The Book of James: The Seduction of Sin

Speaker: Pastor Steve Byrens

James 1:13-14 (NLT), “And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else. 14 Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away.”

LIFEPOINT: The battle with our sinful temptations is either won or lost, based on whether we choose to believe that God is good, or that sin is good.

The Declaration of Independence begins with a powerful claim: Every human being is endowed by God with certain rights that come, not from our government, but directly from God Himself. It goes on to describe these rights as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. When we look around at our culture, it seems that everyone is chasing happiness. Everyone is trying to do the things they believe will make them happy. But what happens when our pursuit of happiness is not based on God’s design for human flourishing, but is based instead on things that God opposes in His Word? What happens when our pursuit of happiness is based on the fallen desires that have warped the human conscience ever since the fall in the Garden of Eden?

Our passage today from the Book of James deals directly with these questions. As is typical for James, he does not mince any words and cuts right to the heart of the matter. Through our study of James 1:13-18, we will discover an essential spiritual truth: The battle with our sinful temptations is either won or lost, based on whether we believe that God is good, or that sin is good.

In His Service

Pastor Steve