Enduring Temptation

All right. Well, we’re going to get into our Word this morning. If you have your Bibles, if you could turn with me to James. Last week we began a study in the book of James. James is one of my favorite books, especially, honestly, when I was growing in my faith with the Lord at a young age. What I loved about James is just how practical that book is, right? It has a similar cadence, a similar rhythm, to some of the Old Testament wisdom books, like the book of Proverbs, where it’s almost like a bunch of short statements, but it’s very practical. It’s written to the early church about how we are to walk with the Lord and how to live our Christian faith.

And sometimes — maybe we give our life to the Lord, and it’s like, “I don’t really know where to start, other than I know I should go to church,” right? And that’s a good place to start. Amen. But we want to grow in our faith and to live a life that honors Him and pleases Him. So what does that look like? Well, that’s really what the book of James was written for. It was one of the first New Testament books written. It was written by James, who many scholars believe was the brother of Jesus. We talked a bit about it last week.

And I love how he starts the book. He says, “James, a bondservant of the Lord Jesus Christ.” You know, he could have started that off by saying, “I’m the brother of Jesus, and I’ve got something to say,” right? That’s pretty good. If I was writing a business resume and I was the brother of Jesus, one of my top things is “Brother of Jesus Christ, the Messiah, Son of God,” right? I’m going to put it out there. But he starts off by saying, “No, I am a bondservant to the Lord Jesus.” Meaning everything that I have, my whole life, belongs to Him. Everything that I do — every thought, every motivation, every ambition — it is Him. And there’s no better way to live.

Tradition even says that he was so devoted to the Lord that he had such great calluses on his knees, because he would be on his knees in prayer day and night. He had such big calluses that they said his knees looked like those of a camel. He had sincere devotion and a sincere heart for the Lord. And there was something that was inspired in him by the Holy Spirit as he brings this book — to bring something that was practical, to bring something that is ethical — saying, “Listen, yes, you are saved by grace. Yes, you’ve been saved by the Lord Jesus. You didn’t earn it. You don’t deserve it.” But the theme of James is, but your faith should look like something. There should be a difference in your life, right?

If we just say a prayer and then we just live our life like we’ve always lived it, how many of you know there’s not a whole lot of transformation there? The scripture calls the process sanctification. What does that mean? As we yield ourselves to the Lord, our old self, our old ways, our old habits — all of those things start to get burned away, and we become more like Jesus. And isn’t that what we all want? Actually, let me say this: isn’t that what the Lord wants? What does the Lord want for your life? He wants you to become more like Him. And He’s given you every single thing that you need to do that, by the grace of God, a free gift. Amen. So our faith should look like something.

Enduring temptation

We went through the first eight verses last week, and we’re going to start at verse 9. And I was considering, well, what do we title this? What do we call this? The title of the message is “Enduring Temptation.” Everybody’s favorite subject: enduring temptation. But I think it’s so important that we actually know what temptation looks like. Where does it come from? Why does it exist? And how does the Lord use it?

You know, I was kind of messing around a little bit, as I often do, because I get distracted a lot. And I was like, “Well, if I was going to title this sermon like a viral YouTube video, what would that title be?” And this is what we got: “This Is Why You’re Struggling and What God Wants to Do About It.” Right? This is why you’re struggling. If you are struggling in your faith, if you are struggling in life and you’re kind of running into the same issues, this portion of scripture really gives us a good indication of how we can approach that — how we can endure temptation. Everybody say “enduring temptation.”

So last week we saw that this was a letter encouraging believers. That’s how James starts it — believers that are going through trials and difficult times — and how we should count it all joy, that there really is a work that the Lord wants to do in us when we face trials and difficult situations, and how the Lord wants to bring glory to His name as we put our faith and trust in Him.

