Persevere Under Trials/Temptations (James 1:1-18)

Transcription

1 Persevere Under Trials/Temptations (James 1:1-18) From Without Why Persevere? From Within v2-4 An Attitude Consider various trials joy Hegeomai, aorist middle imperative v5-8 An Asking Ask of God Ask for wisdom Ask in faith v9-11 An Action glory in your circumstances v12 An Attainment Blessed, makarios Perseveres, hupomeno, present active indicative approved, dokimos Types of Crowns (stephanos) 1 Cor 9:24-27 imperishable crown given to those who master their own bodies 2Tim 4:8 crown of righteousness given to those who love the Lord s appearing 1 Peter 5:4 shepherd s crown given to those who shepherd the flock 1Thess 2:19-20 soul-winner s crown given to those who win souls Rev 2:10; James 1:12 crown of life given to those who are faithful even to death & those who persevere under trials Instructions & Warnings 2 John 8 watch yourselves that you might not lose what we ve accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward Rev 3:11 hold fast what you have in order that no one take your crown Purpose of Crowns Rev 4: to be thrown down before the Lord as an act of worship The Progression (James 1:14-15) Source of Temptation: own Lust, epithumia, strong craving Slide into Temptation: Drawn away, exelko, present passive participle Enticed, deleazo, present passive participle Sin is Conceived, sullambano, aorist active participle Sin Accomplished, apoteleo, aorist passive participle = Death, thanatos Basic Nature of Man Gen 3:1-13 listen to Satan, blame God for own sin Gen 4:3-12 reject God s warning, then cries when judged A Promise to Cling to 1 Cor 10:13 God is faithful to provide a way of escape so you can bear it Instruction: James 1:16-18 Don t be deceived about: 1. source of temptations or trials 2. results of temptations or trials 3. source of all good

2 v13 God Tempts No One pres act imp, lego 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, for "I am being tempted by God"; temptation to sin God cannot be tempted by evil, He Himself does pres act not ind, peirazo tempt anyone. v14-15 One is Tempted by One s Own Lust 14 But each one is tempted pres pass ind, peirazo apeirastos, adj, 1x, that can not be tempted by evil, not liable to pres pass ind, peirazo, pres pass ptc, peirazo, 39x, to try, make trial of, test: for the purpose of ascertaining his quantity, or what he thinks, or how he will behave himself - in a good sense; in a bad sense, to test one maliciously, to try or test one's faith, virtue, character, by enticement to sin, to solicit to sin, to tempt kakos, adj, 51x, of a bad nature; of a mode of thinking, feeling, acting - base, wrong, wicked, destructive, pres pass ptc, exelko, 1x, to draw out; metaph. lure forth: in hunting fishing as game is lured from its hiding place, so man by lure is allured from the safety of self-restraint to sin. In Jas 1:14, the language of the hunting is transferred to the seduction of a harlot when he is carried away pres pass ptc, deleazo, 3x, to bait, catch by a bait; metaph. to beguile by banishments, allure, entice, deceive epithumia, 38x, (good sense) desire, craving, longing, (bad sense) desire for what is forbidden, lust enticed by his own lust.

3 15 Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death. v16-17 Good Things Come from God 16 Dosin not be deceived, my beloved brethren. 17 Every good thing bestowed epithumia, 38x, (good sense) desire, craving, longing, (bad sense) desire for what is forbidden, lust every perfect gift is from above, aor act ptc, sullambano, 16x, to seize; to conceive, of a woman, metaph. of lust whose impulses a man indulges pres act ind, tikto, 19x, to bring forth, bear, produce - of a woman giving birth, of the earth bringing forth its fruits; metaph. to bear, bring forth hamartia, 174x, to miss the mark, to miss or wer from the path of uprightness & honour, to do or go wrong, to wer from the law of God, violate God's law, sin aor pass ptc, apoteleo, 1x, to perfect, to bring quite to an end; accomplish pres act ind, apokueo, 2x, to bring forth, from the womb, give birth to; produce thanatos, 119x, the death of the body, that separation (whether natural or violent) of the soul the body by which the life on earth is ended with the implied idea of future misery in hell; metaph. the loss of that life which alone is worthy of the name, the misery of the soul arising from sin, which begins on earth but lasts increases after the death of the body in hell; the miserable state of the wicked dead in hell; in the widest sense, death comprising all the miseries arising from sin, as well physical death as the loss of a life consecrated to God blessed in him on earth, to be followed by wretchedness in hell pres pass imp, planao, 39x, to cause to stray, to lead astray, lead aside from the right way; metaph. to lead away from the truth, to lead into error, to deceive, to be led away into error agathos, adj, 102x, of good nature; useful, good, pleasant, agreeable, joyful, happy; excellent, distinguished; upright, honourable dorema, 2x, a gift, bounty, benefaction dosis, 2x, a giving; a gift of what God confers as a possessor of all things Basic Nature of Man Gen 3:1-13 listen to Satan, blame God for own sin Gen 4:3-12 reject God s warning, then cries when judged Teleios, 19x, brought to its end, finished; wanting nothing necessary to completeness; that which is perfect, consummate human integrity virtue; full grown, adult, of full age, mature anothen, adv, 13x, from above, from a higher place - of things which come from heaven or God

