Sermon Notes 10-27-2013

The book of James

How to live the Christian Life

Sermon 5

How’s that tongue!?!?!

James 3:1-12

We start right were we should, teachers!

James 3:1–2 (HCSB)

Not many should become teachers, my brothers, knowing that we will receive a stricter judgment, ² for we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a mature man who is also able to control his whole body.

To read this might sound harsh but think about it for a minute.

·      If we put teachers in a position before their ready,

·      Its tears down the kingdom!

o   Because of the status given to teachers, they might be tempted to aspire to the position out of a desire for recognition instead of a calling to serve.

o   The temptation for teachers to say what people want to hear in order to be popular is also not a new one

2 Timothy 4:3 (HCSB)

 For the time will come when they will not tolerate sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, will multiply teachers for themselves because they have an itch to hear something new.

Matthew 23:5–7 (HCSB)

⁵ They do everything to be observed by others: They enlarge their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels. ⁶ They love the place of honor at banquets, the front seats in the synagogues, ⁷ greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by people.

·      It can be devastating to them and their families

o   The devil will attack you and your family if you are a carrier of the word

o   He is always looking to tear down God and what better place than for the pulpit

o   When you are moving to do work for God, the devil will use pride, lust and everything in his power to tear you down

o   And this includes your family as well

1 Timothy 5:22 (NIV)

Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, and do not share in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure.

James is saying this, if your CALLED to be a leader in the church know that it comes with great responsibility! Just like a good father when your ready God will call you into ministry. We are a young church, with a lot of new Christians and we need to be careful not to appoint leaders to quick. We see this in the world today; there are many false teachers out there are and with media the devil can make it very inviting to those with itching ears. So we need to stand firm and make sure we are bring up leaders, that are called in ministry, and as it say in Hebrews 13:17: (go to text)

Hold on, now he turns to the congregation

James 3:3–4 (HCSB)

³ Now when we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we also guide the whole animal. ⁴ And consider ships: Though very large and driven by fierce winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs.

·      James is setting us to see just how powerful the tongue can be

·      Its such a small part of the body, but has so much power

·      Yesterday was the first time I rode in a while

o   My horse did not want that bit in its mouth

o   Because once its in I have full control

o   The devil is like that, once he owns your tongue he has full control!

James 3:5–6 (HCSB)

⁵ So too, though the tongue is a small part of the body, it boasts great things. Consider how large a forest a small fire ignites. ⁶ And the tongue is a fire. The tongue, a world of unrighteousness, is placed among the parts of our bodies. It pollutes the whole body, sets the course of life on fire, and is set on fire by hell.

·      Words that seem small and insignificant can spread rapidly like wildfire, destroying countless relationships

·      The tongue, your words are a fire, they can destroy someone

o   Think about the girl in school who had one bad night and your words destroyed her reputation

o   Or the people we label because of what they wear, and we spread hateful things

o   Our words can be powerful, and are killing people around us everyday

Proverbs 16:27–28 (HCSB)

²⁷ A worthless man digs up evil,

and his speech is like a scorching fire.

²⁸ A contrary man spreads conflict,

and a gossip separates close friends.

(VS 6b) It pollutes the whole body, sets the course of life on fire, and is set on fire by hell

·      Failure to control the tongue, corrupts the whole body

·      It kills all the good the rest of the body does

·      Our words can make our deeds seem fake, or forced

·      Our words affect every aspect of life!!!

(VS 6b) and is set on fire by hell

·      This is the only place the word is used other then the gospels

·      The Gehenna

o   Gehenna is literally the Valley of Hinnom near Jerusalem where pagan sacrifices were offered in the Old Testament

o   Hell was a real place, that tells us about a real place!

·      And since it’s associated with the devil, James is telling us that Satan himself influences the evil that comes from the tongue!

James 3:7–10 (ESV)

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.

·      Every animal can be tamed, but not your words.

·      He is getting to the heart of the matter we cant tame it alone

·      It takes God, through the work of the Holy Spirit to tame your tongue

·      Without God, our mouths are full of poison, full of hatred, and we use it to hurt instead of lifting up

·      We us it to tear down, not rebuild

·      We use it kill (send folks to hell), not bring life (help them find Salvation)

Now its time for a Hermeneutics lesson! (Soap Box)

Social Media!!!!

·      Facebook is evil!!!!!!!!!!!

·      It brings Gossip to a whole new level!!

·      We hide behind key boards

·      We repost things without even thinking is it pagan?

·      Is it biblical

·      Is it moral

·      Is it tearing down or lifting up

Sermon Notes 10-20-2013

James 2:14–26 (ESV)

Faith Without Works Is Dead

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.  

Church be ready for God to show up in a BIG way!!

Sermon Notes 10-13-2013

Lets get right to it!

Read the Text

James 2:1-13 NLT

James 2:1 (NLT)

My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people over others?

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James jumps right in on his next point! Favoritism

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Faith and favoritism are as different as night and day

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Partiality, that is, judging someone instead of looking at the heart, is directly contrary to the character of God.

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To have faith in Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, means following the example of Jesus who brought good news to the poor. It means imitating the character of a glorious, impartial, generous God!

