Be a Doctor, Not a Lawyer | Sunday AM Service | Bridges Sandpoint

Today we're going to be in James chapter 1.

James 1 · chapter mention

We're actually going to finish chapter 1 today we're going to

start reading in 2nd Corinthians 517 as a just kind of a start

out place. And we're then we're going to

recap the entire first chapter because I needed to get I needed

to finish strong with it. Therefore, if anyone is in

Christ starting in sorry, starting in verse 17 of chapter

5. Therefore, if anyone is in

Christ, he is a new creation. Old has passed away.

Behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who

through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry

of reconciliation. That is in Christ God was

reconciled. I'm sorry, was reconciling the

world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them

and entrusting us the to the message of reconciliation.

Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal

through us. We implore you on behalf of

Christ, be reconciled to God for for our sake he made to be sin

him or sorry for our sake he made him to be sin who knew no

sin so that in him we might become the righteousness of God

and Lord. I do I just lift up everybody

here. I lift up this time and I thank

you that we get to come together and just be refreshed and

encouraged by not only worship and hearing from you, Lord, but

being able to talk to one another and just pray with each

other and just a time of fellowship.

And but I thank you for this body.

I thank you for the heart that you've given them for one

another and the heart that you're giving us for the whole

community, Lord, that we would be able to go out and and love

on all those, all those that need love.

And I pray this all in Jesus name, Amen.

So we are going to be recapping James, but I promise it will go.

The recap will be I'd like to say quick, but I think you guys

have learned I'm not real quick. So the, the mess, the the title

of the message today that is I got to come up with a corny dot

corny title and a good message is my goal is be a doctor, not a

lawyer and one of our elders is a lawyer.

So it's kind of the fun of poking at him and and on that

he's actually going to be teaching next week.

I'll be here, but I think I have to work Friday and Saturday next

week in the tri-cities and then we're moving our trailer.

So just time wise, I, I don't have time to, to do a good, good

prep. So Mark's going to Mark's going

to take off in James Chapter 2. But a recap of James Chapter 1.

James 2 · chapter mention James 1 · chapter mention

You know, like my, it was here a minute ago.

Where'd it go? Kelly, does that remind you of a

doctor and a lawyer right there? Like, like beating somebody over

the head with the law? Do we are we ever guilty of

that? And, and The thing is with James

that over the, over the, the decades and the centuries, there

have been guys that really pictured James as the lawyer

that was beating people with the law.

Get to work, right? And James isn't that James does

give a lot of action steps. He does he does give us a list

that we can get distracted by and think it's it's go to work,

follow this list, do these things.

But but James isn't saying that in any he's going to conclude

chapter one with that statement. But he has he has in in chapter

1, he is outlined distinctive characteristic character traits

that we'll have as Christians, right, But only if we're in

Christ, right? It's not anything Nick's going

to do. So 2 through 4 he says count it

all. Joy, my brothers, when you meet

trials of various kinds for you know that the testing of your

face produces steadfastness and let steadfastness have its full

effect that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing,

so considered an opportunity for great joy when trials come.

So James is pointing them at Jesus in all moments we can, we

can rest in him and, and in that resting as we go through trials,

practice makes perfect, right? If if life is sunshine and

rainbows and then hard times come, we stumble.

But if we have those hard times and we build into them, they

they are, they build us, right? We talked about the tools that

God uses and how he makes us and it it creates A steadfast joy

inside of us that grows as we keep our eyes on Jesus.

We will grow in strength and our ability to stand in joy.

Peace will grow and peace will grow as as you recognize what

Jesus does in your life. As you recognize.

I tell people when I look back on my life and I see Jesus all

over it and I see God's hand doing things and working things

for good. When I look, when I look in

front of me, even if I don't see him, even if I am like, how can

he do anything with this train wreck behind me?

And I see all that he did with the train wreck when I look in

front of me, I can trust he's there.

But that that takes us that building right of counting it

all joy when we fall into trials.

And then you go on to verse 5 through 8.

It says, if any lack any of you lack wisdom, let him ask God who

gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given

him. But let him ask in faith with no

doubting. For the one who doubts is like a

wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.

