, it really carries the idea of calling for a present action to cease. James literally says, stop being deceived. And although the tone is forceful, it comes from a heart of love. The warning, James says, is to his beloved brethren. So what are they being deceived about? Well, the topic under discussion is temptation. This is something that deceives us as well. So let's just read this passage, verses 13 to 18. Let no one say when he is tempted, I am tempted by God. For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. 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. Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. Of His own will, He brought us forth by the word of truth. that we might be a kind of first fruits of His creatures. There is really only one way to stop deception, and it is countering the deception with truth. Paul warns the Ephesians about being tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the trickery of men in cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting. Instead, Paul says we must speak the truth in love. Jesus says that it is the truth that will make you free. Only the truth can liberate you from the bondage of deception. After Paul warns Timothy about impostors who deceive, he exhorts him saying, you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing of whom you have learned them. And that from a child you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. How can we avoid deception? We must know the truth, and specifically, Paul says to Timothy, the truth of God's Word. Don't be led astray. Continue in the truth of Scripture. So as James addresses the topic of temptation, he presents us with three main truths that we need to know. First, the truth about temptation. Second, the truth about yourself. And third, the truth about God. Let's begin with the truth about temptation. The verbs translated tempted in verses 13 and 14 come from the Greek noun that we already saw last week when we studied verses 1-12. That word occurs in verse 2 and also in verse 12. James is continuing the same theme. The theme of trials. Count in all joy when you fall into various trials, verse 2. And we noted that that same Greek word translated trials in verse 2 is translated temptation in verse 12. Blessed is the man who endures temptation. So to someone reading this in the original language, it all has the same idea. Trial. Temptation. We could call it testing. So what does James want us to know about testing? Well, look again at verse 13. So here's the truth about temptation. God doesn't tempt. But if you know your Bible well, you may recall that in Genesis 22, we're told that God tested Abraham. And the writer of Hebrews in chapter 11 actually quotes that, and in the Greek, uses the same verb that James uses here. That God tempted or tested Abraham. So, does God tempt? The writer of Hebrews says he does. James says he does not. So how do we understand this seeming contradiction? Well, that's where we need to understand the nature of temptation. You see, there are various kinds of testing. In verse 3, James refers to the testing of your faith. Sometimes, we are tested by difficulties. The test may come in the form of a health problem, or relational conflict, or financial stress, or even some kind of natural disaster. But a testing could take the form of temptation to sin. a solicitation to do evil and violate God's law. Either way, it is a testing of your faith. And really, any trial could give us the possibility to sin. I mean, let's just consider the trial of the last 18 months. We've all been tested in some way or another. And if you are passing the test by trusting God, then the test strengthens your faith. It increases your spiritual maturity. that maybe you are fearful of the virus, or you're concerned about overrun health care systems, or you're skeptical of the government's motives, or you're concerned about personal freedoms. Those concerns, a test, could easily become a temptation to sin, to be anxious, when the Bible says, be anxious for nothing. Or it could be a temptation to complain when Scripture says, do all things without complaining and disputing. Or it could be a temptation to respond in anger. James warns in verse 20 that the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Do you see how a trial can at the same time also be a temptation? And the difference is our response. If we respond in faith, believing God's truth instead of a lie, then our faith is strengthened. If we respond by doubting God and falling for the deception, then our faith is weakened and we fail the test. And James is saying in verse 13 that God's intention for testing is never for our failure. His desire for any trial or temptation is to make us perfect and complete, lacking nothing, according to verse 4. So that's the truth about temptation. With a test, there's always a possibility of failing that test. But our God is sovereign. He wants us to grow and mature through a process, and testing is part of the process that strengthens us. In 1 Corinthians 10, 13, Paul reminds us that God is faithful. And He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able. But with the temptation will also provide a way of escape that you may be able to bear it. God has given us everything we need to overcome the temptation. We must know God's truth, though, and heed it. So here's a second truth that you need to know. Not only about temptation, but also about yourself. The truth about yourself. If God does not intend temptation to cause us to sin, then why do we sin? James explains in verse 14. