JEWELS FROM JAMES #4

TEMPTATION OR TRIAL?

James has been so clear and decisive in Chapter 1, Verses 1-11, as he drove home to us the truths the Holy Spirit inspired him to teach. In no uncertain terms, he gave us the following truths:

1) Trials and testings are inevitable and necessary.

2) Trials and testings are sent to us by God.

3) Temptations are certain, and can lead to sin.

4) Temptations are never given to us by God

5) Trials and temptations are individual matters; highly personal and never collective.

Today, let's look deeply at Truth #3 - temptations that can lead to sin. Scripture clearly shows they always follow the same pattern:

A) LUST OF THE FLESH! When Jesus was 40 days in the wilderness to be tempted by the devil, we read: "And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. And the devil came and said 'If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.' But He answered and said, 'It is written, man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God' " (Matthew 4:2-4)

b) LUST OF THE EYES! Again, in the wilderness temptation, we read: "Again, the devil took Jesus to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory; and he said to Jesus, 'All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me.' Then Jesus said to him, 'Go, Satan! For it is written, you shall worship the LORD your God, and serve Him only' " (Matthew 4:8-10).

c) PRIDE OF LIFE! "Then the devil took Jesus into the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, 'If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written, 'He will command His angels concerning You; and on their hands they will bear You up, so that You will not strike Your foot against a stone' " (Matthew 4:5-6). We see that Jesus was truly tempted by satan in these three areas. And, so was Eve in the Garden of Eden. "When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate. . . ." (Genesis 3:6). The Apostle John adds these words: "Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves this world, the love of the

Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the

boastful pride of life, is NOT from the Father, but is from this world" (I John 2:15-16).

Please do not let the devil deceive you or trap you into false thinking and conduct! When you are tempted to sin, it will be in accordance with the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes or the pride of life! We must guard our flesh (our physical lives, nature and desires), our eyes (what we see and focus on) and the pride (arrogance) of life.

In his letter to believers, James, the Apostle continued to teach us about trials and temptations, the difference between them, who is responsible for presenting each of them to us, and how we are to handle them. Let's look more closely at what James said:

First, he talks about THE BLESSING! "Blessed (or happy) is the man. . . ." (James 1:12). James is not advocating some sort of fake, manufactured or pseudo-happiness, but a genuine, inward sense of joy, peace, when we maintain our trust in God during trials. That response can only come from a deep, personal and growing relationship with Jesus! He hit the target's bulls-eye when he said "Blessed is the man who perseveres under trials." The word "persevere" means to "hold up under", "overcome", "unmovable", "endure", "push through", etc. So, James declares that the one who holds up under trial or adversity, who overcomes and pushes through with continuous steadfastness and endures when tried is blessed or happy. He made us acutely aware of the fact that trials and testings come from God; they are specifically designed and used by God for the followers of Jesus! The perseverence we need is not a sprint, or even a 100-yard dash, or relay race; it is rather an "Endurance Marathon". Or, picture a figure-skating couple in the Winter Olympics. During their routine, the one skater lifts his partner up to the top of his shoulders and over his head, bearing the weight of that other skater while maintaining balance, speed, and continuing the routine without a mis-step! It is awesome! It is also illustrative of persevering under trial or testing. The blessings we receive under severe hardship includes a wonderful reward. It is "The Crown Of Life" which the LORD has promised to those who love Him"! But note this: that reward also belongs to the "one who is approved" under trial. To be "approved" means to be found enduring, faithful and victorious under trials! I think James had in mind the wreath that was placed on the victor's head after a hard victory was accomplished in the ancient Greek athletic contests. That athlete was approved and rewarded after passing a grueling, rigorous and painful test.

Second, we are told about THE BLAME! "Let no one say when he/she is tempted, 'I am being tempted by God'; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone" (James 1:13). What did James mean by the word "tempt"? It is not some form of trial or testing - that comes from God to strengthen our faith. The word "tempt" or "temptation" means the active solicitation to do what is wrong or sinful. And we ALL receive them, probably more often than we may be aware of. But those solicitations, proddings, sinful urgings or pokings do not come from God! Satan is the source of them; he is the originator, the deceiver who urges us to commit sin and rebellion against God and His Word!

You know satan can't make you sin, but he uses instruments to get us (tempt us) to sin. James again was clear at this point, for he said, "But each one is tempted when he/she is carried away and enticed by his/her own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death" (James 1:14-15). The instrument satan uses on all of us is "our own desires/lusts; the passions, cravings and sinful proclivities of our human nature. He uses our will that seeks immediate or ruthless satisfaction of the flesh, of the eyes and of the pride of life. Let's be extremely careful of all the things that satan can use to lead us into sinful attitudes and actions! We must avoid those places on the internet, those movies, places, companions and interests or activities that subtly draw us to desire sin! James said, "Do not be deceived. . . ." James reminded us of the serious consequences of practicing sin; "when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death". Though sin can and often does result in physical death, that is not what James meant. He meant spiritual death; eternal residence in hell, separated from God forever! If you don't want to experience that death, keep away from sinful living, control your flesh, eyes and replace pride with genuine humility! Guard the progression: sinful desire, enticements, union with sinful actions, and spiritual death. There are indeed environments to avoid and there are environments to cherish! SEEK THOSE THAT YOU CAN CHERISH!

Third, James described THE BENEVOLENCE! God is a gracious and abundance-giving Father! "Every good thing and every perfect gift is from above". . . (James 1:17-18). The meaning of the word "good" as in "good thing" in the original language (Greek) emphasizes God's ACT of Giving. The word "perfect" in the Greek Language emphasizes the GIFT which is Given; its character, its quality and its value! ". . . coming down from the Father of lights". God is that "Father of lights"; the constant and consistent creator! With Him, there is no change, "no variation or shifting shadow"! He is changeless, absolutely steadfast, trust-worthy, reliable and benevolent in every way!

James gave us Jewels of Truth to live by! We will do well to abide by them every day!