Whose Fault Is It?
Steve Wagers
James 1:13-16
INTRO:
The story is told of a famous smith, in medieval times, that was taken prisoner and held in a dungeon. He began to examine the chain that bound him, thinking that he would find a flaw that might make it easier for him to break it. As he studied it, he discovered that it was a piece of his own work. For years he had boasted how that noone could ever break a chain that he had made. Now he found himself bound by his own work.
In these four verses, James carefully depicts for us the awful web of sin, and temptation. In the day in which we live, temptation loom on every horizon. It is prevalent in the movie industry, television industry, cyberspace, and even children's videos. This is the day of "relativism", the religion of modern man. An age where morality is almost a forgotten word, and where there are no restraints.
Allan Bloom: "Our inability to recognize and identify evil is a sign of grave danger in our society."
Ted Turner: "The Ten Commandments are out of date and irrelevant to global problems. Nobody pays any attention to them because they're too old."
James, having dealt with external trials, now deals with internal temptations. The root word for "trials" in 1:2 is translated "tempted" in 1:13. The context of these words provides the key to understanding the difference. The context of James 1:2, is a discussion of the testing of our faith. The context of James 1:13 is a discussion of our vulnerability to sin. Hence, we might ask the question, who tempts us, where does temptation come from, and "WHOSE FAULT IS IT?" James answers that question by defining the:
I. THE CAUSE OF TEMPTATION (v. 13-14)
In these verses, James defines for us just where the fault lies. We are now faced with the responsibility for this temptation. Most of us would quickly point the finger to an outside source.
ILLUSTRATION:
Will Rogers said there are two great movements in America: the passing ...
Steve Wagers
James 1:13-16
INTRO:
The story is told of a famous smith, in medieval times, that was taken prisoner and held in a dungeon. He began to examine the chain that bound him, thinking that he would find a flaw that might make it easier for him to break it. As he studied it, he discovered that it was a piece of his own work. For years he had boasted how that noone could ever break a chain that he had made. Now he found himself bound by his own work.
In these four verses, James carefully depicts for us the awful web of sin, and temptation. In the day in which we live, temptation loom on every horizon. It is prevalent in the movie industry, television industry, cyberspace, and even children's videos. This is the day of "relativism", the religion of modern man. An age where morality is almost a forgotten word, and where there are no restraints.
Allan Bloom: "Our inability to recognize and identify evil is a sign of grave danger in our society."
Ted Turner: "The Ten Commandments are out of date and irrelevant to global problems. Nobody pays any attention to them because they're too old."
James, having dealt with external trials, now deals with internal temptations. The root word for "trials" in 1:2 is translated "tempted" in 1:13. The context of these words provides the key to understanding the difference. The context of James 1:2, is a discussion of the testing of our faith. The context of James 1:13 is a discussion of our vulnerability to sin. Hence, we might ask the question, who tempts us, where does temptation come from, and "WHOSE FAULT IS IT?" James answers that question by defining the:
I. THE CAUSE OF TEMPTATION (v. 13-14)
In these verses, James defines for us just where the fault lies. We are now faced with the responsibility for this temptation. Most of us would quickly point the finger to an outside source.
ILLUSTRATION:
Will Rogers said there are two great movements in America: the passing ...
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