THE DEVIL DIDN’T MAKE YOU DO IT…AND GOD NEITHER by Dr. Shah, Clearview Church, Henderson, NC
Introduction: Some of you may remember the comedy bit by comedian Flip Wilson – “The Devil Made Me Do It.” We are all masters at making excuses for our sins. We blame everyone from the Devil to God. Turn to page #1849. In this message in our series on James, we will see that “The Devil Didn’t Make You Do It…and God Neither.” If I may add, neither did anyone else in your life.
James 1 (page #1849) 12 Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. 14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.
Overall Background: James, the half-brother of Jesus and pastor of the Jerusalem church, wrote this letter to the believers among the twelve tribes of the Dispersion. Keep in mind that the 10 tribes to the North had been scattered in the 8th century BC, and the 2 tribes to the South had been scattered in the 6thcentury BC. Of course, many from the North had been killed, others had been scattered to the farthest reaches of the Assyrian empire, but many were still in the land and knew who they were. We know that they knew who they were because when King Hezekiah of Judah restored the temple worship in Jerusalem, listen to what he did in 2 Chronicles 30:1 “And Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah, and also wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, to keep the Passover to the LORD God of Israel.” When did he make this announcement? In the 7th century BC. That’s 100 years or so after the Northern tribes had been taken and scattered! What was their response to Hezekiah’s invitation? 2 Chronicles 30 10 So the runners passed from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, as far as Zebulun; but they laughed at them and mocked them. 11 Nevertheless some from Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem.” They laughed and mocked. They probably blamed God for their dispersion. They sinned and said, “God made us do it.” How about those from the South? While many from the south were taken as captives to Babylon, others had fled to Egypt (2 Kings 25). Although many of the tribe of Judah (Jewish people) came back, many stayed in foreign lands. While some may have forgotten who they were, most remembered.
North or South, over the centuries, these scattered tribes had felt disconnected. Now, those who had become believers out of them were feeling disconnected from their own people. This was double disconnection or double instability. In last weekend’s message, I made a statement – “Unstable People Make Unstable Decisions.” All week, I had people tell me that it made perfect sense why so and so in their lives did what they did.
Listen to what James tells them in verse 12 “Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.” What is interesting is that the word used for trials – “peirasmos” – is the same word for temptations. Trial is the noun form and temptations is the verb form. In English if I were to say this: “The farm was used to produce produce.” Here “to produce” = to grow; “produce” = crop. Same words but different implications. Same way here – First, James uses the noun form of peirasmos to mean trials. Then, he uses the verb form of peirasmos to mean temptations. Same words but different implications.
TRIALS AND TEMPTATIONS TRAVEL DOWN THE SAME ROAD IN LIFE. TRIALS BECOME TEMPTATIONS WHEN WE MISS OUR TURN AND WE FAIL TO TURN TOWARDS CHRIST.
IN OTHER WORDS, IN EVERY TRIAL THERE IS THE GERM OF TEMPTATION. IF ALLOWED TO GROW IN THE WRONG DIRECTION, IT WILL LEAD TO SIN AND DESTRUCTION.
For e.g. A family is facing financial difficulties (TRIAL). Instead of learning to depend on the Lord and lean on one another, they blame each other, hate each other, and argue over “who does more.” Now, there’s temptation to sin.
For e.g. Loss of a life (TRIAL). Instead of letting the Lord heal and encourage one another, it can lead to TEMPTATION to drink and addiction.
For e.g. Someone grew up in an abusive situation (TRIAL). Instead of leaving it behind and seeking God’s grace and peace and forgiveness, it can lead to an angry disposition or even a sense of entitlement.
ALL THESE SCENARIOS ARE ACTUAL STORIES THAT ARE GOING ON ALL AROUND US.
Listen again to verse 12 “Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.”
TRIALS ARE AN OCCASION FOR GOD TO TEST YOUR FAITH, TO GIVE YOU THE CROWN OF LIFE, BUT THEY CAN EASILY BECOME AN OCCASION TO FALL INTO SIN.
WHEN DOES THAT HAPPEN? WHEN YOU STOP RUNNING TOWARDS CHRIST. WHILE TRIALS ALLOW GOD TO REWARDS US; TEMPATIONS GIVE SATAN THE OPPORTUNITY TO CONDEMN US.
SO HOW SHOULD WE FACE TEMPTATION?
I. REJECT THE BLAME GAME.
James 1:13 (page #1849) Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.
