Tag: Obedience

We are Called to Bear Fruit

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In January 2012, our church is going to focus on a very important topic, one which is the essence of being a disciple of Jesus Christ. You might check out a men’s study we did years ago on the Secrets of the Vine.

Just as one would expect grapes from a grape vine, the most obvious fruit of a Christian is another Christian. We should tell others how Jesus Christ was crucified for our sins and arose from the dead for us to walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4). God wants us to “show and tell” so that others will become disciples as well. Bearing fruit is the way we prove we are his disciples (John 15:8).

Other spiritual fruit will include our personal character qualities, such as “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control,” (Galatians 5:22-23). Spiritual fruit is produced in and through our lives as we abide in Jesus, which includes gathering together in community to study his Word and worship.

There is only one command of God that humans have not failed to do… God’s first recorded words to Adam were, “Be fruitful and multiply,” (Genesis 1:28). This meant having children but on a spiritual level, it also means for us being fruitful in serving God and other ways. Jesus gave a similar commission when He said, “I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should remain,” (John 15:16). Just before His ascension, Jesus commanded His followers to, “Go into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15).

So, how can you work with God in His garden? Jesus said, “Abide in Me” (John 15:4, 5).

First, you must have the right seed: Jesus is the seed of Salvation. You must receive Him and be vitally connected to Him (John 1:12). When you believe in Jesus, yielding your life to Him, He grafts you into Himself (Romans 11:17). This speaks of personal salvation. Has that happened to you?

The soil of your life must be cultivated: This involves abiding in Jesus. He said “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire and it shall be done for you” (John 15:7). Consider this interpretation:

  1. If you abide in Me – that would be worship.
  2. My words abide in you – that would be Bible study or involvement in a small group.
  3. Ask whatever you will – that is obviously prayer.
  4. It shall be done for you – that could be personal obedience (John 15:10).

Having good soil includes getting the rocks and weeds out of the soil. Rocks and weeds could refer to sinful attitudes and habits, which prevent spiritual fruit bearing.

Jesus said, “My Father is the vinedresser” (John 15:1), which could be translated “farmer” or “gardener.” God’s Holy Spirit shows Christians areas that need work, and change. Our humble response to His conviction allows God to get the rocks and weeds of sin out of our lives.

Jesus says the vinedresser “takes away” or “prunes” the unfruitful branches to increase their fruitfulness, (John 15:2). Many plants produce too many leaves and unfruitful branches. This compares to Christians who get too busy (even in good church related activities) or get their priorities confused. Our lives may be filled with many good activities while neglecting the best, such as worship, Bible study, prayer and witnessing. Does God need to prune your life of unfruitful activities so that He can make you more fruitful for Him?

Gardens need to be protected:  In literal gardens, there are enemies like rabbits, deer and insects. This could compare to the attacks of the enemy. Our divine “vinedresser” will defend us as we abide in Christ.

  1. Sunshine and rain involve God’s gracious response to our prayers.
  2. The nutrients from the soil could be compared to the food of His Word.
  3. Fertilizer could be our kind deeds to others preparing them for the seed.

So, how is your spiritual garden? Is it fruitful for God? Abide in Christ and His Word. With His power and grace you can have a bumper crop. Amen.

The Courageous Resolution

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The Resolution statements in the Courageous movie are based upon the highest priorities for men in God’s Word. Each statement describes a commitment you should resolve to live by as the leader of your home. Each of them is a call to action, and living by them will ultimately help you stand before God one day and hear him say, “WELL DONE!”

Here is the Resolution for Men:

I do solemnly resolve before God to take full responsibility for myself, my wife, and my children.

  1. I WILL love them, protect them, serve them, and teach them the Word of God as the spiritual leader of my home.
  2. I WILL be faithful to my wife, to love and honor her, and be willing to lay down my life for her as Jesus Christ did for me.
  3. I WILL bless my children and teach them to love God with all of their hearts, all of their minds, and all of their strength.
  4. I WILL train them to honor authority and live responsibly.
  5. I WILL confront evil, pursue justice, and love mercy.
  6. I WILL pray for others and treat them with kindness, respect, and compassion.
  7. I WILL work diligently to provide for the needs of my family.
  8. I WILL forgive those who have wronged me and reconcile with those I have wronged.
  9. I WILL learn from my mistakes, repent of my sins, and walk with integrity as a man answerable to God.
  10. I WILL seek to honor God, be faithful to His church, obey His Word, and do His will.
  11. I WILL courageously work with the strength God provides to fulfill this resolution for the rest of my life and for His glory.

As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. (Joshua 24:15)

We embraced this resolution in 2012 because the Men of Steel have a desire to stand in the gap:

I searched for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand in the gap before Me for the land, so that I would not destroy it; but I found no one. (Ezekiel 22:30).

