Christ Redeemer Church

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James

January-February, April-June 2020

Intimacy with God

June 21, 2020 • Chris Audino • James 1:5–8, James 2:18–23, James 4:4–10, James 5:11–14

REFLECTION QUOTES “No man can hinder our private addresses to God; every man can build a chapel in his breast, himself the priest, his heart the sacrifice, and the earth he treads on, the altar.” ~Jeremy Taylor “To love God with heart and soul and mind and strength… is the first and greatest commandment, so the first and greatest sin is not to love God with heart and soul and mind and strength. For this there is no remedy, save what God himself has provided—in love.” ~D.A. Carson “…a loving soul wants fresh food every day from the table of Christ. And you who have once had the kisses of His mouth, though you remember the past kisses with delight, yet want daily fresh tokens of His love.” ~Charles Spurgeon, sermon on “The Church’s Love To Her Loving Lord” “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.” ~Jesus (Jn. 14:23) “When we are securely rooted in personal intimacy with the source of life, it will be possible to remain flexible without being relativistic, convinced without being rigid, willing to confront without being offensive, gentle and forgiving without being soft, and true witnesses without being manipulative.” ~Henri Nouwen (1932-1996), Dutch Catholic priest, professor, writer and theologian SERMON PASSAGE Selections from James (ESV) James 1 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways… 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. James 2 18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! 20 Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; 23 and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God. James 4 4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? 6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. James 5 11 Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful… 13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him…

A Faith that Works in Prayer

June 14, 2020 • Abrm McQuarters • James 5:13–20

REFLECTION QUOTES “Do not pray for an easy life, pray for the strength to endure a difficult one” ~Bruce Lee (1940-1973), actor, director and martial artist “I think the reason we sometimes have the false sense that God is so far away is because that is where we have put him. We have kept him at a distance, and then when we are in need and call on him in prayer, we wonder where he is. He is exactly where we left him.” ~Ravi Zacharias (1946-2020), author and Christian apologist “In prayer it is better to have a heart without words than words without a heart.” ~John Bunyan (1628-1688), preacher and author of Pilgrim’s Progress “Peace in the Bible is not a negative, the absence of hostilities, but rather a positive that includes everything necessary for human flourishing. It is a holistic word. Peace comes when our physical, emotional, relational, and spiritual needs are met.” ~Glenn Sunshine, history professor and author Christ’s love towards us, and not our love towards Christ, is the true ground of expectation, and true foundation of hope. ~J.C. Ryle (1816-1900), Anglican bishop “Do not look to your hope, but to Christ, the source of your hope.” ~C.H. Spurgeon (1834-1892), famed London preacher “Christian hope rests upon the fact not that evil can be ignored, or that it will simply fade away, but that it has been judged at the cross.” ~David F. Wells, theologian, professor and author “[K]now, at the end of the day, following Jesus is not necessarily designed to be safe. Safety is a natural desire but it can keep us from being like Jesus in the midst of an unsafe world.” ~The Art of Neighboring by Jay Pathak and Dave Runyon “…the church is not a human society of people united by their natural affinities but the Body of Christ, in which all members, however different, (and He rejoices in their differences and by no means wishes to iron them out) must share the common life, complementing and helping one another precisely by their differences.” ~C. S. Lewis (1898-1963), writer and Oxford professor SERMON PASSAGE James 5:13-20 (ESV) 13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. 18 Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit. 19 My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, 20 let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

