James | Week 7

Good morning everybody. Good morning.

It's a good morning. They'll send a great this

morning. Singing, nice, especially you,

Daniel, good job. Good job.

Good job. My son just prayed for me.

Sounds pretty cool. Thanks buddy.

I don't know where he went. Here we go.

He go, there. He is.

Hey bud. I'm pretty sure.

Did you say Lord, please help him remember the things.

So he doesn't forget. Thank you because he knows me.

Most forget everything. Well, my name is Allen.

Hello. Thanks, good morning, Jasper.

It's good to have you back, man. For those that don't know.

He's one of my good friends and so him and cheery.

So, it's good job back. All right, well, today we are

going to continue in James. But before we do, I want to say,

if you're new here, welcome. I know you've already seen and

probably heard too much from me already, but I don't get up here

and preach a whole lot. But I'm glad that I get the

opportunity to today. So, my name is Alan.

I am one of the elders pastors here.

Help play guitar. Help have some other dealings

with, you know, making sure things work up here and kind of

just do whatever. Whatever people tell me to do

usually, but the purpose that I want to clearly establish today

before we get started, we've already sing about it.

Is that and we've already said our call to Worship.

Is We Gather here each and every week to Worship the Lord.

And we do that through a couple different ways.

So we do that through Fellowship, we do that through

when we're just talking with each other beforehand, or that's

the goal. We do that through singing.

So when we sing, we're not just trying to sing really cool

songs. We're trying to sing songs that

that are that are honoring to the Lord, that help us Worship

the Lord, through our singing. I'm going to attempt to preach.

So really, I would just want to worship the word, the Lord

through his word and then we'll end with another song.

And then we want to Worship the Lord as we leave.

This place throughout the week. So the whole point of this is

it's not just to come to church because we're supposed to come

to church. This is a place where as as most

of you are believers in the Lord Jesus that we come and we get to

encourage one another and we worship the father son, Holy

Spirit, three and one, like we sing about.

So to get to sing with you all that, we believe these things

together is really encouraging to me, but that's my point of

when we continue to go through James here is for it to continue

to be a god-honoring. And that, I hope that you draw

near to the Lord. And I don't forget things as

Ethan said. So even even through me, it's

his word is faithful. His word is faithful.

So I want to give a recap. We have been in James for a

while. Jasper just gave a great update

update last week. Dustin Meadows was here with

Disciple of the nation, so we took a week off from James.

But we've been in James going through, and in our home groups

were going through James. Bring my little book here.

So, we're going through and homegroups.

We're going walking through the Book of James, and then we're

trying to recap what we're studying in home groups, every

Sunday and expounding on it a little bit.

So, I want to give a brief recap of James.

Before we get to chapter 4, you go ahead and turn your Bibles to

chapter 40. James is the brother of Jesus.

He was not a Believer until after the resurrection him.

And his brothers did not really believe upon the Lord until

later and James ends up being a leader in the church.

So he ends up being having a large voice within the church at

teacher a leader, Paul goes to James many times.

Some of these great great leaders that have written have

been inspired and that we read in our Bible.

This is a big part of that. So even a lot of Paul's, like

Paul goes, and he goes to the Council of Jerusalem and, and

James is there. And so, James is not making a

case for Christ in this book. As in to say, let me tell you

why you should believe upon the Lord.

James is, is talking to Jewish Christians.

So much, like most of you, we've already got a pretty good basis

of why we should believe in Jesus.

James is stating some practical things of you.

Say you're a Christian, therefore, you should be doing

XYZ. doing these things and then he makes the point that if

you're not doing these things but you say that your Christian,

there's some kind of disconnect and so he is stating that you

correct, these things, okay? So in chapter 1, he tells us

some things like this. So we know that he's writing to

Jewish Christians, he tells us to count it all is Joy even

through tribulation. So, even through the tough

times, that we're going through, we can count that enjoying

Christ. He tells us to seek wisdom, and

even tells us how he's like, how do we seek wisdom by just asking

the Lord, the Lord gives wisdom. So we're not seek Earthly

wisdom. He tells us to exalt the Lord to

humble yourself. Self, he tells us to remain

steadfast. He tells us to understand that

when you're tempted, and when Temptation comes, it comes from

your own desires, your own lustful desires is where

Temptation comes and he reminds us.

