Week 6

Praying God’s Word:

Father, you have given us your Truths so we can live freely and without sin, but often times we make the wrong choice, and choose to give into our flesh. We ask that this lesson will penetrate into our innermost being and that we will live victoriously and free of sin after receiving these truths. We ask for forgiveness Lord, that there is no willful sin in our lives. We need your strength to break the bad habits we have allowed into our lives. Open us totally, body, soul and spirit, to receive your living Word. We pray these things through your Son, Jesus…Amen.

I am so thankful for the book of James. I was talking with my sister about how relevant this book is to us today. It seems almost impossible not to believe the Bible was written by God. It doesn’t matter if it was written 2000 years ago, it is just as alive to us today as it was to the Christian Jews.

There’s some amazing teaching in these verses, so let’s get started!

Lesson 6 – vs 13- 18

The book of James teaches a practical faith…being a doer of the Word and not just a hearer. But practical faith does not just happen. It must be rooted in true belief. The Word of God has to penetrate our innermost being. Trials are going to come. And this lesson will teach you that during those trials will also come tests and temptations. Some of those temptations will come from within us and some will come from outside of us. Neither are from God, although God does allow them.

The only way we will be prepared when the trials, tests, and temptations come is to be steadfast in God’s Word, not doubting our faith, but single mindedly following God. We know these trials are there to mature us.

What are the two choices that we have when trials come?

We can choose godly wisdom and to seek Truth in His Word or we can choose to act in the flesh. We always have two choices: Righteousness or sin.

Consequently from whichever one we choose, the lost will either see a reflection of Jesus or they will see a reflection of themselves.

Trials are from God. Temptations are allowed by God, but are not directly from God.

Verses 13-18 is entitled: Refer back to 1st outline

True faith does not attribute evil to God

Handout 2nd outline with the same division of paragraphs (sorry online readers…contact rosieskye@hotmail.com for this list.)

The Test of Blame in Temptation

When temptations come, and they will come…who do we blame? We will see by studying these verses that God will never lead a person to commit sin because that would go against His nature. God’s purposes during these trials are to mold us into His image so that the lost will see Jesus in us.

Please know that temptation itself is not a sin, for even Jesus was tempted by Satan. God allowed Satan tempt Jesus in the desert.

Matthew 4:7…Jesus said to him (Satan), “It is written again, “You shall not tempt the Lord your God.” Jesus quotes Scripture to overcome Satan’s temptations. Interesting to note that God was even testing his Son! It was to demonstrate what we are to do when it happens to us.

Jesus had no sin in him, therefore could not sin. Why was Jesus tested then? To show us that he had no sin in him. How did Jesus handle this temptation? He quoted Scripture. He knew how to handle Satan’s temptations.

Satan came to tempt Jesus’ human side, physical, mental, and spiritual side…just as he does us, but we are to copy Jesus’ example by guarding ourselves with the TRUTH. That is why it is so important to imitate Jesus’ example and not the worlds.

Jesus could not fall, so the testing was given to demonstrate that He could not fall. If He would have fallen into temptation, He would not be God and everything you believe would be a joke! The minute He yielded to sin, we would have no Savior.

Think about the prayer, The Our Father. Luke 11:1-13

Our Father, who are in Heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

Now we know that we need to be in constant prayer that we too can demonstrate the power not to fall into temptation.

There’s a lot to grasp here….so let’s dive in!

Vs 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; (Let no one say when he is going through a trial, “Why is God putting me through this trial?”

We remember that the word Let meant: to neither forbid nor prevent. God gives us a choice. Keep that truth in mind as we continue the verse.

…no one say when (trials are going to happen) he is tempted: verb; greek- peirazo (to test, try, prove… The word peirzo means holy trials or holy temptations that come from God to us to see what we will do. Will we be in communion (be as one with God) (harmony, agreement, spiritual oneness, constant rapport) finding an even keel JOY, or will we revert back to fleshly responses.

“I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil,

The testing is permitted by God, in order to make us realize that we are helpless sheep in need of a Savior and our dependence needs to be totally on God.

Trials are sent to draw out our grace not our sinful nature.