A Faith that Works in Hope

June 7, 2020 • Don Willeman • James 5:7–12

REFLECTION QUOTES “I have always found that mercy bears richer fruits than strict justice.” ~Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865), lawyer and 16th President of the United States “In the long run, the sharpest weapon of all is a kind and gentle spirit.” ~Anne Frank (1929-1945), German-Dutch diarist and Holocaust victim “Students are hungry for truth, for beauty, for goodness….” “Where are the love warriors? …that teach our young people (no matter what color!): Put love and justice in your struggle; and get that revenge out! But we acknowledge the pain.” ~Cornel West, Harvard, Princeton and Dartmouth (visiting) professor “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” ~Hebrews 11:1 (ESV) “The word hope I take for faith; and indeed hope is nothing else but the constancy of faith.” ~John Calvin (1509-1564), Swiss theologian, pastor and reformer “Hope can see through the thickest clouds.” ~Thomas Brooks (1608-1680), English pastor and author “Hope is the only tie which keeps the heart from breaking.” ~Thomas Fuller (1608-1661), English pastor and historian “Hope fills the afflicted soul with such inward joy and consolation, that it can laugh while tears are in the eye, sigh and sing all in a breath; it is called “the rejoicing of hope” (Hebrews 3:6).” ~William Gurnall (1616-1679), English pastor and author “There is a difference between tears of hope and tears of hopelessness.” ~Erwin Lutzer, Canadian-American pastor and author “But I know, somehow, that only when it is dark enough can you see the stars.” ~Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968), pastor and slain civil rights leader “We’re not defined by…history, but we have to acknowledge it, and…people of faith have a leadership role in causing the rest of the nation to believe that we can get to someplace better. Redemption is still available, but we have to repent, we have to give voice to our failings. Repentance breeds redemption. Collectively, as a Church, we need to do that.” ~Bryan Stevenson, lawyer and founder of the Equal Justice Initiative SERMON PASSAGE James 5:7-12 (ESV) James 4 13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— 14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. 17 So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin. James 5 1 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. 2 Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. 4 Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. 5 You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you. 7 Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. 8 You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 9 Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. 10 As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful. 12 But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.

A Faith that Works in Overcoming a Foolish View of Wealth

May 31, 2020 • Don Willeman • James 5:1–8

REFLECTION QUOTES “Put God first.” ~Denzel Washington at the 2015 Dillard University commencement speech “…man is an animal suspended in webs of significance he himself has spun…” ~Clifford Geertz (1926-2006), noted American anthropologist “There is…a remedy for all our fears. That remedy comes as a person, and the means through which He provides the comfort, along with the Holy Spirit, is through His Word. To fight our fears, we…look at God’s sovereignty and love and watch our fears dissipate as we apply God’s Word to our lives. The very thing we are holding on to (control) is, ironically, the thing we most need to let go of.” ~Trillia J. Newbell, Fear and Faith: Finding the Peace Your Heart Craves “True freedom consists in liberating one’s essential nature into its best and proper end…. But the modern definition of freedom puts it emphasis more on the individual ability to choose regardless of the ends that he or she might choose.” ~David Bentley Hart, contemporary philosopher and cultural commentator “Every success is until further notice. Every achievement is a temporary one, and not a guarantee that it will last for ever, not a guarantee that in the future you will be as successful as you have been so far. You have to constantly brace yourself for a new kind of challenge, unexperienced so far, unfamiliar, and you have to forget old habits as quickly as you learned the new ones.” ~Zygmunt Bauman (1925-2017) Polish-born sociologist and philosopher, on the “the liquidity of modern times” “…God did not look past your faults, actually. He saw our faults, He saw that we were enemies of the cross, He saw that we rightly deserved His wrath because we turned from Him and we follow in the footsteps of our first father Adam, right? And so He saw our sins. He put our sins on Jesus. That’s what it means for Him to become that sin offering. … Then [Jesus] rose bodily as a brown-skinned, Palestinian, God-man and is enthroned as that right now.” ~Ekemini Uwan, speaker and writer SERMO PASSAGE James 5:1-8 (ESV) James 4 13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— 14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. 17 So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin. James 5 1 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. 2 Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. 4 Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. 5 You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you. 7 Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. 8 You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.

