Rev. David Holwick X Book of James #4
First Baptist Church
Ledgewood, New Jersey
July 29, 2007
James 1:13-18
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I. Is temptation a joke?
A. We tend to trivialize it.
1) Hot fudge sundae, oozing with whipped cream.
2) "Lead me not into temptation - I can find it myself."
B. Temptation goes to the core of our beings.
1) This was not in his job description.
Long Valley Presbyterian Church has been in the news this
week.
It's a big church of 500 members and I have attended
lunches with the senior pastor.
Two months ago they hired a new youth pastor.
David Evans has been very popular.
But this week he and his wife were arrested.
The police allege Pastor Evans and his wife tried to extort
$20,000 from a Mount Olive family.
Evans sent the family a letter threatening to kill either
a parent, a child, or both if the money wasn't delivered.
At the drop-off point they had their kids in the car, and
even used their 8-year-old as a lookout!
About four different kinds of police were there to arrest
them.
#13873
2) What would bring them to do such a thing?
a) Desperate financial needs?
b) A desire for a youth pastor on a modest income to
have as much as everyone else?
c) Pure evil?
3) It didn't come out of the blue.
a) If the charges are true, I expect the Evans family
spent much time in preparation.
b) There were probably some Sunday mornings when they
contemplated the plot they were brewing.
c) Sin never "just happens" - we plan for it.
C. James says temptation has severe consequences.
1) Much more than gaining some weight.
2) It leads to ruined lives.
3) Ultimately, it brings eternal separation from God.
II. Where temptation comes from.
A. James is adamant that it cannot come from God. 1:13
1) God produces good, not evil.
a) He does allow evil to exist, because freedom demands it.
b) God doesn't tempt, and can't be tempted.
2) God tests us to develop our faith, but he does not tempt
us to make us fall.
B. Satan can tempt.
1) He uses people and things to entice us to fall.
2) According to Bible, he is more prevalent than we give
credit.
a) An article in the Smithsonian Magazine, of all places,
discussed how Satan has drifted into the shadows.
He used to be near the center of European religion.
Today he is hardly mentioned at all.
b) In a way, God has diminished as much as Satan has.
We use them in a superficial way, not seriously.
(Smithsonian magazine, Dec 1999)
III. Two ancient Christian views of sin.
A. Pelagius, a British monk who lived in the fifth century.
1) You are born morally neutral.
2) All bad influences are from outside you.
3) You can choose to be good, or choose to be bad.
4) Jesus is an example for us, but we don't need him as Savior.
5) Pelagius had a very positive philosophy.
B. Augustine, a bishop who also lived in the fifth century.
1) We are born morally warped.
2) Bad influences start inside us.
3) Outside influences can be bad but they cannot force us
to do evil.
a) Our own hearts must be open to it.
b) In the tension between good and evil, we gravitate to
evil.
4) Jesus is an example AND a Savior and we need him to be
our sacrifice.
5) Augustine had a more pessimistic view of humanity, but in
my opinion it is a very realistic philosophy.
C. James sides with Augustine.
1) Sin is within us.
a) For James, sin occurs when our internal desires respond
to external enticements.
1> Paul in Romans 7 describes a similar struggle.
b) We are responsible. We can't blame Satan alone.
2) James gives a vivid image of sin's development.
IV. The lifecycle of sin. 1:14-15
A. Desire lures us.
1) At what point does temptation become sin?
a) Luther -
"We aren't able to stop birds from flying around our heads but
we are able to stop them from building nests in our hair."
#1522
b) Bible - considering how far we can go without sinning
is the wrong focus.
Better: how can I be more like Christ?
2) Be careful of gray areas.
a) How far can I go in dating, drinking, drugs...?
b) When we find out, we "camp out" there. (Stanley)
c) When we develop lifestyles close to the edge, Satan
has to do very little to push us over into sin.
3) Watch your gates!
