Podcasts about though james

When James Harrison left the comforts of his home to join relief efforts in East Africa, his eyes were opened. James' heart was moved by the dedication of local pastors to take the Good News of the Gospel to their own people — sometimes traveling days on foot to reach those in need. Though James left us too soon, his legacy lives on through Open Eyes' Mobile Messengers™, who accelerate the message of Jesus Christ to the underserved peoples of the world. Over the last decade, Open Eyes has connected donors to the world's most difficult places, where Open Eyes Mobile Messengers™ are delivering the Gospel to unreached and underserved people every day. (Open Eyes website) Denny Matthews, the President of Open Eyes ministry, shares: His personal experience growing up as a missionary kid in India An undeniable healing miracle that he witnessed in his family The testimony of James Harrison and how his compassion has been turned into action through Open Eyes Ministry The impact of the ministry around the world (baptisms, churches in network, mobile messengers) How this work has personally been full circle in his life   Thank you Denny, for taking time to share with us how God is moving through the legacy of James Harrison and so many like yourself that have partnered to further the Gospel of Jesus Christ! I am expectant for what God is doing through the hearts of this group!   For more information about Open Eyes Ministry: https://openeyes.net/   To see the 9 minute video the James Harrison Story (so powerful): https://youtu.be/cjJNpTktqgA?si=qsNMLYz7lXOcy_fI   To see more videos from Open Eyes Ministry on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCn0C4TM72FDDItnM3pok1-A/videos   To learn more about the Matthews' family's journey in ministry, check out a book that Denny's brother wrote: "My Father's Business —making the most out of His MUST" is an account of Bennie Matthew's earthly father's journey - the personal tests, tragedies, and triumphs he endured when his father was called to pioneer mission field where less than one percent are Christian. https://a.co/d/eQP4PHf   Jan Harrison (James' mother) wrote a powerful book about life after the storm of loss: https://a.co/d/9xN04VM   To follow Open Eyes Ministry on social media: https://www.facebook.com/openeyesorg https://www.instagram.com/openeyesministry/   A special thank you to Daniel Zapata for the beautiful images used in this testimony! Thank you for capturing these moments!

 Though James speaks directly regarding the office of teachers, the fact is, by our words and actions, every confessing believer is teaching a watching world something about what it is to be a follower of Christ.#AStricterJudgment

Saturday, 18 March 2023   So that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, Even all the Gentiles who are called by My name, Says the Lord who does all these things.' Acts 15:17   In the previous verse, James began his citation of the prophet Amos. That now continues with, “So that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord.”   The Hebrew of this verse from Amos reads, “That they may possess the remnant of Edom.” However, the Greek translation reads as James has cited. The name of Edom and the word “man” are very similar in the Hebrew. Thus, the Septuagint translators seem to have understood the extended meaning of what lay ahead.   Further, this word translated as “mankind” is a plural noun, men. There is no reason for the NKJV to have changed it from the earlier rendering of the KJV except, most likely, political correctness. The singular is to be rejected. In the Greek, the masculine stands for all.   Despite this, the meaning seems clear. The previous portion of the quote began with, “After these things.” James has shown that there is a time when Israel will again be exalted under Davidic rule, meaning under Jesus their Messiah. That will occur after certain events take place.   He now says what those events will be. Until the time when that comes about, there is an opportunity for the rest of mankind to seek the Lord. Amos had talked about the punishment of Israel for rejecting the Lord leading up to the restoration of Israel.   Hence, the restoration comes after the time of punishment. But during that timeframe, the redemptive plan won't just be put on hold, waiting for Israel to get its act together. Rather, while Israel is being punished according to the Mosaic Law which they agreed to remain under when they rejected Jesus, the nations (the rest of mankind) would be seeking the Lord. That is next further explained with the words, “Even all the Gentiles.”   It is the same word as in Acts 15:14, ethnos. Unlike in that verse, there is an article before the word. Rather than “nations” as was argued to be the better rendering there, this is rightly translated as “the Gentiles.” The reason is that even if there are Christian nations, it is not nations that are being called through the gospel, but individuals.   As nations have come and gone, the salvation of the Gentiles has remained unaffected. When the Lord calls for His people, they will rise, even if the nations they belonged to disappeared millennia earlier. James next continues the quote from Amos saying that it is these saved believers of this dispensation “who are called by My name.”   The words are reminiscent of James 2:7 where he uses the same Greek word –   “Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are called?”   Though James wrote to the Jews of the church, they are still members of the church. Being called by the name of the Lord means that the name of the Lord rests upon the person. Those who call upon the name of the Lord through faith become those who are called by the Lord's name. With this understood, James finishes the citation with, “Says the Lord who does all these things.”   It is the Lord who called Israel and covenanted with them. It is the Lord who faithfully blessed Israel when they sought Him out. It is the Lord who punished Israel according to the covenant made between them. It is the Lord who sent Jesus to initiate a New Covenant. It is the Lord who, when rejected by Israel, fulfilled the words of the prophecy concerning Israel's second exile and punishment. It is the Lord who called out a people for Himself from the Gentiles during Israel's time of having rejected Jesus. It is the Lord who will once again return Israel to His favor and exalt them when they call upon the name of the Lord. Everything comes back to the wisdom and hand of the Lord.   As noted in the previous commentary, this must be the interpretation of these verses. The words of the citation from Amos cannot be referring to the replacement of Israel by the church. This is absolutely certain from the continued words of Amos 9, which close out the book of Amos –   “‘Behold, the days are coming,' says the Lord, ‘When the plowman shall overtake the reaper, And the treader of grapes him who sows seed; The mountains shall drip with sweet wine, And all the hills shall flow with it. 14 I will bring back the captives of My people Israel; They shall build the waste cities and inhabit them; They shall plant vineyards and drink wine from them; They shall also make gardens and eat fruit from them. 15 I will plant them in their land, And no longer shall they be pulled up From the land I have given them,' Says the Lord your God.” Amos 9:13-15   In saying that He will bring back the captives of Israel (of which Amos 9:1-10 are the focus), it means Israel the people and none other. There is no provision for exile for the people of the church. There is no land grant bestowed upon the church. Israel, the nation, will be replanted in Israel the land.   And more, this cannot be referring to their first exile. This is because of the final verse of the book of Amos –    “I will plant them in their land. And no longer shall they be pulled up.”   There is no time in history that this has occurred. After the first exile, they were pulled up a second time, something prophesied by Isaiah even before the first exile –   “It shall come to pass in that day That the Lord shall set His hand again the second time To recover the remnant of His people who are left, From Assyria and Egypt, From Pathros and Cush, From Elam and Shinar, From Hamath and the islands of the sea.” Isaiah 11:11   Life application: Replacement theology is a failed system of biblical interpretation because it does not take into consideration the whole counsel of God. Nor does it rightly divide the word. But even during the time when Israel was deep in her second exile, at a time when there was seemingly no possibility that the nation would ever again be restored, John Gill (1697-1771) said the following concerning Amos 9:15 –   “...by which it appears that this is a prophecy of things yet to come; since the Jews, upon their return to their own land after the Babylonish captivity, were pulled up again, and rooted out of it by the Romans, and remain so to this day; but, when they shall return again, they will never more be removed from it; and of this they may he assured; because it is the land the Lord has, "given" them, and it shall not be taken away from them any more; and, because he will now appear to be the ‘Lord their God.'”   Likewise, Adam Clarke (1762-1832) says of this verse –   “Most certainly this prophecy has never yet been fulfilled. They were pulled out by the Assyrian captivity, and by that of Babylon. Many were planted in again, and again pulled out by the Roman conquest and captivity, and were never since planted in, but are now scattered among all the nations of the earth. I conclude, as the word of God cannot fail, and this has not yet been fulfilled, it therefore follows that it will and must be fulfilled to the fullness of its spirit and intention. And this is established by the conclusion: ‘Saith the Lord thy God.' He is Jehovah, and cannot fail; he is Thy God, and will do it. He can do it, because he is Jehovah; and he will do it, because he is Thy God. Amen.”   Despite the wave of poor theology concerning the reestablishment of Israel, these voices cried out, “The Bible is to be taken literally! God has spoken and His word cannot fail.” Now, what will you proclaim? The men who could not have foreseen the reestablishment of Israel with their earthly eyes, wholly trusted the Lord, focusing their spiritually attuned eyes on what He had spoken.   Today, even today after the reestablishment of Israel to their land – exactly as the Lord prophesied would take place – much of the church refuses to accept that what was written has been fulfilled. They must receive their judgment for their lack of discernment and faith concerning God's word. But they will remain saved despite their wholly tainted theology. This is the greatness of God who saves us despite ourselves.   Whether you like the Jewish people or not, something much greater is at stake in the world today. That something is the integrity of the word of God and the promise of God that He would never fully reject His people, Israel. He will bring them into the New Covenant. Have faith in this. Don't be silly but be steadfast in your acceptance of the truth of God's precious word.   Lord God, how could it be that You would reject Israel when You covenanted with them? If that were so, You could also reject us when we fail You. Our salvation would be up to us. But no! You have spoken and it is done. Thank You for the wonderful assurance we possess in Christ. Thank You, O God. Amen.  

