Now will you turn with me please to the book of James and to chapter 1. We're returning to this portion of God's word and it's under our consideration, has been for the last number of weeks. The book of James chapter 1 and we'll begin a very short reading beginning in verse 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. 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. Do not err, my beloved brethren. Let's bow in prayer. Our gracious Father, do write thy precious truth upon our hearts, that as we consider the passage before us this morning, that we may heed its warning. That we might take those necessary steps that we too might avoid temptation. And that we might be overcomers. For the Lord has promised a crown of life to those that overcome. Oh that we might be the recipients of such. Give help and understanding now as we wait before thee. And may the Spirit of God be our teacher. We pray in Jesus' name. Here in the opening chapter of the book of James, we have already seen, looking back to verse 2, how James has dealt with the subject of the trials and the tests of life. He said, Brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into diverse temptations. And we mentioned at that time And we believe that the word temptation there was better translated as trial. Now when we come to verse 13, we find that James is addressing the subject again of another type of testing experience. And this time he is speaking about our test, not with the trials of life, but with temptation to sin. And again we remind you of what James has said, let no man say when he is tempted, when he is tempted. Not if he is tempted, but when he is tempted. Because we will all be tempted and tried and tested with sin. Temptation is an experience that is common to us all. And for any to suggest that they have reached a place of their sanctification before God, where sin no longer has any allurement to them, that they are no longer tempted with sin, I say let that man take heed lest he fall. Because the word of God says very clearly when he is tempted. We are all tempted. And James is going to give us a brief introduction to this subject of temptation. What it is, where it comes from, where it leaves us and may I suggest how we might overcome it. There are some practical insights for us here. The first of them being as to the very origin of temptation. We have already mentioned the word tempted here in verse 13 and the word in verse 2. Temptation and in verse 12. Temptation, they are all the same Greek word. We translated them trial in verses 2 and 12 and temptation here in verse 13. Because they very evidently have two different senses. And at it's very heart, the word that's translated, the Greek word, means very simply, to test or to prove. And by itself, it has no negative connotations. So whether it becomes a proof of righteousness or an enticement to evil, will depend very much on our response to it. If I might offer the following by way of clarification as to how we might distinguish between a trial and a temptation. Trials tend to come from outside of us. Temptations, as we will see, come from within us. Trials come to prove us that our faith is genuine, whereas temptations come to discredit us. If we endure the trial we will be built up and matured in our faith, whereas temptations only come to defeat us and to destroy us. And ultimately, our trials come to give God the glory, Whereas our temptations are always sinful and diminish the glory of God in our lives. So if we can draw the distinction between trials and temptations. One comes from out, one comes from within. One comes to build us up, the other comes to turn us down. And James addresses the subject of temptation. Where does it come from? Does it come from the world around us? Does it come from God who is in control of all things? Does it come from the devil? Or does it come from within us? And he very clearly states, let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God or tempted by God. For God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man. God does indeed work through trials and tests to perfect our Christian character, but James makes it clear that when the testing of our faith comes in the form of a solicitation to sin, that God has no part in that temptation. The holiness and the purity of God are such that he has no acquaintance with sinful temptation. He has never been inclined towards sin. Neither has he ever sought to pull anyone else in that direction. So when temptation pushes the buttons in your life, you cannot say, well God made me this way. Because God does not tempt any man, James says. And the reason James gives for not blaming God for our temptation to sin is because of the very nature of God. Tempting others toward evil would require a delight in that evil. And that's something that God is incapable of. The prophet Habakkuk reminds us in Habakkuk 1 verse 13 concerning the Lord that thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity. God cannot tempt us with evil because it is contrary to everything that God is. Neither can God be tempted, James tells us. God can never be cause to yield to temptation, his character is impregnable. And that in part is due to his complete sufficiency. Now temptation makes an appeal to our desires and to our lusts and holds out the promise to fulfil and to satisfy them. But there is absolutely no desire of God that he needs to fulfill in any immoral or sinful way, because he is self-sufficient. There is no bait or lure that the devil could use upon which the Lord will bite. The witch that the devil only can scratch, God is above and beyond temptation. When we face temptation, or when we fall into it, never point the finger of blame toward God, because He is innocent. God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth He any man. So we can't blame God, can we blame others then? We live in a culture that likes to shift the blame rather than accept it. However, our text will show us that we must shoulder the responsibility of when temptation comes into our life. But we're not good at that. We're good at accusing others. And ever since