The impartial and just nature of God is a leading theme of the New Testament.

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Peter tells Cornelius that God does not show favoritism but accepts those who fear him from every nation (Acts 10:34–35)

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Paul agrees that salvation is for Jew and Gentile, since “God does not show favoritism”(Romans 2:11)

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Masters are to treat their slaves well because they have a Master in heaven who shows no favoritism (Ephesians 6:9)

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Slaves who do wrong will be punished by the Lord Christ, without favoritism(Colossians 3:25)

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Even when the enemies of Jesus seek to trap him, they have to admit he is impartial, literally, that he does not “see people’s faces” (Mark 12:14)

Jesus demonstrates that there is no room in faith for favoritism! We must work hard to treat all people equal.  Let me make this perfectly clear, we are talking about corporate worship and family fellowship.

We will have close friends that we do life with, that trust is given to over time, Jesus had a enter circle. But when we are all together or we have a setting of open worship and teaching we cannot show partiality because of what you can do for the church or for any other reason! James is talking about class distinction among the church.

James 2:2–3 (NIV)

2 Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. 3 If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,”

What Favoritism is and is not!

Quote: “Christians do not choose their brothers because they are rich, powerful, or good looking. All are chosen by grace to be children of God. That is what makes them brothers. If the relationship is made by God, the brothers must not break it through partiality and prejudice.

What favoritism is not

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We don’t hang out with all of our family all the time!

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Jesus had his close inter circle

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John was Jesus favorite (John 20:2)

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But he didn’t make decisions based on who he liked more

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Trust is built over time, and we take it quickly

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We have to have to have boundaries

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We don’t have to invite everyone to everything

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Certain groups are gender specific

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Certain groups are age specific

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Certain groups are for creation kids of situations (single, divorced, married, ect…)

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And if you are inviting your close friends, we can.

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The world has no boundaries!!

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People think we should be everything to everyone

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We are not all going to be best fiends!!

What Favoritism is

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Excluding people from corporate activates for any reason

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Worship

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Fellowship

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Small groups

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Bible studies

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Talking about a fellow brother or sister badly

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Not asking “certain” people to functions of the church

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Use an example!

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Showing favorites because of what they can do for you or the church

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Giving people any special treatment

We of all people should know how wrong this is! We are here because “traditional church” would never let us fully in. they would treat us like outsiders! We have all been treated this way and Jesus would never stand for it! Jesus loves you sin, filth and all! So we should love our brother the same way

Quote: As a Jew, James thoroughly understood the motivations and attitudes of exclusion. Perhaps nothing was as much of a stumbling block to Jews coming to Christ as was the knowledge that to do so was to embrace the Gentiles as well. And yet, despite such overwhelming psychological and sociological barriers, this is precisely the point where the early church made its decisive break with Judaism.

James 2:4 (NIV)

4 have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

Showing favorites is a huge hindrance to the spreading of the Gospel!

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The early Church knew it! (The Jerusalem Counsel)

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God makes no distinction between us

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We have to follow gods example

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John 13:34 is our motto!

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And 15 years ago the men that started Cowboy Churches knew it!

From the CC training book

Non-judgmental Approach

Matthew 9:12–13 (NIV)

On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’  For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

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Accept but don’t compromise!

“Non-judgmental approach – The church will foster a non judgmental atmosphere in all it does, accepting people just as they are, just as Christ himself does.”

Elimination of Barriers to the Cowboy Culture

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Muddy boots, spit-tunes, & hats...

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Altar Calls and offering plates...

Matthew 19:14 "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of 
heaven belongs to such as these."

“Elimination of barriers to the cowboy culture – The church will do all that it can to lower or eliminate the barriers preventing the Gospel of Jesus Christ from reaching the western culture.”

Practice of Biblical Christianity

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Kingdom Minded –Eternal value.

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Matthew 18:15-17.

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God hates dissention in the church – body of believers...

“Practice of Biblical Christianity – The church will practice biblical Christianity according to Matthew 18: 15-17. This will be practiced by the leadership and the congregation.”

James 2:5–7 (NLT)

5 Listen to me, dear brothers and sisters. Hasn’t God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith? Aren’t they the ones who will inherit the Kingdom he promised to those who love him?6 But you dishonor the poor! Isn’t it the rich who oppress you and drag you into court? 7 Aren’t they the ones who slander Jesus Christ, whose noble name* you bear?

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Why beat up on the rich??

Matthew 19:23–26 (NLT)

23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you the truth, it is very hard for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. 24 I’ll say it again—it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!”

25 The disciples were astounded. “Then who in the world can be saved?” they asked.

26 Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.”

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The point Jesus was making was that money, and possession’s easily become a barrier to the sense of dependence upon God, and dependence upon God is absolutely necessary to enter the Kingdom.

Close

James 2:8–13 (NLT)

8 Yes indeed, it is good when you obey the royal law as found in the Scriptures: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”* 9 But if you favor some people over others, you are committing a sin. You are guilty of breaking the law.

10 For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God’s laws. 11 For the same God who said, “You must not commit adultery,” also said, “You must not murder.”* So if you murder someone but do not commit adultery, you have still broken the law.