Trials and Temptations

Good morning, church. It's good to be with you this morning. It's nice to see the sunshine.

I hope you've enjoyed some of the beautiful weather this weekend.

We're going to continue this morning in our series in the book of James.

I'm going to pray before we start, so will you pray with me as we look to God's word together?

Lord, we thank you this morning for the opportunity to gather virtually.

We thank you that by your grace, Lord, we are able to together hear your word this morning.

And I pray that your spirit would be at work in us, that we would be those who sit under it.

And Lord, that you would teach our hearts.

Lord, that you would bend our wills.

Lord, that you would renew our souls.

Lord, I pray that you would give me words this morning.

Lord, that you would help me.

Lord, that I might proclaim your word clearly, faithfully.

Lord, that you might use these words in all of our lives, we pray in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Amen.

I can remember it was my sophomore year in high school, spring.

I played high school lacrosse.

Our season was already not going well midway through.

We were not going to make it to the playoffs.

And yet, our defensive coach, Graham Standish, pushed us every day in practice.

If you've ever played lacrosse, you know what a ground ball drill is.

It's kind of like a fumble drill in football, except you have two guys with six-foot sticks

trying to pick up a ball while the other person is beating on them with said stick.

And so, it's quite a challenge.

And we would do this over and over and over again.

We had to go get the ball.

He would chuck it down the field 30 or 40 yards.

We had to sprint down, get the ball, pick it up, and get it back to him.

And we would do this over and over again.

And as the spring got warmer and the practices got longer, and as the playoffs faded, it became

a great trial.

And he was unyielding, pushing us daily, seemingly unaware or uncaring of the trial that we were

facing.

We weren't going to win the title that year.

What was the point?

And as we went on, I began to doubt Graham Standish.

Did he just enjoy torturing us?

Was this punishment for not doing well this year?

Or was this just a big ego trip for him?

And we were the pawns upon which he was building his reputation.

In the midst of that trial, I doubted his goodness and his intentions for us.

And I wonder if we do the same thing in the midst of trials with God as well.

It can be easy at times as we face various trials to think that God is unyielding.

We wonder, is he punishing us?

Is he ignoring us?

Does he care?

Is he good?

It is to some of these questions that the book of James speaks to us this morning.

We're in James chapter 1.

James 1 · chapter mention

If you want to turn there in your Bible at home or on your app, however you're reading

along with us this morning.

James chapter 1.

James 1 · chapter mention

We're going to start in verse 12 and read through verse 18.

So let's read together.

James 1 verse 12.

James 1:12

Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial.

For when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to

those who love him.

Let no one say when he is tempted, I'm being tempted by God.

For God cannot tempt with evil, cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.

But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.

Then desire, when it has conceived, gives birth to sin.

And sin, when it is fully grown, brings forth death.

Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers and sisters.

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights,

with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

Of his own will, he brought us forth by the word of truth that we should be a kind of first

fruits of his creatures.

As James is writing this letter to the church dispersed throughout the Middle East,

as he's writing to encourage them to be steadfast in trials,

today we see that in the face of trials, he gives us a promise, a problem, and a provision from God

as we walk through trials together.

A promise, a problem, and a provision from God.

So let's look at these three things in order.

First, in verse 12, we see the promise from God.

The promise is that there is a crown of life that God will give to those who are steadfast in the face of trials,

steadfast in loving God.

Now, this imagery of a crown of life, a crown would have been probably not a heavy metal thing

that maybe we think of from European history, but it would have been back from the original Olympics,

it would have been a wreath, most likely.

And it would have been a living wreath made of vines or of ivy or something like that.

And it would be given for those who win the race.

Now, for James, winning the race is not coming in first, but winning the race is finishing it to the end.

It is remaining steadfast in our love here.

And for those who are able to stand fast in loving God,

then God comes and, like the emperor would come in the ceremony,

at the end of life, for eternity, God will come,

and like the emperor, he will bestow upon those who are steadfast this crown.

And this crown is characterized by life, life from God, life that extends for all eternity.

Life that comes from being with him, the author of life.

And we are the ones who, not creating this life, but who receive this from God as a gift,

as a blessing, as a sign of God's favor.

And so, blessed are those who stand fast in trials.

