Date: 10/11/2009 Awana Varsity Resources: John MacArthurs Commentary on James, & a sermon series from Denton Bible Church Audio: http://eek-71.xanga.com/audio/53cd43732661/
How the Christian Relates to GOOD WORKS James 2:14-26
INTRO • How does the Christian deal with James ch. 2?... vs 17? vs 21 & 25? • How do you answer the question "If we are saved b Grace, & once you are saved you can't lose it, then can do whatever evil you want?" • You can't be truly saved and yet live a rebellious life... Paul, Peter, John, Jude, all deal with this same question. • write in your bible margin... > vs 14 "question" > vs 18 "challenge" > vs 21 "examples" > vs 26 "illustration"
1. QUESTIONS... vs 14-17 • Question #1 (vs 14) Is there such a thing as "saving faith" w/o a CHANGED life? • Question #2 (vs 15-16) If all my faith produces is "religious TALK", what good is it? • Conclusion (vs 17) faith w/o works is DEAD. It is necrotic (necrosis)... like a dead, gangrenous limb
2. CHALLENGE... vs 18-20 • I dare you!... can you SHOW that you are a Christian merely by your words? NO you cannot! • consider Judas... • vs 19 a Jewish "doctrinal statement" • there is no difference between an orthodox but dead "christian" and a demon!... Demons are the greatest example of dead orthodoxy • Conclusion (vs 20) faith w/o works is EMPTY and barren
3. EXAMPLES... vs 21-25 • ABRAHAM... > vs 18 circle "show me"... vs 22 "you see"... vs 24 "you see" > James is not talking about Justification before God, BUT BEFORE MEN • 1 Pet 3:1-6 > wives win unbelieving spouses by "showing them" their fsith > children, what do you hate to do? (dishes, vacuum, etc.) then DO IT. SHOW THEM your faith! • RAHAB the Harlot... > believed Gods message, received his messengers see Heb 11:30-31, > how did she SHOW she believed it?... she left a different way, turned her back on Jericho
4. ILLUSTRATION... vs 26 • How do you know you are ALIVE as a Christian? • there is a "body" and a "spirit"... a DOCTRINAL form and a functional OBEDIENCE. • Fruit of the Spirit
CONCLUSION • a faith that saves is a faith that works! • dead branches are broken off and burnt up... see Jn 15:6 • to be a Christian is to be BORN AGAIN... to be CHANGED... to be DIFFERENT! • Jesus wants nothing to do with external profession w/o internal change that works its way out into CHANGED LIVES... don't be a Judas!
Date: 10/14/2009 Awana Varsity Resources: John MacArthurs Commentary on James, & a sermon series from Denton Bible Church Audio: http://eek-71.xanga.com/audio/a5a3c3717869/
How the Christian Relates to SNOBBERY James 2:1-13
INTRO vs 1-3 • definition: "SNOB" = one who blatantly imitates, fawns over, seeks association with those regarded as social superiors. One who tends to rebuff, avoid, or ignore those regarded as inferior. One who has an offensive air of superiority. • Jesus did not respond to "wrappers", He responded to HEARTS... widows, orphans, poor, children, women, lepers, etc. Jesus made NO room for snobbery. • vs 1 "favoritism" = partiality, "respecter of faces" • there is such a thing as proper divisions in church... by spiritual gifts, according to faithfulness, etc. BUT NOT by "wrapper"' • vs 2-3 James' EXAMPLE...you SIT HERE... you STAND THERE... jewelry & clothes equals "wrapper" ("sit with me, I want people to associate your success with me") • 4 ways the Christian should view "snubbing" in the Body of Christ...
1. SNOBBERY IN THE BODY OF CHRIST IS EVIL vs 4 • I put myself in a POSITION I don't deserve, bringing a STANDARD that is not Gods, for a REASON that God doesn't sanctify... causes DIVISION because I am in the wrong place, I have elevated myself as a judge
2. SNOBBERY IN THE BODY OF CHRIST IS ERRONEOUS vs 5-7 • just look around, Christianity is a humble, working class faith. • lookup --> 1 Cor 1:26-28 • Heaven will not be a Country Club or Miss America pageant. Followers of Jesus are not the most talented or most beautiful, we are a middle class people... few millionaires, few rocket scientists, few all-stars. • Being a snob is INCOMPATIBLE with the Gospel... I am Lost, needing Mercy, needing Grace, an unworthy, needy, guilty, rebel!
3. SNOBBERY IN THE BODY OF CHRIST IS DISOBEDIENT vs 8-11 • Gods law is fulfilled in loving your neighbor. If you don't you break ALL the law! • To treat someone differently based on their "wrapper" is SIN! • vs 10 the law is a UNIT, a pane of glass, break a portion and you break the whole thing. The law is not a "THING"... it flows from a PERSON, it emanates from the very character of God Himself. • BIGOTRY violates the character of God b/c it fails to love His people as he does, it makes some people worthy of His love and some not. God instead chooses people from every tribe, tongue, people, & nation (read Rev 5:9-10) • James reasoning... we think that when we hurt "little people" that its of little consequence... BUT you have violated God, He's big, so its a BIG deal! • God identifies Himself with the "little guy"... Pro 17:5, 19:17; Exo 22:21-27; Lev 19:9-10, 14;
4. SNOBBERY IN THE BODY OF CHRIST IS DISASTROUS vs 12-13 • because it might indicate that you ARE NOT SAVED?!? • read 1 Jn 4:7-8, 11,... 20-21 IF you are born of Him you should be loving • vs 13 the Judgment Seat of Christ is for believers... WHO should FEAR the Judgment Seat?... the one who has not shown mercy (snob, bigot, harsh) • My love for others verifies that I belong to God. My love for others shows that my faith is REAL...