The Verse for 11/11/11

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This past Saturday (November 12) the Men of Steel had a men’s breakfast, about 25 guys came to fellowship and eat together. We discussed the Manger Build and make plans. I was also able to share a verse that I read in November 11, 2011.

So now the Lord said to him, “Since you have not kept my covenant and have disobeyed my decrees, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you…” (1 Kings 11:11)

I see a challenge and a warning in this verse: On the positive side, God was speaking to Solomon even though he was not being obedient (that tells me there is hope for us, since none of us is perfect).

Look at what God says: there is a principle at work here. All Solomon had to do was stay faithful, but he was disobedient instead. The consequence was that the kingdom would be taken away from him and split in two.

As men, husbands and fathers, it is important to allow this verse to permeate our soul. It causes me to ask the question of myself: have I been obedient to what God has called me to do, as a husband and a father? The Courageous movie challenged us to resolve to be all that God wants for us to be, and that “good enough” is not acceptable.

The consequence? Could it be that our disobedience and failure to lead our families will bring about the destruction of our families? Our own little kingdom can be torn away simply because we choose to walk in disobedience. Let’s avoid this unhappy ending by walking in obedience. Be the men of God that He desires for us to be, and our wives and kids deserve. We are in this together. We do not have to walk this path alone.

Stay tuned for a re-launching of the Men of Steel.

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Is Volunteerism Old School?

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In modern society in America, we are way too busy for our own good; and there is really not much difference when you look into the church. We’re busy with worship, classes, small groups, meetings, missions and events. I wonder if people think they come to church to find rest, therefore they are not seeking to get involved in acts of service. I’m not talking about everyone because there are a number of people who have stepped up in times of need to volunteer their time and efforts. But what about the vast majority of people who walk through the doors of our facility?

We must admit that we are a consumer society. We expect customer service to be exemplary. We expect our needs to be met. We desire for others to take care of us. I wonder how regular church attendees see what happens on Sunday mornings. Do they believe that it all just comes together by accident? Do they understand that it comes together only because we have a few dedicated volunteers who have taken ownership of the ministry?

I read recently about a church that took a volunteer day off. People came to worship and Sunday School only to discover: that there were no greeters to welcome them, no ushers to hand them a bulletin, no bulletins because those responsible to print them took the day off, no teachers in the classes, no preschool volunteers in the nursery, no sound system operators, no one to make coffee, no one to turn on the A/C, no one to sing in the choir, no one to set up chairs or take them down… you get the point.

  1. Why is it so difficult to get volunteers to come early and set up chairs in The Well?
  2. Why is it so hard to get people on a greeting rotation?
  3. Why do people avoid the preschool, choosing not to care for the most vulnerable of our community?
  4. Why do people fail to turn in a completed Connection Card?

We broadcast our needs and it appears to fall on deaf ears. Does a personal invitation cause someone to be more committed and moved into a place of service? If so, that is going to limit who volunteers. If we take a sober self-assessment of who we are in Christ, understanding how God has made us, recognizing that we worship in a community of believers, we should come to worship each Sunday looking for a place to serve before looking for a place to sit.

Volunteering at The Well: we are in desperate need of people willing to commit to being trained on the sound and video equipment regarding the Well. Who will step up? Who will you recommend? We need a few people who are computer savvy yet willing to learn our system (it’s not really that hard)! Right now we have ONE guy who has not missed a Sunday in six months. What is going to happen the day he wakes up sick on a Sunday morning, or plans a vacation?

Audio-Visual Workshop: We have scheduled Sunday October 23, noon-2:00pm. This workshop is for those who have been enlisted and others who are interested in learning how to work behind the sound cart at The Well. RSVP is needed since lunch is provided. Contact Scott Chafee for details.

The Well Ministry Teams:

  1. We still have needs for the Welcome Team: stand at the doors or greet people seated in the room.
  2. The Prayer Team: being willing to pray for people after the service, initiating conversations after the service ends, offering to pray for them this week.
  3. Setting up Chairs at 9:00 on Sunday: coming early on Sunday to make the room ready for worship.
  4. Ushers for the offering: collecting the offering and putting the gifts and tithes into an envelope to be taken to the safe.

We are going to promote signups beginning October 16.

We have so much potential for growth, but we cannot serve more people if we don’t get more volunteers to make it all happen. President Kennedy said it best back on January 20, 1961, (but I will put it into the context of the church): “And so my fellowship [believers], ask not what your [church] can do for you, ask what you can do for your [church]. My fellow citizens of the [congregation], ask not what [volunteers] will do for you, but what together we can do for the [kingdom of God].”