Are you confused? Hang on! It seems contradictory because we are familiar with the following

God led Israel into the wilderness to test the people’s faith (Exodus 20:20) and God also tested Abraham’s faith by commanding him to sacrifice his son (Genesis 22:1)

Hebrews 11:17
By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son.

Is that contradiction of Scripture?

It sounds like doubletalk but God permits (Let – neither forbid or prevent) us to experience trials and within that trial He allows temptation to occur. I believe they can come from two different places.

1. within our own hearts/souls
2. outside our temple from the enemy who is ready to devour us at any weakness to our armor. Eph 6:13. We will discuss this further in verse 14

But the good news is, God has promised not to allow more temptations to come our way than we can endure and never without a way to escape (1Cor 10:13).

That is so comforting.

But again, God gives us a choice.

Luke 11:4 believers are commanded to pray not to be led into such forces beyond their control!

Luke 22:40 watch and pray against entering into “temptations” by their own carelessness or disobedience – yet God provides “the way of escape.”

We can choose to walk through the trial with God or give in to the ways of the world. (2 Sam 24:1). We can choose to resist our fleshly temptations and the temptations of the enemy or we can give in to them.

1:14 But each one is tempted – this tempted means temptation either within us or outside of us through Satan.

James says we can have temptation that come from our own uncontrolled appetites for evil passions! Mark 7:20-23

The devil is called the tempter, but we will see that the devil is not always the one to blame for these temptations. The true origin of evil is in our own hearts.

when he is drawn away –

The Greek word exelko (draw away or lure forth) used metaphorically meaning being drawn away (lured by lust) of the world…to come near to what the world lures you into believing is right.

As in hunting or fishing, the game is lured from its haunt (the place where they live) into the trap (sin)!

So man’s lust “allures” him from the safety of the loving arms of his Savior and into the sin trap.

Then when we fall, we begin the blame game.

Eve blamed the serpent. Adam blamed Eve. “The woman you gave me tempted me. And then Adam blamed God for giving him the woman (temptress). We know that over history women have been blamed for tempted men. But God Word says, “You have a choice”. The only one whom you can blame is yourself!”

Think this through. We must be constantly aware of what the world is luring us into believing. We have to make the decision to stop blaming everyone else and use the Word of God to stop us from repeating the same stupid godless mistakes.

It is like a wild animal being lured into a trap. Just as an animal can be drawn to their deaths by attractive baits, temptation promises people something good, which is actually harmful.

by His own desires: this refers to lust, the strong desire of the human soul to enjoy or acquire something to fulfill the flesh. Lust means: passion, strong desires, bodily appetite, fleshly desire, crave, desire intensely, seek sexually

Man’s fallen nature has the propensity to strongly desire whatever sin will satisfy it (Rom 7:8-25). “His own” describes the individual nature of lust.

We can look at our own self and know that our lusts are different from the person sitting next to us. Many things can influence these desires. Inherited tendencies (lifestyles), environment for which you are living, upbringing, and personal choices. These desires are the direct agent or cause of one’s sinning. (Matt 15:18-20). It is here that we have to recognize our lusts and begin to rid ourselves of them.

We cannot be lured by false teachers if we are strong in the Word. False teachers prey on the weak, the unstable, and the young in the faith. Eph 4:14.

and Enticed – deleazo (to lure by a bait) metaphorically to mean of the enticement of lust (2 Pet 2:14) of seducers, (synonyms – beguiling, allure, induced, tempted, persuaded to give in to)
Antonyms are: repel, run from, flee

(2 Cor 11:13) Just as Eve was beguiled by Satan …beguiled means: lead astray, deceived, ensnared, lured, tricked

Enticed – a fishing term that means “to capture” or to catch with bait. It means the same thing as drawn away.

1:15 Then, when desire has conceived, - Sin is not merely a spontaneous act, and it doesn’t just happen…It has a beginning…it has a cause/roots…it comes from somewhere. The Greek words for “has conceived” and “brings forth” are compared to physical conception and birth.

Conception is the joining of two to make one union. The desire of our old nature joins with the outward temptation that faces us and then this becomes sin!

Remember, temptation alone is not sin. It is when the desires of our old nature yield to that temptation and give in. THEN…

it gives birth to sin;

and sin; when it is full-grown,

What is the only form of birth–control that we need to take from sin? What is the only thing that can stop sin from originally being conceived and consequently being born at a later time?

