Cork Free Presbyterian Church, 10 Briarscourt
(Annex) Shanakiel, Cork, Ireland
Pastor: Colin Maxwell. Email: colin.maxwell@fpcmission.org
My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers
temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh
patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be
perfect and entire, wanting nothing. If any of you lack wisdom, let him
ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and
it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing
wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with
the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall
receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in
all his ways. Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is
exalted: But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the
flower of the grass he shall pass away. For the sun is no sooner
risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower
thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also
shall the rich man fade away in his ways. Blessed is the man that
endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown
of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.
These folk to whom James wrote this letter were not only SCATTERED ABROAD - Hebrew Christians found in faraway lands
But they were also TEMPTED
Bad enough to be away from the mainstream and in a faraway land…
But to be the target of the Devil's temptations at the same time surely
calls for some advice from an inspired man of God like James
There is nothing new under the sun
As Christians were tempted then, so too we are tempted now
Perhaps with the inventions of so many means of communications, it may
be argued that we are tempted more than any other generation, but be
that as it may, in any situation:
The word of God has it covered
We are not ignorant of Satan's devices
Not merely because we have been there and saw them first hand
But because the word of God has them covered
Sooner or later, the tempter will come your way
What do you do? How do you cope? How do you win?
4 things are given us in our passage on this matter
The key to understanding this passage is to look out for the verbs
If we follow them, then we are unto victory big time against/Tempter
Let's look for the verbs:
1) WHEN THE TEMPTER COMES, WE MUST RECKON
When ye fall into divers temptations - count [or reckon]
What is James getting at here?
A/ Things aren't always what they appear to be
3 different views which you can adopt when you are tempted
[i] You can view these temptations the Devil's way
He is the tempter and he wants you to be the most depressed, despairing individual who ever lived
He wants you to give up trying to be a Christian and to come crawling back to him and back into his wretched service
That is why he tempted you in the first place
That is why he put sinful desires into your mind and rejoices when you either fall or get upset and distressed
So you can view these temptations through the devil's spectacles
[ii] You can view these temptations your own way
Likely that this way will not follow the devil's way
By now, you will have learned that the Devil is a liar/cheat
Always smell a rat when the Devil says something
Even if what he says is true - He never speaks truth for truth's sake
He only tells the truth in order to further a lie
But while you may reject his spin - danger is that you might follow your own spin and lean on your own understanding
It will probably be that you will not entertain any positive thoughts about the whole concept of being tempted
You will see it as an evil from the very beginning to the very end
That is a natural thing to do - but it is not entirely Biblical
Not the instruction you receive in this passage
Before we come to the third option commanded in our passage,
Please notice the use of the word "count"
It is not that we are going into denial here, but we are applying
another standard of reckoning other than that which nature itself
supplies
We may view it therefore [iii] God's way
God's way is the best way
God can see more than we or the Devil can ever see
The tempter can only come to you not only if God gives him permission
to do so - but because it fits into the plan of God for your life
Aware of what vs 13-15 says - it does not contradict what I say here
Satan cannot move one inch beyond the will of God at any given time
Job 1/2 makes that abundantly clear
What is God's way to count any temptation we endure?
2) WHEN THE TEMPTER COMES, WE MUST REJOICE
The word "rejoice"/associated words is used 3 times/passage
It is not a careless word let slip (impossible anyway under inspiration)
A/ Used in v2 at the very beginning
Emphasised "Count it all joy when you fall into divers temptations"
No room for reserve here
True: No rejoicing if we are tempted and fall into sin
Call here then would be to mourning/sorrow: 4:9
But the mere temptation itself should occasion us to all joy
Why is this?
Such testing of our faith keeps on working (Greek) patience:
Patience or courage which bears up and does not lose heart or courage under trials (Weust)
Therefore every time you are tempted - you should rejoice because it is helping to strengthen you spiritually
How can we endure as good soldiers/Jesus Christ if we do not see war?
On what grounds can we claim victory if we have not fought and won?
So when the tempter comes, then you show unadulterated joy (Weust)
This is your opportunity to nail your colours to the mast for Christ
B/ Word rejoice is used in v9-10
Same temptation may have a different affect on different people
Believe the same thing (saints) but they have different stations/life
So their temptations may impact their outward station differently
James proposes two different medicines each leading to this joy:
[i] Word for the tempted poor i.e. outwardly poor Christians (v9)
They are to be content that they have spiritual riches in Christ
Perhaps some of them could do quite well financially if they caved into temptation -
How many are sorely tempted on the big Lottery weekends
Or who are sorely tempted to engage in other activity that is at best
doubtful and certainly harmful to spiritual growth and all to be richer
in this world's goods - James says: Don't yield!
