The faith that works will not deceive itself when it comes to the true source of temptation...

This week, we have been looking at a section of a letter that was written by the half-brother of Jesus that is recorded for us in the Bible called the book of James. So far this week, we have discovered a timeless and true principle when it comes to the faith that works in that the faith that works recognizes the true source of temptation. In James 1:13-18, we have seen James reveal for us the reality that the faith that works recognizes that temptation does not come from God. Temptation does not come from God because God is incapable of being tempted. And temptation does not come from God because God does not tempt others to rebel against Him.

In addition, James revealed for us the reality that the faith that works recognizes that temptation comes from our selfish desires. It is our selfish desires that drag us away from God. It is our selfish desires arouse within us a desire for something that is forbidden by God. And as these selfish desires cause sin to come into being in our lives, and as sin runs its course in our lives as we act on those selfish desires, the result is separation from God.

Instead of trying to manage our sin; instead of trying to tame those selfish desires within our lives, we need to kill that sin; we need to kill those selfish desires within us. We need to kill those selfish desires because those selfish desires are the true source of temptation. We need to kill those selfish desires because those selfish desires give birth to acts of selfishness and rebellion against God and others. We need to kill those selfish desires because those selfish desires produce selfishness and rebellion that separate us from God.

But not only does the faith that works recognize that temptation does not come from God. Not only does the faith that works recognize that temptation comes from our own selfish desires. Today, we will see James reveal for us a third way that the faith that works recognizes the true source of temptation in James 1:16-18. Let’s look at it together:

 Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures.

Now to fully understand what James is communicating here, we fist need to understand a few things. First, when James commands followers of Jesus throughout history to “Do not be deceived” this command refers to being mistaken in one’s own judgment so as to deceive oneself.

So this command, if communicated in the language we use in our culture today, would have sounded something like this: My fellow followers of Jesus whom I love, make no mistake in your thinking so as to deceive yourself. And it is here that we see James reveal for us the reality that the faith that works will not deceive itself into thinking otherwise when it comes to the true source of temptation. 

James then corrects their possible mistake in judgment in verse 17 by explaining that “Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above,” In other words, every good thing that we are given that is of a high standard of quality, every gift that we have received that is perfect, has its ultimate source in God. James is revealing for us the reality that God is our perfect provider.

James then paints a powerful word picture about the nature and character of God as our perfect provider: “coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.” When James uses the phrase coming down from the Father of lights, this phrase refers to God as “the Father, or Creator, of the Heavenly bodies”. This phrase refers to God as the Creator and Caretaker of all that exists.

And as the Creator and Caretaker of all that exists, James explains that with whom there is no variation of shifting shadow. Now the word variation simply means to change. In addition, the phrase shifting shadow was a phrase that was used in the first century to describe the process of darkening that occurs on the earth as a result of the turning of the sun, moon and stars.

Here we see James reveal for us the reality that God’s perfect provision is seen in His nature and character. James point here to followers of Jesus throughout history is that God has not changed and God does not change. Unlike the shadows that are ever changing on earth as a result of the rotation of the sun, moon, and stars, God is constant and never changing. And because God is constant and never changing, God never has been and never will be the source of temptation. And because God is constant and never changing, God always has been and always will be our perfect provider.

But not only is God’s perfect provision seen in His nature and character. In addition, in verse 18, James reveals for us the reality that God’s perfect provision is seen in His Divine Plan in history. When James talks about the exercise of His will, he is referring to God’s Divine Plan and desires. And God’s Divine plan and desires was to bring people who were once far from God back to God. James then explained that how God brought people who were far from God back to God was by the word of truth. Now the word of truth refers to God’s message of rescue through the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel.

James point here is that God’s Divine Plan resulted in our rescue from separation from God into relationship with God as a result of His activity in history through Jesus life, death and resurrection. And as a result of God’s Divine Plan in history through His Son Jesus Christ, the early followers of Jesus that James was writing to were “a kind of first fruits among His creatures.” In other words, these early followers of Jesus were the first of a kind, with many more to follow. These early followers of Jesus were the first of many to follow who had been created to experience a relationship with God and one another as a part of God’s new movement in history called the church.

James here is revealing for us the reality that God’s Divine Plan resulted in early followers of Jesus being the first of many throughout history. And as followers of Jesus in 2015, we are among the many in history that have been rescued from our rebellion against God so that we could experience the forgiveness and the relationship with God that we were created for as a result of God, as our perfect provider, having a Divine Plan in history.

So here is a question to consider: Where have you been claiming that the true source of temptation comes from? Have you been claiming that the source of the temptation that you are facing is from God? Have you been claiming that the source of the temptation that you are facing is the devil?

Are you constantly blaming God, the devil or someone else for the response that you make to the circumstances that you face? Or have you come to the place where you recognize that the true source of the temptations that you face is the selfish and rebellious desires that reside within you?

And what are you doing with those selfish and rebellious desires that are the true source of temptation? Are you trying to manage or tame those selfish and rebellious desires that lead to temptation as though they were a house pet? Or are you going to try to kill those selfish and rebellious desires that lead to temptation?

Because the timeless reality is that the faith that works recognizes the true source of temptation...