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and entice." The word entice is a metaphor from fishing, referring to the bait on a hook. Fish don't typically bite metal hooks just floating in the water. The only way you can catch a fish is to deceive. to put a delicious, juicy worm on that hook, and to tempt the fish to enjoy a snack. Only when the fish takes the bait is he hooked and dragged away. And when it comes to our temptation, what entices us? What draws us away? Don't miss what James says in verse 14. Each one is tempted when he is drawn away by Satan and enticed. Is that what it says? Some of you are nodding. They aren't looking at the Bible here. No, it doesn't say by Satan. Each one is tempted when he is drawn away by unfair treatment and enticed. or drawn away by worldly solicitation, or by easy money, or by immoral pleasure, or by peer pressure. No. Now certainly all those things are involved in the process of temptation. But James makes it clear that it is your own desire that draw you away and entice you. Let's go back to that fish again. Maybe the fish's mother warned him about floating worms in the middle of a lake. She says, worms just don't float in the middle of lakes. So stay away from floating worms. I don't know if that happened. Maybe it does. Maybe that fish knew he should be more cautious. So why does he bite the bait? It is because his desire for the taste of that worm enticed him and drew him out of protection to take it. The hook didn't draw him. Even the worm didn't draw him. It was his own desire that caused him to bite. Now, in James 4, he does command us to resist the devil. And elsewhere in Scripture, we are told to avoid temptation. And Jesus even tells us to pray and lead us not into temptation. But the devil can't make us sin. He can only dangle in front of us something that our own heart desires. So the best place to address temptation is to confront our own desire. If your desire for sin is weakened, then the outward temptation is less effective. If you put bait on the hook that the fish isn't interested in, that he has no desire for, well, you're not going to catch the fish. Now let's say that you have a strong desire for fast food hamburgers every day for lunch and a bowl of ice cream every night before you go to bed. And that strong desire has become a habit for many years now. Every day at lunch, every night before you go to bed. You've tried eating celery before you go to bed, but the desire for the bowl of ice cream is just too strong. And so that desire draws you, entices you, causes you to act. Well, let's say then you have a doctor's appointment, and she tells you that the effects of your daily routine will very soon have irreversible consequences. If you do not stop soon, you're going to have the rest of your life with certain medications, maybe even limitations. These are some things. And so stop now. Well, probably for most of us, that message would weaken our desire. Now, that doesn't mean we suddenly don't have the taste for hamburgers or ice cream. But the desire is weakened because we realize the harm. And we realize the consequences if we continue. And so the desire is still there, but the desire is weakened, causing us not to give in. Because we actually have a greater desire for good health than we do the desire for the hamburger and ice cream. Now the temptation doesn't suddenly go away. All the McDonald's and Dairy Queens didn't suddenly close. They're still around. We still drive by them. There's still somewhat of a temptation, but the desire is weakened because of the truth that we know. And that's what happens to us. We need to deal with desire so that it is weakened. James in verse 15 gives another illustration that kind of helps us to understand the truth about ourselves and temptation. He says, "...then when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and sin when it is full grown, brings forth death." So temptation alone doesn't conceive. And desire alone does it conceive. But when temptation and desire meet, that's when there's a problem. The desire wants something, and now there's the opportunity to act upon the desire. So, James is giving an illustration of a child that is conceived. What happens when a child is conceived? Well, the embryo grows and develops. And nine months later, the baby is born. And of course, this is a wonderful blessing when we're talking about a baby. A gift from God to a family. But James is using this only as an illustration to discuss the progression of sin. The lustful desire in the heart begins small and may stay hidden for quite a while. but if not repented of and rejected, the desire becomes more intense. And the inward sinful desire eventually gives birth to outward sinful action. And just like a newborn baby doesn't remain small, but grows and develops and gets stronger, so does sin if left in our lives. Do you see the word full-grown in verse 15? It's from the same Greek word translated perfect in verse 4, which is really one of the main themes that James has. God intends us to be complete, fully mature. But if we give in to temptation and allow sin to remain in our lives, it is the sin that grows and matures in our life. Instead of growing stronger in faith, the evil desires grow stronger. What does sin bring when it grows up to full maturity? James says it brings forth death. Now death refers to separation. Physical