Nate Roten / James / Temptation; Wisdom / James 1:9–18
Main Idea
Seeking godly wisdom leads to true riches, spiritual growth, and victory over temptation.
[opening story] Story of the Treasure in the Field.
Passage
James 1:9–18 CSB
Let the brother of humble circumstances boast in his exaltation, but let the rich boast in his humiliation because he will pass away like a flower of the field.. For the sun rises and, together with the scorching wind, dries up the grass; its flower falls off, and its beautiful appearance perishes. In the same way, the rich person will wither away while pursuing his activities.
Blessed is the one who endures trials, because when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
No one undergoing a trial should say, “I am being tempted by God,” since God is not tempted by evil, and he himself doesn’t tempt anyone. But each person is tempted when he is drawn away and enticed by his own evil desire. Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully grown, it gives birth to death.
Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. By his own choice, he gave us birth by the word of truth so that we would be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
I – External Temptation (vv. 9-11)
Interestingly, James elaborates on external trials by encouraging the rich and the poor to boast (or take pride in something). James draws out the nature of trials in both economic statuses. Both lead to trials and can boast in their positions, but not in the way we would typically think. Their boasting goes in the opposite direction of where we think it should lead: the poor in their exaltation and the rich in their humiliation.
Poor man – boast in exaltation
Trials
• falling prey to the allure of wealth
• sense of failure in life
• going deeper into debt to feel rich
• victim mentality
• chasing treasures outside of God
• lust for power and prestige
• are exploited by the wealthy
• false piety
Reality
Jesus exalts those in humble worldly economic status:
• The widows might – (Mark 12:41-44)
• Lazarus and the rich man – (Luke 16:19-31)
• Beatitudes – blessed are the poor, because the kingdom of God is yours (Luke 6:20)
Therefore, the poor are encouraged to boast in their exaltation. Why? Because their circumstance drives them to dependence. And God is a loving Father who knows your needs (Luke 12:22-34) and will give you heavenly treasures when you focus on Him rather than worldly riches. When you rely on the Father’s provision, you get a unique vantage point to experience the Father’s heart. To recognize and live out your dependence on God for daily living is to live in light of God’s economy. And when you can do that, you pass the test of the trial.
Rich man – boast in humiliation
Trials
• the lie of self-sufficiency
• sense of winning at life
• arrogance
• demeaning others of humble circumstances
• favoritism
• all the sins that stem from self-indulgence
Reality
• riches are fleeting like the temporal beauty of a flower in an open field
• Luke’s account of Jesus’ beatitudes gives woes to the rich for having their comforts in this life.
• Jesus was clear in the story of the dishonest manager that you cannot serve God and money (Luke 16).
• The love of money is the root of all sorts of evil
• The rich young ruler couldn’t bear to part with his possessions
Scripture warns repeatedly about the dangers and deceptions of wealth. It gives false security, is a fleeting identity, and corrupts the heart. When you are wrapped up in the false confidence and allure, you won’t seek for God. The call to boast in humility beacons the rich to recognize the temporary nature of their riches (which tie into security and position), protects the rich from stepping into such traps, and directs their attention to the same God who exalts the lowly.
We are to be counter-cultural to worldly wisdom and practices. The rich and poor alike can overcome their unique worldly impulses, which come with their economic status, and learn to treasure Christ over everything, like the man who found the treasure in a field and joyfully sold everything he had to get it.
II – James’ Beatitude (v. 12)
This almost sounds like one of Jesus’ beatitudes, doesn’t it?
James 1:12 CSB
Blessed is the one who endures trials, because when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
James circles back to the natural fruit of trials, which is endurance. Earlier, he said that trials produce steadfastness, and when that has come to full term, the believer will be mature and complete, lacking nothing.
Now, he adds another element to the mix: the crown of life. There are differing views of what this means: Is it a physical crown I will receive in heaven? Is it an illusion of eternal life itself? Does it describe the quality of my spiritual life while I am still physically alive? I suppose it could be a heavenly crown, though I don’t think it is. And even if it was, it’s likely of the garland crown of an Olympic champion rather than a golden crown, and I would just throw it back at the feet of Jesus anyway. Perhaps it alludes to eternal life, though there will be those who enter heaven by escaping through the flames, so that doesn’t seem quite right, either.
