Profiting from Temptation Rodolfo Rodriguez Struck July 6, 2014

Transcription

1 1 Profiting from Temptation Rodolfo Rodriguez Struck July 6, 2014 Good morning, dear brothers and sisters. The last time I preached was on July 14, 2013, almost one year ago, so in the last few days, I have realized how rusty I am. However, in studying James in order to bring the message today, I ve found his book fascinating. When we are writing a letter nowadays, there is a general flow to it, but we separate subjects in paragraphs. James is written that way. It contrasts Paul s style of long arguments where you have to read the whole book to understand the message, like in the book of Romans, for example, where you cannot separate a few verses or even a couple of chapters without risking to fall in false doctrine. James uses short direct statements on wise living, like the book of Proverbs, in a way. James wrote with a passionate desire for us, his readers, to be obedient to the word of God. He compliments Paul s emphasis in justification by faith with his own emphasis on spiritual fruitfulness demonstrating true faith. His book has a practical emphasis in godly behavior. Last week, Pastor Martin spoke about profiting from trials and about asking God for wisdom, but with faith, because if we are doubleminded we will get none. Today we will talk about loving God under trials and temptations, about listening to his Word, and about doing what He asks us to. As most of you know, I ve been a salesperson for more than 3 decades. One of my bosses used to say that the salespeople s job started when a client said no, and if we are lucky, why not. We are used to a lot of rejection and to use the why nots to achieve the why yeses. So, even when the message is a lot about overcoming temptation, I couldn t resist the temptation of naming the sermon Profiting from Temptation. Before we read the text and get into our subjects, I will need you to go back in time. Some of you are too young to remember, so you ll have to imagine.

2 2 A little over a decade ago, when you were travelling in an airplane you would get food as part of the deal. It seemed light then, but it was a banquet compared to today s 6 pretzels in a little bag, if that. The flight attendant would ask Chicken or Pasta? for example, and you would get your choice on a tray, placed on ceramic custom made ceramic plates, with fork, spoon and knife accompanied with bread, salad and dressing for it, butter, salt an pepper in little envelopes, and even dessert. I travelled a lot in those days and saw the sad gradual change from that to peanuts, passing through sandwiches, etc. and then back to having options, but with a charge. A colleague, who travelled a lot less frequently, and I were going to a meeting in Michigan and when the flight attendant asked him: Can I offer you something to eat? He replied: What are the options? without hesitation, she replied back: YES and NO. That is also true for temptation, we always have two options: YES and NO Our text is James 1: 12 to 27, it is a little long but very direct and doesn t allow us to escape its truth nor intended message. We will go by parts. The first two verses are easy, a promise and a disclaimer: 12 Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. 13 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. In other words, temptations are opportunities to grow, steps up or slides down in the path to spiritual maturity, we choose. If we are wise, we will be blessed. So Temptations are to us what wind is to a tree; it makes the roots get stronger or causes the tree to fall. But we have the choice.

3 3 It is very clear that God does not tempt us. We will talk in more detail about who does and about how we fall. But notice that we cannot avoid temptation, James 1:13a Let no one say when he is tempted Our text says WHEN we are tempted, not IF we are tempted. We face temptation all the time, as we live in a sinful world full of sinners. But every time we overcome temptation, we become stronger, and it becomes easier not to fall So the promise and disclaimer were easy, but as Jar Jar Binks from Star Wars would put it, It s Ouch Time: 14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. 16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Sorry guys, you cannot blame anyone but yourselves. We all have desires, and not all desires are bad. Let s use a little fish in a pond as example. Is it bad if the fish desires a worm? Of course not, we all have a desire for eating. The fish sees a worm and is enticed by the worm, and goes for it, gives in to desire. But what if the worm is in a hook? It will bring death.

4 4 It is similar with us, but we always know what is bad and what is good, we always have a gut feeling. But sometimes we decide to sin anyway. 2 Corinthians 2:11 Lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices. But the good news is that Satan is predictable, my friends, he has used the same 4-step-trick since creation and we continue to fall, in his game Desire-doubt-deception-disobedience. 1. Desire. We all have desires, some are normal, like the desire to be loved, to be respected, to have pleasure and others are sinful, like desiring revenge, to control others, etc. Satan uses them to tempt us to either give in to a sinful desire or to fulfill a normal one in a wrong way or at the wrong time. The typical little devil in your shoulder suggesting you to go for it, have it now, it feels good, etc. Mark 7:21-23 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a man. James 4:1 Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? Rick Warren Temptations always start in your mind 2. Doubt. The next step is to make you doubt, is it really a sin?, is it really bad? Or was it a sin only in ancient times, culture and law? Was it a prohibition for someone else? Let s go to the first and oldest one:

