Life is filled with trouble, as I pointed out last week in our opening message on the letter of James. We learned that we could choose our attitude and learn the value that trials bring into our lives as a source of spiritual growth and development. One of those values is spiritual growth that comes through the trial if we persevere. James even expresses a beatitude or a blessing to those who endure.

“Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord promised to those who love him.” (James 1:12)

Each of us is fighting an incredible battle to destroy our souls. The difference between trials and temptation is simply what is happening within us.

George Stulac explains the challenge during a trial. How are we handling it? Does testing lead to surrendering to temptation to sin? “The Bible says the trial is not the most serious life-threatening factor. The greatest danger to me is not the wrong being done to me, but the wrong that may be done by me. The real threat is that when wrong is done to me, I may be tempted to fall into sin myself.”

Dan McCartney relates how subtle the difference is. “English translations of James 1:12-13 compound the difficulty because English uses different word roots for external pressure to evil (testing) and internal pressure to evil (temptation), whereas the Greek uses only one (peirazo; its noun form is peirasmos). In 1:13, we see a shift from the external “push” to sin to the internal “pull,” and this requires a shift of words in English (“when being tested…’ I am being tempted’”), which obscures the wordplay in Greek. Temptation is, of course, a form of testing…”

The issue of temptation is something we either battle against or give in to. C. S. Lewis, in his book ‘Mere Christianity,’ explains: “No man knows how bad he is till he has tried very hard to be good. A silly idea is that good people do not know what temptation means. This is an obvious lie. Only those who try to resist temptation know how strong it is. …We never find out the strength of the evil impulse inside us until we try and fight it: Christ, because He was the only man who never yielded to temptation, is also the only man who knows to the full what temptation means—the only complete realist.”

Lewis points out the eternal significance of this daily battle. “People often think of Christian morality as a kind of bargain in which God says, ‘If you keep a lot of rules, I’ll reward you, and if you don’t, I’ll do the other thing.’ I do not think that is the best way of looking at it. I would much rather say that every time you make a choice, you are turning the central part of you, the part of you that chooses, into something a little different from what it was before. And taking your life as a whole, with all your innumerable choices, all your life long you are slowing turning this central thing either into a heavenly creature or into a hellish creature: either into a creature that is in harmony with God, and with other creatures, and with itself, or else into one that is in a state of war and hatred with God, and with its fellow creatures, and with itself. To be one kind of creature is heaven: that is, it is joy, peace, knowledge, and power. To be the other means madness, horror, idiocy, rage, impotence, and eternal loneliness. Each of us at each moment is progressing to one state or the other.”

What is at stake? Earlier in the book, Lewis relates: “Christianity asserts that every individual human being is going to live forever, and this must be either true or false. Now there are a good many things which would not be worth bothering about if I were going to live only seventy years, but which I had better bother about very seriously if I am going to live forever. Perhaps my bad temper or my jealousy are gradually getting worse, so gradually, the increase in seventy years will not be very noticeable. But it might be absolutely hell in a million years: in fact, if Christianity is true, Hell is the precisely correct technical term for what it would be.”

Dan McCartney raises the issue that James sets before us. “If God uses testing for the perfecting of his people, does that mean that God is at the root of our temptations and sin? James answers this in two ways: negatively, by showing that for God to tempt someone to sin would be contrary to his very character, and positively, by showing where sin really comes from, the heart of the sinner. Thus, although testing has a positive effect when endured faithfully, there is an unfaithful response to testing that turns it from an opportunity for endurance to an occasion for sin.”

How do we deal with temptations, those inner battles of the soul? James reminds us of a number of things we need to understand to overcome temptation in our lives.

It is amazing to me how many of God’s people have been imprisoned. The apostle Paul was persecuted, beaten, imprisoned, and left for years awaiting trial. Joseph was trapped in a prison while falsely accused, with no appeal, and forgotten by the one person who might be able to help him. We are reminded that Jesus was falsely accused, imprisoned, and crucified. John the Baptist was imprisoned and later beheaded. James was imprisoned and put to death by sword. Peter, who was imprisoned, was supernaturally released by an angel. Paul wrote some of his most important letters from a prison cell. We could discuss people like John Bunyan, who wrote Pilgrim’s Progress while spending twelve years in prison simply because he was preaching the gospel. The list is long and lengthy and extends even to this hour in countries where believers are being persecuted for their faith and even imprisoned. How do people handle pressures, challenges, and trials of this kind? How can a person maintain a right and godly attitude and find hope in seemingly hopeless situations? 

Many people feel trapped by their current situation in life. I am not speaking of being literally trapped or imprisoned, but of being trapped by life’s situations, commitments, and responsibilities. Others are trapped in unhealthy bodies suffering from a debilitating disease, like Job, who was not only trapped in a body enduring extreme suffering but was also surrounded by friends who were falsely judging him. They were telling him that his sickness was because he had sinned against God, which was untrue. So, what do we do when we feel trapped, when our circumstances seem to have us hemmed in, and we cannot see a way out?

When we think of someone generous, we often think only about what they give financially, but true generosity is an attitude reflected in how a person treats others. Giving money is only one aspect of true generosity. Generosity is the giving of oneself for the good of others, which includes our time, our concern for others, our expertise, and above all, our prayers. 

The issue in our lives is the person we become. The goal of the Christian life is to become like Jesus. How many realize that Jesus is the most generous person we will ever meet? So, how do we develop into becoming more generous and witness the amazing benefits of living a generous lifestyle?

