Winning the War Within

Text: James 4:1-6                                                              9/6/09 a.m.

Thesis: We will reap a harvest of righteousness when we root out the weeds of selfish desire.

I) Our biggest problem is your frustrated desires

a)      If we want peace and a harvest or righteousness we have to ask hard questions.

i)        Last Sunday, from James 3:13-18, we learned that there are two wisdoms. There is the godly wisdom from above and there is the selfish wisdom from this world.

ii)      Following godly wisdom produces good things like righteousness and peace.

iii)    Following earthly wisdom produces bad things like disorder, fighting, and every vile thing.

iv)    God’s way produces good things. My way produces bad things.  Those are obvious truths presented throughout Scripture and revealed in our lives.

v)      Yet I still choose to go my way. You still make the decision to do what you want to do.

vi)    The question that we will now answer is: Knowing what we know about God and His ways why do we keep doing selfish things that hurt people?

vii)  The hurt we cause is described by the words “quarrels” and “fights” or “wars” and “fights” in verse one. Do you see that?

viii)            Why is there bickering in the church? Why are there heated discussions between husband and wife?

ix)    Why does a child argue with his parents?

x)      James is not blowing things out of proportion when he identifies the disorder in our relationships as what they actually are: acts of warfare and a painful engagement between two combatants.

xi)    Many of us continue in the vicious cycle of disagreement, argument, explosion, pain, and quiet unrest precisely because we refuse to call the hard feelings and harsh words what they really are.

xii)  Your comments are an act of war. One selfish tyrant attempting to force his way and achieve his goals at the expense of others.

xiii)            What is causing all this? Let’s read

Read James 4:1-10

b)      There is a war going on inside of you

i)        “Is it not this” is how James introduces his answer in the middle of verse 1. Is the cause not obvious? Someone prove me wrong if you can.

ii)      Here’s the cause, look with me at verse one, “your passions are at war within you”

iii)    That other person is not the problem. Your husband, your wife, your boss, your parent, your child, your neighbor, that church member, this pastor; they are not the problem.

iv)    You have an idol in your heart. You have decided you cannot live without that thing. So you go to war.

v)      I want to do this. I want to have that. I want to be respected. I want to be loved. I want to be thanked. I want to be noticed. I want to be in control.

vi)    Your passions or your pleasures are those desires in your heart that rule your life; I must have _______ or I’m going to die.

vii)  I must have _________ or she’s going to die.

viii)            You’ve abandoned life God’s way. You’ve stopped pursuing a life that gives thanks in all circumstances (1 Thess 5:18). You stopped humbly counting others as more significant than yourself (Philippians 2:3).

ix)    Bottom line- the power and grace of Jesus Christ have become nothing to you; you are everything to you.

x)      So now every little want inside of you is like a punk kid looking to pick a fight with any takers.

xi)    So this is what happens (read verse 2)

c)      You hurt people because you are frustrated

i)        This word “desire” in verse 2 often carries the meaning of lust; a strong urge to have something that is not yours.

ii)      So what do you do when you are frustrated? You trust that God knows best. You’ll order your life His way, keep working hard, and remain content with what you have. That’s Christian maturity.

iii)    Sacrificing for the glory of God and the good of others. But instead of that you murder.

iv)    It is possible that you actually do murder; all over this globe a desire for something or someone is the cause of manslaughter.

v)      But the murder that happens in this church and in our homes is the murder that Jesus referred to in Matthew 5

vi)    Jesus said, “everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire”

vii)  When you get angry because a brother doesn’t do what you want that’s murder. When you call your brother an idiot because his mistake made your life hard that’s murder.

viii)            Verse 2 goes on, “you covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel.”

ix)    You want it desperately, you think of it regularly, if you could only have it. But you cannot. It’s not in your power to satisfy that desire.

x)      You are faced with your inability, your powerlessness, your finitude, and you weakness and it makes you furious.

xi)    So again you find yourself on the war path.

xii)  Let me put it to you this way. Damaged relationships around you prove there are ungodly desires within you

xiii)            The wisdom of God is not steering the boat.

II) The solution to our problem is for you to prayerfully trust God

a)      Yes, I said, the solution to OUR problem is for YOU to prayerfully trust God.

i)        Your sin and selfishness, my sin and selfishness, always effect others. Our sinful desires will always cause problems in the church and in the family.

ii)      We will always have problems if you do not learn what it is to turn away from selfish ambition and embrace Christ-centered service.

iii)    Here’s where it starts

b)      Ask and it will be given to you

i)        You’re so worked up you can’t even think straight. It never crosses your mind that God is bigger and smarter than you.

ii)      God can do what you can’t do. Ask him. We get so angry, self-centered and frustrated, trying so hard to make our dreams come true that we never look to the sovereign king of the universe.

iii)    Or, we know that what we are after is sin so we don’t pray about it. We know that if we slowed down and asked for God’s wisdom he’d show us that our motives are wrong; he’d remove the possibility of obtaining that thing.

iv)    So we do not ask. So we do not receive.

v)      But this is a great promise. If anyone lacks wisdom let him ask God who gives generously to all without reproach and it will be given to him.

vi)    Ask for God’s wisdom, seek him through his word, and he will show you what is best, strengthen you for what is best, and give you what is best.

vii)  God is in the business of every good and perfect gift. Why are we trying so hard to get what we don’t really need? Why are we destroying people for babbles and trinkets?

viii)            Ask God. We are invited to ask God, but in the abundant grace there is great responsibility. Here is where that responsibility shows (read 3)

III) Selfishness is the greatest hindrance to prayer

Verses 3,4,and 5 expose our selfishness

a)      V. 3- The cross of Christ plus God’s grace plus the power of the Spirit do not equal a blank check

i)        Do you see what James is getting at in verse 3? You’re asking God to fulfill that desire of yours.

ii)      You’re pushing all the right buttons. You’re praying in Jesus’ name. You’ve got the head bowed, the eyes closed, and maybe even you got down on your knees.

iii)    You might have even actually shared a prayer request for yourself.  But when you hit the button all you got was a whammy.

iv)    You do not receive what you ask for. And the reason you didn’t get what you want is because all you care about is yourself.

v)      Bitter jealousy and selfish ambition are driving you to prayer. But you’re not praying that God would bring your desires inline with His desires.

vi)    You’re praying that God would bring His desires inline with your desires.

vii)  You ask wrongly, to spend what God gives you on your passions.

viii)            You’re the druggy who prays that God will give you more crack.  You’re the teenager who prays that God will make it so that your girlfriend will have sex with you.

ix)    You’re praying that some family member will die so you can get their stuff.

x)      Or, you’re praying that your children will obey so that you don’t get embarrassed at Wal-mart.

xi)    You’re praying that so-and-so would move or leave or just get out so your life could be as you want it to be.

xii)  But God says “no” and keeps saying no and here’s why

b)      Using God for your selfish ends is the same as committing adultery

i)        Do you see that in verse 4? You adulterous people! It’s literally, “you adulteresses!” in the feminine.

ii)      If Christ is the bridegroom and the church is his bride how could it be anything less than adultery if we use Christ to pay for our selfish flings?

iii)    God does not exist to give you what you want; God is not a vending machine.

iv)    I met a guy whose now ex-wife told him she was going to a high school reunion so he worked overtime to buy her a plane ticket, new outfit, get her haircut, and have some spending money for her reunion.

v)      Come to find out she was flying to she the guy she’d been having an affair with the whole time.

vi)    As horrible as that is it is exactly what we do with God when we try to bend him to our wishes.

c)      If you are in bed with the world don’t expect God’s blessing

i)        Friendship in our day has lost its meaning. You can have a “friend” on facebook that you never see or have a verbal conversation with.

ii)      Friend for us as become a descriptive term for a relationship with little commitment.

iii)    “Are you two going out?” No, we’re just friends.

iv)    But for James to write about friendship he is talking about a high level of commitment. He’s talking about shared values. Two people going in the same direction after the same thing.

v)      If you are hooked up with the world then you are at war with God.

vi)    You may try to call it something else but God calls it treason or adultery. You have made yourself an enemy of God.

vii)  Middle of verse 4, “Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”

viii)            You’re going to church, you’re saying your prayers, you may even want to be a teacher but because of the desires of your heart you have made yourself God’s enemy.

ix)    Do you see in these verses how quickly “religion” can turn into an act of treason against God.

x)      Remember the other thief of the cross? Not the one who went to heaven but the other one? The one who wanted to use Jesus for his own ends?

xi)    We must hate the thought that we would ever try to use Jesus like some heavenly sugar daddy.

xii)  God hates the thought.

d)     Our God is a jealous God

i)        Read verse 5

ii)      Two main things to grab onto in this verse.

iii)    First, Scripture never speaks in vain.

iv)    2 Timothy 3:16, “all Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.”

v)      The is the bitter jealousy and selfish ambition of the world that tries to label these words on these pages as nothing more than words.

vi)    Just some make believe; bedtime stories from generations gone by.

vii)  If this is God’s word then God had a reason for speaking every word. Every word has a purpose.

viii)            Every word, by the Holy Spirit, has meaning and God’s word will accomplish it’s purposes.

ix)    It doesn’t matter if we like what the Scripture says. It doesn’t matter if we don’t want what Scripture says we’re going to get.

x)      This is God’s powerful word. He does not speak in vain. That’s the first point.

xi)    Here’s the second point. God doesn’t play around with his creation. (Read middle of 5)

xii)  There are two ways to translate this verse. The NIV translates the Greek to read that the spirit God made to dwell in us envies intensely.

xiii)            Meaning, sinful selfish desires are natural to man. Our sin is abundant. Our hearts are wicked.

xiv)            This would certainly be true and a fair translation of the Greek but I don’t think fits the context best.

xv)  I believe the best translation understands God to be the subject. It is God who made the spirit dwell with you.

xvi)            This can be the spirit in the sense of the physical life-giving physical element.

xvii)          Or this can be the Holy Spirit in the sense of the spiritual life-giving element.

xviii)        Either way, God is sovereign over both. He is the one who makes you breath and he is the one who brings you to live through his word.

xix)            Do you think God is just going to let that go? Do you think God is just going to shrug your adultery off like it doesn’t really matter?

xx)  Do you really believe God is going to wink at your act of treason and just let that one slide?

xxi)            No, he won’t.

xxii)          You see, you have the desire to glorify yourself. You want God to be kicked off the throne or at least scoot over and make some room for you.

xxiii)        And God has the desire to glorify his great name for the good of all the people.

xxiv)        God passionately pursues what belongs to him. He pursues his people like the good shepherd who seeks his wandering sheep.

xxv)          And he pursues his enemies like the swiftest, strongest, and deadliest of warriors.

xxvi)        The God who created hell is not a God who plays around.

xxvii)      So what do we do with our desires that have gone haywire?

IV) The solution is to seek God’s grace

Look at verse 6. Swim in verse 6. Rejoice over and celebrate the soul stirring truth of verse 6.

a)      But he gives more grace.

i)        Come back tonight and we’ll unpack the beauty of grace and how God wants us to enjoy it.

ii)      For now I want you to realize what God wants you to realize.  There is help for you. There is forgiveness for you.

iii)    For you, the enemy of God, the adulteress, the one wear the scarlet letter.

iv)    God wants you today to hear this words: There is more grace for you.

v)      There is sufficient grace for you. There is abundant grace for God’s enemies.  This is the greatness of Jesus Christ.

vi)    He has secured your forgiveness. He has taken your shame. He has removed your guilt.

vii)  Let go of your selfish desires; they lead only to hurt and judgment. Repent of your sin. Turn to God.

viii)            Turn to the God who gives more grace. He is ready today to restore you.

ix)    I stand ready as we sing to help you in any way I can. Don’t leave today without experiencing God’s abundant grace.

Text: James 3:13-18                                                        8/30/09 a.m.

Thesis: Godly wisdom humbly and peaceably works for righteousness.

Intro:  Wisdom from above; that’s our title for this sermon.  In our text and in our title there is an assumption concerning wisdom.

The assumption is that there is more than one type of wisdom.

There is a wisdom that is godly, from above, born in the heavens and there is a wisdom that is void of godliness, of this earth, and even born in the desires of the demons.

Obviously we should want that wisdom that is from above. Our desire is to listen to God and obey God; faithfully accomplishing God’s purposes.

To do this we must become wise; we must possess and act upon the wisdom that is from above.

So what James sets out to do for us in this passage is give clear standards by which we can distinguish heavenly wisdom from demonic wisdom.

In a few minutes you will be able to biblically judge your life and decide if you are following the wisdom that is from above.

Derek Kidner summed it all up when he said that the purpose of wisdom is to make good people nice (quoted by Motyer, 129).

You see, the churches to whom this letter was addressed had a problem.  They were full of people who claimed to be wise; they were packed with people who claimed to be good.

But they were not nice people.  They were bitter and selfish.

We know we are walking according to God’s wisdom when we are faithful, fruitful, and nice.

Read James 3:13-18

I) Christian maturity involves wisdom and understanding

a)      Some claim to be wise and understanding

i)        So James issues a challenge in verse 13. Who claims to be wise? Who wants to be a teacher? Who thinks they have it together?

ii)      Let’s investigate. Let’s look at some tell-tale signs of true wisdom. You see, this is a helpful passage.

iii)    We are given biblical categories by which we can judge the spiritual depth of those we go to for advice.

iv)    If the person teaching us is not wise, if his/her life does not possess the visible qualities of the wisdom from above then love them, serve them, and encourage them but do not listen to them. Their wisdom is no go.

b)      So what is wisdom? What does it mean to be wise?

i)        Chapter 1 introduced wisdom to us when we learned that God invites everyone who lacks wisdom to ask for it and that wisdom would be given without reproach.

ii)      Wisdom is the God-given ability to understand God and His ways so that life is lived according to God’s purposes.

c)      Let’s define understanding

i)        If a person possesses understanding that person knows how things work and is therefore able to use that thing to accomplish God’s purposes.

ii)      If a person claims to understand an engine that person is making this statement: I know how an engine operates and I am able to use that engine for God’s ends.

d)     So why would James ask this question?

i)        Because people in the church were claiming to have wisdom and understanding; they were saying that they understood God and could teach others.

ii)      The problem is that their lives were a direct contradiction to their claims.