For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything

from the Lord. He is a double minded man,

unstable in all his ways. So we're to ask God for wisdom

and he'll give it. But be sure that we are asking

in faith that he he can give it right that that I don't think

that when I ask God for wisdom, I'm asking So what do you think

I should do Lord, because I know I got some options over here and

I was wondering, you know, what's your take?

And I'll decide which one I'm going to do that is that double

minded man is do I trust that the Lord has a plan for me?

And when I ask him for direction, do I think that I

have a choice when he gives it? Do I do I have a choice that

that whole picture of Peter on the roof praying and God lowers

down a whole whole blanket of unclean animals and says kill

and eat and Peter thinks he has a choice.

Not so Lord and you know he does this three times and and the

Lord just says don't call unclean.

What I said is clean, right? Do what I said.

And that isn't something that a guy up here says do what I say.

That's something that God speaks to my heart and says, do what I

said when, when I got when I got the marching orders from the

Lord to come here, I wasn't asking for and we've talked

about that I wasn't asking for. So Lord, can you give me some

options? You know, what's the what, what

are my options in this? I was asking him for direction.

Do I go left or do I go right? And if he said go left and I'm

like, well, I really want to go right.

How do you think that would have worked out?

And that's that being willing to do what he says.

And part of that is understanding and knowing that

he is completely able to do more than we asked or think.

Me and Mark were talking before service and, and Jesus has a

plan, but for some reason he doesn't doesn't share the whole

plan with us. And we joked and said that's

because we'd mess it up right If he told me.

I mean, good example of so Nick, you're going to build a water

line across Africa. OK, so the first step was to get

a, to get a passport. So I started going through the

steps. But if he had told me the whole

story so well, you're going to end up pastoring a church in

Sandpoint. Well, I'd have skipped past

Africa and move to Sandpoint, right?

Because that's God tells you what you need to know, gives you

the wisdom for the moment. He doesn't have to give you the

whole story. He gives you what you need to

move to the next step. He may give you a big picture.

You know, I build a water line across Africa and people ask me,

well, how's that work? I have no idea.

And but I do know there are steps and I just continue to

walk through the doors. And I know that as a as a

believer, that my job is to share Jesus with people, with

the gifts that he gives us, and to just follow him, but to be

willing to trust him in all things, right?

And that is what are we supposed to do to do this stuff?

We're supposed to be in him following what he says.

It's about following Jesus, right?

Our shepherd. So verses 9 to 11 says, let the

lowly brother boast in his exaltation and the rich in his

humiliation, because like a flower of the grass, he will

pass away. For the sun rises with its

scorching heat and Withers the grass, its flowers fall, and its

beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade

away in the midst of his pursuits.

So believers who are poor have something to boast about in

Christ, right? Because, because when I have

nothing, I have everything in Christ.

You know, I go back to when I was going through my divorce and

I had nothing, you know, I was, I was empty, but I had all I

need in him, right? And and there's a process, but

that goes for everything across the board.

When you recognize that he is enough, then nothing you add to

him adds anything to that, right?

Your joy is not in any of the riches, any of that stuff.

So but those who are rich boast that God has humbled them in

Christ, that I don't have to worry about my stuff.

I don't have to. You know, when, if you find

when, when you have many things, there can be a lot of worry in

that because you have many things to hold on to.

And when you, when you're in Christ and you're trusting him,

there's a there's a humbleness that look, I didn't what does

Job say? I came into the world naked and

I leave naked. And there's a humbleness in that

of, of knowing Lord, it's all yours.

And there's a peace that comes with that humbleness is, Lord,

I'm going to do what you asked me to do.

And and if that if that means I'm wealthy, then I'm wealthy.

And if that means I'm poor, I'm poor.

I'm going to ask and I'm going to do what you asked me to do

when I'm going to move forward the way you want me to move

forward. And when we rest in that,

because his goal in his story that is as many as can be saved

will be saved. And whatever position any of us

need to be in that are believers need to be in, in order for the

most to be saved, that's the position he's going to put us

in. And, and it's trusting that then

12 through 15, blessed is the man who remains steadfast under

trial, for when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown

of life which God has promised to those who love him.