That God is not the one tempting us that God is actually the

governor The Giver of good gifts.

He goes on and he says that he reminds us that God is the one

who gives us the word of Truth and he tells us to be slow to

speak, slow to anger and he really says listen, you're

trying to do some of these other things to match with your

religion, but pure religion is this to visit orphans and

widows. He is getting at the heart of

our character. That's all just in chapter one.

And I mess up a bunch of those things.

All the time, he goes to chapter 2.

Again, this is a practical book chapter 2.

He states that we should show no partiality.

So he equates that, as if somebody with money comes in the

assembly and we sit them in a place of honor, and then

somebody that looks less fortunate.

We kind of disregard them a little bit more.

He really harps on that. And he's like, our God is not a

god of partiality. He goes on and he says that if

you fail on one part, The law would guess what?

You failed all of the law. He says things like Mercy

triumphs over judgment. He says that we should actually

help people in need what he means by that is he gives the

example of somebody comes and says their hunger and need and

we just go home man. I'm sorry, I'll pray for you see

ya, he harps on that and he's like actually help people very

practical. He says things like this faith

without works, is dead. Even the demons believe and

guess what? They shudder.

And he's making the case here that these people are saying

that they believe in there not even shuddering and we'll get

into some more of that today. He says the statement right

here. He says we are justified by

works and not faith alone. However, I do want to make sure

that we're clear. We are saved by grace through

faith, not of our works. But James is point, here is your

Works matter. They are very important.

You cannot just say that you have faith and not actually do

anything. It doesn't work like that.

These have to go hand-in-hand. Okay.

And then finally says, faith apart from works is dead.

So if you have no works there, it's dead.

You are deceiving yourself. That's all chapter 2.

This is a bunch we're almost done here only got a few more

pages chapter 3. He teaches that teachers of the

Gospel will be judged more. Strictly a make me not want to

get up here somewhere. He says that we all stumble and

then he goes through our tongue and he says that the tongue

though it is small boast, a very great things and he he gives

different illustrations like a Rudder on a ship, how though it

is. Small at steers.

The Entire ship and he says that our tongue is set on fire from

hell. He makes the point that

everything and Mankind that we have tamed, all kinds of beasts,

everything can be tamed, we can manage all things but yet not

one of us are able to tame our own tongues.

And he talks about how terrible this is.

He says that out of the same mouth, we bless the Lord, and

then we curse people, this is absolutely wrong and it should

not be. And then he tells us again not

to boast in our own selfish ambition and that true wisdom

things that we should be asking of the Lord are this.

He says true wisdom is that that is pure Peaceable.

Gentle open to reason full of mercy and good fruits impartial

and sincere. So James is hitting some very

pointed straight forward things that if you claim to be a

Christian, we need to take heed of.

And so what today we'll get into a little bit, is this casual

view of Christianity and our lives and things that we that we

do. I will say that I have been

there and get there many times and hit that again today with

sin and Is this casual view of sin of that a, you know what?

Grace abounds, yeah, I know I said but you know, the Bible

says that we all stumble Is it really that big of a deal?

But the Bible continually harps on that it is a big deal.

That we don't boast in ourselves that we boast only in Christ.

So in chapter 4, James is going to get even more practical.

He's going to get straight to the point as he has been.

So that's kind of my recap that helps me set myself up to

understand what I want to talk to you about this morning.

So if you can turn to James for And we are going to read chapter

4, verses 1 through 12. I'll put my pin down because

when I have a pen, I tend to point at people.

