Here’s a story I heard from Radio show host Chris Witts
Johnny arrives at school in the morning and his teacher asks him, “Where’s your homework?” Johnny replies “Sorry, Mam, I couldn’t do it because there was too much noise at home.” His teachers curiously asks, “What? Noise all evening? What kind of noise?”
Johnny said, “It was the television, Mam. It was too loud and I couldn’t do my homework.” The teacher was trying to be helpful: “Now Johnny. You could have asked them to turn down the volume, surely?”
“No, I couldn’t,” he replied. “There was no-one else in the room.”
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We are all like Johnny to a degree, when confronted by our sin we look for ways to justify ourselves and blame others. But when it comes down to it we need to realize that there is no one else in the room who we can put the blame of our sin onto.
In our text today James, once again goes straight for our hearts as he warns us of the dangers of blaming others, and specifically of blaming God when we encounter temptation.
[Jas 1:13-18 NIV] 13 When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone;
14 but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed.
15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
16 Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters.
17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
18 He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.
- Don’t let your guard down
When tempted,..
It says “when tempted” not “if tempted” Too many of us go around not ready for temptation, not anticipating it and not realizing that the devil is always looking for opportunities.
Harry Houdini was a well known magician/escape artist in the 1920s. He often had people in the audience punch him as hard as they could in the stomach. On Oct 22, 1926 he invited several students into his dressing room before his performance. He had injured his ankle about week earlier so he reclined on the couch to talk with them. One of the students by the name of J. Gordon Whitehead approached Houdini and asked him if it was true that he could withstand any punch to the gut. When Houdini responded, “yes” Mr Whitehead immediately delivered 4-5 powerful and well directed and unexpected blows to Houdini’s stomach. Although Houdini hadn’t time to prepare his stomach for these blows, it seemed that he had survived them. Later that day however, he began to feel some discomfort and in another day or two he developed a fever. Eventually, he was taken to the hospital where it was discovered that the unexpected blows to his abdomen had ruptured his appendix. Unfortunately it was too late, the doctors could not save him and Houdini died of the injuries he sustained from a few punches to the gut that he was unprepared to receive.
The story of Harry Houdini’s death highlights the significant difference between being prepared for temptation vs being unprepared.
[1Pe 5:8 NIV] 8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
Are you prepared for temptation? Are you aware of your weak points? Are you looking out for possible times, places, or things in your life that might cause you to be tempted?
- Don’t blame God
…no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone;
- The difference between tempting and testing.
In the USA there is a controversial method the police use to catch thieves called “bait car.” The bait car is driven to some location where there are known to be many car thefts. The police use a plain clothes officer to drive the car. He then leaves the car, often with the door open and the keys in it. It’s very enticing for criminals. Usually it doesn’t take long for someone to come by and take advantage of the opportunity. What they don’t know is that the police have placed cameras in the car and they are watching. The car also has special electronics in it that when the police activate it causes the car to come to a complete stop and locks all the doors and windows. The criminal doesn’t get very far before suddenly the car rolls to a stop and he finds he is locked into his stolen vehicle.
Unfortunately, some people view God this way. They think he’s up in heaven looking down on us and putting little traps in our way to try to catch us up, and when we do, he activates his remote and sends us tumbling on our faces.
The illustration about the bait car is a good illustration of temptation and we need to understand that God never tempts us in this way. Some people point to the story of Abraham and how God tested him. Wasn’t that temptation? No, it was different. Tempting and testing are two drastically different things with contrasting goals.
Tempting has the goal of getting someone to fall into sin.
Testing has the goal of strengthening our faith.
God tested Abraham’s faith, he gave him a difficult task but one that he knew Abraham could handle. As always, God’s tests are designed to strengthen our faith and increase our trust in Him. This is why James says in 1:3 that the testing of our faith produces perseverance. God’s tests are tests that promote growth and strengthening of our faith.
A temptation, on the other hand, is something that is designed to weaken faith, weaken resolve, and weaken our spiritual state. A temptation is designed to make you fall. Satan is the ultimate tempter, his temptations are designed to make us fall into sin.
Satan tempted Jesus:
[Luk 4:2 NIV] 2 where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.
The Pharisees tempted Jesus:
[Mat 19:3 NIV] 3 Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?”
- How do we blame God?
- By saying it’s not fair
[Eze 18:25 NIV] 25 “Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ Hear, you Israelites: Is my way unjust? Is it not your ways that are unjust?
It’s easy to look at the lives of others and think that they have it easier than us, but we should never do this. To claim that God has given us unjustly given us more difficult circumstances is a lie. First we must admit that we all have difficulties and temptations that others don’t see. Therefore, never assume that the Christian life is easier for this person because they came from a Christian home or easier for that person because they have never visibly struggled with addictions.
God doesn’t treat you the same as very one else because you’re not the same!
God treats each of us personally and uniquely. You can be sure that God is more than fair with you. God with no exceptions God is merciful to those who love him and to accuse him of being biased, unfair, or having favorites is wrong because it accuses God of sin.
