The Test of Blame and Freedom

The test of blame and freedom…

• Like anything worth doing this falls under the category of “easier said than done…” but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible, or not worth pursuing…

James 1:12-14

V12
Think the Olympics… I love the Olympics, it’s the only time of year when I care about some sports… curling…
• That the idea here, it’s a crown of victory following a competition… or a victors crown following a battle…

• So in this life, if we run our race for Him we will receive the crown of [eternal] life…

• But we must still run the race to receive the crown… it’s not assumed, not given just because we exist…

• Our endurance is an expression of our love for Him… just as a gift is an expression of love to friends, this is a gift we can give our God…

V13-14
But life’s hard times can take their toll…
• If we are not careful we can tend to blame everything on God… sometimes we have to take responsibility for our actions…

• Before we move forward we have to define terms…

• There is a difference between trials (James 1:2-4, 12) and temptations (v13-15)…

• Trials (v12) external and outside of our control… we endure them in faith, trusting in God, and they produce a deeper maturity and love of God within us…

• The examples of Abraham and Job… there is a great reward for this… the “crown of life”… if you’ve ever met a patient man, there is a reason why they are patient, they have experienced some life… Connect to V1-4,12…

• Temptation, internal moral struggles with sinful desires… Satan uses temptation with a desire to break our fellowship with God… Satan doesn’t want us to have a good time; he wants to destroy us…

• God is not the source of this, but Satan and our own evil desires… God is the source of good (V17-18)…

• The tests that God allows us to go through are meant to refine us and bring us closer to God (the nature of God), God wants to see the best in us…

• “God cannot be tempted” because God’s very nature is holy there is nothing about sin that has any appeal to Him… He doesn’t have the inward component that draws us to sin…

• The temptations of Satan are meant to destroy us, Satan wants to see the worst in us… temptation tests our moral strength to resist sin…

“Lured and enticed…” It baits the hook… drawn out of our strong refuge in Christ… pulling us away from God, Satan entices us away from our source of strength, our intimacy with God…
• And though the bait maybe external it draws from something internal…

• “… his own desire” we must look for the cause of sin within ourselves not others… there is no one else to blame but ourselves when we fall into temptation…

• It’s no one else fault, others may help, Satan may tempt, but our response is our choice… too often in failure we get mad at God, or others, and tend to blame external forces, a more constructive approach is self-examination first… Romans 5:12

James 4:1-5

V1
Isn’t that about right, “passions are at war within you…” this is a war, if we’re honest; we’re all very familiar with… this is referring to more than just sexual sin…
• The source of a lot of division within the church is the desire to have our own way, personal recognition, power, money, pride… these desires overwhelm the desire to do right, and serve God’s purposes for the church…

• So we see these “quarrels and… fights…” and they are stirred up by Satan externally, and our flesh inwardly, and they expose our weakness…

• Quite the opposite of the peace that is found in wisdom that is from above… James 3:18

V2-3
This is our “natural way” of trying to get what we want… we fight with evil intentions… yet it still leaves us empty… and we still can’t seem to get it…
• We may say well I’ve never murdered anyone literally, but spiritually… “murder” – sermon on the mount… hate equated to murder because the heart condition is the same…

• “You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly”… both sides of not receiving…

• We can be so deep in hate and coveting, running from God, we won’t pray… or so blinded by hate and coveting asking with the wrong heart…

• At the heart the issue is that coveting and hatred is what is driving desire, not God… Prayer driven by selfishness doesn’t please God, and will remain unanswered because it will only fulfill our lust …

• We can even ask for good things with hearts filled with self-promotion and pride, and we’re missing it… pleasing pray is in alignment to the will and word of God…

• There is power in prayer, but the condition of our hearts will either help or hinder… 1 John 5:14-15

V4-5
“Adulterous” here is speaking of it in a spiritual sense…
• Hosea, Israel within the prophets was often compared to a cheating spouse… the idea is that we are loving the world rather than God… our rightful spouse spiritually is Jesus…

Now the “the world,” as in its people need to know our friendship…
• The Christian is to be the greatest friend of this world, desiring good and salvation for all…

• “the world…” we’re to be enemies with is the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, the pride of life, or seeking the favor of men over God… it’s all at odds with God… God is calling us to a “mutual uncoupling,” to brake off this friendship…

• (V5) His great desire is that we would in love; live lives of faithfulness toward Him… for our own good… He knows the effects of sin… Galatians 5:17