death is the soul being separated from the body. But the Bible also speaks of spiritual death, of eternal death, which is eternal separation from God. Now what does James mean here? Well, he tells us that he is writing to believers because he says, my beloved brethren. So, he cannot be talking about eternal separation from God. But sin can lead to physical death even for the believer. There could be a crime committed that actually, capital punishment, could be executed. There could be revenge sought by someone because of sin. There could be because of someone's sin being in the wrong place at the wrong time that death actually occurs. Or things that they're doing to their own body that causes premature death. Paul even warned the Corinthians about some of them have died because of the sin in their lives. And here's the point James is making. We can progress spiritually. Gradually, we can become complete and mature. But, sin can also progress in our life. And the consequences are great. So the time to address sin is right now. Wherever it is. At whatever stage of growth it is. Stop it. Right now. Maybe for you, that sin has been full grown. It's been in your life for years. It has a hold on your life. It is almost taken over. You need help now. Get the help. You're on the edge of a cliff. Repent. Turn back to the Lord. And find some godly friends that can help you and give you some accountability. That's what the church is for. Maybe for you, There's actually a desire for something sinful. And there's actually never even been an opportunity yet. You haven't been tempted, but the desire is in your mind. It's in your heart. Stop it there! And everywhere in between. James is saying there is a progression of sin. And there are people that can look back and say, I can't believe I ever got here, because they never made a choice to get here. They just made a hundred or a thousand little choices every day that eventually got to there. And we understand this in our lives. It's just a process. Slow and steady. So kill it at whatever stage it is in. Here's what Paul says in Colossians 3.5. Put to death your members which are on the earth. And then he lists fornication, uncleanness. These are outward sins. But Paul goes on to add passion, evil desire, and covetousness. Kill your desire before it conceives. Stop the conception before it is born. Confess and forsake your sin before it grows to full maturity. Ralph Waldo Emerson was right when he said, So a thought, reap an action. So an act, reap a habit. So a habit, reap a character, so a character reap a destiny. Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. That's what James says next, verse 16. Don't be deceived. Sin will take you further than you want it to go, keep you longer than you want it to stay, and cost you more. than you wanted to pay. That's the truth about temptation and yourself. But before we conclude, there's one more truth that you need to know. And this truth will protect you from being deceived. It's the truth about God. The truth about God. Look at what James says in verse 17. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning." Now, it may appear that James has moved on to a new subject. But I think these words are crucial in our fight against the temptation to sin. James has just told us that God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone. In other words, our God is good. He's not trying to do anything to cause harm in your life. He is good. Earlier in verse 5, we are told that God is generous, liberally giving wisdom to anyone who asks in faith. And in verse 17, we learn that every good gift is a gift from God. It comes from our Heavenly Father. And that even includes the testing of our faith, because it is God's good plan to make us perfect and complete, lacking nothing. James further describes God as the Father of Lights. This probably refers to the sun, moon, and stars. He is the Creator of all. He is sovereign over all. And since He is good, that means His goodness cannot be stopped. James emphasizes that the Lord is consistent with no variation or shadow of turning. You see, the sun casts a shadow. Early in the morning, it's long shadow pointing westward as it comes up. And then around noon, when it's above our head, that long shadow is now very small. And then once the sun starts heading west, the shadows begin to go longer, pointing east. The shadows are always changing. But our Heavenly Father is the Father of light. He stands above the sun. There is no turning with Him. He is not only good, He is consistently good. Now what does this have to do with temptation? Well, think about it. Why do we bite the bait? Because we are deceived. We believe the lie that we are better off sinning against God than obeying God. Why did Adam and Eve sin? Well, Eve said, the serpent deceived me. So how did he deceive her? Well, God said, do not eat of the tree. The day you do, you will die. And the serpent said, no, you will not surely die. Both can't be true. One of them is lying. And whoever is lying does not have the best interest of Adam and Eve. Whoever is lying is not good. In fact, the serpent goes on to plant seeds of doubt about God's goodness. He said, "...you will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." In other words, God's rules are not for your good. He is actually trying to keep back what is best from you. There's a better way than God's way. But it's a lie. Adam and Eve found out the hard way. But isn't that what we