Understanding temptation. James 1:13-18

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1 1 Understanding temptation James 1:13-18 This message delivered at Saint Paul s UMC in Ponca City, OK 7/8/12 There once was a Real Estate sign posted on the side of a building in the city. It read: Condominiums for Sale--Trouble-Free Living--Please inquire within. I wonder what it would be like to sign a two-year lease on a place that could produce trouble-free living. I get a kick out of the television commercials for the All State Insurance Company. There is a man who calls himself Mayhem. Whenever he shows up, trouble is soon to follow. The commercial implies that looming trouble is the reason why we need insurance. There is some truth here. Trouble or in this case, Mayhem, is always just around the corner. The only place that is trouble-free is in Heaven when we are forever in the presence of God. As for this world where we live today, we will have trials, troubles, and temptations. We are not the first people of faith to experience trouble. As we open our Bibles we see that many of God s servants--from Noah to Moses, to Amos, to Jeremiah, to Daniel, and even our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ--experience moments of trouble and trials in their journey to walk in faith and live out the will of God in their lives. From the start, James tells us to be joyful in the face of trials. Count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. Let patience have its perfect work that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. I know this to be true. The testing of our faith drives us to a deeper communion and greater trust in Christ. The difficult times we endure will produce character and holiness. Patience is not a characteristic that comes naturally for me. I struggle with it every day. I believe God wants me to grow in this area. Yet, I shy away asking God to teach me patience because I don t want to face the trials and hardships that

2 2 would teach me to be patient. I just imagine God saying, You say you want patience? I have just the problem that will teach you to be patient. But I want to grow in my faith. I want to look back and see that I am stronger in faith today than I was 5 years ago. I want my life to ring true to the values and standards for living that God has set in the scriptures. The good news is that for this to come true, all we have to do is ask. If anyone lacks wisdom, let him ask of God who gives liberally and without reproach. James 1:5 Do you know anyone who claims to be a graduate of life s school of hard knocks? They are usually pretty tough. It makes me think about an animal from Africa that learns to stand and walk almost as soon as it is born. That is what it takes for a giraffe to survive. The birth process is tough because the little giraffe falls about 10 feet to the ground on its back when it is born. The little giraffe rolls over and tucks its legs under as he takes in his first view of the world. This does not last long. The mother giraffe stimulates the calf to stand with a series of hard knocks with her leg. Getting up is tough and it takes a lot of energy. But the mother stimulates her baby to stand because that is essential for survival. When the little one falls, she goes through the same process over and over until it is strong and able to keep up in the safety of the herd. If life seems to be knocking you around, do not be discouraged or give up. Take heart, because the trials you go through today will make your faith in God stronger for the present and the future. Standing strong is essential for the survival of your faith. We are humbled in times of trouble. We look to God for help in times of trouble. In good times, we are tempted to believe we can make it just fine on our own. We may become over confident and puffed up with pride when life is too easy. Some have said, Pride comes before a fall. The good news is that after we fall, God encourages us to get back up and try again. Trouble and temptation are always with us. What are we going to do about it? Max Lucado was commenting on James chapter one when he said, There are two things we can do when we are faced with temptation: run from it or face it. Both actions are forms of resistance. The ones we must face with God s wisdom are often the internal ones (we can t very well run away from those). Temptations of

3 3 fear, selfishness and rebellion need to be resisted with the truth of God s word. Fleeing from or avoiding external temptations is also an excellent tactic. You may remember the story in the Old Testament where Joseph ran away from the Pharaoh s seductive wife. In every temptation we need God s help. We need to ask God what we can learn from the temptations we face 1 Can you think of a time in your life that you would describe as a trial or a test? What makes it hard to be joyful in the midst of that difficulty? What temptations do you face as a result of the problem? What did you learn? I am embarrassed to share this story I am about to tell you because it does not put me in a very flattering light. It is a photograph in my memory that I would like to delete. But it keeps me humble. The experience taught me a lesson about facing trouble and it taught me something about myself in the process. My empty car was parked in the lot for a small county hospital while I was inside responding to an emergency as a volunteer chaplain for the community. It wasn t easy as a single mother to get up and leave my son at home while making this call. But I did the best I could and felt pretty good about myself for being so faithful to this duty. As I returned to my car, I noticed another vehicle, an old beater of a car, was parked right up next to the driver s side door of my car so that I could not get in. I was aggravated that someone would block me out of my car in this way. How selfish was that? I crawled with some effort through the passenger s side of my car and eventually made it over to sit behind the wheel of my car. I was still mad. What were they thinking by parking so close to me? There wasn t even 5 inches between our cars. Then I was struck with temptation. I ll teach them a lesson so they won t do this again! The concept of temptation gave birth to action and then sin. I opened my driver s side door with such force that it was sure to make a mark on the other car. Then, I saw a man standing at the entrance of the hospital shaking his head. He saw me. I felt such remorse, such guilt, such shame. It might have well as been God in the flesh, standing there shaking his head in disappointment. I had done something good by calling on a total stranger in the hospital. Then within moments I had fallen into trouble, temptation, and sin. What did I learn from that experience? 1 Max Lucado, Life Lessons: James, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2007), pg. 19.

