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Following is an excerpt of "A Look into Sin's Tacklebox! (5 of 19)" by Steve Wagers added on 08/19/2005.
This content is part of a series.
A Look into Sin's Tacklebox! (5 of 19)
Series: A Closer Look at the Book: JAMES
Steve N. Wagers
James 1:13-16

Sermon Outline
1. We Must Admit the Source of Sin!
A. God's Inability to Sin!
B. Man's Capacity for Sin!
2. We must Avoid the Course of Sin!
A. The Enticement that Draws us Away!
B. The Entrapment that Draws us In!!
3. We must Acknowledge the Force of Sin!
A. Sin's Conception!
B. Sin's Completion!

* Oscar Wilde said, "I can avoid anything but temptation." The late actress, Mae West, said, "I generally avoid temptation unless I can't resist it."

* Years ago, I came across a spiritual equation that I have never forgotten, "Temptation plus opportunity equals trouble!" In other words, it is possible for someone to be tempted, yet not have the opportunity to fulfill that temptation. On the other hand, someone may have the opportunity, but not be tempted. It is when the two come together that we have a problem.

* 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 thinking that he would find a flaw that would make it easy for him to break it. As he studied it, he discovered that the chain was a piece of his own work. For years he had boasted how that noone could ever break a chain that he had made. However, now, he found himself bound by his own work.

* James, in these verses, carefully depicts for us the awful web of sin. He gives us a look in sin's tacklebox, as well as some of Satan's best bait, by pointing out the source, the course and the force of sin.

* In the previous verses, as you recall, James has dealt with the matter of external trials. Now, he begins to speak about the matter of internal temptations. The previous verses discuss how our lives are tested by faith. The verses before us tonight discuss how are lives are tempted to fall.

* Again, it is a look into sin's tacklebox and we learn where the fault of sin truly lies. James admonishes us to do 3 things when it comes to the matter of sin. First of all:

1. We Must ADMIT the SOURCE of Sin!
* We read in verses 13-14,
[Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man. [14] But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.]

* Those verses graphically depict the true source of all sin. There could only be 3 possible sources of sin: God, the Devil, or man. Let's look at these verses and determine the true source, by looking at, first:

A. God's INABILITY to Sin!
* Will Rogers said that "there are two great movements in America today: the passing of the buffalo, and the passing of the buck." According to James, when it comes to sin, one cannot pass the buck off to God, because God's possess an inability to sin.

* Notice again, James says in verse 13,
[Let n ...

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