Though James has "made it" he didn't start out a flashy NYC Master Real Estate Investor, in fact, he began as an english major with no aspirations of real estate. He chalks landing in real estate as a stroke of fate born out of being in the right place at the right time, and the insight to listen and learn.     James talks to Gino and Julia doing business the "right way," and the mindset that is involved. Julia speaks about relationships with significant others and much in the same way that James talks about doing business the "right way" Julia connects that it's also necessary to empathize with your spouse and put yourself in their shoes. Empathy leads to compassion and the daily grind of life does become easier as children get older and you fall into a groove with your business.   During COVID James and his wife Allison wanted to take advantage of the time they had, that led to a podcast “The Insiders Edge to Real Estate Investing”, The Podcast in-turn led to a book by the same name.    Gino talks about continuing education and surrounding yourself with the right people, and praises James for continuing to grind while still building relationships. While James discusses the mindset, mentality and drive that puts people in the right spot. James continues on to explain scaling his business and building his team and speaks to the nuances of finding players that work better as a whole than apart. Julia wraps it up by bringing Gino and James back from real estate talk and focusing on how to deal with work and home life and the necessity of bridging the two together while maintaining sanity and structure.  

This weekend we continue our series called "FAITH THAT'S NOT DEAD". We are working our way through James' epistle. Though James was probably the top leader of the church in Jerusalem, his letter was not written to a specific church. This epistle is likely the first New Testament book written that we have in our Bible's. Written by the half brother of Jesus it has a strong tone and is filled with "mini lessons" intended to guide believers in Jesus, into lives that reflect a "living faith". The sermon this week involves having a correct view of others. The behavior that is challenged this week is the human tendency to place higher values on people based on human criteria. James, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, says that the true Jesus follower will place equal value on every person due to the fact that they are children of God. We need to check our motives by how we treat people. As people cross our paths we should see them and value them equally. This reflects the heart of God and shows that we are true followers of Jesus with Faith That's Not Dead. See you this weekend for chapter 2:1-13 of JAMES. For Scripture, notes, upcoming events, & more: http://bible.com/events/48996770

This weekend we continue our series called "FAITH THAT'S NOT DEAD". We are working our way through James' epistle. Though James was probably the top leader of the church in Jerusalem, his letter was not written to a specific church. This epistle is likely the first New Testament book written that we have in our Bible's. Written by the half brother of Jesus it has a strong tone and is filled with "mini lessons" intended to guide believers in Jesus, into lives that reflect a "living faith". The sermon this week involves having a correct view of others. The behavior that is challenged this week is the human tendency to place higher values on people based on human criteria. James, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, says that the true Jesus follower will place equal value on every person due to the fact that they are children of God. We need to check our motives by how we treat people. As people cross our paths we should see them and value them equally. This reflects the heart of God and shows that we are true followers of Jesus with Faith That's Not Dead. See you this weekend for chapter 2:1-13 of JAMES. For Scripture, notes, upcoming events, & more: http://bible.com/events/48996770

Though James-less once more, the founders are back with yet another fascinating discussion about the dizzying crisis in Eastern Europe. With us from his home in Budapest is John O'Sullivan, former advisor to Margaret Thatcher, to discuss the reignited Cold War. He gives us the mood in Hungary, considers the longevity of the West's newfound resolve, and elaborates on the NATO debate. Source

Though James-less once more, the founders are back with yet another fascinating discussion about the dizzying crisis in Eastern Europe. With us from his home in Budapest is John O'Sullivan, former advisor to Margaret Thatcher, to discuss the reignited Cold War. He gives us the mood in Hungary, considers the longevity of the West's newfound resolve, and elaborates on the NATO debate.  Peter and Rob talk shop about writing, deadlines and compartmentalization; plus there are some members events you'll be excited to hear about! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Though James-less once more, the founders are back with yet another fascinating discussion about the dizzying crisis in Eastern Europe. With us from his home in Budapest is John O’Sullivan, former advisor to Margaret Thatcher, to discuss the reignited Cold War. He gives us the mood in Hungary, considers the longevity of the West’s newfound […]

Though James-less once more, the founders are back with yet another fascinating discussion about the dizzying crisis in Eastern Europe. With us from his home in Budapest is John O’Sullivan, former advisor to Margaret Thatcher, to discuss the reignited Cold War. He gives us the mood in Hungary, considers the longevity of the West’s newfound […]

SCRIPTURE TEXT: James 1:1-27 With this message, we begin a new sermon series looking chapter-by-chapter at the Letter of James to the early Christians. Though James, a brother of Jesus, provided primary leadership to the Jerusalem "mother church" of the mid first century AD, his letter follows the patterns & values of Old Testament wisdom literature, focused on practical questions of faithful daily living. James calls the people of God to demonstrate unity, fairness, temperance, patience, & perseverance. In the first chapter of James, we get special insights into living single-mindedly for the purposes of the Lord, seeing even our trials as opportunities for joy. SERIES: The Letter of James - Part 1 DATE: Jan. 30, 2022 --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/pcflosangeles/message

This sermon concludes the sermon series on the Book of James. Though James is a bracing book full of convicting exhortations, it ends on a pastoral note that calls us to consider how our faith calls us to seek healing and wholeness in our community. Sermon from 9/26/2021 by the Rev. Cameron Nations .... Gospel: James 5:13-20 Mark 9:38-50 (Eighteenth Sunday After Pentecost, Year B) Please visit saintrichards.org for more information about service times and other ways to connect with us.

* Word# MazumaPart Of Speech — Noun. * Pronunciation — * Ma as in Mars, * z as in zoo, * u as in you, * ma as in Mars. * Etymology — * The word mazuma has been derived from the Hebrew word zimmen meaning prepare. * Meaning — * Money. * Mnemonic — * Both the words mazuma and money begin with m. * Sentences — * James worked hard all his life and today he earns plenteous mazuma. (Noun, money) * Though James earns mazuma, he is never purse-proud and often acts parsimoniously to save for his future. (Noun, money) * It is important to earn mazuma by dint of one's hard work in order to be self-sufficient in life. (Noun, money) * Synonyms — money, financial resource, spondulicks, etc. * Antonyms — poverty, penury, etc. Idom#Hard cash * Meaning — * Cash and not cheque. * Sentences — * He borrowed hard cash from his friend but never returned it and kicked the can down the road. (Cash and not cheque) * Kicked the can down the road — procrastinated or delayed an important task continuously. * She dragged her feet and repaid the hard cash reluctantly. (Cash and not cheque) * Dragged her feet — to do something reluctantly. * She ate his lunch by using his hard cash for her selfish motives. (Cash and not cheque) * Ate his lunch — to take undue advantage of someone. * They changed their heart and said that they would not lend hard cash to anyone. (Cash and not cheque) * Changed their heart — changed their decision. Phrasal verb #To catch up on something * Meaning — * To have an impact on someone or something. * Sentences — * Unhealthy lifestyle catches up on human beings sooner or later. (Has an impact on someone or something) * The doctor warned him that eating excessive junk food will catch up on him. (Have an impact on someone or something) * Do not let social media catch up on you; regulate your social media hours. (Have an impact on someone or something) * She follows a disciplined life so that I'll health doesn't catch up on her. (Have an impact on someone or something)

Though James presses into fresh territory, he actually has not changed the subject in the second half of chapter two. He is still calling us to embody the faith we profess. And James still appeals to our treatment of the poor as an index of our spiritual condition. He registers shock that professing Christians would […]

Rev. AJ Espinosa, pastor at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Irvine, CA and host of Thy Strong Word on KFUO Radio, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Matthew 20:17-34. For the third time, Jesus tells His disciples of His upcoming suffering, death, and resurrection. Although Jesus goes into greater detail this time than the previous two, His disciples still fail to grasp what He means. Their conception of the Son of Man does not involve the suffering and death of which Jesus continually speaks. This becomes apparent as the mother of the sons of Zebedee asks Jesus that her sons, James and John, would be granted to sit at Jesus’ right and left when He comes in His kingdom. Jesus tells them that they do not know their request; His cup to drink is the cup of God’s wrath for sinners. Though James and John will share in their Lord’s suffering, the places of glory for which they ask are not Jesus’ to grant. When the other disciples become indignant at James and John, Jesus teaches them all concerning true greatness in the kingdom of heaven. It is not what the world considers greatness; rather, it is the Son of Man who came to serve all sinners by giving His life in their place. The failure of the two disciples is contrasted with the faith of the two blind men. They truly and rightly see Jesus as the Son of David who has come to have mercy upon them and save them from their sin and its effects. “All Righteousness Fulfilled” is a mini-series on Sharper Iron that digs into the Gospel according to St. Matthew. The first evangelist proclaims Jesus to Jews and Gentiles alike as the fulfillment of God’s saving words and acts throughout the Old Testament. As the Christ in the line of David and Abraham, Jesus is the promised King who comes to bring sinners from every nation to live under His gracious reign.

