James II

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9.14.08

James 2

1
“Do not show favoritism”

This is the main idea of this section.

Show favoritism is the way the world acts.

The world honors some and dishonors others based on their social status.

We should not act in the same manner.

2-4

Two men entering a Christian gathering
(a meal or a teaching time)

It seem like they are visitors and are new to the people there. believer or unbeliever?
The rich man gets very special attention. They want him there, they show him special attention and favor.

The poor man brings no benefit to them and he has no honor in society so they do not honor him.

But in the church, the poor man must be honored.

The one who brings no money but only need should be valued as highly as the one who brings great benefit and social status.

5-7
God has not chosen all the poor
but he has chosen many of the poor

to become rich in faith and become inheritors of the kingdom of God when Jesus is revealed.

They are playing by the world’s rules, favoring power and money.
Insulting the poor by treating them without honor and respect.

at their time it was rich unbelievers who did great evil by oppressing Christians
slandering the name of Jesus

why are they acting like the world and wanting such evil people to be their friends

8
James calls this the “royal law”
to distinguish it from the law of Moses, Torah, Jewish law, Exodus-Deuteronomy

This law is found in the Torah
but it is royal which means either it is the greatest
or that it is kingdom law.
the word royal is related to the word for kingdom

This is the command taught to them and explained to them by Jesus

9-11

The point here is that they are lawbreakers
because showing favoritism
is failing to love their neighbors
which is a breaking of the royal law.
and they have thrown off God’s yoke if they break even one commandment

12

They should always remember that they are going to be judged by what Jesus taught

The law that gives freedom
is the way or path of Jesus
which includes what Jesus taught and
the grace that comes with those words
that gives us love to obey

13
Mercy is giving aid to those who are hurting

failing to honor the poor and treat them as brothers and sisters
failing to welcome the poor
is a failure to show mercy

Judgment without mercy
full judgment for everything you have done

if you do not show mercy to others
you will not receive mercy

God shows us mercy
if we then show mercy by the help of Jesus
mercy will triumph over judgment

we will face judgment, but we triumph

ACTION
3 actions for you to take this week

1. as you encounter people this week honor those you think are below you on the social ladder

do not treat them like the world treats them
do not believe the lie that they are below you, that is the world talking

and honor them and give them the full dignity that God gives them

do not be condescending
acting like a superior person condescending to talk to the inferior

2. when a visitor comes into our church
do not ignore and neglect those going through a hard time

we rush to gain the favor of those who look prosperous and like our kind of people
Why? because they seem like respectable people to have as friends
people who will bring money and the right sort into the church

others seem to bring only need and pain

when people come here that no one honors or respects on the outside world
should not they be honored and given attention here?

we do not give charity — keeping ourselves removed
we show hospitality,
we honor our guests above ourselves

3. let us not show favoritism among our own members in this church

honoring some and ignoring others

we have very different kinds of people in this church

let us honor everyone and treat everyone with favor

let us not have social distinctions here
as the world has
do not bring that into the church

James I

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8.31.08

James 1:2-4

Trials are anything: disease, death, loss, poverty, persecution, etc.

Why joy?
not because it is pleasant or pleasurable or easy or because we should like pain

but because ultimately you will gain through trials

what will be your gain?

fortitude (or perseverance as NIV says)

this is a heroic virtue,
Someone who keeps doing what he is doing even when severe hardship comes

fortitude is not passively enduring pain,
someone who sits down and waits for it to end
passivity: something happening to you
fortitude is active
fortitude is the long distance runner who continues to run when the pain comes
The soldier who continues to fight though he is wounded and terrified

a disciple needs the virtue of fortitude in his character in order to be complete

*you cannot have fortitude without going through trial
as you can only get job experience by doing the job (you can’t buy experience)
as a soldier can only be battle-tested through war

If you are going through trial, continue to be faithful and obey, do not be deterred by suffering, and recognize God will use this to change you,
give you fortitude, make you complete

5-8

we cannot be complete without wisdom.
what is wisdom?
knowing what pleases God, what to do in the situations we encounter every day
as we go through a trial—
how to persevere in obedience

wisdom comes from God
so there is only one way to get it
ask God

he gives because he is gracious
a sinner can ask for wisdom
God gives to all without finding fault

“when you ask…don’t doubt”

this is misunderstood to mean you must believe you will get what you ask for

but this is not really what is meant by “doubt”

asking and doubting
is asking for wisdom to do God’s will
but not really being fully committed to do God’s will—doubt instead of faith
asking half-heartedly
with mental reservation
God help me, but I am not committed to make any effort or sacrifice

doubt is double-mindedness
it is a divided attitude toward God
two allegiances
serving two masters
you try to vacillate between two different paths
what God wants and what you want

God does not give wisdom to the one who does not really want it, is not really committed to pleasing God

