Episode 43 “Marks of a Mature Christian, Part 3”

So welcome back. I’m glad you’ve joined us for this program where we’re gonna dig deeper in and see the temptations from within and how to deal with them. It’s amazing how James Chapter one just cracks open the insights concerning the word of God and how not just hearing God’s word, but really stooping in and studying and really learning and then letting it transform us and uh to have the word and grafted in us, not just be a hero but a door of the word or else we deceive ourselves so many things about the word of God and how we really deal with the L. S. D. Of the bible. I call it lost sin and death join Vicki and I as we get into this discussion now, thanks again for joining us. So we’ve been talking about the testing and pressure and trials. Petra’s most that comes from the outside. It’s gonna transition to trials and temptations that come from the inside but the same word Peter’s most. And but I want to transition verse 12 of Chapter one. All the way to 1212 is the is the transition verse and notice what it says. Blessed Macario says. The man who perseveres roman meno under trial periods mose for once he has been approved Vokey mush. You know, God approves us to make us go forward. He tests us to make us go forward and succeed. The devil, satan will tempt us that same word to make us fall and collapse and go away from God God will allow the pressure that comes when we go towards God. Satan brings pressure will take that same pressure and wants us and causes us to go towards trusting in ourselves, going our own way, the lust of the flesh. The lust of the eyes, the pride of life, the things that come from that area. And then it says, when we are approved, when when we go God’s way, he will, the person will receive the crown stefano, which is a crown that you get in an olympic game, not the the one that a king would wear and of of life, the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love him. And that’s really the motivating factor in this whole thing is love for jesus christ that that right. There is the reason why we can bear up with anything in our life. Vicki Amen. There are several places that in the new testament. Talk about this love. It starts in Deuteronomy 79. no, therefore the Lord, your God, he is a god. He is a faithful god who keeps his covenant and his loving kindness to thousands of generations, with those who love him and keep his commandments. It’s repeated in Nehemiah 15 for those who love him and keep his commandments Again in Daniel Chapter 9 4. For those who love him and keep his commandments uh in Isaiah all throughout the scriptures. And then in romans, it also mentions it in first Corinthians 29 quoting Isaiah 64 but those but just as it is written thing, things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, which has not entered into the heart of man. All that God has prepared for those who love him Romans 8 28. And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God and to those who are called according to his purpose. Again, it talks about uh in other places, those who love him to those who love him James one verse 12 right here. So I just it’s such a transition verse, it’s so powerful that all the stuff we go through the motivation for us to mature and become like jesus christ and become into his image, his love for him. Uh you want to follow that up with something baby. Well, I think that you’re talking about this, this goal that God has for us and now he’s transitioned us to understand that tests are different than temptations because okay, because the temptations come from within us ourselves and when we go through other things that people do to us, a lot of times, people say God is in control of everything, but he he has given us a free will and when we make bad choices and we go by our lust, the lust of the flesh, the lust can’t blame God and the boastful pride of life, We cannot say when someone is trafficked or sexually abused or beaten and drunken and all these other things that we choose to do as sinful individuals and blame God. Well, God’s in control. He was in control of your the consequences of your choices. But he’s not always allowing you to do his well, because you can do as well. But you choose to go on your own temptations and don’t blame God for the situation you got yourself in and blame God for your problem. Well, that’s exactly what it talks about in uh Going into the temptation that comes from the inside. Let’s just look at the temptations from the Inside vs 13-27. It says, let no one say when he is tempted Erazo, I am being tempted. Erazo by God. For God cannot be tempted appear a stows. In fact, this is kind of a title that God is in this category. Appear estos cannot be tempted by evil cocoas. And he himself, of course, does not tempt anyone. Pere So, I mean, that’s so clear. The temptation does not come from God. He is not going to cause us to be tempted in a way so we can fail and fall. That’s just not the way he works. He’s not gonna punish us for what he tempted us to do. He doesn’t do that. No, no, no, he doesn’t do it directly. But one each one is Ek casters. And that means each and everyone, this is very personal individually. You know, he is viewed distinctly, one is tempted. It says we are tempted when he is carried away and enticed. That is an interesting word. Delia Jasso 1185 year from Bait. You’re just like you bait animals and you capture them just like you bait fish and you capture them. This is how the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life, the world, the flesh and the devil move on and bait a person bait us and we get caught. Uh that’s the word for Delia bait and uh it says lust. It comes from the videos from our own lust pt