For me, the key is in the word “blessed.” This is the word Jesus used in the Beatitudes and was intended for people to have now, not just in eternity. The blessing is inner joy and peace from resting in Christ. I become blessed when I am strong enough to withstand the trial and pass the test. The reward of my endurance is spiritual victory over sin that enables me to live in Christ’s freedom, not in slavery to my sin. Because of Christ’s work in me and my enduring trust in Him, I am the victor.
III – Internal Temptation (vv. 13-15)
Imperative: “Let no one say.” Don’t even allow the thought to enter your mind that God is at work when you are tempted. Banish the idea immediately because that is from the evil one!
God is not tempted. Therefore, God does not tempt. Temptation is an enticement to sin. As we said last week, trials are tests. Temptations are enticements. Those are two very different things. The former is God-given to mature your faith. The latter comes from the person you see when you look in the mirror. And, while it’s true that Satan tempts (he tempted Jesus in the wilderness) and is even called the Tempter, he is only pulling on a string that already exists in your heart, and from James’ perspective, you are the one setting the trap and luring yourself in it. In fishing terms, you’ve hooked yourself and are reeling yourself in! James also provides a helpful illustration to help us understand temptation’s progression and escalation.
Each person = every person. So, every human is tempted when their heart desires entice them to sin. It begins in the mind and heart (much like how Jesus said that adultery is committed when it happens in the mind and heart).
Step 1 – a thought in the mind ignites a desire in the heart.
Step 2 – the heart’s desire is like a pregnant mother carrying a child. Still, instead of a beautiful child and image-bearer, sin is in in utero… growing, developing, and coming to full term until it is birthed from the internal thought life into the external world through action.
Step 3 – Now active in the world, sin grows and matures until she also becomes pregnant, and when this pregnancy comes to term, the child that is delivered is death.
The irony is that the life cycle is used to illustrate how sin leads to death. We think sin is fun. We think it will bring enjoyment and an exciting life, but in reality, when it is fully conceived, it doesn’t produce life; it takes life.
We must see the cycle because the wisdom of identifying it will deter its development. Still, just as importantly, we need to remember the imperative because that is the appeal to godly wisdom. We should never point our finger skyward and blame God for our own entrapment. God is not the giver of sinful enticements. That is a beast of our own making.
The holy character of God stands and is where James wants to draw us back to.
IV – Therefore Don’t be Deceived (vv. 16-18)
The heart’s inclinations are so strong that James reiterates the need for wisdom by urging us not to be deceived. Above all, we must see God for who He is.
God is not the Tempter; He is the Father of lights and the Giver of good gifts.
A trial is a good gift because it produces endurance and spiritual maturity. The result is the crown of life because, in Christ, we have life. Also, as John tells us in the first chapter of his gospel account, Jesus is both the life and light of man. James calls God the Father of lights. This was first a reference to Genesis when God created the sun, moon, and stars. Any light that exists has its beginning in the eternal creator. But, there is a secondary meaning.
Because God is the creator and embodiment of light, there is no darkness (1 John 1:5), even to the smallest scale of a shifting shadow. There is absolutely no darkness (therefore, He will not tempt you to participate in darkness) in Him, and this will never change. This is why James 1:17 is often used to highlight God’s unchanging nature (or immutability). He is light and will always be light because He never changes. And His light is all-encompassing. He will not cast shadows on His people in the form of temptations.
God gave us this life and light from His own will. He sovereignly chooses to draw His people into His glorious light.
In parallel to desire’s birth of sin, we are birthed by the word of truth as a type of first fruits of His creatures.
The ultimate gift of wisdom was given in Jesus, the ‘word of truth’ and the first fruits of salvation, thus pointing to the Christocentric nature of seeking and valuing godly wisdom.
Takeaways
- Trusting in God’s provision and not worldly wealth leads to spiritual growth in this life and heavenly treasures in the next.
- Because of Christ’s work in me and my enduring trust in Him, I am the victor over sin.
- When tempted, I must realize that the enticement always comes from within my own fallen mind and heart.
- Remember God’s character and trust Him when you are in the midst of a trial.
Questions to Consider
- What progression and escalation of temptation is illustrated in the sermon, and how is it connected to the concept of sin leading to death?
- How can you remember God’s character and trust Him when you are facing challenges and trials in your life?
- What warnings does the Scripture give about the dangers and deceptions of wealth?
- Why are the poor encouraged to boast in their exaltation?