Pray this week not just for relief from trials and suffering
Pray for wisdom and fortitude as you go through these trials

MUST also be a prayer of complete surrender
to God

So many of us pray lame prayers like this
“forgive me of my sins (without a single sin in mind and without a desire to stop sinning) and help me with this problem I have”
There is no surrender in such a prayer
No commitment
There is no love of God with all of your heart and mind and strength
Such a prayer is not a prayer, it is a silly game, we often play games with God

People can speak hours and days of prayers and not move God one inch
Because it’s a sham
They want to escape trial, not obey and persevere through trial

9-12

the poor going through trials
should take pride in their high positions
they belong to God

the rich should take pride in their low positions

recognize that all their wealth is nothing in God’s eyes and they are not higher than anyone else

they should take pride that they belong to God
rejoice not in their wealth
it will pass away, it will not survive death

*if poor and rich obey and persevere the trials that come to them
they will receive the victor’s crown

this is what was given the one who competed and won
the crown is life: the future life with God
given to the one who perseveres

13-17

God does not tempt anyone to do evil

do not think that God is trying to get you,
trying to trip you up

you need to know that God is on your side, wanting to help you,

he does not change: support you and then abandon you
he is good and always ready to help

our temptations come from our own desires
chain: desire — sin — death

our desires are not always sinful in themselves
but they become sin when we act upon them in wrong ways

put your trust in God that he is good and wants to deliver us from our own desires in us
it does not say he will take those desires away
but he will help us not to sin as we go through those desires

I heard a monk on the radio this week say he asked another monk “Do these strong sexual desires ever go away?” and the senior monk said “Oh yes they go away, 10 minutes after you are dead.”

Desires are not bad in and of themselves
But they easily lead us to sin
They give birth to sin—when they entice us like a bait in a trap, a bear likes meat, but if he follows that meat into a trap he will die

what is a desire that is leading you to sin?
A desire for a possession, approval of peers, power, comfort, beauty, control, independence, success, sexual relations, food, etc.
A desire can be a trial and test as well
Take that desire to God
And ask him to help you to endure, show fortitude in the face of that desire

Church: What’s the point? (VI)

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2.4.07

1. The church is to be a community of brothers and sisters
who love one another
before the world

John 13:34-35

“love one another” is a different command from
love your neighbor, enemies, strangers
love in community, brotherly love

One of the primary ways we witness to the world
is by loving one another in community

When we live in a real family and love one another,
the world will take note.

this community love will bear witness to Jesus
before the world

2. The church is to be a community that offers spiritual sacrifices to God

Hebrews 13:15-16

“through him” is in the emphatic position
we offer sacrifices to God through him
not through a priest or temple

we offer spiritual sacrifices to God
that are pleasing to God (vs.16)

there are two kinds of spiritual sacrifices

*
First sacrifice is praise to God
the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name
these are words that we speak
we offer to God words

we speak praises to God continually
not only in a Sunday service
but at all times and under all circumstances

acknowledging Jesus Christ before men
this is our duty to God

we are to speak his praises in community before other believers
this will strengthen our brothers and sisters

but we are also to speak these praises before the world
this will bear witness to Jesus Christ

*
Second sacrifice is
doing good to others
and sharing what you have

we do good to and share with
both fellow believers
and unbelievers

when we do good to others
this is a spiritual sacrifice offered to God

this is what God wants from us
this is how we worship him
honor him

4. The church is to be a community
where sinners can speak openly their sins
and find forgiveness and help

James 5:16

Many people hide their sins because churches
live in lies and hypocrisy pretending everyone is good

Churches become a places where you do not actually speak your sin.
People hide their sin.
Many Christians are left alone with their sin
cut off from the community.

This causes us all to live in lies and hypocrisy.
It also leaves us without help and prayers.

Hidden sin will suck all the life out of you.
You will become isolated and sin will destroy you.

We must be a church where sinners can speak openly their sin
and find forgiveness and help.

When you confess your sin, you give up all self-justification.
You speak truthfully what you are.
It is a humiliation, in admission of our emptiness and evil.
An admission that we really do need Jesus!
Everything begins there.

Jesus then forgives and works in us by his Spirit.
A real break with the past is made.

*
John Wesley is famous for starting hundreds of discipleship groups.
He said that he did it in obedience to
James 5:16

in his own words “a company of men having the form
and seeking the power of godliness, united in order to pray together,
to receive the word of exhortation, and to watch over one another in love,
that they may help each other to work out their salvation.”

between 5 to 20 in a group
under the direction of a lay leader
They met weekly in the evening (did not miss services on Sunday)
The purpose was mutual confession of sin
and accountability for growth in holiness

Imagine if we had groups of people in our church
that met weekly for confession of sin
but also loved one another daily.

