HOFC Sermon Archive: Book of James Part 2: Trials and Temptation

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SERMON TIMELINE

1. Introduction to the Book of James

2. Trials and Temptation

INTRODUCTION

Today is Sunday. May 19^th, 2024

Last week was Mother’s Day, and we had our special service, but the week before, we began our look into one of my favorite books of the Bible, James. I spoke a little about how Luther, the father of the Reformation, thought the Epistle of James to be insignificant, calling it a “book of straw.” He struggled with the concept of faith and works together, knowing we are saved by grace and not by works.

Twelve years later, Luther finally grasped the meaning and understood the Epistle, giving it its proper place among the other books of the Bible with equal authority and respect.

I love many things about the Book of James. It speaks to the fact that though we may grow old, not all “grow up.” In fact, this has become such a problem in the church today I wrote an entire book on the matter, Drowning in Milk.

Age has nothing to do with our emotional, intellectual, or spiritual maturity. In nearly 25 years of being a pastor, I am convinced that almost all problems in the church, outside of the church, between churches, and in the homes of church members are because of immaturity. I also believe that if you have emotional or intellectual immaturity, having spiritual maturity will correct and cover that.

Until a Christian matures spiritually, they will remain a victim instead of a victor. The Epistle of James was written to help us understand and attain spiritual maturity.

If you wonder about your spiritual maturity, ask yourself a few questions.

· Does your schedule reflect the proper balance between God, family & work?

· Do your spending and saving habits reflect biblical principles for handling money?

· Do you have goals that align with your purpose and your mission?

· Biblical values govern all my decisions.

You could ask yourself many more, but you get the idea. Another sign you are spiritually immature is if you think you have already gained all understanding of scripture and have grown as close to God as possible.

1 Corinthians 13:8-12

“Love never fails, but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. 11 When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child. When I became a man, I did away with childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known.”

Philippians 1:6

“I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”

If we do not resist the Spirit of God and the work of Christ Jesus in us, we will continue to grow until we stand before Him, face to face, and receive our perfect bodies. Only then will we be perfect and have full knowledge and understanding.

Luther realized this when it took him years to understand the meaning of James and fully accept it as the Truth of God’s Holy Word.

We should constantly gain understanding and grow spiritually, and this can be accomplished in a few ways. It takes far more than praying, reading the Bible, or studying.

We see in scripture that trials, testing, and tribulations are all opportunities to grow us Spiritually.

Jesus went into the wilderness before His ministry after receiving the Holy Spirit. God did not remove the “thorn” from Paul for his benefit. James says, “Consider it all joy WHEN we encounter various temptations,” in James 1:2.

This is where we will begin today.

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE

James 1:2-4

“Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various temptations, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith brings about perseverance. 4 And let perseverance have its perfect work, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing.”

I. ABOUT JAMES

a. James, the brother of Jesus

i. We know from Matthew 13:55 that Jesus had brothers and sisters, including one named James.

ii. In John 7:5 we read that even His brothers did not believe in Him at this time.

iii. It wasn’t until after the resurrection that Jesus appeared to him, and he became a disciple. 1 Corinthians 15:7; Acts 1:4

b. James the Leader

i. He eventually became the leader of the church in Jerusalem Galatians 2:9

ii. James played a vital role in the conference of Jerusalem (Acts 15:13-33), and when Paul visited Jerusalem, it was to James that he brought greetings. Acts 21:18-19

c. What kind of man was James?

i. I believe he must have been extremely Spiritually Mature to gain such a role as the head of the Church in Jerusalem.

1. In fact, there is no evidence that he left the city after taking the vital position.

2. Josephus records that James and a few others were stoned to death in 62 A.D. by order of Ananus, High Priest of the Sadducees, leading the Sanhedrin to believe James and the others were breaking the law.

a. Ananus had unlawfully called the Sanhedrin together, and when news of what they had done spread, King Agrippa stripped Ananus of the High Priesthood title, although he had only served three months. (Antiquities of the Jews, Book 20, Chapter 9, 1)

ii. Tradition teaches he was a man of prayer, as we all should be!

1. This would explain his emphasis on prayer in the Epistle.

II. WHY JAMES WROTE THE EPISTLE

a. The letter tells us people struggled in their lives and in the church

i. We know this letter was written to Christian Jews.