Keep the Son in Your Eyes,

Scott Chafee
King’s Grant Baptist Church
Knowing Christ and Making Him Known
www.KingsGrantBaptist.com
www.Come2TheWell.com
www.ChandeKids.org

Attachment to Your Family

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Jesus mentions in Luke 14:26 that a disciple of Christ will hate his family. Teenagers today don’t need any more incentive for breaking the fifth commandment (Exodus 20:12), so last time I suggested that Jesus was using a literary form called hyperbole (the use of exaggeration). Jesus does not want us to literally hate our closest relatives, but he does want us to be shaken up so that we might see him in new ways and discover what it means to be his disciples. This can lead to new ways of relating to people, including our own family members.

One general barrier to Christian discipleship is sometimes we have too much attachment to family. I think of my own career development (and of my friends who heard the call of God) to serve in a pastoral ministry or when I answered the call to international missionary service. Family can often use whatever means possible to get their loved ones back on a more suitable or profitable career path (perhaps using intimidation, money, shame). Those called by God will find the courage to be faithful to Christ in spite of parents’ disapproval or lack of support. In a sense, we have to “hate” parents in order to be an obedient disciple of Jesus.

I have seen good church-going parents use the “priority of family time” rationale to get in the way of their teenagers’ spiritual growth. Family time would prevent regular involvement of their kids in Sunday School or youth group. Family vacations kept their teenagers from being part of life-changing mission trips. In some cases, the parents who prized family time so much were the same ones who later blamed the church when their children wandered away from Christ while in college. They graduated high school and graduated God at the same time.

I realize that there are times when parents rightly choose to have their children involved in family events rather than church events. But as a parent, I know how easy it is to choose what feels best for me without considering what’s best for my kids and their spiritual growth. I want to encourage parents to take a fresh look at family relationships in light of their primary commitment to Christ.

Parents can often help their children grow in their discipleship, rather than stand in the way of it. If we model sold out commitment to Christ in our lives, our children will be encouraged to imitate our example. No matter what we say, our actions will speak loudly and clearly of what authentic discipleship is all about.

Application: Can you think of adults whose example of faithfulness to Christ has influenced you? Are there people in your life who are being influenced by your discipleship? Do you ever find a tension between your personal discipleship and your family relationships? Recognize that there may be times when we feel torn. Other times, we know what discipleship requires, but we may not be sure we want to do it. Seek to set an example of faithfulness for your children. Live in such a way that they are encouraged to pursue Jesus above everything else in life.

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Love One Another

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In the 1980’s, Tina Turner asked the infamous question, “What’s love got to do with it?” According to John, it has a lot to do with it. The key passage for today is 1 John 4:7-16.

This month Skip has been preaching out of First John, a series about Learning to Love God’s Way. It seems to me that love is a funny word. We use it to describe the intense feelings that we have, but the word is somewhat limiting.

In the New Testament, there are primarily three separate words used for LOVE, and all of them are translated into English as “love.”

  1. Agape is a word used to describe the unconditional love that God has for us, a divine sort of love that comes from the nature of God.
  2. Phileo is more of a brotherly love; like Philadelphia is actually the city of brotherly love.
  3. Eros is a word use to describe the intimacy we find within marriage, like the erotic love that binds together a husband and wife.

We use the word love today in regard to things like, “I love my wife” to “I love the Auburn Tigers,” to “I love pizza.” It would be a good thing not to confuse my love for Kim and my love for pizza by using the word phileo or even eros.

Love can also bring up WARMTH as we think about that special someone in our lives, or it can bring FEAR, and maybe even COLD SWEATS because we know this relationship is getting serious.

So today, I’m going to talk about love. Now men, I know this is a tough topic for all of us. We are not too strong on expressing our feelings. Our wives and daughters can be crying over something and we have no clue what to do or how to make it better, so most of the time, for good or bad, we just leave them alone.

And then there’s the church. It’s a place that is FULL of feelings. When we begin to understand the sacrifice of Christ, and the depth of love that sent Jesus to the cross, it is emotional, and we don’t often know what to do with that emotion. So, if we are unsure or uncomfortable, we simply do our best to avoid the situation. That’s tough when it comes to church. Let me tell you, I’m uncomfortable talking about love; I’m no expert and I don’t have it all together when it comes to love, but this letter of First John is WAY TOO FULL of love to simply ignore it.

I sense that many men don’t come to church because it’s just not all that manly to hear about a guy name Jesus who loves us. We sing about love, in public, and declare our great love for Jesus, who after all, is another guy. Wrapping his arms of love around us just seems uncomfortable to men who are not yet believers. At times I wonder if we need to “man up” the church so that we don’t set up unnecessary barriers to reaching unchurched men for Christ. But today, this message is about the Love of God, a love that so many people often do not understand.

John had a lot to say about love, he comes back to this theme over and over in this little book. The Holy Spirit obviously wants us to understand love from a much deeper perspective.