This week on the pod we’ve got Avi (they/them) LatinX Trans, non-binary, Queer artist and actor, a bit of a foodie, a fan of craft beer, loves a dance party, and currently searching for a hobby. We have so much fun today starting off with a little bit of good news! Some dope parents in Maryland through their child a Gayceañera! YAAAS! We debate the rainbow pride flag, and the commercialization of it. We both DEVOURED the Morning Show: It was amazing! It brought up some deep stuff for both of us around sexual assault, masculinity, sexism, and more. Though James was a bit distracted by someones wig. James saw Moulin Rouge on Broadway and may have been disappointed, representation matters even in your understudies. It's voting time- for SAG that is- and we both... forgot to vote!  But it shows how political and bullshit awards really are. When we jump into the Korners it is finally here: my 10 Tips for Healing Loss and a Broken Heart, we all experience loss in different ways and these 10 tips and tools can be used to heal as your heart reopens from whatever hurt you may have experienced. Avi takes us through a quote that has them thinking about a lot of things, which leads us into a beautiful conversation where Avi talks about their transition to becoming their full self, their journey to be being seen clearly for who they are.  Reese Witherspoon's Wig  James Arthur Twitter: @JamesArthur_M, IG: @JamesArthurM Korner Kids Playground  Avi: www.avirroque.com. TW: @ok_roque, IG: amroque  Twitter: @minoritykorner Email: minoritykorner@gmail.com

See more 'Cotto/Gottfried' episodes here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-Pa5w_YWKYQPq-9Haak9gg/

Joining our host, James, for this week’s podcast is director of First Sight Media, Richard Belcher. Posing the question: ‘should I be using live-streaming to increase exposure of my event?’ James and Richard discussed the advantages of live-streaming and if there is ever a time to forget about it. Websites and apps such as Zoom, LinkedIn, Facebook Live and YouTube, allow live-streaming to be accessible, cheap and easy. Though James predicted there is no reason why events shouldn’t live-stream, Richard advised there is no point doing it purely because “everyone else is”. Live-streaming allows events to increase exposure and engage with more people. If people do not wish to attend an event because it doesn’t have a strong enough “hook” to entice them, they will have the option to view it via live-stream and, therefore, the organisers still receive their engagement. Drawing examples of technological advancements, Richard stated that First Sight Media streamed everything in 4k for the first time in 2018. This prospect was unattainable four years ago due to bandwidth restrictions. Richard claimed that, due to the development of technology, live-streaming should now be accessible to everyone. In short, companies can increase exposure and engagement of their events by live-streaming. This can be achieved with any smart device and the right app or through companies such as First Sight Media.

