Sermon outline and notes: © Dr. Stephen Felker, Pastor Swift Creek Baptist Church.com, 18510 Branders Bridge Rd., Colonial Heights, VA 23834 9/26/2010

James 1:13-16

“How to Overcome Temptation”

Intro. The degradation of our American culture is apparent in many ways. One of the diseases of our sick culture is the fact that resisting temptation has gone out of style and doing what comes naturally has become acceptable. Our culture says, “If it feels right, it is right for you, and you should give in to your desires.” The popular music of our society gives no encouragement to resist temptation, but often gives just the opposite message. As a result, many Americans may not be very interested in the subject, “How to Overcome Temptation.” However, every Christian should be interested in the subject. A true Christian does not want to sin. We want to resist temptation. But even the non-Christian has to resist at least some temptations. You won’t live long or successfully if you constantly give yourself over to temptation. So I hope that my message today will help all of us know more about temptation, & how to resist. Now my text of Scripture today is in a context about trials. In v.12 James speaks of the reward we can receive if we patiently endure our trials. The Greek word translated “trial” can also be translated “temptation.” Of course, there is a close connection between the two. Every temptation is a trial, a test of your obedience to the Lord. Furthermore, outward trials can lead to the temptation of responding in very inappropriate ways, such as blaming God, and turning against Him. Some respond to hardships by getting drunk, or high on drugs. So it is quite natural that James should go from a discussion of trials to a discussion of temptation. So let’s see what James has to say concerning temptation in this passage of Scripture. First of all, you need to understand: I. THE ORIGIN OF TEMPTATION In this context, James has been saying that God allows us to enter into trials, not to hurt us, but to help build character in our lives. But yet, if we do not respond to those difficult trials in the right way, we can sin in our trials. That God sends or allows trials cannot be denied, but is He answerable for the evil effect which trials may sometimes produce? James deals with that question here. First, he points out that: A. Temptation Does Not from God – James says in v.13, “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am tempted by God’….” The word “by” is actually the word “from” (apo), as the source or indirect cause of temptation. James is not refuting the notion that God would actually tempt you to do wrong. He is refuting the notion that God is ultimately the source of temptation. You see, it was fairly common among Jewish scholars to say that God is sovereign, & He is the ultimate source of both good and evil. Some concluded from that theology that God is ultimately to blame when temptation comes our way. Even today we may say, “God, why did you allow me to be tempted?” Some have suggested that James wrote this to correct a misunderstanding of the “lead us not into temptation” request of the Lord’s Prayer. So some were suggesting that God was ultimately to blame for the temptations we face. This is so characteristic of human nature, isn’t it? Ever since the Garden of Eden, man has been trying to blame others for their sin. When God came and confronted Adam and Eve with their

