💭 Consider this: Your true enemy lies within. What does this prove about your problem with sin and its only solution?
TRANSCRIPT
I greet all of you in the blessed name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Our text is taken from James 1:13-15. Allow me to read for you, "Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God; for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither he any man. But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” The Lord bless the reading of His holy and sacred Word.
In our previous messages, we have learned that the original Greek word for temptation, ‘peirasmos,’ can mean ‘in a negative connotation’ or it can also mean ‘in a positive connotation’ depending on the context. A temptation can be a trial that comes with a beneficial purpose. For example, 1 Peter 1:6 says, "Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be” - if necessary - “ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire.” How can manifold temptations be good? How can being tested with fire be good? Well, that it “might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:6-7). So, that is a temptation or a trial that comes with a beneficial purpose.
A temptation can also be a trial with an evil purpose that will lead to wrongdoing. For example, the Gospel of Luke 4:13 says, "And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from Jesus for a season." For forty days and forty nights, the Devil tempted the Lord Jesus Christ in the wilderness, and most certainly, he did that with an evil purpose. A temptation can also be a test with an intent to challenge God. Like in the wilderness, the Israelites challenged the Almighty God repeatedly by trying and testing Him. So basically, a ‘temptation’ can be a trial with a beneficial purpose, or it can be a trial with an evil purpose that will lead to wrongdoing. Or it can also be a test with an intent to challenge God, depending on the context.
In the preceding verse 12 (James 1:12), "Blessed is the man that endureth temptation" - the same word - “for "when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.” The word ‘temptation’ used there is in the sense of a trial or a test which comes with benefits. For “he shall receive the crown of life”. But here in verse 13 (James 1:13), the word temptation is used in a negative connotation, with an evil purpose that will lead to wrongdoing. So, in this passage, James was dealing with an entirely different concept of temptation. Not in the form of a trial or a test, but a temptation to fall into sin.
Life is filled with temptations. Temptation is the common experience of every human being living on the face of this Earth. As we look at the ways people live their lives in immorality, the way they indulge in sin and iniquity, we see temptations everywhere. Even for the Christians, temptation in life is inevitable. If I may give you an illustration: it is like traveling on an airplane. Many of us here used to travel, and when you travel on an airplane, there will always be turbulence. Very seldom you travel on an airplane flight without any turbulence. It is the same with life. Life is filled with temptations. As much as you and I hope to be free from temptations, none of us can be totally exempted from it.
It is not a sin to be tempted, but it is a sin to yield to temptation, to give in to temptation. So, it all points down to how we respond to temptations. If we respond to temptation in faithful obedience to God's word, trusting in His Spirit, we will overcome it. But if we doubt God and we disobey His word, we will succumb to it and fall into sin. God may allow trials or temptations into our lives to test the strength of our faith. That is why Jesus taught us to pray, "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil" (Matthew 6:13). In other words, we should pray to our Heavenly Father that He will not allow trials or temptations into our lives as a test of our faith if we are not ready for it. Because if we are weak, if we are immature, we will surely succumb to it and fall into sin. God knows what you and I can endure. 1 Corinthians 10:13 says, "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."
This morning, we want to learn ‘How to Deal with Temptation’, which is the title of our message. In order for us to deal with temptations victoriously, we have to understand three important things: The Source of Temptation, The Process of Temptation, and The Remedy of Temptation.
I. The Source Of Temptation
Let us begin with our first point: The Source of Temptation. While it is common for men to experience temptations, it is also typical for someone who yields to temptation to put the blame elsewhere. Even children are prone to do that when they commit a mistake. They might say, ‘It wasn't my fault. It wasn't me. It's my friend, it's my brother or my sister who has caused me to do it.’ Just like a poor man would blame his poverty for turning him into a thief, or a drunk driver might blame his friend for forcing him to drink that extra glass of alcohol which led him to kill someone through his reckless driving. People tend to put the blame on somewhere else. Remember when God confronted Adam with his sin in the Garden of Eden? Adam blamed Eve, the woman whom God had given to him. And when God confronted Eve, she blamed the serpent - Eve blamed Satan but Adam was worse; he blamed God (Genesis 3: 9-24).