The Twelve Apostles 139:0.1 (1548.1) IT IS an eloquent testimony to the charm and righteousness of Jesus’ earth life that, although he repeatedly dashed to pieces the hopes of his apostles and tore to shreds their every ambition for personal exaltation, only one deserted him. 139:0.2 (1548.2) The apostles learned from Jesus about the kingdom of heaven, and Jesus learned much from them about the kingdom of men, human nature as it lives on Urantia and on the other evolutionary worlds of time and space. These twelve men represented many different types of human temperament, and they had not been made alike by schooling. Many of these Galilean fishermen carried heavy strains of gentile blood as a result of the forcible conversion of the gentile population of Galilee one hundred years previously. 139:0.3 (1548.3) Do not make the mistake of regarding the apostles as being altogether ignorant and unlearned. All of them, except the Alpheus twins, were graduates of the synagogue schools, having been thoroughly trained in the Hebrew scriptures and in much of the current knowledge of that day. Seven were graduates of the Capernaum synagogue schools, and there were no better Jewish schools in all Galilee. 139:0.4 (1548.4) When your records refer to these messengers of the kingdom as being “ignorant and unlearned,” it was intended to convey the idea that they were laymen, unlearned in the lore of the rabbis and untrained in the methods of rabbinical interpretation of the Scriptures. They were lacking in so-called higher education. In modern times they would certainly be considered uneducated, and in some circles of society even uncultured. One thing is certain: They had not all been put through the same rigid and stereotyped educational curriculum. From adolescence on they had enjoyed separate experiences of learning how to live. 1. Andrew, the First Chosen 139:1.1 (1548.5) Andrew, chairman of the apostolic corps of the kingdom, was born in Capernaum. He was the oldest child in a family of five — himself, his brother Simon, and three sisters. His father, now dead, had been a partner of Zebedee in the fish-drying business at Bethsaida, the fishing harbor of Capernaum. When he became an apostle, Andrew was unmarried but made his home with his married brother, Simon Peter. Both were fishermen and partners of James and John the sons of Zebedee. 139:1.2 (1548.6) In A.D. 26, the year he was chosen as an apostle, Andrew was 33, a full year older than Jesus and the oldest of the apostles. He sprang from an excellent line of ancestors and was the ablest man of the twelve. Excepting oratory, he was the peer of his associates in almost every imaginable ability. Jesus never gave Andrew a nickname, a fraternal designation. But even as the apostles soon began to call Jesus Master, so they also designated Andrew by a term the equivalent of Chief. 139:1.3 (1549.1) Andrew was a good organizer but a better administrator. He was one of the inner circle of four apostles, but his appointment by Jesus as the head of the apostolic group made it necessary for him to remain on duty with his brethren while the other three enjoyed very close communion with the Master. To the very end Andrew remained dean of the apostolic corps. 139:1.4 (1549.2) Although Andrew was never an effective preacher, he was an efficient personal worker, being the pioneer missionary of the kingdom in that, as the first chosen apostle, he immediately brought to Jesus his brother, Simon, who subsequently became one of the greatest preachers of the kingdom. Andrew was the chief supporter of Jesus’ policy of utilizing the program of personal work as a means of training the twelve as messengers of the kingdom. 139:1.5 (1549.3) Whether Jesus privately taught the apostles or preached to the multitude, Andrew was usually conversant with what was going on; he was an understanding executive and an efficient administrator. He rendered a prompt decision on every matter brought to his notice unless he deemed the problem one beyond the domain of his authority, in which event he would take it straight to Jesus. 139:1.6 (1549.4) Andrew and Peter were very unlike in character and temperament, but it must be recorded everlastingly to their credit that they got along together splendidly. Andrew was never jealous of Peter’s oratorical ability. Not often will an older man of Andrew’s type be observed exerting such a profound influence over a younger and talented brother. Andrew and Peter never seemed to be in the least jealous of each other’s abilities or achievements. Late on the evening of the day of Pentecost, when, largely through the energetic and inspiring preaching of Peter, two thousand souls were added to the kingdom, Andrew said to his brother: “I could not do that, but I am glad I have a brother who could.” To which Peter replied: “And but for your bringing me to the Master and by your steadfastness keeping me with him, I should not have been here to do this.” Andrew and Peter were the exceptions to the rule, proving that even brothers can live together peaceably and work together effectively. 139:1.7 (1549.5) After Pentecost Peter was famous, but it never irritated the older Andrew to spend the rest of his life being introduced as “Simon Peter’s brother.” 139:1.8 (1549.6) Of all the apostles, Andrew was the best judge of men. He knew that trouble was brewing in the heart of Judas Iscariot even when none of the others suspected that anything was wrong with their treasurer; but he told none of them his fears. Andrew’s great service to the kingdom was in advising Peter, James, and John concerning the choice of the first missionaries who were sent out to proclaim the gospel, and also in counseling these early leaders about the organization of the administrative affairs of the kingdom. Andrew had a great gift for discovering the hidden resources and latent talents of young people. 139:1.9 (1549.7) Very soon after Jesus’ ascension on high, Andrew began the writing of a personal record of many of the sayings and doings of his departed Master. After Andrew’s death other copies of this private record were made and circulated freely among the early teachers of the Christian church. These informal notes of Andrew’s were subsequently edited, amended, altered, and added to until they made up a fairly consecutive narrative of the Master’s life on earth. The last of these few altered and amended copies was destroyed by fire at Alexandria about one hundred years after the original was written by the first chosen of the twelve apostles. 139:1.10 (1550.1) Andrew was a man of clear insight, logical thought, and firm decision, whose great strength of character consisted in his superb stability. His temperamental handicap was his lack of enthusiasm; he many times failed to encourage his associates by judicious commendation. And this reticence to praise the worthy accomplishments of his friends grew out of his abhorrence of flattery and insincerity. Andrew was one of those all-round, even-tempered, self-made, and successful men of modest affairs. 139:1.11 (1550.2) Every one of the apostles loved Jesus, but it remains true that each of the twelve was drawn toward him because of some certain trait of personality which made a special appeal to the individual apostle. Andrew admired Jesus because of his consistent sincerity, his unaffected dignity. When men once knew Jesus, they were possessed with the urge to share him with their friends; they really wanted all the world to know him. 139:1.12 (1550.3) When the later persecutions finally scattered the apostles from Jerusalem, Andrew journeyed through Armenia, Asia Minor, and Macedonia and, after bringing many thousands into the kingdom, was finally apprehended and crucified in Patrae in Achaia. It was two full days before this robust man expired on the cross, and throughout these tragic hours he continued effectively to proclaim the glad tidings of the salvation of the kingdom of heaven. 2. Simon Peter 139:2.1 (1550.4) When Simon joined the apostles, he was thirty years of age. He was married, had three children, and lived at Bethsaida, near Capernaum. His brother, Andrew, and his wife’s mother lived with him. Both Peter and Andrew were fisher partners of the sons of Zebedee. 139:2.2 (1550.5) The Master had known Simon for some time before Andrew presented him as the second of the apostles. When Jesus gave Simon the name Peter, he did it with a smile; it was to be a sort of nickname. Simon was well known to all his friends as an erratic and impulsive fellow. True, later on, Jesus did attach a new and significant import to this lightly bestowed nickname. 139:2.3 (1550.6) Simon Peter was a man of impulse, an optimist. He had grown up permitting himself freely to indulge strong feelings; he was constantly getting into difficulties because he persisted in speaking without thinking. This sort of thoughtlessness also made incessant trouble for all of his friends and associates and was the cause of his receiving many mild rebukes from his Master. The only reason Peter did not get into more trouble because of his thoughtless speaking was that he very early learned to talk over many of his plans and schemes with his brother, Andrew, before he ventured to make public proposals. 139:2.4 (1550.7) Peter was a fluent speaker, eloquent and dramatic. He was also a natural and inspirational leader of men, a quick thinker but not a deep reasoner. He asked many questions, more than all the apostles put together, and while the majority of these questions were good and relevant, many of them were thoughtless and foolish. Peter did not have a deep mind, but he knew his mind fairly well. He was therefore a man of quick decision and sudden action. While others talked in their astonishment at seeing Jesus on the beach, Peter jumped in and swam ashore to meet the Master. 139:2.5 (1551.1) The one trait which Peter most admired in Jesus was his supernal tenderness. Peter never grew weary of contemplating Jesus’ forbearance. He never forgot the lesson about forgiving the wrongdoer, not only seven times but seventy times and seven. He thought much about these impressions of the Master’s forgiving character during those dark and dismal days immediately following his thoughtless and unintended denial of Jesus in the high priest’s courtyard. 