II) Christian maturity is displayed not claimed

Look again with me at the middle of verse 13

It has been said by some deep thinkers that if you are happy and you know it then your face will surely show it.

a)      If we put verse 13 in those terms we’d say, “if you are wise and you know it then your life will surely show it.”

i)        Wisdom will show itself by works, “by his good conduct let him show his works.”

ii)      Wisdom does something; it accomplishes something; it has energy that produces.

iii)    As we’ll see in a moment, there is a faulty or worldly form of wisdom as well. Possessing worldly religion has obvious characteristics as well.

iv)    So James wants us to understand that if you are really wise there will be proof in your life.

v)      And that proof, or works, has two defining characteristics: good conduct in the meekness of wisdom.

vi)    Godly wisdom does good stuff; it accomplishes God’s goals God’s way.  Godly wisdom does hard stuff and godly wisdom often finds opposition but the point is if you claim to be wise your life will prove it because you consistently strive to do God’s things God’s way.

vii)  And God’s way is according to Scripture with meekness.  Meekness means humility.

viii)            Wisdom produces meekness. When you understand that you lack wisdom and can only get it from God that makes you humble.

ix)    You are sinful, selfish, and foolish. You will mess everything up. But God in his great mercy has redeemed you through Jesus Christ and God in his great mercy gives wisdom to those who humbly ask.

x)      You don’t understand God and his ways because you’re smart. You understand God and his ways because he has graciously taught you. Your inability and His grace produce humility, meekness, and gentleness.

xi)    Let’s review.  The person who is truly wise will understand God and will know how God intends for life to work. He/she will then go about seeking to realize that life God’s way with all humility.

xii)  That’s what true wisdom is about. Now let’s turn our attention to false or earthly wisdom. Read 14

III) If you are selfish do not claim to be wise

It doesn’t matter what you say. If there is envy and pride in your heart you are not wise; you are a liar.

a)      That’s a pretty bold statement so lets define bitter jealousy

i)        It’s simple to grasp; bitter jealousy is a desire for another person’s position or possessions that drives you to frustration or anger.

ii)      If you are mad at people because you do not have what they have then you have bitter jealousy in your heart.

iii)    You can be jealous of a relationship or a job or a home or a car. You can be jealous that a person got his way and you didn’t get your way.

iv)    If you have this bitter jealousy inside your heart you are not trusting God. You are not resting in God’s sovereignty. You do not understand God and you do not understand how he works.

v)      You’re mad because you didn’t get your way.

b)      Now let’s talk about selfish ambition

i)        Some translations have “party spirit”. It’s the idea of factionalism. It’s what we see in our government when Republicans oppose Democrats for no reason except that the idea came from a Democrat and vise versa.

ii)      Selfish ambition says, “I’m what is important and my team is the best so if it isn’t my idea or if it isn’t from my team I don’t care I’m against it.”

iii)    In the church it’s turf wars, little cliques, and opposition of anything that smells contrary to your wishes.

iv)    It is the godless desire to make my life better at the expense of everyone else.

c)      Now why do these two sins prove a person is a liar?

i)        If you have jealousy and selfishness in your heart then do not boast and be false to the truth.

ii)      If all you care about is yourself then don’t pretend to understand God; everyone will know you are lying.

iii)    If you are more passionate about getting your way than you are passionate about God’s will being done then don’t be false to the truth; you are not wise.

iv)    Brothers, do you want proof that God’s word is sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing the soul and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart?

v)      You are about to get that proof. Read verse 15

IV) Jealousy and selfish ambition are the defining marks of all that is of this earth, natural to fallen mankind, and demonic

a)      Jealousy and selfish ambition are not the wisdom that is from above

i)        It is not wise to love yourself. It is not wise to protect yourself. If you spend your life trying to advance your little kingdom then you are a fool.

ii)      Think about it. 99 out of 100 times that you get mad about something it is because you aren’t making decisions based upon God and his wants. You’re mad because you aren’t getting what you want.

b)      Your selfishness proves your heart is connected to what is of this world, godless, and of the devil

i)        James tells us in 4:6 that when you become a friend of this world you become an enemy of God.

ii)      Friendship with this world is a good picture of earthly. It’s walking in step with this sin-filled self-fueled I can do it by myself world.

iii)    It’s the wisdom that cares nothing for God and his ways. It’s thinking that goes no farther than this puny little planet.

iv)    Earthly thinking just doesn’t think about God.

v)      Unspiritual is a word that occurs 5 times in the New Testament and it is always a bad word. Unspiritual is consistently put forward as the opposite of spiritual.

vi)    It’s the natural man of 1 Corinthians 2:14 who does not accept the thing things of the Spirit of God.

vii)  Douglas Moo put it well when he wrote that the unspiritual is that part of man where human feeling and human reason reign supreme (173).

viii)  So when it just makes sense to you but it has nothing to do with God and his ways then it’s probably unspiritual.

ix)    Demonic is simple. That thing or that desire that accomplishes the goals of Satan. It is opposed to God.

x)      When you or your friend or your child or a church member says something selfish or acts upon jealousy we must understand that what is driving that person is sin, self, and Satan.

V) Now if godly wisdom proves itself then worldly wisdom does too. Here is how we can judge if someone is godly or worldly (read v.16).

a)      The fact that your life is a wreck and sin is all over the place proves that you have been seeking your kingdom and not God’s.

i)        Where there is smoke there is fire. Where there is disorder, where life is unstable and tossed back and forth, you can be sure that selfishness is at the root.

ii)      Where there is every vile practice, where sin is on every front and popping up in every quarter, you can be sure that selfishness is the cause.

iii)    Count on it; in the church and in the family when God is forgotten and self is made king then there will be disorder and all kinds of worthless pointless godless things.

VI) Therefore and most importantly, Christian, you must know and seek to grow in true wisdom

We don’t want sin and instability for our selves, our families, and our church. We want Jesus and we want to walk in step with the gospel. Here’s how we know we’re on the right track.

These things are present (read 17)

a)      Notice that James is very careful to point out that wisdom from above is first pure. Why go to all the trouble of saying that godly wisdom first of all is pure?

i)        Why not say “wisdom is first humble”?

ii)      The reason James starts this list this way is he wants to pinpoint the source and goal of true wisdom.

iii)    Pure is the word often translated ‘holy’. It means sacred, devoted to God, useful to God.

iv)    Purity is the crown jewel of godly wisdom; it reflects the person and purposes of God.

v)      Many of us make decisions throughout our day and throughout our lives without any thought of Jesus and the hope of the gospel. This is the direct opposite of wisdom that is pure, holy, or pertaining to God.

vi)    Godly wisdom, first of all, brings God to bear on the situation.

b)      Wisdom from above trusts God and it shows

i)        In the original the next three adjectives are linked by alliteration, the repetition of sound.

ii)      εἰρηνική, ἐπιεικής, εὐπειθής

iii)    Those words, because of their similarity of sound, could be easily memorized and therefore quickly brought to bear on any situation or decision.

iv)    To be peaceful or peaceable is to be free from anxiety or inner turmoil (G-E Lexicon of the NT).

v)      It’s the opposite of disorder in verse 16. Because this person knows God, is trusting in the sovereignty of God, and is pursuing God’s goals God’s way why should there be fear, turmoil, or anxiety?

vi)    In 1st Timothy 3:3 we find our word gentle; the opposite of gentle as being violent. Titus 3:2 describes gentle as avoiding quarrelling.

vii)  Wisdom from above knows that God can be trusted to uphold what is right and accomplish His purposes.

viii)            True wisdom, therefore, doesn’t operate according to the aggression of this world. Wisdom from above doesn’t accomplish its ends by picking fights and getting in people’s faces.

ix)    Godly wisdom is powerful in prayer, bold in the truth, and patiently waits on God.

x)      Easily persuaded rounds out our trio. The opposite of easily persuaded is stuck in his ways.

xi)    But godly wisdom is not easily persuaded by everyone.

xii)  Instead of meaning gullible, easily persuaded means open to reason, willing to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger.

xiii)            When there is disagreement, godly wisdom does not go on the attack. Godly wisdom, when truth is not on the line, is willing to listen to the merits of others.

xiv)            Willing to yield is another good translation. Godly wisdom puts the desires of God first, the desires of others second, and the desires of self third.

xv)  How many churches have been hurt by the lack of godly wisdom? One group is selfish and aggressive the other group is unwilling to budge.

xvi)            The body is wounded because one group wants change now and the other group wants change never.

xvii)          Both of these are the epitome of earthly wisdom.

xviii)        We must care more about what God wants than what we want. We must be devoted to what is good for the body as opposed to what we think is good for me or good for my group of friends.

xix)            Godly wisdom puts God and church first; people with godly wisdom trust God and it shows.

xx)  The next four traits of godly wisdom can be summed up by saying

c)      Wisdom from above is committed to humbly working

i)        A wise person doesn’t jump to conclusions, assume the worst, or “go for the throat” in a disagreement.

ii)      She is full of mercy. She’s over flowing with compassion.

iii)    She’s not easily offended but easily finds the good and gives grace even when the world says to go on the attack. How desperately do our families and church need men and women of godly wisdom.

iv)    Men and women who are full of good fruits. Young and old who do not live for them selves but live to be used by God.

v)      And they don’t draw lines concerning who they will serve and in what capacity; they are impartial.

vi)    They don’t make distinctions. It’s either what God wants or it’s not. Godly wisdom says, “if God is in it then I will be too.” God will provide what is needed.

vii)  And this is said and done with sincerity. There is no hypocrisy here. They’re not working the system or playing with people’s emotions.

viii)            With focus and determination God’s people accomplish God’s purposes. They are not distracted by sin or selfishness. They are sincere.

ix)    And here is what you get

d)     Godly wisdom produces peace and a harvest of righteousness

i)        Read verse 18

ii)      If you want to reflect the person of God in all of your life; if you want your work to produce righteousness then your work must be done in peace.

iii)    You will be hard pressed to find the words “brutally” or “violently” on the back of any seed packet.

iv)    God is calling you this morning to do his will peacefully. And that doesn’t mean that you consider peace to be okay if it just happens.

v)      It means you actually make peace. You give up your wants for the cause of peacefully pursuing God’s goals.

vi)    You shut your mouth. You stop fighting. You stop arguing. You stop hurting. And you pick up your cross and peacefully give yourself away so that God’s will can be advanced.

vii)  When God’s people pursue God’s will God’s way then they see God work.

viii)            When Mambrino Baptist Church walks in wisdom pursuing peace we will see a harvest of righteousness.

ix)    Christ will be glorified, lives will be changed, and you’ll get to be a part of it.

x)      The reason you don’t see God working could be because you’re selfish.

VII) Now don’t you want to take the Lord’s Supper after being raked across the coals by God’s piercing word?

a)      I need know I need Jesus because I am full of selfishness and sinfulness. I have wandered away. I have done my own thing. I have hurt people.

i)        I need the blood of Christ that purchases my forgiveness.

ii)      I need the body of Christ broken for my healing.

iii)    I need the resurrection of Christ that gives me new life.

iv)    I need the Jesus who is worth more than me to satisfy me. I need the Jesus who is stronger than me to give me strength.

v)      I need to be reminded that God gives hope to those who acknowledge their sin and depend on Christ the perfect Savior.

vi)    I have a Redeemer. There is hope for change. There is a life that is worth every sacrifice.

vii)  Because of Christ my life will bear fruit for God.

viii)            In the Lord’s Supper God holds out Jesus to us.  In Him we find life and forgiveness and the wisdom to live God’s way.

ix)    Let’s prepare our hearts to celebrate the mercy of God poured out on us through Jesus Christ.

Text: James 3:5-12                                                          8/23/09 p.m.

Thesis: The tongue’s potential for harm cannot be underestimated.

Intro:  This morning we looked at the tongue’s potential for doing good. Though small, the tongue is capable of great good. It’s the master key for maturity.

Like a bit in a horse’s mouth or a rudder on a ship a tongue guides the entire body.

If you can get that tongue under control by aiming at the heart and speaking like Christ then you are a mature man able also to bridle your whole body.

But what if you can’t bridle your tongue? What if you don’t want to bridle your tongue?

Before going after jealousy and selfish ambition in the church James wants us to understand just how harmful an email, a phone call, a word in passing, a conversation, or an angry comment in the heat of the moment can actually be.

If this morning was about the potential good of the tongue then tonight is about the potential harm of the tongue.

Read James 3:1-12

I) The tongue is undoubtedly capable of great harm

a)      Let Smokey the Bear teach you about your tongue

i)        Think about the incredible strength and monumental stature of a great forest.

(1)   Davy Crockett National Forest

ii)      Now think about the incredible strength and minuscule stature of a small fire.

(1)   That hobo’s fire made of scraps

iii)    The original was written in such a way to emphasis the polar opposites of something monumental and something minuscule.

(1)   Repetition of ἡλίκον

iv)    That small, seemingly insignificant fire is capable of torching that strong and mighty forest.

II) The tongue is a fire

a)      Verse 6 gives us some matter of fact descriptions of the tongue

i)        Your tongue is that small fire

(1)   Do not underestimate the potential harm that one small word can cause

(2)   Johnny Cash killed a man in Reno just to watch him die. Our wicked hearts like to set fires just to watch people burn.

(3)   Every small word carries a great potential. Will you trust that a fiery word will do more good than a grace-filled word? What will you say when wronged?

b)      I hope you see in this verse that we are to understand that the tongue is more than a muscle in our mouths but is the teleprompter of the soul.

i)        The tongue is a world of unrighteousness

(1)   Every evil can be found in the tongue

(2)   Think about it…

ii)      The tongue is set among our members

(1)   To set or appoint is to give authority

(2)   The tongue is the top dog in our members

(3)   James 3:2- If you can bridle it you can bridle you whole body.

(4)   Your tongue is not insignificant

iii)    In this place of preeminence the tongue is quite well adapted for staining your whole body

(1)   When I think about something being stained and the terrible effects of it I think of JD Rockwell’s cataract surgery.

(2)   Details and outcome of the stain…

(3)   Your tongue, if left without restraint and given no positive direction will defile all that you are.

(4)   Your tongue will lead you into a heap of trouble. Your tongue will destroy you.