CONCLUSION • How do I know my faith is real? I am more loving, compassionate, not a snob, I love others. Mercy triumphs over judgment • being a snob is INCOMPATIBLE with the Gospel • Snobbery in the body of Christ is a BIG DEAL. It is a WICKED, EVIL, SIN. lookup Acts 2:44-47 to see how it is supposed to be • Illustration: do you believe serious news if its in "The Enquirer"?...no... the world will not believe our "good news" if we place it alongside the ridiculousness of our bigotry!
Date: taught to our Awana Varsity class 10/07/09 Resources: John MacArthurs Commentary on James, & a sermon series from Denton Bible Church Audio: http://eek-71.xanga.com/audio/246ad3709732/
How a Christian Relates to His Bible [James 1:13-27]
INTRO • vs 13-16 DANGER! there is a wrong way to respond to trials. There is a way to "fail" a trial. • Compare to Genesis 3:8-13... Adam & Eve were supposed to respond in FAITH, instead they responded with BLAME. God tested, they failed. • vs 17-18 God is unchanging LIGHT and a loving FATHER. God only gives good things, (even in the midst of grueling trials) God gives light, and good, and life.
1. WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF TRIALS? vs 19-20 • anger does not produce what?... "the righteousness of God"... WHICH IS THE PURPOSE OF TRIALS! • if you curse your trial (parents, friends, your job, government, economy, etc) then the trial is NOT producing righteousness and you are failing the test • KEY -> trials are to make us like Jesus, the Bible is Gods chisel to shape us into His likeness • so HOW do we become "quick to hear and slow to speak"?...
2. HOW DO YOU APPROACH THE WORD vs 21a • we set aside all the "JUNK"... we come to the Bible to be CHANGED • I need to see the primary purpose of the Bible as being to change ME! • be careful you remain "TEACHABLE"... not a "know it all"... get your HEART ready. • lookup 1 Pet 2:1 • KEY -> Approach the Word with a teachable heart
3. HOW TO YOU RECEIVE THE WORD vs 21b • "in humility" = broken, meek, surrendered • Lookup 1 Pet 2:2 > we ALWAYS receive the Word as a babe, we never outgrow it! > is your Bible study like that? • "implanted" = ingrafted, cp. vs 18, I am spliced into the Word of God & Gods Word is spliced into me. • KEY -> Receive the Word with a broken & surrendered spirit
4. HOW DO YOU LIVE THE WORD vs 22-27 • How do we "prove" ourselves?... How easy to DELUDE ourselves with our church attendance, or our sermon notes, etc. • We prove ourselves by being a DOER of the Word! • the Bible is meant to give us a BURNING HEART, not a BIG HEAD! • vs 23 as one looks in the mirror - not a quick look and walk away, BUT ready to do business, ready to make changes • vs 25 "look" = to look intently, like Mary Magdalene looking into the tomb at the empty grave clothes • we come to the Bible in humility, we walk away in OBEDIENCE • KEY -> Walk in the Word as one seeking to be changed, committed to obedience
CONCLUSION • What TWO problems did James address?... > vs 19 their tongue > vs 19 their grumbling (discontent, bitter, angry) • What should the Word do?... vs 25 CHANGE YOU > therefore CONTROL your tongue > replace anger with CARE for others > lets quit POUTING about your place and find someone in a tougher spot than you • Finally, don't look at the world and envy it, keep unspotted from it!
I have always appreciated the audio clip "Thats My King" by S.M. Lockridge, so when I stumbled across that clip put to video I knew I had to post it. Check it out...
Here at EEK_71 we are very passionate about the Gospel message of the Bible. The good news is that God is our holy Creator and righteous Judge. He created us to worship Him and enjoy Him forever, BUT we have all sinned, both in Adam as our representative, and in our own individual actions. We therefore deserve the judgment of death (spiritual separation from God in hell). We are in fact, already spiritually dead, completely helpless in our sinful state and in need of God to impart spiritual life to us and rescue us from the penalty of sin. God sent His Son Jesus Christ, fully God and fully man, to be punished in our place. He died on the cross and rose from the dead to pay the penalty of our sins. God’s forgiveness and the gift of eternal life are neither earned nor deserved, but rather it is available to men by God's grace alone, through faith alone. If we would have Christ's perfect righteousness credited to us, and the penalty of our sins accounted to Him, then we must respond by turning from our sin and trusting in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Please consider contacting me to discuss the Gospel today!.
Remember... In this life believers are promised trials, temptations, and persecution (2 Tim 3:12). Christians don’t come to Jesus for an easy life, we come to Him to be made right with God, for forgiveness, and eternal life. We know God loves us NOT because life becomes easier, BUT because He demonstrated that love for us on the cross.
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Challenging our teens (& myself) to live for something bigger than sin, self, & stuff. My mission is to delight in and proclaim the Supremacy of CHRIST and the Sufficiency of His WORD.
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