It also talks about how, when we need wisdom, we can ask of the Lord, and the Lord will give us wisdom. How many of you need wisdom? Anybody ever feel like they just really get on a roll making bad decisions, right? One after the other after the other, and you look back and you’re like, “Man, this month was not great.” We need wisdom from the Lord. And the Lord says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask in faith, with no doubting.” And what does it say? The Lord will give liberally, without reproach. What does that mean? God does not hold it against you when you ask of Him. He knows that you don’t have it all together. He knows that you’re going to make mistakes. He knows that there are things that you need. But scripture says it is important for us to what? To actually ask. Ask, if there are things that you just don’t know.

And maybe you’re here today and you’re like, “Man, I don’t even know if God is real.” How many of you know He’s not actually intimidated by your questions? Let him ask: “Lord, I want to know more about who You are. Would You show Yourself to me?” Do you see? But let him ask in faith. Everybody say “in faith.”

So we were talking about the trials and the difficulties, and now we’re going to start to see some encouragement to the believer who may be going through trials, starting in verse 9. We’re going to go through this verse by verse. It’s not a very long book. It’s five chapters, and you’re like, “Oh my gosh, that’s going to take forever.” No, we’ll be done by the end of the summer. It’ll be all good. But we’re going to start in verse 9. Are we good? Are we alive? Are you guys taking too much Benadryl? I know the pollen count is a little high. I think I’m a little funnier than it’s coming across. No, I’m just playing. I’m just playing.

The lowly and the rich

All right, James chapter 1, and after I read this scripture, we’re going to pray. James chapter 1, starting at verse 9: “Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation, but the rich in his humiliation, because as a flower of the field he will pass away. For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits.”

All right. Well, Lord, we give You thanks for Your Word. Just tell Him — just begin to give thanks for His Word. Thank You, Lord, for Your Word to us. Lord, Your Word is truth. Your Word is given not just for our benefit, but, Lord, You said, “I will send My Spirit, and He will lead you into all truth.” Lord, we need to know what is true. We need to know what is right and what is holy to You, Lord, that we can know You and grow closer to You. And so, Lord, we open our hearts to receive Your Word today, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

So we start at verse 9, and here we have this beautiful combination of both encouragement to the lowly and a warning to the one who has a higher status. There is this call saying, “Listen, if you are lowly in stature, if life has been difficult to you, or you are in a place where you feel like you’re constantly being humbled” — what does it say? It says rejoice. Why? The Lord is going to lift you up. But if you are wealthy, don’t get too high.

I love what some professional athletes will often say: “When the good times are good, don’t get too high. And when the bad times are bad, don’t get too low. You’ve got to stay right on the center course.” There is this call and this directive: listen, when things are difficult, when things are bad, when you are in a season of lowliness, rejoice. Why? Because God is going to lift you up. But there is also this warning to those who have a higher status, when things are going good and nothing’s really bad in life.

Have any of you ever noticed that when things are good in life, or when things aren’t so bad, it could actually be really difficult to be close to the Lord? There’s something about being in a position where there is this desperation for God that draws your heart closer to Him. I’ve said it before, but oftentimes some of the moments that I’ve felt closest, some of my most impactful moments of prayer, my most impactful moments of worship, have all come from a place when I was physically weak, where I actually recognized, “I don’t actually have this all together. I really do need Him.”

You see, there’s something about being humbled. There’s something about being physically weak. Why? That’s why scripture says when I am weak, then I am strong. Because the Lord will exalt the lowly if we continue to put our trust and our faith in Him. So poverty or wealth — they are these trials or tests that believers may experience in their Christian faith. If you’re lowly in the present moment, take comfort that God is going to lift you up. And if you are high in the present moment, realize that it is temporary, and keep your priority on eternity.

You know, I have this tree in front of my house, and it’s this beautiful tree, but it blossoms in the spring, and then it doesn’t do anything for the rest of the year. It just exists, right? And when it blossoms, it is the most beautiful tree. I’m like, “Oh my gosh, our house looks incredible.” I drive up and I’m like, “Hold on, I’ve got to get out of my car and take a picture.” It’s just gorgeous, but it only lasts for like three days, because the winds come and all the petals just fly off the tree. It’s beautiful for a moment.