Some people like to use the phrase, ‘the Devil made me do it.’ Do you realise that the Devil is not omnipresent as God is? The Devil cannot be everywhere, tempting everyone at all times. He's only a creature, which means he has probably never tempted you, nor anyone you know, directly. In the entire Bible, we know of only a few people who were directly tempted by the Devil: Eve was tempted by the Devil, but not Adam. Job was tempted by the Devil. Jesus was tempted by the Devil in the wilderness. Ananias was tempted by the Devil, not Sapphira. That was precisely what James was dealing with here. He did not want the people to put the blame on someone else, or put the blame on the Devil. But most importantly, he did not want them to put the blame on God. That is why he said, ‘Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither he any man’ (James 1:13).
It is one thing to yield to temptation; it is another thing altogether to fall into temptation and put the blame on God. The nature of evil and the nature of God are total opposites. The God whom you and I believe in is a Holy God, totally and absolutely separated from evil. Habakkuk the prophet said, ‘God is of purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot look into iniquity’ (Habakkuk 1:13). So, to even suggest that God was indirectly responsible for temptation to evil is not only absurd, it is blasphemous. The Bible tells us that from the beginning, the tempter was the Devil himself. In the Garden of Eden, he was the one who tempted Eve. The Devil has many names; he is called ‘Lucifer’, he is called the ‘father of lies’, and ultimately, he is called the ‘Tempter’ himself, with the capital T. As we mentioned a while ago, Satan is not omnipresent; he's only a creature. He cannot be everywhere, tempting everyone at all times. But as the prince of this evil world system, he has all the influences in this world at his disposal that he may use as instruments to tempt us. Whether it be money, power, fame, popularity, pleasures, enjoyment, and so forth.
That is why 1 John 2:16 says, “All that is in this world, the lust of the eye, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life, is not of the Father but is of the world.” Indeed, the things of this world can be used to either attract or distract us to fall into sin. But the blame should be put where the true cause of evil lies, and the true origin of evil and temptation lies within our hearts.
There was once a monk named Benedict who believed that as long as we were away from this world, we would be free from temptation and sin. So, he went into the jungle, dug a well, and he lived in the well. Every day, he arranged for someone to send him food and drink. Every day, that person would tie a rope around a bucket and put food into it, then lowered it into the well for Benedict to eat. One day, as the pail was being lowered down, Benedict saw how the rope wavered. And as it was wavering, he was reminded of a beautiful woman dancing in front of him, and he began to lust after her. But it was just a rope. Finally, he realised that the true origin of evil and temptation lies within his heart. Remember Jeremiah 17:9 says, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?". The real source of temptation lies within man himself, within his own heart.
II. The Process Of Temptation
Let us move on to our second point: The Process of Temptation. Look at verse 14 (James 1:14): "But every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed." Temptation can take specific forms, and each person has struggles with his own lust. Lust refers to those strong inclinations and desires of every sort. It can be the lust of the eye, or the lust of the flesh, or the pride of life.
When we are being tempted, the first effect it has on us is that it draws us away. We certainly have to take note of the danger because the first step of temptation is always subtle. We are just nearly being drawn away. But the second step is deadly; we will be enticed. To be drawn away is to be dragged forth, to be attracted to something. And to be enticed is to be caught. We will be drawn away by what we are seeing or doing. And then, like a bird being led into the trap, or a fish being led onto the bait, we will be caught. And once we are enticed, it will be very difficult for us to break free. We will be overwhelmed with our desires. It is interesting that the Bible uses the phrase, "He is drawn away of his own lust” (James 1:13). Every one of us is uniquely different. Even in our weaknesses, we are different. Different people are tempted differently. What may be tempting for you may not be tempting for me. What is tempting for me may not be tempting for you. The thing that tempts a little child is most certainly different from that of an adult man.
You may not be tempted by a bottle of alcohol or a deck of gambling cards. Those things mean nothing to you. But if you were to flag a bottle of alcohol to an alcoholic or a deck of gambling cards to a gambler, surely he will be affected. And often times, we are tempted because of some preconceived ideas or knowledge that we have, or some memories of past experiences or activities stored up in our minds that will trigger our desires. For example, those people who watch pornographic materials, those images will be stored up in their memories. Our minds are not like the computer, whereby we can press the delete button and then everything is deleted. It does not work that way. Those images are stored up in our memories, and from time to time, we will be reminded of those things.
