James
Practical Faith In Tough Times
The Warning Lights
July 5, 2020 • Anthony Morehead
*We don’t connect the PLACE we want to the PATH we’re on. * Three Warnings Lights: 1. The Attitude of Judging When we judge, our misinformed assumptions produce misguided accusations. Don’t speak evil against each other… —James 4:11 Don’t speak evil against each other, dear brothers and sisters. If you criticize and judge each other, then you are criticizing and judging God’s law. But your job is to obey the law, not to judge whether it applies to you. 12 God alone, who gave the law, is the Judge. He alone has the power to save or to destroy. So what right do you have to judge your neighbor? —James 4:11-12 “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. 2 For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged. —Matthew 7:1-2 2. The Spirit of Pride Look here, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.” 14 How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. 15 What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.” 16 Otherwise you are boasting about your own pretentious plans, and all such boasting is evil. —James 4:13-16 Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it. —James 4:17 3. The Love of Money Look here, you rich people: Weep and groan with anguish because of all the terrible troubles ahead of you. 2 Your wealth is rotting away, and your fine clothes are moth-eaten rags. 3 Your gold and silver are corroded. The very wealth you were counting on will eat away your flesh like fire. This corroded treasure you have hoarded will testify against you on the day of judgment. 4 For listen! Hear the cries of the field workers whom you have cheated of their pay. The cries of those who harvest your fields have reached the ears of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 5 You have spent your years on earth in luxury, satisfying your every desire. You have fattened yourselves for the day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and killed innocent people, who do not resist you. —James 5:1-6
Prayer Changes Everything
June 28, 2020
13 Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. —James 5:13-16 3 Ways That Prayer Changes Everything 1.) Prayer Activates Our Faith And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him. —Hebrews 11:16 If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you. —Matthew 17:20b If you can’t stop thinking about it, don’t stop praying about it. 2) Prayer Aligns Our Heart’s Desires with God’s Will “Father, if you are willing take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” —Luke 22:42 2) Prayer Works Every Situation Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. —James 5:13 Every Emotion Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. —James 5:13 Every Sickness Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. —James 5:14 Every Battle Therefore, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. —James 5:16
Resolving Conflict
June 21, 2020
Three Types of Conflict: 1. External Conflict What is causing the quarrels and fights among you?… —James 4:1 2. Internal Conflict What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you? You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. —James 4:1-2 *Key Thought: Our unfulfilled internal wants produce our uncontrolled external wars. * 3. Upward Conflict Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. 3 And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure. —James 4:2b-3 You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God. 5 Do you think the Scriptures have no meaning? They say that God is passionate that the spirit he has placed within us should be faithful to him. —James 4:4-5 And he gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” —James 4:6 Upward Peace Creates Inward Peace That Produces Outward Peace So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. —James 4:7-8 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. —Ephesians 6:12 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. —Matthew 28:19 Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor. —James 4:19-10
Wisdom
June 14, 2020
If you are wise and understand God’s ways… —James 3:13 So give me the wisdom I need to rule your people with justice and to know the difference between good and evil. Otherwise, how would I ever be able to rule this great people of yours?” —1 Kings 3:9 “I will do what you have asked. I will give you more wisdom and understanding than anyone has ever had before or will ever have again. 13 I will also give you what you have not asked for: all your life you will have wealth and honor, more than that of any other king. 14 And if you obey me and keep my laws and commands, as your father David did, I will give you a long life.” —1 Kings 3:12-14 *The Fruit of Godly Wisdom: * 1. Godly Wisdom Produces an Honorable Life If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life… —James 3:13 Wisdom is “skill in living righteously.” “Knowledge—even biblical knowledge—is like sodium in raw form. Sodium can be destructive to humans…until it gets converted into a higher form: sodium chloride, or table salt. In the same way, knowledge is never an end in itself. It must be converted into a higher form—wisdom—for it to become useful and beneficial to us.” —Wayne Cordeiro Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. —Matthew 7:24 “When truth comes to the wise person, they adjust themselves to the truth, but when truth comes to the fool, they adjust the truth.” —Dr. Henry Cloud So don’t bother correcting mockers; they will only hate you. But correct the wise, and they will love you. —Proverbs 9:8 2. Godly Wisdom Produces Humble Service James 3:13 (NLT) – If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom. James 3:14-15a (NLT) – But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying. 15 For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. James 3:15-16 (NLT) – For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. 16 For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind. Godly Wisdom Cultivates Healthy Relationships But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. —James 3:17 When you talk to or respond to a friend, a family member, or even a stranger, are the words you speak… Peace-loving Gentle Yielding to others Full of mercy Full of good deeds Without favoritism Always sincere