And friends, we need to remember that the Bible tells us that standing fast in the midst of trial

does not mean that we will have success.

We think of the book of Hebrews, chapter 11,

Hebrews 11 · chapter mention

where it tells of great stories of people who, by faith, saw God do amazing things to provide for them.

And yet, at the end of that chapter, if you remember,

but there were others who, with the same faith, trusted God.

And rather than seeing God's work in their lives,

they suffered great trials and did not see the salvation in this life.

They did not see the success in this life.

And yet, there is a future hope,

an eternal hope that James is pointing us to here.

That is for all,

for all of us who are steadfast in our faith in loving God.

So, there is hope that the end of the race,

at the end of the race, there is something worth hanging in there for.

I wonder whether you've lost sight of this.

I know sometimes I do.

Times I'm overwhelmed by the moment.

Sometimes the pain of the trial feels beyond my capacity to bear.

Sometimes I just am afraid that I'm going to fail.

And I feel like I lack the ability to endure.

And sometimes I just lose sight of it.

I lose sight of the prize.

I lose sight of where we're going in the midst of all the stuff that's right in front of me.

I can't see the crown of life that God has promised me.

So, James reminds us this morning that blessed are those who,

with steadfastness, continue on in loving God

because there is a crown of life for us.

Why is it so hard to stand firm with such a good prize waiting for us?

Well, this is what James addresses in the next couple of verses

because he says we have a problem in that perseverance, don't we?

We have a heart problem.

Look with me in verses 13 through 15.

The problem is that our hearts doubt God's intentions

and His goodness in the midst of our trials.

See, James is a wise pastor and he knows that he set before us this great hope.

Run the race.

Blessed are those who stand firm because there's something at the end.

But we all know that when things get really hard,

our human hearts, our first desire is to look outward

to blame someone else for it.

The devil made to do it.

It wasn't me.

It was the drink.

Or you made me do this.

You were the one who made me sin, fail, stop loving God, continuing to be.

James looks deeper and he says that this impulse to want to blame others

for a Christian is particularly acute

because we know that God is sovereign in all things.

And so when we look externally at these circumstances

and we know that God is sovereign over all of them,

then our hearts turn to this.

You are tempting me, God.

You are the one pushing me to failure and to sin.

We want to blame him and accuse him for our responses.

We doubt his good intentions and we look for a way to pass the buck to him.

But as verse 16 reminds us, we have to think rightly about these things.

We have to think rightly about both God and ourselves in this trial.

James does this as we walk through this passage.

First, James clearly says,

God is not the source of our temptation,

though he may give us trials.

And it's important to know that in the first century rear,

if you were reading this,

you would recognize that the word for trials,

that's both in verse 2 and in verse 12,

has the same root as the word that's translated temptations

in your translation here in verse 13.

So it's going to sound like,

it's going to look like it's maybe the same word.

But what James is doing is drawing on the richness of this word

to distinguish between a trial,

which is something external,

and a temptation, which is internal.

Because we know from the Bible that God does test his people.

That God does give trials.

Think about Genesis 22.

God comes to Abraham,

and having provided with Abraham a son

who is the fulfillment of a promise

that he will be the father of many nations,

he then says,

Abraham, I want you to come and offer up this son.

And Genesis 22 says,

God did this to test Abraham.

Or we read in Deuteronomy chapter 8,

Deuteronomy 8 · chapter mention

as God is recounting his faithfulness

to his people in the wilderness,

he said,

I put you into the wilderness to test you,

to see what was in your hearts.

God puts us at times through trials,

but his intention is always

that we would steadfastly persevere,

and that we would succeed.

Look back in verses 2 through 4.

God gives us trials so that we might grow in character,

so that it might produce good in us,

so that we might know more about his faithfulness,

and his power,

and his strength.

God's intentions are always good.

He does not tempt us to sin.

One commentator puts it this way,

what must be understood is that temptation

is an impulse towards sin,

and since God is not susceptible

to any such desire for evil,

he cannot be seen as desiring

that it be brought about in man.

This is contrary to his very character,

that God would lead people into sin.

And so,

though he may create

and sovereignly oversee

our external circumstances,

the power of temptation

comes from somewhere else.

And this is what James goes on to say

in verses 14 and 15.

The temptation comes from within.