In the same way, that is exactly what wealth in this life is like. Yes, it’s beautiful for a moment, but in light of eternity, it’s just a moment. It’s only for a moment. You cannot take your wealth. You cannot take the riches of this world with you. According to scripture, all those things fail. They fade away.

That’s why verse 11 says, “So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits.” Many of us have an easy time understanding that the riches of this world will fade away. But notice what verse 11 says. It says the rich man — everybody say “man” — the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits. So whether you go through this life rich or poor, no matter what, it will not carry into eternity. And James is giving us this beautiful picture that because we are in Christ Jesus and we’re going to spend eternity with Him, it all levels out.

So when we are on this earth, what do we do? We give glory to the Lord. If you have been blessed in this life and you have riches, praise God, and honor Him with your wealth. Honor Him with your resources and bring glory to the Lord. And if you find yourself in a difficult situation, and maybe there is a financial lack or a financial disconnect, whatever it is, give glory to God. Why? Because He’s going to lift you up. Amen.

So if we are living our life as believers putting our identity, our priority, on things of this world that will fade away, we’re putting our priorities in the wrong things. How much better is it to put our life and our identity into things that will never fade? That’s why it’s so important. Put your hope in Jesus. Put your love on Jesus. Put your priority on the Lord Jesus. Why? Because when we do that, we are offering something that will never fade. Amen. So important. I love how Isaiah 40:8 says, “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.” Amen.

Blessed is the man who endures

We come to verse 12. It says, “Blessed is the man who endures temptation” — everybody say “endures temptation” — “for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised” — notice this — “to those who love Him.”

You know, I love this verse. I kind of alluded to this last week, but in the book of James there are about fourteen or fifteen different references or allusions to Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5 through 7, where Jesus would say things like, “Blessed are those who hunger. Blessed are the merciful. Blessed are those who are persecuted.” And how many of you know Jesus was talking about what it means to live a life following Him that is blessed? But He didn’t say this is the only way. I love how James starts this. He’s saying, “Listen, this is another way to be blessed by God.” It says this: “Blessed is the man who endures temptation.”

You see, there is a special gift of blessing from God for those who endure temptation — for those who will say yes to God and no to temptation. That’s good. There is a special blessing that has been reserved according to scripture, according to James, who is inspired by the Holy Spirit. He’s writing this, and he says blessed are those who endure temptation.

You know, it’s easy to endure temptation when — well, I shouldn’t even say that — but it’s a lot easier to endure temptation that’s kind of a one-time thing. You know what I mean? Something that doesn’t always pop up. But how many of you know it’s much different to endure temptation that lasts for a season? Temptation where it kind of comes back again and again and again. It can be difficult to endure temptation. But according to scripture, be assured: to those who endure temptation, who say yes to God, who say no to temptation, there is a special blessing of God coming your way.

You know, oftentimes there is something in us, right? Sin would not be difficult if there wasn’t something in us that was craving it. I like just about all food. There is almost no food that I do not enjoy eating, right? You can tell. I feel like you can tell — I’m getting older and I’m getting bigger. I like food. But there’s one food that I do not enjoy and that I really can’t be tempted with. When it comes to eggplant, I don’t get it. Yes, thank you. When it comes to eggplant, I’m like, “This is not it.” You cannot tempt me to eat too much eggplant. There’s nothing in me that wants it, right? But you put a bowl of rocky road ice cream in front of me, and I’m going to have a hard time saying no. I might be on a diet. Maybe I’m training. I’m not doing any of that right now. But if the Lord so moves powerfully in my life, and you put a bowl of rocky road in front of me, I’m going to have a hard time saying no. Why? Because there’s something in me that wants it.