4 pres act ptc, katabaino, 81x, to go down, come down, descend coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation, phos, 70x, light, metaph. God is light because light has the extremely delicate, subtle, pure, brilliant quality, of truth its knowledge, together with the spiritual purity associated with it, the power of understing esp. moral & spiritual truth or shifting shadow. 18 In the exercise of His will creatures. trope, 1x, a turning, of the heavenly bodies He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that parallage, 1x, variation, change aposkiasma, 1x, a shade cast be one object on another, a shadow aor pass ptc, boulomai, AV 34x 1) to will deliberately, have a purpose, be minded 2) of willing as an affection, to desire / (1) of a person desiring something wish, want, desire (AC 25.22); (2) of a person deliberating deciding something will, determine, intend (2C 1.15); (3) of God wish, want (2P 3.9); decide, will (JA 1.18) aor act ind, apokueo, 2x, to bring forth, from the womb, give birth to; produce pres act inf, eimi logos AV 330x a word, the sayings of God aletheia, AV 110x 1) objectively what is true in any matter under consideration, what is true in things appertaining to God the duties of man, moral religious truth 2) subjectively,) truth as a personal excellence, that cour of mind which is free from affection, pretence, simulation, falsehood, deceit we might be, as it were, the first fruits aparche, AV 8x to offer firstlings or firstfruits, to take away the firstfruits of the productions of the earth which was offered to God / (1) in Mosaic ceremonial law, a t.t. term for the first portion of grain fruit harvests & flocks offered to God firstfruits, first offering (RO 11.16); (2) fig., of persons as the first of a set or category first: as the first converts in an area (RO 16.5), as the first to be resurrected (1C 15.20), as the first of their category to be dedicated to God (RV 14.4); (3) of the Holy Spirit, given to believers as the first portion pledge of all that God will give to redeemed people foretaste (RO 8.23) among His

5 Joseph (Gen 39) v1-6 - Joseph Potiphar trials v7-18 Joseph Mrs Potiphar temptations v19-23 Joseph in Prison trials Secret of Joseph s Success: * the Lord was with Joseph (v2,3, 21, 23) 2 so he became a successful man 4 found favor & became his personal servant, then made overseer over his house & possessions 5 the Lord blessed the Egyptian s house & possessions on account of Joseph 22 put in charge of all the prisoners 23 whatever he did, the Lord caused him to prosper The Young Man (Pr 7) His Disposition naïve, lacking sense (v7) goes near harlot s house (v7) follows the harlot (v22) Compared to an ox goes to the slaughter, or as one in fetters to the discipline of a fool (v22) His Destiny an arrow pierces through his liver (v23) as a bird hastens to the snare (v23) does not know that it will cost him his life (v23) Her Designations an adulteress (v5) the flattering foreigner (v5) dressed as a harlot (v10) Her Disposition 10 adulterous (v5,10) cheats on husb (v19-20)) 10 cunning of heart boisterous & rebellious, restless 13 bold, brazen 14 religious - offer peace offerings, pay vows 15,21 flattering tongue, persuasive 16-18,21 seduces with fine clothing & scents Her Destructiveness 26 many victims, numerous slain 27 Her house is the way to Sheol, to death The Way of Escape The Temptress (Pr 7) 1-2 keep & treasure godly words, commments & teachings within you, as the apple of your eye 3 Bind them on your fingers; Write them on your heart. 4 Love wisdom & understing 24 listen to your godly parents & pay attention to their words 25 Don t let your heart turn aside to her ways, Do not stray into her paths. Result: 2 live 5 they will keep you from the adulteress & the flattering foreigner.

