The Common Thread-Chapt 1 vv. 12-16

Vs. 12, 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. Vs. 13, Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: Vs. 14, But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Vs. 15, Then when lust is conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. Vs. 16, Do not err, my beloved brethren.

#1: The Promise of Temptation-Vs. 12

* As a Christian our greatest battle is that of facing temptation. The struggle is daily and the struggle is difficult. But God makes us a promise. "Blessed is the man that endureth temptation." Endure. Fight. Don't give in. Conquer. You will be blessed for your victory. You will receive the "crown of life."

#2: The Power that Tempts-Vs. 13

* It is necessary to see at whose hand temptation comes. Christians are taught to endure everything for Christ. Hard times will come and we need to keep a good attitude and glorify God through trials. But so many times we confuse what is from God and what is not. Yes, God allows things in our life. But He does not always bring things to us. I know that I have often viewed times of temptation as God testing my response. But that is a lie from the devil. Satan wants us to believe that it is God bringing temptation into our life but in fact it is the devil himself. We sit and meekly let Satan throw things at us and try our best to keep a good attitude in the hopes God will be glorified through us. Yet God says you are fighting against principalities and powers so put on His armor. This is a war and every temptation is a battle! Don't sit meekly by! Fight! God is allowing this in your life and He wants you to have victory. He wants you to receive the Crown of Life. Recognize the power you're fighting against.

#3: The Pull of Temptation-Vs. 14

* Man was created in purity. Man was created without blemish or spot of sin. But Man was created in a world of temptation and humanity took the fall. Every soul is born a sinner with a wicked heart. The sad truth is that it is easier to do bad than good. Our flesh is strong and the world appears attractive. "Every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust." The lust is within us, the lust that makes the world desirous and entices us away. The problem is the heart. Our hearts are deceitful and desperately wicked! The pull of temptation comes from within each of us. Victory is a struggle to attain because of our own lust. When fighting the battle of temptation, take care to look inward.

#4: The Products of Temptation-Vs. 15

*We each have lust for the world in our hearts. When we allow that lust to fester and grow it will control our actions and cause us to sin. It's a slippery path. That sin will lead to death. Adam and Eve sinned. They were banished from the garden, introduced to the pains of life, and eventually fell to physical death. But the first death was their spiritual death, their banishment. Physical death is one death of sin. We also suffer spiritual death. If I allow sin to grow it will take over my heart and holy God will have to turn His face from me. He cannot have fellowship with darkness. There is also spiritual death eternally. If sin keeps a person from accepting Christ as Savior, he will go to hell for eternity. We may not think that a lie will cause death or that we will die at the hands of any of our "little" sins. But this is truth from God. Lust leads to sin and sin will lead to death.

#5: The Path of Temptation-Vs. 16

* Do not err. I used to think this meant do not make mistakes. After the verse about sin leading to death it is easy to assume it means do not sin so you do not die. In meditating on this passage, I finally understood the bigger picture in that statement. There are two paths of life. The easy, broad path and the rocky, narrow path; also referred to as the path of destruction and the path of life. When James exhorts his beloved brethren to not err he is encouraging them to stay on the path of life. He shows us the reward in enduring, then assures us temptation is not from God, then shows us the pull is from within us, and opens our eyes to the extreme consequences of giving in to temptation. After all that he says, "Do not err." "Knowing what you do now", he's saying, "do not err from your path!" This is a final push of exhortation after enlightenment. So my beloved brethren, do not err.

And here it is, the common thread. The common thread of all humanity, male or female, saved or unsaved. "But every man is tempted." Every man. We all face these temptations! This is a battle that every soul faces day in and day out and all day long! From person to person the temptation may differ but boil it down and we are all soldiers in the war of temptation. That is why we must encourage and uplift each other. A soldier fighting alone is in a hard battle. But if we all join forces and fight together the battle will be easier! Another thought, which side of the war are you on? Christ's side or the side of the tempter?

Rejoice, Brethren of Low Degree! Chapt. 1 vv. 9-11

9"Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted: 10"But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away. 11"For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and then grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways."

#1: The Rich Shall Fade Away-vs. 10
A: When the Sun Rises, He Shall Fade Away
-When the Sun rises and withers the grass, signifies when the Son comes and all men are given their reward. Every man will receive his own reward according to his own labor. Those who are "rich", who have lived for the world and self gain and pleasure, shall fade in his ways and receive the consequences.

#2: Rejoice, Brethren of Low Degree! vs. 9
A: When the Son Rises, He Shall be Exalted!!
-On earth, it seems like we suffer, and "the rich" live in reward and pleasure. But God promises that one day the tables will turn and we, the faithful brethren, will be rewarded in heaven while the rich receive their consequences! -There have been many times in my life, where I have felt that I have truly paid for the choices I've made in faith, and the standards I have set and tried to live by. I am sure we have all felt like that. You look around and those who disregard God and live in the flesh seem to have more fun and not to mention success! But sin is only fun for a season, and we have His promise that in the end, those who seem to have it all now will meet a bitter end with dreadful consequences, and we will have God's amazing rewards, which far surpass any earthly treasure!

A Wave of the Sea- James 1vv. 5-8

5"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, which giveth to all men liberally,
and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
6"But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering, For he taht wavereth is like a wave of the sea
driven with the wind and tossed.
7"For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord.
8"A double minded man is unstable in all his ways."