Immediate Background: Since trials are God sent, people trace the root of the trial and end up blaming God for the consequence of temptation. It is an old habit to BLAME GOD – in the Garden of Eden after Adam and Eve sinned and God confronted them. Adam blamed God and said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.” 13And the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate” Genesis 3:12-13). For the people of the Dispersion, it would have been that God kicked us out of our land…what does he expect?
Someone said: “To err is human. To blame it on the divine is more human.”
For e.g. One time I was watching a father play baseball with his little boy. He was just tossing the ball to him and encouraging him to swing the bat at the right time and watch the ball. Why did he do all that? He loves his son. He wants to teach him to play. The boy is distracted by other kids on the field. He takes his eyes off the ball right when his father tosses it to him. He swings at the wrong moment and the ball hits him on the shoulder. It hurt him some and it surprised him. He turns to his father and shouts: “you hit me!” Did the father take time off his busy schedule, dust off his glove, bring his little boy to the field – just to hit him with the ball? Absolutely not! He loves his son.
Isn’t that what we do?
- Financial difficulty comes and we doubt God’s providence.
- Loved one in our life dies and we question God’s love.
- We suffer for what is right and the wicked seem to be blessed and we get angry with God’s justice.
Will Rogers said – “2 eras in American history – “Passing of the Buffalo & Passing of the Buck.”
Application: Would you agree that there is a problem in our nation? We are a generation and we are raising a generation who knows how to play the blame game. I did what I did because of what happened to me. I am what I am because of what someone did to me.
Don’t miss this – Sometimes you and I will have to face the consequence of someone else’s sin.They chose to jump into the mud puddle and the dirt splattered on you. However, don’t spend the rest of your life blaming everyone, especially GOD, for your problems.
Not only REJECT THE BLAME GAME BUT ALSO:
II. RECOGNIZE THE SEDUCTION PROCESS.
Background: Now James is taking us deeper in our understanding of the seduction process. He will compare it to the life cycle of a person from birth to death. Why??? People don’t just wake up one day and decide to sin.
Application: Have you ever said this about someone you thought you knew fairly well: “I can’t believe he would do something like that” or “that is just not like her” or even of your own self “I don’t know what came over me.”
SIN IS NOT INSTANTANEOUS OR RANDOM. TEMPTATION IS A PROCESS OF SEDUCTION THAT LEADS TO SIN. SIN IS THE FINAL STOP DOWN THE SLIPPERY SLOPE OF TEMPTATION.
Pay attention to the analogy by James on the Life cycle of Sin. He takes a very positive thing and uses it to explain a very negative behavior. Why? That’s Sin, something positive and beautiful getting twisted and becoming destructive.
- It begins with ENTICEMENT:
James 1:14 (page #1849) “But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.” First, there is attraction. Key words here are OWN DESIRES & ENTICED. Why does a guy like a girl or vice-versa? They just do! In this context, it is referring to OUR PERSONAL WEAKNESSES. Deep within us is our own weakness or weaknesses.
Mark 7 20And He (Jesus) said, “What comes out of a man, that defiles a man. 21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 22 thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within and defile a man.”
I can add to that list – Anger, Gossip, self-pity, habit, control, complacency, indifference.
Application: Wise is that person who understand his/her weakness. If your weakness is alcohol, do not get yourself in a situation where you might be tempted. If your weakness is anger, recognize those situations that can spark anger. If your weakness is lust, you have no business being on the internet when others are not around.
Let me go a step further. Oswald Chambers – “AN UNGUARDED STRENGTH IS A DOUBLE WEAKNESS.”
For e.g. Someone is very smart and very intelligent. That is their strength. It has made them successful. At the same time, it can also make one super critical of those around them. They can easily take advantage of others.
For e.g. Someone here is a very loving and serving person. Sadly, it is the point that they have no sense of discernment. They will turn a blind eye to something wrong.
SATAN HAS YOUR NUMBER AND HE KNOWS YOUR DESIRES (SOMETIMES EVEN BETTER THAN YOU).
Now the second step down the slippery slope of temptation:
- It leads to CONCEPTION:
15 “Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin…”
Immediate Background: What is interesting here is that James does not tell us how exactly desire conceives. If I may fill in the blanks, it is like this – Once you have entertained your desires/weakness, it is simply a matter of a few tries before conception takes place.