It comes from our own hearts,

our own desires.

Look with me in verse 14.

Each person is tempted

when he is lured and enticed

by his own desire.

Now look,

we need to be careful here.

Not all desires are good.

We are meant to desire God.

We have the capacity

to desire good things,

but the word here,

and often in the Bible,

when it talks about our desires,

it's laying bare our sinful desires,

our desires for things

that are outside of God.

And to think more carefully about this,

we need to recognize

that the pull of temptation

is not the same thing

as being captured by temptation.

And so,

Martin Luther has this famous quote.

He says,

you can't keep the birds

from flying over your head,

but you can keep them

from nesting in your hair.

We may see things

that will flit in front of our faces

that we think,

oh,

I'm tempted to sin

in response to that.

But if we let it fly by,

if we resist that temptation

and it goes by,

we have not sinned.

We have actually withstood

the temptation.

But we know that in our hearts,

the pull to sin

is met with a desire.

We desire things apart from God

that will be our salvation.

Things that give us ultimate satisfaction.

Things that we think

will give us fulfillment

or comfort.

Friends,

think back over the last 10 weeks

as we've been walking

through this pandemic

and the trials that it's been.

Where has your heart turned?

And look,

it can turn

not to evil things,

but to good things

in bad ways.

Maybe you've had

a couple too many

Oreo packages

on a bad day.

Or maybe your binging of Netflix

has gone beyond

what maybe is healthy for you.

And some of us

are battling

turning to real evil

that enslaves us.

Addictions

that maybe we have overcome

are lurking again

to capture us again.

Whether it be pornography

or alcohol

or substance abuse

or other ways

in which we seek to

find life

in things

apart from God.

things that we treat

as God substitutes.

And when we take

these things

and not only do we

fight against them

and even sometimes fail,

but when we cherish them,

when we coddle them,

when we excuse them,

and when we keep them

rather than

taking them

and giving them back to God

and saying,

God, help me.

when we abandon faith

in God's goodness

and in His provision

for us

and reach out

for these things instead,

then,

like in verse 14,

we are like the trout

in the stream

and we see

the big fat worm

float by

or we see

the well-tied fly

traipsing on the top

of the water

and we strike.

And when we strike

at that thing

with our desire,

it hooks us

and it drags us away

into sin.

And then,

James,

his image changes

from fishing

to childbirth.

He then says

that there is

this inevitable process

just as

in a human body

conception leads

to the growth

of an embryo

which in time

produces a baby

that then grows

to a mature person.

So also,

when we allow desires

to implant themselves

in our will,

we engage

in a natural process

that will lead us

to sin

and it gives birth

to sin

and the final result,

the maturity of sin,

if you will,

is death.

Spiritual death.

Eternal death.

Distance.

Separation from God

because we have

turned our back

on Him

and turned

to these things

instead.

dead.

So when we're

facing trials

and we feel

the pull of temptation,

we need to take

responsibility

for the fact that

our,

the pull

and the power

of that temptation

and the result

of it,

if we give into it,

is our own

responsibility

for which we are

ansible to God

for.

Now,

look,

friends,

there is a proper

place for us

to

lament

and cry out

to God

when we don't

understand what

He's doing

and when it's

really hard.

But we must not

allow our hearts,

as James says here,

to turn from that

lamenting

and crying out

to Him

to turn into

a heart

of accusation

and doubt

and bitterness.

This is where

James goes

in the last

couple of verses

of our passage

today.

If in trials

our hearts

are so prone

to doubt

and blame God

and pursue

our sinful desires,

where is there

hope for us?

And verse 16

through 18

gives us

the provision,

the provision

that God's goodness

is sure

and certain

to deliver us

from such doubt

because He

has given us

new life

in His Word.

Rather than

thinking that God

is tempting us

towards sin,

we ought to think

of Him

as it says

in verse 17,

God is altogether

good

and He is

unchanging

in His goodness

to His people.

God is like

the sun.

The sun cannot

cast a shadow

because it is

the source

of all light.

So there is

no shadow

and the sun,

although now we know

that cosmologically

there would be

some variation,

for all of human

existence,

our sun has not

changed and will

not change

and so we know

that the sun

is an image

of this unchanging

reality

that rules

over all

of the world

and brings life

to all

who receive

its blessing

of light.