Let no one say when he is tempted.

I am tempted by God, for God cannot be tempted with evil, and

he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when

he is lured and enticed by his own desires.

Then desire, when it is conceived, gives birth to sin,

and sin, when it is fully grown, brings forth death.

So when we patiently endure testing and temptation, we grow.

But when we when we say, when we blame others for our testing,

right? The thing is, is that like with

Job, so did God allow it? Yes.

Did Satan attack him? Yes.

For what purpose? Right there is God had a plan in

the whole thing. And it doesn't mean Job's life

was easy. He did lose his children and he

got more at the end than he had at the beginning.

But they're children, so it wasn't like it didn't hurt Joe

to go through that, right? But God's story, that was what

was best to move God's story forward.

Do we trust him in that or do we blame him?

And that's the difference, right, Is, you know, Adam and

Eve, the woman whom you gave me or the serpent to see if we we

take ownership and when we take ownership, then we say, Lord, I

can't, I need you to. That's it's kind of that is that

ownership. It's like, Lord, I own that I am

sinful and the only way for me to walk through this life is if

you come in and do it for me. And that's the deal he makes.

Because when we don't do that desire gives birth to sin and

sin when it is full grown, creates death, right?

And it is, it is a scary place. I, I tell people when you, you

know, nobody once saved, always saved all the different

doctrines. Bottom line, when you're in sin,

when you're in willful sin, I'm not going to tell you whether

you're going to burn in a hell for eternity at that moment, but

you're at risk and you're at risk at walking away.

Was talking to a guy last last week and he, he honestly truly

believes he got saved in college.

He says I was, I was going for it.

I was on fire for the Lord and he now loves the Lord, but he

said there was 20 years in there that I didn't do anything for

him. So in that span of time, and

this is you guys got to hear the whole story.

In that span of time, he was a believer.

How do I know that? Because he's now a believer, but

he had no in that span of time because God knew the inequity of

what if he died then, but he didn't die then he's here now,

right? Does that make sense?

You don't have any. He has no confidence in, in this

saving grace of God while he's out drinking, sleeping around,

being being a heathen, right? He has no confidence in, in that

because he's not in Christ. He's not he's not walking with

him now. This was real because 20 years

later he's walking with the Lord loves him with all his heart.

That makes sense. I mean, that's so, but he has no

confidence in that middle time. So that's where that once saved,

always saved. It's like guys, that is it's not

what the Bible teaches. The Jesus is a gentleman and

he's not going to hog tie you and force you right.

You have choices to make and and being in him is something we get

to make that choice. It's not he isn't going to kick

us out, but we can walk away. Sorry, that was a rabbit trail.

So what does, what does it look like to be protected and stand

steadfast in faith in Christ, in the we, we now live in Sandpoint

most of the time. So I'm going to use, we'll use a

ski lodge as an example. If I'm in Schweitzer ski Lodge

and drinking a cup of coffee sitting next to the fire and

there is 100 year Blizzard outside, am I stressed out?

Am I cold? Am I worried?

Probably not any of those things because I'm sitting in a ski

lodge waiting for the snow to stop so I can go ski right?

And in Christ, that's what the storms of this world can do to

us. Absolutely nothing, right?

Just like a, a Blizzard has no effect in a ski lodge.

The the storms of this life have no effect in, in someone in

Christ. And that's because we trust him

and, and we rely on his ability to do the work he wants done,

not in his ability to keep me cozy in a ski lodge, but in or,

but to to use this life that he's giving me for his work.

Right. But ours is 100% of the time to

stay in him. Verses 16 through 20.

Do not be deceived, my brother, my my beloved brothers, every

good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from

the Father of Light, with whom there is no variation or shadow

due to change of His own will, He brought us forth by the word

of truth that we should be a kind of firstfruits of His

creation. Knowing this, my beloved

brothers, let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak,

and slow to get angry, for the anger of man does not produce

the righteousness of God. So, Mestab, don't be misled.

Be quick to listen and slow to speak and slow to get angry.