1. Being Jews, they were rejected by Gentiles

2. Being Christians, they were rejected by Jews

ii. Because of social rejection, most were poor, oppressed by the rich, and could not purchase land.

iii. They faced difficult trials and temptations to sin; they were hearers of the word but not living it, some cater to the rich, some were competing for position within the church, worldliness was a problem, and some were straying from the faith.

b. These problems are in the churches today!

i. There are so many in the church suffering for one reason or another.

ii. Are there not “Christians” who talk one way but walk another?

iii. Is worldliness a problem in churches today? YES!

iv. What about gossip, slander, and general lack of control over the tongue?

v. James is dealing with many problems we face today!

c. What is the “common denominator” of all these problems?

i. Spiritual Immaturity!

ii. Those who received this letter were is desperate need of “growing up!”

iii. So, the issues James covers are not unrelated.

1. Impatience in difficulties – James 1:1-4

2. Talking but not living the truth – James 2:14

3. Lack of control over the tongue – James 3:1

4. Fighting and coveting – James 4:1

5. Collecting material possessions – James 5:1

iv. Using this, we can infer signs of Spiritual Maturity!

1. Being patient during trials and tribulation

2. Ensuring your actions match your words

3. Control your tongue

4. Not fighting or desiring what others have

5. Not building your treasures on earth

God is looking for mature men and women to carry on His work, and sometimes, all He can find is a bunch of little children who cannot even get along with each other.

III. GETTING THE MOST OUT OF JAMES

a. We must be born again

i. James assumes that readers are Christians (James 1:18)

ii. “Born Again” is brought about by obedience to the Word of God.

1. “Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a love of the brothers without hypocrisy, fervently love one another from the heart, 23 for you have been born again not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.” 1 Peter 1:22-23

2. “And Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.” Acts 2:38-39

b. We must honestly examine ourselves!

i. We cannot trust our hearts, we cannot trust ourselves, we can lie to ourselves and make believe all is well.

ii. “The heart is more deceitful than all else

And is desperately sick;

Who can know it?

10 I, Yahweh, search the heart;

I test the inmost being,

Even to give to each man according to his ways,

According to the fruit of his deeds.” Jeremiah 17:9-10

God tests our hearts, and we receive according to our fruit. What is our fruit? Is it of the Spirit or the flesh? This is why being doers of the word is so important. It is not what saves us; our fruit reveals what is happening in our hearts, where God judges us.

iii. “But become doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.” James 1:22

iv. Look into the spiritual mirror and see ourselves as we truly are. We must be honest, not walking away and forgetting what we see.

c. We must also obey what God teaches, no matter the cost

i. The blessing does not come from studying the word but from doing the word

1. “But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of freedom, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this man will be blessed in what he does.” James 1:25

ii. In this way, we MUST be prepared for trials and testing!

1. Whenever we get serious about spiritual growth, we will (not may) encounter trials!

2. “Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various temptations (trials, testing, tribulation), 3 knowing that the testing of your faith brings about perseverance. 4 And let (be patient) perseverance have its perfect work, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing.” James 1:2-3

iii. “Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once 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 being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. 14 But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. 15 Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully matured, it brings forth death.” James 1:12-15

James is writing to Christians. Some must have blamed God for their sin, to which James replies, “Let no one say God tempted me to sin.”

Those Christians who fell into sin were carried away and lured by their “own lusts,” and if those lusts (temptations) were not dealt with…when conceived (acted upon) gives birth to sin. (temptation is not the sin; acting on temptation is)

Sin, fully matured, means you continue to live out that sin with no confession, no repentance. It becomes a lifestyle.

THAT brings forth death to the Christian.

Don’t we all die? Yes…so we know this refers to “the second death,” after judgment, cast into the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. Revelation 21:8

How are we to deal with temptation?? Cast it out of our minds!

iv. 2 Corinthians 10:3-6 “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, 4 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the tearing down of strongholds, 5 as we tear down speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, 6 and are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is fulfilled.”

v. Or, like Joseph when Potiphar's wife grabbed hold of his coat and said, “Make love to me!” Joseph ran out of the house, leaving his coat there in her hands. Genesis 39:12-18

vi. 2 Timothy 2:22 “Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness”

vii. 1 Corinthians 6:18-20 “Flee sexual immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral man sins against his own body. 19 Or do you not know that your body is a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? 20 For you were bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.”

CONCLUSION

If we are to grow Spiritually, we must be willing to measure ourselves against the Word of God. There is a difference between being a saved Christian and being a mature one.

It matters not if you have been a Christian for 10, 20, or 40 years. This is no guarantee of Spiritual Maturity.

Signs of Spiritual Maturity are happiness despite the trials we face in life. We overcome temptations that cross our paths and continue to serve the Lord in our lives no matter what. We encourage others and build the local church through worship and service, ensuring its strength and growth in the community.

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