Welcome. Thanks for joining us. I am so glad you have chosen to be here to learn more from God’s Word. You won’t regret it. Today, our lesson is a continuation of last week’s lesson. The topic is one we all deal with: temptation. Last week, we spent time understanding temptation, and now, this week, we will learn about overcoming it. There is nothing wrong with temptation, but giving in to temptation and sin is a problem. Hebrews say that Jesus was tempted just like us, yet He never sinned. This is our goal, and Lord willing, today, we are more like Jesus through this teaching.
Turning to James 1, Bible teacher J Mark will give three actions to overcome temptation.
In our previous study, we looked at James 1:12-16. From those verses, we discussed the subject of “Understanding Temptation.” We learned that while God has a design for our temptations, He is not their source. Our temptations come from our desires. Satan delights in exploiting our desires to drive a wedge between us and our Heavenly Father. Satan uses our desires to bring us into bondage and then accuses us to the Father because of our failures.
But understanding temptation, by itself, will not bring victory. We need to know how to overcome temptation. And that’s the focus of our time in the Word today, “Overcoming Temptation.” Our Scripture text is James 1:17-21.
17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
18 Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits of His creatures.
19 So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath;
20 for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
21 Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
This text reveals several ACTIONS we can take in our battle to overcome temptation.
The First ACTION is,
Accept the Incarnate Word
James laid out the progression of temptation in the verses just before our text. The seed of an idea is planted in the mind by our desire. If that seed is not immediately removed, it sprouts and grows roots; we’re making plans. And finally, we act out our thoughts and plans. James shows us that, in ourselves, we are incapable of making the right choice.
But praise God, he doesn’t leave us in that hopeless condition. He assures us that evil has its roots in uncontrolled desire, so good has its roots in God, our Heavenly Father. He explains that our temptation to evil cannot come from God because He is the Father of Lights. He is the Creator of Light, and He IS Light! There is no trace of darkness, not even a shadow in Him.
Now, look at the contrast. Man follows His desires for sin, death, and destruction, while God follows His desires for light, life, and eternal reward. God spoke into the pre-creation darkness, bringing light and life. And He spoke into the unbridgeable chasm between His holiness and our sinfulness through the Incarnate Word, Jesus Christ, God in the flesh.
James points out that by an act of God’s will, His own initiative, He begat us with the word of truth. The word begat means, to bring forth, to sire, or produce. And how did He do that? Through the word of truth – the Logos, the Living Word – Jesus Christ Himself.
Jesus came to earth to bear witness to the truth (John 18:37). As the Logos, the Living Word, He was and is Truth in person. He is an accurate reflection of His Heavenly Father.
And why did our Heavenly Father send Jesus to us? In verse 18, “That we should be a kind of first fruits of his creation.” What is the significance of the first fruits?
In the Law, the offering of the first fruits was given at the beginning of the barley harvest. It represented the entire harvest to come. We don’t have time to examine this closely, but we can make this observation: surrendering our will to God’s will and believing in Jesus Christ for salvation is like an offering of first fruits. It is a token of the fruitfulness that will grow from our lives because Christ controls our thoughts, words, and actions. The Divine Nature has been planted in us and will bring forth fruit.
This is our only hope of overcoming temptation. No amount of willpower will ever give us victory. There are multitudes of religious people who are trying to be good and exercise willpower to be accepted by God. But that will not work. The only lasting solution to our sin problem is to accept the Incarnate Word, Jesus, as the only way to the Father. When we permit Him to deal with our sin at its root, our sinful nature, His power becomes ours to overcome temptation. Therefore, the first action we must take to overcome temptation is to accept the Incarnate Word.
The Second ACTION is,
Reject the Intemperate Word
Later in this letter, James spends a whole chapter dealing with our speech. Here, he mentions it briefly in the context of overcoming temptation. Let’s take a closer look.
Because God is the source of all light; because He is the giver of all good gifts; because He is unchanging; because He brought us into His family through the sacrifice of His Son; because He wants His adopted ones, you and me, to bear the fruit of His nature in us: because of all these things he wants us to reject the intemperate word, the uncontrolled word, the injurious word. The only way to do that is to follow the prescription He lays out in these verses.
First, we must be quick to hear. The Greek word also means more than hearing a sound. It means to understand with a view to obedience. Next, we should be hesitant to speak. Too often, I get these turned around. I am slow to hear and quick to speak! James says we need to learn to listen carefully before speaking if we hope to overcome temptation.