Jesus has sorry, that's slow to get angry.

Now it's OK to have righteous anger.

Jesus gets angry, right? There's a point where he flips

tables. There's a point where he scolds

the Pharisees. But Jesus, Jesus's anger is used

for correction. You know, it says in the by, I

can't remember where it's at in Psalms.

It says be angry and do not sin. And think of think of

disciplining our children. Or if you're, if you're

children, think of being disciplined.

There are two different ways to spank your children.

One is to beat them out of anger and one is to spank them for

correction, right? And the the correction is what

is done as a loving cure. And that's that that's the

doctor idea here is doctors, do doctors share truth with their

patients? Absolutely.

Do they share heart hard truths with their patients?

Absolutely. But why do they share it?

Because what are doctor, what are doctors known for?

Are they known because they share hard truth by doctor

shares hard truth? Or are they known because people

are cured in their presence and not not I mean they have

knowledge and wisdom and and tools and techniques and and

drugs and medications. But doctors are known to be

those that cure right And. Once again, picking on Mark just

because well, it's fun to pick on lawyers, but lawyers lawyers

can be that right. Lawyers can can be advocates for

those in need. But lawyers, the reason they get

a bad rap is lawyers are really good at what the law and we

don't want to be lawyers. We don't want to be good at the

law. We want to be good at the cure

right now, that doesn't mean as a doctor that you don't know

what the law of the body is, right?

That I mean, doctors know a lot, you know, and they know how to

apply that and how to cure, right?

It's we have, you have. And just like anything, there

are different doctors that to do different things, right?

But as believers, we need to we need to be willing to share the

truth Jesus has given us with the heart to cure those that are

lost and dying. And how do how do we do this?

And we we to James 2125, he starts like I said, this.

This sounds like he's telling us to do all these things, and

therefore put away all filthiness and rampant

wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word

which is able to save your soul. But be doers of the word and not

hearers, only deceiving yourself.

For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like

a man who looks intently at at his natural face in a mirror,

for he looks at himself and goes away, and at once forgets what

he was like. But the one who looks into the

perfect law, the law of liberty and preserves or sorry and

perseveres, being no hearer who forgets, but a doer who acts, he

will be blessed in his doing. So James is telling us here to

get rid of the filth and the evil in our lives, to humbly

accept the word of God, that the word of God that he plants in

our hearts to not just be listeners of the word, but to be

doers. And if we're and if we're not

doing, then we're, then we're just fooling ourselves.

And then to look at the law and because it'll set us free.

But when we do that, we because guys, if you guys are anything

like me, I'm just looking at me when I got saved, I'm just

looking for a checklist and, and James is really good at getting

this one. I, I've actually got in my

notes, I got 26 go do this out of chapter 1.

And I think in James, as we go through the next 4 chapters,

there's probably another 100. Go do this, go do this, you will

do this. Have you figured out you're not

capable of doing any of it? Try to be nice to people.

They will start and try to be nice to people out of your

heart. That won't last a long time,

right? The only way we do any of it is

if he's doing it through us. So we'll get into verse 26.

And this all comes down to this, this line here, and James

touches it on some stuff. But if anyone among you thinks

he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives

his own heart, this one's religion is useless.

And so like in Uganda, I have a had a meeting and it was the

conversation and I've told you guys, this is how do I know if

God's saying it? Because it's usually something I

don't want to say because it's uncomfortable, it's

confrontational, but I'm not, it's like, Lord, do I have to

say that? I don't want to say that I it's

going to make it's going to be uncomfortable.

Then there are the other conversations that are Lord, I'm

going to go tell that guy what he's, he needs to.

So, so which one of those do you think is from the Lord?

The one I'm begging him not to have to do or the one that I

really want to go do. So it I mean, a lot of times

it's that simple to know what I'm supposed to keep quiet about

when I'm all welled up inside and I really want to just tell

that guy off. I probably need to be quiet when

I'm all welled up inside because this is going to be a really

hard conversation. I probably need to speak right?

I need to, but I need to be talking to the Lord about that.