A Faith that Works in Overcoming a Foolish View of Time

May 24, 2020 • Don Willeman • James 4:13–17

REFLECTION QUOTES “To be always relevant, you have to say things which are eternal.” ~Simone Weil (1909-1943), French philosopher and political activist; Albert Camus described her as “the only great spirit of our times” “Today is yesterday’s tomorrow and tomorrow’s yesterday.” ~Alfred Lloyd Tennyson (1809-1892), British poet “If what we do now is to make no difference in the end, then all the seriousness of life is done a way with.” ~Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889-1951), Austrian-British philosopher “…all your money won’t another minute buy.” ~Kerry Livgren of the musical group Kansas “Wisdom is a matter of the quality of what we know, not the quantity.” “Only truth and eternity give relevance to ‘relevance.’ To think or do anything simply ‘because it is relevant’ will always prove to be irrational, dangerous, and a sure road to burnout. It may taste like an unpleasant medicine to our practical modern thinking, but in facts it’s a powerful antidote to perpetual folly: There is an irrelevance to the pursuit of relevance just as there is a relevance to the practice of irrelevance.” ~Os Guinness, English author and social critic “Thankfully, God has given us His self-revelation in the Bible. And anyone who takes the Bible seriously soon discovers that the issue is not to begin with us as human beings. The moment you begin with us you’re starting in the wrong place. You need to begin with God.” ~Conrad Mbewe, Zambian pastor and author in his book Behold Your God: Rethinking God Biblically “The problem about the liquidity of modern times is that we can’t actually stay put, whether we travel or not, whether we try to the best of our ability to stick to what we have, to our place of life, to our community, to our kind of job, to our skills: it all moves anyway… Every success is until further notice. Every achievement is a temporary one, and not a guarantee that it will last for ever, not a guarantee that in the future you will be as successful as you have been so far. You have to constantly brace yourself for a new kind of challenge, unexperienced so far, unfamiliar, and you have to forget old habits as quickly as you learned the new ones.” ~Zygmunt Bauman (1925-2017) Polish-born sociologist and philosopher in his book Liquid Modernity “Futurism is “the major mental disease of our time.” ~George Orwell (1903-1950), English novelist and critic SERMON PASSAGE James 4:13-17 James 4 (ESV) 13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— 14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. 17 So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin. James 5 (ESV) 1 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. 2 Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. 4 Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. 5 You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you. James 1 (ESV) 11 For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits. 12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. 1 John 2 (NASB) 15 Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. 17 The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.

A Faith that Works in Curing the Cause of Relational Conflict

May 10, 2020 • Don Willeman • James 4:1–12

REFLECTION QUOTES “It’s not religions that contain hatred, but human hearts.” ~Valley News lead editorial borrowed from the Los Angeles Times (4-30-2019) “An eye for an eye will only make the whole world blind.” ~Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948), lawyer, Indian nationalist leader “…the only way there could ever be reconciliation is going to be a personal revival. A personal revival, where God cleanses the heart and the attitudes and the soul of a person, and in many ways that’s why I could learn to forgive.” ~Robert Soto, pastor and Apache tribal leader “We’re not defined by that history, but we have to acknowledge it and that people of faith have a leadership role in causing the rest of the nation to believe that we can get to someplace better…. Redemption is still available, but we have to repent, we have to give voice to our failings. Repentance breeds redemption. Collectively, as a Church, we need to do that.” ~Bryan Stevenson on racial relations in the U.S. “Our communion with God lies in his giving himself to us and our giving ourselves and all that he requires to him. This communion with God flows from that union which is in Christ Jesus.” ~John Owen (1616-1683), pastor, theologian and Oxford academic “A humble soul is a Christ-magnifier (Phil. 1:20). He gives the glory of all his actions to Christ and free grace. King Canute took the crown off his own head and set it upon a crucifix. So, a humble saint takes the crown of honour from his own head and sets it upon Christ’s.” ~Thomas Watson (c. 1620-1686), English pastor and author “It would be a good contest amongst Christians, one to labor to give no offense and the other to labour to take none.” ~Richard Sibbes (1577-1635), Church of England pastor and theologian “People will forget what you said, they will forget what you did, but they will never forget how you made them feel.” ~Maya Angelou (1828-2014), American poet and civil rights activist “The thing at bottom is this, that men have low thoughts of God, and high thoughts of themselves; and therefore it is that they look upon God as having so little right, and they so much.” ~Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) New England pastor and theologian “God uses broken things. It takes broken soil to produce a crop, broken clouds to give rain, broken grain to give bread, broken bread to give strength. It is the broken alabaster box that gives forth perfume. It is Peter, weeping bitterly, who returns to greater power than ever.” ~Vance Havner (1901-1986), pastor and evangelist SERMON PASSAGE James 4:1-12 (NIV) James 3 (ESV) 13 Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. 15 This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. 18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. James 4 (NIV) 1 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? 2 You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. 4 You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us? 6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. 11 Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or judges them speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. 12 There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?

