Hello All,
Recent discussions … “Can you believe that it is almost Thanksgiving?” And … “Can you believe that it is almost 2016?”
Remember when “2001: A Space Odyssey” seemed about 100 years in the future. Yeah! Fifteen years ago now. 🙂
James spares no words when he details the potential destructiveness of our tongue. And if that were not enough he tells us that is is humanly impossible for us to tame this destroying member of our body.
So what do we do? How do we do the impossible?
Good thing that God does the impossible. Good thing that we have very clearly written instruction concerning the way we are to speak to one another.
Well, it would be a good thing if we were listening. So are we? Has God taught us how to talk? How to react to disappointment and anger without hurting back? Never paying back insult for insult?
Or are we not convinced that controlling our tongue is out of the realm of possibility?
There is not explicit direction as to how to deal with our problem in this text. James just gives the dirty, rotten lowdown on the tongue.
1) Facing the impossibility of the task we are forced to trust God. That’s a really good thing, right?
2) Fresh water. If we have the potential to sully the water, then maybe we have the potential to keep the water clean and pure. And that is the grace-filled, exciting opportunity we should be thrilled to fulfill. We can be vessels of God’s fresh water.
Living water flowing out of you and me like a river! If this doesn’t “wow” you, then take a moment and check your pulse.
Quit polluting the water, peeing in the pool. Let God direct our ways and our words. Quit coming up with our own stuff, digging our own wells, finding our own refreshment.
We have the opportunity to be fresh water.
No more human pollution.
Fresh water springs from the living water fountain of God.
No more rationalizations.
Listen to and obey God’s teaching as to how we speak to other people.
No more human principles overshadowing God’s truth.
Understand the potential for either destroying or building.
No more excuses.
Message Title: Mission Impossible!
Message Text: James 3:1-12
MP3: LESSON 6 : Faith That Saves : James 2-14-26 : ffc : dave scott : 110815
WMA: LESSON 6 : Faith That Saves : James 2-14-26 : ffc : dave scott : 110815
Colchester Area Historical Society will meet Tuesday, November 17, 2015 at 7 P.M. at Colchester City Hall Community Room at Friendway Park. West Prairie Superintendent. Jonathan Heerboth will present the program. All interested individuals are invited to attend.
As we come to James 2:14-26, I acknowledge that we sometimes have a contention built up in our minds between the teaching of James here and the teaching of Paul in Romans 3 and other places in the NT concerning the place of works, or good deeds, in our lives.
We may contend, but you will not find James in any way contradicting or contending with Paul. James does contend but certainly not with Paul.
James has a bone to pick with those who believe that you can just say you have faith and that means you have saving faith. Read the words. James is flabbergasted at the foolishness of these people thinking that they can separate faith and works.
In the previous section he introduced the Royal Law–“loving your neighbor as yourself.” James is not speaking of works that we do to gain or keep our salvation. James is speaking of the love and obedience that we will have if we possess genuine faith. And he gives examples.
If a person has faith, as opposed to just saying he has faith, then love and obedience and loyalty to God and his cause will happen.
James tells these people who think that they can separate faith and works that their faith is on par with the faith of demons.
And now it gets really interesting because of the phrase that James uses–“You believe that God is one.” This is the first part of the Jewish Shema.
Do you see what James is bringing to our attention? These people say that they believe in the same God that we believe in. But that is not what is happening here. They do believe some things about God, even that the Lord is one. But there they stop.
But God doesn’t stop there. He continues, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” And loving God means obeying God.
Jesus repeats the Shema in Mark.
Merely “believing in God” is the gateway to the wide road and the way to destruction. And many do take that easier way. But we are speaking here of life and death.
God will not say, “Good try. I appreciate the effort.”
No, Jesus will say, “Depart from me. I never knew you workers of lawlessness.”
Now is the time to let James show us if our faith is sound, saving faith, or if our idea of faith is only rooted in the rebellion and stubbornness of our mind.
Message Title: Faith that Saves!
Message Text: James 2:14-26
Our strings group accompanied the morning service. And Mary Dixon accompanied the evening service on the piano. A great day! Thanks, Mary.
Thanks to Donna Lantz for guitar and vocals, Stan Dixon for guitar, Tip Kamm for harmonica and Chuck Butterfield for guitar, vocals and solo on Precious Lord.
Message Title: Mercy Wins!
Message Text: James 2:1-13
MP3: LESSON 5 : Mercy Wins : James 2-1-13 : ffc : dave scott : 110115 WITH STRINGS
WMA: LESSON 5 : Mercy Wins : James 2-1-13 : ffc : dave scott : 110115
Message Title: Blows That Hurt!
Message Text: Proverbs 20:30 & Selected
MP3: Blows That Hurt : Proverbs 20-30 selected : ffc : dave scott : 110115 PM MARY DIXON PIANO
WMA: Blows That Hurt : Proverbs 20-30 selected : ffc : dave scott : 110115 PM MARY DIXON PIANO
The Bible is so complete, so solid. Rock solid in fact. And God is so thorough and convincing in his word. And God tells us that mercy wins. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
Don’t let go of that very clear truth. Mercy wins. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
I am emphatic here because it seems that many believers struggle with this concept. I don’t think it is overstatement in fact to say that many are fearful of this very biblical idea. And this fear is a stain of the world. A human rationalizing God’s truth and not hearing God.
But James is not writing here of lives without guidance from God’s moral code. Quite the opposite. As believers in Jesus Christ, we are no longer “under the law,” but we are to “so speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty.”
So what does that mean? What is the law of liberty? The law of liberty is just what it says–the moral instruction of God that frees us to righteous living. God’s instruction that frees our stained minds from the world’s way of thinking. As we live under the law of liberty, we learn God’s righteousness and we “unlearn” our righteousness.
Last week’s text ended with “and to keep oneself unstained from the world.”
Showing partiality, or favoritism, is a damaging stain of this world. James addresses this stain in three ways in this week’s text.
Message Title: Mercy Wins!
Message Text: James 2:1-13