139:2.6 (1551.2) Simon Peter was distressingly vacillating; he would suddenly swing from one extreme to the other. First he refused to let Jesus wash his feet and then, on hearing the Master’s reply, begged to be washed all over. But, after all, Jesus knew that Peter’s faults were of the head and not of the heart. He was one of the most inexplicable combinations of courage and cowardice that ever lived on earth. His great strength of character was loyalty, friendship. Peter really and truly loved Jesus. And yet despite this towering strength of devotion he was so unstable and inconstant that he permitted a servant girl to tease him into denying his Lord and Master. Peter could withstand persecution and any other form of direct assault, but he withered and shrank before ridicule. He was a brave soldier when facing a frontal attack, but he was a fear-cringing coward when surprised with an assault from the rear. 139:2.7 (1551.3) Peter was the first of Jesus’ apostles to come forward to defend the work of Philip among the Samaritans and Paul among the gentiles; yet later on at Antioch he reversed himself when confronted by ridiculing Judaizers, temporarily withdrawing from the gentiles only to bring down upon his head the fearless denunciation of Paul. 139:2.8 (1551.4) He was the first one of the apostles to make wholehearted confession of Jesus’ combined humanity and divinity and the first — save Judas — to deny him. Peter was not so much of a dreamer, but he disliked to descend from the clouds of ecstasy and the enthusiasm of dramatic indulgence to the plain and matter-of-fact world of reality. 139:2.9 (1551.5) In following Jesus, literally and figuratively, he was either leading the procession or else trailing behind — “following afar off.” But he was the outstanding preacher of the twelve; he did more than any other one man, aside from Paul, to establish the kingdom and send its messengers to the four corners of the earth in one generation. 139:2.10 (1551.6) After his rash denials of the Master he found himself, and with Andrew’s sympathetic and understanding guidance he again led the way back to the fish nets while the apostles tarried to find out what was to happen after the crucifixion. When he was fully assured that Jesus had forgiven him and knew he had been received back into the Master’s fold, the fires of the kingdom burned so brightly within his soul that he became a great and saving light to thousands who sat in darkness. 139:2.11 (1551.7) After leaving Jerusalem and before Paul became the leading spirit among the gentile Christian churches, Peter traveled extensively, visiting all the churches from Babylon to Corinth. He even visited and ministered to many of the churches which had been raised up by Paul. Although Peter and Paul differed much in temperament and education, even in theology, they worked together harmoniously for the upbuilding of the churches during their later years. 139:2.12 (1552.1) Something of Peter’s style and teaching is shown in the sermons partially recorded by Luke and in the Gospel of Mark. His vigorous style was better shown in his letter known as the First Epistle of Peter; at least this was true before it was subsequently altered by a disciple of Paul. 139:2.13 (1552.2) But Peter persisted in making the mistake of trying to convince the Jews that Jesus was, after all, really and truly the Jewish Messiah. Right up to the day of his death, Simon Peter continued to suffer confusion in his mind between the concepts of Jesus as the Jewish Messiah, Christ as the world’s redeemer, and the Son of Man as the revelation of God, the loving Father of all mankind. 139:2.14 (1552.3) Peter’s wife was a very able woman. For years she labored acceptably as a member of the women’s corps, and when Peter was driven out of Jerusalem, she accompanied him upon all his journeys to the churches as well as on all his missionary excursions. And the day her illustrious husband yielded up his life, she was thrown to the wild beasts in the arena at Rome. 139:2.15 (1552.4) And so this man Peter, an intimate of Jesus, one of the inner circle, went forth from Jerusalem proclaiming the glad tidings of the kingdom with power and glory until the fullness of his ministry had been accomplished; and he regarded himself as the recipient of high honors when his captors informed him that he must die as his Master had died — on the cross. And thus was Simon Peter crucified in Rome. 3. James Zebedee 139:3.1 (1552.5) James, the older of the two apostle sons of Zebedee, whom Jesus nicknamed “sons of thunder,” was thirty years old when he became an apostle. He was married, had four children, and lived near his parents in the outskirts of Capernaum, Bethsaida. He was a fisherman, plying his calling in company with his younger brother John and in association with Andrew and Simon. James and his brother John enjoyed the advantage of having known Jesus longer than any of the other apostles. 139:3.2 (1552.6) This able apostle was a temperamental contradiction; he seemed really to possess two natures, both of which were actuated by strong feelings. He was particularly vehement when his indignation was once fully aroused. He had a fiery temper when once it was adequately provoked, and when the storm was over, he was always wont to justify and excuse his anger under the pretense that it was wholly a manifestation of righteous indignation. Except for these periodic upheavals of wrath, James’s personality was much like that of Andrew. He did not have Andrew’s discretion or insight into human nature, but he was a much better public speaker. Next to Peter, unless it was Matthew, James was the best public orator among the twelve. 139:3.3 (1552.7) Though James was in no sense moody, he could be quiet and taciturn one day and a very good talker and storyteller the next. He usually talked freely with Jesus, but among the twelve, for days at a time he was the silent man. His one great weakness was these spells of unaccountable silence. 139:3.4 (1552.8) The outstanding feature of James’s personality was his ability to see all sides of a proposition. Of all the twelve, he came the nearest to grasping the real import and significance of Jesus’ teaching. He, too, was slow at first to comprehend the Master’s meaning, but ere they had finished their training, he had acquired a superior concept of Jesus’ message. James was able to understand a wide range of human nature; he got along well with the versatile Andrew, the impetuous Peter, and his self-contained brother John. 139:3.5 (1553.1) Though James and John had their troubles trying to work together, it was inspiring to observe how well they got along. They did not succeed quite so well as Andrew and Peter, but they did much better than would ordinarily be expected of two brothers, especially such headstrong and determined brothers. But, strange as it may seem, these two sons of Zebedee were much more tolerant of each other than they were of strangers. They had great affection for one another; they had always been happy playmates. It was these “sons of thunder” who wanted to call fire down from heaven to destroy the Samaritans who presumed to show disrespect for their Master. But the untimely death of James greatly modified the vehement temperament of his younger brother John. 139:3.6 (1553.2) That characteristic of Jesus which James most admired was the Master’s sympathetic affection. Jesus’ understanding interest in the small and the great, the rich and the poor, made a great appeal to him. 139:3.7 (1553.3) James Zebedee was a well-balanced thinker and planner. Along with Andrew, he was one of the more level-headed of the apostolic group. He was a vigorous individual but was never in a hurry. He was an excellent balance wheel for Peter. 139:3.8 (1553.4) He was modest and undramatic, a daily server, an unpretentious worker, seeking no special reward when he once grasped something of the real meaning of the kingdom. And even in the story about the mother of James and John, who asked that her sons be granted places on the right hand and the left hand of Jesus, it should be remembered that it was the mother who made this request. And when they signified that they were ready to assume such responsibilities, it should be recognized that they were cognizant of the dangers accompanying the Master’s supposed revolt against the Roman power, and that they were also willing to pay the price. When Jesus asked if they were ready to drink the cup, they replied that they were. And as concerns James, it was literally true — he did drink the cup with the Master, seeing that he was the first of the apostles to experience martyrdom, being early put to death with the sword by Herod Agrippa. James was thus the first of the twelve to sacrifice his life upon the new battle line of the kingdom. Herod Agrippa feared James above all the other apostles. He was indeed often quiet and silent, but he was brave and determined when his convictions were aroused and challenged. 139:3.9 (1553.5) James lived his life to the full, and when the end came, he bore himself with such grace and fortitude that even his accuser and informer, who attended his trial and execution, was so touched that he rushed away from the scene of James’s death to join himself to the disciples of Jesus. 4. John Zebedee 139:4.1 (1553.6) When he became an apostle, John was twenty-four years old and was the youngest of the twelve. He was unmarried and lived with his parents at Bethsaida; he was a fisherman and worked with his brother James in partnership with Andrew and Peter. Both before and after becoming an apostle, John functioned as the personal agent of Jesus in dealing with the Master’s family, and he continued to bear this responsibility as long as Mary the mother of Jesus lived. 139:4.2 (1553.7) Since John was the youngest of the twelve and so closely associated with Jesus in his family affairs, he was very dear to the Master, but it cannot be truthfully said that he was “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” You would hardly suspect such a magnanimous personality as Jesus to be guilty of showing favoritism, of loving one of his apostles more than the others. The fact that John was one of the three personal aides of Jesus lent further color to this mistaken idea, not to mention that John, along with his brother James, had known Jesus longer than the others. 139:4.3 (1554.1) Peter, James, and John were assigned as personal aides to Jesus soon after they became apostles. Shortly after the selection of the twelve and at the time Jesus appointed Andrew to act as director of the group, he said to him: “And now I desire that you assign two or three of your associates to be with me and to remain by my side, to comfort me and to minister to my daily needs.” And Andrew thought best to select for this special duty the next three first-chosen apostles. He would have liked to volunteer for such a blessed service himself, but the Master had already given him his commission; so he immediately directed that Peter, James, and John attach themselves to Jesus. 