A Wisdom that Comes down from Above

May 3, 2020 • Lindsay Whaley • James 3:3—4:12

REFLECTION QUOTES “Envy is an ulcer of the soul.” ~Socrates, Greek philosopher (470-399BC) “But by the envy of the devil, death entered the world, and they who are allied with him experience it.” ~Book of Wisdom 2:24 (an influential Jewish text from the 1st century BC) “It requires wisdom to understand wisdom: the music is nothing if the audience is deaf.” ~Walter Lippmann, American political commentator (1889-1974) “The truest wisdom is a resolute determination.” ~Napoleon Bonaparte, (a rather short) French emperor (1769-1821) “Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.” ~Miles Kington, British journalist and musician (1941-2008) “To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom.” ~Bertrand Russell, British philosopher (1872-1970) “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.” ~Proverbs 9:10 “Out in the cold And tryin’ to make fire Two sticks and stone Still got no fire Once I was shown But I was inside then And spit on that good advice Wisdom, wisdom Where can I get some? Wisdom, wisdom” ~Mother Mother, Canadian Rock Band (2005-present) SERMON PASSAGE James 3:3-4:12 (ESV) James 3 3 If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. 4 Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. 5 So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. 7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. 10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. 11 Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? 12 Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water. 13 Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. 15 This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. 18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. James 4 1 What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? 2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. 4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? 6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. 11 Do not speak evil against one another, http://brothers.the one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. 12 There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?

Training Your Tongue for Life-Giving Communication

April 26, 2020 • Don Willeman • Ephesians 4:25–32

REFLECTION QUOTES “Speech has power. Words do not fade. What starts out as a sound, ends in a deed.” ~Abraham Joshua Herschel (1907-1972), famed rabbi and theologian “In the beginning was the Word…” ~The Gospel according to John 1:1 “Talking is the most dangerous thing people do…, and listening is the most infrequent thing people do, especially when they are stressed.” ~Harville Hendrix, couples therapist, on the relational impact of COVID-19 “I do believe that words…go into the body, as effect. So, they cause us to be well and hopeful and high energy and wondrous and funny and cheerful. Or they…get into the body and cause us to be sullen and sour and depressed and, finally sick.” ~ Maya Angelou (1928-2014), American poet and civil rights activist “I consider looseness with words no less of a defect than looseness of the bowels.” ~John Calvin (1509-1564), theologian, pastor and reformer in Geneva “Words are not in the power of men; men are in the power of words.” ~Hermann Bahr (1863-1934), Austrian writer, director and critic “The central reality for Christians is the personal, unalterable, persevering commitment God makes to us. Perseverance is not the result of our determination; it is the result of God’s faithfulness. We survive in the way of faith not because we have extraordinary stamina but because God is righteous, because God sticks with us.” ~Eugene Peterson (1932-2018), American minister and author SERMON PASSAGE Ephesians 4:25-32; James 3:2, 6-12 (ESV) Ephesians 4 25 Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. 26 Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and give no opportunity to the devil. 28 Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. 29 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. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. James 3 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. 7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. 10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. 11 Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? 12 Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.