sin, they fell all over each other trying to blame somebody else. Adam in Gen. 3:12 complained, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.” Adam placed the blame on both God and Eve. Eve said, “The serpent deceived me and I ate.” Someone has said that when the fall occurred in the Garden of Eden, God blamed Adam, Adam blamed Eve, Eve blamed the serpent and the serpent didn’t have a leg to stand on. We do the very same thing today. We try to blame God & others for our sins, instead of accepting personal responsibility. We don’t say that God is directly responsible, but indirectly. For example: some people try to blame their sin on their environment. They say, “Well, if I had not been raised in the ghetto, I wouldn’t be 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. Then some people blame their sin on their inherited traits. They say, “Well, I’m just like my dad. It’s in my genes.” While it is true that genetics plays a major role in who we are, & the sins we’re more inclined to do, but we are still responsible when we choose to commit sin. Then some people blame their inhabitants, the people they live with. They are the problem. Here is a man who drinks all the time. You go to him and you say why do you drink all the time? He says, “Oh, it’s my wife. She nags me to drink. Nag, nag, nag, nag. That’s all I get at home.” So you go to the wife and you say, “Why do you nag your husband so much?” She says, “Oh, all he does is drink. Drink, drink, drink, drink.” We are always trying to blame somebody else for our sin. It seems that the hardest thing for man to say is, “I am guilty.” We do not like to accept responsibility for our own moral choices. My friend, are you blaming someone else today for the sin in your life? The reason James gives for not blaming God for temptation has to do with the very nature of God. Tempting others to evil would require a delight in evil, of which He is Himself incapable. Speaking of the LORD, the prophet Habakkuk declares, “You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot look on wickedness….” (Hab 1:13). God cannot tempt us with evil, since evil is completely contrary to all that He is. Nor can God be moved by any inducements to wrongdoing. The character of God is impregnable, can never yield to temptation. This is in part due to His complete sufficiency. Temptation makes appeal to our necessities, our craving, and holds out the promise to satisfy them. There’s absolutely no desire that God has that He needs fulfilled in an immoral way. He is completely self-sufficient. You see the devil has no bait that God will bite. And God has no itch that the devil can scratch. He is above all temptation. In the last of v.13 James clearly states that God tempts not even one (Gk.). Cf. 2 Sam. 24:1 & I Chron. 21:1. Jesus was driven by the Spirit to be tempted in the wilderness, but Satan did the tempting. Though God will allow you to be tempted, He is in no way responsible for the temptation, or the result of the temptation. So what is the primary source of the temptations that we face? B. Temptation Primarily Comes from Within – James says in v.14, “But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.” There is emphasis upon the word “own” here (by position). James emphatically states that our own lust is the source of temptation, not God. There is something within the individual that translates the outer temptation into sin, and that something is our own desires. One of the first things you need to do is to understand your own responsibility in temptation. You cannot say, “God made me do it.” You cannot even say, “The devil made me do it.” He is not even mentioned in this text! As long as you are shifting blame, you will not gain the victory over temptation. The point is that sin and temptation begins not externally but internally. As long as you are blaming others, and not taking personal responsibility, you will not change & have victory over temptation.

So we need to understand that the primary source & responsibility for temptation is ourselves. Now let’s move from the origin of temptation to: II. THE OPERATION OF TEMPTATION In order to avoid temptation, or overcome temptation, you need to understand how temptation operates. If we understand the process, we can do battle against temptation much better. So here is how temptation operates: A. Temptation Starts with Desire – James says in v.14, “But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires….” Sin is something that begins with the desire of the heart. Man primarily sins because he wants to. If the desire is not present, the temptation has no power. For example, you could put a can of beer in front of me, but it would not be a temptation, for I have no desire to drink beer. It stinks. I hate what alcohol has done to people & their families. But if you did the same to an alcoholic, it would be a great temptation. So temptation starts with desire. Desire must be present. So not all people are tempted in the same way. Satan knows that the same bait will not appeal to every person, because everybody has different desires. Some of you are tempted by money. Some of you are especially tempted by sexual desire. Some of you are tempted by power. Some of you are tempted by pride. Some of you are tempted by revenge. Just like a fisherman, Satan will keep trying different baits until he finds the one that appeals to your own personal desires. “Lust” (epithumia) is an often misunderstood noun. The English word speaks of physical desires, whereas the Greek word is more associated with the inner man. The root of the word is from thumos, which speaks of the passion of the inner man. And thumos is from thuo, which means to be in a heat, to breathe violently. The fact is temptation can have such power because we can “burn” with lust & passionate desire. Some people crave for that next drink, or for that next immoral sexual experience. Some are filled with greed for material things. Others lust after the Internet. The normal desires of life were given to us by God. We cannot blame the natural, physical needs of our body for our temptations. It is when we want to satisfy these desires in ways outside God’s will that we get into trouble. There is nothing wrong with hunger but gluttony is a sin. There’s nothing wrong with sleep but laziness is a sin. There’s nothing wrong with sexual desire but adultery and fornication are sins, for the Bible says, “Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge” (Heb 13:4). These fundamental desires of life are the steam in the boiler that makes the machinery go. Turn off the steam and you have no power. Fail to control & direct the steam, and you have destruction. The secret is in constant control. These desires must be our servants and not our masters. Now understanding that desire is the starting point of temptation, what should we do? For one thing, we can ask God to change our desires. Philippians 2:13 says, “for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” God can change your heart, and change you want to’s. He can replace sinful desires, with good desires. Furthermore, we need to make sure we do not carry our initial desires too far. It is the mental imagination of the pleasure of sin that is condemned in Scripture. It is wrong to dwell on a desire for something that is outside of God’s will. So we have seen that temptation begins with desire. Now notice the second step:

B. Temptation Uses Deception – People are deceived by temptation all the time. Again, James says in v.14, “But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.” James uses two fishing metaphors here. No fish will knowingly bite at a naked hook. The idea is to hide the hook, or cause the fish to focus on the bait. First of all, there must be: 1. Attraction - The first Greek word translated “drawn away” (exelko) is used in John 12:32, “If I be lifted up, I will draw all men unto me.” It has the idea of drawing away by attraction. Here the word is in its intensified form (adding ek to it). It was the word used of a fisherman who would try to lure a fish out of his hiding place by using a special bait. As a fisherman, you hope that the desire to have that worm or other bait overcomes any sense of safety of staying under the log. But it all starts with the enticement and drawing power of the bait, appealing to desire. Lot got into trouble spiritually. He would never have moved toward Sodom had he not seen the “well-watered plains of Jordan” (Gen. 13:10). He was attracted to that region, and ended up living in wicked Sodom. Jesus spoke of the “deceptiveness of riches.” Many people are attracted to riches, thinking that riches will bring happiness. Satan knows that he has to make temptation attractive. Otherwise, people will not take the bait so to speak. Hollywood understands this. They frequently make sin attractive. They show people having a great time drinking, committing immorality, doing anything to gain riches & power, and so forth. They don’t usually show the destructive after effects of such behavior. Then, the second step is: 2. Enticement – James says that we are not only drawn away, but also “enticed.” This word (deleazo) means to allure & entice with a bait. It is based on the noun (dolos) that means “deceit, guile.” The bait may look good, but inside it is a hook. The deceptive appeal of a one night stand is the bait, but the hook will be an unwanted pregnancy, or venereal disease, or a broken marriage, and guilt. So whenever you are faced with temptation, don’t be deceived! In fact, James says in v.16, “Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.” Get your eyes off the enticing bait and look ahead to see the consequences of sin. Don’t be deceived by temptation. When David looked upon his neighbor’s wife, he was attracted & deceived by the temptation. But he would never have committed adultery had he thought about the tragic consequences that would follow: the death of his baby (Bathsheba’s son), the murder of a brave soldier (Uriah), & the violation of his daughter (Tamar) some time later. The bait keeps us from seeing the consequences of sin. Now just because you have been attracted & enticed by the deceptiveness of temptation, that does not mean that you have sinned yet. That’s because there is a third step in the process: C. Temptation Requires a Decision – In v.15 James says, “Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin….” At first it is a mere thought confronting the mind, then the deceptive allure of temptation sparks the imagination; and when we take pleasure in it, and the will makes a false move, and we give our assent. We have moved from the emotions (desire) and the intellect (deception) to the will. If you go for the enticing bait of temptation, you can get hooked into sin. Here in v.15 James shifts to a different analogy. He talks about conception & birth. Before conception manifests itself in the physical realm with a birth, it originates in the spiritual realm in the minds of two people. Even so, desire alone is not enough to bring about a sin. Desire must have the consent of our will to give birth to sin. A careful reading of this verse seems to support the view

