Week 3 – Ever Growing faith – passing the test of temptation
Do you know the difference between a test and a temptation? If God is good why do we go through trials in life? Why does it seem like when I need God most, I can’t hear His voice?”
These are all questions every believer has asked at some point in the life.
Thankfully God has not left the answers a mystery… but receiving those answers asks that I have a faith that is mature and growing. It is vital to mature in our faith because we leave an inheritance of faith to the next generation. Our ceiling should be the next generations floor.
So how do we pass the test of temptation?
- Need to understand blessing
- What to do when we can’t sense God’s presence
- Realize God cannot do everything
- The difference between testing and temptation
- And accept mystery.
1:12-15
V12 – “Blessed” means having supernatural power working in your favor. So we could read this “Supernatural power works in your favor when you remain steadfast under trial.” WHY? Because “Complaining is to the devil what praise is to God.” A mature person does not complain in the midst of a trial. A mature person does not place conditions on God’s purpose.
We see this stated in the book of Job, “Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil? (Job 2:10)
How are trials a BLESSING?
- Trials are an opportunity that God gives to us because He trusts us and has provided the necessary tools for us to overcome.
- Trials create the crying out to God that creates the atmosphere that attracts His Spirit to invade our circumstance with the answer.
- Trials are designed to bring us to the throne-room where we are not overwhelmed.
Again, “Ever growing faith” asks that we trust the established principals God has provided, then we physically position ourselves and prepare our mind.
- Learning in the midst of a trial can be done… but, it is not the best way.
The goal of every believer should be to establish the principals while we are in God’s presence… then we stand and advance. Think about it, the time to place batteries in the flash-light is before it goes completely dark.
1:12 – “remain steadfast” – (endures) –
- A mature person does not fall away in the midst of trials –
- Remember, God will give you enough grace to get through the moment.
In a trial if I am anxious or worrisome that is an indication to me that I have stepped out of the grace of the moment. The truth is, trials can seem lonely – as if God’s presence has lifted off your life…
So what are we to do when we can’t sense God’s presence?
There are times when God’s presence lifts from our lives – but like everything God allows there is a purpose – and it is intended for our good.
A case study: The story of Hezekiah
Hezekiah was an amazing King of Israel – most commentators conclude that Hezekiah brought about the 2nd golden age of the nation of Israel.
- He banished idolatrous worship.
- Reinstated worship of YWEH.
- Brought about social reforms in literacy and economic responsibility.
- And oversaw the compilation of the biblical books Isaiah, Proverbs, Song of Solomon and Ecclesiastes.
His passion and commitment to God is no more evident that the fact that Hezekiah was granted 15 more years by the LORD because of his passionate prayer reminding God of how faithful he had been.
PICK UP 2 Chronicles 32:27…
In this we find Hezekiah positioned to demonstrate his faith, like he had done before, instead he succumbs to a selfish motive of comparison and because of that his heart was revealed. So what was in Hezekiah’s heart?
Isaiah 39:5-8
Hezekiah essentially says, "It's OK with me that our nation will be overrun and my children will become prisoners of our enemies. I'll be dead anyway."
Hezekiah abandoned God.
- When I can’t sense God’s presence I must be mature enough to rely on the established principals I have learned while in His presence.
Now a word of warning in regard to trials being “allowed by God” (Hebrews)
“How could a loving God allow trials?”
- God allows trials not in the sense that he ‘approves’ of them. God does not directly ‘make’ a trial or test. He simply uses the effects of a sinful world for His purpose.
Omnipotence has its limits – “God is all powerful” but he cannot do all things.
He cannot make a round square or a married bachelor.
God can do anything… that can be done.
The world that God made is good… in which people are free to choose.
God would rather have the genuine worship of the few instead of the robotic worship of the masses.
God cannot guarantee good - Freedom must be free - Could God make a world where people were free to choose and guarantee that everyone would choose the good he offers.
Sin is random - The effects of sin are visiting themselves randomly upon creation.
The world does not work right – Romans 8:20 – “Creation has been groaning for redemption” (the return to its rightful condition.
God allows then provides – he allows the broken creation and inserts “post” event and provides the answer to the trial.
But what about the verse that says, “I am the LORD creating calamity…” he created a world where people were free to choose, so in essence he did not 'create' calamity - God created the world in which there is calamity.
It is impossible to believe that God is good when you equate Him with the things we are told to come against as believers.
1:13 – Mature people know the difference between temptation and testing.
- Temptations only result in sin if acted upon– temptation is the suggestion to fulfill a God given desire in a god forsaken way. On the other hand, testing if handled properly brings about a ‘good and perfect gift’ (v17).
The gift that trials produce is maturity – because your faith has moved from an “idea” to “belief”. The only way for an idea to advance to a belief is if it is proven, the only way to prove faith is by going through trials.
Temptation is not part of a test – rather temptation is our sin nature’s response to the test.
The same root word here for trial (pi-ras-mos) is also found in 1 Corinthians 10:13 – “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.”
You are not terminally unique.
Why is it important to know the difference between tests and temptations? Because if I assert that God tempts believers to do evil I have made God responsible for my failure.
1:14-15 –
Essentially James is saying to those who would say, “It’s not my fault…”
“Grow-up and take responsibility for your behavior”
- I am responsible for my sin… I cannot ‘blame’ God for falling into temptation.
“After we receive Christ we do not have the option of saying, I’m only human.”
I've heard people say, “But I don’t have a choice.” – not true, it may not be the choice you want… but it is a choice nevertheless. Remember, “It is for freedom Christ has set us free.” (Gal 5:1)
Others have said, “You don’t know what I’m going through.” – correct, but I am mature enough to know that regardless of what you are dealing with… sin is never the proper response.
James now concludes the “testing and trial” section
1:16-17 –
The first truth in James conclusion is a statement about the immutability of God.
- “…there is no variation of shadow due to change.”
A mature person understands that God is good – period.
- Anything evil is not from God and we are to stand in opposition to it.
- God does not afflict people to “teach them a lesson”.
- God does not “need another angel in heaven.”
- God is not willing that any should perish but that all should have eternal life.
So why do people perish? I don’t know…but a mature person is able to live in the mystery of godliness and accept questions without answers being confident in the truth that God is good.
ACCEPTING MYSTERY
A mature person realizes that, “If I want peace that surpasses understanding I must give up my right to understand.”
A mature person will gladly live in the midst of an unexplainable mystery before believing a lie to feel better about their circumstance.
- If I die tonight by being hit by a drunk driver – don’t console yourself that it was God’s will that I died that way.
Why? Because you have just made a drunk driver the authority of the universe.
Death is not God’s will… it never was. Death is the result of sin, sin is not of God, therefore we cannot abdicate the universe to drunk drivers running a signal and receive comfort from that.
- The only solace we are left with is this final statement from James about trials and temptations.
V18 – Believers are the first-fruit of a new and sinless creation… believers are not sinners saved by grace. Sin comes from the will other than God’s.
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