139:4.4 (1554.2) John Zebedee had many lovely traits of character, but one which was not so lovely was his inordinate but usually well-concealed conceit. His long association with Jesus made many and great changes in his character. This conceit was greatly lessened, but after growing old and becoming more or less childish, this self-esteem reappeared to a certain extent, so that, when engaged in directing Nathan in the writing of the Gospel which now bears his name, the aged apostle did not hesitate repeatedly to refer to himself as the “disciple whom Jesus loved.” In view of the fact that John came nearer to being the chum of Jesus than any other earth mortal, that he was his chosen personal representative in so many matters, it is not strange that he should have come to regard himself as the “disciple whom Jesus loved” since he most certainly knew he was the disciple whom Jesus so frequently trusted. 139:4.5 (1554.3) The strongest trait in John’s character was his dependability; he was prompt and courageous, faithful and devoted. His greatest weakness was this characteristic conceit. He was the youngest member of his father’s family and the youngest of the apostolic group. Perhaps he was just a bit spoiled; maybe he had been humored slightly too much. But the John of after years was a very different type of person than the self-admiring and arbitrary young man who joined the ranks of Jesus’ apostles when he was twenty-four. 139:4.6 (1554.4) Those characteristics of Jesus which John most appreciated were the Master’s love and unselfishness; these traits made such an impression on him that his whole subsequent life became dominated by the sentiment of love and brotherly devotion. He talked about love and wrote about love. This “son of thunder” became the “apostle of love”; and at Ephesus, when the aged bishop was no longer able to stand in the pulpit and preach but had to be carried to church in a chair, and when at the close of the service he was asked to say a few words to the believers, for years his only utterance was, “My little children, love one another.” 139:4.7 (1554.5) John was a man of few words except when his temper was aroused. He thought much but said little. As he grew older, his temper became more subdued, better controlled, but he never overcame his disinclination to talk; he never fully mastered this reticence. But he was gifted with a remarkable and creative imagination. 139:4.8 (1555.1) There was another side to John that one would not expect to find in this quiet and introspective type. He was somewhat bigoted and inordinately intolerant. In this respect he and James were much alike — they both wanted to call down fire from heaven on the heads of the disrespectful Samaritans. When John encountered some strangers teaching in Jesus’ name, he promptly forbade them. But he was not the only one of the twelve who was tainted with this kind of self-esteem and superiority consciousness. 139:4.9 (1555.2) John’s life was tremendously influenced by the sight of Jesus’ going about without a home as he knew how faithfully he had made provision for the care of his mother and family. John also deeply sympathized with Jesus because of his family’s failure to understand him, being aware that they were gradually withdrawing from him. This entire situation, together with Jesus’ ever deferring his slightest wish to the will of the Father in heaven and his daily life of implicit trust, made such a profound impression on John that it produced marked and permanent changes in his character, changes which manifested themselves throughout his entire subsequent life. 139:4.10 (1555.3) John had a cool and daring courage which few of the other apostles possessed. He was the one apostle who followed right along with Jesus the night of his arrest and dared to accompany his Master into the very jaws of death. He was present and near at hand right up to the last earthly hour and was found faithfully carrying out his trust with regard to Jesus’ mother and ready to receive such additional instructions as might be given during the last moments of the Master’s mortal existence. One thing is certain, John was thoroughly dependable. John usually sat on Jesus’ right hand when the twelve were at meat. He was the first of the twelve really and fully to believe in the resurrection, and he was the first to recognize the Master when he came to them on the seashore after his resurrection. 139:4.11 (1555.4) This son of Zebedee was very closely associated with Peter in the early activities of the Christian movement, becoming one of the chief supporters of the Jerusalem church. He was the right-hand support of Peter on the day of Pentecost. 139:4.12 (1555.5) Several years after the martyrdom of James, John married his brother’s widow. The last twenty years of his life he was cared for by a loving granddaughter. 139:4.13 (1555.6) John was in prison several times and was banished to the Isle of Patmos for a period of four years until another emperor came to power in Rome. Had not John been tactful and sagacious, he would undoubtedly have been killed as was his more outspoken brother James. As the years passed, John, together with James the Lord’s brother, learned to practice wise conciliation when they appeared before the civil magistrates. They found that a “soft answer turns away wrath.” They also learned to represent the church as a “spiritual brotherhood devoted to the social service of mankind” rather than as “the kingdom of heaven.” They taught loving service rather than ruling power — kingdom and king. 139:4.14 (1555.7) When in temporary exile on Patmos, John wrote the Book of Revelation, which you now have in greatly abridged and distorted form. This Book of Revelation contains the surviving fragments of a great revelation, large portions of which were lost, other portions of which were removed, subsequent to John’s writing. It is preserved in only fragmentary and adulterated form. 139:4.15 (1555.8) John traveled much, labored incessantly, and after becoming bishop of the Asia churches, settled down at Ephesus. He directed his associate, Nathan, in the writing of the so-called “Gospel according to John,” at Ephesus, when he was ninety-nine years old. Of all the twelve apostles, John Zebedee eventually became the outstanding theologian. He died a natural death at Ephesus in A.D. 103 when he was one hundred and one years of age. 5. Philip the Curious 139:5.1 (1556.1) Philip was the fifth apostle to be chosen, being called when Jesus and his first four apostles were on their way from John’s rendezvous on the Jordan to Cana of Galilee. Since he lived at Bethsaida, Philip had for some time known of Jesus, but it had not occurred to him that Jesus was a really great man until that day in the Jordan valley when he said, “Follow me.” Philip was also somewhat influenced by the fact that Andrew, Peter, James, and John had accepted Jesus as the Deliverer. 139:5.2 (1556.2) Philip was twenty-seven years of age when he joined the apostles; he had recently been married, but he had no children at this time. The nickname which the apostles gave him signified “curiosity.” Philip was always wanting to be shown. He never seemed to see very far into any proposition. He was not necessarily dull, but he lacked imagination. This lack of imagination was the great weakness of his character. He was a commonplace and matter-of-fact individual. 139:5.3 (1556.3) When the apostles were organized for service, Philip was made steward; it was his duty to see that they were at all times supplied with provisions. And he was a good steward. His strongest characteristic was his methodical thoroughness; he was both mathematical and systematic. 139:5.4 (1556.4) Philip came from a family of seven, three boys and four girls. He was next to the oldest, and after the resurrection he baptized his entire family into the kingdom. Philip’s people were fisherfolk. His father was a very able man, a deep thinker, but his mother was of a very mediocre family. Philip was not a man who could be expected to do big things, but he was a man who could do little things in a big way, do them well and acceptably. Only a few times in four years did he fail to have food on hand to satisfy the needs of all. Even the many emergency demands attendant upon the life they lived seldom found him unprepared. The commissary department of the apostolic family was intelligently and efficiently managed. 139:5.5 (1556.5) The strong point about Philip was his methodical reliability; the weak point in his make-up was his utter lack of imagination, the absence of the ability to put two and two together to obtain four. He was mathematical in the abstract but not constructive in his imagination. He was almost entirely lacking in certain types of imagination. He was the typical everyday and commonplace average man. There were a great many such men and women among the multitudes who came to hear Jesus teach and preach, and they derived great comfort from observing one like themselves elevated to an honored position in the councils of the Master; they derived courage from the fact that one like themselves had already found a high place in the affairs of the kingdom. And Jesus learned much about the way some human minds function as he so patiently listened to Philip’s foolish questions and so many times complied with his steward’s request to “be shown.” 139:5.6 (1556.6) The one quality about Jesus which Philip so continuously admired was the Master’s unfailing generosity. Never could Philip find anything in Jesus which was small, niggardly, or stingy, and he worshiped this ever-present and unfailing liberality. 139:5.7 (1557.1) There was little about Philip’s personality that was impressive. He was often spoken of as “Philip of Bethsaida, the town where Andrew and Peter live.” He was almost without discerning vision; he was unable to grasp the dramatic possibilities of a given situation. He was not pessimistic; he was simply prosaic. He was also greatly lacking in spiritual insight. He would not hesitate to interrupt Jesus in the midst of one of the Master’s most profound discourses to ask an apparently foolish question. But Jesus never reprimanded him for such thoughtlessness; he was patient with him and considerate of his inability to grasp the deeper meanings of the teaching. Jesus well knew that, if he once rebuked Philip for asking these annoying questions, he would not only wound this honest soul, but such a reprimand would so hurt Philip that he would never again feel free to ask questions. Jesus knew that on his worlds of space there were untold billions of similar slow-thinking mortals, and he wanted to encourage them all to look to him and always to feel free to come to him with their questions and problems. After all, Jesus was really more interested in Philip’s foolish questions than in the sermon he might be preaching. Jesus was supremely interested in men, all kinds of men. 139:5.8 (1557.2) The apostolic steward was not a good public speaker, but he was a very persuasive and