Let me submit to you that there are two things about love that I notice in this chapter:

  1. What Love Proves
  2. What Love Produces

What Love Proves (1 John 4:7-11, 14)
How often do we read stories or watch movies that have a theme of proving one’s love or loyalty? How many times must we QUALIFY our love since it can mean so many different things to different people? For instance, conditional love sets up restrictions. It says,

  1. I will love you BECAUSE; (you have done something for me in the past).
  2. I will love you IF; (you will do something for me in the future).

But I doubt many of us enjoy this conditional form of someone’s love, because it appears to be a selfish kind of love. People will love someone else for what THEY get out of it. We don’t find this sort of love in John’s letter. I think the better way to describe God’s love is: “I love you ANYWAY.” JJ Heller has a song on K-love and she puts it this way: I will love you, for you. Not for what you have done or what you’ll become. That is God’s kind of love. So, what exactly does love prove?

1. Our love for God is proven by our love for one another (1 John 4:7-8, 11): 7 Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. 8 But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 11 Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other.

  1. Love is a Test: Love is actually a test of our fellowship in God, and our worship of God, because John tells us that “God is Love” (1 John 4:8). Love is at the center of God’s being; it is his nature. Since God’s nature is love, it becomes the ONLY test of the reality of our spiritual life. If God is living through us, his love WILL shine through.
  2. Love is a Guide: Not only is love a test but love is a Guide. Think for a moment about sailing. A navigator depends upon a compass to help determine his course, but why a compass? It’s because a compass determines our direction. The needle points north. Why? It’s because the compass is responsive to the nature of the earth. God’s nature is love and it acts as a guide in life, so we act out his love the way he has already demonstrated his love.
  3. Love is Responsive: Not only is love a test and a guide, it is responsive. Since the nature of God is love; then the person who knows God and has been born of God will respond to God’s nature. As a compass naturally points north, a child of God will naturally practice love.
    1. So this type of love for one another is proof of our love for God and is a test of a sincere and true faith. Believers claim a special relationship with God, having become “born of God” (1 John 4:7). If we are children of God, we share his divine nature. Although we are not perfect, we have a higher calling in life, to become more into the image and likeness of Christ.
    2. Not only are we born of God but we have the capacity to know God. This word “to know” (in 1 John 4:7) is much deeper than to simply have an intellectual understanding of God. The word has been used in Genesis 4:1 to describe the intimate union between the first husband and wife. So, “to know God” signifies a DEEP relationship with God, to share his life and to enjoy his love.
    3. John goes on to tell us that the one who does not love God, does not know God (1 John 4:8). To me, this indicates the lack of a personal experience with God. How could someone know God yet not love as God has commanded? It could be that this person has the knowledge in his head, but he has never allowed that knowledge to travel the 18 inches down into his heart. This person has sincerely deluded himself into believing he is one of God’s children. This is a dangerous position to be in. Our eternal destiny hangs in the balance!

2. God’s love for us was proven by the sacrificial death of Christ (1 John 4:9-10, 14): 9 God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. 10 This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. 14 Furthermore, we have seen with our own eyes and now testify that the Father sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.

  1. Love is Real: John tells us, “THIS is REAL love.” Not “I love you because,” or “I will love you if,” but “I will love you unconditionally.” Romans 5:8 tells us that God demonstrated his love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Now that’s real love. Bruno Mars sings about a girl he’s in love with, “I’ll catch a grenade for ya, throw my head on a blade for ya, jump in front of a train for ya,” but Jesus willingly gave his life so that the whole world might have everlasting life through his sacrifice on the cross and his resurrection.
  2. Love is Active: Not only is love REAL, but it is also ACTIVE. All you need to do is look at Paul’s description of love to discover that love is NOT a feeling, or an emotion; it is a verb, and it is active. Here is what Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 13: 4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. Now that doesn’t sound like an emotion or even a warm fuzzy feeling when she walks into the room.
  3. Love was Sent: Not only is love REAL, and ACTIVE, but it was also SENT to us from the Father. Did you notice that three times in three verses John mentions that Jesus was SENT? We know that Jesus was BORN into the world, that’s the essence of the incarnation; the Word became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14). Children are BORN into the world, but John says Jesus was SENT; God had a mission from the beginning to reconcile all people to himself.
  4. Love was Sacrificed: So, love is REAL, it is ACTIVE, love was SENT, and it was also SACRIFICED. We may have asked the question at some point in our spiritual journey, “Why did Jesus have to die?” “Was there not some other way?” Look again at 1 John 4:9, it says, God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. His death was NOT an accident; it was intentional. A sinner’s greatest need is for life (according to Ephesians 2:1) because, without Christ we are dead in our sins. So, it is ironic that Christ had to die in order for us to have life. Second Corinthians 5:21 says, God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

God is love. Have you really grasped the impact of that message? Have you embraced the love that God offers? Singer/songwriter, Chris Rice, understood this fact when he wrote a song called, Untitled Hymn, the first verse goes like this:

Weak and wounded sinner
Lost and left to die
O, raise your head, for love is passing by
Come to Jesus
Come to Jesus
Come to Jesus and live!