Pressing on for the Prize of Perseverance

April 19, 2020 • Don Willeman • James 1:1–4, James 1:12

REFLECTION QUOTES “Too many Christians are doctrinally malnourished so that any bacteria or virus of heresy that comes their way wreaks havoc in their lives.” ~Conrad Mbewe, Zambian pastor and educator “Heaven is not here, it’s There. If we were given all we wanted here, our hearts would settle for this world rather than the next. God is forever luring us up and away from this one, wooing us to Himself and His still invisible Kingdom, where we will certainly find what we so keenly long for.” ~Elisabeth Elliot (1926-2015), author, speaker and missionary Q. 79. Can true believers fall away from the state of grace because of their imperfections and the many temptations and sins they are overtaken with? A. Because of: 1) the unchangeable love of God 2) his decree and covenant to give them perseverance 3) their inseparable union with Christ 4) his continual intercession for them 5) and the Spirit and seed of God abiding in them—true believers can neither totally nor finally fall away from the state of grace, but are kept by the power of God through faith to salvation. ~Westminster Larger Catechism (1647; updated 2017 by CRPC Pittsburgh) “The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think, say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company… a church… a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we embrace for that day. We cannot change our past… we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play the one string we have, and that is our attitude… I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so, it is with you… we are in charge of our attitudes.” ~Chuck Swindoll, pastor and author “Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” ~Viktor Frankl (1905-1997), Austrian psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor SERMON OUTLINE Introduction What perseverance is? How perseverance comes to us? Where perseverance leads? Conclusion SERMON PASSAGE James 1:1-4 & 12 (ESV) 1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings. 2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. 9 Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, 10 and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. 11 For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits. 12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.

A Faith that Works in Taming the Tongue

March 1, 2020 • Don Willeman • James 3

REFLECTION QUOTES “Ultimately, words have power.” ~Toni Morrison (1931-2019) in “The Pieces I Am” “Be careful with your words. Once they are said, they can be only forgiven, not forgotten.” ~Unknown “Handle them carefully, for words have more power than atom bombs.” ~Pearl Strachan Hurd, 20th century writer and poet “All I need is a sheet of paper and something to write with, and then I can turn the world upside down.” ~Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900), German philosopher and cultural critic “Words are seeds that do more than blow around. They land in our hearts and not the ground. Be careful what you plant and careful what you say. You might have to eat what you planted one day.” ~Unknown “Kind words are a creative force, a power that concurs in the building up of all that is good, and energy that showers blessings upon the world.” ~Lawrence G. Lovasik (1913-1986), priest and author “Speech has power. Words do not fade. What starts out as a sound, ends in a deed.” ~Abraham Joshua Herschel (1907-1972), famed rabbi and theologian “The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer, but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things.” ~Proverbs 15:28 (ESV) “Death and life are in the power of the tongue…” ~Proverbs 18:21 (ESV) SERMON PASSAGE James 3:1-18 (ESV) 1 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. 2 For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. 3 If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. 4 Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. 5 So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. 7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. 10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. 11 Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? 12 Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water. 13 Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. 15 This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. 18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

Living Under the Law of Liberty

February 23, 2020 • Don Willeman • James 2

REFLECTION QUOTES “Those in whom anger or desire or any other passion, or again any insidious vice holds sway, are entirely enslaved, while all those whose life is regulated by law are free.” ~Philo (c. 20 BC- c. AD 50) Jewish philosopher of ancient Alexandria “The teaching of the law, let it no longer lead you to bondage, but, on the contrary, bring you to liberty; let it no longer be only a schoolmaster, but bring you to perfection: it ought to be received by you with sincere affection, so that you may lead a godly and holy life.” ~John Calvin (1509-1564), French-born theologian “We need to emphasize more strongly the connection that exists between freedom and truth. On the one hand, freedom exists for the sake of truth; on the other hand, without truth, freedom cannot achieve its own perfection.” ~Karol Wojtyla, future Pope John Paul II, at the Second Vatican Council “It is difficult to free fools from the chains they revere.” ~Voltaire (1694-1778), French Enlightenment philosopher “Craving human affirmation is a no-win proposition. Those who don’t receive it are miserable. Those who do receive it only want more.” ~Shai Linne, pastor and rap artist “Such is the grasping tendency of the human heart, that it must have a something to lay hold of and which, if wrested away without the substitution of another something in its place, would leave a void and a vacancy as painful to the mind, as hunger is to the natural system.” ~Thomas Chalmers (1780-1847), The Expulsive Power of a New Affection “To see the Law by Christ fulfilled, And hear his pard’ning voice; Changes a slave into a child, And duty into choice.” ~William Cowper (1731-1800), English poet, one of the most popular poets of his time SERMON PASSAGE James 2 and selected passages (ESV) James 2 8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. 9 But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 10 For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it. 11 For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. 12 So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. 13 For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment. Galatians 5 13 For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” James 1 18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures…. 21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. 22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. Jeremiah 31 31 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. 33 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” Romans 8 1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and [as an offering] for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

