Open your Bible to James chapter 1.  We're going to be looking at verses 13 through 18.  James 1:13 through 18.  If we do not cover all the ground tonight, we'll probably cover the remaining part next Sunday night when we will also be having a praise time and we'll somehow fit it all together for a wonderful evening, should the Lord lead us to carry on a little longer.

     Look at your Bible as I read to you verses 13 through 18. 

Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted by God; for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth He anyone. But everyone is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust and enticed.  Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin.  And sin when it is complete bringeth forth death.  Do not err, my beloved brethren, or do not be deceived, every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and is coming down from the Father of lights with whom is no variation, neither shifting shadow.  Of His own will, begot He us with the word of truth that we should be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.

    As we approach this text, let me have you look at verse 14.  It begins with these words, "But every man is tempted."  All of us can give testimony to the truthfulness of that statement.  Everyone is tempted.  Temptation is the common experience of every human being...non‑Christian or Christian.  Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10 that temptations are common to man.  One ancient writer said that even when we are saved, we must remember that our baptism did not drown our flesh.  Temptation is common to every man...every man is tempted.

    We all then face the battle of temptation.  And how we deal with it is a mark of the genuineness of our faith or the lack of true saving faith.  Just as how we face trials and respond to them, in verses 2 through 12 was seen as a test of genuine faith, so how we deal with temptation is also a test of genuine faith. 

    It is normal for unredeemed people not to accept the blame for their own sinfulness.  When they are tempted and fall into sin, it is typical for them to put the blame somewhere else.  Children come into the world refusing to take responsibility for their behavior.  The first time you reprimand your little child for something, their initial reaction, knee‑jerk response is to say, "I didn't do it, it wasn't my fault, but you don't understand."  Accepting the full responsibility for weakness in temptation is not something that men do very well.  Children shirk the guilt for their own wrong and they grow up to be adults who do pretty much the