God is love, and his love allows us to be reconciled to the Father. John challenges us to love others because God so loved us anyway (1 John 4:11, 7). Remember we are not saved by loving Christ, or loving others, or being good (or believing that we’re better than the next guy). We are saved only by believing in Christ, trusting Christ, receiving Christ. Once we understand the magnitude of his sacrifice, our normal response must be to love God, and to love others. This is a spiritual transformation that takes our heart of stone and replace it with a heart of flesh.

Hey, let me bring this to a close, so I’m going to save the second part of this message (What Love Produces) for some another time. Right now, we need to focus on our relationship with God. In this passage, John tells us what love proves:

  1. Our love for God is proven by our love for one another: If we say that we love God, let’s evaluate our current relationships: spouse, kids, neighbors, co-workers, your boss… are we demonstrating an “I love you anyway” sort of love?
    1. If not, what personal changes do you need to make?
    2. Who do you need to go to, in order to reconcile a relationship?
    3. Who do you need to forgive and demonstrate the love of God?
  2. God’s love for us was proven by the sacrificial death of Christ:
    1. Do you not yet understand the magnitude of God’s love for you?
    2. Have you experienced God’s love first hand? Or have you just become familiar enough with a few Bible stories? Maybe your faith is really just second-hand, like people in your family believe, so maybe that covers you good enough. Don’t deceive yourself with poor theology.
    3. God wants to take all the scraps, the left over pieces of the broken dreams of your life, and all the junk, and make a great piece of art, a masterpiece that resembles the one who sacrificed himself so that you may have life.
    4. So, have you embraced the love of God and personally accepted Christ as your Savior? That was the reason he was sent, to take you from death into life, to save your soul, and give to you everlasting life that can start right now.
    5. Or perhaps you have been playing around with church just being close enough to be comfortable with God.

*The more we love God, the more we understand the love of God.
*The more we understand God’s love, the more we will love him and love others.

If you need to know more, or get things right with God, don’t delay. Don’t put it off another week.

If you need to receive Christ, I’m asking you to move out from where you are and come up toward the stage area and talk about getting right with God.

If you need to recommit yourself to Christ and begin demonstrating God’s love or get involved in God’s mission in this congregation, don’t leave this building the same as when you came in. It’s time to make a change.

If you have been debating on whether to join this church, what better time to unite with this congregation than right now? Get involved and connected to what God is doing in this place. He has created you for good works, acts of kindness and love, and for service within a local body of believers. Let the Love of God make something beautiful in your life.

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What Does God Want?

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It’s probably the most asked question in the early stages of our Christian experience. We understand the sacrifice of Christ, what he did on our behalf, and the question just comes out, “What do you want from me in return?” While our salvation is not based on our good works (Ephesians 2:8-9), God does have something for us to do (Ephesians 2:10). We are created for good works.

Perhaps we even offer to God some great sacrifice. The ascetics used to deny self to the extreme in order to appease God. Is that what God wants? Does he want me to be a missionary in Africa? Does he want me to sell all I have and give it to the poor? Does God want me to be in church every Sunday? Check out this verse:

“What makes you think I want all your sacrifices?” says the Lord. “I am sick of your burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fattened cattle. I get no pleasure from the blood of bulls and lambs and goats. When you come to worship me, who asked you to parade through my courts with all your ceremony? Stop bringing me your meaningless gifts; the incense of your offerings disgusts me! As for your celebrations of the new moon and the Sabbath and your special days for fasting—they are all sinful and false. I want no more of your pious meetings. (Isaiah 1:11-13)

Wow, that hurts.

Maybe this image brings back memories. A small child pulls a variety of ingredients from the pantry and refrigerator (cereal, orange juice, potato chips, bread, ketchup, and other interesting choices) and blends them together in a bowl in hopes of surprising Mom with “dinner.” When Mom receives the “gift,” how do you think she’ll react? Despite the mess, both inside and outside the bowl, I’m sure she will express gratitude and joy, grateful for the sincere expression of love.

But what if the child missed the point and thought the gift was more important than the motive and attitude behind the giving? And what if the child continued to make similar presentations, year after year to Mom in hopes of appeasing her and earning her love? “It wouldn’t happen,” you answer. “Because the mother wouldn’t put up with it!”