So, what should we do? We must nip it in the bud. We must not even let it start because once it starts, it is very difficult to remove these images. Otherwise, we will be haunted by these images for the rest of our lives. But what about those things we have done in the past which we cannot undo? We must pray and ask the Lord to help. We must make a commitment not to dwell on those things. And by the Grace of God, slowly, those images will fade away from our memories, and they will not affect us like they used to, by the Grace of God. At other times, we may be tempted with something totally new to us but somehow it is able to catch our attention, to arouse our curiosities, and then to attract us to it. But whatever be the case, in the process of temptation, there will always be this drawing away, and there will always be this enticing.
Allow me to use the temptation of Eve in the Garden of Eden in Genesis 3:1-6 to illustrate this point. Eve knew very well that they were not supposed to eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for God had said, "For in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die" (Genesis 2:17). So, she knew that truth. But when a serpent came to her and said, ‘Ye shall not surely die, but your eyes will be open,’ Eve had second thoughts. In verse six, the Bible tells us she ‘saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and it was a tree to be desired to make one wise.’ So, her curiosity was aroused, her desire was stirred up, and finally, she gave in, took the fruit, ate of it, and even gave it to her husband. She has forgotten so quickly what God has told her. Why? Because she was drawn away and she was enticed.
In 2 Samuel 11, there's another classic example of temptation at its worst. It is the account of David's temptation. One day David was walking on the roof of his palace, and he saw a woman washing herself, and she was beautiful to look upon. Dear friend, we have to be careful what we are seeing. As we always tell the children, ‘Be careful, little eyes, what you see.’ David was drawn away by his own lust, and he was enticed, he was overwhelmed by what he saw, so much so that he sent messengers to find out about the woman, who happened to be the wife of Uriah, one of his trusted guards. Can you imagine? Uriah was one of his most trusted guards, and yet it didn't matter to David because he was already drawn away and enticed. Despite the fact he sent his messengers to get the woman, he slept with her and fell into sin.
Now if you compare David's temptation with Eve's temptation, you will find a common denominator: they both desired what they saw. Temptation then and now has the same pattern. It always starts with one's evil desire in the heart. Isn't it true with all of us here? Before we fall into any temptations, we know very well that it is wrong. And yet we go on and yield ourselves to it. Each time we are drawn away and enticed, the things we knew as sinful become pleasing and appealing. And then there's this evil desire in our hearts that develops, and the end result is we are dragged into sin.
That is why James went on to say in verse 15, "Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin when it is finished bringeth forth death" (James 1:15). Here he gave the process of childbirth as an illustration to further show the people his point. We all know that when a baby is conceived in the mother's womb, the baby goes through different stages of pregnancy, and the final stage is the delivery. So, in a similar fashion, the process of temptation also has different stages. It begins with this drawing away, and then this enticing, and the climax of temptation is the actual commission of sin. And sin, when it is finished, when it is done, it is committed, it bringeth forth death.
“The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). There is the physical death, men must die. There is the spiritual death, man will be separated from God. And there is the eternal death, man must face the final judgment and be sent to the eternal lake of fire. The only way of escape is to believe in the One who came into this world, the sinless One who lived a perfect life, who suffered and died on the cross, shedding His precious blood, who was buried, but death cannot consume Him. On the third day, He rose again from the dead. Through His death, His precious blood, His resurrection, He alone can offer us the forgiveness of sin. And He is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ.
Have you believed in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation? If you reject Him, you reject the only way, and there will be death. Not just the physical death, but the spiritual and eternal death. A million upon a million years, you will still be tormenting in the eternal lake of fire, where the Bible says it will never stop burning. Dear friends, come and believe in Jesus. He is the only one who can save you. No one else can save you but Christ alone. For those who have believed, it does not mean that sin has no consequence. Sin has very serious consequences. Through faith in Jesus Christ, we may be saved from spiritual and eternal death. But if we persist in sin, if we disobey God and live in sin, we may still have to pay the penalty of physical death.
