Love Worth Finding | Audio Program

How to Pray for Friends and Influence People (0525)
Your friends need your prayers. Nothing lies beyond the reach of prayer except that that lies outside the will of God.

Sermon Overview
Scripture Passage: James 5:16-18

The importance of prayer cannot be understated. It is our greatest privilege as Christians, and oftentimes, our greatest failure. We are instructed in Scripture to pray for one another. How do we pray for our friends and influence people through our prayers?

James 5:16 says, “Confess your faults one to another and pray one for another that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”

First, there is a confession we must make. It is our human nature to cover up our faults. But when we confess our sins to one another, we usher in restoration, or healing. Whether it be healing of the soul or spirit, when we begin to confess our sins, God begins to move in and work.

After we claim our faults, we can be reconciled with God and each other; then, revival can occur. We must mind the command to pray for one another. Somebody has said, “The Christian army is the only army in the world that shoots its wounded.” This is not okay! We are not to criticize; we’re to help, lift and boost one another up through prayer, that we may all be healed.

To see our prayers answered, we must meet a few conditions. When we pray, we’re to be eager, earnest, fervent, impassioned in our prayers, striving toward a goal. They’re to be on fire, intense and plentiful.

Adrian Rogers says, “We give without sacrifice. We pray without fasting. We witness without tears. Is it any wonder that we sow without results?”

The Book of James says that we have not because we ask not. (James 4:2-3) Your friends need your prayers. Nothing lies beyond the reach of prayer except that that lies outside the will of God.

Apply it to your life
When is the last time you prayed for your friends with fervency? Start today. Get alone with God, in holy reverence; knees to the earth, with passion and persistence. Praying for them is the strongest influence you could have on them.

The Bible and Bodily Healing (0524)
Jesus Christ is the answer to every need that a man has: needs for the spirit, the soul and the body. If it is God’s will to heal you, let it be done!

Sermon Overview
Scripture Passage: James 5:10-15

Christians sometimes face illnesses of varying degrees, but there is hope! Jesus Christ is the answer to every need that a man has: needs for the spirit, the soul and the body.

The matter of healing can be complicated. Regardless, we can be certain that in Jesus we have the victory. Though we suffer afflictions, Christians are a victorious people.

What does the Bible say about bodily healing?

First, we must know the cause —not necessarily the diagnosis— of our sickness.

One cause is sin. We, as humans, sometimes pick up some bad habits that intend to bring us harm. These aren’t just external habits, like drinking or smoking. These can be conscious sins, like worry or doubt. Worry to the soul is like sand to machinery: it will destroy you from the inside out.

Satan can cause sickness, for he comes to steal, kill and destroy.

And sometimes, God has a loving purpose for sickness. It could be for us to know His power over our lives, to keep us productive in our faith. It could be to purify or perfect us, or perhaps it is designed to bring praise back to Him. Perhaps you can reach a new level of faith through your sickness, one you would never reach in your health.

There is a procedure believers can follow to seek out bodily healing. The Bible instructs those who are sick to call upon the elders of the church and let themselves be anointed with oil.

In the Bible, oil symbolizes something beautiful: the Holy Spirit. The anointing of oil symbolizes the sanctifying or the setting apart of that person to serve God.

Then, we pray. Adrian Rogers says, “The prayer that gets to heaven is the prayer that starts in heaven.”

If it is God’s will to heal someone, God will give us the faith; and it is the prayer of faith that saves the sick. Do you believe it?

Apply it to your life
Are you or a loved one facing an illness and need God’s supernatural healing? First, recognize the potential cause of the sickness: is it rooted in sin, or could it be for God’s loving purpose? Then, seek out Biblical healing. Call upon the elders of your church, let them anoint your head with oil, and gather a prayer team. If it is God’s will to heal you, let it be done!

Is Your Pocketbook Converted? (0523)
A man's faith, character, and religion can be measured by his attitude toward money.

Sermon Overview
Scripture Passage: James 5:1-8

A man's faith, character, and religion can be measured by his attitude toward money.

The warning found in James 5 is not against money. Rather, it is a warning about a wrong attitude toward money and the misuse of money after a person has secured it by whatever means necessary.

Money is to work for us, we are not to worship it. There are three things to keep in mind when we consider the question: Is Your Pocketbook Converted?

First: Wealth that is stagnant is worthless.

God does not want treasure heaped up. God wants treasure spread out, in circulation. God gives us riches, not to keep them, but to share them. Money that is not used, corrupts.

Second: Wealth that is earned sinfully is wicked.

People who use their wealth and position to oppress the poor will answer for what they have done, for God is always on the side of the oppressed.