Now look back at the Isaiah passage (Isaiah 1:11-13). God doesn’t sound very happy with the “gifts” of his people; because they had it all wrong! They had confused the animal sacrifices with the reason for making those sacrifices in the first place. So they worked hard at their religious works, and they missed the point. Did they really believe that God needed dead animals and blood? Didn’t they know that, instead, he wanted their hearts?

That’s the difference between “legalism” and “grace” and Christianity is all about grace. That’s why Jesus came to earth, to satisfy the demands of the law, to give himself as the ultimate sacrifice, to open the way for us to come directly to our Father (see John 3:16, 17, 18).

Yet, sadly, we often continue to mix our potions and religious ingredients and miss our reason for life, our Savior. Just like that loving mother, God is standing at the edge of the kitchen with arms wide open with an invitation: “Come to me, child. I want your love. I want your trust. All I really want is you.”

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The Dangers of Self-Deception

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This last part of James chapter one is really about the dangers of self deception; we must stop kidding ourselves (James 1:22). If a Christian is deceived by Satan it is one thing, it is something totally different when a Christian deceives himself. Sometimes people are deceived into thinking that they are saved or spiritual when they really are not. Jesus spoke about this in his sermon on the mount (Matthew 7:22, 23). The immature person claims to be rich and in need of nothing; not realizing his poverty (Revelation 3:17).

Spiritual reality results from a proper relationship to God through his revealed Word. The Bible is God’s truth (John 17:17). James states three responsibilities toward God’s Word, and if we fulfill them, we will have an honest walk with God and others:

Receive the Word (James 1:19-21): here it is the grafted Word, which mean implanted. Jesus talked about the parable of the sower (Matthew 19:1-9, 18-23) comparing God’s Word planted in the human heart.

  1. Test of the Soil: the human heart is compared to the soils; notice the same seed was soil to each piece of ground.
    1. The hard heart did not understand or receive the word and was fruitless (Mark 4:4, 15).
    2. The shallow heart was emotional with no depth and bore no fruit (Mark 4:5-6, 16-17).
    3. The crowded heart lacked repentance and permitted sin to crowd out the Word (Mark 4:7, 18-19).
    4. The fruitful heart received the Word and it took root and produced a harvest (Mark 4:8, 20).
  2. Test of Salvation: fruit, which means a changed character and conduct. Fruit can be:
    1. Winning people to Christ (Romans 1:16).
    2. Growing in holy living (Romans 6:22).
    3. Sharing material possessions (Romans 15:28).
    4. Spiritual character (Galatians 5:22-23).
    5. Good works (Colossians 1:10).
    6. Even praising the Lord (Hebrews 13:15).

Religious works can be manufactured and have no life in them, and they do not bring glory to God. Real fruit has in it the seeds to bear more fruit.

The Word cannot work in our lives unless we receive it the right way.

  1. Take heed what you hear (Mark 4:24)
  2. Take heed how you hear (Luke 8:18).

Is it the fault of the teacher if they hear yet do not understand (Mark 13:13)? Maybe, but it may be the hearer becoming dull of hearing (Hebrews 5:11).

If the Word is to be implanted, James says we must obey God’s instructions:

  1. Swift to Hear (James 1:19): If someone has ear to hear, let him hear (Mark 13:9). Faith comes by hearing (Romans 10:17). Here is a great illustration of hearing and obeying (2 Samuel 23:15).
  2. Slow to Speak (James 1:19): we have two ears and one mouth for a reason. Sometimes we argue with God’s Word; like the lawyer in Luke 10:29 by asking, “Who is my neighbor?”
  3. Slow to Anger (James 1:19): don’t get angry with God or his Word.
    1. When the prophet Nathan told King David, “You are the man,” David confessed and said that he had sinned (2 Samuel 12:7, 13).
    2. When Peter was in the garden with Jesus, he was slow to hear, swift to speak and swift to anger (John 18:10).
    3. Godly anger is not a sin (Ephesians 4:26) but man’s anger does not produce God’s righteousness (James 1:20)
  4. A Prepared Heart (James 1:21): James saw the heart as a garden; if left to itself it would develop weeds. Yet when a field is prepared, the Word is planted and takes root. If we don’t receive the Word implanted, we are deceiving ourselves. So how can you prepare for this implanting?
    1. Confess sins, and ask for forgiveness (1 John 1:9).
    2. Meditate on God’s love and grace asking him to plow up hardness in your heart (Jeremiah 4:3).
    3. Have an attitude of meekness (James 1:21), which is the opposite of wrath (James 1:19-20).