(5)   Your tongue is capable of defiling you

iv)    And your tongue is capable of defiling all that is around you

(1)   Verse 6 says that the tongue sets on fire the entire course of life.

(2)   All the intricate connections that you are involved in are quickly and easily burned to the ground with a word.

(3)   How many of us have blown years of biblical work with one fire-breathing sentence?

(4)   How many times have you said something you wish you could take back? You saw…

c)      But what gives the tongue such terrible potential?

i)        The tongue is set on fire by hell

ii)      The word for hell in this verse is Gehenna it’s the word Jesus used to refer to hell.

iii)    Only Jesus and James use this word to refer to hell. This is just one more of the many connections between the teaching of Jesus and the teaching of James.

iv)    Gehenna was originally a valley used for burning trash and later a place of human sacrifice.

v)      With such a reputation Gehenna become a perfect description of hell, the place of unquenchable fire (Mark 9:43).

vi)    Think about how harmless and how harmful a match is; the difference rests on the match being set on fire.

vii)  The tongue is harmful precisely because it is set on fire by hell.

viii)            Do you want proof that there is a literal hell? Listen to the way a husband talks to his wife. Listen to the way siblings talk to each other.

ix)    The grace-less hopeless self-centered pain of hell is behind the grace-less hopeless self-centered painful words coming out of your mouth.

x)      Do you see how matter of fact the Holy Spirit is about the tongue?

xi)    Think about that phrase, “I didn’t mean it”.

xii)  That’s what we say after we discover that we hurt someone more than we intended with our words.

xiii)            The tongue is a world of unrighteousness. In it’s place of preeminence it stains the body, destroys relationships, and at the root of these words is a grace-less hell.

xiv)            The tongue is undoubtedly capable of great harm

III) Our next point is humbling. On your own you cannot control the tongue

a)      Every creature can be tamed by man

i)        Read verse 7

ii)      To tame something is to domesticate it. You calm it down. You give it some order. You make useful what was once unruly and of no practical use.

iii)    Man is capable of taming everything in water, on the land, and in the air.

iv)    That’s an amazing feat; something to be celebrated and applauded. That’s a big deal.

b)      But no human being can tame the tongue

i)        You are not capable in and of yourself of ruling the unruly tongue.

ii)      You have better chances domesticating a great white shark than you do domesticating your own tongue.

iii)    But do not despair. This truth is meant to humble us so that we seek the help of God. You can’t do it on your own but you can tame the tongue with God.

iv)    James 4:6 tells us that God gives grace to the humble

v)      Philippians 4:13 says I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

vi)    The path to maturity, the goal of a bridled tongue, is never attained by the proud.

vii)  The humble reach maturity because they rely on grace.

c)      The humble are those who admit that the tongue is a restless evil

i)        The double-minded man of chapter 1 verse 8 is unstable in all his ways. He’s going this way then that way. He’s trusting God then he’s trusting himself.

ii)      He wants what God wants then he’s rejecting what God wants. He is all over the place.

iii)    Unstable in 1:8 is the same word translated restless in 3:8.

iv)    The tongue is an evil that never ceases. Are you ready to admit that your tongue is not just full of evil but is in fact evil?

v)      But it’s not just any evil it’s a restless unceasing evil.

d)     The humble admit that the tongue is full of deadly poison

i)        Emphasis. Emphasis. Emphasis.

ii)      The tongue does not just possess poison; that would get the truth across; your tongue is capable of great harm.

iii)    No, it’s more than that. The tongue is full of poison.

iv)    I love listening to Abby learn how to use words and it’s fun to watch her learn how to detect the differences between words.

v)      One funny phrase that has stuck when describing a full cup is “filled to the grim top”…

vi)    Your tongue is filled to the grim top with poison.

vii)  In all humility put your name in verse 8…

IV) The duplicity of the tongue displays its evil

a)      Verses 9-12 teach the unfortunate truth that what is not found in nature is unfortunately found in the tongue

i)        Let’s start with verses 11&12 (read them)

(1)   Pour- gush, abundance

(2)   Fresh or sweet- γλυκύς

(3)   Is it possible for a gushing spring to pour forth good water one minute, bitter water the next minute, and then back to good?

(4)   It is impossible.

(5)   Has anyone ever seen a tree change its very nature in the middle of fruit-bearing season?

(6)   Can the Dead Sea give you fresh water? Every third cup that you dip out of the Salt Sea will it come out sweet and tasty?

(7)   Nature testifies that like produces like and there is no deviation.

ii)      This stability is a testimony to the greatness and stability of God.

(1)   James 1:17 teaches us that God doesn’t change. There is no variation or shadow due to change in our God.

(2)   The stability of a spring, the produce of a tree, and the unchanging saltiness of the sea testify to us every day- God doesn’t change.

b)      The duplicity of our tongues teaches us that we are not God and we are in need of grace.

i)        Read verses 9&10

ii)      Bless- to praise, to say a good word.

iii)    These aren’t just good things said about God these are good things said to God, “we bless our Lord and Father”

iv)    Curse- to cause injury or harm through the things that we say.

v)      What makes blessing God and cursing man so terrible is the truth found in the end of verse 9.

vi)    People are made in the likeness of God.

vii)  How can we say a good thing to God one minute then say a harmful thing to the likeness of God the next?

viii)            How can you sing God’s praises in the sanctuary then the minute you step into the foyer or close the car door you start running down people made in God’s image.

ix)    This displays your depravity. You need God’s forgiving and changing grace.

x)      From the same source come good and bad, blessing and cursing, sweet and bitter, figs and olives, salt water and fresh water.

c)      Do you hear the plea found in the command of verse 10?

i)        My brothers, these things ought not to be

ii)      This is not okay. This must change.

iii)    How can we talk bad about people and complain in Sunday School then gather and worship God?

iv)    How can we angrily pour forth venomous words at our spouses and children until the phone rings and then we answer it with Jesus-filled sweetness?

v)      This ought not to be so.  This must change about you. This must change about me. This must change about Mambrino Baptist Church.

V) Here’s how we change

a)      Read James 4:9&10

i)        It is time to get serious about the sin of your tongue. It’s not funny. It’s not cute. It stinks. It’s proof of hell.

ii)      It is sin. Get honest with God. Humble yourself and admit your need for help in order to change.

b)      Read James 4:8

i)        It’s time to repentant. Getting honest is not repentance. Getting honest is the first step toward repentance.

ii)      This is what I did and I am sorry because it is highly offensive to you God.

iii)    I have set lives on fire instead of building people up.

iv)    I am stained with the sins of my tongue. I am defiled by the fires of hell coming out of my mouth.

v)      This is not Your way, God. Forgive me. Cleanse me. Give me the grace to change.

VI) Tonight I want us to close with a simple but powerful prayer

a)      God show me the sins of my tongue and give me repentance and grace to change.

b)      Where the Spirit speaks make it right with God and man. Listen to Him and do what he says. And listening doesn’t matter if there is no doing.

c)      Mambrino Baptist Church we are doers of the word.

Text: James 3:1-5                                                            8/23/09 a.m.

Thesis: The heart guides the tongue and the tongue guides the body.

Intro:  We’ve been talking a great deal lately about God’s judgment of us based upon our works.

Today we transition a bit in order to focus on the importance of our words.  In a sense we are looking at our words which are our works upon which we will be judged.

Jesus connected all of these (words, works, and judgment) when he said, “I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Mt 12:36&37)

And the reason so much weight can be placed upon our words is because “out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks” (Mt 12:34)

If you are good out of your good treasure you will bring forth good.

If you are evil out of your evil treasure you will bring forth evil.

Your treasure is the storehouse of your heart. The condition of your heart directs the words of the tongue and the words of the tongue set the direction for the entire body.

Because of this connection between the heart and tongue James has already written, “If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.”

Your words are an accurate representation of your heart. As the tongue, so the man; let’s see why this is so important.

Read James 3:1-12

I) Since we will be judged according to our words teachers must be ever vigilant.

a)      Teachers make a life for themselves or at least a name for themselves by their words.

i)        This is because a teacher is responsible for explaining God’s Word to God’s people.

ii)      1 Corinthians 12:29 mentions teaching as one of the spiritual gifts.

iii)    1^st Timothy 3:2 requires that a pastor be able to teach

iv)    Titus 1:9 requires that a pastor be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and rebuke those who contradict it.

v)      Titus 2:3 commands the older women in the church to teach the younger women how to live godly lives.

vi)    Those people who faithfully fulfilled the calling to teach God’s word were held in high esteem.

vii)  Those elders who labored in preaching and teaching were to be considered worthy of double honor which certainly included a paycheck (1Cor 9.11; Gal 6.6).

viii)            Being a teacher provided a good reputation and for some it paid the bills.  It was an attractive position.

b)      People were rushing into the office without thought of the coming judgment and were causing problems in the church.

i)        James’s mention of bitter jealousy, selfish ambition, quarrels, and speaking evil against one another betrays illness in the church; teachers would have surely been involved. Tongues were causing problems.

ii)      James addresses these problems in the end of chapter 3 and the beginning of chapter 4.

iii)    The problems the tongue causes between people will come. Now, in verse 1, James focuses our attention on the problem the tongue causes between a teacher and God.

iv)    Obviously James considers himself to be a teacher. He includes himself in the “we” who will be judged.

v)      He feels the weight of the reality of God’s stringent standard for teachers.

vi)    James 4:12 says, “There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy.”

Jesus said in Matthew 18:6, “whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.”

vii)   You teachers will be judged with greater strictness.

viii)            Everyone will be judged by God. Everyone will have his deeds exposed and his motives revealed.

ix)    You will have to give an account for everything you did and for every desire that caused you to do what you did.

x)      God is going to judge and he is going to be harder on teachers. God is harder on those who teach others.

xi)    Literally, “they will receive a mega judgment”.

xii)  With great potential comes great responsibility. It is to your own peril if you view the responsibility of teaching as some light or insignificant matter.

xiii)            Not many should become teachers, first, because teachers will come under a mega judgment.

xiv)            The second reason not many should become teachers builds on the first

c)      The danger of the coming judgment is heightened by the fact that, verse 2, we all stumble in many ways.

i)        James was quick to associate himself with those who teach and he was quick to associate himself with those who stumble in many ways.

ii)      Teachers, you are headed toward a judgment day where God will be harder on you than the majority.

iii)    And being a teacher doesn’t give you any immunity from sin. If anything, being a teacher increases your opportunities to stumble because of the greater volume of words related to your duty.

iv)    Every teaching opportunity, every conversation, either stores up treasure in heaven or piles up condemnation.

v)      When I was doing my bible reading this week, I saw example after example of teachers who got it wrong.

vi)    Hananiah taught God’s people to trust a lie and God killed him (Jeremiah 28:15-17).

vii)  The prophets Ahab and Zedekiah would be roasted in the fire for speaking lying words in God’s name (Jeremiah 29:23).

viii)            Shemaiah prophesied when God did not send him making the people believe a lie and so he and his family were cut off from the good (Jeremiah 29:31-32).

ix)    Pray for me. Please pray for me. I want to be an approved workman because I handle God’s word correctly and teach it to you faithfully.

x)      But I stumble in many ways.

xi)    Pray for your Sunday School teacher. Pray for Paul Henebury. Being a teacher is a wonderful calling that must be discharged well. The stakes are incredibly high.

xii)  Now in verse two James begins to expand his subject. Verse 1 was explicitly for teachers. Verse 2 grows to include all of us, teacher and pupil alike, who stumble in many ways.

xiii)            The remainder of verse 2 teaches us that

II) Your tongue broadcasts your spiritual maturity level

a)      Do you see that in verse 2? If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man.

i)        Here as before, perfect or complete carries the idea of mature; one who is declared righteous because his faith directs him toward obedience.

ii)      Can you list some of the marks of maturity that we’ve studied so far? Joyfully meeting trials as you move toward maturity, asking for and possessing wisdom, quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger, a doer of the word, cares for the poor, widow, and orphan, possesses a faith that works.

iii)    And now we’re given another marker of maturity: “does not stumble in what he says”.

iv)    This builds on what it is to bridle the tongue in James 1:26.

v)      When you don’t stumble in what you say your tongue doesn’t trip you up. Your tongue doesn’t trip others up.

vi)    Maturity is seen in those whose mouths do not lead into sin. Immaturity is seen in those whose mouths lead into sin.

vii)  James is going to unpack what it looks like for a mouth to lead a person into sin so we’ll camp out there in the next couple of weeks.

viii)            What James is doing here in verse 2 is setting forth the tongue as the master key to maturity.

ix)    Look again at verse 2 and let it sink in. (read it)

x)      If you can master the tongue, keeping it in check, putting a bridle on it and steering it then you are a perfect man, able ALSO to bridle your whole body.

xi)    If I could beat Michael Jordan or Koby Bryant in one on one then the guys down at the gym can be defeated too.

xii)  Beating the master proves your capabilities to beat the lesser. The tongue is the master that must be subdued.

