God—Life Restoration Services

1. God—Life Restoration Services James 1.13-18

2. Introduction: Contractor

3. Take-Home Truth • God isn’t a life demolition worker, He is a life restoration worker.

4. God isn’t a life demolition worker, He is a life restoration worker. • God does not, and cannot tempt man. • We are the ones that demolish. • God redeemed us for a reason.

5. God does not, and cannot tempt man. (verses 13-14) • Temptation=Possibility to Sin • Sin=Anything contrary to God’s will/character. • No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.--I Corinthians 10.13

6. Application • God does not and cannot tempt man: • Stop blaming God by saying, this is how I am, or this is who I am. God designed you for holiness and communion with Him! You are messed up because of sin and a fallen world, not God. God doesn’t make you do it.

7. We are the ones that demolish our lives. (verses 15-16) • Desires: Greek word specific for a personal, “eating away” feeling. • Like the Ella Fitzgerald song “Fever” • The devil did NOT make you do it: • “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”—James 4.7-8

8. Application: We are the ones that demolish our lives. • Be determined to resist temptation—Daniel 1.8 • Put Satan in his place—Matthew 16.23 • Fight with Scripture—Matthew 4.1-11 • Draw near to God—James 4.8 • Defend with Scripture—Psalm 119.11 • Walk in the Spirit, not the flesh—Galatians 5.16

9. Application: We are the ones that demolish our lives. 7. Contentment is the key.—Genesis 39.6-10 “So he [Potipher] left all that he had in Joseph’s charge, and because of him he had no concern about anything but the food he ate. Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance.  And after a time his master’s wife cast her eyes on Joseph and said, “Lie with me.”  But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Behold, because of me my master has no concern about anything in the house, and he has put everything that he has in my charge. He is not greater in this house than I am, nor has he kept back anything from me except yourself, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?” And as she spoke to Joseph day after day, he would not listen to her, to lie beside her or to be with her.”

10. God redeemed us for a reason. (17-18) • The good in our life comes from God. God blesses us. Not to say that He does not occasionally allow a trial (not temptation) to come our way, but He looks to provide for His children. • “Of His own will her brought us forth…to be first fruits” God paid to high a price to destroy your life. He paid to restore it.

11. God redeemed us for a reason. • Old Testament: Isaiah 48.6 • “…from this time forth I will announce to you new things…” • New Testament: II Corinthians 5.17 • “Therefore if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation…” • Eschaton (End times): Revelation 21.5 • “And he who was seated on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new’…”

12. Application • God redeemed us for a reason: • God wants to restore, renovate, and renew you. Let Him do His work. Do not impede His progress by giving in to temptation.

13. Conclusion Just as it is counter intuitive for a contractor to sabotage his own work, and as ridiculous as it is to accuse a rival contractor of such, we need to recognize where the blame for sin in our life rests. God isn’t in the life demolition business, He’s in the life restoration business. God does not, and cannot tempt you. We are the one’s to blame for the sin in our lives, and God has redeemed us for a reason, and that isn’t for us to have a license to sin (Romans 6.1).