And because remember Matthew 1511 and I've talked about this

not, it's not what goes into the mouth that defiles a man, but

what comes out of his mouth that this defiles a man.

And, and I would tell you that in, in our current world, not

only the things that come out of our mouth, but the thing that

come out of our social media feeds and that goes across the

board. We need to control ourselves and

when you're when you're scrolling social media, do you

share things because they're funny?

Do you share things because they are?

That's kind of a good dig that that really got that point

across right? Do you share that stuff?

Good example of let's see way back so we aren't offending

anybody. Does everybody remember when

Obama was in office when he first, when he was first, I

think he was, I think he had just got elected or he was still

running and the, the story was out there that he was, he got

sworn in as a senator on a Quran.

So he's a Muslim. He got sworn in on Quran secret.

And, and this was, this was being shared on social media by

many people. So my, my high school group came

over and we were doing a thing and they were that.

Well, you know, he's a, he's a Muslim and all this stuff.

And I'm like, all right, so where do you get that?

I'm like, well, it's on this Facebook in the snow.

All right. So we went, we got online with

them there, got online, looked up the day on I think it was on

on AP, but we looked up the day. They don't.

Obama got inaugurate or got whatever sworn in as a senator

and he was a nobody senator at that time.

So he got sworn in. Well, there's just a, there's

just a recorder there that's just recording things right now.

Obama did get sworn in his own personal Bible and the senator

right after him got sworn in on a Quran.

And that's just that was just somebody writing it down.

So that's what happened, right? But I've got I've got Bible

believing Christian sharing that he's sworn in on a Quran.

Why? Because they saw it and it sat

and it fit their narrative. And what is that?

That that's a lie, right? And you just posted it, which

then makes you accountable for it.

And that that just if you're going to post stuff, recognize

that you need to check the sources is what that that whole

thing is. But be, you know, I mean,

especially as, as I've done it for four years because of the

role I'm in, but even more so, like I don't post things on

social media that are because I'm judged by that right?

And not not in a good or a bad way, but it's people would if I

posted something, there's a there's a bent to that that I

look, the Bible's plenty offensive enough, right?

I can offend the world with the word of God.

It is not a problem. I I don't need to come up with

zingers that will do it right. It's so you'll find if when

we're friends on Facebook or Instagram or wherever that

you'll if I'm posting something, it's it's Bible based and I can

Anna or I have vetted it completely because if I haven't,

then I'm risking lying because I liked what the guy said and I

don't want to be that. Sorry.

Another rabbit trail. 26 or so verses 2 through 26 leads me to

a simple question that if you guys are honest with yourself,

you should be asking yourself the same question.

How do I control my flesh? Because James is giving us a

list and if if the plan is is for me to follow this, I gave my

life to the Lord and now I have to do these things.

How do I do these things? Galatians 522 through 23 it

says, but the fruit of the Spirit is Lovejoy, peace,

long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

gentleness and self-control. Against such there is no law.

So besides all the other ones who gives us self-control?

It's a fruit of the spirit, right?

I don't have it in me. I I love all of the fruits of

the spirit because you can't you can't produce love, right?

I can't just. But well, I can.

I can love people OK Try to produce joy.

Try to be joyful and pretend to be joyful.

Try to pretend to have peace. These are things that come from

the Spirit and knowing who he is.

So I shared this the other day and kind of dug into a little

bit more. A lot of times as Christians we

are really good to get the cart for the horse.

I, I'm a Christian, therefore I act like this.

I go to a church, therefore I act like this.

Now imagine if I am in a marriage, I am in the

institution of marriage. You know, we're in the religion

of Christianity. I am in the institution of

marriage and as such, I am to act a certain way, right?

So if I went at it like this and I said I'm going to act a

certain way. And I fun thing is, is that I

know how I'm supposed to act because a pastor told me and I

made vows for it, right? That I promise to love you,

Faye, as Christ loved the church, his his precious bride.

Therefore I will be patient and kind.

I will be humble and courteous to Faye.

I will not keep a record of her wrongs.

I will put Faye's needs before my own, but rejoice whenever

truth prevails. So I'm just going to do that.