media focused on and uh the most epi is on and the most is is uh passion and desire. So that’s what it’s talking about here. And Vicki continue reading the scripture verse 15 here now. Well the word empathy mia is also not only in a negative sense, it’s also in a positive. Yes, you can have, you can have great passion. Uh then when lust has conceived it gives birth to sin and marta. And when sin is accomplished apo te leo it brings forth death Thanatos do not be deceived flannel properly to go a straight and get off course and right deviate from the correct path of my beloved brethren. Every good I got those thing given and every perfect gift. Dorit Dodoma is from above coming down from the father of lights with whom there is no variation pal pal strong a lot but or shifting therapy shadow a post kiam mas. Yeah this is uh this is uh you know comes from ski a but a poor fully in the shade. Yeah shifting shadow God, it doesn’t work like that in the exercise of his will Voula me to plan with full resolve. He brought us forth uh Like this is an interesting word because it means to to emerge from and to uh Tokyo from Keio to be pregnant. Used very rarely to give birth to by the word of truth so that we would be a kind of first fruits among his creatures T ZMA. So now we’ll be were introduced to the word of God. The word of truth that brings us forth and births us into the family of God. It’s just a beautiful image here we become a new creation. Yes. Act Esma a new creation. That’s what that word means and then it continues this. You know my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear taxis swift, speedy without unnecessary delay and slow gravis to speak and slow to anger or he for the anger of men does not achieve the righteousness of God. Therefore putting aside all filthy nous repair area and all that remains of wickedness. Qalqilya every toss. I love this word from in humility it says and vetos. You receive the word implanted the word humility as priorities. Not not enough rossini but priorities. Received the word implanted which the word comes in. The picture is of God’s word now being plugged in and planted into our spirit into our heart, into our soul and germinates. It talks about germinating, growing and springing up properly implant, bringing in living union like a successfully in grafted shoot which is able to save your soul. So what is God saying? He’s saying, look with all of these inner temptations, you have to go with, the battle is on the inside and you have to bring the word of God on the inside. Even as it says in first peter in first john chapter two and verse 14 that I’ve written out to you young men because you’re strong and the word of God is in you and you overcome the wicked one. So this is so important. And then there’s a little more scripture here keep reading, but prove yourselves. Doers of the word. And not merely here is who delude paddle. Oh Gizo made themselves for if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks cut in the ale at his natural face. In the mirror. S. S. S. S. S. Opteron a metallic mirror not made of glass for once he has looked cotton ale at himself and gone away. He has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But the one who looks intently part to keep though at the perfect law, the law of liberty and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hero but an effectual doer. This man will be blessed in what he does. You notice here that it’s talking about the word of God that we don’t start debating the word of God. We don’t stop. Para louise are you know, not just to be a hero but a door. We have to be active with the word of God. And then it talks about the fact that you know this is this, this is like a mirror and were looking intently at this mirror. This uh they had these metallic mirrors, we gotta look inside and to catch every every aspect of our face and uh himself we can’t just see what’s there and then go away and forget it. And then he says he I love this word but to keep the, which is one of the words used in uh when they went to the tomb of jesus, they were looking over and analyzing everything, Looking intently at the law of liberty. So God’s word is now viewed as the law of liberty. The law is doesn’t bind us. But when we’re able to, it frees us, it frees us and the law of liberty. And and abide by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does absolutely phenomenal. Read the last part if anyone thinks themselves to be religious freak owes. And yet because frisco’s uh and yet it’s not bridal Kalina go yell, That’s a hard one. Kalina says the the the bridle for a horse. Okay his tongue. But he deceives up a towel, his own heart. This man’s religion. There is a frisky Kia worthless Mateos and Martine without purpose or ground. Yeah. So what is he saying honey? He says, if you’re just, you know you you’re religious but you can’t bridal your tongue. You say your religious, this is a real problem in life. What you it’s Mateos. It’s a, it’s without any purpose or ground. You forget about saying your religious. If you can’t control your tongue. It’s so true because when we, what comes out of our heart comes out of our mouth and we spew forth if we don’t think before we speak. My mother used to tell me that all the time. And I heard somebody once say that if you have to scream and you yell, you already lost your argument. The judge, The judge said that to somebody remember they said once you lose your anger, you’ve lost the battle in a court when you start screaming, you’ve lost it. And then it says that the real religion, true religion in the sight of God and father is to visit orphans and widows in their distress. That’s really helping the helpless, reaching out and would love to meet the needs