Who’s fault is it?
Dout to Devotion
James 1:13-18
6/23/23
- Intro
- Tell us a story of a time you blamed someone else for something that was your fault?
- Here’s my story – Geometry – 9th Grade
- Throughout scripture we see accounts of many blaming others for failure, blaming God for failure, or lacking a trust in God to work things out so they take matters into their own hands.
- But who really is to blame – in the good times, & bad times?
- Tonight we will be continuing our study in James called ‘Doubt to Devotion’ and try to figure that answer out
- Before we get to that, some questions to recap and help us build our understanding of this book.
- Who is James related to and how? – Jesus’ half brother.
- What did James use to think about Jesus? – He thought Jesus was crazy.
- What caused James to change his mind about Jesus? – Jesus appeared to him.
- To what extent did James defend the truth that his half-brother was the Messiah? – James died for it, thrown of the top of the temple & then beaten to death.
- Remember the book of James is supposed to help us go from doubt to devotion and examine ourselves as we become more mature in our faith.
- Each week we are going to discuss an idea that should give us a tool to evaluate where we are in our relationship with Jesus and to make sure our belief in Jesus is real & life changing.
- Last week we read that we should count trials that we face as what? Joy.
- Why? – because or joy produces steadfastness which ongoing, will make us perfect in the day Jesus comes back.
- Now how were we instructed to pull this off? We pray and ask for God to give us wisdom, in full faith He will work through all things, as he promises.
- And now we are ready for our next section of James – where we will try to establish – who’s to blame – for the good and the bad.
- Open your Bibles to James chapter 1 (page 1113in blue Bible) and we will start in verse 13 and read through verse 15.
- Tell us a story of a time you blamed someone else for something that was your fault?
- ‘13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. 14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.’
- Pray
- So remember this follows up our conversation on Trials.
- Trials can be testings on the outside, or temptations on the inside.
- And if we don’t wisely handle the trial, as discussed last week, our trial can lead to sin, which we are discussing tonight.
- Warren Weirsbe comments on this by saying, ‘When our circumstances are difficult, we may find ourselves complaining against God, questioning His love, and resisting His will.’
- And this thought process – if not combated with full of faith prayer for the Wisdom of God, trials can and will lead to sin.
- Now, when a God allowed trial is faced, the question is – is God tempting us? What does verse 13 say? No, God is not tempting us.
- But God – wants us to trust him in the storm, in the trial.
- Now we know from the book of Job, that God allowed satan to make Job go through many trials, and Job trusted God through them
- Job, through the death of his family, and destruction of his livelihood, his stuff – Job lived out trusting God through trials
- Now Abraham – he (yes father Abraham, the one with many sons) was really bad at trusting God through trials
- One time God said go to Caanan and dwell there, & there was famine, so Abraham went to Egypt instead
- One time God promised Abraham a son, and instead of trusting God with this and his aging wife – slept with his wife’s servant hagar.
- Not the good example.
- Now in verses 14-15 we will see a 4 step process of wrongly handling Trials
- Look at verse 14, it says that we are lured & tempted by our own what? Desire.
- What are some natural God given desires we have? Hunger, thirst, fatigue, sexual.
- These desires are not on their own, bad.
- But they can become bad.
- Eating too much is called? Gluttony.
- Sleep too much? Laziness.
- So we must not let desires, to lead somewhere God does not want us to go.
- Verse 14 So for a desire to grow into something beyond a normal desire – it must lure & tempt us.
- Eating is a normal part of being alive right?
- Who’s a fisherman? hands.
- Well on its own a hook, is not something a fish is going to just eat, it doesn’t look or smell like food
- So what do we do to get the fish to bite? We bait the hook.
- We disguise the danger ahead for the fish with a delicious morsel of a juicy worm.
- This is what enticement means to bait the hook.
- The enticement covers the danger ahead
- For example David would have never committed adultery if he would have known the consequences of his sin which included the death of a child, the murder of a brave soldier.
- But giving into the natural desire disguised the pain and suffering that would come from sin.
- The bait keeps us from seeing the consequences of sin.
- And so we proceed down the path of destruction
- We started with desire, moved onto deception.
- Eventually comes – to disobedience or Sin. See the first part of verse 15.
- And according to verse 15 what does sin lead to? Death.
- Think back to Adam and Eve – its fine if you don’t know this story by heart.
- But what was the desire originally associated with the fruit? hunger . (good to eat)
- What was the deception? Did God really say you will surely die.
- What aws the disobedience? Adam & Eve ate the fruit.
- What death came? (spiritual death & ultimate physical death)
- How did we know of the spiritual death for them? They knew they were naked, and they became ashamed.
- This is the journey when we don’t rightly handle trials.
- A difficult situation can lead us to want to indulge our desires or take control of our situation instead of trusting God.
- But this desire, fueled by deception, followed by disobdeince, leading to death – is quite the tragic journey.
- But if God doesn’t tempt, what does God do?
- Let’s read verse 16-18
- Look at verse 14, it says that we are lured & tempted by our own what? Desire.
- ‘16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. 18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
- Where do good gifts come from? Above
- What kind of gifts are they? Good gifts
- Who is the Father of lights? God (creator of the universe and stars)
- One note – is God keeps on bringing good gifts down – God is so good and He is good constantly
- He is unchanging as the verse said
- And these truths must help us, just like the promise we read in Romans last week ‘Romans 8:28-30 (Blue Bible Page 1046) ‘And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good,8 for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.’
- The truth that God brings good gifts, constantly brings us good gifts.
- This is the tool that the maturing believer must use when facing trials and temptations.
- Because we are going to face them. Rember James said ‘when you face trials.’ in verse 2.
- Warren Weirsbe again says ‘Christian living is a matter of the will, not the feelings… Hear(ing) believers say, ‘I don’t feel like reading the Bible.’ or ‘I don’t feel like attending a prayer meeting.’ Children operate on a baseis of feeling, but adults on the basis of the will. They act because it is right, no matter how they feel.’
- We must know that God is good and fight to trust Him
- Seek Him when the trial comes
- Remember truth when temptation comes
- Fight against temptation in 2 ways as James describes
- The Judgement of God, resulting from sin, is death forever
- The goodness of God is unending, & God is always at work in every trial.
- Weirsbe again, ‘God’s gifts are always better than satan’s bargains.’
- This is the task to the maturing believer.
- Going from doubt to devotion.
- Seek the Wisdom of God in trials and temptations.
- Pray and ask God for wisdom to trust him in trials
- Know that obedience and having a relationship with God is far better than overindulging in desires that become sinful
- Prayer TIme (Guys/Girls)
- So what trials or temptations are you facing that we can pray for you in tonight?