And I don't mean to and one of your I had a water bottle and my

wife graciously told me, don't ever take a water bottle of

their kit. That's point, the water bottle.

Right 4:1 says, what causes quarrels and what causes fights

among you? Is it not this that your

passions are at War within you, you desire, and you do not have.

So you murder, you covet and cannot obtain.

So you fight and quarrel you do not have because you do not ask

you ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly to spend

it on your passions. You adulterous people.

Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with

God? For whoever wishes to be a

friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God or do

you suppose it is? The no purpose at the scripture

says he yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to

dwell within us or to dwell in us.

But he gives more grace. Therefore it says God opposes

the proud, but gives grace to the humble submit yourselves

therefore to God resist the devil and he will flee from you

draw near to God and He will draw near to.

You cleanse your hands, you Sinners, and purify your Your

hearts you double-minded be wretched and mourn.

And weep. Let your laughter be turned to

mourning and your joy to Gloom humble yourselves before the

Lord, and He will exalt you Do not speak evil against one,

another brother's, the one who speaks against a brother or

judges, his brother speaks evil against the law and judges the

law. But if you judge the law, you

are not a doer of the law but a judge there is only one lawgiver

and judge he who is able to save and to destroy but who are you

to judge your neighbor? Let's pray.

God, thank you for your word. Pass that.

As we as we study your word today, that you help us

understand it. I ask that you help us actually

put into practice what your word says and that as we leave here

today, God, that we are obedient to you.

That we submit to you. As the one lawgiver and the one

judge. For, we know that your ways are

much higher than ours in your goodness is far more than what

we can comprehend. In Jesus precious name.

Amen. All right.

So a quick funny story. So the first word there that

says, what causes corals, I spelled it wrong.

In my notes, I put two l's It's funny to me.

So the very first thing that we're going to get into what

causes quarrels and fights among you.

This is the very first thing that it says, so when I think of

the word coral immediately went to, People strongly disagreeing

and like fighting and and it can mean that but I wanted to point

out. Something is that a coral is not

like bullying. A coral is not people that

dislike each other. A whole lot of coral is not like

I don't like that person and we just butt heads on everything

and I can't stand to be around them.

That's not a coral of coral is typically between people that

are on good terms but have Heated arguments, see the

difference, the difference there.

So a coral is like, but probably what me and my wife do sometimes

probably more on my side. So I love my wife dearly, I am

for her but we have these these these heated arguments at times.

It's not like some people were it's just, I'd rather not be

with them. And, and remember, he is talking

to Jewish Christians here. So, there for the most part on

the same page. But they're, they're bickering.

And so it's usually on some kind of trivial issue that even when

it's all over the people remain on good terms but it causes

division, it causes this and it's not good.

And so I wanted to put point that out because my brain

immediately went of like don't be really hateful but that's not

really what it's what it's getting at.

And so corals have. Well, we'll get there.

So the very next verse is it talks about what causes these

corals. So why do we do this?

And why is it so wrong? The very end of verse 1, it says

this is it not this that your passions are at War within you?

So I'll take my loving Bride. For instance.

Usually when we quarrel it is because of some kind of thing

that is welled up inside of me and some desire to probably

prove some kind of point or think that I'm right.

Now, she laughed at seems she agrees with that?

There's some kind of Pride issue, which this chapter is

going to hit on a lot of a pride issue.

So what James is right out the gate, the saying is that these,

these these, these brothers were having so much pride within

themselves and having such disagreements there being

divisive. And so, James is saying, stop

it, you're quarreling is happening because of your

desires within you, your passions that are rising up

within you that are wrong with you.

We'll talk about in a second and because of that, you just have

to tell somebody what's going on and you're causing all this

division. And so he says, is it not this

that your passions are at War within you?

Like that's that is the Heat or the heart of it.

Right there. It starts here.

And then he further expounds, he says you desire and you do not

have so you murder. So we won't something or we have

an idea or whatever, and we can't quite wrap around it.