Practice the Word (James 1:22-25): it is not enough to just hear the Word, we should do it. Hearing a sermon or attending a Bible study is not enough, it is applying and doing what we learn. James give us three ministries of the Word of God as a mirror:

  1. Examination (James 1:23-25): this is the main purpose of a mirror. As we look into God’s Word, we see ourselves for who we really are. James mentions a couple mistakes we must avoid when looking into God’s mirror:
    1. They merely glance at themselves: this is not studying or examining themselves. A casual reading of God’s Word will not reveal the deepest needs in our hearts.
    2. They forget what they see: if they looked deeply into their hearts, they would not forget what they see. Isaiah had a great attitude toward being in God’s presence (Isaiah 6:5). Peter had the same reaction (Luke 5:8). Even Job (Job 42:6).
    3. They fail to obey: they think hearing is the same as doing. We are good at substituting reading for doing; talking for doing; attending for doing. Our education far exceeds our obedience. Look intently into the Word, not just a quick glance (James 1:25); and blessing comes from doing (literally “blessed in his doing”). Why is the Word called the “perfect law of liberty?
      1. Because when we obey it, God sets us free Psalm 119:45).
      2. Because when we commit sin, we are slaves to it (John 8:34).
      3. Because when we obey the Word, we know the truth and it sets us free (John 8:31-32).
  2. Restoration (Exodus 38:8): the tabernacle had something called the laver or basin (between the altar and the most holy place), where the priests would wash up before going inside.
    1. Washing with the Word is an image of its cleansing power (John 15:3).
    2. The church is sanctified through the Word (Ephesians 5:26).
    3. Christ once and for all washed us clean (Titus 3:4-6, 1 Corinthians 6:9-11).
    4. When David fess up to Nathan, he did not stop there, God forgave the sin and David would not die (2 Samuel 12:13). He was assured of forgiveness and cleansing.
  3. Transformation (2 Corinthians 3:18): let’s not confess sin, accept forgiveness and then go right back out to commit the same sins all over again. Let’s conquer sin. Second Corinthians three is a contrast of the old covenant of the law and the new covenant of grace. The law was external and written on stone; but salvation means that his Word is written on our hearts.
    1. Moses and the veil: he came down from the mountain and his face shone (Exodus 34:29-35). He did not want the people to see the glory of God fading away so he veiled his face; it was a veil to hide.
    2. Jesus and the veil: when he died, the veil in the temple was torn and nothing was between God and man. We are to have an unveiled face, no hiding. Take it off (Psalm 139:23-24).
    3. When a child of God looks into the Word (the mirror), he sees the Son of God, and is transformed by the Spirit of God. This change is metamorphosis, a change that comes from the inside out.

Share the Word (James 1:26-27): religion here means the outward practice or service of a god, used only five times in the New Testament (James 1:26-27, Acts 26:5, Colossians 2:18, where it is translated, worshiping). Pure religion practices God’s Word:

  1. Speech (James 1:26): the tongue reveals the heart (Matthew 12:34-35). A controlled tongue means a controlled body.
  2. Service (James 1:27): Isaiah saw the Lord and then he saw himself, and then he sought to go to the people (Isaiah 6:8). Words are no substitute for actions (James 2:14-18, 1 John 3:11-18). James mentions two groups needing special attention, orphans and widows. These are the most vulnerable of our society.
  3. Separation from the world (James 1:27): the world means “the society without God.” It is the domain of Satan (John 14:30).
    1. We are to be in the world but not of it (John 17:11-16).
    2. We are sent into the world (John 17:18).
    3. Be aware that friendship with the world (James 4:4) can lead to a love of the world (1 John 2:15-17).
    4. If we are not careful we can become conformed to the world (Romans 12:2) allowing it to squeeze us into its mold.
    5. The result will be our condemnation with the world (1 Corinthians 11:32).

Jesus remained spotless (1 Peter 1:19) even though he got involved with sinners and outcasts. When we go out into the world, it is important to go in pairs, like Jesus did with his missionaries (Luke 10:1). There is strength, safety and accountability is numbers.

How to Handle Temptation

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The middle section of the first chapter of James helps us to know what to do when temptation arises. We already know that the mature Christian is patient during trial that come, which attack us from the outside. Temptations attack us from the inside. We might ask why James would connect the two.

What is the relationship between testings and temptations? Consider this, if we are not careful, testings on the outside may become temptations on the inside. When we are going through a difficult time, we may start complaining against God, questioning his love and resisting his will. It is at this point that Satan provides an opportunity to escape the difficulty (enter, temptation).

  1. Abraham arrived in Canaan and found a famine, and could not care for his flocks. It was an opportunity to trust God but he turned it into a temptation by running away to Egypt (Genesis 12:10).
  2. As Israel wandered through the wilderness, they often turned testing into temptation. Not long after God delivered them from Egypt the water ran out. After three days they found water, but it was bitter, and they began to complain against God. Testing into temptation–and they failed (Exodus 17:6, 7).