*The Bible says that wisdom is an essential characteristic for every Christian. It is the foundation of growing in Christ. Understanding Him, His Word, His plan only comes when we have wisdom. God speaks of wisdom as a prize, a rare treasure, something priceless.
*You can see these verses about wisdom: Prov 4:7; 16:16, 21; 19:8; 23:4;

~What to do When We Lack Wisdom~

1. Ask God-vs. 5
*He Giveth to All Men Liberally
-When we ask with a right heart, and ask for things that are inside God's will-such as wisdom-He will give it to us! Remember, if you have accepted Christ as your personal Savior, then God is your Father, and He wants to give you the desires of your heart. He wants to bless you and give you and take care of you in a way that only a Father can!
*He Upbraideth Not
-Before doing this study, I had no clue what upbraideth meant! When reading James, I assumed it meant God isn't an indian giver, which He isn't, but that is not what this phrase means. To upbraid means to criticize or reproach severly. To find fault with, or scold vehemently. So, God will not say, "What? You stupid! You want WHAT? Ha! Why would I give YOU wisdom? You stupid little human! Don't ever ask me for anything again!" OK, so most likely, God's scolding wouldn't sound quite like that. But that's how I imagine it would be! This little verse assures us that we can approach the mighty throne of God and ask Him for wisdom and He will freely give it to us!

2. Ask in Faith-vs. 6
A: Don't be a Wave of the Sea
*Driven with the wind
*Tossed
-don't be controlled or influenced by outside forces. 1 John 2:15 says "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world, if any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." Stay far away from the world. God says to be in the world but not of it. This world is not our home, and so although we are in the world, we are not to act like it. Make God our only counsel. It is so important to be surrounded by godly company, because who our friends are determines who we are. Don't let the craziness of the world change our direction, or take our eyes away from God.
-Faith is the basis of our belief. Be strong in faith, and never take your eyes off Christ! When our faith wavers, we will fall. Be strong in your faith walk. Otherwise, you are as dangerous, reckless, and directionless as a wave of the sea.
*Double Minded-vs 8
-a double minded man is unstable in all his ways- you never know what he is going to do!
-he shall not receive anything of the Lord!-vs. 7-we cannot expect God to give us anything when we are not living a lifestyle that please and honors Him. When we are right with God, that is when He blesses.

Divers Temptations-Chapter 1 vv. 2-4

2"My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
3"Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
4"But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing."

*Divers Temptations*

1. The Receiver of Temptation-vs. 2
A. The Unsaved
-the devil does throw temptation into the path of the unsaved man, trying to get him to stumble more and keep him farther from God and salvation
B. The Saved
-James is writing specifically to the believer, and here is challenging children of God to watch for temptation. Once we are saved, we cannot lose our salvation. Even though the devil has lost our soul, he will still fight for our life, and do everything in his power to try to tempt us out of God's perfect will for us and lead us down a path of destruction.

2. The Reason for Temptation-vs. 3
A. Satan's Reason
-Satan tempts us for one reason, and one reason alone, and that is to steer us away from God, ultimately leading us to ruin. 1 Peter 5:8 says that the devil walketh about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Satan knows that he can never claim our soul for hell, but he can recruit us into his service, which may offer fun and freedom for a time, but sin is only fun for a season.
B. God's Reason
-Don't be deceived, God does not tempt! As we will see later in this chapter, God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth He any man! However, He does allow Satan to tempt us. Whatever the exact temptation, or reason, God wants to get glory from our life, including difficult circumstances and times of temptations!
-Temptations, when we react as God would have us to, try our faith and bring patience. Temptations are a trial, but they bring godly attributes and qualities out. They help to grow us closer to God, and stronger in our Christian walks, in our Christian characteristics.

3. The Right Reaction to Temptation-vs. 2,4a
-Let's recap, God's reason for us to go through temptations is for His glory, and for the trying of our faith to work patience within us. Similiar to that, the right reaction to tempting, is to let patience have her perfect work.
-When going through times of tempting and trials, rely on God. Be joyful in Christ, and find things to thank Him and praise Him for, giving Him the glory. When you focus on how good God is, it makes the situation a lighter load. And, and it allows God to be glorified, which is our purpose on earth.
-According to verse 2, divers temptations are to be counted a joy! Not because they are fun, and we are to enjoy having attacks thrown at us by the lion, Satan. They are a joy, because it gives us the opportunity to grow as Christians, and closer to our Father. When we look at it as a joy, it is easier to endure the situation. Giving thanks to God and having godly joy is part of our commanded reaction.
-If nothing good comes of the situation, if God gains no glory, if we do not grow closer to God and stronger as a person and in our Christian walk, then the hard times we've gone through are all in vain. No matter how much we've endured, if we do not react as God tells us to, then the hard time was worth nothing, it was wasted. If you endure hardship, don't you want it to be worth something??? Don't you want it to have a positive result? Make the hard times worth-while!

4. The Rewards of Temptation-vs. 4b
-"that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing". We all, unfortunetly, have a human nature. Even the sweetest, most angelic and well-behaved baby is born with a sin nature. It is because of that sin, that we can never make it to heaven on our own, we need Jesus Christ to save our souls. And, because of that sin nature, even the saved man can never be, truly perfect. But, we are still commanded by God to live godly, and holy, and to reflect Christ as best we can in our lives.
-When we stand through temptation, and endure against the devils attacks, it gives God glory. But it is so much greater for God, and life-impacting for us when we let God work in us through the struggle. It is just as when a refiner is purifying gold. The fire must be very hot, and the gold must be melted, and continually purged and skimmed and strained and purified. The refiner knows his gold is clean when he looks down and sees his own reflection in the pool of melted gold. When we go through trials, God is placing us in the fire. The heat from the fire brings the filth in our lives to the surface, and temptations and struggles, are the times that God uses to scrape off the unpurities off the top, with the goal of one day seeing His reflection in our life.