Listen, when sin entered the world, death came. There was something in us that was broken. There was something in us called a fallen nature — something that craves what is not best for us, something that craves what is actually darkness, what is sin. And this is so important, because so often we are so quick to blame the devil or blame the adversary: “Oh, the devil. He’s just tempting me.” And how many of you know that is true? Satan does come to bring temptation, to destroy. But oftentimes it’s just in us. It’s what we want. It’s what we crave. But if we can learn to say no to those things and say yes to God, according to scripture, blessed are those who endure.

Saying yes to God’s way

Okay, let me say it this way. I’m trying to make this very simple, very clean, but this is so true. It’s been proven in my life time and time again. When I choose to not do what comes naturally to me, and I choose to do it God’s way, I have seen the blessing of the Lord in my life. There is a reason that my marriage has not fallen apart. We’ve been married for how long? Let’s do math. Twenty-three years. It’s going to be twenty-three. Twenty-two. It’s going to be twenty-two. We love each other. We really do.

A big reason my marriage has not fallen apart is because I did not choose to do it my way. I didn’t make that marriage about me being fulfilled. I’ve done my best — by the way, I’m not perfect on this — I do my best to serve my wife, to love my wife, to honor my wife. When we were engaged to be married, there were things that we said no to that the world would say yes to. There were decisions that we made: we are not going to live together. We are not going to sleep together. Why? Because there is something greater that the Lord wants to do than my immediate convenience. It made sense financially. It makes sense according to the world. It makes sense on every level. But what does the Lord say? That’s what goes. Because scripture says, “Blessed are those who endure temptation.”

In other words, when I say no to what comes naturally in me, to what the world says, and I say yes to the Lord — do you really believe that what He has is better? Because temptation will be the moment, it will be your declaration, that you either believe Him or you do not.

Now, I’m going to get ahead of myself. “Blessed is the man who endures temptation.” Notice it says, “for when he has been approved.” This is so important. This shows us that God actually will use temptation in our life for a purpose. Sometimes we think temptation is bad — it is, by the way. It needs to be addressed. We need to bring it into submission to the Lord Jesus Christ. But how many of you know you cannot go through this life without facing temptation? It’s a fallen world. It’s full of darkness. We are waiting for the glorious appearing of the Lord, when all things will be made right, and it’s going to be wonderful. I just can’t wait. Until then, we live in a broken, fallen world that is full of sin. So as believers, you will face temptation. But the Lord will use the temptation that we face to what? To show us approved by God.

In other words, there is a way to navigate the Christian life where we can overcome or endure temptation. That’s why Jesus said there will never be a temptation that is too great for you. There is always a way, by the Lord Jesus, by the grace of God. There is always a way out of temptation.

To those who love Him

And it says, “When he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.” This is so key. Everybody say “to those who love Him.” You know, oftentimes when we try to overcome temptation, all we do is focus on the temptation, right? So if I have an issue with taking the Lord’s name in vain, and I’m around athletes — man, wow — if I have an issue with that and I’m constantly thinking, “Don’t cuss. Don’t cuss. Don’t cuss. Don’t cuss,” what’s probably going to happen when I stub my toe? What’s going to happen when things don’t go my way? I’m going to cuss, right? We give way too much attention to the temptation.

But listen, the way that we endure temptation, the way that we overcome temptation, is this: love Him. When you have a greater passion for the Lord Jesus than you have a passion to sin, you will find yourself overcoming, enduring temptation. That is the greatest way to overcome temptation, to break the bondages, if there is sin in your life and it has become a bondage. What does that mean? It is something that weighs you down. It feels like, “No matter what I do, I can’t get away from this. I can’t get out of this.”

Begin to call on the Lord and cry out to Him and say, “Lord, would You give me a heart that is more in love with You? Would You make the passion in my heart for You greater than my passion to do all these things that are not pleasing to You?” Why? Because if I can love You, if I can honor You, then I can walk with You. Amen. I can walk with You and endure this life in a way that is pleasing to the Lord Jesus.

I’ve said it before, I’m going to say it again, and I’m going to say this a lot, because it’s becoming a thing: the greatest achievement in your life will be to fall in love with Jesus and to stay in love with Him. There is no greater accomplishment than that. There is no amount of success, no amount of living the dream or approval of people. There is nothing greater. Why? Because everything flows out of our love for Him. Everything. Do you guys believe that?