Imagine if they made this commitment to the others:
I commit to love you, serve you, do good to you, confess my sins to you, pray for you, bear your burdens, forgive you, exhort you, build you up, stir you up to good works, submit to you, act humbly toward you, live at peace with you, sing praises and thanksgiving to you, and eat the Lord’s Supper with you.

Several such groups have already formed at the initiative of the people.

Let me challenge you to consider forming such a group
with brothers and sisters in this church.
Form these bonds with others, not just to meet once a week,
but to daily minister to one another.

Church: What’s the point? (V)

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1.28.07

Today I want to talk about church meetings,
some call them services: why attend?

This will surprise some of you,
but nowhere are we given directions on how to have a service.
We are never told the things that we must do in every service
and what order to do them in.
There is no distinction of an “official” service.
There are just various meetings.

What we have is only this:
Various commandments telling us to do certain things
when we are together.
We are commanded to meet.
We are commanded to do certain things when we meet,
but these meetings could be informal gatherings of three people
or a service of several hundred.
Also, we are not commanded to do all these things at the same time.
We could have the Lord’s Supper on Sunday,
teaching on Tuesday, prayer meeting on Wednesday
and singing on Friday if we wanted.

I want to show you seven commands.

1. Leaders are commanded to read Scripture
and teach people meeting together
1 Timothy 4:13

In this verse a leader is being commanded
to read scripture publicly
to read publicly there must be a group of Christians meeting together.
The leader is also commanded to explain what has been read
and exhort the believers to believe and obey it.
Your leaders have been commanded to teach you.
This means that You must meet with fellow believers to be taught.
If you are neglecting that, you are neglecting God’s way of doing church.
Many of you are neglecting it. I challenge you.

2. We are commanded to censure disobedient members publicly.
1 Corinthians 5:4-5

Discipline was done publicly in a meeting.
If someone in the community is living in blatant disobedience
and has refused to repent, he should be publicly before the meeting
announced as cast back outside the church to Satan.
He should be prayed for.
The goal is the destruction of that part of him that is opposed to God.
The goal is his repentance and salvation.
If someone falls into blatant disobedience
we are to publicly cast him out
so that the gravity of the situation can be fully appreciated
by all members and the man himself.

3. We are commanded to eat the Lord’s Supper together as one.
1 Corinthians 11:33
I fully explored this 3 weeks ago, so I will not go into detail today.
We are commanded to eat the Lord’s Supper together as one family.
We are not to eat it separately from one another,
as individuals or splintered into factions
the church even if it is a church of 12 should eat together
as a symbol of our unity.

4. We are commanded that individuals should contribute to meetings
for the building up of the whole community
1 Corinthians 14:26

a few things to notice:
the leaders are not the only ones who should speak
the people should bring something to build others up

Issues of debate: What is prophecy? What is tongues?
Are they still available? Are women allowed to contribute?
I do not want to get into that at this time.

But simply say this:
God spoke through the common people when they spoke to each other.
They all had opportunity to speak to build one another up.

Most Sunday mornings we do not allow for this opportunity.
This morning Susan did just this.
She brought a song and a word of testimony.
I think we should do this more on Sunday morning,
but we must have a regular time for this in some of the meetings.
Small groups, WIC circles, Sunday School.
Each one of you should seek the Lord’s guidance on this.
Does he have something he wants you to speak privately to someone?
Or publicly in a group?
But not for your benefit
but for the up building of the whole church.
I encourage each one of you to ask God to use you in this way.

5. We are commanded to meet together to sing
Ephesians 5:18-20

Paul commands you to be filled with the Spirit!
this is a command you can obey
What will the Spirit do in you?
cause you to praise Jesus and give God thanks
the psalms, hymns and spiritual songs are best taken as synonyms,
trying to differentiate between them is pure conjecture
used interchangeably in the Greek OT

but don’t miss this
When we are meeting together
this singing is also directed at one another in the meeting
Christians strengthen one another by singing praises to God
in Colossians such singing is called admonishing one another
and in 1 Corinthians it builds up other Christians

When we gather here
you should be filled by the Spirit
praising God and giving thanks
in such a way that speaks to other Christians
and strengthens them, builds them up
You are here to sing to God and your brothers and sisters.

6. We are commanded to have the elders meet with us
to pray for us when we are seriously ill.
James 5:14

7. We are commanded to confess our sins to one another
and pray for one another.
James 5:16

We are not commanded to have a pastor lead us in prayer
or to pray together in unison. Or to have an old-fashioned prayer meeting
where we pray for people who are not present.
Not that these things are wrong.
But in a meeting we are commanded
to pray for one another gathered there together.
There is great power in having someone pray for you
when you are present there.

John Wesley divided Christians into small groups
so that they could obey James 5:16.

If you are sick, call on the elders to pray for you.
If you have a secret sin in your life,
confess it to other Christians today and have them pray for you.
You need the strength that comes from such prayers.
You are commanded to do this.

