The high stakes of suffering v12
Imagine two friends – Jack and Jill. They are both diagnosed with cancer.
Jill processes it through faith. She searches God’s word. She tries to be content in knowing God’s uses such things to develop their character. She prays for his wisdom on how to cope with it. She thanks him for the gospel. She looks forward to glory. And she tries to use the opportunities it gives to speak of the difference their faith makes to others.
Jack responds differently. He just cannot contain his anger at God. It festers. It becomes bitter. He stops praying. He can’t be bothered with church. He snaps at others. “Why should this happen to me. I’ve tried to be a good Christian.” A relationship presents itself. The woman is not his wife. “Why shouldn’t I,” he says. “I deserve it.” His marriage breaks down. His children suffer. His faith seems to disappear.
Every trial, every difficulty we face as Christians, presents us with a crossroads. Are we going to walk the road of faithfulness, or the road of bitterness. In terms of destination, the stakes just couldn’t be higher. Take a look at verse 12 [READ]
A few weeks ago, Tony Cottingham looked at verses 1-11. Their focus was on attitudes to our trials: seeking contentment, wisdom, perspective. Today, our focus is on our actions, on responding in a godly and pure way.
There are just two simple points to pray through at home:
1) Don’t blame God
2) Bow before God
1) Don’t blame God v13-18
Temptation can be so acute when things are hard. If you’re suffering, perhaps like Jack, you’re becoming bitter, snapping at God and others. Perhaps you’re fed-up, deciding just to do what they want. Perhaps you’re trying to escape, drinking too heavily, dabbling in internet porn, or shrugging of your responsibilities to begin some bizarre other life with someone.
It’s only too easy at times to try and absolve ourselves. “It’s your fault God. If you hadn’t put me through this, I wouldn’t act in this way.”
Well, here we see that it we ourselves that are actually at fault. More than that, are in danger v13-15
James is clear, such blame will not stand in court. The sense is this: “Look, God cannot be tempted to do evil. And so he cannot be tempting you, because that would be evil. No. Don’t blame him” James says. “Realise that it’s your own desires that are tempting you.
[I] Now I want to be cautious. But James seems to warn us against an adulterous woman named ‘Desire.’ It is not a particular slight on women. It is that the illustration only works this way.
Take a look at verse 14: The sense is of our evil desires trying to drag us away from God our husband.
It’s an inspired image. We all know how it is. We try to resist. We try not to look. We try not to enter that conversation. But our desire is attractive. She tugs at us. She entices us. “Come on. Leave God. Try me. I’ll make you happy. I’ll give you pleasure.”
Verse 15 cuts to the next scene. We give. We embrace her. And the facts of life follow. She conceives. Sin is there in embryonic form. We haven’t yet acted, but we intend to. It is only a matter of time, and then, desire gives birth to sin. And what of this child? “Sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.”
How many Christians have lapsed into a sin that has then grown and grown. A prideful spirit that becomes a harsh word with a fellow Christian. A harsh word that becomes outright row. An outright row that becomes a hard heart. A hard-heart that rejects the things of Christ, and so receives what Paul terms “the wages of sin” – that is death.
[I] Well we all know the best way to deal with sexual temptation. Joseph modelled it with Potiphar’s wife. Run. Run!
Christian: Whether it is because you are going through tough times or not. Don’t be naïve about sin. Don’t even look at it. Run. Pray for strength. Steer clear of temptation. Ask a friend to help. Run.
Well, before he outlines what steering clear looks like, James reminds us not only that we are to blame for temptation, but that, in fact, God only gives what is good v16-18
We don’t have time to look more closely here. But if you are ever tempted to blame God, meditate on these verses.
The point is that God is the creator who made the lights in the sky. So he doesn’t change like shadows. He’s not good one day and bad the next. No, as creator, everything that is good is from him: our house, family, money, happiness, breath. More than that, our salvation.
Rather than tempting us to evil then, he has chosen you to come to Christ through the word of the gospel. He has chosen us to be a new person, to be born again. Out of all creation, he has chosen us to be his, just as the firstfruits of Israel’s harvest were his.
Oh how could we blame him? How could we rage against him? If only we would remember. If only we could see all he gives. If only we could taste the wonders of what we will have in the end. How, when we just pause for a moment, could we not choose the road of faithfulness and so receive the crown of life.
And so to our second point:
2) Bow before God v19-27
Rather than forgetting God’s goodness and embracing evil, we are to accept God’s word and rid ourselves of evil.
Humbly accept God’s word v19-27
Verse 19 [READ v19-20]
Now the anger James refers to here is debated. Is it anger in general? Anger at those causing the hardships? Anger at God for those trials?
My money is on it being anger at having our sinful desires confronted by God’s word. There are some clues. First, we have just heard about the “word of truth.” And because this is the message that saves, it must be the gospel of repentance for forgiveness – a message that tells us to turn from evil. Second, the anger stems from refusing to listen. And verse 22 speaks of the need to listen to God’s word. Third, being slow to anger somehow helps us turn from all evil. And this could only be if the anger was at having to turn from it.
The point is, if we really believe, we will humble ourselves. We will accept “the message of repentance and forgiveness that was planted in us” at conversion.
Remember the parable of the sower? Those who persevere are the good soil that the seed of the gospel is planted in. And what does it then do? It bears fruit in righteous living.
And so we see that we are not just to be those who listen to God’s word, not just those who know we must repent, who hear teaching on what shape that should take, but should be those who do what God’s word says, who take action.
[I] Imagine what a mess we would all look if we turned up to church this morning with “just-got-out-of-bed-hair.”
But we didn’t. We looked in the mirror. We saw what a mess we looked. And we brushed our hair. Men straightened their ties. Ladies put on their makeup.
Well so, James says, it should be when we look into the scriptures. Take a look at verses 23 [READ v23-26]
Now the Old Testament was pretty much the Bible for the church in James’ day. So “the law” is probably the OT law understood in the light of Jesus. And this law is good for us. It is not constraining. It is not a kill joy. It gives freedom.
James’ point is that as we hear the Bible taught, as we read it and study it, we see our relationships are messed up, our work practices need straightening, blemishes on our character need covering up.
And not to act on this is as daft as looking in the mirror before church and forgetting the mess we look. No, we are to act on what we see. We are to do so knowing that we will be blessed, that this will be for our good and for our ultimate happiness.
Well do ask yourself: “What has God’s word shown me about my life, that I try to forget?”
[A] Isaiah 66v2 says this: “This is the one that I esteem. He who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.”
My experience is that humility before God’s word is the most lacking quality in churches today. But that is what James calls us to: “Humbly accepting the word planted in us.” Not thinking we no better than God. That we are morally beautiful when far from it.
It is tragic indeed, when the Christians who make a fuss about what others wear to church, make little fuss about how they dress their lives for God. Or when others spend hours pruning themselves for a night out with friends, but resent minutes before God’s mirror.
And so we must get rid of our evil v21, 26-27
Nothing is ducked is it? Verse 21 [READ]
And let’s realise, not to act on this is utter foolishness. Verse 26 [READ v26-27]
I find some Christians prioritise issues of social justice, but are lax on issues of personal godliness. They want to fight global warming. They want to care for the poor. But they are equally provoked at the Bible’s view of sexual purity. Others show a great concern of personal godliness, but little concern for the world’s needy.
Well do note that both are in view here. To be a Christian is to seek a total reformation of life. To guard our speech, to keep ourselves from the practices of others, and to give ourselves to fight for the needy and oppressed.
And not to, James says, makes our religion worthless. But that is the theme of the rest of the book.