Just like the Corinthians, whom Paul said they partook of the Lord's Supper unworthily, and because of that, Paul said many of them were sick and weak, and quite a number of them have died (I Corinthians 27 - 30). The Apostle John also reminded the believers that there is a sin leading to death (1 John 5:16). If you drink alcohol, you may suffer the consequence of being addicted and die as a result of it. If you commit fornication, you may suffer the consequence of being afflicted with sexual diseases and die of HIV, and so forth. The list goes on and on. There are consequences.
III. The Remedy Of Temptation
So, the Source of Temptation, the origin of evil and temptation, lies within our hearts. The Process of Temptation, there is the drawing away, there is the enticing, and then there is the actual commission of sin, which leads to death. So, what should we do in the face of temptation? How can we overcome temptation? I will end with three practical points to help us to fight against temptation. It is not exhaustive, but these are three practical points, and I call them ‘The Three Fs of Temptation’.
Firstly, it is to ‘flee’. ‘Flee’ is a very strong word. It means to run; it means to escape. Dear friend, the moment you sense something is tempting, it is time for you to run. Run as far as you can, run as fast as you can. Perhaps in one of your surfing on the internet, you accidentally click on the wrong address, and all of a sudden something pops up on your screen, and it was something to be kept private and intimate, something that is immoral. What should you do? Should you linger and behold? Should you just wait, and see? Or should you check it out? Think again. Do not be drawn away. Once you are drawn away, you will be caught, enticed, and then the actual commission of sin will kick in. You must flee, not feel the temptation. As 2 Timothy 2:22 says, "Flee also youthful lusts,” otherwise you will be drawn into it like a bird unto the trap or like a fish unto the bait, and then you'll be hooked to death. The Bible commands us to flee. We are not fighting against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against rulers of the darkness of this world. It is a spiritual battle. We have to flee, not stay and watch.
There was once a story of a king who lived on the top of a mountain. The only way up the mountain was through the edge of the cliff, around the terrains. But then, the road was very narrow, and if you were to cross the edge of the road, you will be stumbling down about a thousand feet high. One day, the king wanted to engage a driver, and there were three persons who came for the interview. The king asked the first driver, ‘How close could you get to the edge of the road before you fall over?’ The first man boasted, and he said, ‘I can get as close as one foot from the edge of the road without falling over.’ The king was impressed. The king then asked the second man the same question. The second man replied, ‘I can get as close as one inch to the edge of the road without falling over.’ The king was even more impressed, one inch. Finally, the king asked the third man, ‘How close can you get to the edge of the road without falling over?’ The third man immediately replied, ‘I will try my best to get as far away as possible from the edge of the road.’ Needless to say, that was a wise man. Needless to say, that was the man the king engaged as his personal driver. Flee and not feel the temptation. Run as far as possible, not run to it.
Secondly, it is to ‘follow’. Follow the path of righteousness and godliness. To follow the path of righteousness, we must refrain from anything that is sinful. To follow the path of righteousness, we ‘must walk not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stand in the way of sinners, nor sit in the seat of the scornful. But delight ourselves in the law of the Lord and meditate on His law day and night’ (Psalm 1:1-2). Most of us here are familiar with Psalm 1, but do you notice the progression? That this man firstly he just walks alongside and listens to the counsel of the ungodly, and then he starts to stand with them, he joins them, he's comfortable with them, and then subsequently, he's able to sit with them and join them to mock at the righteous. So, he first walks alongside, and then he stands together, and finally, he sits with them. That is how sin works. So, we must flee, not walk, stand, and sit.
To follow the path of righteousness and deal with temptation, the best example for us to follow is the Lord Jesus Christ. Remember, Jesus was tempted for 40 days, 40 nights by the Devil in the wilderness, and He fulfilled all righteousness (Matthew 4: 1-10). He passed the test as 100% man without sin. And each time the Devil tempts Him with the lust of the eye, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life, Jesus responded by saying, "It is written, it is written, it is written." When we follow the example of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we say, "It is written," we must first know what is written. We must first know what God commands in regards to this particular matter. So, we must know the word of God. And for us to know the word of God, we must study diligently the word of truth. We must pay serious attention to God's word. Let the word of God dwell in our hearts so that when temptations come, we will be able to say, "It is written, it is written, it is written," and then we obey that which is written.