THE FIRST FAILURE TO REJECT SIN INITIATES CONCEPTION
For e.g. You are an impatient person. Someone does something foolish. Immediately, your reaction is frustration. A still small voice in your heart says – “take it easy. This is just a trial, and God wants to bring something good through this. Be patient and change your reaction.” But if you say – “No way. I have every right to be mad and upset.” Now the conception process has begun. The germ of sin has attacked your system.
Another example – Someone attractive walks by in your line of vision, you can’t help that. You cannot help the first glance. However, it is the second glance that initiates the conception. Now the process has begun.
Jesus made it clear that it’s not just the ACT of sin but also the THOUGHT of sin that matters. Listen:
- Regarding Murder – 22But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. . .” Matthew 5:22
- Regarding Adultery – 28But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Matthew 5:28
Keeping with the analogy – after conception for at least nine months you cannot see the baby, but he/she is there. Same with sin – it starts small, but it is only a matter of time.
Now the third and final step down the slippery slope of temptation:
- It ends up in DESTRUCTION:
15 “and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.”
For e.g. Once you let out the wild animal of sin, you cannot put it back in.
NO ONE STARTS OUT SAYING – I WANT TO DEMOLISH MY MARRIAGE, DEVASTATE MY KIDS, DESTROY MY TESTIMONY, AND DISHONOR MY SAVIOR.
For e.g. I have seen homes destroyed, families torn apart, talent thrown away, potential lost in time because of sin.
YOU ARE FREE TO MAKE YOUR CHOICES BUT YOU ARE NOT FREE TO CHOOSE YOUR CONSEQUENCES.
So, what is the answer to temptation? Should we fight it, dodge it, become a hermit, walk around paranoid…..
III. REFOCUS ON GOD’S GOODNESS TO YOU.
James 1 (page #1849) 16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
It is strange that instead of giving a list of dos and don’ts, James seems to change the subject. One minute he is talking about temptation and the next he is talking about the GOODNESS OF GOD. Why?
IT IS KNOWN AS THE PRINCIPLE OF REPLACEMENT – FOCUS ON THE BLESSINGS OF GOD.
David Jeremiah: “Instead of resisting, refocus! The more you fight a feeling, the more it grabs you! What you resist tends to persist!
For e.g. In the best seller “The One Minute Manager” Ken Blanchard shares this story: “That reminds me of some friends of mine,” the young man said. “They called me and said they’d gotten a new dog. They asked me what I thought of their planned method of training the dog.” The manager was almost afraid to ask, “How were they going to do it?” “They said if the dog had an accident on the rug, they were going to take the dog, shove his nose in it, pound him on the butt with a newspaper and then throw the dog out this little window in the kitchen into the back yard – where the dog was supposed to do his job. “Then they asked me what I thought would happen with this method. I laughed because I knew what would happen. After about three days the dog would poop on the floor and jump out the window. The dog didn’t know what to do, but he knew he had better clear the area.”
Most of the world’s remedies are just like that.
Application: I avoid any situations where I will be put in the position of lust. But, more than that I love my wife. I thank God for her. I pray for her daily. Even if someone were to walk in who seems to be all that I ever wanted in a woman. Here is the one – my soul mate. It is nothing more than a trap set by Satan. It is a mirage. It is a lie. My wife is God’s gift to me.
The secret is not just running from temptation but turning towards God.
Turn to his Word. There’s plenty there to help you refocus.
SIN COMES IN WHEN WE DOUBT GOD’S BEST FOR OUR LIVES.
IV. REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE IN CHRIST.
James 1:18 (page #1849) “Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.”
Background: firstfruits simply means “sample.” Remember, Christ became our firstfruits.
Hebrews 4:15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.
AS LONG AS WE LIVE IN THIS WORLD SATAN WILL CONSTANTLY SET A SNARE FOR US.
WITH JESUS STANDING ON SATAN’S SNARE, NOTHING CAN CLOSE ON US.
We are a sample of His salvation. We have been changed. We are a new creation. We have a NEW HEART, a NEW MIND, & a NEW WILL.
Application: Has a trial begun to look like a temptation in your life? Do you know of someone who is facing a trial or Temptation? Are you looking at the temptation or are you looking at the Savior? Are you relying on his strength, his wisdom, and his grace to get you through.
WHEN WE TURN OUR EYES ON JESUS AND LOOK FULL IN HIS WONDERFUL FACE, THE THINGS OF THIS WORLD GROW STRANGELY DIM IN THE LIGHT OF HIS GLORY AND GRACE.