Part 8 - "Do Not Show Favoritism"

James 2:1-13 NIV

My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism.Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in.If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,”have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court?Are they not the ones who are blaspheming the noble name of him to whom you belong?If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right.But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers.For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.For he who said, “You shall not commit adultery,” also said, “You shall not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedombecause judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

What is Favoritism? (Write down a definition)


Why is Favoritism Wrong?

1. Favoritism does not reflect the Gospel of Jesus Christ. (2:1)


2. Favoritism conflicts with God's Values (2:5-7)


3. Favoritism violates the "Royal Law" (2:8)


How do we avoid favoritism? (2:12-13)

1. Live like we know we will given an account to Christ.


2. Live like people who have received undeserved love, grace and mercy.


What do you need to do or change in response to God's Word today?

Part 7 - "A Faith that Works."

James 2:14-26 NIV

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them?Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food.If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds.You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless?Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did.And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend.You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction?As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

3 Marks of a Fake or Dead Faith:
1) Empty Words
2) Empty Heart
3) Empty Belief

Do you have a real faith that works?

Part 6 "Be a Listener AND a Doer of the Word"

21Therefore, 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.
22Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.

Why do we sometimes have to convince BELIEVERS to live like BELIEVERS?

What do YOU see when you look into the MIRROR of the Word of God

Part 5 - Anger Does Not Produce a Righteous Life

James 1:19-20 NLT

Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires.

James 1:20 NLT

Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires.

Proverbs 15:1 NLT

A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare.

Proverbs 17:28 NLT

Even fools are thought wise when they keep silent; with their mouths shut, they seem intelligent.

Galatians 5:19-21 NLT

When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasuresidolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, divisionenvy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

How can we put this simple life principle into practice?

(1) Pray every day for transformation – for the “fruit of the Holy Spirit” to grow in our lives.

(2) Work at becoming a better active listener. Go back and listen to that part of the sermon this week, since you’re probably going to forget most of what I said this morning before you even get to your car.

(3) Make a personal commitment be “quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry” because anger does not produce a righteous life.

Part 4 - "God is Always Good"

James 1:17-18 NIV

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits of all he created.

If the GIFT if from God, then the GIFT is GOOD because God is always GOOD!

Romans 8:22-23 NIV

We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies.

2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

Revelation 21:1-4 NIV

Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

What difference does this make in our lives? What happens when we doubt or forget that God is always good? The examples of David and Joseph give us the answer!

2 Samuel 12:7-9 NIV

Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man! This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul.I gave your master’s house to you, and your master’s wives into your arms. I gave you all Israel and Judah. And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more.Why did you despise the word of the LORD by doing what is evil in his eyes? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own. You killed him with the sword of the Ammonites.

Genesis 39:6-9 NIV

So Potiphar left everything he had in Joseph’s care; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate. Now Joseph was well-built and handsomeand after a while his master’s wife took notice of Joseph and said, “Come to bed with me!”But he refused. “With me in charge,” he told her, “my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care.No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?”

"If the gift is from God, then the gift is good because God is always good!"

CHALLENGE: Flip the phrase... "If the gift is good, then the gift is from God." This week look for as many good gifts in your life that you can find and express thanks to God for them. See if it makes a difference in your life this week.

Part 3 - "Dealing With Temptation"

James 1:13-16 NLT

And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else.Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away.These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.So don’t be misled, my dear brothers and sisters.

Temptation is a TEST we cannot afford to FAIL!

Trials and Temptations are both TESTS but they are different is significant ways...

Trials and Temptations come from DIFFERENT SOURCES

Trials and Temptations lead to DIFFERENT RESULTS

Trials and Temptations demand DIFFERENT RESPONSES

HOW DO WE HAVE VICTORY OVER TEMPTATION?
1. We need JESUS!
2. We need the WORD OF GOD!
3. We need the HOLY SPIRIT!
4. We need to realize we are in a FIGHT!

1 Corinthians 10:13 NLT

The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.

Part 2 - "Choosing Joy in the Trials"

James 1:2 NIV

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds

What are TRIALS? Trials are the unwelcomed, unanticipated, unpleasant experiences of life. Trials are the moments and seasons of life that are not IDEAL. Trials are the HARD DAYS of life.

