The Stages of the War for the Heart

JT at Between Two Worlds references Paul Tripp's Instrument in the Redeemer's Hands, writing that the war for the heart develops according to the following stages:

Stage 1: Desire. "The objects of most of our desires are not evil. The problem is the way they tend to grow, and the control they come to exercise over our hearts. All human desire must be held in submission to a greater purpose, the desires of God for his kingdom." (p. 85)

Stage 2: Demand. ("I must.") "Demand is the closing of my fists over a desire. . . . I am not longer comforted by God's desire for me; I am threaten by it, because God's will potentially stands in the way of my demand. . . . The morphing of my desire changes my relationship to others. No I enter the room loaded with a silent demand: You must help me get what I want. . . ." (p. 86)

Stage 3: Need. ("I will.") " I now view the thing I want as essential to life. This is a devasating step in the eventual slavery of desire. . . . To 'christen' desire as need is equivalent to viewing cake as I do respiration. . . ." (p. 86)

Stage 4: Expectation. ("You should.") "If I am convinced I need something and you have said that you love me, it seems right to expect that you will help me get it. The dynamic of (improper) need-driven expectation is the source of untold conflict in relationship." (p. 87)

Stage 5: Disappointment. ("You didn't!") "There is a direct relationship between expectation and disappointment, and much of our disappointment in relationships i s not because people have actually wronged us, but because they have failed to meet our expectations." (pp. 87-88)

Stage 6: Punishment. ("Because you didn't, I will. . . .")


What to do?? Read on>>>

Lesson 11: Let's Get Real

James 5:7-20

7 Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. 8You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near. 9Don't grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!
10Brothers, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.
12Above all, my brothers, do not swear—not by
heaven or by earth or by anything else. Let your "Yes" be yes, and your "No,"
no, or you will be condemned.

13Is any one of you in trouble? He should
pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. 14Is any one of you sick?
He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil
in the name of the Lord. 15And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick
person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.
16Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you
may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
17Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain,
and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18Again he prayed,
and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops. 19My brothers, if
one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back,
20remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him
from death and cover over a multitude of sins.

The circumstances in which James’ hearers were living were difficult. There were all types of factions against them: Palestinian Jews, Sadducees, the Romans, etc. He is writing to Christians who have paid a great price to profess faith – they’re called “The Dispersion.”

He exhorts his readers/hearers to be not just hearers, but also doers. A judgment will be coming when all wrongs will be made right, but for now we should wait patiently for that day and place our hope in that which we know by faith to be true. This is our hope deferred.

We wait patiently as when a farmer who patiently waits for his crops to grow. Does the farmer do nothing? Of course not. He has done much in preparation and he must be on guard against the weeds and the intruders. He must prune and maintain the crops and keep watch for birds and insects that seek to destroy and steal his crops. The effective farmer is actively waiting. (Click here for a whole list of Farm Sermons by C.H. Spurgeon)

In discussing this patient waiting, notice how James inserts a thought that seems so incongruous with the rest of the verses about grumbling again¬st one another in Verse 5:9. Let’s not skip past this. Idle minds of those who lack in faith and trust are very prone to grumbling against their brothers and sisters, and especially those in authority over them. This is a great caution to pay attention to.

Salvation attributed to the grace of God has been planted in us. But the law of God just exposes us to be law breakers. Having been justified by faith in Christ, the law now becomes a life-giving toward holiness and Godliness. We do desire to do those good works, because of our faith, but our remaining sin battles against us.

James talks about specific actions that depict our faith such as: taming of tongues, care for widows and orphans, and treating of rich and poor with equal respect. James warns us about sinful passions at war within us, against God’s Holy Spirit and he focuses on how short our lives are and how we must not boast in tomorrow.


James discusses fervently that we should confess our sins to each other in Verse 16. Do we confess our sin openly to one another, to the elders and pastors of our church? Are we even aware of the sinfulness of our sin and how much we still need our Savior every single day? When was the last time we were broken by the indwelling sin that still tries to rule our hearts and battles against God’s Spirit in us?

James goes on to emphasize how we should bring someone back to the faith in verses 19-20 through the ways that he’s mentioned. Let’s exhort each other to be authentic about our faith and our walk. Cast away your fear or man. Let’s get real!

Lesson 10: Pride (In the Name of Love)

James 4:6 "But he gives us more grace.
That is why Scripture says:
"God opposes the proud
but gives grace to the humble."

What is pride?

Elevating ourselves above God. Making more of ourselves than we ought. Placing ourselves on a higher level than other people. Sometimes, pride is elusive because we are convinced that we are "helping God" or helping other people, when in reality we are just trying to get our needs met, our way.

This verse tells us that God gives us plenty of grace to overcome our envy, craving for sinful pleasures, and the resulting quarreling that comes from it. He offers us abundant grace to respond in full devotion to Him.

Why does the verse say that we must be humle and never proud to receive God's Grace?