Finally, it is to ‘fight’. Temptation will always try to have its way with us, to see us give in, and then that will be the climax of it, the actual commission of sin. But as believers, you and I must fight the good fight of faith. We must be strong in the Lord; we must be strong in the power of His might. And the Bible tells us, "Put on the whole armor of God" as described for us in Ephesians chapter 6 (verse 11). Why must we put on the whole armor of God? So that ye may stand against the wiles of the Devil. That is the only way for us to fight, and when we faithfully do that, the Holy Spirit who is indwelling in us will empower us to live our lives victoriously. The Spirit of God will help us to overcome the temptations that so easily beset us.
So, dear friends, life is filled with temptations. If you have not already faced one, there will be one lurking around the corner. We can either fight against it or we yield to it and fall into sin. God forbids that we fall into it. If you have forgotten whatever I've said, God is not the source of temptation. Do not put the blame on someone else or even on the Devil himself, because the true origin of sin and temptation lies within our hearts.
And how this process of temptation works is that there is this drawing us away, and then there's this enticing us, and comes the actual commission of sin, which leads to death. So, what must we do? We must flee and not feel the temptation. We must follow after righteousness, follow after our Lord Jesus Himself. In the face of temptation, we look to God's Word, and we are able to say, "It is written, it is written, it is written," and then we obey what is written. And finally, we must fight a good fight of faith. The Holy Spirit will help us. Let us pray.
Our Father in Heaven, as Thou has caused us to study through the Book of James, it is not by chance nor coincidence that we have come to this passage. And Thou has taught us this morning how to deal with temptation in order for us to overcome the temptations of life. We have learned about the source, Thou are not the author of temptation. The temptation to sin, the original cause of this temptation, comes from our hearts. Oh Lord, Thou has taught us also the process of temptation. There is this drawing us away, and if we are not careful, we will be enticed, we will be caught, and once we are caught, it is very difficult for us to break free. We will be overwhelmed by our desires, which will lead to the actual commission of sin. And sin, when it is finished, it bringeth forth death.
And Thou has also taught us how we ought to overcome temptation. We must flee and not feel the temptation. We must follow after righteousness and godliness and refrain from everything and anything ungodly. We follow after the example of our Lord Jesus, who used the scriptures. The word of God is powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword. Oh Lord, we can only say, ‘It is written, it is written, it is written,’ when we ourselves know what is written. So, we have to study Thy word and also apply Thy word into our lives in the face of temptation. And we must fight a good fight of faith. We either give in or we fight a good fight. And Thou would want us to fight this fight victoriously. We can only do it by the power of Thy might. The indwelling Holy Spirit will help us, but we must be faithful. So may Thou be with us and teach us not just to know Thy truth but to put into rightful application whatever we have learned. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.
THE BOOK OF JAMESFacing Trials With A Joyful Spirit [Part 1]Facing Trials With A Joyful Spirit [Part 1]James 1:1-4Facing Trials With A Joyful Spirit [Part 2]Facing Trials With A Joyful Spirit [Part 2]James 1:1-4The Need For Wisdom In Times Of TrialThe Need For Wisdom In Times Of TrialJames 1:5-8Trial Is No Respecter Of PersonsTrial Is No Respecter Of PersonsJames 1:9-12How To Deal With TemptationHow To Deal With TemptationJames 1:13-15Remember Who God Is And Who We AreRemember Who God Is And Who We AreJames 1:16-18Be Receptive To The Word Of GodBe Receptive To The Word Of GodJames 1:19-21Doers of the WordDoers of the WordJames 1:21-25Be Responsive To The Word Of GodBe Responsive To The Word Of GodJames 1:22-25The Sin of PartialityThe Sin of PartialityJames 2:1-13Seminar: The Role of the Sunday School Teacher (Part 2 of 2)Seminar: The Role of the Sunday School Teacher (Part 2 of 2)James 3:1-13How to Be PatientHow to Be PatientJames 5:7-11In Times of AfflictionIn Times of AfflictionJames 5:13-18