Are we saved by faith alone? What about our works? In this message, Pastor Nirup will show us that the Bible indeed states that we are saved by faith alone. Though James speaks to this, he is clear that it is a certain kind of faith - a faith that produces works. James will show us that faith without works is useless, dead, and cannot save.

We Offend All Series - Part 1: Though James was speaking specifically to leaders that encompasses all of us to a certain degree. We all lead something. Furthermore, James finally encircled "any man". One thing is certain that he shared "in MANY things WE offend ALL". This may burden us or relieve us. Either way it relates a common thread for humanity.

Well, I think you can tell from the selection of hymns this morning that emphasized the Word of God, thats what were going to be talking about specifically, When You Hear the Word. Please open your Bibles up to James 1. We have been on this series for a while, and we have a while to go. Were in about Week 5, but were still in Chapter 1, so well be here for a while. I built my home about 18, 20 years ago. We put a big mirror in there. The mirror that was put in there when we built the house, I think, is still the mirror thats hanging in the bathroom now. That mirror really hasnt changed in the last almost two decades, but I have. Ive changed. I dont look the same when I look in that mirror anymore. I have less hair on my head. I have more wrinkles. I dont know if I had any wrinkles when the house was built 20 years ago, but I have some wrinkles. That mirror has told me about the gray coming in my beard a little bit. It tells me when its time to cut back on the Culvers sundaes, or it can tell me when Im doing good too. It can tell me, Hey, you know youre eating right and exercising. Its starting to show. There have been good days too. Its showed me my bad hair days and my good hair days, which are few and far between. As I look in that mirror, I think, You know, I dont always like what I see reflected back at me, especially in the morning when I get up. Its like, What in the world? How am I gonna do anything with this? It speaks the truth, doesnt it? Like it or not, it reflects back to us an accurate representation of what we look like so that we can work on this project so that we can make the necessary changes that we need to. Imagine life without a mirror. Imagine if it was just all guesswork or if you had to rely on somebody in your family as a mirror. How do I look? Hows my hair? Well, thank God for the mirror. It speaks the truth. Its brutally honest, but it serves a necessary role in our lives. I can tell from looking at you that you used a mirror today. You do not look the way that you did when you woke up this morning, and were all thankful for that. Lets talk about the mirror of Gods Word. Thats the analogy that James uses, and its a very fitting one. Lets take a look. Were going to re-read the verses from last week simply because of the context that we need to establish. Because this weeks Passage is connected to last weeks Passage, its important that we read them together (James 1:19, page 1196 of pew Bibles), My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry, for mans anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the Word planted in you, which can save you. Do not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the Word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it-he will be blessed in what he does. The first thing we want to establish is focusing on Verse 21. It says, Therefore, getting rid of all moral filth and it uses the word that describes taking off dirty clothing as if you were working hard. You were painting or something, and your clothes need to be rid of. Thats the word he uses-get rid of all moral filth and evil that is prevalent and humbly accept the Word planted in you, which can save you. At face value, this appears to be two steps, doesnt it? There is the removing step, and there is the receiving step. He says first you remove filth and wickedness, and then you receive the Word; but really this is a simultaneous step. These two steps happen at the same time-really one shortly before the other because a decision to remove filth or wickedness, as he calls it, is a decision called repentance. The process of righteousness forming in our lives and being cleansed is forgiveness and sanctification. Those things happen at the same time. Ill illustrate it for you this way. If we are going to say, Im going to have the Word planted in me, which can save me, notice the comparison he makes. He says, Sin planted in you gives birth, matures and leads to death, but the Word of God planted in you leads to life. He makes that contrast. If I say, I need to get my act together and get rid of all of this stuff. Then I can plant the Word of God, that doesnt work. It has to be at the same time. Lets say you have been out working. You have some sort of project. Youve been working in the yard or garage. You come into the house. Youre grimy, dirty, sweaty, and icky. Someone looks at you and says, You need to take a bath or a shower or something because you are filthy! You say, Oh, no. Im way too dirty to take a bath! Really, what I need to do is just calm down and dry off. When I feel a little cleaner, when I feel a little better about myself, then Ill take a shower. You say, What? It doesnt work that way, right? Its the process of you acknowledging that youre dirty, acknowledging that you need to be cleansed. Then you step into the shower. The warm water, the soap, and the shampoo-as you submit to that, as you yield to that-it begins to work in you and on you and cleanse you. Those two things happen at the same time. Its the stepping into the shower and applying the soap that cleanses you. We dont apply this logic in other areas of our lives. If we say to someone, Youre coughing and hacking. You have a fever. You need to go see a doctor. Im too sick to go to the doctor. Really, when I get better, then Ill go see the doctor; but right now, Im just too embarrassed. I just dont feel right. When I feel better, then Ill go, cough, cough, cough. Well, that doesnt make sense because the hospital and the doctors are for sick people. A bath and a shower are for dirty people. The Word of God is for sinners. Yet how many times have we heard somebody say, Why dont you come to church? Why dont read the Word? Well, when I get my life together… If I come in now, the roofs going to fall down at the church! Right now, I have some things in my life that just arent right. When I get my act together and I stop doing this, stop doing that, and stop hanging out over here-when I get my ducks in a row-Ill feel better. I dont want to be a hypocrite. Things are just not right in my life. I dont want the roof to fall down! How many times have you heard that? Yeah. Some of you maybe even said that. I dont know, but its kind of like saying, Im too dirty to take a shower. You come to God as you are. You come to God with your shortcomings; you come to God spiritually dirty, needing to be cleansed. Thats the whole point, and you cannot cleanse yourself! Youre the one that got yourself into the mess in the first place. Youre the one that got the dirt on your soul in the first place, so how in the world are you going to be the one to cleanse yourself and keep yourself cleansed? So we get this logic completely backwards. We just dont apply this in any other aspect of life, yet we do in regards to spiritual matters; and its really a deception, and its a deception that works quite well so the enemy keeps using it because people buy into it. They think that somehow before I begin to act on the Word and apply the Word, I have to be some sort of a saint first, and its not going to happen. It just keeps them in this spiritual state that they dont want to be in, so you come to Christ as you are and allow the sanctification of His Holy Spirit, the cleansing power of His blood, and the presence of His Word to cleanse you and change you, so James says that we accept it. There are a couple words here that I think are important that I want to talk about. Number one, he says were to humbly accept the Word. What does that mean-humbly accept? Its interesting. This is one of the words that they had a really difficult time translating. It just seemed like it wasnt a good English equivalent to describe what it means. This word is translated different ways when its used in the New Testament. Really what James is trying to do is establish an opposite here. He says this anger does not bring about the righteousness of God; however humbly accepting the Word does. This word humble really is the opposite of the word anger. Normally we dont think of humble as the opposite of anger. It really isnt. This word in the Greek really is the opposite. It means to be contrite. It means to be meek. Its a word that means to be serene. Its interesting that when you look at the Beatitudes and where Jesus says, Blessed are the meek, for the meek shall inherit the earth, the word that is translated meek and the Beatitudes in Matthew 5 is the same word that is translated into humble here. Its the exact same word, so gently, meekly, calmly, surrender-thats the kind of thing hes trying to get at here. He says were to accept the Word of God implanted. Now he does not come out and say the Word of God is a seed, but thats what this word implies, right? Its implanted. The word planted in you. Whats planted? Seeds are planted. Though James does not come out and say seed, it is implicit in the text that hes talking about the Word of God as a seed-which Christ of course would have done in the parable of the sower. Now when we call to humbly accept, there are two aspects involved in accepting the Word of God. I want you to keep your place in James but lets turn to Matthew 13 and take a look at the parable of the sower where we talk about accepting the Word of God (page 968 of pew Bibles). We are privileged of course to have the interpretation of the parable of the sower. Parable-the word literally means to lay alongside, so its an earthly story with a Heavenly meaning. When Jesus told the parable to the first audience, He didnt give them the explanation. They had to go home and think, Well, what does all this mean? Jesus would say, He who has ears to hear, let him hear. In other words, Ponder-think about what Ive said. The Disciples, theyre privileged to have the inside scoop. Hes able to explain the parable, so we benefit from that in Verse 18. Jesus says, Listen to what the parable of the sower means: When anyone hears the message about the Kingdom and does not… what? …understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path. So what is the first necessary aspect of accepting the Word? I must…understand it. I must understand the message. If I dont understand the message, you cannot accept what you do not understand. If I say to you this morning, Dios le bendice, how many of you receive that today? A couple of you did. I just said God bless you, and dont be impressed because thats about all I know. I learned that when we went to Mexico as a youth pastor, and they all thought I spoke Spanish. They started talking to me, and I just kept repeating myself. Thank you. Dios le bendice. I dont know anymore. I said God bless you, but you cannot receive that blessing because you didnt understand what I was saying. Thats why its really imperative that we understand what Gods Word says. Thats why at our church-if youve been coming to our church long enough-you realize were in the Bible every weekend. Were not just talking about it. We have it open, and were looking at it. Were studying what it says. Were studying the Scripture, the context, the words, the history, the background. We really want to understand what God is communicating to us. We have classes, discipleship classes, and small groups dedicated to understanding what Gods Word says. Why? Because that is the first step in receiving it. Its the first step in it being implanted. It cannot be implanted if I do not understand it. Well, lack of understanding will abort the seed that has been planted. We want to rightly understand the Word of God. The second aspect of accepting the Word of God is implicit in this text. Jesus goes on and says that the second seed (Verse 20), The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the Word and at once receives it with joy. But it has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the Word, he quickly falls away. He doesnt apply the Word. The one who received the seed that fell along the thorns is the man who hears the Word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. He doesnt really apply the Word. He understands it, hears it, but does not apply it. But the one who received the seed that fell on the good soil is the man who hears the Word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. Hes planted the seed. He has applied the Word. We know hes applied the Word because hes bearing fruit. You cannot bear fruit unless you have acted upon the Word; so this man, this person, has acted upon the Word of God. That's what I want to get us to do today. Regardless of how unworthy we think we are, regardless of how sometimes our attitudes can be so wrong or our thinking so messed up, wherever you are in your spiritual state, act upon the Word. Take that step of faith. Trust God to meet you where you are. Dont wait for perfect conditions. Dont wait until you think you have your act together before you act on the Word of God because that day will never come. Its as we act in faith that God meets us where we are. He honors our faith. He honors His Word, and He begins to cleanse us, to strengthen us, and guide us. As the old saying goes, You cant steer a parked car. You have to put that car in gear you have to move forward; you have to act on Gods Word. Lets move back to James. He says to us in Verse 22 (back to page 1196), Do not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Its not enough just to listen to a sermon. You cant just walk out of here and go, Well, I heard a sermon this morning on this, so check. Done