Adam and Eve fell into sin, our fallen nature has been prone to shift the blame for our own evil deeds. When God confronted Adam in the Garden of Eden, Adam replied, The one on whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave thee of the tree, and I did eat. It is Eve's fault. And when God confronted Eve, she replied, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. It is the devil's fault. As one old preacher said, God blamed Adam And Adam blamed Eve, and Eve blamed the serpent, and the serpent didn't have a leg to stand on. Now both of their statements were technically true. Yes, the woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the fruit, and I did eat it. And the serpent beguiled Eve most certainly. But they both sought to dodge the element of personal responsibility for their own sins. Adam's answer was to blame God. It's your fault. You gave me this woman. He blamed the serpent. The devil made me do it. We do the same thing today. We seek to blame God. We seek to blame others for our sins rather than accepting personal responsibility for them. Some try to blame their environment. Oh, if I hadn't been raised in the ghetto, I wouldn't have become a thief. That's interesting in light of the fact that Adam and Eve were brought up in a perfect environment and yet they still sinned. We can't blame our environments. Others will blame their sin on some inherited trait. Well, and just like my father, I guess it must be in my genes. And undoubtedly genetics play a major role in who we are and the sins that we are more inclined to do. But listen, we are ultimately responsible for our own choices. And James wants us to see that if we go down the route of blaming others for our sins, we will never overcome them. And all that we really do is cast aspersions of the holy character of God. So if we can't blame God and we can't blame others, where does the responsibility of our sins lie? With ourselves. With ourselves. Every man is tempted, we read in verse 14, when he is drawn away of his own lust and enticed. Javis doesn't mention the devil as the source of our temptation although he gets a mention in chapter 3 and chapter 4. But he wants us to see that to blame God or to blame our circumstances or to blame another or to blame the devil rather than looking to ourselves as seeking to sidestep the real source of our sin. To simply call a disease or a weakness to seek to absolve ourselves from our responsibility. And we will never overcome unless we are willing to acknowledge that it comes from my own sinful desires. Let every man say that when he is tempted that he is drawn away of his own lust and enticed. It comes from my own sinful desires. Now there are two forces at work when we are tempted. There is the lust that is within us and there is the lure that is around us. James tells us that every man is tempted being drawn away of his own lust. The word lust simply means desire and it's used throughout the Scriptures even to speak of what we might refer to as legitimate desires. Usually though, its sense and its context is in reference to sinful desires but not always and not necessarily. Sometimes The same basic desire may be legitimate or sinful depending upon the situation and depending upon how we handle it. Let me give you an example. Hunger is a legitimate desire. But if it tempts us to steal in order to satisfy that hunger, we sin because of it. God has created within mankind that desire for physical intimacy. But if we seek to fulfil that desire outside of the commitment of a heterosexual marriage, we sin. So there are legitimate desires that are filled illegitimately. The normal desires of life have been given to us by God. and we cannot blame those natural physical needs of our body for our temptations except when we seek to satisfy those desires in ways that God has said will land us in trouble. So a temptation really is when we seek to satisfy legitimate desires in illegitimate ways. When you can Think through your own life to the temptations that you face and you'll find that that's going to be the case. The seeking to fulfil legitimate desires in a way that God has said we're not to do it. So this temptation, James says, begins not outside of us like our trials do, but inside of us. It begins with our own natural lusts. Every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust. We're not tempted by things that we don't naturally want. We're tempted by things that we want physically and mentally. There's a lust within us, but it's when we fulfil it in the wrong way. And James mentions that because not only are we drawn away of our own lust, but we are enticed. So we have two phrases there, we are drawn away and we are enticed. The phrase drawn away is translated from a word that describes the hunter's trap. And he has set his trap with bait that is placed there specifically to draw the animal out of its hiding. The word entice is a fisherman's term. It speaks of luring the fish onto the hook by covering it with bait. and the fish sees the bait and it lures him towards it thinking that he's going to get a meal but instead he gets hooked and carried away and he becomes the meal. Temptation to sin is like that. We think that sin will satisfy us and get us something good, something that we're missing but instead all we get is the hook that drags us away to destruction. And we know from experience, we have found out that the devil knows just exactly how to bait his hook. When it comes to that appeal to our own personal desires and lusts, he's an expert at drawing us away and luring us into sin. But he's working on what's already within us. Sin is something that begins with the desire in the heart of man And we sin primarily because we want to. Because if that desire is not there, then temptation has no power. You can put a can of beer in front of me and it wouldn't be a temptation. Because I have no desire for it. I hate it. I hate the smell of it. I hate what it does to people's lives and to their families. It would be no temptation for me to sell a whole crate of it. But put it in front of an alcoholic whose tendency and desire is for alcohol