Church: What’s the point? (IV)

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1.21.07

“Church: What’s the point?”
Last week I began talking about
the “one another” commandments in the NT

more than 50 times the phrase “one another”
do something to “one another” or
do not do something to “one another”

addressed to Christians inside the community of a church
a “one another” command means 2 things
1) directed at every Christian:
it is the ministry of every Christian
2) the “other” is other Christians:
it is a ministry to other Christians, not unbelief

Christians are commanded to minister to others in a community setting
every Christian needs the ministry of other Christians to them

I am going to show you 5 commands

Jesus saved us for each other!
he saved you into a community
you cannot obey him alone
because you are commanded to serve in community

each command reveals a hole in our church

God can by his grace fill this hole in our church
and make us as a community more faithful in our obedience to him

Jesus does not tell us to do something
if he is not ready to help us by his Spirit to do it

I believe what he commands us to do,
we can do
if the power of God is at work in us

GREET ONE ANOTHER WITH A HOLY KISS
Romans 16:16

Mentioned 4 other times in the NT

In the ancient world kisses were normally
exchanged between family members

kissing usually on the cheek, foreheads, or hands

remember the father of the prodigal son
kisses him when he returns
remember Judas kisses Jesus,
this was their normal behavior
in Acts 20:37 the Ephesian elders kiss Paul
as he departs

our meeting together is to be directed at one another
(not just showing up for a service)
we are being commanded to live as family

the hole in some of your lives is
you treat church as an event
something you go to
you come as an individual
you come to be served by a service

you relate to them as fellow spectators
gathered together in a movie theater to watch a movie
and filing out afterward without looking around

you leave quickly and you talk to no one during the week
that is not family, that is not the church

Instead we should come to greet and love
our brothers and sisters

EXHORT ONE ANOTHER DAILY
Hebrews 3:13

Exhort we discussed last week
it means to encourage, urge,
(especially soldiers going into battle to fight hard)

you have a responsibility not only for your own obedience
but to encourage other believers as well

“every day”
This is not Sunday service only
this is not small group time only

instead we are commanded that we encourage every day
this is going to take close proximity
throughout the week
living as a family and community
a commitment to several other people or families in the church

if we are not doing this
what will be the result?
Many will be deceived by sin
and then hardened into it

daily encouragement keeps people from being deceived

daily encouragement breaks up the sin
in their lives before they are hardened

the hole in some people’s lives
is a lack of an interest in helping others to follow God

you take no interest in the interest of others
you just care about you

this is going to happen
only if you commit to several other people or families
to encourage them daily

STIR UP ONE ANOTHER
Hebrews 10:24

this verb means to provoke
it is a very forceful verb

we are to prod others
not in anger, but in a strengthening way

notice we are supposed to be intentional about it
“let us consider how to stir up”

the hole in many of our lives is we give no thought,
no prayer, no planning to how to stir up others

we never think about it at all

CONFESS YOUR SINS TO ONE ANOTHER AND PRAY FOR ONE ANOTHER
James 5:16

James has just been discussing the ministry of the elders
to the sick
the elders are to anoint a sick person with oil
in the name of the Lord and pray over him
if the person has sinned he will be forgiven

but here James now talks about
the ministry of all believers (not just the elders)

Christians are to confess their sins to one another

this could happen on the level of public confession
or in a smaller group
or to an individual

You have a duty to confess your sins
regularly to Christian brothers and sisters

we also pray for the one who confesses,
for forgiveness, for healing if someone is sick because of sin,
for restoration, pray for growth in obedience

the healing spoken of here
is total healing both physical and spiritual

the prayers of Christians is powerful and effective

A hole in many of your lives is you never confess your sins
to others and you do not hear the confession of others
and pray for them

rather you hide your sin
and you are not that interested in anyone else’s struggles

BEAR ONE ANOTHER’S BURDEN
Galatians 6:2

a metaphoric word for oppressive burden

primarily what is in mind here is the
“oppressive burden of temptation and slavery to sin”

We are all have dark times
where a back-breaking and life-crushing sin is upon us

in order to fulfill what Jesus has taught us
“law of Christ”
we must be helping others who are toiling under such burdens

this means we help them as they toil under it,
help them to do good when it is difficult
we ease the burden of that task

the hole in our church is that many people
go through such times alone, and sin without restoration

*
we have looked at 5 commandments
but we will not be able to be such a community
without the enabling power of God

each of us must pray to God for all of us

hear the promise of Jesus

“Ask and it will be given to you.
Seek and you will find, Knock and the door will be opened to you.
What father among, if his son asks for a fish
will instead of a fish give him a serpent?
How much more will the heavenly Father
give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

let us now pray as a congregation
for the God’s Spirt to work in us