We know that we can only give what God has given to us. What God looks at is the condition of our hearts. Many people today living in our affluent society struggle with the two major ingredients of life: money and time. We often abuse both. We spend more than we have and use our time unwisely. How we spend these gifts from God is a great indicator of where we are in our relationship with Him.

Have we learned to trust God in our lives? Do we believe that God will provide for us? Is our focus primarily on ourselves, or have we matured to a point where we are deeply interested in the well-being of others?  The very nature of biblical Christianity is giving. So, how do we become more generous with our lives? How do we develop into being more generous people? Linda Belleville writes, "Paul is quick to point out that generous giving is an act of divine grace (8:1). It is only as God blesses and enables that we can give in the first place.”

Paul, in writing to the Corinthian believers, reminds them of their original desire to help fellow believers who were struggling financially in Judea but became distracted during a time of divisiveness. After addressing those issues, Paul reminds them of what they originally intended to do on behalf of those struggling financially. Paul challenges them to express generosity to inspire them to become more concerned about others than themselves. Paul uses a number of examples to motivate them to become responsible and generous to those in need.

When life comes crashing in on us with trauma and tragedy, we as believers can question our faith. Why is God allowing this to happen? What are God’s purposes in this moment in our lives? We would all agree that life is not just an enjoyable trip with only amazing adventures. God works at shaping our inner lives to conform us into His image. Sometimes, the spiritual journey with twists and turns can be confusing and painful. If we live where disobedience becomes our normal lifestyle, we can anticipate painful outcomes. Yet even God’s discipline is a mercy, bringing us back to Himself and illuminating our paths with his beautiful promises that will be realized in life and for all eternity.

We are now at the final chapter of Jeremiah. The conclusion begins on a distressing note but concludes with a ray of hope. This chapter brings us back to the days leading up to the fall of Jerusalem. It is obvious that Jeremiah is not the author, but the chapter is placed here to show that the prophecies of Jeremiah had been fulfilled. The destruction of the city was because of God’s anger at the continued idolatry and sin of the people.

Jeremiah 52:1-2

Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. His mother’s name was Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah; she was from Libnah.

He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, just as Jehoiakim had done. It was because of the Lord’s anger that all this happened to Jerusalem and Judah, and in the end, he thrust them from his presence.

While this chapter in many ways is a repeated version of what is found in 2 Kings 24:18 - 25:30, with minor variations, the editor's purpose in summarizing the book of Jeremiah was to make a theological point. This is more than simply a historical narrative, as Walter Brueggemann relates: “The concluding line of Jer. 52:3a renders an unqualified theological verdict with the verb 'cast out.” The Exile is Yahweh’s work, evoked by anger, not just with the king but with the city and the nation. At last, Yahweh does what the book of Jeremiah has long anticipated.”

Tremper Longman explains the purpose of this appendix to the book of Jeremiah. “This final chapter serves two important purposes. First, it makes it clear that Jeremiah’s message of judgment on Judah for its sin came to fulfillment. Second, it anticipates that Jeremiah’s message of hope after judgment (chapters 30-33) will be realized.”

So, what lessons from the book of Jeremiah is this chapter relaying to us? We are witnessing the cycle of sin being played out in a nation and the hope of restoration. When we rebel against God, the only option is for God to discipline us. Then, when we come to our senses, in our brokenness and loss, we find the ray of hope to move toward a season of recovery. Here, we see the description of God addressing His exiled people.

We live in a time of great uncertainty, turmoil, and unrest. The clash of values has intensified polarization, both politically and relationally. Families are divided, and nations that once were allies are becoming adversarial. Our world seems fragile. Jesus warned that times like these would mark the end of the age. The question raised by the early disciples was, ‘What will be the sign of your coming and the end of the age (Mt. 24:3)?’

Matthew 24:4, 6, 9-10, 12-13

Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. You will hear of wars and rumours of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me.

At that time, many will turn away from the faith and betray and hate each other.  Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, But the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.”

We have the warning of Jesus, but we also have the example of other times in history that were chaotic and distressing. What did God have to say to His people in times such as these? We find the period just prior to exile and the conclusion of the Jewish exile was one such time. Jeremiah’s message to his nation was not just one of impending judgment but also a word of hope. Here in the last message of Jeremiah, we discover the impending judgment about to come upon Babylon, but it was a word designed to bring hope to God’s people. Babylon would fall, but it was the key for Judah’s exile to end. Yet, they were required to flee from Babylon.      

Phillip Ryken explains the significance of this time. “Jeremiah 51 is not simply a history lesson from the past but also a warning for the present. Babylon is not just a historic city. It stands for everything hateful and odious to God. Babylon is every culture that is proud, arrogant, wasteful, violent, and destructive. It represents every city that sets itself against the kingdom of God. Robert Linthicum thus calls it “a city which has no redeeming value, a city given over to the wholehearted worship and pursuit of evil.” Or, as urban missiologist Ray Bakke observes, “Throughout the Bible, Babylon is a symbol of the city which is anti-God. …Augustine wrote about Babylon in his great book The City of God. He viewed the history of the world as a conflict between two great cities—the City of Man and the City of God. As Augustine studied the Bible, he discovered that Babylon represented the City of Man standing against the City of God. Then, as he examined his own culture, he realized that Rome had become the capital City of Man.”

So, what can we learn from this moment in the life of the nation of exiles that applies to the time in which we live? 

Titus 2:3-5

Psalm 9

Easter Sunday

1 Corinthians 15:1-11

Good Friday

Galatians 3:6-14