Maturing In Christ Series: Don’t Kid Yourself James 1:19-27

In the previous messages in this series these questions should have been considered by each of us:
1. Am I becoming more patient in the testings of life?
2. Do I play with temptation or resist it.
In this message the question that is posed is, Do I find joy in obeying the Word of God, or do I merely study and learn it?

I. Receive the Word 1:19-21
It is a matter of the heart Matthew 13:1-9 and 18-23
1. A hard heart
2. A shallow heart
3. A crowded heart
4. A fruitful heart
We must be:
1. Swift to hear
2. Slow to speak
3. Slow to anger
James saw the fruitful heart as one that was prepared to receive the message of God’s Word.

II. Practice the Word 1:22-25
1. Examination:
A. Don’t just take a glance of yourself
B. Don’t just glance at the Word of God
C. Don’t fail to be obedient to the Word of God
2. Restoration
A. Cleansing of the priests
B. Nathan confronting David
3. Transformation
A. 2 Corinthians 3:18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
B. Romans 12:2 Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.
C. Psalm 139:23-24 If we say that we have no sin we deceive ourselves, and the truth
is not in us.

III. Share the Word 1:26-27
The word ‘religion’ means the outward practice.
It is concerning to our:
1. Speech
2. Service
3. Separation from the world

I ask you again: Do you find joy in obeying the Word of God, or do you merely study it to learn it?

Maturity In Christ Series: Tackling Temptation James 1:13-18

“The mature person is patient in trials. Sometimes the trials are testings on the outside, and sometimes they are temptations on the inside.” ---- Warren Wiersbe

God tested Abraham in the offering of Isaac. God might test us but He never tempts us.
There are three barriers that God has placed in our path to keep us from sin. We determine if we will or will not cross over them.

I. The Wall of God’s Judgement 1:13-16
1. A temptation is an opportunity to accomplish a good or pleasant thing by doing it the wrong
way.
A. To get a job or promotion
B. To pass a test or make money
2. The act of sinning is not a single step, but a process we carry out.
A. Desire–lust –want
B. Deception – 1:14 “drawn away and enticed”
(1) No animal into a trap willingly
(2) No fish bites a hook with understanding
C. Disobedience
D. Death
The more that we follow this method and get desired results, the more we will tend to rely on it to gain gratification and solve our problems.
“Whenever you are faced with temptation, get your eyes off the bait and look ahead to the consequences of the judgement of God.

II. The Wall of he Goodness of God 1:17
“One of the tricks of the enemy (the devil) is to get us to thinking that God is holding out on us.” – Wiersbe
1. The serpent in the garden
2. The temptation of Jesus
A. God only gives good gifts.
B. The way god gives is good.
C. God gives consistently.
D. God does not change.
“The next time you are tempted, think about the goodness of God.” --Wiersbe

III. The Wall of God’s Devine Nature 1:18
1. We have been born into His nature.
2. It was given to us through grace.
3. It was given to us through God’s Word.
4. It is the best of all possible births.
The next time you are tempted, think about your spiritual rebirth.
Conclusion: Mature believers do not blame God for their sinful fall.

Maturity In Christ

Series: Maturity In Christ

Introduction: Whish James Wrote it?

1. The Writer of the letter of James is not the one who was one of the sons of Zebedee the brother of John.
2. This is not the first James that gave his life as a martyr for the cause of Christ. He was killed at
the order of Herod the King in A.D. 44 prior to this book being written.
3. It was not the James who was depicted as being the father of Judas. The only reason he is mentioned is to depict him from Judas Iscariot the betrayer, a distinction he, no doubt, was happy to have.
4. The most likely candidate for being the writer is James the brother, or rather, half-brother of our LORD. He was not a follower of Christ until just before or just after the crucifixion of Jesus. However, by the time that Peter was forced to leave Jerusalem, James was already a person who was highly valued in the Church and poised to be a leader. He was a man of prayer who spent so much time on his knees that he was dubbed “old camel knees”.

The following outline for this study is adapted from Warren Wiersbe’s book, “Be Mature” 1979 by Victor Books, Wheaton, IL

Theme: Spiritual Maturity
Key Verse: James 1:4
Preaching series: The Marks of a Mature Christian
I. He Is Patient in Testing.
1. Trails on the outside 1:1-12
2. Temptations on the inside 1:13- 27
II. He Practices the Truth.
1. Faith and Love 2:1-13
2. Faith and works 2:14-26
III. He Has Power Over His Tongue.
1. Exhortation 3:1-2
2. Illustration 3:3-12 (six pictures of the tongue)
3. Application 3:13-18
IV. He Is a Peace Maker Not a Trouble Maker.
1. Three wars 4:1-3
2. Three enemies 4:4-7
3. Three admonitions 4:8-17
V. He Is Prayerful in Troubles.
1. Economic troubles 5:1-9
2. Physical troubles 5:10-16
3. National troubles 5:17-18
4. Church troubles 5:19-20

Sermon1 Maturity In Christ
Gaining Triumph In Trials James 1:1-8
Introduction: Dorthy, Toto, and the Scarecrow were hungry on the way the Emerald City, in the Land of Oz. They started to pick some tasty apples from trees that were rather indignant, or should we say ‘Crabb Apples’. When the trees became angry at the Scarecrow, they started throwing their apples at the three travelers. Rather than being caught up in the arguments, Dorthy started to pick up the apples around her and eat.
Someone once said, “If the world gives you nothing but lemons, make lemonade.” I must say that I have seen some pretty bad looking apples make some very tasty cider.

There are four words that the author (Warren Wiersbe) points out in this passage. They are count, know, let, and ask.

I. Count 1:2 (Joyful attitude)
II. Know 1:3 (Understanding mind)
III. Let 1:4; 9-11 (A surrendered will)
IV. Ask 1:5-8 (A heart that wants to believe)

Examples: 1. A wave, driven of the sea and tossed
2 A double minded man
3. A flower in the heat of the sun

Challenge: Are these areas that you need to grow in?

“El Olam” “God Eternal” Genesis 21

Malachi 3:6 “I the LORD do not change.”
1. This doesn’t mean that God doesn’t do anything.
2. This does not imply that I can ever learn everything there is to know about God.
3. This means that God never changes.
4. He never changes His original intent.

I. He is the God of the Past.
1. Abraham knew that this was the same God Almighty Tarrah to come and live in the land of
Caanan.
2. This was the same God who had changed his name from Abram to Abraham and promeised
he would be the “father of many nations”.
3. This was the same God who had protected him through all his journeys.

II. He is the God of the Present.
1. God fulfilled the promise of a son in Abraham’s old age.
2. God fulfilled the promise through Sarah.
3. He was the God who was preparing Abraham for the ultimate test of faith for an example
to you and me.
A. Send Hagar and Ishmael away.
B. Offer up your only son Isaac.

III. He is the God of the Future.
1. Abraham had to commit Hagar and Ishmael to the care of God.
2. Abraham had to have faith that he was not losing his mind.
3. Abraham had t have faith to believe that even though he offered his only son as a sacrifice.
God would somehow return Isaac back to him.

Conclusion: The God we serve isthe same one Abraham served. Have you met Him as the God of the
Past, Present, and the Future? Are you walking with the eternal God?