Dealing With Temptation.
The Christian life is not always easy. In fact, it is war! Unfortunately, it does not always look like war. Too often it appears on the surface like the tranquil picture of a fisherman casting his line into a cool, serene lake—but Satan is the fisherman and we’re the fish! He uses the bait of our own selfish desires to lure us into sin. We don’t have to give in. We can stand strong in the face of temptation. How do we defend ourselves against the schemes of the devil? In the next 6 weeks, we will consider how to deal with temptation and sin. We’ll discover how to stand our ground, avoid sin, live faithfully for God, and live lives that please Him. I pray that, by the end of our study together, you will be able to identify the source of your sin, expose your idols, and learn how to be satisfied in God alone.
THE PASSAGE
James 1:13-18
THE SETTINGS
The book was written by James, an important leader of the church in Jerusalem. It was written to a specific group of believers who had been scattered from Jerusalem during the persecution that followed the stoning of Stephen. These believers were separated from the church and from teachers like James. The faith of many of these believers had become a mere formality, so James wrote to challenge this superficial faith that had developed.
THE POINT
We have no one to blame but ourselves when we fall into sin.
The struggle with temptation is one of the most frustrating things in the life of a believer. Even those outside the church understand the struggle with temptation, but many write it off as simply a weakness, an impulse we can’t fight, or something “the devil made me do.” We must acknowledge we have a fallen human nature that will always pull us toward sin, but in Christ, we do not have to give in to temptation.
