There is a war going on within every follower of Jesus. Our old nature wants to find pleasure in this world. Our new nature in Christ wants to seek those things that are from above. The danger of letting the old win out is that in the process we make ourselves enemies of God. Thankfully, God gives us grace and His promises assure us that He will help us. He is jealous for us and longs for our hearts to be fixed on Him.
James tells us there are two kinds of wisdom. The fruit of the wisdom from below is demonic, selfish, and divisive. The wisdom from above is gentle, meek, and peaceable. One is an expression of our old nature and the other of our new nature in Christ. Every moment we choose between the two.
The Bible places a major emphasis on the power of words both to help and to destroy. James tells us our words should be holy, but he also tells us no man can tame the tongue. We will be judged by every word we have spoken. That is the dilemma. What are we to do about it?
John is caught up into the throne room of heaven. What he saw there was the culmination of the history of mankind. What is life all about? Why is there so much suffering? Will it ever end? Will there ever be justice? It all depends on if someone is worthy to open the scroll with seven seals.
Can a person be born-again and their life not change? Is it possible to be a new creation in Christ but not have something in our lives that shows that change? And if we have not changed, are we deceiving ourselves about our faith? This passage in James addresses these questions.
King Jesus gave us a royal law, one of two that sum up all God's laws and the prophets: Love your neighbor as yourself. But what does that mean? Thankfully Jesus explained. James brought this up because it addressed the churches' tendency to favor the rich. It gets to the very heart of God.
James tells the Lord of Glory is impartial. He loves the world. He died for any person of any race, condition, status, or nationality. The Bible shows people of faith are from every walk of life. So how can we treat some individuals with preference over others? Are we sure that we have the heart of God for all people we meet?
When we say we are religious people, are we fooling ourselves? James gives us some indicators. While Home Depot says its stores help doers get things done, James says it is those who look into the perfect law of liberty and persevere who actually get eternal things done and are blessed in the process.
James tells us we must hear this. Be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to become angry! Our old nature struggles with these three issues. To master them by the aid of the Holy Spirit, we grow in the righteousness of God. The sermon helps us get the right mindset to do so.
James describes temptation like a fishing lure. It is all shiny and bright and so attractive, promising a satisfaction that will thrill us. What we cannot see are the hooks and line that will drag us to destruction. He tells us it is our desires that conceive sin and sin gives birth to death. Instead, we need to see that good and perfect gifts come from God.
God will generously give wisdom to those who ask. Wisdom is how to live rightly, which God longs for us to do. That wisdom helps us to see what is truly valuable and eternal. That means that we see the trials we face in a different light. Instead of temporary frustration and disappointment, we can see by faith what God is producing in our lives that is eternal.
James addressed a church undergoing persecution and told them to welcome trials with joy. He explains that we can be joyful in suffering because we know that God is refining our faith resulting in a steadfast spirit. The result is our perfection and lacking in nothing. It is what we long to attain. Therefore, we should have joy in the process knowing the end results.
An to the book of James, when it was written, to whom it was written, and the reason behind it and need for it. Also addressed is the claim that it is in contrast to the writings of Apostle Paul.
Jonah thought the nice shade plant that shaded him was a gift from God. The next morning a worm killed the plant and the east wind drove the heat into his bones. He asked God to die, but God had a lesson for Jonah and for us! You will also see the reason Jesus declared He is greater than Jonah.
We often get an idea of what we would like God to do. Then when He orchestrates events in a different way, we become angry with God. We do not understand why He allows certain things. Jonah was so angry that he just wanted to die. He did not see that he was about to learn some attitude altering lessons. He was right where God would have him to transform his perspectives.
The psalmist prays for God’s steadfast love and salvation, according to His promise. He trusts in God’s truth and hopes in his word, which sets him in a wide place of freedom. He asks God to not let him be put to shame but to help him delight in his commandments and love his law.
The king joined the repentance and fasting and issued an edict that everyone participate. There was genuine repentance verified by them changing their ways. It is the very thing we long to see in our own nation. Lincoln's proclamation for a day of prayer and fasting is exactly what we need in our day. If it can happen in Nineveh, it can happen here.
Jonah is given a second chance to do God's will. Traumatized by the experience in the great fish, he has not surrendered to God's will. He makes the journey of hundreds of miles not yet knowing the exact message. Finally there, he proclaims the message God gave him. "Forty days and Nineveh will be destroyed!" What would God have a prophet today declare to our nation?
This passage of Psalm 119 is filled with humble petitions of prayer, repentance, and fear rooted in the righteousness that could only be granted by God alone.
Jonah's prayer in chapter two is filled with quotations from Messianic psalms. There is even a declaration which in Hebrew reads, "Yeshua makes peace with God." That too is a quotation from the psalms. In this beautiful prayer we see Jonah's confession and declaration of faith. There are many expressions that are not understood without some knowledge of the culture and Hebrew expressions.
Jonah was willing to die so his shipmates might live. When that storm ceased after throwing Jonah into the waves, the Gentile mariners prayed to Jonah's God. They may be his first converts. Is it possible for someone to survive in a great fish for three days and nights?
The storm raged and threatened to tear the ship apart. They cast lots to see who was responsible. The lot fell on Jonah. We cannot hide from God. We cannot flee from God. His love will persistently pursue us and correct us. It may seem like a final judgment, but it is the beginning of restoration.
Jonah is a real character mentioned in 1 Kings. The circumstances surrounding his attempt to flee from God's calling have a lot to teach us about our human nature. It is full of warnings for the modern Christian. This book is full of contrasts and similarities with the life of Christ.
Paul ends his second letter to the Corinthians with a stern warning that they would not like to see God exercise discipline through him, and he would not like it either. His hope is that they be restored, all of them, even those false teachers. He ends the letter with five imperative commands and a unique benediction.
In the passage for this week, we read of Paul giving a stern warning about not wanting to have to discipline the Corinthian believers. He is warning them to repent so they do not have to see the Paul as a disciplinarian and face God's judgment. Paul had exercised this authority and knew how painful it was for all involved. The passage ends with him challenging them to examine their hearts to see if they are in the faith. It is something we should do regularly.
Paul tells the Corinthians that the founding of the church included signs and wonders. We do not have a report of what those miracles consisted of. The sermon examines the reasons for signs and wonders, when they are first mentioned in Scripture, and the reason we rarely have them in western culture today.
Our passage for this week sums up Paul's message throughout the letter and redefines for us what real strength is. "When I am weak, then I am strong!" That is because God's power is made perfect in our weakness. Recognizing we are weak causes us to depend on the strength of the Almighty!
While on vacation, I had a very vivid dream. A man looked into my eyes and said in a manner that was matter of fact, "You need to be strong, courageous, and endure." This sermon is a look into Scripture to see that same message and instruction as to how that can be possible in our lives.
Paul continues his defense by sharing how much he has suffered for the cause of Christ. He lists many things he had endured including being beaten with rods, scourged five times and even stoned. Many things on his list are not mentioned anywhere else in Scripture. The heart of a true pastor is to do the will of God to advance the gospel no matter the cost. May God give us that kind of heart.
Paul mocks the false teachers by calling them super-apostles. They deem themselves to be so special that they treat the Corinthian believers harshly and make demands on them. Paul contrasts his sacrificial behavior and generosity with their greed and egos. This message warns us how to spot these false-teachers in sheep's clothing and what to do about them. It also promises us we will be rewarded for what we do, and they will be paid back for their greed and deception.
