Faith Works
The Healing Ministry of the Church
September 13, 2015 • Toby Henson
1. Speak Truthfully (5:12) Healing requires believers to speak truthfully. "Speak truthfully" is not a license to say whatever is on your mind. It means that you are engaged in honest, real, transparent relationships. As believers, we are to search for the truth as a united body, loving, and caring for the needs of each member. 2. Pray Faithfully In times of trouble, Christians often fall victim to self-pity or anger. James directs Christians to pray rather than surrender to these wrong responses. James is quite clear that any form of suffering should lead us to pray. Prayer is to be our response in all situations of life. God delights to hear the prayers of his people and answer them, often in amazing ways. 3. Restore Lovingly (5:19-20) James describes a Christian who has strayed "from the truth" (5:19), one who has neglected his or her faith. This person is in need of spiritual restoration. Reconciliation with God can happen to anybody no matter how dark, broken, or twisted one's life may have become. God releases His power through prayer and loving ministry.
Mercy Triumphs
September 6, 2015 • Toby Henson
1. Be Patient (5:7) Patience requires waiting and enduring until the Lord takes action on our behalf. The problem is that we detest waiting. Is there as purpose in the Lord's delay? Always! We are to live with a positive, patient, eager anticipation in the Lord. 2. Stand Firm (5:8-9) The imperative "stand firm" could be literally translated "strengthen your hearts" (5:8). Trials are an opportunity to strengthen our faith. Our faith is strengthened as we: A. Stand Firm in Truth B. Stand Firm in Unity C. Stand Firm in Service 3. Be Amazed (5:10-11) There is an unseen battle raging over our heads. James uses Job as an example. The God who tested Job in the furnace of hardship finally brought him to an experience of "compassion and mercy" (5:11). This glorious reversal will be equally true of us. The final outcome will amaze us.
The Economy of God
August 30, 2015 • Toby Henson
1. Understanding Wealth We need to open our eyes to the reality that when most people in the world hear the word "rich," they picture us. Average, ordinary, middle-class, working Americans are extremely wealthy in a world surrounded by billions of extremely poor neighbors. 2. Convicting Judgments The possession of wealth is not evil. Abusing wealth by selfish living and by harming people dependent on you is. James addressed rich oppressors who used their wealth only for themselves. God cares about people, and we are supposed to leverage our wealth to bless others. 3. Loving Actions David Platt, in his book, "A Compassionate Call to Counter Culture", identifies five significant implications of the gospel for our lives in a world of urgent spiritual and physical poverty: A. Work Diligently B. Live Simply C. Give Sacrificially D. Help Constructively E. Invest Eternally
If the Lord Wills
August 16, 2015 • Toby Henson
1. Confess your dependence upon the Lord's will (4:13-14) All of human life is dependent upon God. We have all sorts of plans jotted on our calendars pertaining to tomorrow, next week, and next year, but they are all based on theory. God has the only day-timer based on certainty. 2. Know that the Lord's will for you is specific (4:15) We should qualify all of our plans and hopes with reference to the will of the Lord. This world is not a closed system; there is a spiritual realm that must be recognized. Know for certain that God's plan for your life is the best plan for your life. 3. Practice whole-hearted trust in the Lord's will (4:16-17) James accused his readers of boasting and bragging. Our boasting is to be in the Lord. James has told his readers what is right; if they now fail to do it, they are sinning. Only doing what is good can be whole-hearted trust in God. Living in God's perfect will guarantees perfect peace: "You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you" (Isaiah 26:3).
Only One Judge
August 9, 2015 • Toby Henson
1. The Hypocrisy of Slander (4:11) As Christians, we are commanded to "love your neighbor as yourself" (Lev. 19:18). For Christians to slander others is a living contradiction to this command. When we slander our neighbors, we show our opposition to the law of love and imply that we are exempt from observing it. 2. The Role of the Sovereign (4:12) God is the only "Lawgiver and Judge" (4:12). Only God has the ability to enforce His laws and carry out His purposes. He bases His judgement on truth. Judging is an act that is reserved for the all-seeing, all-knowing Sovereign. Only God, who knows the secrets of the heart, can judge the heart. 3. The Righteous Savior (4:12) Scripture clearly teaches, "There is no one righteous, not even one" (Romans 3:10). Our only hope is the grace of God. That grace is made available through the righteous work of Jesus Christ: "(Jesus) was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification" (Romans 4:25).