John Maxwell tells the story of the building of the Great Wall
of China.
They built it so high that no one could get over it.
It was built so thick that no one could tunnel through it.
It was built so tough it still exists today.
When it was completed, the people of China sat down behind the
wall and felt that their future was secure.
But in the first 100 years of the existence of the Great Wall,
China was invaded three different times.
The enemy didn't come over because it was too high.
They didn't tunnel through because it was too thick.
But each time China was invaded, the enemy came through a gate
left open for them.
Those who guarded the gate had been bribed.
And while the people of China sat comfortably behind the
security of the wall, they failed to teach their children
integrity and patriotism.
So they sold out to the enemy.
And the enemy invaded their land.
What a parable! #25635
a) What gates are YOU leaving open to the Enemy?
b) Your brains or good reputation will not be enough to
save you.
c) You must allow no kinks in your defense.
B. Sin brought forth.
1) Literally, sin is "spawned," like an animal or insect.
2) Whenever we allow our desires to control us, we put
ourselves on the same level as animals.
3) Few sins are spur-of-the-moment decisions. We think
it through a thousand times before doing it.
C. Death results.
1) Sin always results in a death of some kind.
a) It kills your sensitivity and spiritual joy.
b) It kills your relationships.
2) It can kill you, literally.
a) This summer has seen several reminisces of the "Summer
of Love" in 1967.
It's hard to believe it's been 40 years!
b) How did the stars of that period fare?
1> Janis Joplin.
2> Jimmy Hendrix.
3> Jim Morrison.
4> For those who are somewhat older, Judy Garland
and Elvis Presley.
5> More recently, Jim Belushi and Kurt Corbain.
3) Each of these had tremendous talent. But since they
couldn't control their desires, each of them met a
gruesome, untimely death.
D. The ultimate death is eternal separation from God.
V. The solution to temptation.
A. Temptation can be a good thing.
1) Temptation in itself is not sin.
a) Jesus was tempted, but did not sin. Heb 4:15
b) When we are tempted, we don't have to cave in.
1> The Bible says that God will always provide a
way out. 1 Cor 10:13
2) The outcome depends upon our response to the temptation.
a) Temptation that is overcome leads to spiritual strength.
b) We rely more on God and gain confidence in him.
B. Learn to resist temptation.
1) What settings are you in when you fall?
a) Avoid them.
2) What props do you have that support your sin?
a) Eliminate them.
3) What people are you usually with when you sin?
a) Avoid them.
4) Recognize Satan's two equally damning lies:
a) Just once won't hurt.
b) Now that you have ruined your life, you are beyond
God's use, and might as well enjoy sinning. #5381
1> God allows second chances.
2> A notion in the Abstinence Movement: secondary
virginity.
Seems like an oxymoron but it really makes sense.
If you have failed once, don't think you will be
marked forever.
You can go back to living as a moral person.
C. Focus on victory.
1) The only unforgivable sin is locking God out of your life.
2) God wants us to have good things, not death. 1:17
a) The best gift of all is spiritual rebirth. 1:18
b) If we truly love God, there won't be room for sin.
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SOURCES FOR ILLUSTRATIONS USED IN THIS SERMON:
# 1522 "Martin Luther On Temptation,"(original source unknown).
# 5381 "Practical Advice Regarding Temptation," Rev. Brett Blair's Illust-
rations by Email, www.sermonillustrations.com, March 12, 2000.
#13873 "A Youth Pastor Threatens To Kill," by Rev. David Holwick, Star-Ledger
newspaper of Newark, New Jersey; article: Questions Surround
Extortion Arrests, by Julie O'Connor & Maura McDermott,
July 25, 2007, p. 23.
#25635 "A Gate Left Open," by John Maxwell, www.sermoncentral.com weekly
newsletter, September 22, 2003.
These and 30,000 others are part of the Kerux database that can be
downloaded, absolutely free, at http://www.holwick.com/database.html
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