Third: Wealth that is selfish is gluttonous.

The Bible is not against us having legitimate pleasures, recreation, rest. The Bible is not against us having a warm meal and beautiful clothes. But the Bible is against living in excess, in self-gratification. The Bible likens these people to hogs being fattened for the slaughter.

In the light of this warning, shouldn't we be wise with our wealth? Shouldn't we take what wealth we have, whether it be wealth of personality, influence, physical strength, prayer power, property or whatever it is, and invest it in the cause of Christ?

How can we make eternal investments? The only way we can get our treasures to heaven is to invest it in the souls of men.

Adrian Rogers says, “What we invest for the Lord Jesus Christ is never lost. What man puts in the soil of service for Christ will bring forth the fruit of righteousness. It pays to serve Jesus. We need to learn how to live for eternity.”

Apply it to your life
What is it that you have that you're not investing for the Lord Jesus Christ? Get it out, use it.

An unused well becomes stagnant. A tool that is not used will rust. A sponge that is not used will harden. It pays to serve Jesus. May we learn to live for eternity.

The Sad Case of the Boastful Businessman (0521)
Submit everything to Him, today. Ask Him what He would have you do. And worship Him through your obedience.

Sermon Overview
Scripture Passage: James 4:13-17

Adrian Rogers says, “The man who says there's no God is a fool. But he may not be the biggest fool. There may be even yet a bigger fool: the man who says there is a God and then doesn't live like it.”

James 4:13-17 shares a great illustration of this through the example of an astute businessman with some very big plans. He knew exactly where he was going, how to get there and how to succeed...at least he thought so.

Yet, in the eyes of God, his success was counted as a failure.

The Bible says it is alright and proper to make a profit. However, this boastful businessman did it all in a spirit of self-sufficiency. He has planned out everything: his time frame, the place, his procedure, even the profits he would make—all without any guidance from the Lord, or any reverence toward Almighty God.

This businessman also made an assumption we should not make: the promise of tomorrow.

Life is fragile. This passage calls life a vapor: it appears for a little while and then vanishes.

We never know when our time is up. Today could quite possibly be our last. It is God and God alone who determines our days.

And finally, we learn from this businessman that despite the seeming success, morality or productivity of one’s life, the sum total of that life without God is sin.

“Therefore, to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not to him it is sin.”

You can do wrong by doing wrong, and you can also do wrong by not doing right.

Adrian Rogers says, “The sin of omission is greater than the sin of commission. Do you know what the greatest sin in the world is: to leave God out of your life; don't you forget it.”

We can’t afford to be self-sufficient, we can’t rely on tomorrow, and we can’t leave God out of our plans. Let us not boast. Instead, let us praise God for His blessings, which are more than we can count.

Apply it to your life
Have you made some grand plans without the counsel of Almighty God? Submit everything to Him, today: your life, your plans, your dreams. Ask Him what He would have you do. And worship Him through your obedience.

How to Pray in the Spirit (0520)
Ask God to teach you how to pray in the Spirit; let the Spirit minister to you, so that it might minister through you as you pray for others.

Sermon Overview
Scripture Passage: James 4:5

When we become Christians, God sends His Holy Spirit to dwell within us. This Spirit exists to promote the kingdom of Christ and uses us to do so. Therefore, we must learn how to pray in the Spirit.

Prayer is the greatest privilege and service a Christian could have. We have the opportunity to speak to God and serve Him through our communication. It is also, at times, the Christian’s greatest failure.

Is it sometimes difficult for you to pray? You love God, you believe in prayer, you know you ought to, but sometimes it’s the hardest thing in the world; why is that? There is something in you that is at war with God: your fleshly nature. And your fleshly nature does not want to pray; it is set against prayer.

Don't deny this weakness; accept it. Believe it or not, your weakness can be an asset. When you are weak, you are dependent upon God, who can do all things. Adrian Rogers tells us, “Praying in the Spirit will change prayer from a weary grudge to a delightsome privilege.”

Praying in the Spirit defeats the enemy of indifference. It defeats ignorance, knowing exactly what needs we ought to pray for. It defeats our inabilities; the Holy Spirit energizes, focuses and equips Christians as they talk to God. Praying in the Spirit overcomes interference from the devil.

The Holy Spirit guides us through our inexpressibility. Sometimes words fail. But the Bible says the Spirit groans and makes intercession for the saints. It knows how to take things that we cannot even utter and help us pray. Again, Adrian Rogers says, “I am the object of the Savior's intercession. He's interceding for me at the right hand of the father. But I am the vehicle of the Spirit's intercession. He is interceding through me on behalf of others.”