That’s exactly what this is saying: those who love Him will what? Receive the crown of life — both in this life and in eternity. In other words, there are people who have said the prayer. There are people who have given their life to Jesus, but they don’t endure. And what? They fall into temptation, which leads to sin, which leads to death. Sin has a way — we’re going to go into this in a second — sin has a way of hardening your heart to the things of God, to the point where even though you once said yes to the Lord, you will become so hard that you’ll ultimately say no. Do not be deceived. You can think, “I will never say no to the Lord.” If you allow sin in your life, you’re in a dangerous zone. Do you see why this is important? We’re going to get into it some more.

To those who love Him. Can we just lift our hands to the Lord? Just close your eyes. Lift your hands to the Lord. Lord Jesus, give us a heart that loves You. Lord, give us a heart that is soft before You, that says yes to You, that trusts You, Lord. That we don’t just go do our own thing, Lord. No, we said yes. We say You are Lord, which means You are our master, the one that we follow. That we would have the heart of James — a bondservant — that we would say, “I am bonded to You, a servant to You. My whole life is Yours,” in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Where temptation comes from

I’m going to keep going. I want to take a look at verse 13. This is how temptation comes, and this is how it works. Starting at verse 13, it says, “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my children.”

This is important for us to understand. You hear this from a lot of people. Their understanding of who God is, is incorrect. They’ll say things like, “Why is God sending this temptation into my life?” But scripture is very clear here: temptation does not come from God. Temptation comes from an inner, fallen desire. Temptation comes from the world. Temptation comes from the devil. But when it comes, what? If we endure, God will use it to bring glory to Himself. Does this make sense? Temptation does not come from God. It says He cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself bring temptation to us.

Notice verse 14. It says, “But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.” In other words, there is something in us — again, there’s something in us — that craves that sinful nature. There’s something in us that craves the things that do not honor the Lord.

You can think of it almost like going fishing, right? What do you put on the hook? You put bait, or a lure — something that is enticing, to catch the fish. When you cast your line into the water, the fish is not really interested in the hook. What is the fish interested in? The bait, the lure. It’s not after the hook. But when it goes for that, what does it get? It gets hooked. It gets snared. In the same way, we’re not after death. We don’t want to dishonor God. And yet we get so enticed by the bait of sin that we get hooked. We get caught up, and all of a sudden we find ourselves in a place where we are now in bondage.

You see, there’s something in our nature that responds to sinful temptation. And the cure to evil desire is a desire for more of Him. So when we look at our sin — how many of you know God is never responsible for our sin? Sin exists, and so oftentimes we choose our sin rather than choosing Him. But God has made a way. Say, “Thank You, Lord.” He’s given us the Holy Spirit. Say, “Thank You, Holy Spirit.” And He will lead us into the path of life. But we must choose Him.

So again, it says this: “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.” Then notice: “when desire has conceived.” Notice the first part of temptation. What is the first part? Desire. When you have a desire to sin, how many of you know that is a problem?

Too often we get deceived into thinking, “I might desire the sin. I might desire it, but as long as I don’t act on it, I’m good.” But how many of you know scripture is making it very clear? If we leave that desire unchecked, it will lead to sin, and sin will lead to death. So what do we do when temptation comes? We bring it into subjection to the name of Jesus.

If there is something in you that says, “I just want to do it my way. I just want to do this sinful behavior. But you know what? I’m not going to do it” — don’t leave it there. I said, don’t leave it there. When the craving comes, what do you do? “Lord, there’s something in me that wants to do this. Lord Jesus, would You help me overcome this? Lord, I give this to You.” Do you see the difference? You don’t need to keep that and wrestle with it in yourself. If you just let it sit there, how many of you know that is like cultivating something inside where the enemy can wreak havoc?