And so, it says we murdered and he's not talking of physically

murdering if we go to Matthew 21, chapter 5, and Jesus talks

about being in anger, and even hating your brother.

And he equates it with murder. What he's getting at is this is

sin, this is this is not good, this is bad.

And so, because of our bad desires within ourselves because

of passions that Well up within us we start quarreling and he's

equating that he's equating that to murder, is this is sin.

He's already in previous chapters talked about how you

think you're this big follower of the law but once you fill one

of them, guess what? You filled all of them.

He says you covet and cannot obtain and so what happens when

you want something and you can't get it, what's he say, says you

fight and you Coral? That is usually why I quarrel

with my wife is because I don't get something my way.

I see something one way. She sees it another way, doesn't

really matter who's right or wrong in it, we quarrel about

it. What's it do?

It does. This doesn't it?

And it's not good. It's not good for my marriage.

It's not good for our relationship.

Since you do not have because you do not ask.

And then he hits more on the heart of it.

He says, and you ask and do not receive why?

Because you ask wrongly to spend it on what on your own passions.

This is all a self. It's just a pride thing that

he's addressing here. Who has a hard time not getting

their way. Anyway, it was just me.

I tend to I don't like to say that.

I tend to you raised your hand to hi Bobby.

He's like me. It's true.

It's true though. And what James is going to

continue to say? And I know we laugh and we joke

about it but this is stuff that really is destructive.

This is stuff that he will talk about in a minute.

This casual sin of and I'm as guilty as anybody of going.

Yeah, I know. I'm like that.

It's hard, not to be like that. And James is hitting and he's

going to hit and he's saying, don't do that.

It's not just okay. That maybe you're like that

change. You can change.

You can humble yourself before the Lord.

He can help you change. This is this is the whole point

of this. So we'll keep going.

He calls it out verse 4 so after he says you ask you don't

receive wine because you spend it on.

You spend it wrongly on your own passions and he says you

adulterous people He calls us adulterous for this, who's

calling adulterous for it. If we are to love Christ, but

yet we love our own Passions. He's calling us out for.

For adultery with it. We are seeking something else.

Apart from the Lord. Matthew 6:24 says this.

Matthew 6:24

Says, no, this is Jesus talking and Jesus is famous verse.

He says, no one can serve two masters for you will either hate

one and love the other or he will be devoted to one and

despise the other. If we are so-called up within

ourselves and we're seeking after our own Passions, We are

adulterous people and then he goes on and says, do you not

know that friendship with the world is enmity with God there

ever? Therefore, whoever wishes to be

a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

He is hitting this point, we have to love the Lord, humble

ourselves seek the Lord, And the whole book beforehand when he's

talking to these. These people again he's not

trying to make a case of why we need to come to Christ.

He is making the case of you call yourself a Christian, but

yet you're doing all of these other things.

And so this is a book that is full of just practical

correction. So very practical way, if you're

always quarreling, you need to know.

This is something within you. It may not always be that other

person. In fact, it's probably not.

Because corals come when there's some kind of selfish ambition

within us. I was saying you can't ever

disagree but this is a dissension type Coral that is

happening. If you find yourself to be one

of those people, let this be a big heed warning to you.

Okay. Because it's not that just

you're hurting other people, you're hurting your relationship

with God because you are, ultimately saying, I love my

desires and my passions more than I love you.

Lord. I'm going to continue to follow

myself and we'll see how he keeps breaking this down.

Verse 5, he says, or do you suppose it is to no purpose at

the scripture says he yearns jealously over the spirit that

he has made to dwell in US. little note on this verse, So

this vert, this is not a your if you go to try to Google that

that exact quotation, you're not, you're not going to find

it. So it's not a it's not a direct

quote but we can go all the way back.

We've been studying in Sunday School the last Last couple

months. Anyway, just through Exodus and

in Exodus, we have the Lord that the states in Exodus, 34

believe, it's, I've got it 34:14 when he states that he is a

jealous. God, he caught he consistently

throughout the Old Testament, establishes himself and says you

shall have no other gods before me.