If we are proud, we are still putting ourselves above God and others.
It is impossible to see our sin if we are not humble.
I think that if we truly do receive or dare to comprehend grace from a Holy God, we must be humbled to our own littleness and pettyness in comparison with His majesty and awesomeness.

What does humility before God look like?

James: 7 "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will
flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands,
you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Grieve, mourn and wail.
Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves
before the Lord, and he will lift you up."

Application:
When we are enmeshed in our own pridefulness, selfish desires, and self-seeking attitudes we will be unable to do this. However, as soon as we become WILLING to submit ourselves to God and His Word, the Holy Spirit will enable us to follow Him.

If you are struggling with this, pray for willingness, that God would change your heart about the matter of pride today.

More on the Outward Manifestation of Pride:

James tells us that there are three more ways that Pride and Arrogance show in our lives:
Slander, Boasting, and Oppression.

Slander and the Royal Law

11Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. 12There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?

Boasting About Tomorrow

13Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." 14Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." 16As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. 17Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.

Warning to Rich Oppressors

James 5:1 Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you. 2Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. 3 Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. 4 Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. 5 You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and murdered innocent men, who were not opposing you.

For Thought and Discussion:

These passages really capture it all. I don't believe we could add a great deal to explaining what James is saying, because he does it so clearly. Perhaps a few application questions though:

Q- What do you think you should do if someone slanders another in your presence?

Q- Do you really believe that when you judge your neighbor you are breaking the Royal Law of God, to love Him with all your heart, mind, and strength and to love your neighbor as yourself?

Q-Is it always wrong to make plans for the future? What kinds of planning are wrong? Are you always careful not to boast about these plans?

Q- Have you ever had a position of power and influence that you have wielded over someone else, in order to have your own desires met (for prestige, recognition, honor, etc.)?

Q - Is there anyone to whom you need to be reconciled based on these lessons?

Lesson Nine: Why don't we have peace? Pt.2

Adulterous people:

4You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of
God.

In the Old Testament, God often describes Himself as the husband of His people. And the New Testament calls the Church the Bride of Christ. (see below for specific scripture references.)

Thus, to pursue the world's pleasure is to commit adultery against our true husband. When we do, we place our focus on things that are seen, rather than what is unseen, which is lacking faith. We love our stuff more than God. But we cannot serve both God and Mammon. Therefore, James calls this spiritual adultery, or having an adulterous heart.

But Remember -- the big point is -- He is Our Husband
(Even Though We Have Adulterous Hearts)
Surely, to be prone to spiritual adultery is very Bad News. In our culture, a husband would most likely start divorce proceedings on the spot if his wife committed adultery. In the ancient Hebrew culture of the Old Testament world, an adulterous wife would be put to death by stoning.

However, the good news is that our spiritual Husband is Jesus Christ! If we trust in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, He is our "jealous husband." He continues to pursue our love even though we have very unfaithful hearts.

The Holy Spirit enables us to do battle with the sinful desires that rage within us against our grace-driven desire to love our Lord and Savior. God's grace through Christ ABOUNDS to us when we are willing to humble ourselves and submit to God's law and rule over our lives. When we do, this is when we are most satisfied and our Godly desires or pleasures are met in Him.

5 Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely? 6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."

7Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

Supporting Scriptures:
OLD TESTAMENT-

Hosea 3:1

1 The LORD said to me, "Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another and is an adulteress. Love her as the LORD loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods."

Isaiah 62

Ezekiel 16

Jeremiah 31:32 It will not be like the covenant
I made with their forefathers
when I took them by the hand
to lead them out of Egypt,
because they broke my covenant,
though I was a husband to them, "
declares the LORD.

NEW TESTAMENT

Eph 5:25 "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27a nd to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.

Rev 19:7 "Let us rejoice and be glad
and give him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come,
and his bride has made herself ready."

Rev 21:2 "I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband."


For More Help on How to Have Peace with God, Peace with Others, and Peace Within, Visit Peacemaker Ministries:
Getting to the Heart of the Conflict
Peacemaking Principles

Lesson Nine: Why don't we have peace? Pt.1

James 4:1 "What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? 2 You want something but don't get it. You kill
and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not
have, because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because
you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

1. What causes us to fight and quarrel?
Desires that battle within us.
2. When we ask God for something, why do we often not get what we want?
We ask with wrong motives. We want something more than we want God.

Desires: Literally, "pleasures" as in v. 4:3. The Greek word hedonon gives us the word hedonism. James is not saying that pleasures of this life war against each other as though our main problem consisted in making a choice between higher and lower kinds of pleasure. Rather, they battle within us. The desires of our old man battles against our will to put aside selfishness and to serve others. This is also found in chapter 7 of Paul's letter to the Romans:

Romans 7:21 "So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God's law; 23 but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Application: What desires battle within you, against you? Are your desires or God the dominant concern in your life, in your specific situation where you do not currently have peace?

Examine your actions and ask God to show you the situation as He sees it. Ask God to show you your fault and where you can take responsibility. Submit yourself to God and ask Him how you can serve Him and others in the situation.

Lesson 8: Part II - Two Kinds of Wisdom

Two Kinds of Wisdom - Worldly wisdom vs. Godly Wisdom

James 3:13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. 14But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. 16For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.

17But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 18Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.

Discussion:
-What is bitter envy? ___________
-What is Selfish ambition? _________

Both have origins in “Pride” – which is the opposite of submission, or the willingness to come under Christ’s Lordship.

True wisdom manifests itself in the person’s life by a good life. (For a full treatment on the topic of Wisdom, I recommend Pastor Betters’ recent sermon series on the Proverbs -Teaching the Young)
The result of seeking worldly wisdom: war/chaos/death vs.

The result of seeking Godly wisdom: a harvest of righteousness/life eternal, Obedience to the law of God - Godly wisdom does not result in earthly wisdom/fights and quarrels

Conclusion: From the beginning, James’ hearers are being called to a Living Faith, which is a faith that shows itself in good deeds. They are Christians who are being persecuted because of their faith, but at the same time, some of them are prone to fighting, quarrels, envy, favoritism, selfishness and all sorts of behaviors that were inconsistent with what their faith required. Here James is showing the worldly wisdom that some of them have bought into is in complete opposition to divine wisdom. They are not living consistently with their faith in Christ.

Lesson 8: Part 1 - Wisdom Sermons from Pastor B

If you are interested in learning about what the Bible says about Wisdom, I'm recommending Pastor Betters' series from Proverbs, Chapters 1-9 that he has been going through. Here is a list:
10/19/08
Are Your Kids in Love with the Bride?
Watch
Listen

10/12/08
Do Your Kids Love the Church?
Watch
Listen

10/05/08
The 8-Fold Gospel Your Kids Need to Learn
Watch
Listen


8/31/08
Standing Alone
Watch
Listen

8/24/08
Is Your Child a Darth Vader - Part 3
Watch
Listen
Notes
8/17/08
Is Your Child a Darth Vader - Part 2
Watch
Listen
Notes
8/10/08
Is Your Child a Darth Vader - Part 1
Watch
Listen
Notes
8/3/08
The 2nd Most Important Decision Your Child Will Ever Make
Watch
Listen
Notes
7/27/08
The Slippery Slope to Moral Failure-Part 2
Watch
Listen
Notes
7/20/08
The Slippery Slope to Moral Failure-Part 1
Watch
Listen
Notes
7/13/08
Marks of a God Fearing Person
Watch
Listen
Notes
7/6/08
What Children Need to Learn Before the Age of 12
Watch
Listen
Notes

Adoption to the Glory of God on ESPN

Lesson Seven: The Word, Our Words

This week's lesson on James 3:1-12 was particularly convicting to me. In fact, I actually thought for a few mintes about asking Doris to teach, given the first few passages (that would have been irresponsible and I did not do it):

James 3:1 "Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because
you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. 2 We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check."

Of course, only one person was ever a perfect man, never at fault in what he said, and that one was Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. But as a person who has been asked to teach the Word to other women, I can't help but shake in my shoes when I read these verses -- and then to avoid it or ignore it because it is CONVICTING. However, as we have been learning, studying God's Word takes more work than simply plucking a quote out only to encourage someone or to whack him or her over the head with it.

In our study last night, Brenda had us discuss the power of words for both good and evil. We were reminded:

1- God spoke the world into existance - His Word Is Powerful!
2- Satan deceived Eve by a lie and by challenging God's words - "Did God really say..."
3- Eve bought the lie and that lie led Adam and all of humanity to the Fall.
4- God promised that He would give us a Messiah to save us from our fallen state thru the seed of the woman.
5- Jesus is the Word, and The Word was made flesh and made His dwelling among us. He lived the perfect life and always spoke Truth - He is the Truth, the Life and the Way. He was the perfect man, was never at fault in what He said, and kept His whole body in check. If we trust completely in His atoning death and resurrection for our salvation and if He is Lord of our lives, the we are imputed with His righteousness. That means that when God looks at us, he sees Christ and no longer condemns us for all of our unrighteousness - meaning our terrible words.
6- The Holy Spirit enables us to know God, to understand His Word, to think His thoughts and to speak the Truth in Grace. We are no longer slaves to sin - words that lead to death and the grave. Instead, we have been raised to words of life with Christ.
7- With Christ, we are compelled to speak truth in love even though our old man fights and rebells against the Word that gives life. Christ is seated in the heavenlies making intercession for us and as we submit to Him, He will give us the power of renewed hearts that speak His Truth.

Because we were raised with Christ, and He has given us His precious Word and we have the Word as it is preached to us, our desire should be to grow more like him - keeping a check on our tongues and remembering the power that words have for life and death.

Finally, I was reading today and was reminded that as we behold in the Word of God the revelation of the Lord's holiness, the most I can do, that any of us can do, is to say with the prophet Isaiah:

“Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in
the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD
of hosts!

6 Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 With it he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for."

8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?"

And I said, "Here am I. Send me!" ” (Isa. 6:5)

Let us use our tongues to bear witness to our Holy God, telling of who He is, what He has done, and of His precious promises! Amen.

James 3: A Story

From the 2008 Desiring God Conference, October 7, 2008.

Our Words Matter: Vignettes on The Tongue

James 1:26 "If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless."
Paul Tripp
Paul Tripp: For Those Who Have Been Hurt by Words
Paul Tripp on the Importance of Speaking the Bible
Paul Tripp on Speaking the Truth in Love
Paul Tripp on the Need for Silence
Paul Tripp on How Sin Affects the Transparent Use of Words
Paul Tripp on the Life and Death Power of Words
Paul Tripp on Owning Our Words
Paul Tripp: What Makes Bad Language Bad?
Paul Tripp on God's Role in the Words We Speak
Paul Tripp: Does God Care About Every Word We Speak?
Paul Tripp: What is the War of Words?

Sinclair Ferguson
Sinclair Ferguson on How the Heart Affects Words
Sinclair Ferguson on Acceptable Speech
Sinclair Ferguson on Being Judged for Our Words

Mark Driscoll
Mark Driscoll on Speaking the Truth in Love
Mark Driscoll on the Life and Death Power of Words
Mark Driscoll on Using Words to Arrest Attention
Mark Driscoll on the Bible's Use of Harsh Language

Lesson Six, Part 2: Dilemma? -- James 2:25

So, last night in our study, we looked at two examples of faith. One was the example of Abraham who showed faith by holding nothing back from God, not even his most valued treasure - the very promise of God - his son Isaac. He trusted that God would keep his promises.

The second illustration is from Joshua chapter 2, the story of Rahab the Canaanite prostitute who showed faith by deciding to turn from the idols of Canaan to the God of Israel. She risked her life to protect two strangers. Two foreigners. Mortal enemies even. She risked everything to protect two Israelites from the king of Jericho. (Joshua 2:1-24)

The fact that she was a Canaanite AND a prostitue would have been scandalousness enough. However, what several women from our study really wanted to know is: Given the fact that she LIED, how could God 1) bless Rahab and her family for her faith and 2) show her as a positive example in two New Testament passages -- the hall of faith (Hebrews 11:31), and in the call to faith that works (James 2:25)-- and 3) name her in the Messiah's geneology (Matthew 1:5). Isn't lying sin? How can this be? Are we to understand the Bible as a case of “situation ethics?" (e.g., lying under certain conditions is acceptable?).

At first, this seemed like one of those questions that when you hear it, you're like, uh oh. This is going to be a stumper. Of course, I'm the kind of person who takes it as a mission. As it turns, this is not as complicated as I had originally thought.

Let's take the simple facts:

1- yes lying is a sin and is condemned by God as a sin.
2 - Rahab lied to save the spies in Joshua 2.
3- Rahab is commended for her faith in the New Testament by James and the author of Hebrews.

Now, let's dig into the details - what does God's Word specifically say was she commended for:

"because she welcomed the spies" Hebrews 11:31

and "even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction?" James 2:25

No where is she commended for lying. Her act of lying is not to be misconstrued as justified or justifiable, because that is not why she is called out in scripture.

She is, however, commended for welcoming and giving lodging to the spies and sending them off in safety. Keep in mind, these spies were children of the holy God of Israel. In Joshua 2 we see the whole basis for her kindness to the spies:

Joshua 2:11 When we heard of it, our hearts melted and everyone's courage failed because of you, for the LORD your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below.

It was out of awe and reverence for the holy God of Israel.

Finally, we know that all of Old Testament heroes in the Hebrews hall of fame, including Abraham, who James mentions also, all lived lives that were not honoring to God and did not always obey or trust God perfectly. The point is not to justify sinful behavior in these figures, but rather to show that sinners just like us can be changed so that by faith we do great things for God. God does this even while we were dead in our transpasses and sins. Especially while we were dead in them.

Just like Rahab, while she was breaking God's law by sinning, God saved her and she turned away from her past. With man this is a great dilemma. With Christ, the dilemma is put to death on the cross when he died for our Rahab lies and all of our Canaanite evil deeds. When we received Him in faith, and put our trust in Him alone as our Lord and our Savior, the dilemma ended!! We were raised from dead works and total depravity to life. And each day we are being made more like Him and our faith that works grows as we remain in His Word and in His love.

I think Ephesians 2 explains it best:

Eph 2:3 "All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus."

Just like Rahab.

(by the way, Pastor Betters' sermon series that he gave last Christmas on the five women who shaped Christmas includes some of THE most awesome OT gospel preaching that you will ever hear. If you have a chance to get it, I would highly recommend it!)

Lesson Six, Part 1: Genuine Faith, according to Paul, John, Matthew, and James

Cross-references to Question #2 for tomorrow night's lesson

Paul: Galatians 5:6b

The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.
The kind of faith that "counts" as genuine saving faith is the faith that is shown in and through our love toward others.

1 John 3:10, 17-19

10 This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the
devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is
anyone who does not love his brother.

17 If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? 18 Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. 19 This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence.

The crucial piece of evidence that we "belong to the truth" and are children of
God is by giving to those in need, doing what is right, and loving our brothers and sisters in the Lord.

Matthew 7:15-23

A Tree and Its Fruit
15 "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

21"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' 23Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'

Jesus tells us that there must be a direct link between faith and deeds. We should look at the fruit of those who say they love Christ to see whether there is fruit. Do they do what the Word says? Do they love the church? Do they have a heart for the poor?

James 1:27, 2:14-17

27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this:
to look after orphans and widows in their distress and
to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Faith and Deeds
14 What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? 15 Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

James, Matthew, Jesus, John and Paul all show agreement, along with the Westminster Confession of Faith:

Chapter XI Of Justification
II. Faith, thus receiving and resting on Christ and His righteousness, is
the alone instrument of justification:[4] yet is it not alone in the person justified, but is ever accompanied with all other saving graces, and is no dead faith, but works by
love.[5]

Lesson Five, Part 2: The Royal Law

James 2: 8 If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, "Love your
neighbor as yourself,"you are doing right. 9 But if you show favoritism, you sin
and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. 10 For whoever keeps the whole law
and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. 11 For he
who said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "Do not murder." If you do not
commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.

12 Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that
gives freedom, 13 because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has
not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!

The Royal Law
To love our neighbors as ourselves. When we break this law, we break the heart of the law of God toward others. If we show favoritism to the powerful or wealthy, we are sinning against the very heart of God.

Study Guide note (page 57)
"Christ's law offers us the power to obey it, so it frees us from guaranteed condemnation ( Romans 8:1-13). When we stand before Christ's judgment seat, we cannot plead that we are unable to obey the royal law. By commiting ourselves to Christ we freely pledge to obey Him, so we cannot claim that His law is a harsh burden imposed on us. Our freedom as God's children and friends means more responsibility than when we were slaves to sin.

Law and grace are not contradictory. God gave Israel the Ten Commandments after He graciously liberated the people from slavery in Egypt. The laws were a gift to show how the redeemed should live. Likewise, after God frees us by grace from slavery to sin and death, He gives us commandments by which we may live our lives in true freedom. If we ignore these laws, eventually we will fall back into slavery to sin.

Illustration
In March 2007, Muskegon, Michigan residents Christine Bouwkamp and Kyle Kramer got married. The ceremony was traditional, but their reception was something else. Instead of hosting a formal reception, the couple took the money they would have spent on a reception for 150 wedding guests and bought 5,000 pounds of food. Then they put their 150 guests to work and had them unload the food from a truck to help feed 120 neighborhood families.

"We decided the first thing we wanted to do as husband and wife is to serve others," said Christine. "We thought about not just feeding our guests, but also the neighborhood."
Immediately after they exchanged their vows, Bouwkamp and Kramer put on aprons marked "Bride" and "Groom" and worked with their guests.

The couple met a year earlier while working on a committee for a ministry that conducts outreach to the neighborhood. Christine was a single mother of two daughters. Kyle had battled drug addiction and graduated from the Muskegon Rescue Mission's discipleship program.

"Both of their lives have radically changed," said Pastor Gary Sherwood. "People who haven't seen them for a while will recognize them by the way they look on the outside, but they won't recognize them on the inside."

When asked about the charitable act, the happy couple simply said they wanted to "bless God for blessing us with each other."
(reference: Devotional Email by Peter Kennedy)


Meditation and Application
Why is it personally important to you that "mercy triumphs over judgment" (verse 2:13)?
How can we begin this week to take the truth of James 2:1-13 to heart and put it into practice?

When we are demonstating love toward others, people see the glory of the Jesus Christ. Today in prayer, praise the Lord for His love towards you and love others.

Lesson Five, Part 1: No Favorites

Favoritism Forbidden

James 2:1 My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't
show favoritism. 2 Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and
fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby 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," 4 have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil
thoughts?

5 Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor
in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he
promised those who love him? 6 But you have insulted the poor. Is it not the rich
who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court?
7 Are they not the ones who are slandering the noble name of him to whom you
belong?

Illustration:
The story is told of a church meeting at which a wealthy man rose to tell the congregation about his faith. As he stood, most in the congregation took notice, due to his elegant suit, trendy and crisp hairstyle, and well polished mannerisms.

“I'm a millionaire,” he said. “And I attribute my wealth to the blessings of God in my life.” Everyone was enraptured to hear what he might have to say.

He went on to recall the turning point of his faith. As a young man, he had just earned his first dollar and was eagerly thinking of all the possibilities when he happened upon a church meeting. He found himself consumed by the message he heard that night, and felt compelled to give it all to God at the offering. He said that he knew that night he would either have to give it all to God or nothing at all.

At that moment, he decided to give everything he had earned that day as a young boy to God . Looking back, he said, he now knew that God has always blessed this decision and today made him a successful man. When he finished his story an awed silence filled the entire room.

As he returned to his seat, an elderly, immigrant woman wearing shabby clothes and speaking broken English placed her offering in the plate, leaned over to him, handed him the plate, and said: “I dare you to do it again.”

Meditation and Application
What might lead us to treat rich people better than poor ones?
What is wrong with the motives you uncovered?
Pray that God would convict us to to repentance for wrong motives and change us to become more obedient to His Word.

Lesson Three: Dealing With Temptation: James 1:9-18

Notice the two alternate progressions of life that James is describing:

Faith - Trials that test our faith - Perseverence - Maturity (1:2-4)

James 1:2 "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.
4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not
lacking anything."

Desire - Temptation - Sin - Death (1:14-15)

14 "but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death."

We can go from tested faith to maturity, or from indulged desire to death. Each process can be slow or quick, but takes place based on daily choices with seemingly inperceptible consequences at the time. Choices lead to habits, and habits set our character either toward God or against God.

Let's Get the Facts Straight
God is NEVER the source of temptation to evil. He is the source of every good and perfect gift.

James 1:13 "When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; ... 16Don't be deceived, my dear brothers. 17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. 18 He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created."

God is the author of truth and light - never darkness.

1 John 1:5 "This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all."

(Remember: temptations and trials are different. trails are hardships or difficulties that by faith lead to our perseverence. temptations are when we turn away from God and turn to sin by entertaining our sinful desires, which is the opposite of faith.)

The real source of temptations to sin - evil desires from our own hearts.

James 1: 14 "but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged
away and enticed.

The Devil Made Me Do It?
Wait a minute... don't our temptations come from Satan? Satan is certainly a liar, a thief and a murder who wants to deceive God's children. He started doing it back in the very beginning - at the creation of the world (Genesis 3:6-22). His M.O. (modus operandi) is to use something that God originally created as a good desire and to twist it into an idol and abomination from what God said was good and right and noble. We are dragged away when we embrace the lie by following our sinful nature rather than believing what God said.

Father of heavenly lights
God is the father of light. It is fact that He created the sun, moon, stars, and planets. They are splendid works and symbols of His good and perfect nature and His truth and moral purity. "God is light; in Him there is no darkness." Yet, these glittering examples fall short of His perfection, as eclipses and clouds shade their light. But we know that in God "is no variation" and he does not "change like shifting shadows." Stars and moons do change, but the father of heavenly lights is perfect, true, and good -- and He never changes.

A kind of firstfruits
Jesus, the perfect Lamb of God, was the true firstfruit of creation who gave Himself up for the forgiveness of our sins. Through Him, we have fellowship with God and are being restored to the image-bearers we were originally created to be - a kind of firstfruits of creation.

James 1:18 "He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created."

We are born again when we believe the Word of God, and as a result of the belief, we are called to be firstfruits. We are being restored as original image-bearers of our Holy God.

For Thought:
Meditate on what this means to be a kind of firstfruits of all creation. What difference should it make in our daily lives each of us individually and that Chrsitians collectively, as the church, are called 'a kind of firstfruits of all he created?' Ask God to show you how He is leading you to be more like Christ.

PB's 7 practical steps for avoiding temptation

(from my notes on Pastor Betters' sermon series - '4 weeks with God and my neighbor')

1- Commit to memorizing scripture that applies to your situation - it's a spiritual battle!

2- When first tempted, spend time in prayer thanking God for the opportunity to address the sin. Rehearse scripture you have memorized.

3- Reckon yourself dead to sin and set your mind on things above - Colossians 3.

4 - Display your "think and do" list. (Phil. 4:8) (Eph. 4:30-34)

5 - If you are still in the throws of temptation, contact your accountability partner and ask them to pray with you. Ask the church to pray for you.

6- Think Great Commission and be ready to share the Good News of the Gospel with someone. Know the Gospel message - pray to believe it.

7- Before you retire at the end of the evening, do an inventory of your day -- How did I do? What I need to do tomorrow? Commit to that night and the next day to God - Greater is God in Heaven than our sin or the evil one.

Lesson Two: Facing Trials, pt1

Summary of Chapter 2 on Facing Trials, pt1:

James 1:2 "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6 But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does."

It is not easy being a Christian. For the Christian Jews during the days of James, being a convert to faith in Christ would have been harsh. It seemed scandalous to others that they claimed an executed criminal as the Messiah and many of them were killed and persecuted for their beliefs.

In every age, Christians have faced trials of all kinds for the sake of Christ.
But why would God allow such trials to come to His beloved children?

The Word tells us: because tested faith develops perseverence, which leads us to maturity - it makes us more like Christ.

[Matthew 5:11-12 -Great is our reward in Heaven; Romans 5:3-5 perseverence produces character, which produces hope; Hebrews 2:10 we are made perfect through suffering, etc..]

So... suffering is apparently the way in which God produces maturity in us and how we are made more like Christ.

Why do you think trials are so effective at making us mature and nothing else is so effective?

2 Cor 1:8-9 "We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. 9 Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead." (emphasis added)

2 Cor 12: 7 "To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

And that is how James can start off by writing: "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds." He knew what Paul knew -- the reason for trials and suffering is to make us mature disciples and to bear witness to the glory of God. By removing our strength, our talents and abilities, and our performance from the equation, God's Grace and power becomes the focal point to us and to those around us.

Lesson Two: Facing Trials, pt2

By Doris G.

If you lack wisdom, ask God and He will give generously. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt. James 1:5&6
James wrote of the early Christians who were facing trials which tested their faith in God to meet their needs.

Key Words: Lack… Ask…Don’t Doubt….Wisdom….

Lacks – means to be destitute or fall short; a shortage of resources.


ASK – in this verse from James …it is in the present active imperative implying that we should “keep on asking”…persevere
We are to ask for wisdom as Solomon asked…….Prov. 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.”

Ask -
Ask for an inner calm to wait for the unfolding of perception from the problem …which would otherwise be a potential for doubt.

Doubt makes God our enemy rather than our friend.

Doubt is a sign that we need a deeper experience of who God is and how he works in our lives and what he is ready to teach us.

God is ready to turn our doubts into wisdom. Our doubt is our human response. God can take our struggle with doubt and give us faith to ask for wisdom and trust our situations to God
Trials of life….. wear us down…..sap our energy

_______PROBLEMS_____ _______Realization of God’s power____
VALLEY OF
DOUBT

THE CURE for doubt about God is the WISDOM OF GOD ..found in The Bible.

Wisdom is God’s intelligence entrusted to us, providing supernatural knowledge, discernment and insight………..Wisdom is an antidote to doubt.

We need to grow in our understanding of and reliance on God’s providential care.

Current Sermon Series on James

How Convenient! One of my favorite theologians, Dr. Kim Riddlebarger, has just started a series on James. I'm planning to follow his teaching and will be posting links to each week's sermon audio files on this page as we go forward (assuming, of course, that the women like using the blog). So be sure to check back!

James 1:19-27 "Be Doers, Not Just Hearers, of God's Word">>>

James 1:1-18 "Ask in Faith">>>

James 2:1-13 "Transgressor of the Law">>>

James 2:14-26 "Faith Apart from Works is Dead">>>

Our Mercy Matter

This coming Wednesday (Sept. 17th) we will discuss and choose a Mercy Matter project for our group.
Carolyn, Erin, Donna, Judy, Peggy and Deb are going to be looking into a few of the options we discussed this past week. If you have any other suggestions, feel free to email us. Come prepared with specifics on what we can do to help with that Mercy Matter.

Lesson One: Discussion Questions

Here are a few questions from our first lesson that we will take a look at:

2- What are your first impressions of this book? (for instance, how is it organized - tightly, loosely, unifying theme, without connections between topics...? What is James's tone -- humorous, harsh, friendly, dry, passionate, humble, arrogant, authoritative? How does he seem to feel about his readers and his topics?)

3. Repetition is a clue to the ideas a writer wants to emphasize. What words and ideas does James repeat?

5. How would you describe James's purpose(s) for writing this letter? (Is he teaching doctrine, exhorting someone to action, giving warnings or rebukes, telling them about himself, offering personal comfort or encouragement...?)

6. What phrase or sentence would you use to summarize what James is saying?

Be thinking about any questions that you would like to delve into more deeply. Also, record any areas of your life that you want to work on during the study. Take each one to God in prayer, asking Him to show you His priorities for your application and to give you His strength to become what He desires. If you are convicted by his letter, confess your failings to God right now.

See you all again on Wednesday night. By the grace of God, I pray that I will be much less nervous this week. Oh, and don't forget to pray for your prayer partner. Blessings!

Goals - Let's Go!!

Goals of this Study:
First and foremost: This is OUR study! So, be thinking of what your personal goals are for studying and applying God’s Word. My role is to facilitate and share resources, not to lecture or preach.

That being said, here are the learning goals that I have come up with so far for this study:

• To cultivate Faith that is Real
  
• To more effectively and consistently pray
  
• To become more intentionally “reformissional”
  

This week:
Read through JAMES at least one time to get the overall theme.

Review Our Study Verses: James 1:1-18
We will start with questions from Chapter 2 of the study guide called “Facing Trials.”

Consider joining this blog as an author or just post your responses, comments, and questions here.

Finally, as you go through your week, if you find an article in the paper or on the internet that goes along with what we are studying – Bring it in! Or post it on this blog. We love to make this relevant.

Orphans in America

Dr. Anthony Bradley:

"America has nearly 115,000 orphaned kids in foster care waiting to be adopted. Some wonder how this is possible in a country with Christian families. Surely, there are 115,000 missional families in America, right? Missional families, for example, embrace the redemptive mission of God and practice "true religion" in their local communities (James 1:27)."

Read the rest of his post and feel free to submit your comments for discussion here.

Intro Part 2

More introduction material from our study guide:

On purpose:
Most of the epistles deal with solving problems and amending errors among early Christians/Churches. "James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ" (1:1) wrote this letter as a message to Christians to correct a distortion of the gospel: the idea that spiritual rebirth meant we could remain babies forever. He exhorted Christians to maturity.

More on authorship:
As mentioned previously, there were a number of Jameses around the early church. However, most scholars, including the ones who wrote our study guide, attribute the letter to James, the Lord's brother, who is mentioned in Galations 1:19. He was also known as "James the Just" or "the Righteous" by both Christians and non-Christians.

Faith Vs. Works?
Many modern Christians have tried to set up a dichotomy between James and Paul, with the misunderstanding that James was written as a response to Paul's "justification by faith alone." However, this view fails several tests. First, James died in 62AD and most likely would never have had the opportunity to read Paul, who wrote the book of Romans about 57AD. In addition, tradition has James' letter dated at around 45AD. Even with a later dating of the letter, it is highly unlikely that Paul's writings would have been available for James to study. Furthermore, James never addresses any of Paul's teachings nor does he quote Paul at all.

Instead, James's epistle is an exhortation to live what we believe and not to disregard God's moral law - a distortion that Paul also fought against in Romans 6.

The Gospel
Nonetheless, James is as much about the gospel as is the book of Matthew. In fact, when we look at Chapter 2, we will see the parallels with the Sermon on the Mount.

Do you often feel like a "practical atheist"? Maybe you don't think so. I sure don't think this way on my own, but in light of God's Word, I can see that I really do fall short of treating people as God would have me to, of loving others, of bridling the tongue, of a whole host of words and deeds. In truth, if I really believed consistently and perfectly in a holy and just God, my life would look differently. James will challenge us to leave our roles of the "practical atheist" behind.

While James does not discuss the doctrines of Christ, he does focus on the character of God and who we are called to be as his children/new creations. James takes for granted that the audience is rooted in the gospel, in our union with Christ in His death and His resurrection. He goes straight to the practical: Here is precisely how to live in light of the gospel.

James's letter is a vigorous call to a tested, mature faith to which we may say, Amen!

Read the book through one time and take a look at the overview Chapter, if you have time. I will post up some of the questions next week.

Introduction

THE PURPOSE OF JAMES' EPISTLE

The message of the book of James is that faith must include a living reality. James writes that faith cannot exist without works.

Many people have misunderstood James to say that he contradicts the teachings of Paul -- that he is teaching a gospel of works for salvation. This is not so. James does not teach works for salvation. He teaches works WITH salvation.

When you come to Jesus Christ in faith, trusting Him as your Savior and Lord, a process begins. The Bible calls it SANCTIFICATION. The Holy Spirit begins to do a work within you, producing His fruit in your life and molding you into the character of Jesus Christ.

James is a book with which many Christians have struggled. Its presentation of faith and works seems at first glance to contradict the foundational doctrine of justification by faith. As a result, some have studied this epistle only with the aim of dispelling and “problem texts.” A closer examination will show great riches of spiritual teaching within this book.

This is a book which is rich in spiritual dynamics. It will be motivating and sobering in its message. It is a book of faith, a book of promise and a book of warning.


DATE OF WRITING

It is commonly thought that this epistle was written around 45-50 A.D., making it one of the first epistles to be written. It contains no mention of Gentile believers or the controversy that eventually arose in the church concerning Gentile Christians and the Law. It was evidently written before this had become an issue in the church.

The first of Paul’s missionary journeys had not yet taken place and the church was made up almost entirely of either Jews or Jewish proselytes -- Gentiles who had undergone circumcision and who had become Jewish.


AUTHORSHIP OF THE EPISTLE

The opening salutation identifies the writer as James. The Greek text describes him as IakwboV -- or as we would say, “Jacob.” The problem is that there are a number of different men in the New Testament possessing this name.

· James the brother of John and son of Zebedee (Matthew 10:2).
· James the son of Alphaeus (Matthew 10:3).
· James the half-brother of Jesus (Galatians 1:19).
· James the son of Mary (Matthew 27:56).
· James the father of Jude (Acts 1:13).


STYLE OF WRITING

There are some notable similarities between this epistle and the statements of James made at the Jerusalem Council and the letter that was written by that Council.

· The phrase “beloved” (James 1:16, 19; 2:5 and Acts 15:25).
· The exhortation, “Listen, my beloved brethren” (James 2:5 and Acts 15:13).
· The use of the infinitive salutation, “Greetings” as the opening of the letter (James 1:1 and Acts 15:23).
· The idea of a man turning back to the truth (James 5:19-20 and Acts 15:19).
· The use of the word “soul” (James 1:21; 5:20 and Acts 15:24).

Even greater similarities can be seen when we compare the epistle of James with the Sermon on the Mount that Jesus gave in Matthew 5-7.

Come to class starting on September 3rd to learn more about these similarities - and more!