If you know something is about to come up — you know someone is going to ask you to do something that you know you shouldn’t do, that does not honor the Lord — don’t just wait for that moment. No: “Lord, I’m in a rhythm of life where this is being presented to me” — whether that’s partying, drugs, alcohol, drunkenness, whatever — “Lord, would You help me to have a desire for You and not those things? And would You give me wisdom, that when the enemy presents it to me, I would say no?” Do you see? Let him who needs wisdom ask in faith, and the Lord will give liberally without reproach. Is this okay? Is this okay?

You see, the deceptiveness of sin is like the bait and the lure on the hook for the fish. The deceptiveness of sin is that it seems there’s still something good in this. But sin only separates from God. It only separates. Satan does not come to give you a little bit of good. No, Satan only comes to steal, to kill, and to destroy. It is by the grace of God that you are here today, because if Satan had his way, you would have been dead a long time ago. He does not want you here. Even if he can get you to do some bad things and cause more hurt, he will take you out as soon as he can. It’s the grace of God, the protection of God, the love of God, that you exist in this place.

And aren’t you thankful? If you are here, not only have you heard the good news — if you’ve received the Lord Jesus, how much more should we give thanks? Because there are many who have not heard the good news. There are many who don’t understand what the Lord Jesus has made available to them. So if you’ve received the Lord Jesus and you’re walking with Him, listen, there is nothing better than to say yes. “Lord, I’m going to say no to this world. I’m going to say no to its ways, its enticements, its temptations. And I’m going to say yes to You.”

Not only does our love for Him help us overcome — enduring temptation is a sign of your love for Him. If you are struggling in sin, my guess is you’re probably not really walking in love with Him. Oh Lord, would You fan the flame in our hearts, that we would burn for You? Does this make sense?

Every good and perfect gift

Listen to verse 17. I love this, because James moves from the corruption of our faith, and he moves to God’s goodness and how it stands in contrast. Because how many of you know we are not dead in our sin? Amen. But we are alive in Christ Jesus. Amen. Yes. Oh, I love those “buts” in scripture. We are dead to sin, but alive in Christ Jesus.

Listen to this. Verse 17 says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift” — notice — “is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.”

Notice every good and perfect gift is from who? It’s from above. Is there anything good in your life? Yes. It is from the Lord, directly or indirectly. Maybe you have a good job and you are well off financially, and you can think to yourself — pride would say, “You’ve earned this. You deserve this. It’s all you, baby.” But to actually know the ways of God: who gave you the ability to get the job? Who actually gives you the strength to endure the job and to become wealthy? Let’s go to the bare minimum: who is the breath in your lungs that allows you to breathe? It is the Lord Jesus Himself. Every good gift is from the Lord.

I love how scripture also says it: “The blessing of the Lord makes one rich, and He adds no sorrow with it.” Do you want to know whether this is from the Lord or from the devil? Is there pain and sorrow in it, or is it good? You see, when we choose to do it God’s way and we honor Him, we endure temptation. He brings blessing to our life, and with it what? There is no sorrow. What a way to live. Sounds like the crown of life to me. Sounds like the best way to live.

The best way to live this life is to have a pattern and a way of always saying yes to Him. “Yes, I choose You. Yes, I give my life to You. Yes, I’m going to live according to what You have said in scripture, not according to what everybody else says is okay. Not according to what the world says is okay. No, I’m going to do it God’s way.” Somebody say amen.

And then it says this: “with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. I love that we serve a God who doesn’t have bad days — that my difficulty isn’t because His mood changed. There is no variation, no shadow of turning. That’s who God is: faithful, constant. What He has already said is true. What did Jesus say? Not one jot or tittle of My word will pass away. In other words, “Everything I have said is who I am, and who I am is forever.”