The Holy Spirit ministers to us, that He might minister through us. God wants to raise up a people that know how to intercede, so that this world might feel the impact of a holy church in the hands of a mighty God.

Apply it to your life
Spend some time today in prayer. Ask God to teach you how to pray in the Spirit; let the Spirit minister to you, so that it might minister through you as you pray for others.

Victorious Prayer (0519)
Our prayers must be fervent. It is time that we prayed with urgency. Only then will we see a victorious prayer life.

Sermon Overview
Scripture Passage: James 4:1-2

James 4:2 says, “Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not because ye ask not.”

God wants to bless us, and He does so through prayer. He wants to give us what we need, but sometimes we are too proud to ask for it. We are stuck on being self-sufficient, going about life in our own strength. So when we are weighed down by burdens and problems, we strive, cry, fight and say, “I’m doing everything I know to do.” But have you asked your Father for help? Could the reason that God is not blessing you be as simple as: You have not because you ask not?

We are to pray at all times, without ceasing. Prayerlessness is sin; there is no substitution for it, no excuse not to do it. It is a command from Scripture. God desires a relationship with us; that relationship is sustained through prayer.

Sometimes the problem is not that we don’t offer our prayers—it is that God will not accept them. What makes them unacceptable? They are prayed with the wrong motivation. They are not asked for the glory of God. The motivation behind unacceptable prayers is selfishness and sinfulness. God will not subsidize our sin. He will not underwrite our selfishness.

We can pray for personal needs but we cannot pray for sinful and selfish desires and expect to have our prayers answered. So how can we pray so that our prayers will not be denied?

We must be sensitive to the Spirit. We must submit our lives to the Father, and we must stand against the devil. We are to separate ourselves from the world, and are to be sober in our purpose.

Our prayers must be fervent. It is time that we prayed with urgency. Only then will we see a victorious prayer life.

Apply it to your life
Do you pray with fervency and intensity? Do you see victory in your spiritual walk with Christ? Do you see questions answered? Do you see God making ways where there were none? Perhaps today is a good day to get serious about your time with the Lord.

Wisdom, Wise or Otherwise (0518)

####Sermon Overview
Scripture Passage: James 3:13-18

All throughout Scripture, you will find great value placed upon wisdom. When James addresses the teachers and leaders of the church in James 3:13, he says, “Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you?”

Wisdom and knowledge are always linked together, but wisdom always comes first. Knowledge without wisdom is a dangerous thing. The Bible never tells us to pray for knowledge. Sure, we are to study for knowledge, that we show ourselves approved unto God. But the Bible tells us to pray for wisdom. Adrian Rogers says, “Knowledge is learned, but wisdom is given.”

There are two virtues of true wisdom: first, it is good; second, it is gentle.

If you have godly wisdom, it will show through practical goodness; not by the words in your mouth, rather by the work of your hands. If you have wisdom, you show it by serving others, working as unto the Lord.

Secondly, it shows in your gentleness, or meekness. Meekness is not cowardness, or poor self-esteem. It is an ability—a sweet evenness. When a man is meek, he doesn't look down upon the poor or look up to the rich. He doesn't have to look down upon the ignorant, or up to the educated. He is an even man; a gentleman, looking everyone straight in the eye.

Wisdom that is good and gentle is true; anything else is deceit from the Enemy.

James 3:16 says, "for where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work."

Whatever you claim to have, if it doesn't make you good and gentle, it is not godly wisdom. There is victory in wisdom. It overcomes sin, strife, stubbornness, selfishness, snobbishness, and shame. And where there is victory, there's peace.

James 3:18 says, "And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace."

A wise man is a peacemaker. The war is over and wisdom has won the peace.

####Apply it to your life
Do you have true wisdom from above? Does the wisdom in your heart urge you to obtain knowledge, that you may glorify God with your mind? 1 Peter 1:13 says, “Gird up the loins of your mind.” Take those long, flowing robes of indiscipline and laziness and carelessness and run for all your worth. Apply your mind, love God with all of your mind.

The Meanest Member in Our Church (0517)

####Sermon Overview
Scripture Passage: James 3:1-12

As brothers and sisters in Christ, the things we say to one another can either build us up or destroy us to rubble. With your words, you can proclaim the love of Jesus, or you can be the meanest member of your church.

All throughout Scripture, we are reminded of the power of the tongue —power we can’t even begin to understand. Therefore, every single word we say should be handled with care.

In James 3:1-12, the tongue is compared to the bit in a horse’s mouth, meaning a single word could potentially control the destiny of a man.