A Faith that Works out in Justifying Obedience

February 16, 2020 • Don Willeman • James 2:8–26

REFLECTION QUOTES “Justification by faith is the key to eliminating racism.” ~Shai Linne, rap artist and pastor “[A]ccording to the world, life is like a ladder. At the top of the ladder is success, and at the bottom of the ladder is failure. Apart from Christ, we all naturally see life through this lens.” ~Katharine Roberts, director and founder of Verity Fellowship “Look around and you will see systems and processes of justification everywhere in human affairs…. Other animals communicate, struggle for dominance, and form alliances. But they don’t justify why they do what they do. We are the justifying animal.” ~Gregg Henriques Ph.D. in “The Justification Hypothesis” in Psychology Today “…the Good News of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ…is the astonishing announcement that God has done the whole work of reconciliation without a scrap of human assistance. It is the bizarre proclamation that religion is over – period.” ~Robert F. Capon (1925-2013), American Episcopal priest, author and chef “But to fulfill the law means to do its work eagerly, lovingly and freely, without the constraint of the law; it means to live well and in a manner pleasing to God, as though there were no law or punishment. It is the Holy Spirit, however, who puts such eagerness of unconstrained love into the heart…. So, too, faith comes only through the word of God, the Gospel, that preaches Christ: how he is both Son of God and man, how he died and rose for our sake…. That is why faith alone makes someone just and fulfills the law; faith it is that brings the Holy Spirit through the merits of Christ. The Spirit, in turn, renders the heart glad and free, as the law demands. Then good works proceed from faith itself.” ~Martin Luther (1483-1546), German religious reformer “To live like Jesus is Lord is going to make my life dysfunctional in relationship to a good deal of American practices.” ~Stanley Hauerwas, Duke University professor and public intellectual, named “America’s Best Theologian” by Time magazine (2001) SERMON PASSAGE James 2:8-26 (ESV) 8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. 9 But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 10 For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it. 11 For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. 12 So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. 13 For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment. 14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. 18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! 20 Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; 23 and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God. 24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25 And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? 26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.

A Faith that Makes us Merciful

February 9, 2020 • Scott Sottosanti • James 2:1–13

REFLECTION QUOTES “Look, the insidious thing about these forms of worship…is that they are unconscious. They are default-settings. They’re the kind of worship you just gradually slip into, day after day, getting more and more selective about what you see and how you measure value without ever being fully aware that that’s what you’re doing. And the world will not discourage you from operating on your default-settings, because the world of men and money and power hums along quite nicely on the fuel of fear and contempt and frustration and craving and the worship of self. Our own present culture has harnessed these forces in ways that have yielded extraordinary wealth and comfort and personal freedom. The freedom to be lords of our own tiny skull-sized kingdoms, alone at the center of all creation.” “The really important kind of freedom involves attention, and awareness, and discipline, and effort, and being able truly to care about other people and to sacrifice for them, over and over, in myriad petty little unsexy ways, every day. That is real freedom. The alternative is unconsciousness, the default-setting, the ‘rat race’ — the constant gnawing sense of having had and lost some infinite thing.” ~David Foster Wallace (1962-2008), American author and professor “While clearly Jesus was preaching the good news to all, he showed throughout his ministry the particular interest in the poor and the downtrodden that God has always had. Jesus, in his incarnation, ‘moved in’ with the poor. He lived with, ate with, and associated with the socially ostracized.” ~Timothy Keller (1950-present), NYC pastor and author “God always moves toward us. And as his servants, we do the same… Sin scatters people, grace draws us toward each other.” ~Ed Welch (1953-present), counselor and author “I have always found that mercy bears richer fruits than strict justice.” ~Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865), 16th President of the United States “The Gospel takes away our right forever, to discriminate between the deserving and the undeserving poor.” ~Dorothy Day (1897-1980), American journalist and social activist SERMON PASSAGE James 2:1-13 (ESV) 16 My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. 2 For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, 3 and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,” 4 have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? 5 Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag you into court? 7 Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable name by which you were called? 8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. 9 But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 10 For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it. 11 For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. 12 So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. 13 For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

