Messages by Temptation

Temptation

All Christians will face temptation. One of the signs that you have come to Christ is this conflict between the Spirit of God living in you and the sin nature wanting to rule you! Temptation does not come from God. It comes from our own evil desires. We have a taste for sin. We find it easier to sin than to do the right thing. When God has the right place in our lives, everything else come into the right place. Satan knows where we are weak, and he uses that against us.

The Epistle of James: Where Faith Meets Life
TEMPTATION
Mark Johnson
February 7, 2010
 
James 1:13-16 is dealing with temptation.
 
Temptation is the enticement to acts of rebellion against God and against expressions of His intentions for humanity.[1]
 
I. When Tempted:
Romans 7:21–23
 
One of the signs that you have come to Christ is this conflict between the Spirit of God living in you and the sin nature wanting to rule you!
 
II. Where Does Temptation Come From?
a. Not from God! 
b. Temptation comes from my own evil desire.
Romans 5:12
Opening up James: “The Bible leaves no doubt about this. It tells us that we were all present in Adam when he sinned. His sin was our sin! And the result of that sin is that we are all fallen creatures. We are no longer as God made us. We originally had a desire for God, but sin killed off that desire and replaced it with a desire for sin!”
[Roger Ellesworth, Opening up James, 2009]
Temptation is a sign of my brokenness!
GOD HAS NO TASTE FOR SIN.
 
We have a taste for sin.
 
When God has the right place in our lives, everything else comes into the right place.
 
We must be aware of what we are as we enter the new Kingdom - we enter messed up.
We need the guidance of the Word and the Spirit, but it won't feel right much of the time because we are broken.
III. How Does Temptation Work?
James 1:14-15
a. We are enticed.
b. Action takes place.
c. When sin is birthed it leads to death.
 
This does not mean there is no tempter. What it means is that the tempter knows what my sin nature longs for.
The answer to my temptation is in what I love.
Matthew 22:37–38

[1] Myers, A. C. (1987). The Eerdmans Bible dictionary (951). Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans.

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