- By blaming the circumstance of life
[Gen 3:12 NIV] 12 The man said, “The woman you put here with me–she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”
Another way we blame God is by blaming the circumstances he has given us.
- I only steal because I don’t have much money.
- I only look at pornography because I’m lonely.
- I only overeat because I’m stressed.
- I only yell at my kids because they’re disrespectful.
- I only get _______ because of _______ situation in my life.
These are all nothing more than excuses we use to justify our sin to ourselves, no one else would ever believe it!
When Adam shifted the blame to Eve he was really shifting the blame to God. Notice how he says, “the woman YOU put here.” If God is sovereign over all things but he never causes situations in our life that will force us into sin.
- We blame God if we claim that we had no other choice
[1Co 10:13 NIV] 13 No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.
So often we see sin as the only real solution to whatever problem it is that we are going through. Family pressures can make certain decisions even more difficult. For some there is great pressure to be dishonest in order to get a job or to get into a school. Sometimes the pressure is to marry someone who is not a Christian. Many times I have talked with people who were struggling with a decision that they knew was wrong and yet they thought that there simply was no other way!
In these situations we need to remind ourselves that God specializes in the impossible. When there is no other way and God’s way seems impossible, it is then that we must choose God’s way because it is then that we begin to trust fully in Him.
- We blame God if we claim that we are too weak overcome temptation
[2Co 12:9-10 NIV] 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Sin has a way of bringing depression into our lives and making us feel that there is no way out, that we are too weak and that we might as well just give in! Don’t believe these lies! You are weak only because you are not looking to God but you are looking to yourself. If you believe in Christ then you are not weak, you have his power to overcome temptation.
- Blaming God does damage to your soul
- When I blame God I must turn to myself for justification, I become my own judge and jury, the result will always be a mistrial. Instead I need to own my sin and turn to Christ who can truly justify me.
- When I blame God I am saying false things about Him and thus eroding my own faith in Him.
- When I blame God I adopt a victim mentality that will inhibit my spiritual growth and keep me from ever having victory over sin.
- When I blame God I am refusing all the help he wants to give me.
- Don’t give in to desire
[Jas 1:14-15 NIV] 14 but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
In just 2 verses James gives us the condensed version of the story of sin. It goes something like this:
- Evil desire
- Enticement
- Sinful action or inaction
- Death
It is helpful for us to see the beginning and the end of sin in our lives. We need to understand the beginning because if we know how it looks and where it comes from then it is much easier for us to identify and avoid.
It is helpful for us to see the end because when we know the end it brings sobriety and seriousness to our attitude about sin. Instead of seeing sin as something that is no big deal and nothing to make a fuss about it, we realize that it is deadly!
Our deadly desires begin at the heart level and that is why if we want to avoid sin we must take careful consideration of our own hearts.
[Pro 4:23 NIV] 23 Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.
Thankfully God gives us his word, his people, and his spirit to help us deal with our deadly desires.
- His Word is what brings conviction and helps us see clearly where we are wrong and also gives us helpful instructions about how to avoid sin. (Psa 19:6-14)
- His people help us on a practical level. We can pray for each other, encourage each other, rebuke each other, and give each other helpful advice.
- [Jas 5:16 NIV] 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
- His Spirit helps us to see our sin daily and gives us the power to overcome those sins and grow in our faith. (Gal 5:16)
- Don’t be deceived
[Jas 1:13, 16-17 NIV] 16 Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. 17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
In the end we must realize that all sin, small and big, is deception. It deceives about its experience, it deceives about its quality, it deceives about its origin, and it deceives about who God is!
Remember that when Eve was deceived by the serpent it was a deception concerning the very nature of God. Sin promises but it never delivers
Gen 3:5 For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God
Satan put God’s motives into question. He was really making a claim that God was withholding some good thing from Eve. God is not withholding good from you. God gives us his goodness through Jesus Christ. Unfortunately we are often deceived as to the nature of goodness. We think that which is destructive for us is good for us and we get upset at God when he doesn’t allow us to have it.
*Illustration of my kids trying to eat cigarette butts when they were small.
- Don’t forget whose child you are
[Jas 1:18 NIV] 18 He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.
Remembering whose family we are part of is an important aspect of overcoming temptation in our lives. I’m sure that for many of you, your parents often tell you, “remember who you are and where you come from.” This helps you to not lose those important values and principles that are part of your family.
- Family reminds us that we have others to be accountable to
- Family shows us that our sin can negatively affect others
- Family gives encouragement against sin
- Family allows us to rest from a sinful world
As a Christian we need to remember what family we belong to. But for the Christian there’s more than that, when we remember that our father is the Heavenly Father, when we realize that he has given us great riches in Christ, then we have power to overcome many temptations.
Conclusion:
- What are the greatest temptations for you now?
- Are you daily preparing yourself for these temptations?
- Are you blaming God or something else?
- What are the long term results if you give in?
- What can you do today to avoid this temptation?
- Who can you talk with to help you with this temptation?
- How can you pray against this temptation?
- What verses of Scripture might strengthen you?
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