TRIALS TEST OUR FAITH

TRIALS STRENGTHEN OUR FAITH

James 1:3-12 NIV

because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.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.That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position.But the rich should take pride in their humiliation—since they will pass away like a wild flower.For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich will fade away even while they go about their business.Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

Part 1 - "Choosing Service Over Status"

James 1:1 NLT

This letter is from James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. I am writing to the “twelve tribes”—Jewish believers scattered abroad. Greetings!

James chose SERVICE over STATUS!

Matthew 13:55 NLT

Then they scoffed, “He’s just the carpenter’s son, and we know Mary, his mother, and his brothers—James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas.

1 Corinthians 15:7 NLT

Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles.

Acts of the Apostles 1:12-14 NLT

Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, a distance of half a mile.When they arrived, they went to the upstairs room of the house where they were staying. Here are the names of those who were present: Peter, John, James, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, James (son of Alphaeus), Simon (the zealot), and Judas (son of James).They all met together and were constantly united in prayer, along with Mary the mother of Jesus, several other women, and the brothers of Jesus.

“What makes you special? What do you want to be known for? When you walk into a room; when people hear your name; how do you want to be thought of?”

Could we choose SERVICE over STATUS? Could we choose to be a "servant leader"? What would that look like in our everyday lives?

Build The Boat - Noah, The Righteous Man

Esther 4:14 NLT

If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?”

Genesis 6:5-8 NLT

The LORD observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil.So the LORD was sorry he had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke his heart.And the LORD said, “I will wipe this human race I have created from the face of the earth. Yes, and I will destroy every living thing—all the people, the large animals, the small animals that scurry along the ground, and even the birds of the sky. I am sorry I ever made them.”But Noah found favor with the LORD.

Genesis 6:22 NLT

So Noah did everything exactly as God had commanded him.

BUILD THE BOAT

Noah followed ALL of God's instructions, exactly as He commanded them.

Genesis 7:6-7 NLT

Noah was 600 years old when the flood covered the earth.He went on board the boat to escape the flood—he and his wife and his sons and their wives.

BUILD THE BOAT

Noah made a Generational Impact!

Genesis 7:22-24 NLT

Everything that breathed and lived on dry land died.God wiped out every living thing on the earth—people, livestock, small animals that scurry along the ground, and the birds of the sky. All were destroyed. The only people who survived were Noah and those with him in the boat.And the floodwaters covered the earth for 150 days.

BUILD THE BOAT

When everything around him was being destroyed, Noah remained steadfast!

Genesis 8:13-20 NLT

Noah was now 601 years old. On the first day of the new year, ten and a half months after the flood began, the floodwaters had almost dried up from the earth. Noah lifted back the covering of the boat and saw that the surface of the ground was drying.Two more months went by, and at last the earth was dry!Then God said to Noah“Leave the boat, all of you—you and your wife, and your sons and their wives.Release all the animals—the birds, the livestock, and the small animals that scurry along the ground—so they can be fruitful and multiply throughout the earth.”So Noah, his wife, and his sons and their wives left the boat.And all of the large and small animals and birds came out of the boat, pair by pair.Then Noah built an altar to the LORD, and there he sacrificed as burnt offerings the animals and birds that had been approved for that purpose.

BUILD THE BOAT

After the storm, Noah worshipped God and built an altar.

Genesis 9:12-17 NLT

Then God said, “I am giving you a sign of my covenant with you and with all living creatures, for all generations to come.I have placed my rainbow in the clouds. It is the sign of my covenant with you and with all the earth.When I send clouds over the earth, the rainbow will appear in the cloudsand I will remember my covenant with you and with all living creatures. Never again will the floodwaters destroy all life.When I see the rainbow in the clouds, I will remember the eternal covenant between God and every living creature on earth.”Then God said to Noah, “Yes, this rainbow is the sign of the covenant I am confirming with all the creatures on earth.”

BUILD THE BOAT

God provided a promise!

Matthew 24:37-39 NLT

“When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day.In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat.People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes.

Part 5 - "Look in the Tomb. What do you SEE?"

John 20:24-29 NIV

Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came.So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!”Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

John 20:1-10 NIV

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance.So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb.Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in.Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying thereas well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen.Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed.(They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.)Then the disciples went back to where they were staying.

John uses THREE different words for "SEEING"

1. "Blepo"

2. "Theoreo"

3. "Eidon"

Which word best describes how YOU SEE the empty tomb?

Look at your own LIFE. What do you "SEE"?

Merely seeing the empty tomb may not change who you believe, but truly believing will absolutely change what you SEE!