III) Two illustrations prove the importance of the tongue

a)      With a piece of metal we direct an entire horse

i)        Read verse 3

ii)      And that bit doesn’t put itself there. That horse won’t come up and ask for the bit. You’ve got to put the bit in the horse’s mouth.

iii)    Why do we put bits into horses’ mouths? So that they will obey us.

iv)    The goal is to get that horse, his entire body, to go where you want him to go.

v)      Without the bit, without control of the mouth, then it can be difficult to get that horse to obey.

vi)    You’ll struggle to persuade that horse to your side.

vii)  But if you can get the mouth you can guide the whole body as well.

viii)            If you can control your tongue then you’ll be perfect, able also to bridle your whole body.

ix)    Many of your difficulties all throughout your life, the struggles of your whole life, can often be traced back to the fact that you don’t have your tongue under control.

x)      If you can learn to bridle your tongue, to stop stumbling in what you say, then you can guide your entire body.

xi)    With our next illustration we get a little more information to help us control the tongue.

b)      With a very small rudder we guide a ship.

i)        Read verse 4

ii)      Look at the ships also. Look at exhibit B which clearly supports what James is teaching.

iii)    Let’s ask some more questions: What type of boat is this? Is it small or large?

iv)    It’s a large boat. Don’t think of your neighbor’s bass tracker that you wish you had. Think of a large boat with sails able to handle the rough sea.

v)      Because this large boat is, verse 4, driven by strong winds. Not just any winds but strong winds propel this boat and this substantial boat handles the pressure.

vi)    And what guides this large boat which is driven by strong winds? A very small rudder.

vii)  A small, often tongue shaped device, is responsible for guiding this large vessel.

viii)            Your tongue is like that rudder.  Trials are crashing against you and either driving you toward maturity or driving you toward the rocks of despair.

ix)    What crucial member do you need to get under control if the boat of your life is going to make it joyfully to port?

x)      Get that tongue in check.

xi)    Now the end of verse 4 pulls back the curtains so that we can see how to get that tongue in check.

xii)  Who is controlling that rudder on that large boat?

xiii)            The will of the pilot is directing that boat.

xiv)            It is interesting that James didn’t just write, “wherever the pilot directs” but “wherever the will of the pilot directs.”

xv)  The desires of the pilot are the ultimate cause of the angle of the rudder and therefore the entire direction of the boat.

xvi)            The will of the pilot sets the rudder and the rudder directs the entire vessel.

c)      James wants to make the connection clear

i)        Read verse 5

ii)      So also, there is a one for one correlation. Put the boat and the tongue side by side and you will see how similar they are.

iii)    Here’s the connection: the bit is small, the rudder is small, and the tongue is small.

iv)    If we didn’t know better or if we weren’t honest we’d say that the bit and rudder didn’t matter.

v)      If we were foolish we’d say that what we say doesn’t matter.

vi)    But though the tongue is small it boasts of great things.

vii)  Now keep the connection.  Is the boasting of a bit and bridle hollow words or do a bit and bridle actually work to direct a horse? A bit it capable of backing up its boasts.

viii)            Think about a rudder. Is it just empty talk to say that if you turn the rudder you can turn the boat? Is that a myth or is a rudder capable of backing up its boasts?

ix)    A tongue is capable of great things. We’ll talk about the dangers of the tongue tonight but what you need to nail down today is the truth that your tongue is capable of great good and your tongue is capable of great harm.

x)      If your tongue is out of control then you are out of control. If you’ve managed to bridle your tongue then it’s a sure thing that you are headed toward maturity in other areas.

IV) I want to close with some practical helps for controlling your tongue.

a)      First, you’ve got to aim at the heart.

i)        To turn the boat you’ve got to change the will of the pilot.

ii)      You say what you say because of the condition of your heart. Change your heart and your tongue will follow.

iii)    Don’t blame difficult people and hard situations. Other people do not force you to say what you say.

iv)    The condition of your heart, the will of the pilot, is forcing you to say what you say.

v)      So you are angry, hateful, hurtful, and bitter because of some sin in your heart. Some desire has gone haywire.

vi)    Some good thing has become an idol to you and you didn’t get it so now anyone who crosses your path is going to pay. You’re going to rip them to shreds.

vii)  So now that you now the cause of that angry thing, that harmful thing, and that sexually immoral thing stop and repent.

viii)            Ask God to show you your heart. Ask the Spirit to point out the exact unmet desire, the idol,  that caused you to say what you said.

ix)    Get the help of a godly fellow believer. Ask someone who will tell you the truth to help you track down your desires.

x)      Your heart is deceitful above all things and desperately sick; who can understand it? God can (Jeremiah 17:9&10). And God is in the business of using his teachers to help his people understand their hearts.

xi)    The key to controlling the tongue is being honest about your desires. You have to aim at the heart.

b)      Finally, make the commitment to talk like Jesus

i)        Ephesians 4:29 sums it up. Memorize it. Write it on a note card and put it in places where you often get angry.

ii)      Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

iii)    You don’t have to speak your mind. Running your mouth and feeling free to say whatever you want are not good things.

iv)    Speaking the word of God at the right time so that every one who hears is challenged to become like Jesus is a good thing.

v)      Speaking the word of God so that the power of Christ is made evident for change is a good thing.

vi)    People need to hear you speak the truth in love. This church needs you to only say what builds up and gives grace.

V) It is time for change.

a)      I wonder if there is a husband here this morning whose desires and words are driving the ship of marriage toward the rocks.

i)        Will you repent today? Will you seek your wife’s forgiveness? Will you root out those selfish motives with the Holy Spirit empowered word? Will you get some godly help?

b)      I wonder if there is a parent or child here this morning whose desires and words are causing nothing but destruction in the family.

i)        Will you repent today? Will you seek your child’s or your parent’s forgiveness? Will you commit to getting to the root of the problem? There is hope for you.

c)      I wonder if there is a church member here this morning whose desires and words are defiling many in this church.

i)        Will you repent today?  Will you seek our forgiveness? Will you turn from your sin and embrace the mission of Christ as you give your life for the good of others?

d)     I stand ready today to help anyone as best as I can. I stand ready today to pray with you. Please get the encouragement and help that you need to be a perfect man.

Text: James 2:10-26                                                        8/16/09 p.m.

Intro:  By way of reminder, you will have an opportunity to ask questions at the conclusion of this sermon so listen, think, and when questions arise write them down and then ask them.

Read James 2:14-26

Tonight, the plan is to further explain James’s contribution to the relationship between faith and works.

Then we’re going to follow James’s lead and walk through the illustrations of Abraham and Rahab.

I) James’s contribution is this: empty faith is worthless faith

a)      In the discussion James refers to two different types of faith

i)        So confusion rises over this passage when we let ourselves think that when James uses the word “faith” he uses it the exact same way every time.

ii)      Let’s look at the two different types of faith.

iii)    The first type of faith is active faith. This faith is an asking faith according to James 1:6; certain of the person of God and the glory of Christ asking faith rests in God’s sovereignty and follows God’s leadership.

iv)    And active faith works; it is a doing faith. Upon hearing the word of God, active faith, seeks to do the word of God according to James 1:21&22.

v)      When a person holds or possesses active faith he will not show partiality to the rich and will care for the needs of the poor, widow, and orphan.

vi)    Active faith is also a mercy-knowing faith and a mercy-showing faith according to James 2:13

vii)  And this faith is not alone; it is not mere words. Active faith is accompanied by works according to 2:22.

viii)            Recap- Active faith asks, listens, does, shows no partiality, cares for those in need, gives mercy, and works.

ix)    This active faith is explicitly faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory.  This faith has the resurrected sovereign king Jesus as it’s content.

x)      The other type of faith is dead faith. Dead faith is alone faith. It is only words and has no works.

xi)    Dead faith ignores the needs of others while speaking good and godly words of encouragement according to James 2:15&16.

xii)  This dead faith is a generic ineffectual belief that God exists, that there is only one God, and that he exists in unity.

xiii)            It is impotent orthodoxy without a change in lifestyle.  Dead faith consists of powerless but biblical content.

xiv)            The reason all this is important is because you may have deceived yourself concerning your own salvation.

xv)  You may possess only a dead faith and God intends tonight to bring you to life; that’s good news.

xvi)            This is also important because our church membership undoubtedly includes people who possess a dead faith. God intends to use this passage and this church to bring them to life.

xvii)          And this is important because our community and your neighborhood are full of people who have the faith of a demon but are convinced they are friends of God. God intends to use you and this passage to bring life.

xviii)        Don’t miss the blessing of this passage.

II) You’ll miss the blessing if you deny the truth of this passage

a)      Here’s the truth: there were foolish people in the first century and there are foolish people in the 21^st century.

i)        Read verse 20

ii)      Now James is baiting us. He is enticing those who would argue with him to look a little closer and dig a little deeper.

iii)    James is about to prove to us the fact that faith apart from works is useless.

iv)    When you stand before God on judgment day, dead faith, just mental assent to truth, will do you as much good as it will the demons. Here’s the proof:

III) Abraham is an example of active faith

a)      To understand what is happening here we have to nail down James’s definition of justify.

i)        If you get the word wrong you’ll get the point of the sentence wrong. If you get the sentence wrong you’ll miss the truth and your life will suffer for it.

ii)      Knowing your bible, hearing the truth, is crucial for living the truth. We want to live this truth so let’s work to know this truth.

iii)    Verse 21 asks another rhetorical question: “was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar?”

iv)    Alright, let’s define justified. Justified means to be declared righteous.  Was not Abraham declared righteous because of his works?

v)      God looks at what Abraham did and said, “Not guilty”

vi)    Let me give you that end of time, eschatological, or judgment day perspective that I talked about this morning. Turn to Revelation chapter 20.

vii)  Let’s read verses 12-15.

viii)            There is a day of judgment coming when you will stand before God and eternity will be divided according to what you have done. Do you see that?

ix)    James is not teaching something found no where else in Scripture.

x)      Talking about the end of time or the eschaton Jesus said in Matthew 16:27, “For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.”

xi)    There will be a judgment, a final pronouncement of guilt or innocence, tied directly to what you have done.

xii)  But is this judgment void of grace?

xiii)            Is this judgment prescribing a works righteousness or demanding that we earn our salvation?

xiv)            Let’s read Revelation 20:15 again.

xv)  Your eternal security does not begin with nor depend upon your good deeds.

xvi)            Eternal security is based upon the fact that God wrote your name in the book of life before you were born (Rev 17:8; 13:8)

xvii)          Simultaneously, your eternal security certainly cannot be viewed without looking at who you are and what you do.

xviii)        Those with active faith are those whose names were written in the book of life.

xix)            If your name is not in the book of life you are thrown into the lake of fire.

xx)  Revelation 21:7 joins it all together when speaking of heaven after the day of judgment:

But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

xxi)            Your name in the book of life equals the pursuit of a righteous life; you don’t pursue the detestable.

xxii)          So when James 2:21 says that God justified Abraham by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar God is validating the fact that Abraham’s name is in the book of life and at the same time Abraham’s life is validating the fact that his name is in the book of life.  He works because his name is in the book.

xxiii)        Using the words of verse 18, Abraham’s works show his faith.

xxiv)        Keep James’s definition of justified in your mind- declared righteous by God because of active faith.

b)      Verse 22 helps further define active faith (read 22)

i)        You see, it is obvious, and unmistakable. Faith was active along with his works. Faith and works are two inseparable companions on the road to the judgment.

ii)      And here’s an interesting statement, “faith was completed by his works.”

iii)    James is not teaching us that faith is inadequate to save unless works come along and add their own merit.

iv)    James is teaching us that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness and when you let steadfastness have its full effect you will be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing (1:3&4).

v)      James does not advocate some form of minimalist salvation such that if you follow his 3 steps you’ll just barely make it into heaven by the skin of your teeth.

vi)    James rightly slaps us with the call to maturity. Your name was written in the book of life and God brought you to life so that you would use faith.

vii)  But using faith is a learning process.

viii)            You have to learn how to use faith and this happens by listening to the word and growing strong through the difficulty of trials.

ix)    So when James 2:22 talks about works completing faith this is not a reference to faith plus works equal salvation.

x)      This is a reference to the truth that each act of obedience strengthens your faith.

xi)    Each step brings you closer to maturity.

xii)  God isn’t interested in making things easy. God is interested in making us mature.

c)      Verse 23 helps us by putting Abraham’s belief and works in their place (read 23)

i)        When did Abraham believe God and when was he counted righteous? Was it when he offered Isaac?

ii)      No, according to Genesis 15:6, Abraham was counted righteous some 30 years before Isaac was even born.

iii)    The Apostle Paul, in agreement with James, explains the account of Abraham believing God and being counted righteous this way in Romans 4:19-22

He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. ²⁰ No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, ²¹ fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. ²² That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.”

iv)    Abraham was counted righteous because he was fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.

v)      Abraham was called a friend of God because of his faith in the power of God.

vi)    So we can’t miss an important but often overlooked phrase back in James 2:23.

vii)  It’s the phrase “and the Scripture was fulfilled”

viii)            Abraham’s works proved the truthfulness of the Scripture which told us about Abraham’s faith.

ix)    His works were the logical product of his faith. Because he was a man of active faith he was a man whose faith worked.

x)      Verse 24, “you see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.”

xi)    By ‘faith alone’ James is referring to empty words, dead orthodoxy, not a faith that holds onto Jesus.

xii)  So if all you have is dead faith you have nothing. But if you have active faith you have everything.

xiii)            Abraham is our pattern for believing and obeying. According to verse 21 he is our father, he is our example of faith, follow after him by believing God like him.

IV) One final example, the example of Rahab (read 25)

a)      Abraham was a patriarch but Rahab was a prostitute

i)        Some will claim that it was easy for Abraham because of the place that God put him. It was easy for Abraham to believe because God talked to him and gave him visions and guided him in miraculous ways.

ii)      Abraham was visited by 3 angels and quite possibly the preincarnate Jesus Christ.

iii)    He heard the audible voice of God.

iv)    It’s almost the equivalent of today when people tell me that being a Christian is easy for me because I’m a pastor. I don’t have the same struggles and temptations.

v)      This is only a veiled excuse for sin.

vi)    The preacher should obey because he gets to pray and study his bible all day. He should have lots of works.

vii)  But it’s okay for me not to have works because I’m in a different environment. If you were in my shoes you’d see how hard it is. Okay then, take Rahab for example.

viii)            She was a prostitute living in Jericho. She was born and raised worshipping anything and everything but the one true God.

ix)    If Abraham is the highest of the high then Rahab is the lowest of the low; trading her body for money.

x)      And she was justified by works.  But her story does not begin with works her story begins with God.

xi)    Joshua 2:11 is Rahab’s statement of faith. She’s talking to the spies sent by Joshua into Jericho. Rahab said:

For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction. ¹¹ And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for the Lord your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath.

xii)  Rahab’s faith in the person and power of God caused her to receive the messengers and send them out another way.

xiii)            Her good works vindicated, proved, and brought her faith to it’s fulfillment.

xiv)            She knew God so she knew she had to obey God.

b)      Let’s put the examples of Abraham and Rahab in their rightful places.

c)      What summarizes the law and the prophets?

i)        Jesus said that all of the law and prophets depend on two commandments- love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mt 22:37; Lk 10:27) and love your neighbor as yourself.

ii)      Abraham is an example of active faith that chose to love the Lord his God with all his heart, soul, mind, and strength.

iii)    He didn’t make any excuses regarding the cost.

iv)    Abraham did not withhold anything; he did not count anything as more valuable than God. He willingly offered even his own son.

v)      Rahab is an example of active faith which chose to love her neighbor as herself.

vi)    God providentially brought two brothers in need to her door and at the risk of her life she took care of their needs.

vii)  She didn’t make any excuses regarding the cost. She didn’t bless them with pretty words about the God of heaven and earth taking care of them some how.

viii)            She did something about their need.

d)     And the reason? James 2:26, “For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.”

i)        A body is of no use without the spirit; it just lays there lifeless and useless.

ii)      “Is he breathing?” is a test for life.

iii)    Faith that is not active, faith that does not have works is dead; it isn’t breathing.

iv)    It just lays there lifeless and useless.

v)      No good for you today or on the judgment day.

vi)    No good for your neighbors on any day.

vii)  We must hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. We must believe God’s word. We must live.

viii)            We will obey.

