Renewed to Honor

  Continuing from Warning to the Rich     Verses from ESV 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. James tells us, especially those who are  oppressed running away missionary with no result those who wait on the Lord those who are sick or have a loved one who is sick those who have to bear with an unbelieving or rude, or hash family member that we have to be patient. Brothers, we are not professionals. We are his children. We have only God whom we trust and wait on. Colossians 1:11,  2 Timothy 2:6, Deuteronomy 28:12; Joel 2:23; Hosea 6:3 -- we have to wait like the time Joel says - We have to wait for the Lord to bring his effect into our life. This will take time. Brothers between the both rains there was a significant 6 month period. We saw that in the IAM series where we saw the festival...

What did we see last week? Faith includes brotherhood. James wants to explore and expand on that idea even more. James is saying about faith in this book (letter) and James wants us to see the bigger picture of faith. By faith we are made into a family. Romans 12:5, 1 Timothy 3:15 (household), Ephesians 2:19 (citizen and family) All Verses are from ESV Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you.  Come now -- come where … James shows what the Church is, A place to come together for repentance [i could be wrong on this]. James warns the rich (in speaking, money, influence, idea, prideful) that there are miseries that come upon them. He urges those who rely on themselves, on their strength, especially on their richness to empty themselves of such pride. Brothers, we have to realise that our reliance must be on God. We are fallible. We will make mistakes. James invites them to repent and be serious about repentance. James warns them that ...

 Verses from ESV Intro:  We have been looking at James, the brother of Jesus writing to believers who are from a Jewish background, living as Church away from the places.  As we have been reading we are clear what James is intending us to have: REAL ACTIVE FATIH We have seen how faith is build in trials faith is used to separate faith is based on Word of God faith is based and build by doing the word faith is based by building control - tongue faith is based by openness faith is shown by our works faith is shown in humility and teachability last week we saw how to we need to pray and why there are fights and "war" amongst Christians. This week we are going to look at the solution. This is the part that has to do with faith. James 4 Do not speak evil against one another, 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. Before we go int...

 Verses from ESV Intro:  We have been looking at James, the brother of Jesus writing to believers who are from a Jewish background, living as Church away from the places.  As we have been reading we are clear what James is intending us to have: REAL ACTIVE FATIH We have seen how faith is build in trials faith is used to separate faith is based on Word of God faith is based and build by doing the word faith is based by building control - tongue faith is based by openness faith is shown by our works faith is shown in humility and teachability James 4 What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? The early Christians were like us. They too were people. They too had issues.  James is saying that we have passions, our happy agendas that we want to achieve. And this creates in us a war. Even in the Church this is the case. Look, see this situation, imagine there are two brothers teaching, if they are compet...

 We are continuing on our study of James. What have we learned so far? Trials are at the hand of a loving father This is another way of saving that God is Sovereign in our suffering. We are to know that this means that God has not abandoned us but rather it is he who preserves and strengthens us Like a father training his child, so does trials work together for our good. As in Romans 8:28 -- all things work together for the good ... Trials build us up and strengthens our faith muscles. Doubting In our steps of faith, things are not crystal clear We are not called to take calculated risks but rather risks based on our trust in God Trials are means to shake us and refine and strengthen our faith with better quality sand of word of God like how people do when they construct buildings with sieving sand., Placing our foot on the right thing Not in our richness Not in our influence But rather on God and on His word Trials separate wolves from sheeps Trials can be like temptation God cann...

dear brothers, this week we are looking into the book of James chapter 2 from verses 14. Lets look at the last time we looked at the dangers of partiality . Why does James say that it is wrong to be partial? There is a reason for it. It is because the Church is a family. We are not partial in our family, so should we not be in the Church.  James explores this topic even further in this section.  What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?  Look the the verse from Ephesians 2:8-10. We are saved by faith and not by works so that no one could boast. What is Paul saying? Paul is saving that aa person becomes a believer by faith and that salvation is a gift and not a reward for good behaviour. Paul explains early on that salvation cannot be attained by human will or wisdom. This echos what John said too. Not by the will of man (John 1:13) or by the desired but by will of God. We see that statement and we belie...

 Sermon Notes: (Please hear the audio as my notes are not well written)  v26 If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.  James tells us what it means to be following a good God and being religious is. He tells us what a false religion is. See, you and the orphan have a same Father- if God s your both father- then how are you not visiting the needy? 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. James 2 vs 1 My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory.  Deuteronomy 10:17  17 For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. 18 He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, g...

Scripture: James 1:19-25 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 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. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 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.

          In the previous sermon, we learned that trials are not a punishment from an angry God but a means through which God disciplines his legitimate (adopted) Children. We saw how trials are meant for our Joy and how this is not a conceptional thing but rather an experiential journey. No one should assume that being joyful in trials is a means of knowledge acquired in any means other than personal experience. God expects us to come to Him and ask for wisdom. This is what the Spirit of God gives, wisdom. No one should assume that this wisdom is based on mental fortitude. This is based on a realisation that you are not strong enough, not wise enough on your own means. This is what trials does. It pushes people to be God dependent. This is what God desires us to do. To be reliant on Him. James as we looked earlier points to Proverbs and the Old testament as much as possible as His primary audience is the Jewish Christians.  Trust in the Lord w...

  When we go through trials and difficult times we are often faced with the following questions Does God really love me? Does God do His will for me? Is God's will for my life perfect? Will I like God's will for my life? Will God take the evil others have done to me and really turn it for my good? Will God repay the evil for the harm them did? James, writes his letter to the Jews who are Christians who ran away from Jerusalem during the time of troubles.   Notes:   (a)  James 1.3: List the different ways in which the trying of faith produces patience (ie: perseverance/endurance).  Faith is always tested - 1 Peter 1:7 and it is in the fire of testing that our faith becomes purer than gold worthy to honour God. A man of faith stands by the Word of God and waits for God to work and waits in patience.  During trying times, we may face the following questions  Is God there? Will God use what others meant for my evil for my good?  The Greek word for...