That means everything that we receive in His Word is unchanging. Too many believers have adopted a way of thinking that this book was written for back then, that it is not true now. There is no greater deception. His Word is unchanging because He is unchanging. Jesus Himself is the Word. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word” — what? — “was God.” He is the Word. He was in the beginning. He is the beginning and the end. He’s everything. When He spoke the world into existence, what did He do? He spoke His Word. He said, “Let there be light,” and there’s light. He said, “Let there be man and woman,” and there we are. All of those things are what? His Word. His Word endures forever.

When you think about this — He doesn’t have ups and downs. Think about the sun. How many of you know the sun is always shining? Did you know that the sun is always shining? It never goes out. And yet we have night and we have day. And when we find ourselves in a dark place, where it’s physically dark, how many of you know it’s not because the sun stopped shining? It’s because the earth has moved and rotated. In the same way, if you are in a place of spiritual darkness, or you’re going through a difficult time, how many of you know it’s not because God stopped shining? It’s not because He changed who He was. It’s because there was something in us, usually our heart, that has turned and shifted from Him.

He is unchanging. And sometimes you’re like, “I feel like God is so far.” No, you have moved yourself from Him. He’s always available. He’s always there. His love for you never changes. The Lord has said, “I have loved you with an everlasting love.” And yet so many believers will even question, “God, do You even care?” We know what He thinks. He’s already said it: “I have loved you with an everlasting love. When things are good, rejoice. Bring honor. Give thanks to Me. Recognize where it comes from. Trust Me. When things are bad, rejoice. Give glory. Because I have loved you with an everlasting love.” Isn’t He wonderful?

Fan the flame

Let’s go ahead and stand together. I’m just going to pray over us this morning. If you’re here today and you need prayer, we’re going to have a team of people up in front that will be available to pray with you — if there are things that you’re going through, if there’s sickness in your body, whatever it is. We just want to bring that to the Lord and partner with you in prayer. If you’re here today and you’ve not given your life to the Lord and you would like to do that, please come to the front after service, and we’ll lead you into that. The time for that is always right now.

But I want to pray over us. I just have such a strong sense that the Lord wants us to fall so deeply in love with Him. You know, scripture says that we love Him because He first loved us. We don’t generate our love for Him. It’s given to us from Him. So if there is a lack of love, a lack of fire in your heart, I’m just going to ask that we lift our hands to the Lord. And to be honest, that should be every person. But He said, “If any of you lacks wisdom” — whatever you have need of — “ask, and it will be given.”

So, Lord Jesus, we lift our hands to You in full surrender, recognizing that we make mistakes, recognizing our own imperfections, our struggles, the times that we’ve said yes to temptation and no to You, Lord. We give all that, Lord, and we lay it at Your feet right now in Jesus’ name. And, Lord, You have not only paid the price for our sin, but You have given us victory over sin by the blood of Jesus. And so, Lord, I just pray right now that Your blood would cover each and every person here, in the name of Jesus, that You would wash us clean. Lord, Your Word says that we will overcome in this life by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony.

And so, Lord, I pray that You would just pour Yourself out over us today, Lord Jesus, and that we would have hearts right now that would say, “Yes, Lord, I receive You, and I want more of You.” Lord, do a work of love in our hearts today, that we would love You with an everlasting love, the way You first loved us. Lord Jesus, fan the flame. Fan the flame, Lord, in our hearts, and, Lord, that we would be devoted followers of Jesus. There is no better way to go through this life. Lord, we don’t want to live this life apart from You or separated from You, just thinking, “We’re just going to be in Your grace.” No, Lord. We want, number one, to demonstrate our love for You and receive love from You, Lord, as we say yes to You and no to this world. Give us strength by Your Spirit, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Amen. Can we thank the Lord this morning for His Word? Thank You, Lord. Pray that prayer regularly. If you need to have a love for Him, ask of Him: “Lord, give me a love for You. Help me to see You more clearly.” Listen, we will spend not only this whole life getting to know Him and His love for us — we will spend an eternity. But in order to endure, we must have a heart that loves Him. Say amen. Amen. All right. Well, we love you guys. If you need prayer, come on up here. We would love to pray for you.

Transcribed from the message recording and lightly edited for reading.