The Weight of Our Words
July 19, 2015 • Toby Henson
1. The Power of the Tongue (3:1-6) The tongue is little, but it has powerful potential to achieve great results, both good and bad. It can start a friendship or damage a friendship. It can stir up violence or promote peace. It can crush the spirit or soothe the discouraged. 2. The Deadly Poison of the Tongue (3:7-8) We must always keep the tongue under careful guard, for it is "full of deadly poison" (3:8). In the Book of Psalms, David wrote of his enemies: "They make their tongues as sharp as a serpent's; the poison of vipers is on their lips" (Psalm 140:3). 3. The Double-mindedness of the Tongue (3:9-12) We show our moral inconsistency by using the same tongue both to praise God and to curse the people God made. Christians should produce words that reflect and honor Christ. We should produce blessings, because we have been blessed. 4. The Answer for the Tongue (3:13-18) James exhorts his readers to conduct themselves with wisdom and gentleness. The gentleness that is linked to wisdom in our text means living out of the knowledge that we are not the priority here. Let's ask God to plant within us wisdom that seeks to promote Him.
Faith Works
July 5, 2015 • Toby Henson
1. Faith that works is saving faith (2:14) A mere profession of faith does not provide adequate evidence of authentic faith. Genuine faith, faith that saves, is demonstrated through works. James sees faith and works conjoined. 2. Faith that works moves the heart to action (2:15-17) The kind of faith that saves will naturally produce acts of love. Genuine faith is not self-centered, but rather Christ-centered. Faith produces actions revealing the nature and character of Jesus. 3. Faith that works is more than intellectual faith (2:18-19) Intellectual faith only touches the mind. Genuine, saving faith involves the will as well as the intellect. Faith does more than nod with demons. 4. Faith that works is willing to risk (2:20-26) James provides two positive examples of faith that is willing to risk. Maybe somewhere between Abraham the father of Israel and Rahab the prostitute, you can see yourself being used of God as a person of faith.
An All-Inclusive Obedience of the Word
June 7, 2015 • Toby Henson
1. Receive the Word (1:19-21) So often, we take God's message to us and hang it around someone else's neck. Its first target was our own souls. The Greek word translated "accept" is an imperative calling for effective faith in God's Word. Receiving God's Word and believing God's Word are one in the same. 2. Do the Word (1:22-25) It is imperative that believers do what the Word says. James exhorts his readers to become who they are because the Word is resident within them. Disciples are to receive the Word of God by being believers who do what that Word requires. We must recognize the necessity of reading, remembering, and acting. 3. Live Out the Word (1:26-27) James contrasts "worthless" religion with religion that is "pure and faultless." True religion is the external, observable qualities of the life of faith in Christ. Obedience goes beyond self to selfless acts of service. Out of our relationship with God in Christ, we are to manifest our devotion to Him.
Turning Trials into Triumphs
May 24, 2015 • Toby Henson
1. Consider trials as opportunities to shine (1:2) The life of a true Christian is about displaying the superiority of the life lived in God. A trial is our opportunity to shine the light of Christ to those who observe us. Jesus says to us today, "Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:16). 2. Know that trials develop spiritual maturity (1:3-4) James encourages us to "remain under" our trials not for what they are but for what God can accomplish through them. In every trial, we should see our preparation for greater things God has planned for us. People who endure trials with faith in God can develop every trait needed for spiritual victory and full maturity. 3. Ask God for wisdom in the midst of trials (1:5-8) We need wisdom and faith as we encounter trials. With wisdom, we can understand how our trials merge into God's plan for our live. But we must ask God for it. God promises to answer those who come seeking right understanding. The person who prayers in faith will receive wisdom from the Lord. 4. Glory in your promised heavenly reward (1:9-12) God wishes to use trials to produce believers who stand their ground through a devout life shaped by the Word of God. Faith perseveres in the love of God, who promises eternal life. The testing is finished when the present life is over. These lifelong tests are relieved at the end of life with the reward of divine life.
Identity Shift
May 17, 2015 • Toby Henson
1. James, the Skeptic The Gospel writers clearly identify James as an unbelieving skeptic. Just when Jesus' public ministry began gaining some momentum, James and James' other brothers came to take custody of Him because they thought He was insane (Mark 3:20-21). 2. A Radical Change In time, James became the pastor of the church in Jerusalem. In Galatians 2:9, the apostle Paul called James a "pillar" of the church. The James we see as a leader in the New Testament church is much different than the James we see in the Gospels. 3. James, a Servant of Jesus James identifies himself as "a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ" (1:1). The first identifier, "servant of God," while significant, was not entirely revolutionary. The revolutionary title is the next one--"servant of the Lord Jesus Christ." This marks a shift. James identifies himself as a slave Jesus, who is God. 4. A Radical Confrontation James went from skeptic to servant of Jesus. How did this transition occur? One simple answer: James had a personal encounter with the risen Jesus. This is the pivot point. Before this moment, James was skeptical toward the idea that Jesus was and is the Messiah. After this moment, James not only supported his brother, but gave his very life to proclaim to the world that Jesus is the Son of God come to save us.