with that. Thats only the beginning. Reading the Word of God or hearing the Word of God-however we hear it-whether we hear it through reading it ourselves or listening, James says thats just a small part. He says, You have to act on it. If you dont, you deceive yourselves. In the Greek, the word means to cheat yourself. Lets pretend for an illustrations sake that I have a weakness for sweets and treats. Its purely hypothetical. One of the things I love about fall coming is apple pies. I love a good hot homemade apple pie on a fall day with a big tall glass of milk or some mode on the side. I dont know what they call it that. I just call it ice cream. Its so good. I just love a good apple pie, so sometimes you walk in the house and theres that, Oh, I know what that is! My wife is making an apple pie. By the way, my 50th birthday is coming up this fall. If any of you make a good apple pie, Ill help you out. My wife comes home, and she says, Theres an apple pie cooking in the oven. I go, Duh! I can smell that. She says, Listen, as soon as the timer goes off, you need to shut that off, turn off the oven, take the apple pie out of the oven, and let it cool off for about 30 minutes before you eat it. Okay? Okay. All right. Ill do that. Now, repeat that back to me. This is something that does happen because sometimes when Im getting told what to do, and I dont mean anything bad by this, but I get Peanuts ears. You know what Peanuts ears are, right? Peanuts ears are when you begin to hear things like how the kids in Peanuts [the cartoon] hear the adults. Whaa, what, whaa, whaa, whaa whaa. You know, shes been talking, but what she has said really hasnt registered. She thinks its registered, and so do I, but it really hasnt; so shell say, Okay, repeat back what I just said. I might say in this illustration, Okay, when the buzzer sounds, I turn off the buzzer. I turn off the oven. I take out the pie, I wait 30 minutes, and I eat it. Good. Okay. So I sit down and relax. It smells wonderful and great, and the buzzer sounds; but I dont arise. Im busy doing other things, and the pie continues baking; but pretty soon it doesnt smell good anymore. Pretty soon it starts to smell like its burnt. That pleasant aroma in the kitchen has been replaced by the smell of smoke. Im not saying this happened (congregation laughing). Im saying this is an illustration. She comes home, and right away she knows that the pie didnt come out of the oven. What did you do? she says. She opens up the oven, and smoke comes billowing out. She pulls out this black, burnt-to-a-crisp, what used to be an apple pie; and she says, Why didnt you take the apple pie out of the oven when the buzzer sounded? I say, I dont know. I was doing other things. Who is hurt by that? Who is cheated by that? I am, you see. Ive just cheated myself out of the blessing of that apple pie I was looking forward to; so when we do not follow the Word of God, we do not follow what Christ says, James says, Youve cheated yourself. Youre robbing yourself of such blessing. Its like if you have a product, and theres the owners manual, and you dont do what the owners manual says. You paid good money for that product, and now its not going to last as long and work as efficiently because you didnt follow the guidelines of the manufacturer. So who is being hurt? You are! If you follow the owners manual and do what the owner says, the Creator who made you, Heres how you live, and you follow that as it reflects back to you Truth, [then] youre the winner. Youve received the blessings of it because God who created you knows how you should live; so you are being deceived. There are a lot of people out there who James says are diluted, who are deceived. Theyre rejecting the very Word that is going to bring them life. He says, Dont be like that. Dont cheat yourself out of Gods blessing. He says, Do you know what a person who does that is? Its really impossible to improve on the word picture hes about to give, so well just simply comment on that. He says, Somebody who does that-do you know what theyre like? Anyone who listens to the Word but does not follow what it says is like a man who looks at his face in the mirror, and after looking at himself he goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. Theres some humor in that. If you think about somebody who walked out in public like that, thats kind of comical. That's a sight to see. He says, What good does it do you to look in a mirror if youre not going to change what you see that needs to be corrected? There was really no point in looking in that mirror. If you become distracted and forget about what you saw and do other things, youre going to look like a fool. Youre going to be unkempt. People are going to think, Boy, he doesnt really care about himself, or she doesnt really care about herself. Ladies, when you put your face on in the morning-putting on your makeup, you need that mirror, right? It tells you where that eye shadow goes or the blush goes, the powder. It allows you to put your face on. It tells you how to do your hair, where to put the curls and all of that. Thats your best friend in the morning, right? Guys, when were shaving, it tells us where to get those whiskers, where to pluck those hairs that are growing where they dont belong, right? It shows us when were brushing or flossing our teeth, Oh, man, theres something there in my teeth. I have to get that out. Whatever it is youre doing, that mirror helps you. When you see that thing that is out of place, When my collar is up in the air or something just doesnt belong, you look in the mirror logically and say, Okay, I need to correct that. Thats what the Word of God does. The Word of God reflects Truth back to us, and it shows us, Okay, heres an attitude I need to change. Heres an action that is destructive. Here are some careless words spoken in anger that I need to make amends for. Lets take last weekends service as an example. We didnt ask for a raise of hands, but we said that many of us in the room would have an anger problem. James says, To help you with your anger problem, there are two steps you need to take. Remember the third step was an outcome of the first two. If you are quick to listen, if you will gather all the facts, listen to both sides, be slow to speak, process that information. Get advice. Think about your response. …then you will be slow to anger. Did you apply that this week? Did you say, Well, you know, thats an area that I need to work on, so Im not going to jump to conclusions. Im not going to make rash judgments. Im going to heed what James said. If you went out and applied that this week in situations, thats wisdom; and you find that it works. You become angry about the things you should be angry about. Then when you should be angry, youre channeling it to the right source in the right way-when youve done what James says to do. If you were here, you listened to that message, and you went out and blew your stack and just totally forgot the message you just heard that Sunday morning, James says, Youre like the guy who looked in the mirror and forgot what he heard. It didnt do you any good. It didnt do you a lick of good. So when the Word of Truth reflects back to us, we act upon what it says. Thats wisdom. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom… Notice that freedom comes from submission to Gods Word. That's the ironic part. How does freedom come? When you submit to what God has said. …looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it… Notice the contrast. In the first example, the man is just glancing in the mirror, forgetting what hes seen. The second example, you are looking intently. Its a different word thats applied here. The person who really wants to change looks intently. When you wake up in the morning, thats probably the time when you look the most intently at the mirror because thats when you need the most work. You need more work at six in the morning than you do at six at night, usually. You are looking intently, and if youre going to look intently, what do you have to do? You have to get close; you have to study; you have to examine. Its not a quick glance. If you really want to change, friends, you have to look closely at the Word of God. You have to examine the Word of God. Its not quick. Its not a glance. Its intent, Intently study. Im getting close, Im examining, and I am acting upon what I read. I am taking that step of faith and obedience and acting upon it. Jesus says, Do you know what youre going to be like? Lets take a look at that parable, Matthew 7. Lets turn to that quickly. Keep James, but turn to Matthew 7. Verse 24 (page 961-962), Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine is like a house on the rock. Is that what He says? I just left some stuff out, didnt I? Whoever hears these words of Mine and tells others what to do is like the house on the rock. No. Whoever hears these words of Mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash. What is the common factor? The common factor is that both of them built a house. In other words, both of them lived their lives, and both of them encountered the hardship of the elements. Just because your house is built on the rock, it doesnt mean the streams wont rise, the rain wont come down, and the winds wont blow. The difference is in the outcome because of the foundation in which the house is built. When the streams rise, when the rain comes down, and when the wind blows, those whose lives are built on the rock will stand. He says if youre not built on the rock, the house falls; so this is very important, very vital for us to understand. We want a house that stands. We want a life that will hold up. If we want to get through trials that are going to come for all of us, we have to build on the rock. Now James ends by saying something here in this Passage that I want us to talk about just briefly, if you would please. Turn back to James. Notice what he says in Verse 25. He says at the end, …he will be blessed in what he does. The word blessed literally means happy. I have heard this spoken many times. Ive read it many times. Somebody will say, You know we dont want to be happy. We want to have joy because happiness comes from the word hap, which means chance or circumstance. We dont want our emotions to be based upon circumstances. We want to choose joy which is consistent regardless of the circumstance. How many have heard that teaching? Okay, a lot of us have. You know what? I think joy is wonderful. We should have joy, but happiness is not a bad thing if youre happy for the right reasons. Jesus spoke about being happy, Heres how youre going to be happy. Heres what you need to do to be happy. If Jesus talked about happiness as something to be desired, and, Heres how you can acquire happiness, then happiness is not something bad. Every time you see Jesus say the word blessed, know He is saying happy. Thats literally what the word means. When the Beatitudes say, Happy is the peacemaker. Happy is the one who is poor in spirit. Happy is the one who hungers and thirsts after righteousness. Happy are the meek for they shall inherit the earth. James says if you do these things, you will be happy. Isnt it amazing how much the little brother sounds like a big brother? Have you noticed that? James is the half-brother of Jesus. I mean hes just so practical, and so much of what he says sounds like his big brother, the stories his big brother would tell. You can see the family resemblance throughout the Book of James. If you want to live a happy life, just follow Gods Word. If were happy about the right things for the right reasons, theres nothing wrong with happiness. Lets pray together, and then were going to reflect on a song that I want you to hear. Father, this morning, we look into the mirror, and it reflects back to us good things. There are some good attitudes, good things we have said and done, and it affirms those things. It reinforces that behavior. We have experienced that inner reward that comes when we act upon Your Word. Lord, sometimes when we look in the mirror, it reflects back to us things that we need to correct, things that are unpleasant, and things we need to bring change to; but we know that we cannot do it in and of ourselves. We must submit and yield to the Word, plant it in our soul, and act upon it in faith. I ask You to partner with us as we seek to become like Christ. So, Father, this morning, I pray that that is the hearts desire of everyone who is here. In Christs name we pray, Amen. So this message really is the kind of message that asks for a response. I want this song to be a response. I want you to reflect on its message, its chorus, and then well come up and close. Lets go ahead and play this song. (Clip for Undo can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stT0WzeXrLU&ob=av2n). Would you stand with me? By the way, Brenda thank you for making that media for us. It was very well done. It really got the job done. Lets bow for prayer. Before I pray, if youre sitting here this morning and saying, There are some things I need to work on in my life, Pastor, I want to agree in prayer that as I reflect on Gods Word and it mirrors back to me, I have some areas I need to work on. I have some areas I need to change, and Im asking you to pray for me that Ill take the steps that I need to take to make those changes, can I see your hands? Ill pray with you. Father, I thank You for those honest hands, those honest hearts. I pray that You would help them through Your Spirit, through Your Word, and through their actions to take the necessary steps, act upon Your Word that they could build their house on the right foundation. Lord, the storms that come are going to come. We cant stop them, but, Lord, we can help determine the outcome of that storm and whether we stand or fall if we stood upon the rock. Father, help us not to be people who have looked at the mirror, saw what needed to be changed, and did nothing; people who know that its not the hearing of the Word only, but its the hearing and acting. Help us to heed James wise counsel today. In Jesus name, we pray, Amen.