that temptation, and desire itself is not sin. Only when we yield to that desire is it conceived into sin. It is when the desire of man goes out to meet and embrace the forbidden thing that an unholy marriage takes place between these two, and sin is born. Many things which in themselves may be harmless become deadly when joined with another ingredient. Carbon, for instance, is needful and good. So is oxygen. But carbon and oxygen together form carbon monoxide—a deadly gas. Even so desire, plus the consent of our will, combine to produce sin. Lust combined with a yielded will conceives and brings forth what may appear to be a beautiful baby called sin. Now for awhile that new baby called sin may indeed bring pleasure and happiness to your life. But the pleasure of sin will not last. In Hebrews 11:25 the Bible says that the pleasures of sin are “for a season.” You may be living in sin, and having the time of your life now. But sin only gives passing pleasure. That little baby of sin that’s giving you so much pleasure is going to grow up, and the pleasure of sin will turn into misery, like a rebellious teenager. Then James warns that when temptation results in sin: D. Sin Ends in Death – In the last of v.15 James says, “sin, when it is full–grown, brings forth death.” There it is. Lust, sin, and death, the LSD of the Bible. You see sin may taste good, but the good taste won’t last. Sin ultimately leads to death. It can lead to an untimely physical death. I have known of several young men in our area who were cut down in their twenties because of sin. And if your sins are not forgiven, it results in spiritual death, eternal separation from God. Have you heard about a man who was walking down the road with a herd of pigs behind him? He was dropping pod after pod after pod and the pigs were eating them up. A little boy saw him and said, “Mister, that sure is a strange way to feed your pigs.” He said, “Sonny, I’m not feeding my pigs, I’m leading them to the slaughter house.” That’s where sin leads us to, it leads to death. James uses the figure of childbirth here. Again, v.15 says, “Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full–grown, brings forth death.” James uses two different words in v.15 to describe the process and punishment of sin. The first word (tikto) is the common word for giving birth. The second word (apokueo) translated “brings forth” literally means “to cease to swell,” thus “to cease to be pregnant.” When a woman ceases to be pregnant, the expectation is the life of a new child. Now the man who habitually sins believes that the end will be a more fulfilling life of pleasure. But James declares that the end result is not a better life but endless death. What a strange illustration, sin giving birth to death! So don’t be fooled by temptation. Though it may offer temporary pleasure, or power, it actually ends in death. The bottom line is this: don’t go for the bait. Don’t give in to temptation. When the fish takes the bait, it ends up dead on somebody’s dinner plate. It’s not worth it, at least to the fish! Now avoiding being deceived by temptation, and knowing the end result, is half the battle. Yet you still need to know more about overcoming temptation. So even though James doesn’t deal with it explicitly, I do not feel this message would be complete without discussing: III. THE OVERCOMING OF TEMPTATION Now the question we all should want answered is, “How can I overcome temptation? How do I get victory over temptation?” After all, you don’t want to be deceived by temptation. Surely you don’t want to be ruined by sin. So what should you do? First of all:

A. Be Saved - James is speaking to Christians here, who are the only ones who can put this teaching into practice. To be victorious you must first submit your life to Jesus Christ and receive Him as Savior. Jesus said in John 8:34, “whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.” Our sin nature has a way of controlling our lives, and apart from Christ, we lack the power to resist temptation. That is why someone has said, “If you would master temptation, you must first let Christ master you.” You will never overcome temptation without Jesus Christ. Jesus said in John 8:32, “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.” If you are not yet a Christian, you are not only going to lose the battle of temptation, you’re going to lose the war. For only with power from Him can you overcome temptation and win the battle over sin. Friend, salvation is not just to help you die right. It is to help you live right and the only way that you can overcome temptation is if Jesus Christ is Lord over your life. He can fulfill every desire that you have in a wonderful way. B. Shun Temptation - Jesus taught us to pray, “Lead us not into temptation.” We should avoid tempting situations that we know will have alluring & drawing power over us. I’m not saying we should withdraw from society and become isolated. As we have seen, the main problem is not the outward temptation but the inward desire. Furthermore, Jesus said in John 17:15, “I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.” But I do believe that we should avoid temptation when possible. Romans 13:14 says, “And make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lust.” Eph. 4:27 says, “Neither give place to the devil.” For example, if you are going to avoid the temptation of sinful sexual expression, then you need to avoid certain compromising situations. Don’t allow yourself to be alone with the opposite sex. If drunkenness is a temptation, you need to stay away from the bars. If you are tempted by lust, stay away from the dirty movies, and even some television programs. Stay away from pornography, including what’s available on the Internet. We are to avoid placing ourselves in any other tempting situation where we know we are going to have difficulty. If you don’t want to get burned, stay away from the fire, for the Bible says in Proverbs 6:2a, “Can a man take fire in his bosom and his clothes not be burned?” So separate yourself from those things that you know would be a temptation to you. A little boy was once forbidden by his mother to go swimming, but she permitted him to go out for a walk. When he came back, it was quite evident that he had disobeyed her and had gone in the water. When asked why, the little fellow answered, “Well, Mother, I happened to have my swimming trunks with me, so I decided to go in.” What was the problem here? When the child saw the beautiful water, it presented a real temptation to him. In his mind was born the desire to go swimming, against his mother’s command. The desire, however, could not have been translated into sin if he had not had his swimming trunks with him, and if he had not gone close to the water. As someone has said, we cannot hinder the birds from flying over our heads, but we can keep them from making nests in our hair! You also need to avoid close associations with those who tempt you to do wrong. The Bible says in Psalm 1:1, “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the council of the wicked nor stand in the path of sinners nor sit in the seat of scoffers.” Young people, you need to be careful who you hang around with. 1 Corinthians 15:33 says, “Do not be misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good character’” (NIV). C. Learn & Memorize Scripture - The psalmist said in Psalm 119:11, “Thy word I have hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee” (KJV). In Matt. 4 we see that Jesus put Satan to flight

by quoting Scripture. Especially if you have a problem with a certain area of temptation, then find some Scriptures that deal with the subject, and quote those in your mind every time you are confronted with that temptation. The next time Satan takes the rod and reel of sin and throws out the line of temptation, you take the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, and cut that line in half. Now as you learn and memorize Scripture, here is one you need to know. I Cor. 10:13 says, “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” We need to claim this promise. Here God is assuring us that we can say “no” to whatever temptation comes your way. We are not slaves to sin; we are free to choose right (Rom. 6:18). Conclusion: I want you to reflect back on this past week. How successful have you been at resisting temptation? When you were tempted to tell a lie, did you? When you were tempted to act in a hateful way, did you? When you were tempted to use profanity, did you? When you were tempted to engage in sexual lust or immorality, did you? When you were tempted to be puffed up with pride, were you? If you yielded to temptation, have you confessed that sin to God, and received His forgiveness. Some of you need to take that first step, and repent of your sins and trust in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Don’t trade instant gratification now, for an eternal lack of gratification in the future. Hell will be a place of unfulfilled desires. If you are already a Christian, I want to encourage you to get really serious about temptation, and avoid tempting situations as your first strategy. Don’t feed & arouse the desire that will lead to temptation & sin. Then learn & memorize Scripture, which is a great & powerful weapon against temptation. Sources: James Adamson, The New International Commentary on the New Testament: The Epistle of James (Grand Rapids: Eerdman’s Publishing Co., 1976); James Merritt (notes from his sermon on this text); Larry Pierce, Online Bible [CD-ROM] (Ontario: Timnathserah Inc., 1996); George Sweeting, How to Solve Conflicts: A Practical Study of the Book of James (Chicago: Moody Press, 1973); Curtis Vaughan, James: A Study Guide Commentary (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1969); Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Mature: James (Wheaton: Victor Books, 1978); Spiros Zodiates, The Behavior of Belief: An Exposition of James Based Upon the Original Greek Text (Grand Rapids: Eerdman’s Publishing Co., 1959). Other sources listed in the footnotes. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1982).