How about everybody here? Everybody here, just just do

that, right? Just that's, that's how your

that's how your marriage works. I'm in the institution of

marriage. That's what I do.

Or I'm in a relationship with my wife who I love dearly.

And the closer we grow to Christ, the closer closer we

grow together and the closer we grow to Christ.

The closer I go to Christ, the better Christ, the better I am

at at meeting those vows. But the moment I get my eyes on

the vows and say I'm going to act like this, I'm going to fail

miserably. And so our our job as believers

is to focus on the Lord, right? And as a byproduct, he is going

to do verses 22 through 26 in me right through him, through the

work he's done in my life. He does things with this body

submitted to him, because in my flesh, right, there is no good

thing. And Paul says that in Romans 718

For I know that in me that in my flesh nothing good dwells for to

will is present within me. But how to perform what is good

I do not find. So if you think you've arrived

and I'm a I'm a believer and now I can just do what God tells me

to do and I don't have to worry about it.

You're you're missing the whole point of it is he's going to

come in and do this work right. As we go through James and you

guys, I'd love to say he gets easier to follow as we go on,

but he just gets more and more. He just tightens up the noose on

the fact that either you're doing it in Christ or you're not

able to perform this. So when I give my life to

Christ, he come, the Holy Spirit comes inside me and starts

cleaning house, right? He starts cleaning my heart and

my mind and gives me a desire to to do what he wants me to do,

but he gives me that from the inside out, not from the outside

in. It isn't it isn't.

Now I have Jesus now I'm going to set him down.

I'm going to go to work. How did how did Peter walk on

water by keeping his eyes on the Lord.

As soon as he looked away from the Lord, what happened right he

he began to sink and cried out for help. 27 And that's what the

reason we reviewed the whole thing is 4 verse 27 and so that

we don't get confused because this is the whole point of his

because this is technically James's introduction to his

letter was the 1st 26 verses and then verse 27.

It says pure and undefiled religion before God and the

Father is this to visit orphans and widows in their trouble and

to keep your keep oneself unspotted from the world.

So we're supposed to care for orphans, widow orphans and

widows, which in that time that just means caring for, caring

for those in need. And that's who was in need then,

right? We're orphans and widows, but

now we are supposed to be caring for those around us that are in

need and refuse to let the world corrupt us.

All right, So these are not new things that James just came up

with. Micah says it.

He says he has shown you, oh man, what is good and what does

the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy and

walk humbly with your God. So we're supposed to do justly

and we're supposed to walk humbly and with those two

things. That's that's the doctor and the

lawyer. But or sorry, we're supposed to

do justly and love mercy, but walking humbly with God is

understanding that Lord, I can't you have to I don't have what it

takes to do what you're asking me to do.

It requires you doing it through me and and Jesus, you got to

understand Jesus could have done any of this.

I tell people tell people very often to understand the God we

serve is so much bigger than we give him credit for.

He is completely able to have done it all just by going.

I tell people it's like so Nick, that Jesus would look down and

go, Nick, you're going to hell, Jansen, you're going to heaven.

But but he goes, no, I saw it. It's done because he's already

got it. It's already been done, right?

This is finished. He knows the end from the

beginning. Do we believe in him?

Do we believe that bigness of our God that that he knows he

just the the blessing that he lets us live it out?

So when we look at this, it's joy comes from him,

steadfastness comes from him, wisdom comes from him, faith

comes from him, humility comes from him.

The word comes from him, the power to do it comes from him.

How to be not corrupted by the world can only be done in Him.

Imagine an ambassador in the Cold War.

And that's the first, first set of verses we read in Second

Corinthians about being that ambassador first.

They loved their country. It was their home.

Heaven is our home. We are ambassadors.

Do I love being in Christ? Do I love, do I love being in

Him as our home, as, as my comfortable place?

Or do I want to do I want to go out and see what the world has

to offer and think about it, thinking in Bath, think about an

ambassador in the Cold War and a Russian in America and wanting,

you know, how did they stay focused on their mission?

You know, because I would tell you, a Russian comes to America,

he's going to get corrupted instantly because he's got all

this stuff. But somehow they had ambassadors

that stayed for their country and that's because they loved

their country. They, they stay at submission to

their leaders. Do we submit to Jesus and his

plan in our life? Do we understand the mission?