5 5 Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, Has God indeed said, You shall not eat of every tree of the garden? 3. Deception. When it comes to lies Satan is the master blaster you will be wiser, no one will notice, everyone is doing it, you will be like God, etc. Genesis 3:4 Then the serpent said to the woman, 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. Hebrews 3:13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called Today, lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. 4. Disobedience. And then of course comes the sinful behavior, the fall, you act upon the idea you have been playing with. James 1:14-16 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. Understanding how it works helps us overcome temptation but it is not enough. There are key steps to overcome temptation: Learn to live with it. We can t overgrow temptation, even Christ was tempted. We should not feel guilty for being tempted or for having tempting thoughts. Actually, being tempted is a compliment, Satan does not need to tempt sinners, but righteous. Two well known examples are: Job 1:1 There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil.

6 6 Genesis 39:2 The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. Temptation only becomes a sin when you give in to it. Martin Luther You cannot keep birds from flying over your head but you can keep them from building a nest in your hair Be prepared. The best way to face temptation is not facing it. Instead of trying to fight against a thought, you can think of something else. Rick Warren The battle for sin is won or lost in your mind. Whatever gets your attention will get you. Ask for help. God is always ready to help us overcome temptation. Psalm 50:15 Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me. Express prayers if necessary or if there is no time for more. Or simply DELIVER ME! HELP! The bible says that our cry for help will be heard because Jesus is sympathetic with our struggle Hebrews 4:15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. There is always a way out.

7 7 1 Corinthians 10:13b 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. James 4:7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Temptations keep us dependent upon God. Like the roots growing stronger when the wind blows against the tree we become more like Christ every time we defeat a temptation. Every temptation that does not make you fall makes you stronger. And again The devil did not come to tempt sinners but righteous. So if you are being tempted to give up, you are probably in the right track and if you are being tempted to give in, you are probably getting stronger. So cheer up! 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. 18 Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures. While temptation is Satan s primary weapon to destroy you, God wants to use trials to develop you. Every time you choose to do good instead of sin, you are growing in the character of Christ, you are bearing fruit.

8 8 Galatians 5:22-23 The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control. Against such there is no law. 19 So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; 20 for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. These two verses are very simple. How many ears do you have? And how many mouths? So we should be listening twice as much as we speak. Likewise, we should think twice before saying something once, and not having to say something twice because we said it without thinking it first.

9 9 21 Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. Another easy verse, an exhortation and a promise. The Word of God has the ability to save our souls. When Jesus was tempted in the desert, he only used the scripture to respond, he did not try to argue. We shall do the same because the devil fears the word of God and because the devil is too good at arguing. Ephesians 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. I think we all agree in the importance of the Word, both to stay out of trouble and to grow closer with our Lord. However it is Ouch Time again: 22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; 24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. How many times has scripture or a sermon made us realize something we need to change in our lives? We see our sin or our weakness, but then we leave church or close the bible and forget about it. That is what God, through James, is asking us not to do.

10 10 James uses the comparison of the mirror. It is like seeing your untamed hair, a pimple, eye boogers, etc. and you leave home without doing anything. We might deceive ourselves, but we won t fool the world, it would be like a social death, representing the spiritual one. Matthew 7:24-27 Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall. On the other hand, if we do something about it, we will profit from it. 25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. The law of liberty is not liberty to sin but from sin. John 8:34-36 Jesus answered them, Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. Joshua 1:8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 1st John 5:1-2 Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments.

11 11 26 If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one s religion is useless. James comes back to the tongue, the thinking before speaking, the positive word vs the deceitful word. By the way, Religion today has a bad connotation for some, but then meant the same as spiritual life. James closes pretty hard, using two synonym adjectives Pure and Undefiled for religion before God. Every time that happens in scripture, it means you have to put attention: 27 Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world. The orphans and the widows are clear to most, but we often forget that we are light of the world, we are to be example to others and not a warning. Again, desires are not a bad thing, but how we deal with them is key. Desire fulfillment Temptation Give in Conceive Ph conseq. Drink Water Alcohol Get drunk Eat Food Junk food Eat too much /bad Love Spouse Other men / women Go for it Spiritual conseq. Alcoholism Cirrhosis Away from God Gluttony Diabetes Away from God Fornication / adultery Aids Away from God 2 Timothy 2:22 Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart

12 12 PSALM 1 The Way of the Righteous and the End of the Ungodly Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper. The ungodly are not so, But are like the chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the ungodly shall perish. Thank you all. Lets pray God we thank you for everything you send and allow in our lives, and we thank you for your word that is so powerful and comforting and encouraging and opens our hearts and minds so we can see the path you have for each of us to walk towards you and to become better and stronger. Help us follow the right way and endure temptations. We ask for your blessing for this week and year that you deliver us from evil and provide for our needs. We praise and pray in the name of Jesus our Lord, amen. God bless you all!