And he States himself as a jealous God saying I desire and

command attention of your heart. There were to be no other gods.

You can't, you can't do both. If you're going to serve me,

you've got to love me full-on. And so, when we get to this

verse where God is where he says, where the scripture says

he yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell

within us, it's still addressing that heart issue.

If you are a believer in his Spirit, dwells in you, we've

already sang father, son. Holy Spirit.

The this is the Lord dwells with inside of you.

He is a jealous God and commands and desires your heart.

So you can't fight that with just the things that you want to

do and then after that, he says, but he gives more grace for this

and therefore, it says, and he's really kind of paraphrasing or

starting with some Proverbs 3 here, James kind of used a lot

of Proverbs 334 says God, opposes the proud, but gives

grace to the humble. He opposes the proud and gives

grace to the humble. Pride makes us very proud full.

And we see this in scripture all the time God continually he will

humble us, no doubt about it but he always humbles us when we

exalt ourselves. So when we start really

believing in ourselves and he says this back in chapter 1, you

know, he says, let the lowly exalt in their humiliation, let

the ones that seem like they've got it all going humble

themselves and exalting the Lord, because if we exalt

ourselves, he will humble us. His word says it time and time

again. He is opposed to the proud.

He is opposed to prideful selfish.

Ambition selfish desires. He's opposed to it.

So, we must strive daily to Humble ourselves.

There's a song that we sing. We didn't sing at this morning,

but it's called. Yes, I will.

And one of the reasons that I really like that song is because

it states in the bridge, it says, I choose to praise to

glorify the name of all names. And that's something that I have

to try to remind myself of each day of to choose to praise the

Lord. To choose to humble myself and I

fail at this all the time and to choose to submit to the Lord

daily and say Lord have your way as we've studied in Exodus and

Sunday school. He has provided for us daily

provided for Amana daily everything they needed and they

grumbled against him. It wasn't good enough. and I do

that in my day-to-day, I want like this whole life, life plan

on everything kind of Figured out, you know, five year plan or

whatever and things constantly change.

And so what I want in order to humble myself and what I think

the Lord desires for me is each day to wake up and say God thank

you for a new day. Thank you for the grace.

You have given me today. Help me serve you today.

And when Jesus prays that he prays, When you pray as the

father, give us this day, our daily bread.

But yet as a selfish person, I don't like to do that.

I like to try to plan out things like to get up and act as if you

got it all figured out act as if I'm going to make today happen.

Let's do it. Walking work all the time and

I'm just like, let's do it. Which is nothing, that's a bad

attitude to have. But usually my mentality, if I'm

honest with myself, isn't Lord, just help me get through today,

whatever you present it, your way, help me, help me.

Navigate it is feeling good. I'm going to make it happen, and

I make a lot of corals happen. What end up doing?

So if we're going to submit, if we're going to Humble ourselves

before the Lord, if we're going to submit to the Lord, that

sounds like a really big task. It's like, oh man.

Well how do we do this? Well James is going to, he's

going to lay it right out. So he tells Us.

God, opposes the proud. So if that is you He opposes

that but he will give Grace when you humble yourself.

And so he tells us how he says submit yourselves therefore to

the Lord submit to the Lord. He says to resist the devil.

It is important for us to remember, that is a true

statement. There are forces at play.

I want to go off too big in that rabbit hole but we serve a king

that his overthrown Satan. But we still need to resist and

flee from these Temptations. We need to seek the Lord.

We need to run towards the Lord. We are not just to stay stagnant

or not just a sit and go. Hey, I'm a child of the King.

Today is just going to be okay. We were to wake up and we were

to strive toward the lord, to resist the devil and flee.

This is how we also humble ourselves.

He says draw near to God. And what does he say?