God does not want us to yield to temptation, yet he does not spare us from it. We are not God’s sheltered people, we are his scattered people.

There are three facts or barriers to consider if we are to overcome temptation:

Consider God’s Judgment (James 1:13-16): this is the negative approach; sin ends in death. Temptation is an opportunity to accomplish a good thing in a bad way, out of what we might call the will of God (eating is a good thing, while stealing food is not). We think sin as a single act while God looks at it as a process; consider Adam’s sin and what it did to the human race.

  1. Desire (James 1:14): lust can mean any sort of strong desire. Hunger, thirst and sex drive are all good in God’s eyes, but each can become a temptation to sin when we seek to satisfy these desires outside of the will of God (Hebrews 13:4). These desires must be our servants, not our masters.
  2. Deception (James 1:14): temptations never appear to be temptations at first; they are subtle. The idea is to hide the fact that it is a temptation. James uses two illustrations:
    1. Drawn away: like baiting a trap.
    2. Enticed: like baiting a hook.
    3. No one knowingly falls for a baited trap, because something bad is about to happen. Bait keeps us from seeing the consequences.
      1. Lot saw the wall watered plains beyond the Jordan (Genesis 13:10, 11).
      2. David looked at another man’s wife (2 Samuel 11:2).
      3. Jesus dealt with temptation by quoting God’s Word (Matthew 4:4, 7, 10).
  3. Disobedience (James 1:15): we move from emotions (desire) to the intellect (deception) to the will. Christian living is a matter of the will, many times we don’t feel like reading the Bible or praying. This explains why immature Christians easily fall into temptation, they let their feelings make decisions. Exercise (Philippians 2:12, 13).
  4. Death (James 1:15): disobedience gives birth to death, not life. It may take years to mature but the end is sure. James gives four stages of temptation, in Genesis three:
    1. Desire to interest Eve (Genesis 3:5, 6)
    2. Deception blinded Eve (2 Corinthians 11:3) it appears that Adam sinned with his eyes wide open.
    3. Disobedience by acting (Romans 5:12-21, 1 Timothy 2:12-15).
    4. Death to us all (Genesis 2:17, 1 Corinthians 15:21-22, Revelation 20:11-15).

Consider God’s Goodness (James 1:17): this is the positive approach. The enemy tries to get us to believe that God is not for us, or want the best for us. If we believe that God is good, we don’t need anything else to meet our needs, outside of God’s will. Moses warned not to forget God’s goodness (Deuteronomy 6:10-15).

  1. God gives only good gifts: if it does not come from God, it is not good. If it comes from God, it is always good; even when it appears at first not to be good. Think of Paul’s thorn in the flesh (2 Corinthians 12:1-10).
  2. The way God gives is good: the second phrase in this verse can be translated, “every act of giving.” Someone can give a good gift in an bad manner that is less loving. The value of a gift can be diminished by the way it is given.
  3. God gives constantly: the phrase “comes down” is a present participle, meaning it keeps coming down.
  4. God does not change: there is no shadow with the Father of Lights. He cannot change for the worse because he is holy; he cannot change for the better because he is already perfect. David remembered God’s goodness in 2 Samuel 12:7-8. Note the repetition of the word, give. God’s gifts are always better than Satan’s bargains.

Consider God’s Divine Nature (James 1:18): barrier one says look ahead; barrier two says look around; barrier three says to look within, and realize you are born from above. James picture where sin leads, to death. But our new nature leads to life, as in 1 John 3:9. Notice the characteristics of this birth:

  1. It is divine: Nicodemus thought he had to enter the womb a second time (John 3:4), but this birth is from above (John 3:1-7). God works a miracle when we have faith.
  2. It is gracious: we did not earn it or deserve it (John 1:13). No one is born again through his relative, resolutions or his religion.
  3. It is through God’s Word: physical birth requires to parents, spiritual birth requires two “parents” – the Word of God and the Spirit of God (John 3:6, 1 Peter 1:23, Hebrews 4:12).
  4. It is the best birth possible: the word, first fruits, meant something to the Jews. First fruits were brought to the Lord as an expression of devotion (Proverbs 3:9). We share God’s nature and are created in his image.
    1. Throughout the Bible God rejects the first born (Able over Cain, Isaac over Ishmael, Jacob over Esau), so God also rejects our first birth and announces that we all need a second birth.
    2. This experience of new birth allows us to overcome temptation; not allowing the old nature to take over.
    3. The new man is to take the lead (2 Corinthians 5:17).
    4. When temptation knocks at the door, if I send Adam to answer the door, I will sin; if I send Jesus to answer, I will win.

God has these three barriers to protect me from temptation and sin. If we heed the warning, we will receive a crown; if we break through the barriers, we receive a coffin (James 1:15).