and it becomes a great temptation. Temptation starts with a desire And that desire must be present and Satan uses his bait to lure us out of hiding for those natural desires that he promises to fulfill in unnatural ways. And he knows that people are not tempted by the same things in the same way. So Satan knows that the same bait will not apply or appeal to every person because we are all different. And we've all got different desires. And some will be tempted by money. And some will be tempted by power. And some will be tempted by sexual desire. And some by pride. And some by revenge. And just like the expert fisherman, Satan will keep trying different lures until he finds the one that appeals to your desires. And when those sinful passions within us are presented with sinful opportunities around us, we have the making of a temptation. The desire within us and the opportunity around us when they come together, there is temptation. We do well to remember that we are all tempted in different ways. And it's pride and only pride that leads us to judge others who yield to their sins. Sins that would have no appeal to us. How can they do such a thing? How can they be tempted in such a way? Now let us remember that we are all subject to temptations and we all are weak. God says, wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. We need to recognise the source and the origin of our temptation. It begins in our own heart. It doesn't come from God. We cannot blame others. It begins with our own sinful desires. Now having seen the origin of temptation, what is the outcome of it? Now wise parents will not allow their children to play with dynamite because they know that it has a powerful destructive force. And if we are not careful, temptation can strike that spark that causes an explosion in our life. And James would have warned us that when we allow our lust And that thing that is luring us to sin to come together, it results in something. When we yield our lust to temptation and it is successful, listen to what he says, when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin. And sin when it is finished, bringeth forth death. It's a fascinating verse. If we think of the language that James employs here, of what happens when we yield to temptation, he uses the language of pregnancy and of birth. He uses the word conceived and bringeth forth. He's painting a world picture. He says when your lust meets up with an opportunity for sin, a child is conceived. And when it's born, the name on the birth certificate is sin. And rather than the joy that's normally associated and accompanies the birth of a little one, this birth, however, is not one of joy, but one of death. That unholy union of our lust and Satan's lure when it occurs Sin is the offspring and death is the end. James isn't telling us anything new here. He's simply echoing that fundamental doctrine found all through the scriptures. Sin leads to death. God told Adam and Eve in the garden Tree of knowledge of good and evil, don't eat of it. Because of the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die. If you disobey my commands regarding this tree, you will surely die. Sin brings forth death. Ezekiel warned us in chapter 18 verse 4, the soul that sinneth, it shall die. Paul proclaimed to the Romans, the wages of sin is death. And James is echoing that immortal, immutable truth, sin always leads to death. Lust when it hath conceived bringeth forth sin, and sin when it is finished bringeth forth death. Sin is like that small crack in a dam. At first it doesn't seem very threatening, but if it's not repaired quickly, it will lead to the collapse of the entire structure, causing terrible destruction. The fatal consequences of sin are much more than just physical death, but spiritual death. and left uncharged and unforgiven, ultimately eternal death. A separation from God for all eternity. If we allow the conception of sin in our lives, we will suffer the consequences of death. For the Christian, that means a broken fellowship with God. For the lost, unconverted one, That means when death comes you are ushered into an eternity in which you will be separated from God forever to be punished in hellfire and judgment. Now the effects of sin may not be felt immediately, but they lead inevitably to death. Successful temptation brings forth sin, and sin when it is finished brings forth death. We've seen the origin of temptation, it begins in our own hearts. We see the outcome of temptation, it brings us to death. Now is there anything that we can glean as to the overcoming of temptation? Now commentators differed as to the application of verse 16. Some believe it belongs to the portion that follows. Others believe that it belongs to the portion that they have read together and in the latter section. James says in verse 16, Do not err, my beloved brethren. This short exhortation stands as a warning not to be the kind of person who falls into the trap of temptation. Do not err, my beloved brethren. The word err is used elsewhere in the scriptures. It carries a shade of different meanings. In Matthew 24 verse 4, the Lord Jesus said to his disciples, take heed that no man deceives you. The one who errs is the one who is deceived. Don't be deceived. Don't be deceived. Is that not what sin does? It deceives us. Does sin not promise a party only to give us pain? Does it not promise pleasure only to find that it doesn't last. Don't be deceived. Don't be deceived. One old preacher used to speak about, he said, all of Satan's apples have worms. Don't be deceived. Don't you see that those things that are set before you to tempt you will never actually satisfy? That they'll bring no lasting joy. They'll bring only bitterness and sorrow and sin and death. Don't be deceived. You know the devil is a liar, don't you? From the very beginning. And all that he offers you and all that he promises you, they're sugar-coated lies. I've seen a little cartoon. of two pigs that a farmer was bringing food to, to fatten them up before bringing them to market. And they were munching gladly on the food that he brought on one turn to the other and