After that? He says, and He will draw near

to you. So, in order to Humble

ourselves, if we feel like we're prideful, we've got all this

pry. We are to submit to the Lord.

Resist the devil and draw near to God.

You can do that through his word, he says cleanse your hands

and purify your hearts. And then it gets into where I to

me. Anyway, it all kind of it all

ties itself together. We're going to go to verse 9.

This ties it together for me that really makes it all hit me

like a ton of bricks. He says be wretched and mourn

and weep. Let your laughter be turned to

mourning and your joy to Gloom. And that's not a very uplifting

verse. it's not as not like the happiest of all versus But he

means that verse. You see so these the Christians

that he's talking to from all of this other stuff that we've read

first three chapters. And then when it gets here and

he's talking about corals, there is an obvious just casualness

about their quarrels that they have accepted and that they just

keep doing. And as Christians, I think we I

know I do this a lot. It's a casualness about my sin.

That's really not that big of a deal.

It's not that big of a deal because I've got Grace it's not

that big of a deal because most of you don't know, it's not that

big of a deal because maybe I'm not out stealing or actually

murdering people, right? It's just my own sin.

You do you I'll do me. It's all okay, keep things

hidden. That's a lot easier for us to

say, here in South Arkansas where there's a church, right?

There's a, you know, I'm probably step outside.

There's a church literally right there.

We can see that church. There are churches all over the

place. And so I've got some friends, I

want to kind of try to bring out a couple of contrast that I

think really hit on this. This idea of casual sin being,

okay? In our, in our, in our minds,

and our selfishness, we think it's okay, but the Lord is not.

Okay? And James is calling this out

and he is, he is calling it out enough to say be wretched and

mourn. Let this laughter that you think

is kind of funny. Ha ha let it turn to morning.

It is a big deal. So, I've got some friends that

live and I think they just moved, but they lived up in

Idaho, anybody from Idaho probably not.

Didn't think so wanted to ask. Idaho is a much different

culture than we are. That's very north of the states

and Washington up there by and large least a lot more than what

we are here in the Bible Belt. If someone claims to be a

Christian, it means they follow Jesus.

And not just they go to church. Like it means that their life

looks different. But that pin back down it means

their life looks different from most of the other people that

they know, because there is a huge population of people that

openly say, I reject, Jesus am not a Christian, I'm fine with

that. I'm going to do my life this way

and so those that say, Hey, I am a Christian means something.

It doesn't mean that much here because By and large it is

widely accepted that if you're Christian that's fine.

Most people around our area would claim to be a Christian

even if they don't go to church, even if they don't obey God and

hardly any commands even if they don't read their Bibles.

Even if they don't know much of what the Bible says, because

they believe in Jesus, that he is who he said he is like James

points out that even the demons believe that because they

believe that they think. Yeah, I'm Christian, it's fine.

Which also causes this casual something.

So, I went to one more example of this.

I went to Africa a few weeks ago, and it was a, that's a long

ways away. I'm glad to be back.

I missed everybody. And so, when I went to Africa

and Dustin talked about this last week, he said, one of the

biggest problems when you go overseas and we'll take Africa,

I went to Tanzania Tanzania is, how I've learned that they say

it. They don't, they don't say at

the Southern Arkansas, Tanzania. Believe it or not.

You would think they would but they don't is, it's not that

they need just the gospel because they've heard the

gospel. Here's the problem.

And doesn't put great when he said only, that sounds exactly.

Right. They've heard a false gospel.

They have heard people coming over and Proclaim Christ, but

it's really not the Christ of the Bible.

And so, when we were over there trying to kind of navigate that

of like, if you say you're a Believer, it means this, which

is again, kind of what James has hit that.

If you say your believer, it actually means this, this, this

this, this not just this kind of global thing, and they also deal

with. It's so casual that I think I

was talking to Mandy about this the other night.

So, in Tanzania their president, if the president's Christian,

it's a country that's kind of split Christian and Muslim.