Text: James 2:14-19                                                        6/14/09 a.m.

Intro:  As a parent of three little girls I hate the thought of hearing those terrible words, “your child is dead.”

Some of you have heard those words and stood firm through the trial of a child’s death.

“Your child is dead.” It is a terrible thought.

But thinking on this, though terrible at first, is ultimately beneficial. It helps keep priorities in their place.

An honest evaluation of potential loss can produce great gain.

This is exactly what the Holy Spirit is after in James 2:14-19. These verses are a call to honesty, not honesty in relation to your child’s life but honesty concerning your own spiritual life.

This morning I believe God wants you to pause and honestly evaluate the condition of your faith.

To some of you, as you hear the words of James, the Spirit will bring you to a point of honesty. You will hear God report to you, “Your faith is dead.”

But do not fear this diagnosis. Do not fear God’s conviction. He will speak to you this morning through his word because God intends to bring you to life.

God is not here to embarrass you. God’s word exists to heal you.

But we must give a listening ear. We must receive with humility the implanted word which is able to save our souls.

And it is not enough just to listen. God expects us to respond; to do; to act based upon faith.

This will happen as long as your faith is not dead.

This morning we will study and apply verses 14-19. You’ll have to come back tonight at 6pm for verses 20-26.

As we work through this passage it is crucial that we stick to the context in order to understand the meaning and application of this truth.

I) James approaches the relationship between faith and works from an end-times perspective.

The phrase often used is “eschatological perspective.” James is forcing you to think about how your own faith and works will hold up when you stand before God and are judged by Him

a)      Tonight I will unpack this idea even more but for now I need to make it clear that if you are thinking about justification in the sense of being declared “not guilty” on the basis of faith alone in Christ alone you are seeking to force an idea or a concept, although good and biblical, that is not the author’s intention.

b)      James is not showing us the benefits of salvation from the front end. James is showing us the necessity of faith because of judgment at the back end.

c)      James’ intention is not to address justification based upon initial saving faith. He’s not talking about being declared not guilty right now because you have the righteousness of Christ by faith.

d)     James’ intention is to address final justification based upon the possession of living faith. He’s talking about being declared righteous on judgment day because you lived the obedient life of faith.

e)      The overarching truth that united the teaching of the Apostle Paul and James is: all those who are justified in Christ by faith will live a life of obedient faith.

f)       If none of that makes sense then come back tonight, we’ll walk through it together, and Lord willing I’ll give you some time to ask some questions.

g)      Now let’s turn our text and the context of understanding how faith and works relate from the perspective of the end of time or the final judgment. Read James 2:14-26

II) There is no final benefit gained from a lifeless profession of faith.

a)      Verse 14 makes it clear that some people possess only an empty worthless ineffective profession of faith.

i)        Let’s read that first question again (14a)

ii)      James is asking his brothers, the church, those who God has brought forth by the word of truth, to think about the benefit of someone’s words.

iii)    Brothers, think about this, someone says he has faith.

iv)    We want to be careful with the words. So notice that James does not claim that this someone has or possesses faith.

v)      James tells us to think of someone who just “says” he has faith.

vi)    Compare this to James 2:1. James does not affirm the idea that this someone of verse 14 is holding the faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

vii)  James only goes as far as affirming the idea that this someone says he has faith. He has made a profession of faith.

viii)            This someone says he believes. This person has words. But what is lacking?

ix)    Verse 14, he does not have works.

x)      James is putting the pieces together for us here.

xi)    This individual speaks but does not act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty (2:12)

xii)  He does not really fulfill the royal law (2:8)

xiii)            He thinks he is religious but his religion is impure and defiled (2:26&27)

xiv)            This someone is a hearer who forgets not a doer who acts (2:22).

xv)  How do I know this is the case? Because verse 14 tells us that he does not have works.

xvi)            The second question: Can that faith save him? The answer? No; that faith cannot save him.

xvii)          Dead faith is not alive faith. Alive faith is saving faith. Saving faith is faith that has works.

b)      The illustration of verses 15&16 prove to us that words without action are as worthless as faith without works.

i)        Read 15&16

ii)      Imagine this, providentially this someone who says he has faith but does not have works runs into a fellow Christian.

iii)    They recognize each others as those who profess to have faith. This person in need is a brother or sister.

iv)    This is not biological family this is spiritual family.

v)      What trial is this brother or sister under here in verse 15? Poorly clothed and lacking in daily food.

vi)    This believer does not have enough clothes to meet the needs of his/her environment. Maybe she needs a coat because of the cold. Possibly his clothes are thread bare and torn because that shirt, those pants and shoes are all that he has and this for quite some time.

vii)  And the brother or sister is hungry.  After praying the Lord’s Prayer trusting that God will provide his/her daily bread this meeting orchestrated by God comes about.

viii)            Do you have the picture in your mind? The one who says he has faith has more than his daily food and more than enough clothes to meet the needs of that day.

ix)    He runs into this brother or sister who, while holding to faith in Christ and doing the word, has come into a season of need.

x)      The point is that God has brought them together so that the one who claims to have faith will meet the needs of his fellow Christian.

xi)    But what does he do? Read 16

xii)  Oh, now we’re getting personal. We’re not just talking about someone who claims to have faith we’re talking about you.  What do you do?

xiii)            Do you say, “Go in peace”?  Do you give some Christian sounding word of encouragement?

xiv)            “Hope in God”. “Be warmed and filled.”

xv)  “May God meet your needs. May God provide the means so that you can meet your own needs.”

xvi)            “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life. I hope it all works out for you and that you get those clothes and something to eat.”

xvii)          You say all that nice sounding spiritual mumbo-jumbo like you really care and then walk away without giving them the things needed for the body.

xviii)        A need arises, you have the means to meet the need, but you do not meet the need. All you do is say some nice, encouraging, Christian stuff.

xix)            What good is that? What good are your words? It’s no good. Your words are no good.

c)      Here’s the point: verse 17, “So also faith by itself, if it does not have works is dead.”

i)        There is a direct connection between empty words and empty faith. They are of no use.

ii)      If faith does not have works it is dead. Dead faith will not accomplish what faith is intended to accomplish.

iii)    A dead dog can’t play fetch. A dead faith won’t benefit you one bit when you stand before God.

iv)    Do not deceive yourself.  This is very important. We need to, in fact we must, get this right

III) We must fight to keep faith and works together in a biblical relationship.

a)      Some will attempt to separate faith and works in two completely unrelated categories.

i)        Some of you right now are thinking that I’m being too hard. Some of you right now are quieting the Spirit’s conviction because one time when you were younger you walked an aisle, repeated after the pastor, and have been attending church ever since.

ii)      But what you must realize is this: when James talks about “works” he’s not talking about works of the law like the Apostle Paul.

iii)    Paul talked about the works of the law such as circumcision, the feasts, the sacrifices and all those things that were prescribed under the Old Testament and people did to make themselves feel like God’s people even when they weren’t.

iv)    James is talking about works of charity; works of love. Loving your neighbor as yourself. Honoring the poor that God honors.

v)      Caring for the widow and orphan in their affliction.

vi)    Again, keep the context in your mind. We’re not talking about “works of the law” like the Apostle Paul often wrote about.

vii)  James is referring to those works that are driven by a right understanding of the gospel and a right love for neighbor.

viii)            Verse 18, “But someone will say, ‘You have faith and I have works.’” Someone will try to severe faith and works.

ix)    Faith goes into this box and works go into this box and they should remain separated.

x)      Look at James’ response in the middle of 18, “Show me your faith apart from your works (as if that is possible), and I will show you my faith by my works.”

xi)    Show me your creed, show me your statement of faith, share your testimony with me, and those are all well and good but a person can easily say he has that faith while having nothing at all.

xii)  To remove all confusion James would rather show you his faith by his works.

xiii)            James wants to cut to the chase. You say those things are true but do they matter in your life?

xiv)            Now when you saw James’s life you could see that the Jesus he talked about mattered.

xv)  James’s belief was loud and clear in what he did. He wasn’t a silent witness doing good deeds.

xvi)            James is not advocating that you should just be a good person for all to see. James is rightly showing us that believing the gospel means your life will be affected in clear and discernable ways.

xvii)          People didn’t just see a nice guy doing nice things for some unknown reason. They saw a man holding to faith in his Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory

xviii)        Do your neighbors see a Christ-centered person who is holding to the glorious Lord Jesus Christ?

xix)            Does your school see you as a young man or woman who has a living faith because you are the one who gives and serves for the glory of God?

xx)  Or do they only see a nice guy or gal who goes to church on Sunday? For all they know you could be going to a Jewish Synagogue, a Mormon Meetinghouse, a Muslim mosque, or the Kingdom Hall of the Jehovah’s witnesses.

xxi)            Do people see your commitment to obey God’s holy Word? Do people see your belief in the resurrection from the dead? Do people benefit from your experience of undeserved mercy and grace through Jesus Christ?

xxii)          Do people know that you care for those in need?

xxiii)        Demons go to church! That doesn’t prove anything.

b)      Orthodoxy, or being right in regards to the content of faith, is not equal to salvation.

i)        Read verse 19

ii)      You believe God is one. You understand what it means that there is only one God. This is probably a reference to the Shema of Deuteronomy 6:4.

iii)    “Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one.” Good Jews repeated it throughout the day. And its true but it is not a magical incantation.

iv)    Truth is never meant to be used as a magical incantation.  Truth is never meant to be used as an easy button.

v)      This is how we know: Even the demons believe that God is one.  The demons have their theological i-s dotted and t-s crossed.

vi)    They know who God is and they are convinced that what they know about God is true.

vii)  But it does not work out for their salvation. Instead, the demons’ knowledge of God produces what in verse 19?

viii)            They are afraid of who God is. They are afraid of the judgment they know is coming. They are afraid of the power of God and it causes them to quake in fear.

ix)    Verse 19 tells us that even the demons believe God is one and it causes them to shudder.

IV) Let’s jump ahead and tie this together.

a)      Verse 19 tells us that the demons believe God and shudder. They fear the judgment that is coming on them because their lives are lived in complete contradiction to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

b)      Look at verse 23, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness—and he was called a friend of God.”

c)      The demons believe and they are afraid because they are enemies of God. Abraham believed and enjoyed the love of God as a friend of God.

d)     Turn in your bibles to 1 John 4 verse 15-21 (read it)

e)      True confession, true faith in Christ, connects us to the love of God. This happens because God loved us first before we did anything either good or bad.

f)       As the love of God comes to maturity in us, as we understand it and live it in, God’s love gives us confidence for the day of judgment.

g)      There is no fear in this, we don’t shudder, because God’s perfect love drives out this fear. There is nothing to fear; our sins have been removed. We are forever God’s children.

h)      Fear has to do with punishment, the demons know this punishment is coming so they shudder in fear.

i)        Here’s another connection to our passage in James.

j)        1 John 4:20, “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother he is a liar.”

k)      4:21, “whoever loves God must love his brother.

l)        And what does it mean to love his brother? 1 John 3:16-18

m)    If your brother is in need and you say you love God but you do nothing to meet his need how can the love of God actually abide in you? It can’t.

n)      It doesn’t matter what you say.

V) Mambrino Baptist Church this is for us.

a)      We can dot our theological i-s and cross our biblical t-s

i)        We are orthodox. You believe what is right about God. You say you have faith.

ii)      But where are your works? Show me you believe the gospel. Show me you are holding the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

iii)    And how should that faith become evident? You meet the needs of your brothers and sisters.

iv)    We need to stop hoping God will show us what to do and we need to start believing God and doing what his word tells us to do.

v)      Listen, my beloved brothers, do not do it because you are afraid of God. Do not care for the poor, the widow, and the orphan because you think God is going to spank you if you don’t.

vi)    Instead, care for the poor, the widow, and the orphan because your faith has connected you to Jesus Christ and you have been given all that you need and more in him.

vii)  Living faith learns what it is to give because we have been given everything. True faith learns what it is to love because we have been loved.

viii)            Do not beat yourself up because you do not give and do not love like you think you should.

ix)    Hold onto Christ.  He is your forgiveness. He is your holiness. He is your perfect gift.

x)      As you hold to him ask God how he would have you to give. As you look to Christ ask God to show you who he wants you to care for.

xi)    And then do it. Love and care and serve and meet needs. Be a man or a woman who possesses living faith.

xii)  Taste what it is to be a friend of God.

Text: James 2:1-13                                                            8/9/09 a.m.

Thesis: The gospel empowers and demands a sacrificial love for others.

Intro:  Jesus Christ is glorious.

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. By him all things were created, in heaven and on earth…all things were created through him and for him.

Jesus is bigger and better than all things. In him all things hold together. In him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell.

Jesus is the heir of all things. Jesus is the creator of the world.

He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature.

Jesus upholds the universe by the word of his power.

After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. Jesus is superior over everything (Colossians 1 & Hebrews 1).

As his people it is our joy to look at him and be transformed into his image (2 Cor 3:18).

As his people we are freed to live lives joyfully serving others and sacrificially loving others.

God loved us and freed us when we had nothing to offer him. God did not serve us in order to get something from us. While we were filthy and rebellious he poured out his love upon us.

Jesus Christ is better than everything.  God is loving and merciful.