A Faith that Works in Obedience

February 2, 2020 • Chris Audino • James 1:16–27

REFLECTION QUOTES “Some of us live a Christian life as if we’re always under the stern, watchful eye of our Father and he is very impossible to please… No, God delights even in our heartfelt attempts at obedience.” ~Kevin DeYoung, American Theologian and Author “While salvation is a free gift, the ‘winning Christ’ can only be through unreserved consecration and unquestioning obedience. Nor is this a hardship, but the highest privilege.” ~Hudson Taylor (1832-1905), Missionary in China “The great test of life is obedience to God.” “When obedience ceases to be an irritant and becomes our quest, in that moment God will endow us with power.” ~Ezra Taft Benson (1899-1994), U.S. Secretary of Agriculture “I think that is a better thing than thanksgiving: thanks-living. How is this to be done? By a general cheerfulness of manner, by an obedience to the command of Him by whose mercy we live, by a perpetual, constant delighting of ourselves in the Lord, and by submission of our desires to His will.” ~C.H. Spurgeon (1834 -1892), Pastor “One act of obedience is better than one hundred sermons.” ~Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945), German Pastor and Theologian “…you can rebel against God and be alienated from him either by breaking his rules or by keeping all of them diligently. It’s a shocking message: Careful obedience to God’s law may serve as a strategy for rebelling against God.” “Freedom, then, is not the absence of limitations and constraints but it is finding the right ones, those that fit our nature and liberate us.” ~Timothy Keller, American Theologian and Author SERMON PASSAGE James 1:16-27 (ESV) 16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. 18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. 19 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. 21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. 22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. 26 If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. 27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

A Faith that Works...in Temptation

January 26, 2020 • Don Willeman • James 1:2–18

REFLECTION QUOTES “I’m not a victim. I refuse to be one.” ~Toni Morrison (1931-2019), novelist and professor “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” ~1 Corinthians 10:13 (ESV) “Only those who try to resist temptation know how strong it is. A man who gives in to temptation after five minutes simply does not know what it would have been like an hour later. That is why bad people, in one sense, know very little about badness — they have lived a sheltered life by always giving in. We never find out the strength of the evil impulse inside us until we try to fight it: and Christ, because He was the only man who never yielded to temptation, is also the only man who knows to the full what temptation means — the only complete realist.” ~C.S. Lewis (1898-1963) in Mere Christianity “The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever you get, get insight. Prize her highly, and she will exalt you; she will honor you if you embrace her. She will place on your head a graceful garland; she will bestow on you a beautiful crown.” ~Proverbs 4:7-9 (ESV) “For [Hannah] Arendt, it was not that [Adolf] Eichmann did not know what he was doing. It was that he did not think about what he was doing. The thoughtlessness that allows evil to flourish cannot be dispelled with new facts or better information, and the society that has forgotten how to think needs to do more than inform its citizens. Instead, like stretching unused muscles, it must relearn the daily habits of thinking.” ~Hannah LaGrand in “Thoughtlessness, Sloth, and the Call to Think” (Comment) “Having looked the past in the eye, having asked for forgiveness and having made amends, let us shut the door on the past—not in order to forget it but in order not to allow it to imprison us.” ~Desmond Tutu, South African Anglican Archbishop Emeritus and theologian SERMON PASSAGE James 1:2-18 (ESV) 2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. 9 Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, 10 and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. 11 For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits. 12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.3 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. 14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. 16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. 18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.