of those that can’t do it. And then finally keeping yourself unstained from the world. I love that word, you know, a speed loss, no spot, no mud on like a white suit with a with a spot you see it right away, you know? So from the cosmos, from the way the world you know, is coming luring the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life, the world, the flesh, the devil. These things are coming in and God says, look, I’m gonna give you power. So the power is where and he explains the power. It’s in the word of God and that whole from 13 through 27, it was just an exposition of how the word of God could meet our inner temptations and our external test that come into our life. Wonderful. Yeah. So what do you have to say about the word of God and what it’s done for you personally? It transformed me into, you know, I have a whole bunch of personal problems, just go ahead and give us a couple of things that one or two things that God has given you peace in or strengthen or power in, struggled with anxiety when I was younger with all the Children and we had no money and and so I had to learn how to pray and when I learned how to pray and read God’s word and I made it a I made it, it was very hard to take that time every day to put first God and his kingdom. It always is for everybody. You know, the men ran out the door for work back then and when I was younger and I was home alone with the Children. But I had to have my quiet time still with God and I received so much wisdom and strength that I would normally blurt out and blame everybody else for my problems. And I took responsibility for what I was doing wrong. And I asked christ to transform me into his prayer was a strong part. But you also said a devotion. You had your devotion that I read the word. I memorize scripture. I would read memorize At least a word a week if I didn’t do, I memorized the whole chapter of Romans eight. I took scripture like that when I was troubled. You memorized James. I remember this very book right here you were memorizing first chapter and Philippians Philippians, Yep, mm Hmm. So the word of God is key. You know, we are transformed through the word of God. And we’ll talk about some more of this later on. You know, in the bible, we have David, the king who was the beautiful psalmist and gave us all these fantastic poems psalm 51. He talks about the fact that in sin, his mom conceived him and uh, you know how he went away from God. How does a man of God who is a man after God’s own heart go away from God. You’re in the wrong place at the wrong time when you ought to be somewhere else. Uh And David gives us insights in psalm 1 19, he says, how does a young man keep his way pure and clean? By keeping it according to the word of God. Thy word, I have treasured in my heart so that I would not sin against you in Ephesians 5 26 with jesus christ cleans the church with the washing of water by the word in john 17 17. Again, he sanctifies us with the truth. His word is truth. And today we want to really look at how God gives us in James chapter One. The solution to all of the temptation that comes from inside of us. Let’s look at it. Uh, Mark, chapter uh James, chapter one giving us the marks of the mature christian. The epistle of James and the spiritual maturity and what do we have? We have this epiphany mia this lust, which is the same exact word as uh you know, to desire something good, but it’s also here desiring something bad. It becomes something evil, temptation on the inside. Uh and the source of temptation we’ve gone through and we’ve seen that the world is a source of temptation. The desires of the world. The lust of the flesh. The lust of the eyes. The pride of life is not of the father, but is of the world And then the flesh desires things romans six and other passages, The flesh is almost alive with wanting to have the works of the flesh produced. And then of course, the devil, the Tempter himself, or uh after Spina Opie Rusty’s the one who is the Tempter as the scripture says Now, john Macarthur in in going through the whole book of James, uh use the word test to to give us kind of a panoramic view of the book of James. The test of perseverance and suffering. James 1 2 through 12. The test of blame in temptation, Verse 13 through 18 of Chapter one 19-27. The test of response to the word of God and how God uses the word to change us. In chapter two, the 1st 13 verses of James. The test of impartial love In Chapter 2, 14 through 26. The test of righteousness In Chapter 3 1 through 12. The test of the tongue in Chapter 3, 13 through 18. The test of humble wisdom, not high minded or or demonic wisdom. Chapter 4 1 through 12. The test of worldly indulgence. Chapter 4 13 through 17. The test of dependence. The test of patience and endurance in chapter 51 through 11 with job giving us him as an illustration of the kind of life that endured under tremendous uh trial and and uh and he endured as a champion in chapter five verse 12. The test of Truthfulness. Chapter 5 13 through 18. The test of Prayerful nous in chapter 5 19 and 20. The test of true faith john did a superb job in going through. And you see the one key theme and thought and topic of Peter’s most testing, which is positive and negative, you know, based on the context. James chapter 1 13- 27. The source of temptation, Let’s look at it. God is not the source. 