You know, and that was The thing is that the, that, that whether

you were on the, in, in the Russian ambassador or the United

States ambassador who understood the mission and the mission was

to avoid World War three, that was going to wipe out the world.

And they didn't get distracted, right?

They, they, they stayed focused. Do we stay focused on our

mission? And our mission is to share

Jesus with as many people as can be saved.

That's our mission. And we do that with all kinds in

all kinds of ways, right? We do that like doctors.

We do that with with sharing their need right.

A doctor needs to tell it before I'm going to let a doctor cut me

open. A doctor is not going to walk

into the office. I need to I need to operate what

what on Well, I just need to cut you open right.

You can't just you can't just start with you need Jesus.

They may not know they're sick right.

So sharing truth with them is is important, but sharing it in

that love that a doctor would have that at the end of the day,

he wants to cure me, right? He wants to he wants to help.

And John 317, which is one of the verses God gave me when we

got here is for God did not send his son into the world to

condemn the world, but that the world through him might be

saved. And guys, we're his body and he

could do it, as I said, any way he wants to.

And how he's chose to do it is through his body of believers on

this planet. And, and there are many bodies

around the around the world, but one big body, one big church.

And, and we're supposed to be in the communities always.

Me and Faye walked around here and see the saddest thing about

Sandpoint to me, I mean the truly saddest thing and, and is

that we and I, I'm, I'm a, I'm a transplant, right?

Not my home, not where I came from, but we as North Idaho

people have given up on a beautiful piece of property

because they, they took it over while they're just, well, they

don't get it right. They don't, they don't get to

take it over. This is our town and with love

and with care we get to go into our town and love on people and

show them their need for what he can do in their lives and and

that is that love and care for the community, right That is in

in showing them Second Corinthians 517 through 21 and

that is therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.

Old has passed away. Behold, all things have become

new. Guys, that is huge.

They broken. People need to know that there

is a God that does that, that he isn't looking for what I can

give him. He's looking to come in and fix

everything in me. We are made new in Him, verse

18. All this is from God, who

through Christ reconciled us to Himself and gave us the ministry

of reconciliation. So He has already done the work

we're supposed to be out doing, that ministry of sharing the

work that He's done that is in Christ.

God has reconciled the world to himself, not counting their

trespasses against them and entrusting to us the message of

reconciliation, right? That's our jobs.

When James talks about religion that that is pure and undefiled

before God the Father. He's divisive orphan widows in

their affliction and keep oneself 1 self unstained from

the world that is to go out and care for people.

Orphans and widows were the were the downtrodden in Jerusalem

right. A widow had no no means of

taking care of herself and an orphan had no means of taking

care of themselves. We have Mark shares some pretty

heartbreaking stories about people that are not able to take

care of themselves but the lost and dying of this world, whether

they they are millionaires or on the street are unable to take

care of themselves outside of Christ and what he's done on the

cross in verse 20. It says, therefore, we are

ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us.

We implore you on behalf of Christ be reconciled to God.

We are to reflect him into the darkness.

Oh, this is one of those fun ones about why was Israel,

Israel, and this is Acts 13 four 347 says I have set you as a

light to the Gentiles. I have sent you, Sorry, I've set

you as a light to the Gentiles that you should be for salvation

to the ends of the earth. And that is out of Isaiah 49.

And it says, indeed, he says, is it too small a thing that you

should be my servants to raise up the tribe of Jacob and to

restore the preserved ones of Israel?

I will also give you a light to the Gentiles that you should be

my salvation to the end of the earth.

That's us, the body of Christ. We are supposed to be out in the

community that we live in, not, not violently taking it from the

community, but lovingly sharing the cure.

And and if you're here today outside of Christ and you have

no idea what I'm talking about and you've been trying with all

yourself, all yourself to be better and you're failing, come

to the Lord, right? It's he, he has a plan.

He loves us. If you have questions, if you

have a need, come and see me. Come and see one of the elders.