Now that we belong to God he expects us to obey his word. And we could sum up God’s commands with the words, “love your neighbor as yourself.”

Love your wife as yourself. Love your family as yourself. Love your coworker as yourself. Love your next door neighbor as your self. Love your enemy as yourself.

To be a neighbor to anyone is to give to anyone in need regardless of the cost.

Since all this is true it is ridiculous to think of a Christian or a church playing favorites in order to get special treatment from someone who has money.

Showing partiality is utterly incompatible with the glory of Christ and the person of God.

Let’s look into God’s word and through it become equipped for every good work.

Read James 2:1-13

I) The glory of Christ triumphs over partiality (v. 1)

a)      Verse 1 is addressed to Christians; those individuals who having been saved by grace now seek to live lives that are faithful to the king of grace.

i)        Do you see how living the Christian life is portrayed in verse 1? As you hold the faith.

ii)      Here Christianity is pictured as an action that defines your life.  Holding the faith is being ruled by or guided by faith. Clinging to faith is what you do.

iii)    This is your defining character trait precisely because of who your faith is in.

iv)    Your faith is in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. You’re holding the faith that is empowered by the most glorious being that has ever and will ever exist.

v)      This Jesus, our Lord and Savior, is greater than anything and better than everything.

vi)    He is the Lord of glory.  He is the most glorious.

vii)  And he is yours. Because you have faith in Christ you have Christ.  Holding faith is having Christ.

viii)            When you turn to Christ you will never receive anything better than Jesus Christ.

ix)    Eternity is forever precisely because we need that much time to truly enjoy what it is to be satisfied by this glorious Jesus. Jesus is that good and he is yours.

b)      So, how can Christians show partiality and hold the faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory?

i)        We can’t. We can’t be satisfied by Christ while using others for selfish gain.

ii)      If we have the most glorious and valuable thing, if we have Christ, why are we kissing up to rich people?

iii)    What can they give us that is better than Jesus? What can they do for us that is better than what Jesus has done and will do? Is money better than God?

iv)    Showing partiality to individuals in order to gain something from them is fundamentally incompatible with the truth of the gospel. We have Jesus!

v)      When we show partiality, honoring someone based upon outward appearances, we are saying that they can give us something better than Jesus.

vi)    In the Greek, show no partiality is plural, “show no partialities”.  This is more than just giving undue respect to the rich over the poor.

vii)  Showing partiality is honoring one skin color over another.  Showing partiality is honoring one sex over another.

viii)            Showing partiality must not, does not, and will not go together with the glorious nature of Jesus Christ.

II) Partiality is wrong because it is judging people according to sinful motivations. (read 3-4)

a)      It is never wrong to discern the difference between people based upon biblical criteria.

i)        It is never wrong to discern the difference between people for the purpose of doing biblical good.

ii)      1 Corinthians 5:12 tells us that we are supposed to judge those inside the church.

iii)    1 Corinthians 6:2 tells us that the saints will judge the world.  The problem is not making honest evaluations.

b)      James is condemning the practice of honoring one person while shaming another person in order to advance self at the expense of others.

i)        The thing desired can be money, or influence, or recognition, or simply an easier life.

ii)      When you or the church honors a person who looks powerful and rich because you hope to get something from that rich person that is an evil desire.

iii)    When we shame a person who looks poor because we are sure we can’t get anything from that poor person that is a sinful judgment.

iv)    Showing partiality is reducing people to nothing more than a means to our own selfish ends.

v)      So, partiality is wrong because it is based on selfish motives.

III) Partiality is also wrong because it is incompatible with the nature of God (vs. 5&6a)

a)      Don’t miss verse 5

i)        Listen, my beloved brothers. I love you and this is important.

b)      God has made that person rich

i)        Verse 5 mentions God’s choosing, his election, of an individual for the purpose of blessing the individual.

ii)      The world thinks that individual is poor; poor in regards to money and clothing and influence. The world thinks that person is worthless and insignificant but the world is wrong.

iii)    God has chosen that poor person that you are dishonoring for the purpose of making him rich.

iv)    Not rich in money. Not rich in what is temporal and unstable but rich in faith; not rich in moth food.

v)      Though he may look poor he is rich. He has Jesus. He has eternal life. He has the stability and strength of the creator and ruler of the universe.

vi)    He is an heir of the kingdom verse 5 tells us.  That guy gets everything that is good that will always satisfy and never depreciate in value.

vii)  He has the person, power, and presence of the glorious Christ and you treat him shamefully because he doesn’t have a big pile of pennies?

viii)            The guy who appears to be poor by the world’s standards loves God and God has promised him the kingdom. How can we look down on him?

ix)    Because God loves him and has chosen and honored him we contradict God by favoring the wealthy.

x)      Don’t show partiality to the rich and dishonor the poor in order to gain something that won’t last.

xi)    Showing partiality is fighting against God.

IV) Showing partiality to your oppressor is foolishness (v. 6b)

a)      The unbelieving rich oppress and confiscate

i)        The rich are the ones who wrongfully use their money-bought power in order to rule over you.

ii)      They are making the lives of the church difficult in order to make their pockets fatter.

iii)    The rich are dragging the church into court in order to go through the legal process of stealing another person’s property.

iv)    Just because you hold the note doesn’t make it right.

v)      So the picture is a rich person using and abusing the church and then when he walks into the church the church treats him like a king.

vi)    The church must never treat unrepentant sinners as kings. Do not treat an heir of hell like royalty.

vii)  Treat the heirs of the kingdom like royalty.

viii)            Showing partiality to your oppressor is foolishness.

V) Showing partiality to a blasphemer is foolishness (v. 7)

a)      The unbelieving rich are opening slandering the name of Christ.

i)        God chose you to be an heir according to the working of Christ.

ii)      God implanted the word of Christ in you in order to save you.

iii)    God brought you forth by the word of truth; the very gospel of Jesus Christ.

iv)    You are a Christian. You are called by the honorable, glorious, and magnificent name of Christ.

v)      And all that guy can do is talk bad about Christ. All he can do is run the gospel of Christ and the church through the mud.

vi)    He uses God’s name like it’s a curse word; like God’s name is no better than excrement.

vii)  And what do you do? You’re going to honor him?

viii)            You’re going to exalt the blaspheming reviler of Christ while dishonoring the humble joint heir with Christ?

ix)    Showing partiality to a blasphemer is a ridiculous thought. May we repent of the undo honor we have shown to those who despise, mock, and abuse the people and name of Jesus Christ.

VI) Loving everyone must be our standard (v.

a)      The cure for partiality in any form is believing the gospel and obeying the gospel

i)        The gospel is the good news that through faith we have been given the glorious presence of Jesus Christ.

ii)      Obeying the gospel means living according to the royal law. This is an interesting phrase, “the royal law.”

iii)    ‘Royal’ comes from the same root word that also gives us the word ‘kingdom’ in verse 5.

iv)    Those who belong to the kingdom follow the rules of the kingdom.

v)      The law as laid down and testified to in both the old and new testaments on the lips of Moses and on the lips of Jesus is easy to understand, “love your neighbor as yourself.”

vi)    Care for the current and future needs of others with the same care and diligence that you care for your own current and future needs.

vii)  If you do this, if you really fulfill this royal law, you’re doing pretty good. You are on the right track headed in the right direction.

viii)            So, we are not being told to hate all rich people.

ix)    That’s good news because by all fair standards everyone in this room is rich compared to the rest of the people living on this earth right now.

x)      Love your neighbor if he’s rich or poor. Give what is needed. Say what is needed. Do what is needed.

xi)    Love everyone and do not exalt what is worldly and selfish acting like a man with money is better than Jesus Christ.

xii)  It’s easy to love people who are similar to us. It’s easy to love people our own age who do what we do.

xiii)            But if all you do is love the people who are like you then this is sin.

VII) Those who show partiality are sinful transgressors of the law (vs. 9-11)

a)      If you make distinctions between people based on selfish motives then you are sinning and the law of God labels you as a transgressor.

i)        Now that sounds harsh doesn’t it? Just because you’d rather sit by a white person when you ride on the bus or the airplane isn’t a big deal.

ii)      Just because you think that people who speak English are better than people who speak only Spanish isn’t all that bad.

iii)    Here’s the honest truth: if you keep your nose clean and love your wife and don’t look at porn; if you don’t kill anyone and if you even keep your anger in check, but if you show partiality to levels of income or skin color then God’s label for you is “transgressor”.

iv)    Disobedient one. Law breaker. If you break just one commandment then you are accountable for it all.

v)      Why? Because we sin every sin because we love ourselves more than we love God and neighbor.

vi)    If we loved God and neighbor faithfully and passionately like Christ loves God and neighbor then we wouldn’t sin.

vii)  It doesn’t matter what the sin is; it doesn’t matter if we label it a big sin or a little sin.

viii)  Every sin you commit is a choice to love yourself, show partiality to yourself, instead of loving your neighbor.

ix)    By now you should be thinking that you are in deep trouble. If you sin every sin because you do not love your neighbor and doing well is loving your neighbor then how will anyone survive God’s judgment?

VIII) Your day for judgment is coming; show mercy (vs. 12&13)

a)      Let’s start with 13. Judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy.

i)        If you do not give mercy to the undeserving sinner then guess what? You, the undeserving sinner will not be given mercy.

ii)      You have judgment on one hand and mercy on the other. Which one will have the final say?

iii)    Mercy triumphs over judgment. Praise God mercy wins.  Praise the Lord that grace abounds with all power.

iv)    But it only does so for those who show mercy. This is not earning mercy. This is holding the faith in the glorious Christ and showing no partiality.

v)      This is a right understanding of the gospel. I have been shown mercy. God has given me what I do not deserve.

vi)    The royal law that he gives me as an heir of the kingdom is not one that shackles me.

vii)  The royal law that drives me to love others liberates me. The gospel of Jesus Christ empowers me to go and live a life that is in step with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

viii)            So that means I’m going to speak to people and about people like a person who knows what it is to be forgiven of the most terrible of sins.

ix)    I’m going to speak to people and about people like a person who knows what it is to be shown mercy when we deserve eternal punishment.

x)      And I’m going to act like a person who has been shown the unmerited, unearned, and undeserved mercy of God.

xi)    That means I am going to show mercy not because I have to but because I am overwhelmed by the fact that I have been shown mercy.

xii)  This is Matthew 18, the parable of the unforgiving servant, applied specifically to partiality in the church.

xiii)            If you care only about yourself, showing partiality to yourself and refusing to give mercy to the undeserving, then you will be given no mercy.

xiv)            Mercy triumphs over judgment. God stands ready to forgive you this morning. God stands ready to give life to you this morning. God is here to give you the kingdom and make you rich in faith.

xv)  He knows that you are a dirt bag and that’s what makes mercy what it is; He knows your sins but because of his love for you he sent Christ for you so that you would be satisfied by the glory of Christ and not by the things of this world.

IX) So here’s the punch line: many of us this morning are oppressing the poor because of our standard of living.

a)      I’m not saying you’re confiscating the property of the poor because they can’t afford a lawyer and you can.

b)      I’m saying that because of our habits and hobbies we are dishonoring the poor.

c)      Because we have chosen a standard of living that “we deserve because we earned it”, some of us are choking the poor.

d)     I am not saying that ownership is wrong or hard work is wrong. I am not saying that possessing wealth is wrong.

e)      I’m saying that the rich person I show the most partiality to is me and the rich person you show the most partiality to is you.

f)       The liberating law of God is calling us this morning to stop wasting our time and energy and money on ourselves.

g)      Stop living a life that by your very pursuits blasphemes the name of Christ saying that having stuff is better than having Christ.

h)      You come to church, you walk into the assembly with your fine clothing, but the farthest thing from your mind is showing mercy to the poor in the name of Jesus Christ.

i)        And throwing money at the poor is not honoring the poor.

j)        Loving the poor like you love yourself is honoring the poor.

k)      So where do we start? We start with honesty concerning our sin. Showing partiality is committing sin; it’s foolish and contrary to the nature of God.

l)        Don’t just tell God you are sorry that people are poor. Repent because you are not broken over sinful waste and selfishness that is excused in your midst.

m)    Then go and do what God would have you to do. God wants to use each of us in different capacities to expand his kingdom through his church.

n)      Let me suggest this prayer: God what unnecessary thing do you want me to give up so that your gospel can make the greatest impact on the poor?

• o)      God where do you want me to give so that your gospel can make the greatest impact on the poor?

p)      Prescribing one thing or one ministry is too easy.  God wants all that you are to be satisfied by Jesus Christ.

q)      God wants that satisfaction to overflow as you give sacrificially for the good of others.

Text: James 1:26&27                                                        8/2/09 p.m.

Thesis: True religion is personally pure and focused on others.

Intro:  This morning we heard God speak through His word.

God brought us to life through his word and God will bless us as we seek to obey his word.

But if all you do is listen and never do what the word says then you are deceived.

This idea of being deceived is fleshed out even further in verses 26&27 because dangers are all around.

It is dangerous to focus only on knowledge; being a hearer who forgets to do what is learned.

This is dangerous because you can easily think you are religious when you are not.

The test that we are given in these verses is the test of the tongue and the test of compassion.

I want us to look at verses 26&27 tonight and then hear a testimony from our mission trip where we tried to live out this passage.