6 A. HOW SIN DEVELOPS The first stage is TEMPTATION (14) a. This stage involves two things: 1) LUST (desires, NKJV) - a strong desire for something 2) ENTICEMENT - an opportunity encouragement to satisfy the desire b. Put into a mathematical formula: Temptation = Desire + Opportunity c. E.g., a small boy is TEMPTED to steal some cookies when he WANTS them (desire) has a good chance to get them not be seen (opportunity) d. But remember, it is NOT a sin to be TEMPTED - cf. the example of Jesus, He 4:15 2. The second stage in the development of sin is SIN ITSELF (15) a. Temptation leads to sin only when you yield ACT upon it b. Sin therefore requires the added step of ACTION c. Putting it again in mathematical terms: Sin = Desire + Opportunity + Action 3. The final stage is the consequence of unforgiven sin: DEATH (15) a. This refers to spiritual separation from God, which is the wages of sin - Ro 6:23 b. Ultimately such death involves eternal punishment Re 21:8 c. Putting it once more in the form of an equation: Desire + Opportunity + Action + No Forgiveness = Punishment! [Sin Satan will have overcome if we receive this final punishment. But with this understing of how sin develops, we are in a better position to overcome sin...] Mark A Copel III. THE UNDERSTANDING (14-15) B. HOW TO OVERCOME SIN CHANGE OUR DESIRES a. Since this is where the process of sin begins, it is the best place for us to begin b. Bear in mind that it is a part of Christian growth to change our desires - Ro 12:1-2; Ga 5:24 c. How do we change our desires? 1) Notice that the WORD OF GOD has always been instrumental in helping people overcome sin - Ps 119:11; Mt 4:3-10 2) To see how the Word of God can change our desires... a) As we read of God s love, longsuffering mercy, we desire to serve Him - Ps 116:12-14 b) As we read of sin its damnable consequences, we come to hate it! - Ps 119:104 d. So the more we study God s Word, the less likely we will have the DESIRE to sin, thereby beginning to overcome sin by nipping it in the bud! [But changing our desires takes time; while engaged in the process of changing our desires, what else can we do?] 2. LIMIT OUR OPPORTUNITIES a. Remember, we are tempted only when there is BOTH desire opportunity b. So while we work on changing our desires, we should limit the opportunities to fulfill wrongful desires c. This can be done by ASKING FOR GOD S PROVIDENTIAL HELP, as Jesus taught - Mt 6:13; 26:41 d. We can cooperate with God by: 1) Purposely avoiding situations that might excite wrongful desires a) Following the example of David - Ps 101:3-4 b) And the example of Job - Job 31:1 2) Avoiding those whose evil behavior encourages us to sin with them a) Again, David sets a good example - Ps 101:6-7 b) Paul also adds his warning - 1 Co 15:33 this life, what then?] [But we will unlikely remove EVERY desire opportunity to sin in

7 3. EXERCISE SELF-CONTROL a. Remember, it becomes sin when we yield to ACTION in fulfilling our sinful desires b. If we can control ourselves so as to not yield, then we can overcome sin! c. How does the Christian exercise self-control? 1) Self-control is but one aspect of the fruit of the Spirit - Ga 5: ) When we become Christians, we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit in our lives - Ac 2:38; 5:32 3) The Spirit is God s instrumental agent by which He imparts strength to us - Ep 3:16 4) Strengthened by the Spirit, we are able to put to death the deeds of the body - Ro 8: ) As Paul said: I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. - Ph 4:13 d. It is through faith in God s Word that the Christian believes that he has this divine help - Ep 3:20 1) It is certainly proper to pray for it, as Paul did in behalf of the Ephesians - Ep 3:16 2) But equally important, to act upon it, trusting that you are not alone as you try to do God s will - Ph 2: ) As an exercise commercial once said: JUST DO IT! e. The Christian, then, has no excuse for yielding to a temptation - 1 Co 10:13 [But there may be times when we don t take advantage of the strength God provides through His Spirit, we sin; what then?] 4. OBTAIN FORGIVENESS a. Remember that sin is victorious when it results in punishment b. But if we obtain forgiveness through the blood of Christ, we can avoid that punishment thereby still overcome sin! - 1 Jn 2:1-2 Mark A Copel III. THE UNDERSTANDING (14-15) c. Yes, Christ is truly the propitiation for our sins! 1) By His blood, we were forgiven of past sins when united with Him in BAPTISM - Ac 2:38; 22:16; Re 1:5 2) By His blood, we can be forgiven of present sins when we REPENT, PRAY, CONFESS our sins to God - Ac 8:22; 1 Jn 1:9 d. At any time the Christian can overcome sins that were committed, by repenting confessing them to God! CONCLUSION 1. Indeed, we can overcome sin by stopping its development at ANY one of the four stages leading to the final punishment! 2. If you noticed carefully, you should have seen that at each of the four points in the development of sin, God is able willing to help us overcome sin! a. God helps us to control our desires by providing His WORD to renew our minds b. God helps us to limit the opportunities through His PROVIDENCE as we pray for such c. God helps us to exercise self-control over our actions through His SPIRIT strengthening the inner man d. God helps us to obtain forgiveness through THE BLOOD OF HIS SON as we repent pray 3. So how could anyone say that God would tempt us to sin? a. Certainly He is the giver of every good perfect gift! - Ja 1:17 b. Even as Paul wrote, in 2 Th 3:3; 1 Co 10:13 4. Have you taken advantage of God s way of escape for the sins you have committed? If not, why not do so by obeying the gospel, the Word of Truth, become one of the firstfruits of His creatures?