If we ignore this sequence, what will likely happen? Just what James says—an explosion of anger! In my experience, anger often expresses itself in harsh and hurtful words. When our expectations are unmet, our pride is offended, or someone else gets credit for what we’ve done, we often respond angrily. They set in motion a reaction from others, and relationships are damaged. Our relationship with God is affected, too.
In verse 20, James explains why we should reject the intemperate word. Unrestrained passions, expressed in angry words, do not accomplish the righteousness of God. God desires to bring men and women into a right relationship with Him and with each other. Angry, condemning words can potentially drive people farther away from God and each other.
The only way to overcome the temptation to angry speech is to, by God’s grace, listen carefully and speak only after we’ve evaluated what we’re about to say. I often discover I haven’t gathered all the facts when I get angry. I haven’t taken the time to listen carefully and consider the impact of my words.
Why is it so important that we learn to reject the intemperate word? Our speech is simply a window into our soul. And if our speech is uncontrolled, you can be sure there are more severe areas of life that lack control. In fact, James points this out in the final verse of our text. That brings us to the final action in our quest for “Overcoming Temptation.”
The Final ACTION is,
Receive the Implanted Word
Earlier, I said, “If our speech is uncontrolled, you can be sure there are more serious areas of life lacking control.” Notice verse 21. James admonishes us to put away all filthiness. In the Bible, filthiness is in the context of moral impurity. Angry people are often immoral people. Why? They are unable or unwilling to exercise self-control. So, the first thing James says we’re to put away is moral impurity.
Then he says, “the overflow of wickedness.” This phrase refers to the source of moral impurity. An overflow is an abundance. And wickedness refers to our depravity, our sinful nature. So, we could paraphrase the first part of the verse like this. “So then, my dearly beloved brothers, cast aside every form of moral impurity and the overflowing depravity that it springs from…”
You see, even after we have accepted the Incarnate Word, there is still a raging battle between the spirit and the soul. James addresses that conflict in the last part of this verse. He says we are to “receive with meekness the implanted word which is able to save your soul.” He doesn’t say that it will save your spirit. That has already been redeemed because you have accepted Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Word, as Savior and Lord. But now, your soul must be redeemed. Your mind, will, and emotions must be controlled by God. Your practices must be brought into line with your position in Christ.
And James tells us how to do that: “…receive with meekness the implanted word…” In verses 19 and 20, James speaks of angry words and uncontrolled passions. Here, he speaks of humility and strength under control. We are to accept the implanted Word with meekness and humility. The implanted Word is Christ, who has come to live in our hearts by faith and wants to conform us to His image in every way.
There is another aspect of this implanted word. We have a responsibility to implant the words of God, the Bible, into our minds and hearts. Jesus is our example. What did He use to overcome His temptation? The Scriptures, and not just any portion of them. He used specific portions that dealt with the point of temptation. We must be able to do that, too. If we are not implanting the Word of God in our minds and receiving and applying it with humility, we will not successfully overcome temptation.
This, brothers and sisters, is the secret to overcoming temptation: to bring our mind, will, and emotions under the control of the Spirit of God who lives within us.
Our spirit is reborn when we accept the Incarnate Word, Jesus Christ. When, by His grace and the spiritual power He gives, we reject the Intemperate Word, we know He is at work in us. Finally, when we receive the Implanted Word with humility, we overcome temptation even as our minds, will, and emotions transform. “Thanks be to God, which gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Did you catch the secret to overcoming temptation? Thanks, J Mark, for sharing this teaching with us. Here is what we must do to overcome temptation: “We must bring our mind, will, and emotions under the control of the Spirit of God who lives in us.” This is where the power lies, yielding ourselves to Him. What a great lesson, and it’s such a good reminder for followers of Christ. We must continue to surrender, we must “die daily,” and we present our bodies as living sacrifices. This truth is taught all throughout the Bible in many different places.
Thanks, J Mark, for your encouragement and listening to Hope for Today. If you have any questions or want to hear more teaching from Heralds of Hope, here is how you can reach us: our email is hope@heraldsofhope.org. And, of course, you can write to us: Hope for Today, Box 3, Breezewood, PA 15533. We would love to hear from you; please get in touch with us, however it is easiest for you.
At the beginning, I referenced the verse from Hebrews 4; here is that verse. “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.” May this verse give you the courage to overcome temptation and live like Jesus.