James 1:15

This is the natural course of our lives if we do not rely to the Holy Spirit as He’s trying to draw us away from sin and to Himself…
• Three stages “desire… sin… death”… seen in the first sin eve saw, desired, sinned, died… spiritual and physical death…

• Repentance stops this destructive chain reaction…

So let us stop blaming others for the conditions of our soul, and do some self-evaluation…

James 4:6-10

V6
“He gives more grace” thank you God!!!
• God’s grace has the power to overcome all of this, all hate and envy, all sorrow, all difficulty, all our needs… and humble spirits can receive this… (Romans 5:12-21)

• “opposes the pride but…” we see pride in the root of all evil… Satan… sin (we know better than God)…

• So how we’re able to receive His grace is found here…

V7-10
These actions in our lives will root out sin and allow us to live in freedom…
“Submit…” surrender your plans and desires to Him…
• We can tend to focus on only the “resist” but the first is necessary for the second…

• We would much rather, within our flesh “resist,” than “submit,” it requires a deeper more committed relationship with Him… it’s the difference between calling 911, having a personal relationship with the first responders…

• Sheer determination cannot resist the devil, this only leaves us frustrated (failure)…

• Surrender to God is the primary aspect of spiritual victory and in it we find our truest purposes in life instead of the fruitless finite desires of this world…

This submission is found in:
1) Letting go of hidden sin…
2) Praying for God’s help, strength and direction…
3) Giving up those things that open the doors to sin, and hinder your spiritual growth… Gaming, TV, limits on internet, cable news (anger)…
4) Giving up our own preconceived ideas on how to overcome, and seek God for His creativity… doing the somethings and expecting different results… we’re all built a little differently, and our victory will all have the same elements, but just in different forms… studiers v worshippers v servers, etc…
5) Following the Holy Spirit as He leads you…
6) Not only not doing bad, but filling your life with His purposes (nature abhors a vacuum)… one reason why so many are bored and struggling in sin is they are trying not to do “sin” and then are left with doing nothing so they go back to the “vomit” because there is nothing better to do (in their minds)…
7) Remaining humble toward God and others…
8) Focusing our whole life upon Him…
9) Continuing to rely upon God even after the victories, continuing to pursue Him, not becoming lax… let us press the advantage…
10) Finally responding thankfully to God for His victories…

God not my will but Yours… this removes self and sensuality… The internal foundation that allows us to externally resist the Devil…
• “Resist…” don’t give into Satan… say “no” and if you’re coming from a foundation of submission to God, Satan will flee…

• Satan only desires to put within our hearts rebellion what’s in his… he is the father of pride and envy (wanted to be God)… 1 Peter 5:8-9

“Draw near…” in worship, thankfulness, prayer, time in the word, communing with God in the Holy Spirit… as we spend time communing with God we cannot help but to grow in our faith…
• Fill your life with Him… nature abhors a vacuum… we are to say “no” to the Devil but we are to say “yes” to God, to the one that is greater and truly loves you… If all we’re saying is “no” we’re in trouble…

“Cleanse…” we must confess our sin allowing our inward relationship with God to be seen in our outward life…

“Purify…” Letting God cleanse our inner life…
• In this we can live in the fullness of His grace… a life of overcoming… God desires that nothing would hinder our walks with Him… Psalm 24:4

“mourn…” internal brokenness over sin…
“Weep…” the outward sign of this inward sorrow…
“laughter be turned…” we should not be flippant about our past sins, and the price He paid for our regeneration was far too great…
• What James is getting at here is genuine heart felt repentance…

(V10) From this place we are humbled, “to make oneself low” realizing we’re living in the presence of an infinitely holy God, not condemned, but in this humble place God ultimately lifts us up as children of God, heirs of Christ… Matthew 23:12

James 1:16-18

All good, every trace of it, is from God… evil has its roots in original sin and Satan…
• “Every good gift…” including freedom from sin…

• “Father of lights” creator of the Heavens, but unlike His creation He is unchanging… even the sun has variation (hot spots, etc…) but not our God… there is no evil in God…

• “… will…” His own will that is most loving, free, pure, and prefect… is what saved us, it’s His desire to save… “Brought us forth” regeneration… born again… twice begotten…

• “word of truth” the gospel, the love and forgiveness that is found within Jesus…

• “First…” the first sheaf of harvest points to the whole harvest… the first Christians pointed to the greater harvest… and there will be those that will come after us… it doesn’t end in us but is to continue…

So let us abstain from blaming God for the sin we too frequently allow within our lives… and live in the freedom that He’s bought for us… and given us the tools to receive…

Comments

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *