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Life Lessons
Confession, Repentance and Perseverance in Faith!
Friday May 13, 2022
Scripture James 5: 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. 17 Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18 Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops. 19 My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, 20 remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.
Life Lesson: Just as genuine repentance is essential to our healing, whether it be spiritual, mental/psychological, physical, or spiritual, so too is perseverance in faith essential to a powerful and effective prayer life.
– The issue of confession and repentance is not about blaming the afflicted, it is instead the counsel of God that releases the sinner to salvation and healing. Why is it that confession and repentance have become so objectionable to our modern sensibilities? Some false prophets even dare to preach against the necessity of repentance claiming it is irrelevant in our “age of grace”.
– Sin is still sin regardless of the fact that we now live this side of the Incarnation and Atonement of Christ! The wages of sin is still death according to New Testament teaching. The ravages of sin take many forms in this world and yes the same God who can forgive all our sins, is able to also heal all of our diseases, Psalm 103:3. Confession and repentance can be a means by which the afflicted acknowledges their sin before God, defeats the leverage the enemy has over their life, and invites the healing power of Christ to set them free!
– The counsel in our above text is to not only confess our sins to each other but to also invite others to pray over us. We are then told, “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” This begs the question, who then is a righteous person? Is such a person superhuman? No! We are then pointed to Elijah. Well Elijah seems pretty superhuman to all of us, doesn’t he? But then we are reminded, 17 Elijah was a human being, even as we are.” Elijah was human just like us, but Elijah was righteous in God’s sight. Why? Elijah lived by faith and that faith was clearly demonstrated daily by what he did. Elijah demonstrated the tenacity of his faith by his perseverance in prayer, 1 Kings 17:1-16, 19-22, 18:30-38, 18: 41-46, 19:8-19, 21:1-29, 2 Kings 1:3-17, 2:1-11! Elijah heard, listened to, and obeyed the directives of God regardless of the personal cost. That is faith! And righteousness is by faith from first to last, Romans 1:17!
– Again in verse 19 James exhorts us to help those who have wandered from the truth saying, “Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.” Whereas the wages of sin is death, helping a sinner turn from sin will save that person from death and deliver them from the condemnation of sin. Just as there was judgement from God against Israel for their sin in the form of drought, so too there can be judgment against the wayward who turn from the truth; however the righteous who live by faith can, like Elijah restore the wayward and bring about showers of blessing once again!
Read more “Confession, Repentance and Perseverance in Faith! “
Life Lessons
The Prayer Offered in Faith!
Wednesday May 11, 2022
Scripture James 5: 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven.
Life Lesson: In order for our prayers to be effective they must be offered in faith. Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we cannot see, Heb. 11:1.
– James has already identified faith that is pleasing to God in his illustrations of Abraham and Rahab. Both of these individuals went way beyond “faith speak” demonstrating their faith by what they did! Many claim to have faith yet their actions testify against their profession of faith.
– True faith is submissive to God, not demanding of God. True faith resists the devil’s schemes and take a stand against the enemy’s temptations. True faith desperately seeks after the Lord and His empowering. True faith confesses sins committed, turns from acts that lead to death, and is single-minded in the belief that God will provide! Those who live by faith do not grieve over worldly gains that are lost but over anything and everything that separates us from walking daily with God. And finally true faith is characterized by humility, never pride! James 4: 7-10
– Such qualities as these characterize the person of faith. So then when we who talk of faith but who indulge the sinful nature, pray we do not pray in faith but as those who do know the Lord. God does answer the prayers of the wayward sinner who cries out for deliverance and salvation, however can such who live in this way declare, Acts 3: “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk”?
– Jesus Himself said, Matt. 6: 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” James told us regarding the prayer of faith, James 1: 6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.”
– I have heard people wrongly assert regarding zeal for the Lord, “They are so heavenly minded that they are no earthly good”. The truth is most people are so earthly minded that they are of no heavenly good! What that means is they cannot effect the power and authority of heaven here on earth because they are so carnal.
– God does hear and answer prayers! God does heal the sick and raises them up! These tenants are reliable and true. However, what we must always bear in mind when it comes to praying for healing over the infirmed is the will and the timing of God. Like Paul recounts, God may refuse to heal an infirmity, even one that is so evil as to be referred to as a messenger from Satan because God is humbling us through it and also revealing His power to us in it! And like so many others healed in the New Testament accounts, God has His own timing that can and will at times confound us, yet God’s timing is always perfect and His ways are unsearchable!
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Life Lessons
In Every Situation Remember to Pray and to Praise! …
Tuesday May 10, 2022
Scripture James 5: 13 Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven.
Life Lesson: No matter what situation we find ourselves in our first response should be to pray as well as to worship God.
– James exhorts the believer who is in trouble to pray. Note that he says, “Let them pray”. First and foremost prayer is a gift from God that we can utilize to call on the Lord in times of trouble. We ought not to contemplate praying about the matter, we ought to pray! How many have I heard say to me over the years, I didn’t want to make a big deal of it, or I just did not think it was something worth praying about. You matter! Your life is important and anything that threatens you is without question something you ought to bring to God immediately in prayer!
– James also says, “Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise.” We too often neglect to give the Lord praise for the blessing He has given to us. We ought to develop an attitude of praise and thanksgiving to God! Firstly, by nurturing such a response we acknowledging God’s presence and His gift to us; and secondly by praising the Lord openly we are testifying to others that we believe the Lord has provided and that witness might have a profound effect on someone’s life!
– “Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord.” James also exhorts us to call upon the spiritual leadership of the church to pray for us, those believers who have been walking with the Lord by faith for years, who have resisted the enemy time and again and have overcome, and who know the Lord hears and answers prayer! The common thread in every verse here is to pray! To seek the Lord and acknowledge the sovereignty of God in every situation!
– Unfortunately for many believers today, the first response to trouble, provisions, or sickness is to fret, worry, feel defeated, complain to others, take the blessing and never acknowledge the Lord, jump on the internet to self-diagnose, or frantically call the doctor.
– Rarely do the people of God follow the Lord’s directives to call upon the elders of the church to pray for them and to anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. James places the onus on the one who is sick to call upon the elders for prayer, not upon the elders themselves to seek such people out. The woman who was sick with bleeding sought out Jesus Christ for healing and we too ought to seek the Lord for His healing power as we act upon the authority of his word!
– Here too, James connects the illness with possible sin that may need to be confessed and repented of. This too is something only the seeker can do, no one can do it for them, and so it is incumbent upon the individual to reach out for help through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Read more “In Every Situation Remember to Pray and to Praise! “
Life Lessons
Be Patient Until the Lord’s Coming!
Monday May 9, 2022
Scripture James 5: 7 Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. 8 You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. 9 Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door! 10 Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 As you know, we count as 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.
Life Lesson: We can choose to cultivate an attitude of patience in the face of life’s ongoing challenges or we can choose to emote and react in the moment. What we choose to do, or how we choose to respond, will shape the course of our life.
– James has been exhorting us to abstain from being judgmental, from boasting about what we are planning to do in the future, as well as warning those who glory in their wealth. All of these concerns are a part of the deceptiveness of this world. In other words, by indulging in such attitudes we are losing sight of who we are as those who are created in the image and likeness of God and believing the lie that we can live autonomously in rebellion against the Lord and actually profit from it.
– We judge because we fail to acknowledge our own culpability to sin. We boast in our plans because we fail to acknowledge that our life is a gift from God and we have no idea how long we will have this life in which to do what we want, and we glory in what we believe to be our wealth” because we fail to understand that the earth is the Lord’s and everything that is in it belongs to God!
– Everything we have is from God! We are forgiven because of God’s mercy and atonement, our future is in God’s hands, and “our wealth” is not ours but is from God. So then, how is that we who have been forgiven an eternal debt, choose whimsically to judge others? Why do we who have been given the gift of life from God declaring how we will use this gift, what we will do, or where we will go? And who then are we to selfishly hoard the resources God has given to us as though our wealth was our own, when we know that God generously lavishes on us so many wonderful gifts?
– How then ought we to respond? We ought to respond graciously as those who have been blessed with abundance from God. And when we see inequities at work in this world we ought to look upon such things with patience, not give way to a carnal attitude and instead remember God is the Just Judge! God will render a righteous judgment! As the farmer waits, so too we must wait in faith believing that those who sow in righteousness will reap a sure reward, Prov. 11:18! “Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously” 2 Cor. 9:6! And “Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life”, Gal. 6:8. “The Just Judge is standing at the door!” Therefore, honor God above all else!
Read more “Be Patient Until the Lord’s Coming! “
Sunday Sermons
Life Lessons
There Could Be No Greater Attainment than Knowing the…
Friday May 6, 2022
Scripture James 4: 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.
Life Lesson: As those who are among the fellowship of believers it is imperative that we set our hearts and our minds on seeking the Lord, understand that we are battling not only our own compulsions to sin but demonic influences as well, and therefore resist every temptation to indulge the sinful nature.
– James has drawn for us a contrast between the faith filled and the carnal believer, James 4:1-10. The carnal believer is constantly in conflict due to the influence of the sinful nature. Paul exhorted Titus in his letter to him, 3: 10 Warn a divisive person once, and then warn them a second time. After that, have nothing to do with them. 11 You may be sure that such people are warped and sinful; they are self-condemned.” This type of person is described in the initial verses of this chapter.
– In contrast James tells us what we need to do to gain the victory over such a destructive attitude in the above text selected for today. We need to submit ourselves to God. Now we might think, “Of course! that is what I have been doing”. And yet James is giving this instruction to the church, to those who are already intending to follow Christ. So we must acknowledge that the issue of submission is one we all struggle with.