It is also compared to the rudder of a ship, which can either bring it into a safe harbor, or over the rocks of disaster.

And it is finally compared to a spark in dry grass. It only takes a spark to get a fire going. There's a chain reaction involved. Fire can warm or fire can burn. Words can bless or words can burn. Words can warm a heart or words can inflame hatred. And a few words wrongly used can start a wildfire.

We will give an account for every reckless word we’ve said one day when we stand before Almighty God. That should frighten us!

Yet, we praise God with the same tongue we use to curse others. Freshwater and saltwater cannot flow through the same spring. It says in James 3 that what is impossible in the physical world ought not to be in the spiritual world.

What can we do about our fiery, uncontrollable tongues? You can’t make your tongue behave. But when you give your heart to Jesus, your tongue can be tamed by the blessed, wonderful, spirit of God.

Adrian Rogers tells us, “What’s in the root of the tree is going to show in the fruit of the tree. What’s in the well will show in the water.”

If you love God, then let it be shown in your speech toward others.

####Apply it to your life
Do you understand the power of the tongue? Do you watch your words and consider every single one of them before you say them? Consider them a little more today. Think before you speak.

The Autopsy of a Dead Faith (0516)

####Sermon Overview
Scripture Passage: James 2:17

Make no mistake about it: we are saved by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and by nothing else.

At first glance, you may think James 2:17 contradicts this statement, for it says, “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.” However, upon a closer look, we will find that nothing could be further from the truth. James is talking about the fruit of our faith, not the root of it.

God can see our hearts and our faith. But man cannot see our hearts or our faith unless proven through works. The only way we can know anything about each other’s faith is what we see them do and hear them say. Therefore, we are justified before God by faith. But we are justified before each other by works.

Adrian Rogers tells us, “Man is saved by faith alone but the faith that saves is never alone.”

So, we have to examine an autopsy of a dead faith so that we can know what a living, breathing, thriving faith looks like for ourselves. A dead faith shows no compassion for others. Real faith gives us love for other people. It changes the way we treat others.

It’s not enough just to believe in God. The devil believes in God, and it causes him to tremble!

You can believe a lot of things about Jesus, but do you know and love Him? Do you bow before Him and call Him the Lord of your life? Have you been transformed by your relationship with Him? Faith that does not change a life and does not root in action is dead.

You're saved by grace, through faith, unto good works. Works don't save; grace saves. Our works are proof that we have faith in the grace of God.

As the metaphor James gives us in chapter 2 states, a body does not have life by acting. It acts because it has life.

####Apply it to your life
After examining the autopsy of a dead faith, can you say for certain that yours is alive? How are you living out your faith today through works? Show compassion to others today. Spend some time in prayer today, and share with someone how your faith has changed your life.

The Strange Case of the Snooty Usher (0514)

####Sermon Overview
Scripture Passage: James 2:1-10

There is nothing that can hurt the kingdom of Christ more than snobbery in church.

When we judge people based on the way they dress or look, we bring severe harm to the Body of Christ. James 2:1-10 warns Believers to not be guilty of showing partiality and favoritism in the church. Whether you're in the business of flattering and fawning over the rich and cultured, or criticizing and gossiping about the poor and down-and-out, you are wrong.

The message is clear: We cannot treat people better or worse due to their economic class.

2 Samuel 16:7 says, “For man looketh on the outward appearance but God looks on the heart.”

In fact, we must remember, Christianity took off, by and large, by what society considered to be uneducated and ignorant people. Jesus was the kind of teacher that the “common people” gravitated towards; He identified much more with them than the aristocrats and religious leaders of the day. He calls the poor chosen by God, rich in faith and heirs to the kingdom.

But just as the Book of James tells us not to put down a poor man, neither should we put down the rich man. What this passage is saying is: “Don't you elevate one person above another. Don't put down the poor, and don't put down the rich.”

Everyone has something to bring to the table in church. The rich man and the poor man must learn to serve alongside each other, and ultimately, serve one another.

Adrian Rogers says, “We may be different as to calling and different as to appointment and different as to job, but in the sight of God, everybody is somebody when Jesus Christ is Lord.”

So what is the command for both the rich and the poor? “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” (Matthew 22:39)

When we have nothing but contagious love in our hearts for each other, we will not be partial amongst ourselves. You can’t run out of that kind of love; it only multiplies. That is how the church grows.

####Apply it to your life
Do you find yourself judging your brothers and sisters in Christ based on the way they look or how much money they have? Repent of this; ask for forgiveness, and love your neighbor as yourself.