said, do you ever wonder why he's so good to us? Because he intends their slaughter. Do you ever wonder why Satan tempts you with all of these wonderful promises just for the same reason. Don't be deceived. Do not err, my beloved brethren. Another use of that word err is found in Matthew chapter 18 and verse 12. And it speaks not only of one who is deceived, but the Saviour in that passage speaks about a sheep that had gone astray. A person who has stopped by temptation, is one who like a sheep has gone astray. They've wandered from the right path. They've been led astray by something that has tempted them. As a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, as a disciple of His, we are to follow Him. We are to look to the Lord for direction and for guidance. But when we are distracted by the allurements and the enticements of sin, we like that sheep wander away from Him and into trouble. Don't be deceived. Don't be distracted. Oh the dazzling lights that Satan would call to come into your sight. How wonderful those pleasures and sins must seem. Don't be deceived or distracted. Studies have shown that drivers who are texting on their mobile phones while driving are 23 times more likely to crash than those who are not distracted. And in much the same way, many of our tragic collisions with temptation could have been avoided if only we had not allowed ourselves to be distracted with the enticements of sin around us. Keep your eyes upon Christ. Don't be deceived. Don't be distracted. Do not err, my beloved brethren. Don't be the kind of person who is easily deceived and distracted by sin. Let me conclude by offering to you four practical ways to overcome temptation. Firstly, know yourself. Know where you're vulnerable. Know where your weak spots are and devise strategies to protect yourself. Know that others may be able to handle situations that will cause you trouble and cause you to fall. Know yourself. Don't willingly put yourself in places of temptation. Allow there to be a sense of distrust over your own heart, for it is deceitful and desperately wicked. And instead of trusting self, cling to the Lord. Don't think yourself stronger than what you really are, thinking, oh, I can overcome this by myself. I'm not able to this temptation by myself. The Scriptures warn us to flee temptation. And when you run from temptation, don't leave a forwarding address for them to catch up again. Know yourself. And avoid those tempting situations, those places where you know that you're vulnerable, those people that you know that you will Follow them into sin. Avoid those situations. Avoid those... There's an old joke of a man that went to the doctor and said, I've broke my leg in three places. The doctor says, don't go to those places. Don't go to them. You know where you're vulnerable. You know where you're weak. You know where the places are that will cause you to be tempted. Don't go to those places. We can't avoid every source of temptation. But we should certainly be seeking to minimise our exposure to it. Be it in the books that we read, the movies that we watch, the company that we keep, the websites that we visit. Unrestricted access to the internet is a dangerous thing. I encourage every home to have parental block on their internet that seeks to screen what can come up on our computer screens. It's not 100% effective, but listen, lock the gates, bar the doors, don't allow access to your life or to your home that which would cause temptation. So know yourself, Take steps to avoid tempting situations. Thirdly, have a predetermined commitment to follow Christ and to flee temptation. You have to decide before you find yourself in the heat of the moment because when temptation hits, it will hit hard. And your emotions and the deception factor kicks in and we become overwhelmed to have a predetermined mindset, I am not going to yield to temptations. I think of Joseph as a young man being called with that siren call of his master's wife, Joseph come to me. You know that young man had his mind already made up long before Potiphar's wife ever called for him, I am not going to sin with her. He said, how can I sin against God? Make up your mind to serve God no matter what. Keep your love for Christ fresh in your mind and the lure of the world will not seem so attractive. The psalmist said, thy word have I fed in my heart that I might not sin against. Keep the Savior ever before you. And remember the gruesome end of all temptation, it is sin that brings forth death. The world will glamourise. Movies and magazines will portray beautiful people enjoying illicit relationships, living in selfish luxury as being the ultimate pleasure. skeletons or rotting corpses would be more accurate in their presentation. Sin doesn't bring happiness, it brings death. If you will remember those things, that your heart is deceitful, know your heart, that you seek to avoid temptation, that you flee from it when you can, that you keep Christ ever before you and His great love and sacrifice for your sins. And remember that sin brings forth death. 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. 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. Do not err, don't be deceived, don't be distracted. My beloved brethren, may the Lord bless these few words to our hearts. Let's bow in prayer please. Our Gracious Father, we know all too well the power of sin and temptation. O how often we have fallen foul of the very lust of our own heart. O we pray that Thou wouldst help us to be overcomers of such. to recognise the sinful end to which Satan would seek to bring us, and of which we are so often complicit when we give in to those desires within us. For we know what it is to be crucified with Christ. May the new man in Christ be built up and encouraged in strength. May the old man of sin be done away. And may we seek with every day to be followers of Christ, pursuing Him, fleeing from sin and being overcomers of this world of temptation. Lord, we do pray for Thy continued grace and help that in all things we might seek to glorify and honour our Saviour. We ask these things in our Saviour's name. Amen.