Words
June 7, 2020
Three Truths about the Tongue: 1 - The Tongue is Powerful James 3:3-5a (NLT) – We can make a large horse go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth. 4 And a small rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot chooses to go, even though the winds are strong. 5 In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches. James 3:2b (NLT) – For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way. 2 - The Tongue is Destructive James 3:5b-6 (NLT) – But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. 6 And among all the parts of the body, the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself. James 3:6b (NLT) – …the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself. Proverbs 16:27 (ESV) – A worthless man plots evil, and his speech is like a scorching fire. 3 - The Tongue is Double-Minded James 3:7-8 (NLT) – People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. James 3:9-12 (NLT) – Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. 10 And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right! 11 Does a spring of water bubble out with both fresh water and bitter water? 12 Does a fig tree produce olives, or a grapevine produce figs? No, and you can’t draw fresh water from a salty spring. Proverbs 18:21 (MSG) – Words kill, words give life; they’re either poison or fruit—you choose.
Hearing The Word, Seeing The Word, Being Like Jesus
May 24, 2020 • EJ Brown
James: Practical Faith for Tough Times Hearing Jesus, Seeing Jesus, and Being like Jesus My dear brothers and sisters, understand this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger, for human anger does not accomplish God’s righteousness. Therefore, ridding yourselves of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent, humbly receive the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. —James 1:19-21 Hearing Jesus When this pandemic hit how quick were you to lisen to what the Lord was saying? Pray Read His Word Seek Wisdom But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. Because if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like someone looking at his own face[f] in a mirror. For he looks at himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of person he was. But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer who works—this person will be blessed in what he does. —James 1:22-25 Seeing Jesus What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but does not have works? Can such faith save him?If a brother or sister is without clothes and lacks daily food and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, stay warm, and be well fed,” but you don’t give them what the body needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way faith, if it does not have works, is dead by itself. —James 2:14-17 Being Like Jesus “If a brother is hungry, he doesn’t need a sermon. He needs a ham sandwich.” —Dr. Tony Evans Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations [help the people to learn of Me, believe in Me, and obey My words], baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. —Matthew 28:19
Handling Hardship
May 17, 2020
Three Questions to Help You Handle Hardship 1. What Form Does My Hardship Take? A. Trials James 1:2 (NLT) – Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. A. Temptations James 1:12a (NLT) – God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. James 1:13-15 (NLT) – And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else. Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death. “I was in my late 20’s, single, and with every prospect of remaining so. Sometimes lust or a bit of fantasizing would seem so inviting and so easy to justify. After all, hadn’t I already given up more than most Christians just by being disabled? Didn’t my wheelchair entitle me to a little slack now and then?” “When God allows you to suffer, do you have tendency to use your trials as an excuse for sinning? Or do you feel that since you’ve given God a little extra lately by taking abuse, that He owes you a “day off? 2. How Will I Face My Hardship? A. Choose Joy James 1:2 (NLT) – Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. Hebrews 12:2b (NLT) – …Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. B. Patiently Endure James 1:3-4 (NLT) – For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. Romans 5:3-4 (NLT) – We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. Warren Wiersbe: “In the Bible, patience is not a passive acceptance of circumstances. It is a courageous perseverance in the face of suffering and difficulty.” C. Seek Wisdom James 1:5-8 (NLT) – If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do. D. Humbly Trust God James 1:9-11 (NLT) – Believers who are poor have something to boast about, for God has honored them. And those who are rich should boast that God has humbled them. They will fade away like a little flower in the field. The hot sun rises and the grass withers; the little flower droops and falls, and its beauty fades away. In the same way, the rich will fade away with all of their achievements. 3. What Fruit Will My Response to Hardship Produce? James 1:3-4 (NLT) – For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. James 1:12 (NLT) – God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.