James: A Letter from Jesus’ Brother
Overcoming Temptation -- James 1:19-21
What is really going on when we are tempted and being drawn into sin? Maybe yesterday you snapped at your wife, or gossiped about someone, or neglected prayer, or envied your neighbors new car. What’s really going on when we are tempted and being drawn into sin?
Look at how the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah put it in Jeremiah 2:12-13 –
Be appalled, O heavens, at this; be shocked, be utterly desolate, declares the LORD, for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water.
Jeremiah says we are all thirsty. Our hearts thirst for joy and meaning and security and pleasure. And God is the fountain of living water. He is so real, so great, so sovereign, so good, so loving – that when we turn to Him and trust Him and know Him – all our heart thirsts are completely satisfied.
And even though we’ve all turned our backs on Him and so have faced His punishment forever – He can still be a fountain of living water to us. How? Because He came to earth in the person of Jesus, and Jesus was punished for our sin. So if you are trusting Jesus, then you are completely forgiven by God, and you can have all your heart thirsts satisfied in knowing God.
But we find that we still are tempted and drawn into sin. This past week – to my shame – I felt and nurtured bitterness towards someone. So here’s what Jeremiah says is going on. Here’s God – a fountain of living water who can satisfy me so much that I can forgive any hurt. But instead of drinking from the fountain of living water, I turned my back on God and hewed out cisterns of bitterness to satisfy my thirst. Was my thirst satisfied? No. That cistern was bone-dry.
That’s what happens every time we sin. We turn from the fountain of God to the cistern of lust; still thirsty. We turn from the fountain of God to the cistern of people-pleasing; still thirsty. We turn from the fountain of God to self-righteousness; still thirsty. We turn from the fountain of God to hours of mindless entertainment; and we’re still thirsty.
That’s what happens when we sin. But why would we do that? Why this past week would I turn from God the fountain of living water, to the dry cistern of bitterness? Why? Is it because a dry cistern of bitterness is so much more satisfying than the fountain of living water? No. Is it because I’m just not disciplined enough to turn from a dry cistern to a fountain of water? No.
So why would I turn from God to bitterness? It’s because at that moment I’m willfully blind to God. At that moment I’m saying -- “I’m thirsty. That fountain of living water pouring out thirst-quenching water – it’s not real. There’s no water there. I’ve got to find my own water. I’ll try to get some water by being bitter.” At that moment my heart is willfully blind towards God.
Whenever I’m being drawn into sin, it’s because I’m willfully blind to God. So what can I do? Jesus’ brother, James, wrote a letter to a group of believers who were facing terrible trials, and with them terrible temptations. And many of them had become willfully blind to God. And in this letter James tells them what they can do to be set free from that willful blindness. So let’s go ahead and turn to James 1. If you need a Bible, raise your hand and we’ll bring one to you. James 1 is on page 1011 in the Bibles we are passing out.
So what can we do when we are being drawn into sin? James tells us in vv.19-20 – but when you first read it, it sounds like James is talking about something else. Look at vv.19-20 --
19 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;
20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
I used to think James was telling us to be quick to listen to other people, slow to speak to other people, and slow to be angry with other people. But if that’s what he’s saying, then he’s abruptly changed topics without any warning.
So I wondered – is James really urging us to be quick to hear other people? Maybe there’s something else he’s urging us to be quick to hear. So I looked in the following verses to see if there was anything about hearing – and I noticed in v.22 that James talks about hearers – of the Word – God’s Word. And then I noticed in v.21 that James urges us to receive the Word – God’s Word. And then I looked at the previous verses – and I noticed that James had just mentioned God’s Word in v.18, and in v.17 had urged his listeners to hear the truth of God’s goodness.
So it seems like in v.19 James is telling us that when we are being drawn into sin we should be quick to hear God’s Word.
OK. So what about being slow to speak and slow to anger? Is there any place in the previous verses where he’s told us to be slow to speak something, and slow to be angry? Yes, in v.13 – let no one “say” (speak) “I am being tempted by God,” which is a statement that would be made in anger.
Does that make sense? So in vv.19 and 20 James is saying: when you find that you are being tempted and drawn towards sin – be quick to hear God’s Word, and be slow to speak angrily against God as if he’s the one pulling your heart towards sin.
Then James says the same thing with different words in v.21 –
Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
So here’s what we should do when we find that we have been drawn into sin – when we find that we are willfully blind to Jesus: we should be quick to hear God’s Word, we should not speak angrily against God, and we should receive God’s Word into our hearts.
Now why is that so important? The answer’s right there in v.21. Read it again --
Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
The reason it’s so important to receive the word – is because the word can save our souls. Which means that when we are being drawn into sin, when we are willfully blind to Jesus, our souls need to be saved.
What does that mean? Just like James’ readers, many of us already trust Jesus; which means we have been saved from the guilt of all our sin. But – just like James readers – when we find ourselves being pulled into sin, when we are willfully blind to God, we need to be saved from the power of that sin. Sin has arisen in our hearts – and it’s crucial that be saved from the power of that sin.
Why? James told us in vv.14-15 --
14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.
15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.
Remember what we saw last week? V.14 talks about how temptation comes from our own desire – so this last week I desired the feeling of being bitter. And then v.15 says that when we yield to that desire the result is sin – “I can’t believe that person did that to me. How dare they! Oh, I’m mad at them.”
And in the rest of v.15 James says that unless that sin is stopped, it will continue to grow until it brings forth death. Unless something happens, that bitterness will grow and spread and harden my heart so I never turn back to Jesus, so I walk away from Jesus – which means I will die forever spiritually. And like we saw last week, that does not mean someone can lose their salvation; if this happens to someone it means they were never saved.