1st 13, let no one say when he is tempted, I am being tempted by God because God cannot be tempted with evil and he himself does not tempt anyone temptation within us. Each one is tempted to So when he has carried away and then touched by his own lust. Delia’s oh enticed by bait by his own devious, his own lust. Uh this is uh then verse 15, the tempter uses bait to deceive us to draw us away, to capture us to lead us in the wrong path. Self is the source of the temptation here. You know, we had the three the world. The flesh. The flesh is the source of the temptation here epitome a lost. And then the end result of the temptation is the L. S. D. Of the bible lust sin, death separate separating us from God Verse 16. Be careful not to deviate from the right path plan. Now, huh. Now to go astray mislead. Get off the course. God wants us to be on the course. And how do we do that with the word of God? The word of God helps us to go on the right course. That helps us stay on that course. When we deviate to get back on that course, that’s what second timothy 3 16 is all about And then Matthew 1812, all we like sheep goes straight. Yeah, we plan out. We go out of the way in first Corinthians 6 11, you cannot live in sin and inherit God’s kingdom. God says in first Corinthians 69 through 11. Do not be deceived, flannel temptation comes from within. Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, effeminate nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor covetous nor drunkards, nor reviling or swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you but now you’re washed, justified, sanctified in the name of jesus christ and by the spirit of our God, listen, there is an answer for all the crowd and junk and sin in the human heart. The answer is the blood of christ. The spirit of christ. The cross of jesus christ his death, his burial, his resurrection. We repeated over and over again because it is the penicillin. It is the answer. It is the bloodline for us to have a whole new nature Through Jesus Christ Proverbs 3 5 and six. We have to trust in the Lord with all our heart, Lean not on our own understanding in all our ways to put him first and he will direct our path. The source of temptation is not from God. Temptation comes from self and of course from the devil and of course from the world. And of course temptation paparazzo and plan all deceive and take us in the wrong direction and the source of strength. Oh, I love this part verse 17, God himself in his salvation, sanctification and service. He doesn’t only save us, He cleans us up and then uses us to help other people. Yes, he does. And then of course, regeneration by the word, A new birth, verse 18 through 20 James 1 18 in the exercise of his will. He brought us forth by the word of truth so that we would be as it were the first fruits among his creatures board again. A new nature and a new behavior. Quick to hear, Slow to speak, slow to anger. He actually n grabs us as the picture shows here. He takes his word and plugs it right into our system. He downloads the software from heaven, right in our heart. What a fantastic thought. And of course we have to be doers. And not just hearers of the word The Mirror shows us what we need to do what a fabulous fabulous passage of scripture and let me just take you to the end goal here in first john and chapter two it tells us how we overcome through the word the Apostle john writing says in verse 14, I’m writing to your father’s because you know him from the beginning, I have written to you young men because you are strong, the word of God abides in you and you overcome the wicked one of course, in uh in the Book of romans chapter 10, it uses the word rima, beginning with verse eight, all the way down even to 17, Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of christ the rema. It says that this is how we come to faith in christ through the word and then of course in Ephesians, not only that, but in Ephesians in chapter six and verse 17, hey, We’re talking about taking the full armor of God, taking the whole armor of God in Ephesians in chapter six And verse Right here in verse 17 take the helmet of salvation. But the sword of the Spirit, Madeira, that’s my last name, Take the sword of the Spirit, which is the, the rema, the word of God, the specific sayings of God will help us with the temptations. What did I do? And when I was in bible school, I had all this junk because a drug addict as a hippie rock musician and I could not get rid of all the stuff in my head and in my heart, you know the temptations from the outside the temptations from the inside, I would have horrible dreams you know. And I was reading 34 or five hours of the bible every day, six hours and praying, oh God change. I’m filthy and you know what God did. It took time. Don’t be shocked if you have filthy dreams. God is using it to cleanse you. Uh it took time for me to get into the word of God. But then I started memorizing specific verses for pride, specific verses for the tongue, specific verses for the I spy specific verses for my walk. All kinds of specific scripture verses, Excuse me for God’s word that clearly show us how we can take God’s word and build our life. And here the the book of James chapter one ends with the fact that we can’t just talk about religion, that we must live it and the way we express it the best is to have power over our tongue and not not just say stuff but to control our tongue. And also it says that we do something that we have a heart of broken heart for the widows and the orphans. I’ve been to africa with thousands of widows and orphans and helping bring them seed so they could they could eat. And of course preach the seed of the gospel to them as well. Yes. And not only the orphans, but that that’s that’s not enough to just do stuff. You also have to keep yourself unstained from the world. You have to let God live inside of you and control and rule the kingdom is within. He has to be the king, He has to be the lord of your life. Is he James Chapter one. What a phenomenal passage of scripture to take God’s word and to transform my thoughts from inside out.