If the president's Christian, the vice president has to be

Muslim and vice versa and they do this with a good heart.

So that everybody gets along. But here's where the problem

comes in is that that you also have a lot of Christians.

Marry Muslims and Muslims married Christians because

there's really no distinction. It's just kind of like let's

just let's just not disagree too much.

Because to actually follow the Bible, if you're Muslim and you

turn to be a Christian. It costs everything like you

lose your family over this because you are denouncing.

Something that is incredibly big deal.

And so how to how do we kind of avoid that as well?

They just go, well, there's not going to talk about a lot of

that stuff and we'll just kind of let it play out.

But to actually say there I am a Christian means I follow the

lord means you lose relationships.

And it means some people might try to murder you.

It's a really big deal and it's something that I'm not going to

pretend that I really understand because here, it's not that big

of a deal. I have never felt my life

threatened for proclaiming Christ here.

I haven't So the danger in that is what James is addressing, is

this casualness of my own Pride can get so overwhelming that

it's okay, it's not that big of a deal.

And James is saying be wretched, your sin is evil, your sin is

evil, we serve a good jealous God, that deserves and desires

and commands our hearts and for us to serve him and him alone.

Loan. There are to be no other gods

yourself included. We serve him and him alone Be

wretched and let that that laughter, that you've got that,

that that casualness about it, let it be turned to weeping and

mourning. It is that big of a deal?

And I'd usually don't view it that way.

I view it in other ways and so when I'm reading this James, I'm

like, oh my goodness. And then he says, humble, humble

yourselves before the Lord and He will exalt you Then we're

going to end with this last part.

That is really in the same vein. Verse 11.

He says, do not speak evil and again he still talking.

This is all kind of within the same context.

He says, do not speak evil against one.

One another brother's, the one who speaks against a brother or

judges, his brother speaks evil against the law and judges the

law. You might have heard, you know?

I asked questions, We Shouldn't Judge, right?

We've heard this. But, you know, there's a

difference between making a judgment and actually judging so

we all make judgments every single day.

We can make judgments on right or wrong based on what the Bible

tells us we can make judgments on, you know, a bunch of

different things. This is not saying don't ever

make a judgment ever, so, some of the Some of the back and

forth between that would be well, but we don't ever want to

get to this casualness of. As you do you, I'm going to do

me, whatever you want to do is fine, doesn't affect me, it's

fine. It's not real love, it's

actually very unloving if you really care about somebody and

they're doing something that is very harmful or if they say

they're a Christian and yet, they are opposing all of these

things and they're an ambassador for Christ that reflects all of

us really bad as we say, Christian.

So is Not saying don't ever say anything when we make any

judgments, don't have anything that you stick with that.

That's not what this is getting it.

This is getting it actually judging people from a prideful

stance So when we actually judge somebody, so way that my brain

helps with it. So hopefully it's helpful with

you. Well, we're really judging

somebody what we're kind of ultimately getting at is, I

can't believe they would do that.

I can't believe they would do that.

I would never allow that. It's just despicable.

I would never allow if I were the Lord, I wouldn't let them.

I wouldn't allow that. And our brain doesn't run

through all of those but that's really kind of the nastiness

that gets in judging. I wouldn't do it.

I can't believe the Lord will allow that to happen.

I just, I wouldn't do that. And we make these really nasty

judgments. That makes sense.

It all stems, from it, from Pride, it all stems from there's

something within me that says, I can't believe that and therefore

wrong, Bad Evil. I can do it better.

I would do it better, the Lord should have done it better and

so he gets down and he says but if you judge the law, you are

not a doer of the law, but a judge and then he says there is

only one lawgiver and judge and it's not you He who is able to

save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your

neighbor? So we are to love, we are to

live in love. We are to live in truth and of

all the different things that he is.

That he is that he is brought out again, back in James 3 says,

but the wisdom from above is first pure Peaceable.

Gentle open to reason full of mercy and good fruits impartial

and sincere and have a harvest of righteousness and a harvest

of righteousness is sown in Peace by.