– Instead of conforming to the pattern of this world, we need to submit ourselves to God. First and foremost our attention should be given to coming to the Father for the empowerment of His kingdom and His will to be done in this world, for our daily bread, for forgiveness from our sins and the empowering to forgive those who have harmed us, to rely on God to steer us away from temptation and to deliver us from the rampant evil so pervasive in this world. First and foremost, we need to go to God for His enabling and His empowering.
– Then we also need to intentionally resist the devil. Too often we might be guilty of entertaining the devil’s influence even as Eve did in the Garden. Perhaps we do not take the reality of the devil’s spiritual attacks seriously, or perhaps we rationalize our capability to deal with the devil’s temptations and schemes in our own strength. Perhaps we are lacking the discernment to recognize the devil’s attacks when they come. We will overcome the devil, not in or own strength or through our own cunning, but through reliance on God. This is why James immediately directs us in the next verse to, “Come near to God and he will come near to you.” Even if you believe you are living in submission to God, you need to passionately pursue the Lord daily. Why? Because we live by faith! Because we are living in a hostile environment, and because there can be no greater attainment for any of us than to know the Lord!
Read more “There Could Be No Greater Attainment than Knowing the Lord! “
Life Lessons
The Question of Our Deepest Desire!
Tuesday May 3, 2022
Scripture James 4: What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? 2 You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so 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. 4 You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.
Life Lesson: Our personal desires can be a destructive influence in us, moving us away from God or they can be a wellspring of blessings that enrich our faith and our witness!
– In yesterday’s lesson we concluded with the question, “How can we possibly know if what we are praying for is based in selfishness?” This has been a source of tremendous doubt for so many in the church. James states the issue this way, “3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” This question of wrong motives has plagued many believers when going to God in prayer unduly.
– Many of us might reason that our asking in prayer is often times selfish because we are asking God to do something for us. This does not naturally follow. We need to look more carefully at the context to gain a better understanding and comprehension of what James means when he says these things. Contextually, the issue becomes quite obvious, James is speaking about the source of divisive contention within the church and that source is selfish desires such as envy. A kind of, “I’ll get what I want no matter what, or no matter who gets hurt” attitude. Those living this way are motivated by greed and selfish ambition. Such individuals, when they pray are focused on themselves, not on the Lord. The Lord for such people is only a means to an end rather than the source of life and joy itself!
– So how can we know? You won’t find the answer in religious activity or adherence to specific rules and regulations; the answer is found in our relationship with Christ. While the multitudes are looking everywhere else for the answers to their needs, the child of God looks to the Lord! For many prayer is a last ditch effort, but for the faithful prayer is their first option!
– There is a marked difference between those whose primary concern is fulfilling their own pleasures, as James notes above, and those whose primary concern is pleasing God! We can choose to be a friend of the world, or we can choose, as Abraham did, to be a friend of God by living by faith and being led by God’s Spirit. The psalmist wrote, Psalm 37: 4 Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” While unbelievers chase after the desires of their hearts, the faithful believer focuses first and foremost and his/her relationship with God. The Lord is their greatest delight! Such as these choose to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness knowing with certainty that God will give them the desires of their hearts, that God will generously give them these other concerns as well in His time! Never be afraid to ask, seek and knock when you have made knowing God your highest priority!
Read more “The Question of Our Deepest Desire! “
Life Lessons
What Causes Quarrels and Fights Among You?
Monday May 2, 2022
Scripture James 4: What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? 2 You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so 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.
Life Lesson: That which motivates us truly matters, in fact we are defined by what motivates us.
– James asks the question, “What causes fights and quarrels among you?” Now some would retort, “It’s those people who are contentious, who disagree with me, or who refuse to see everything my way!
– James answers his own question poignantly by suggesting that quarrels and fights stem from our own personal desires that are at war within us! While many point their finger at everyone else, James informs us that the true source of such conflict is ourselves.
– James goes on to elaborate stating, “You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight.” Now many might retort, “I have killed no one!” Ever heard of character assassination? This is often times what people resort to when they are not getting their own way.
– We are literally seeing this kind of thing happening daily in the news media against any and all dissenting voices. Rather than allowing for differences of opinion and having a respectful discourse, there are personal attacks including character assassinations that have literally destroyed the lives of good, honest, professionals who were only trying to offer alternative insights. Yes, James’ message is every bit as relevant today in our culture as it was 2000 years ago.
– James goes on to inform us why it is that we are not getting what we want, “You do not have because you do not ask God.” Here, James points us away from ourselves to God. Many who are fixated on getting their own way never even think to bring God into the matter because their hearts and minds have made their own desire an idol that they must have. Which leads us to the next insight that James gives to us, “3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”
– So we find that even when such a person decides to bring God into it, perhaps in some final act of desperation, they will not receive what they are praying for because of their selfish motives. This passage is without question one that has challenged and perplexed many believers down through the ages. Why? Many wonder how they can possibly know if what they are praying for is based in selfishness. More on that in tomorrow’s lesson.
Read more “What Causes Quarrels and Fights Among You? “