4 4 First, I am thankful that we serve a God who is slow to anger and quick to offer mercy to those with a contrite heart. Second, I learned the importance of patience. I did not have to take revenge. Though the situation was aggravating, I made matters worse by causing harm to another person s car. I was wrong and I knew it. I was not walking a Christian walk at that point. I was not sensitive to the will of God. My life was not reflecting the Word of God. My anger and actions were harmful, not a good witness for Christ. Max Lucado tells a story of his youth when he was trying to learn how to play basketball. He remembers an experience from a sixth grade basketball tournament. I can t remember the exact score when I finally got to play, but I know it was close. I recall a loose ball, a scramble to grab it and complete surprise when my team mate at the bottom of the pile threw it to me. When I saw that no one was between me and the basket, I took off. With the style of an MVP to be, I played a layup worthy of ESPN. My surprise at the ease of the basket was only surpassed by my surprise at the silence of the crowd. No one applauded. Rather than pat me on the back, my team mates hid their faces in their hands. That s when I realized I scored a point in the wrong end of the court; I scored for the other team. I had helped the enemy! Can you imagine how embarrassed I felt? 2 That is how I felt the day that I let my temper lead me into slamming my door against another car. I had let Christ down. I was working for the wrong side at that point and I knew it. The goal of discipleship is to have a genuine faith that is reflected in our actions. John MacArthur, a bible commentator says, Jewelers test the genuine quality of a diamond by placing it in clear water which causes a real diamond to sparkle with special brilliance. An imitation stone, one the other hand, will have almost no sparkle at all. When the two are placed side by side, even an untrained eye can easily tell the difference. In a similar way, the world can often notice marked difference between genuine Christians and those who merely profess faith in Christ. As with jewels, there is a noticeable difference in radiance, especially when people are undergoing difficult times. Many people have great confidence 2 Lucado, pg. 15

5 5 in their faith until it is severely tested by hardships and disappointments. How a person handles trouble will reveal whether his faith is living or dead, genuine or imitation, saving or non- saving. 3 It is easy to come up with excuses when we fall short of what God expects. It is human nature to deflect responsibility. Remember the stories of creation found in Genesis where the first man and the first woman are living in close communion with God in paradise? Adam and Eve fell into sin when they placed their own will ahead of God s will. They willfully disobeyed God s instruction. When they were caught, they blamed each other and they blamed the serpent. You ve heard of the term Brain storming. Adam and Eve were Blame storming. Eve blamed the serpent or Satan, Adam blamed Eve but really also blamed God. And on blame storming goes even today. Now, hear the good news. God has provided a way for us to be delivered from a sinful nature so that we can face trouble and temptation without falling away from our Christian walk. God restores us through the truth found in scripture. Look back at that day that I expressed road rage or for that matter parking lot rage. God s Word was not in the forefront of my conscious thought. If it was then I would not have taken the action that I took and I would not have sinned. We can tell when we are listening constructively to God s word because it will change how we look at ourselves and how we look at other people. Ask God for wisdom and take time at the beginning of each day to prayerfully read and reflect on God s word. It will make all the difference. Then, true godliness will show in our actions and our decisions regardless of whether times are easy or times are tough. That is the kind of Christian that I want to be. Someone who people can look to and say, She is the real deal. She doesn t just talk the talk, she walks the walk. She is a genuine Christian. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature. The old things passed away and behold a new things have come. 3 John F. MacArthur, Jr., James, Guidelines for a Happy Christian Life, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2007), pg. 9.

6 6 We will be changed. All we have to do is abide in Christ by embracing the truth of God s word and asking for God to help us apply that Word to our everyday lives. Do you want to live in Christ? Do you want to face temptation and trouble and be able to resist temptation, coming through tough times with victory? If so, then please pray with me now. Father, we come to you just as we are, struggling to cope with the trials of life. We are grateful that you never turn your back on us. You promise to give us the wisdom and strength we need to face each day. We need to be renewed each day by the truth that comes through your living Word. We want to be sensitive to your Holy Spirit, that still small voice that guides us. Help us remember to turn to you daily in prayer so that we might be more prepared for the times of testing that are to come. Continue to test us, making our faith ever stronger and mature, until our character shines and brings glory to you. Amen! 4 4 Lucado, pg. 19.