He says: You are exalted in Jesus Christ far above what the world and its temptations could ever exalt you
Rejoice therefore and such rejoicing well slacken the power/temptation
[ii] Word for the tempted rich i.e. outwardly rich Christians (v10)
Has this temptation laid them low? Has it led to earthly loss?
Well…they should still rejoice!
The Book/God doesn't really have that much good to say about rich men
Riches are not bad in themselves (Abraham/David/Job etc., were rich)
But they do tend to lead to corruption unless resisted
Rich men develop this air about themselves that they are invincible
Some of them were as hard/nails: Henry Ford was notorious
But where is Ford today? v9 speaks of his (and others) speedy demise
His time on earth seems now so short - just like grass/flower
If temptation impoverishes the rich man - let him rejoice that he has now joined the ranks of the low
If nothing else…he can now claim the promise of v9
There are certain riches which he cannot lose - those in Jesus Christ
C/ Word rejoice is used in v12
Mentioned earlier: there can be no rejoicing if we yield to the tempter
Suppose we are poor in this world's goods and the tempter brings us to
the place whereby we seek this world's riches - Have we bartered our
spiritual riches for a little bit of earthly gain? Cp Lot
Suppose we are rich in this world's goods and the tempter seduces us to
maintain the status quo but at the huge price of denying Christ or
disobeying the clear teaching of God's word - Can we rejoice because we
have bartered our everlasting inheritance for that which:
withereth…falleth…perisheth…fadeth away? (v10)
Obviously not
But we can rejoice/be blessed (happy) when we endure the temptation
Rejoice because we will receive the crown of life which God has promised to all who love Him (As evidenced by our endurance)
OK…2 verbs down (Reckon/rejoice) 2 to go
3) WHEN THE TEMPTER COMES, WE MUST REQUEST
We have seen that the blessing lies in overcoming the tempter
There is absolutely no blessing in yielding to the tempter's demands
OK telling us to reckon/rejoice and make it conditional on overcoming
But we need to know HOW and we need to know for each situation
What instruction does James give us in this most practical part?
v5 If we lack wisdom…let us ask (request) of God
No "if" as far as we are concerned! "Though" or "Seeing"
A/ The fact we have been instructed to reckon (v2) indicates (as said) the need to realign our way of thinking
Wisdom does not come naturally to sinful people
God's people can do a lot of silly things too e.g. Solomon!
We've all got to confess: "I have played the fool" (1 Samuel 26:21)
B/ In such circumstances where folly meets temptation, we are to ask God for wisdom and do so for these reasons
[i] God is the wisest Being who ever lived - wiser than Satan will ever be
[ii] God is the most generous Being who ever lived - Gives to all liberally
[iii] God will not upbraid or reject the earnest seeker after wisdom
[iv] Reaffirmed- it shall be given him i.e. the one requesting
And with this wisdom - we will overcome the tempter and patience will
be worked and the child of God greatly enhanced in his spiritual life
(v4)
Again…there are ground rules set down for such asking
Ask in faith, nothing wavering (v6)
One thing re: temptations - God's people often know they are dangerous
and so they don't rush headlong towards them like worldly people
do But neither do they flee from them either like the plague
If we go into temptations with the thought that we can always call upon
the Lord if we get in too deep - then we will find disappointment
Being double minded (v8) like the waves/sea (v7) and instead of being
perfect/entire and wanting nothing (v4) we become unstable/our
ways
Just as God will not upbraid the man who truly calls for wisdom in faith
So He will upbraid those who come if they come with a double mind
While we are to flee from evil things - Flee fornication/idolatry/
youthful lusts which war against the soul and much more, yet if the
tempter still catch up with us, then we are to adopt the course that
James sets forth here. I recount:
We are to reckon - see these temptations as God sees them - an opportunity in victory to become stronger Christians
We are to rejoice in them - form this very purpose
It is no mean thing to become a stronger Christian
We are to request for wisdom - for the advantage only lies in resisting
the tempter, not merely in facing the temptation and falling, either
because we thought we could resist in our own strength or we were half
hearted in our asking for God's help
Our fourth/last verb:
4) WHEN THE TEMPTER COMES, WE MUST RECEIVE
A/ Again, conditional on our overcoming
B/ No chance of us not so receiving this crown of life because it is promised to them who love him - it is guaranteed 100%
Take this verse up with the additional verses next study