are doing every time we sin? When you yield to temptation, you think that somehow this is a better way. At least for the moment. And the only way to kill sinful desire is to cultivate a greater desire for God. And what is the greatest commandment? It is to love God with all your heart. And when we understand God's goodness toward us, we can grow in our love for Him. In chapter 4, James refers to living in sin as a kind of adultery. And the reason is because we are united with Christ. There's a relationship, a commitment. And when we stray from that relationship, we are spurning the love of Christ. And we are going our own way because we think it is better. And that's why James says it's infidelity. But how can a spouse avoid adultery? Well, you could say, well, you should avoid all kinds of temptation. Well, that's true. You should avoid temptation. But the greatest way to avoid adultery is to cultivate a loving, growing relationship with your spouse. Because there's a greater desire for your spouse than there is for anyone else. And since God is good, you don't need to find something better. And if something claims to be better than your heavenly Father's will, then it is a lie. Don't be deceived. In verse 18, James describes one of the greatest displays of God's goodness. Of His own will, He brought us forth by the word of truth that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures. Yes, the Lord is good generally. Every good gift is from above. But God has been especially good to us. He brought us forth. This is the same verb in verse 15. A birth. Why did God birth us into His family? Why did He redeem us? Regenerate us? Give us eternal life? Adopt us into His family? James says, of His own will, He brought us forth. He saved us because He wanted to. because He chose to. And it certainly wasn't because of anything good in us. It is because of His goodness. And that's why He brought us forth. But how does He do it? By what means? James says He brought us forth by the Word of Truth. Without the Word of Truth, we are forever deceived. We are in bondage to sinful desires. We are in darkness until God shines into our hearts the light of the glory of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We were dead in trespasses and sins. We once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the Spirit who is at work in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind. We're by nature the children of wrath just as the others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, He made us alive together with Christ. By grace, you are saved. Of His own will, He brought us forth by the word of truth that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures. The Jewish Christians reading this letter understood the idea of firstfruits. It was the first portion of harvest that was dedicated to the Lord. Proverbs 3 tells us to honor the Lord with your possessions and the firstfruits of all your increase. So we must offer to God the best and the first portion. And James is telling us that we, as God's children, are the choicest part of God's creatures. That's why we are called saints. We have been consecrated to God, set apart as His special people. how deep the Father's love for us, how vast beyond all measure, that He should give His only Son to make a wretch His treasure. Of His own will, He brought us forth. Because of His goodness, He rescued us. By grace, He values us as His treasured possessions. Doesn't God's goodness change the way you see temptation? He loves you and wants the very best for you. He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall not He with Him also freely give us all things? Will you trust Him? Will you trust Him in times of testing? Will you trust Him when you're tempted by evil? Our Heavenly Father brought us forth by the Word of Truth so that we would no longer be deceived. Let's bow for prayer. Father, I pray for my brothers and sisters as well as myself. We recognize how often we have been deceived. Or we have believed a lie. Or we have disobeyed You thinking it would bring something better for us. By experience, we have seen that it's not true. And through Your Word, we have the truth. And yet, our desires for sin can sometimes be so great. So Father, it's only by Your grace that these desires can be weakened so that the temptations are less effective. It's by Your church, even with other brothers and sisters in Christ that can encourage us, that can pray for us, that can rebuke us, that can provide accountability where we can get help And so, Father, I pray for each person in this room and the sin that may be in their lives at different stages. And I pray that You would help us to do what Your Word tells us to do, to put these to death. We're thankful that we have the Holy Spirit within us to defeat the sin as we depend on Him. We're thankful for the truth The truth that sets us free. The truth about ourselves and about temptation. And we're also thankful for the truth about you. That you love us. That you've been gracious toward us. That you want our very best. Help us to live by faith. And when you bring trials and temptations, that the testing of our faith would grow and be strengthened, so that we as your people would be perfect and complete, lacking nothing, and that you would be glorified by the fruit that we bear in our lives. In Jesus' name, Amen.
The Deception of Temptation
ស៊េរី Faith In Action, Book of James
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