Grab, grab one of us here and we'll, we'll pray with you.

We'll talk with you. And Lord, I just lift up this

time I lift up everybody here. Thank you, thank you, thank you

for what you've done and thank you for all you've given us to

give the world. Lord, that you would and give us

the words to speak the cure, the words to share the cure, or that

we were able to have those conversations that you'd put

appointments in front of every one of us.

Thank you for this time and I pray all this in Jesus name,

Amen. I thought I would give you a

quick. Quick, quick, quick quick a

quick. Testimony we do kind of have to

move out after this. Our grandma, my husband's

grandma is just not doing well so she'll be with Jesus soon.

So that is one thing that's great, but we want to get home

and be with the family. But so yeah, 12 years ago I had

an accident at our church camp. I was hooked up wrong to a rope

swing and I fell 50 feet and I burst my T12 vertebrae and a

bunch of other stuff. But it was in front of, you

know, 30 plus kids. And so the one of the volunteers

at the camp was a volunteer EMT and he ran up to me and just

started assessing the situation. And he knew right away my eyes

were well back. I wasn't breathing and he just

started praying. God, we need a miracle.

And instantly I came to and started breathing.

And then from there they assessed that it was really,

really, really bad. And I ended up in Harborview in

Seattle. But just throughout all of that,

there was just so many miracles that God had continued to

perform. And my injury wasn't necessarily

as bad as the doctor had thought at 1st.

And he was shocked because he saw the X-ray.

And my dad was like, you don't know our God.

That's how good and big our God is, that he can in a moment

change something. And so I was in and out of the

hospital for a few months. My mom started a Facebook page

to just update family at home. And my boyfriend at the time was

there. And my mom recorded a song of a

singing and she put it on Facebook.

And back then, 12 years ago, it kind of blew up.

And people from all over the world saw my story and heard us

singing. And so, yeah, it kind of led us

to be able to share my testimony, God's testimony,

through us. And we've been married for nine

years. We have two beautiful little

kids and it's just been amazing to see that through a tragedy

what God can do and how He can move and work things for His

good. And I have a very obvious

physical situation that happened.

But we all go through things and we all have our trials and our

testimonies and things that the Lord allows in our life.

But what an amazing, amazing experience it is to be a vessel

for him and through him to be able to share of the goodness of

him and that we can still say God is good, you know, and it's

been a challenging 12 years and, you know, it just only can get

harder. But I have just seen God's hand

through so many situations and I'm just, I'm so blessed to be

here, to be able to share, to be able to sing, to do what I love

with my husband, and just to be able to say that that God is

good. So I just want to encourage you

that whatever you are going through, do not give up.

Look to Jesus. Put your whole trust and faith

in Him because He is so good, and you will come out on the

other side. Like Nick had said, if we would

have looked back, if I would have known that I would be here

right now at 30 years old and in this situation, I would not have

believed it at all. But I wouldn't change it.

I wouldn't go back and I wouldn't change it because it's

been an amazing ride with the Lord.

And so with that, please stand and we'll just close in a song.

Above all powers, above all keys, above all nature, in all

created things, above all wisdom, in all the ways of man.

You were here before the world began.

Above all kingdoms, above all Thrones, above all wonders the

world is ever known. Above all, well in treasures of

the earth. Earth, and there's no way to

measure what you're worth and crucify.

Leave behind the stone you leave to die.

Reject it at alone, and light the Rose trampled on the ground.

You took the far and thought of me above all in how great is our

God sing with me how great is our God?

In all we'll see how great, how great is our God.

And you're the name above all names.

You are worthy of our praise. And my heart will see how late

is our God, and how great is our God.

Sing with me How Ray is our God. Oh, we'll see how great, How

great is our God? God.

We just thank you so much. We just thank you and praise you

God, that you are great and that everyone would see that, that

they would see something different in US and want to know

how we can have that hope in this world.

And not through everything that happens and all the tragedies

and everything, God. But we know that only you can

bring that for us. And so I just pray God, that as

we leave here today, that we would just be encouraged to just

want to live a life devoted to you.

And we thank you and praise you in your name, Amen.

Have a blessed day.