And James says

this is what

all of the images

in verse 17

mean.

every good

and perfect

gift comes

from God

above,

the Father

of lights

who is

unchanging

and who is

without shadow

in His goodness.

When trials

arouse,

doubt in our

hearts

about God's

goodness,

God

stands firm

and says

no,

I am good.

And then James

says,

and if you doubt

that,

because if the

circumstances

around you

look too hard,

verse 18 then,

this is where

we can look

to know

how to walk

through this.

Verse 18,

of His own

will He

brought us

forth by the

word of truth.

God initiated

with us,

God came

and pursued

us

so that we

might choose

Him in faith.

Now I don't

know about you,

but I know

that when I

came to faith

in Christ,

I thought I

was choosing

God.

I thought I

was deciding

to believe

in Him

and to put

Him in the

center of

my life.

And at one

level that

was very

true.

But as

the great

Bible

commentator

Alec

Maudier

says in

his,

we learn

that behind

our choice,

making it

possible and

making it

real,

is the

wonder that

He first

chose us.

God

initiated

and pursued

and wooed

us with

the message

of the

gospel.

And He

took the

message of

the gospel

and He

implanted it

in our

souls.

And from

that,

this gospel

word of

truth,

He then

brought forth

a new

life.

And just

as in

verse 14

and 15

talks about

how our

desires

implant

something that

leads to

sin and

death,

but that

that is in

our souls,

what God

brings to

us is a

different thing.

The word

of truth

implanted in

our lives

that then

brings us

new and

eternal life

with Him.

And not

only eternal

life with

Him,

but that we

might be a

part of His

eternal family,

the first

fruits of

His

creation.

Friends,

this is the

good news,

is that as

we are held

forth this

crown before

us,

this crown

of life,

God does

not require

that we

be good

enough to

save ourselves

or that we

be strong

enough to

stay steadfast

and endure

on our own

power.

That would

be a terrible

tease if God

asked us to

do that.

But God

instead has

come to us,

initiated with

us,

worked in

us who

believe in

Christ,

He has

given us

a new

life,

a life

without which

we won't

make it on

our own.

Our hearts

won't allow

us.

But because

we know that

Jesus came to

earth,

was tested

and tried

as we are,

and then died

on the cross

for our sins,

that Jesus

was raised

to new life

so that

all who

are joined

to Him

experience

this new

life,

a spiritual

life now,

and an

eternal life

with God.

This, then,

is the great

hope that we

have.

This is how

we know that

God is good,

and this is the

power that we

find to be

steadfast in

the midst of

trials.

we throw

our helpless

selves on

God's goodness

to us in

this.

Friends, do you

doubt that God

is good?

Do you wonder

if in this

season of

pandemic,

He is tempting

you to turn?

Turn from

Him to sin?

Turn from

Him to

indulge your

sinful desires?

Have you

begun to doubt

His goodness

and to

accuse or to

blame Him

for your

faults,

for your

failures?

The good

news of the

gospel,

the mercy of

God,

calls us

to stand

fast in

believing in

His goodness.

And the

eternal salvation

that we have

in Christ

stands as a

monument,

like an

unchanging

pillar of

truth,

that God

is good,

and that

He is

worth

trusting.

Rather than

trusting in

our own

hearts,

let us find

in Jesus

the unchanging

reason to

love Him

forever.

And in

Him, we

will find the

power to

remain steadfast

and to

endure to

the end

and gain

that crown of

life that's

promised for

us.

let's pray.

Lord, we

confess our

weakness to

You.

How easily

we doubt

Your goodness,

how quickly we

turn from You

to ourselves.

us.

Lord, how we

trust our

hearts rather

than trusting

in Your

Word.

Lord, how

often we

allow our

desires to

rule us.

But God, we

thank You that

in Your mercy

and grace,

Lord, that in

Christ there is a

salvation and a

life that is not

from us but is

from You.

And Lord, that in

that we will find

great comfort and

hope.

we will find

the strength to

endure and

hold on to Your

goodness, to be

steadfast in trial

and loving You.

Lord, as we look

forward to this

crown of life that

we anticipate, may

You help us today

to take hold of

these things.

In Jesus' name,

Amen.