TRUTH found only in the Word of God!

We have to stop rationalizing sin. We rationalize by blaming our past, our current situation, our genes, our husbands, our children, our church. But the Bible calls it sin and the Bible says we are to blame.

What are some of the ways sin can originally be conceived? The things that God hates perhaps?

Brace yourself! Proverbs 6:12-19

12 A worthless person, a wicked man, walks with a perverse mouth; 13 He winks with his eyes, He shuffles his feet, He points with his fingers; 14 Perversity is in his heart, He devises evil continually, He sows discord 15 Therefore his calamity shall come suddenly; Suddenly he shall be broken with remedy. 16 These six things the Lord hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him; 17 A proud look, a lying tongue, Hands that shed innocent blood, 18 A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that are swift in running to evil, 19 A false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord among brethren.

brings forth death.

3 kinds of death
a. physical
b. spiritual death – the condition of the lost many dead to trespasses and sin (Eph 2:1)
c. eternal death – the fate of man who dies an unbeliever

sin brings forth death means “separation” from God.

Remember James is talking to the Jewish Christian. For a believer, it means that when sin is born in his life, when it becomes an action, his fellowship with God is broken.

1 John 1:6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not tell the truth.

You cannot have fellowship with Him and permit sin continually to happen in your life.

Temptation cannot be conceived until it is joined with the desire of your evil nature. If it is joined, it will bring forth sin, and sin brings for death (separation from God).

1:16 do not be deceived Greek planao (led into error or sin, led astray, to wander or roam about, be lured or seduced into…same word is used as a title for the devil, the deceiver, the slanderer or false accuser. Satan means adversary, enemy, antagonist contending against God for your soul!

James is saying, “Don’t do it!” Don’t even set yourself up to fall. And don’t think you can get by with your sinning either.

Christian should not blame God for God gives them freewill to act whichever way they choose. The Christian can only blame themselves for the sins for which they commit.

17 and 18 switch to our rewards for obedience…just like the end of 8-12’s crown of life. Awesome!

1:17 Every good and perfect gift is from above.

This goes back to the reward or the crown of life for which we will receive if we can be obedient.

Gift (greek dorema) translated boon, meaning the thing given, the act of giving.

Every – means all the time, continuous, unceasing, perpetual … God above from Heaven gives to us continuously if we resist temptation and are obedient like His son Jesus.

And comes down (descends) from the Father of Lights – ancient Jewish expression for God as the Creator, with “lights” referring to the sun, moon, and stars.

Jesus is the “light” of the world.

From whom there is no variation (without partiality) or shadow of turning.

From man’s perspective, the celestial bodies have different phases of movement and rotation, change from day to night, and vary in intensity and shadow. But God does not follow that pattern-He is changeless.

18 Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.

will – Greek - thelema – fulfilling what is good and perfect

brought (apokueo) us – to beget, bring forth – the divine act of rebirth (born-again)

word of truth – scripture or the word of God. He regenerates sinners through the power of His Word. (Col 1:5)

that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creation.

OT expression referring to the first and best harvest crops, which God expected as an offering. Giving God that initial crop was an act of faith that He would fulfill His promise of a full harvest to come (Proverbs 3:9,10).

Each year in Israel, the first sheaf of harvested grain (the firstfruits) was offered to God as a sign that everything they had belonged to Him. The firstfruits were their first in quality…not their damaged grain.

1 Peter 1:22-24 Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever, ...

I feel so unworthy to be His firstfruits; He thinks of me as His top quality!

It makes me want to stop the twistedness of my thinking and start living up to His definition of me! He thinks so much better of me than I think of myself. It is time that I live in obedience to His will not mine; to His opinion of me, not mine; and for Him ONLY, not for me.

Let’s pray:

Father, You are Whom I want to honor in my everyday living. I want to be alive for You. My desire is that my heart be made aware of how I blame everyone else other than myself for my life’s trials. You have shown me through Your Word that I have a choice as to rejecting the temptations that come my way through Your strength, or I can repeat my human reactions and continue repeating the same sins over and over and over.