Read James 1:19-27

I) Worthless religion looks good but sounds terrible

a)      Verse 26 again calls us to honesty: there are people who think they are religious but are deceived

i)        Being deceived is obviously a big problem.

ii)      Verse 22 talked about those people who only hear God’s word but do not do it. They are deceived concerning their salvation.

iii)    Verse 26 repeats the same word “deceived” but applies it to a different situation.

iv)    Now the person who is deceived is the individual who thinks he’s religious but does not bridle his tongue.

v)      And the deception is a little more specific here as well. What does verse 26 say is deceived? His heart.

vi)    This is a deep rooted deception. You are convinced that you are a Christian. Deep down in your heart you feel like you are a Christian.

vii)  But you are deceived. There are three characteristics of an individual who possesses a worthless or vain religion.

viii)            First, the individual thinks he is religious. And there is nothing wrong with being religious. Verse 27 applauds and even challenges us to be religious.

ix)    To be religious is to be devoted, a religious person is devout person committed to a proper expression of religious beliefs (Greek-English Lexicon).

x)      A religious person is committed to living life based on the teaching of his/her religion.

xi)    A person who claims to be a Christian but doesn’t live like one is not religious.

xii)  A person who claims to be a Christian and strives to live like one is religious.

xiii)            The problem with the deceived person is that he only thinks or seems to be religious.

xiv)            He’s a hypocrite wearing a mask of religion but in all actuality is not devoted to Christ.

xv)  But he’s convinced that he is religious; that’s our first characteristic. He thinks he’s religious.

xvi)            Our second characteristic helps us identify this worthless religion inside ourselves and others.

xvii)          Do you see it in verse 26? He does not bridle his tongue.

xviii)        It is quite easy to disguise your looks and trick people with your appearance.

xix)            It is another thing to disguise your voice and trick people with your speech.

xx)  And even if you change the way you sound, the way you say things, your accent and stock phrases will give you away.

xxi)            The same is true of a person with worthless religion.

xxii)          Eventually what this person says and how it is said will prove his claims of religion are empty.

xxiii)        This is truly frightening. Your angry outburst, what you claim to be uncontrollable speech, your bitterness, sarcasm, complaining, and arguing may actually be proof that you are not a Christian.

xxiv)        James is not saying, “if your tongue gets loose, you are convicted concerning this sin, and you repent you are not a Christian.”

xxv)          James is saying that if you can curse and gossip and complain and cut people down and not be convicted concerning this sin then it doesn’t matter how religious you appear and it doesn’t matter what you think about your religion it is worthless.

xxvi)        Notice there is no excuse here. Verse 26 doesn’t talk about those who cannot bridle their tongues.

xxvii)      Verse 26 talks about those who do not bridle their tongues. This individual is ruled by their emotions and their mouths instead of by the gospel of Jesus Christ.

xxviii)    Like an unbroken horse, the man with vain religion does not train his mouth to speak in line with the gospel he says whatever comes to his sinful mind.

xxix)        Now our third characteristic of those who have worthless religion. Do you see it in verse 26?

xxx)          He deceives his heart. Worthless religion is convinced that everything is okay when it is not.

xxxi)        It’s okay to complain. It’s okay to gossip. It’s okay to say what I want when I’m angry. I’ve got my religion. I’ve got my Jesus.

xxxii)      But even if you think it’s okay God says its not. Repent and be saved. Repent and walk in step with the gospel. Turn to Jesus and live a truly religious life.

xxxiii)    And it’s interesting that a truly religious life is not explained as simply bridling the tongue.

xxxiv)    We should expect verse 27 to say, “pure and undefiled religion before God is a bridled tongue.”

xxxv)      But it doesn’t because one characteristic never completely portrays what pure religion looks like so throughout Scripture we are given characteristic after characteristic. Here in verse 27

II) Pure religion is passionately concerned about others.

a)      Notice we are talking about religion that is pure and undefiled in the sight of God.

i)        The hypocrite thinks he’s religious by his own standards.

ii)      The one who lives true religion is approved by God.

iii)    Pastorally this situation has to be viewed case by case because an immature person can be misdiagnosed as a deceived person.

iv)    So, if you are convinced that your religion is pure but you do not pursue what is prescribed in verse 27 then you are quite possibly but not necessarily deceived.

v)      This religion is pure and undefiled because God considers it so. This religion is without defect or blemish. It produces the righteousness of God.

vi)    This religion does two things do you see the first?

b)      I’ll call it being passionately concerned about others.

i)        Look at 27, it is this to visit orphans and widows in their affliction.

ii)      We saw this in Galatians when the Jerusalem apostles urged Paul to remember the poor.

iii)    We saw this in the teaching of Jesus when he divided the sheep from the goats in Matthew 25.

iv)    Those welcomed into his kingdom were those who fed the hungry, gave the thirsty a drink, clothed the naked, visited the sick, and went to those in prison.

v)      Pure religion is passionately concerned about the needs of others. When we seek to understand and live in step with the gospel we grow more compassionate toward those in affliction.

vi)    To be in affliction is to be in distress or to be in need. It’s the word that is often translated as tribulation.

vii)  Those that possess a religion of worth are those who see people in need and in turn sacrifice to biblically meet that need.

viii)            True religion doesn’t just say good things. True religion doesn’t just promise to pray good things. True religion visits. True religion goes out and does something about it.

ix)    James focuses our attention on the widow and the orphan; the elderly and the young who are left without a protector.

x)      It is your gospel duty as a Christian to be the protector of and provider for those individuals.

xi)    Give of your time and your money to the cause of encouraging and defending the helpless.

xii)  Is your religion pure and undefiled or have you deceived yourself?

xiii)            It is not enough to believe this bible is true. You must seek to live out the truths of this bible.

xiv)            You must be radically concerned about and actively working to minister to the needy in your neighborhood.

xv)  You must strive to love and give just like God loved and gave to you.

xvi)            That’s our first characteristic; passionately concerned about meeting the needs of others. Now the second.

c)      Pure and undefiled religion is characterized by keeping oneself unstained by the world.

i)        When you actively, passionately, and sacrificially work to meet the needs of the people around you there will be temptations.

ii)      You will be tempted to complain like the world. You will be tempted to embezzle resources like the world.

iii)    You will be tempted to sin like the world or love cheaply like the world.

iv)    But true religion is not shaped by the world. True religion reshapes the world.

v)      You must not withdraw from the difficult or the disgusting. You must go out and bring the physical and spiritual blessings of Christ to others.

vi)    Pure religion is passionately concerned about the needs of others and pure religion is passionately concerned about personal holiness; keeping pure religion pure.

d)     So every Christian should be unstained and engaged in what is called mercy ministry.

i)        Tim Keller defines mercy ministry as “the meeting of ‘felt’ needs through deeds. As agents of the kingdom, the church seeks to bring substantial healing of the effects of sin in all areas of life, including psychological, social, economic, and physical” (45).

ii)      Doing this is crucial. Meeting people’s felt needs through deeds is essential to pure and undefiled religion. But doing this is hard.

iii)    We all need help, encouragement, and correction in this area. This is why our deacons, starting in September, will become our benevolence ministry.

iv)    They will take a leadership role in encouraging and equipping every member to actively meet needs in the church and surrounding community.

v)      Our deacons will be responsible for setting an example of living out pure and undefiled religion.

vi)    If we do this together we are much more likely to remain unstained by the world.

vii)  If we do this together we are much more likely to go after the needy instead of withdrawing from the world.

viii)            James 1:27 is one reason why we as a church go to Fairhaven.

ix)    It’s a way for you to begin. It’s a one week intensive training session. You get to jump into this type of ministry with both feet.

x)      My desire is that going to Fairhaven will fuel your ministry here and give direction to you ministry here.

xi)    So as we close tonight we are going to hear from some of our adults who went on the mission trip.

xii)  We’ll hear from some of the youth next week.

xiii)            My desire is that what they say will encourage you as you seek to live out pure and undefiled religion.

xiv)            My desire is that you will catch the vision for passionately meeting the needs of those that are around you.

xv)  God has great things in store for us as Mambrino Baptist Church.

Text: James 1:19-25                                                        8/02/09 a.m.

Thesis: Listening and doing righteousness is expected.

Intro: Up to this point in James the fundamental truth is that we need God.  We need the glorious Savior to redeem us. We need the glorious Christ to satisfy us. We need to see the One who is bigger than life and worthy of life.

We lack wisdom and are tempted with poverty and riches. Trials are always around us and temptations left unchallenged excite our desires, lead us into sin, and ultimately bring death.

How do we find abundant joy in this? How does a person grow up into steadfastness? How should we live?

These questions will be answered from various angles throughout this letter. Today what we are meant to understand is that the God who brought us to life through the word is the God who expects our obedience.

One of the truths I am intentional to emphasize with Abigail is that it hurts to be disobedient.  It is not enough just to listen to my instructions she is expected to obey my instructions.

This parental advice reflects God’s fatherly advice to all of us.

Going your own way leads only to unrighteousness, disappointment, and pain.

Going God’s way, listening to Him and obeying him, leads to blessing.

God demands a listening ear and an obedient life from each of us; if you refuse know this, it hurts to be disobedient.

Read James 1:19-25

I) Joy is found by those who humbly listen

a)      So be one quick and two slow

i)        Verse 19 begins by focusing our attention on a proverb that should be known by all.

ii)      Again, the Holy Spirit is giving us truth which is meant to change our thinking and ultimately change our lives.

iii)    Get this in your head and get this in your life.

iv)    Let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger.  James gives particular attention in this letter to the issues of speech and anger.

v)      Like the church in Ephesus, there was an obvious problem between church members who were more likely to be angry with each other than they were to humbly serve one another.

vi)    Beloved, this is required of each of us. If you want to be a godly influence in this church listen to the wisdom of verse 19: make listening your knee jerk reaction.

vii)  Close your mouth and get rid of your sinful anger because, verse 20, the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.

viii)            It is true and only the humble acknowledge it: 99 out of 100 times when you get angry you produce only more sin.

ix)    Instead of listening to all that a person has to say and then graciously asking questions in order to clarify the matter you assume the worst, jump to conclusions, and then angrily demand that your will be done.

x)      This does not produce the righteous life that God expects of his people. Stuffed up ears, quick mouths, and hair-trigger tempers produce sin.

b)      The good news is that it is possible to change

i)        The world says you can’t control your emotions; they are just a natural response to stimulus.

ii)      But the calm effectiveness of verse 19 is for each of us who, verse 21, put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness.

iii)    Let me bless you with what this verse is teaching. All those times you get angry and shoot off your mouth, you know what I’m talking about?

iv)    You think the person that made you angry is at fault. If he would stop doing that then I’d stop being angry.

v)      But God’s truth is that if you would get rid of your own filthiness and rampant wickedness then you’d stop being angry.

vi)    Do you see that in these verses? It doesn’t say if you want to stop being angry then you need to whack everyone who makes you angry with a big stick.

vii)  Changing everyone else is not the answer here. Changing yourself is the answer.

viii)            Verse 21 talks about putting away all of your unrighteousness in order to obtain the righteousness of God. It’s the image of taking off filthy clothes and putting on clean clothes.

ix)    99 out of 100 times you are not angry because the gospel and God’s glory has been defaced.

x)      99 out of 100 times you are angry because you are full of sin and selfishness; you are full of what is morally filthy and ethically deplorable.

xi)    So you do not achieve the righteousness of God. You do not live a righteous life shaped by the gospel of Jesus Christ; you live a sinful life shaped by your love for self. Carnage is in your wake.

xii)  Verse 21 tells us how to change this, how to produce the righteousness of God, “receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.”

xiii)            Victory over anger is found by humbly receiving what you do not have; the wisdom and power of the implanted word.

xiv)  Verse 18 tells us God in his sovereignty brings us from spiritual death into life by the word of truth.

xv)    According to God’s will this word has power.

xvi)  This same word implanted in the believer, when received with meekness, will save your soul.

xvii)  Receiving the word means doing what the word says. And it’s doing what the word says in the meekness or humility that admits your need for wisdom and power.

xviii)        In meekness receive the wisdom and power you need to live the righteous life God requires.

xix)            Start by humbly admitting your own insufficiency and looking into God’s word.

xx)  This word is the implanted word because it is the new covenant promise that the word of God would be written on your heart.

xxi)            It’s not God’s word carved on stone making demands but giving no aid.

xxii)          It’s God’s word inscribed in your heart, changing your desires, and reshaping your life for faithfulness.

xxiii)        God is here to give you the wisdom you need and God is here to give you the power you need and these are yours as you humbly listen to God.

xxiv)        Joy is found by those who humbly listen and

II) Joy is found by those who listen and do

Reading your bible, going to church, praying, studying theology, and memorizing Scripture are not enough.

a)      You must do what you hear. What you learn is meant to powerfully shape how you live life.

i)        Read verse 22

ii)      What should scare you here is that it is possible to deceive yourself concerning your own salvation.

iii)    It should terrify you as you think about your family and friends when you realize that even in the first century church some had tricked themselves regarding their eternal state.

iv)    They were convinced they were going to heaven but they were really going to hell; they were deceived.

v)      We see this all around us today. Literally millions who claim some religious heritage or even belief in the gospel but they are hearers only not doers of the word.

vi)    Let’s work through to verse 25 to get a full explanation

vii)  Read 23&24

b)      Take for example a man who looks at himself in a mirror

i)        Who is it that these two verses describe? Anyone who is a hearer of the word and not a doer.

ii)      Any person who has a form of religion but denies its power (2 Tim 3:5).

iii)    It’s the person who knows the answers but makes no effort to bring personal change through the wisdom and power of God.

iv)    What does this person do? He’s like a guy who looks at his face in a mirror; fixes the hair, checks the nose, straightens the glasses, and cleans the teeth.

v)      He does all this, puts in all this work, turns away and immediately forgets what he looks like.

vi)    We need to be clear that this is not a quick or a passing glance. The difference between these two men is not that one gives a quick glance and the other studies with focused intent.

vii)  The difference is that the first man forgets what he sees and the second man doesn’t. The second man is intent to use what he has seen.

c)      The point of this illustration, as verse 25 makes clear, is that the doing is what is important.

i)        Let me show you what I’m getting at.

ii)      First, verse 25, begins with the contrast “but” so there is an obvious difference that we are supposed to pick up on.

iii)    Verses 23&25 say both of these men do something what is it? They are both looking. It is true that different words are used for look in the original but there is little difference between the two so our contrast is not there.

iv)    Second, what do verses 23&25 say these men are looking at? The first man looks at his natural face and the second man looks into the perfect law.

v)      This perfect law is also known as the law of liberty.

vi)    This law is not the law of Moses but the law of Christ. One example would be the Sermon on the Mount and the ethical demands that Christ places on his people.

vii)  It’s the perfect law because it is complete and lacks nothing; there is no error or insufficiency in it.

viii)            It’s the law of liberty because under the law of Christ you are free to become the person God intends for you to be.

ix)       It’s not the freedom to do anything you want and it’s especially not the freedom to just hear what Jesus has to say and not follow after him.

x)      This new covenant law written on our hearts is the instruction as well as the empowerment.