Those who make pieces is how we are to live.

We say weird Christian, let's take it serious.

We all really glad you're here. I'm super glad you're here.

I want you to keep coming here but not just so that we can come

here and gather and say, all right, we made it to church and

so that when we leave here, we were a group of people set apart

from other people. We were a group of people that

that actually follow the lord and obey, the Lord and love one

another well, and don't judge the world.

And we're not selfish about our Ambitions.

And we seek after him, And that means something.

We want we want it to mean something.

We had a membership class this morning and that's some of the

things that we try to, we try to put in is when you're saying

that you joining us we're not you're not just saying yeah,

joining just going to check a box because I think I need to

join a church. We are trying to say, we are

committing to help you follow the lord and in return, we're

asking for your commitment to help all of us as well seek

after the Lord, so that we can do these things that James says,

So that this isn't just lip service and so that it's not

just the place that we come so we can actually follow and obey

the Lord. Why?

Because he saves, he is the lawgiver.

He is the judge. We are not His blood is

sufficient. And so, just got a couple other

things. I don't want to, don't want to

ramble, but there is only one and it is him.

It is not us. And in his gospel we sing about

this earlier in his gospel, we can stand firm because there is

just this one gospel that we preach.

And that is Christ. It's Christ is sufficient.

In Christ Alone saves. And so, what do we do now?

How do we, how do we humble ourselves?

We're one of the first things I say would be, will me to repent

of any sin and submit yourself to the Lord.

This is a daily thing. Is a daily thing that we can go

to. Repent is a complete turnaround.

Not be casual about it and repent of our sin and turn to

the Lord for his blood is sufficient.

I want to read one other scripture.

This is from 1st Timothy. It says this morning, not having

work. I don't have it work.

Give me a second. so, 1st Timothy Chapter 2.

Where's three through six? He's praying for all people, and

for kings and either people in high positions.

And then he says, this is good and it is pleasing.

In the sight of God, our savior, who desires all people to be

saved. And to come to the knowledge of

Truth for there is one God, and there is one mediator between

God and Men. The man Christ Jesus, who gave

himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given.

At the proper time. So we're going to pray in just a

second. I just, I want to encourage you

to seek to seek the Lord, if you're a Believer, seek the

Lord. If you're a believer in any of

these things, run true, repent and submit to the Lord.

If you're not a Believer and you're here today and you're

like okay all that sounds like a lot.

I don't know, even where to start.

Come talk to me. Come talk to Jasper.

Talk to Kyle. Steve.

James ask somebody because we fully believe.

That the only way of Salvation is through Christ.

The only way of Salvation is through Christ and you're here

and you're hearing the gospel. So, the first step is to

acknowledge number one. Yes, you are a sinner.

You have failed. I have failed.

I failed a lie. You can't be good enough on your

own. You can't fix this mess that

you've created. You need Christ.

Need Christ. So seek the Lord, the feel free.

If you want to come talk with me.

We're going to sing a song in a second.

That just says, the goodness of is called the goodness of Jesus

and it starts by just saying, come you weary Hearts.

Now to Jesus is cry out to the Lord.

He alone saves and he alone is good.

Let's pray. Gotta thank you for your word.

I thank you for your goodness. I ask that you draw us to

yourself. Ask that you help us be obedient

to your word. And that starting right here in

our church, that Lord, you cut to the heart of all of our pride

and selfish ambition. Help us seek.

You help us acknowledge that you are sufficient.

Help us submit to your grace. For we are unworthy.

Of being saved, but in your goodness.

In your mercy. You have laid down your life so

that your blood will be sufficient, blood is sufficient.

Let's be encouraged by your work that the things that you have

listed for us are for our good. There are 4 other people's good.

They are honoring to you. And they helped us know, you

more and more or thank you so much for your goodness.

In Jesus Christ name. Amen.

In Jesus Christ name. Amen.