But can you feel how serious this is? When you find that you are willfully blind to God, it’s like there’s a malignant tumor in you, which will grow, and grow and grow until it kills you. Like John Owen said: “Be killing sin, or sin will be killing you.” That’s why it’s so important that we be saved from that sin.
So how can my soul be saved from that sin? There’s good news: your soul can be saved from that sin. Read v.21 again --
Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
The Word of God is able to save your soul from that sin. Which is why – when we feel ourselves drawn toward sin, we must be quick to hear God’s Word – we must receive the implanted Word which is able to save our souls.
That’s what we should do. But is that what we usually do? What do you usually do when you are being tempted and pulled away from Jesus into sin? I thought of four things we do besides turn to God’s Word.
Some of us beat ourselves up. “There I go again, feeling bitter. Fuller, you’re an idiot. You’re no Christian. That’s not what Christians do. Shame, shame, shame.” Anyone else respond to sin by beating yourself up? And what’s the result? I’ve just moved from the empty cistern of bitterness, to the empty cistern of self-pity. But I’m not back at the fountain of living water. And the tumor is growing.
Others make resolutions. “I can’t believe I’m bitter again. That does it. I’m going to get serious about following Jesus. I’m going to stop being bitter. I’m going to forgive people and just let the hurts go.” Anyone try that? What’s the result? I’ve just moved from the empty cistern of bitterness, to the empty cistern of self-reliance. But I’m not back at the fountain of living water. And the tumor is growing.
Others give up. “I can’t believe I’m feeling bitter again. I guess I’m just not a very good Christian. Figures. I’m a failure in everything else as well. Oh, well. What’s on TV?” Anyone try that? What’s the result? I’ve just moved from the empty cistern of bitterness to the empty cistern of despair. But I’m not back at the fountain of living water. And the tumor is growing.
Others try to change apart from Jesus. “Dr. Phil said don’t be bitter, be better. He said I’d have a lot more friends if I stopped being bitter. OK, I’ll try it. Wow -- it worked! I stopped being bitter – and they liked me.” Anyone try to change apart from Jesus? What’s the result? I’ve just moved from the empty cistern of bitterness to the empty cistern of trying to impress people. But I’m not back at the fountain of living water. And the tumor is still growing.
None of those approaches save us from our sin, because none of them involve us turning to God’s Word. But the good news is that if we will be quick to hear God’s Word and receive God’s Word -- our souls will be saved. Our willful blindness will be healed. We’ll see Jesus for who He is and turn back to Him and drink. And the tumor will have been killed.
OK. But now how many times have you tried this and it didn’t work? How many times have you heard – “when you are tempted, read the Bible, and sin will be overcome,” so you opened up and read the Bible, but nothing happened?
But still, James says that if we will hear the Word, if we will receive the Word, the Word will save our souls from the sin. Every time you feel yourself being drawn into sin – God’s Word has the power to save you from that sin. But it’s not just any kind of hearing that will save our souls. James says there’s a certain kind of hearing that will save our souls.
So how can we hear in a way that will save our souls? I see four steps in v.21.
First, turn your attention away from sin and put it back on Jesus. I see that at the beginning of v.21 --
Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word …
The Greek shows that the “putting away” is something we do in order to receive the Word. First we put sin away; then we can hear the Word. So turn your attention away from the sin, and direct it to Jesus. So I needed to stop and turn my attention from my bitterness, and direct it back to Jesus.
So at this point you are looking towards the fountain, but you’re probably still feeling willful blindness. You are looking toward Jesus, but you’re not yet drawn to Jesus. But even though you’re not feeling it yet, this is still the crucial first step. Turn your attention away from sin, and direct it towards Jesus.
Then second, humble yourself before God. Read v.21 again --
Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word …
“With meekness.” Meekness is another word for humility. So humble yourself before God. Humble yourself by recognizing that you’ve sinned against Him. Humble yourself by recognizing that you deserve eternal punishment. Humble yourself by recognizing that you can’t change your own heart. Humble yourself by admitting that you can only be forgiven and accepted through Jesus. Humble yourself by recognizing that it’s only by His sovereign mercy that your heart can be changed. So humble yourself before God.
If you don’t humble yourself before God, you won’t experience his heart-changing power. So humble yourself before God.
Then third, trust God’s word-implanting power. V.21 again --
Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word …
When God first saved you He implanted the Word in you. Your heart was full of willful blindness. But that didn’t stop Him. He broke through that willful blindness and implanted His word in your heart – and for the first time you saw Jesus as your Savior, you saw God as the fountain of living water – and you trusted Him and were saved.
James’ point is that just as God broke through your willful blindness and implanted His Word in you then, He will do the same now. No matter how hard your heart feels. No matter how much willful blindness is there. God’s power will change your heart.
And fourth, prayerfully ponder the Word about Jesus. V.21 again --
Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
Open up the Bible to a passage that displays who Jesus is. I’ve put a few in your notes. Ponder passages about Jesus’ love for you, about Jesus’ mercy to you, about His majesty and greatness and goodness and glory. And as you ponder these passages, earnestly pray and ask Jesus to change your heart. Ask Jesus to reveal Himself to you.
As you do that, He will free you from your willful blindness. You’ll once again see Him as a fountain of living water. You will desire Him more than everything else. The tumor will have been killed. Your soul will have been saved from the power of that sin. And you will come to Him, and drink, and your heart- thirsts will be completely quenched.