xi)    Some have seen the contrast between the two men at this point, one looked at himself and the other looked into the perfect law, and so some stop here.

xii)  But I believe this stops short.  The reason we can’t stop here is because James appears to abandon the metaphor in the middle of verse 25.

xiii)            What I mean is that it is the hearer who is being illustrated and not the doer so it is not appropriate to just study the different places the two men looked.

xiv)            What I’m saying is verse 25 could have been written this way and the point would not change, “but the one who looks in to the mirror, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.”

xv)  Though pertinent to the argument the different places the men look is not the main point.

xvi)            The main point is found in the repetition of verse 25. This is basic bible study practice. Look for words, phrases, and ideas that are repeated; repetition is for emphasis. Repetition is for emphasis.

xvii)          So what is repeated in 25? The hearer forgets but the doer acts.

xviii)        The hearer doesn’t do anything with the information he gained from all his looking; he walks away and forgets.

xix)            The doer goes on and changes the way he acts based upon the information he gained from all his looking.

xx)  God wants us to dig into his word and gain wisdom and power; this is undeniable and essential.

xxi)            But its not the main point. The main point is do what the word tells you to do.

xxii)          Keep doing what the word tells you to do. Persevere in it. Remain steadfast in your obedience.

xxiii)        And in case you need a little encouragement to obey you have that also: end of verse 25, “he will be blessed in his doing.”

d)     This is classic Jesus,

i)        “Everyone who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.”

ii)      The one who hears the word and does the word is the one who is blessed in the doing.

iii)    But if all you do is hear the word and you don’t do it Jesus says you’re like a fool who built his house on the sand and when the floods came it was all washed away.

iv)    When trials came the testing did not produce steadfastness.

v)      When trials came he did not remain steadfast under trial; he did not stand through the test.

vi)    So that man is not blessed; his life is a loss.

vii)  Blessed is the one who remains steadfast under trial.

viii)            And steadfastness comes through obedience.

ix)    You will never grow strong and experience the blessing of joy in trial if all you do is read your bible, go to church, pray, and read good theology.

x)      You’ve got to work to put what you hear into practice.

xi)    You’ve got to surround yourself with people who will help you understand what you read and hold you accountable for obedience.

xii)  If you aren’t discipling your self and working to follow in the footsteps of Christ then don’t expect the blessing.

xiii)            It’s the blessing of steadfastness today and it’s the blessing of hearing God say over your life, “well done my good and faithful servant.”

III) Let me close with some specific application

a)      The end of the letter of James makes it clear that we are not intended to listen and seek to obey on our own.

i)        We need to pray together and with one another outside of Sundays and Wednesdays.

ii)      We need to confess our sins to one another and hold one another accountable.

iii)    We need to pursue one another especially when a brother or sister runs away from Christ and into sin.

iv)    Bottom line, you are not meant to listen and obey on your own or by praying a simple prayer.

v)      Sanctification, attaining a righteous life, is truly a community project. You need this church. This church needs you.

b)      And finally, inerrancy is not enough

i)        As Baptists, if all we do is defend the inerrancy of Scripture and make sure we have professors and pastors who hold to the inerrancy of Scripture we have not done what this inerrant word teaches.

ii)      The implication of inerrancy is obedience. If this bible is true we must do what it tells us to do.

iii)    Some will say they believe the bible has no errors but won’t do the works the bible prescribes. Is that belief helpful?

iv)    Some will say they believe in Jesus but will be ruled by sinful anger. Some will say they believe in Jesus but will not give glory to God.

v)      Some will say they believe in Jesus but will make little to no effort to take his life changing gospel to others.

vi)    Some will say they believe in Jesus but will not care about the poor, the widow, and the orphan.

vii)  Some will say they believe in Jesus but will hold onto racially bigoted ways of thinking.

IV) This morning do you have the meekness or humility to admit that you are wrong, that you need the wisdom and help of God?

a)      Will you cry out for God’s forgiveness made possible only by the cross of Christ?

b)      Will you do what the word requires and confess your sins to another, pray, and find forgiveness today?

c)      Christ stands ready today to forgive and restore all those who have wasted life and build on sand and never done what the word says even for a minute.

d)     He is a Savior that is gracious. He will forgive you.

e)      Whatever this perfect word is telling you to do, do it. Persevere in it. You will be blessed as you do it.

f)       Do it today. Act today. There is a blessing for you.

Text: James 1:5-11                                                          7/19/09 p.m.

Thesis: We need God’s wisdom in order to live God’s way especially in regards to wealth.

Intro: This morning we saw that God’s goal for you life is spiritual maturity; God’s desire is that you grow up to be like Christ who is perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

The way we get to this destination is by way of a long and difficult road.  The glorious nature of the goal makes endurance possible.

The way we gain endurance is by faithfully walking through trials as they come on this long road to maturity.

So how then should we think about trials? They are for our good, for our benefit, and for our growth therefore trials are not to be avoided but to be joyfully embraced because that trial is meant to lead us to the glorious goal.

But what if that doesn’t make sense? What if you understand the concepts but living a life that considers it all joy when you face trials of various kinds seems out of reach? What then?

The goal is that you become a person who lacks for nothing but an honest appraisal of self proves that you are lacking this James 1:2-4 mindset.

Our verses tonight, James 1:5-11, explain what we are commanded by God to do when we are lacking.

The Holy Spirit is going to talk to us about asking for wisdom and then the Spirit is going to apply that wisdom to the issue of poverty and wealth.

Our truth for tonight is that we need God’s wisdom in order to live God’s way, especially in regards to wealth.

Read James 1:1-11

I) What to do when you just don’t get it

a)      The assumption of the letter of James is that we are all learning how to live life based on faith.

i)        Maturity doesn’t happen over night. Maturity doesn’t happen in a 5-10 years. Maturity happens over a lifetime.

ii)      But maturity doesn’t just happen. Physical maturity just happens. Spiritual maturity is a matter of learning to think and live God’s way.

iii)    One sign of maturity is that you, verse 5, lack wisdom.

iv)    Wisdom involves two things: knowledge and execution.

v)      Wisdom is comprised of two parts: facts and action

vi)    Biblically having your facts straight is not wisdom that’s knowledge.

vii)  Wisdom is knowing the facts and putting those facts to work in your life.

viii)            If anyone lacks wisdom what should he do? Get depressed, be ashamed to ask questions, and resign oneself to a life of veiled immaturity.

ix)    The way you grow is by joyfully embracing the trials of life according to the wisdom God provides.

x)      If you don’t have wisdom then ask for it.

xi)    Pray to God and ask Him to give it to you.

b)      When you are praying for wisdom there is one thing you need to have straight: your faith must rest in the person of God.

i)        Why does verse 5 say ask God if you lack wisdom?

ii)      Because God gives generously.  God loves to give.

iii)    James 1:17 says that every good and perfect gift is from above. If there is anything good it is because God gave it. And he’s not changing; he is a giver who loves to give.

iv)    And in this word ‘generously’ there is also the idea of singularity. God gives without distraction. God gives with a specific purpose in mind.

v)      And who does the generous God generously give to? He gives to all.  He gives wisdom to smart people that ask and not so smart people that ask.

vi)    God gives wisdom to old people and young people who ask for it.

vii)  God gives wisdom to fast people and slow people, rich people and poor people, tall people and short people.

viii)            If people with big bad messed up sinful lives approach God through faith asking for wisdom God even gives wisdom to them.

ix)    God gives without reproach. God is not in the business of making us feel guilty for asking for wisdom.

x)      God doesn’t spank you when you go to him trusting him to provide the wisdom that you lack.

xi)    The end of verse 5 makes a promise. You want a prayer request that gets answered everytime?

xii)  Pray for wisdom and it will be given to you.

c)      Verse 6 gives a qualification for how we should pray

i)        But let him ask in faith.

ii)      What is faith? Turn a few pages to the left in your bibles to Hebrews 11:1

iii)    Asking in faith for God to give you wisdom means being convinced that you don’t have the wisdom you hope for but God gives generously to all who ask.

iv)    Asking in faith is being convinced that the wisdom lacking in you will be given to you because God said if you asked for it he’d give it.

v)      The negative of James 1:6 is to ask in faith with no doubting.

vi)    This phrase, without doubting, has caused much shame, discouragement, and powerless prayers.

vii)  I hope the truth will relieve your shame and discouragement tonight.

viii)            What is the person who doubts like?

ix)    He is, verse 6, like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.

x)      There are two types of waves. One type is the regular wave that is powerful because of its consistency.

xi)    These waves wash away miles of beaches not with a big storm or a huge wave but with day in and day out faithfulness; pounding the coast with one little wave at a time.

xii)  That is not the picture here of the person who doubts. The picture here is of a wave that gets whipped in all directions because of the swirling winds.

xiii)            This wave is driven and tossed by the wind. It’s going this direction then it’s going that direction.

xiv)            It’s going up then it’s going down. No wait, it’s going back up again.

xv)  Verse 7 and 8 say…

xvi)            You’ve got to step back and get the big picture of life in your mind. We’re talking about the total life spend heading toward God’s goal of maturity.

xvii)          The double-minded man is not someone who battles the desires of the flesh.

xviii)        The double-minded man is someone who doesn’t really believe God is capable of or willing to answer his prayers.

xix)            The double-minded man is someone who doesn’t really want God to answer his prayers.

xx)  Some people are tempted to think that because they have the battle between the flesh and the Spirit raging inside of them he/she is incapable of asking in faith therefore God is not going to answer his/her prayers.

xxi)            But why are we praying this prayer in the first place? You’ve got to keep the verse in its context.

xxii)          You don’t have wisdom; you’re not really sure how all this is supposed to play out in life.

xxiii)        So you pray knowing that God knows what is best, God will show you what is best, and God will provide the strength to keep doing what is best.

xxiv)        You are not the double minded man if you lack wisdom. You are the double minded man if you keep one foot in the wisdom of the world and one foot in the wisdom of God because just maybe God’s not capable or willing to provide me what I need.

xxv)          Alright, we’ve been in the classroom getting our facts straight now it’s time to go into the lab and in a controlled environment try to put this into practice.

II) Our laboratory experiment is applying wisdom to wealth

Do you think God’s thoughts and order your life accordingly in regards to your lack or abundance of wealth?

a)      First we start with the lowly brother in verse 9 (read it)

i)        A lowly brother is someone of humble circumstances.

ii)      It can include a lowliness of intelligence or ability but in the context here we are referring to lowliness of cash flow.

iii)    Notice, that he is a brother. He is a poor fellow Christian.  What is he supposed to do?

iv)    Grow bitter and angry toward God and the rich? Work himself to death to buy that thing that will finally make him happy?

v)      Let the lowly brother boast.  Let him exult. Let him shout for joy. We talked about this last week from Galatians 6 and the Apostle Paul’s pronouncement that he boasts only in the cross.

vi)    The lowly brother needs to think God’s thoughts and order his life accordingly.

vii)  This means the poor man needs to set his mind on the fact that in Christ he is wealthy.

viii)            Ephesians 1:3 tells us that God has blessed us in Christ Jesus with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.

ix)    Ephesians 1:7&8 tell us that God has lavished his grace upon us according to his great riches.

x)      Ephesians 2:6 tells us that God has raised us up with Jesus and seated us with him in the heavenly places.

xi)    You have the eternal riches of Jesus Christ and your bitter about not having some collection of bricks and glass or metal and rubber?

xii)  Your bitterness, anger, and frustration prove that you think the things of this world are worth more than the things of Christ.

xiii)            Your bitterness proves you are a double minded man.

xiv)            So poor brother, boast in the riches of Christ that are yours and are not dependant on the stock market.

xv)  They cannot be stolen from you. They cannot be broken. They are yours. Boast in the cross and all that it provides for you.

xvi)            Wisdom is found when the poor brother joyfully embraces his poverty because he knows what is coming at the end of this road.

b)      But what about the rich brother?

i)        Obviously I understand this verse to apply to believers who have plenty. If you want to argue that this verse applies to rich unbelievers that’s fine I don’t have a problem with that other than I think your wrong.

ii)      The rich brother is commanded to boast in his humiliation.

iii)    What is his humiliation? It’s the fact that not just his wealth but his body is here one minute and gone the next.

iv)    Like a flower of the grass he will pass away.

v)      Read verse 11…

vi)    In the midst of his pursuits, while he is doing his business and making his money, the end will come.

vii)  Life will be over. He will be called to give an account.

viii)            Included in here is the idea that the bank account will wither, its flower will fall off, and its beauty will perish.

ix)    Many have experienced this lately. A November 2008 article from the New York times states

Suicide reports have come from a wide variety of places, involving a diverse range of people. A chief executive of an Arizona-based commercial lender wore a tuxedo, swallowed pills and lay down to die in June as his company collapsed. A suburban stock broker in Connecticut jumped from an 11th-story window in July; a private equity financier based in London leapt in front of a train in August. And last month, a onetime dot-com millionaire shot five family members and himself in an upscale neighborhood in Los Angeles, blaming the financial crisis for his woes.[1]

x)      If you boast in the empty façade of riches you are in for a horrible disappointment.

xi)    If you are ruled by the desire to become rich then you are in for a terrible fall.

xii)  The money is going to run out it doesn’t matter who you are or how much you have of it.

c)      Do you have the knowledge and do you order your life accordingly?

i)        Here is a test: If you knew for certain you were to die tonight would you experience genuine sorrow because of missed opportunities for various earthly pleasures (Blomberg, 64)?

ii)      Would you be disappointed because you didn’t get to drive that car, visit that location, or buy that present and appear generous and wealthy in the eyes of others?

iii)    Are you like the child who would throw a fit because your toys were taken away?

iv)    If on the way home tonight you saw a pillar of smoke pouring out of your home and you lost everything from your pictures to your clothes from your car to your collection; everything or great value and little value in your garage is gone.

v)      Would you count it all joy my brothers as you face that trial; the trial of the grass withering and the flower falling and the beauty perishing?

vi)    What if the annual physical comes back with a high possibility of cancer? What if your spouse’s physical comes back with a high possibility of cancer?

vii)  What is primary to you? What is your goal? Are you using the wealth God has given you to generously provide of the needs of others?

viii)            If tonight you lack wisdom ask God who gives generously to all without reproach and it will be given to him.