Life on the edge

Peninsula Community Church
James – Who Is The Favorite?
March 17, 2013

James 2:1-7 My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,” have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him? But you have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag you into court? Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable name by which you were called?

While we were in Florida this past week one of the discussions that occurred on a number of occasions was who was grandma’s favorite? This actually was comical at times but Michelle summed it up the best. We were all grandma’s favorites. That was the character and representation of who grandma Winter was. She had the capacity to make everyone believe that they were her favorite.

God is like that. God does not show favoritism. All are on equal footing at the cross. Because God shows no favorites, He also calls the church to show no favorites. We are to somehow make everyone feel they are God’s favorite. And yet as we live out our lives we encounter people who make this a difficult proposition. In the passage before us, James deals with the prejudices evident in the church of his day. He bases his comments on the condition of the church at the time. The issue at hand was that there were those within the church that made decisions about a person solely on their outward appearance and not the condition of their heart.

This addressing of favoritism is in keeping with James’s reputation as “the Just.” James’s term for “favoritism” is the Greek word “prosopolempsia.” This particular word is one that is not used in secular Greek literature. It is a compound word that literally means “to take hold of the face.” It is used to describe someone who makes an immediate judgment of people based on their appearance. It is a word that has been formulated to describe a situation in the church of James’ day. The problem was apparently a common concern in the New Testament church. James’s use of the word is similar to that used by both Peter and Paul. God’s impartiality is asserted in 1 Peter 1:17 where Peter connotes that God judges impartially. In Acts 10:34 Peter understood that God shows no impartiality. Paul in Ephesians 6:9, Colossians 3:25 and Romans 2:11 infers God’s impartiality toward his people.

James calls on the church to avoid showing favoritism. We must note that in James’ letter there were no divisions between the verses. So, for us to fully understand this passage we must read it in context with the previous verses because there is continuity from 1:27 to 2:1. James says instructs the church to not show favoritism because that would be an instance of “being polluted by the world.” Impartiality is a necessary outworking of our faith because we must administer the same standard of justice to being impartial as we do to “look after orphans and widows in their distress.”

The problem for James is that there were those who preferred the rich and well to do above those who were poor and limited in their ability. The rich and well to do were given the best seats in the church and were applauded for their efforts. The problem however is that they lacked the character needed as passionate followers of Christ. This is illustrated by James’ reference to the fact that the very people they honored were the very people that were taking them to court and suing them for the least of issues.

Today, we experience prejudices of all kinds: wealth versus poverty, the haves and have nots, one’s nationality, one’s denominational leanings, one’s size/weight/height, one’s birth as in the North or the South, and so. It is noteworthy to see that today we have reversed the roles in many ways. Today there seems to be a prejudice against those who are wealthy. The wealthy are being demonized as if they were the cause of all of America’s problems and if somehow we were to diminish their value then we would be better off as a nation. How absurd is that? But that is the point that James is making. Every person has value in God’s eyes. Every believer has a place in the Kingdom.

Illustration – The story is told about an upscale, conservative church. One Sunday morning, about halfway through the service, a young man entered the church. He was barefoot and was wearing a pair of those jeans that revealed his underwear. He was also adorned with multiple piercings which included a metal ring in his ear that had caused the hole where the ring was inserted to be almost one inch in diameter. He was also tattooed on almost every part of his exposed body. Because the church was crowded, the young man couldn’t find a seat and the ushers had already seated themselves. The church was both surprised and aghast that the young man walked straight down the main aisle and sat on the floor right in front of the preacher. A quick rumble of whispers began when an older elder stood up and began to move toward the young man. Some of those attending the service thought at least someone is going to deal with this problem but to everyone’s amazement the older, conservative elder removed his jacket, took his tie off and removed his shoes and sat on the floor next to the young man. The rumblings turned to tears as they were overwhelmed by the actions of the elder. Needless to sat, no one ever forgot this simple act of kindness.

In his autobiography, Mahatma Gandhi wrote that during his student days he read the Gospels seriously and considered converting to Christianity. He believed that in the teachings of Jesus he could find the solution to the caste system that was dividing the people of India. So one Sunday he decided to attend services at a nearby church and talk to the minister about becoming a Christian. When he entered the sanctuary, however, the usher refused to give him a seat and suggested that he go worship with his own people. Gandhi left the church and never returned. “If Christians have caste differences also,” he said, “I might as well remain a Hindu.” That usher’s prejudice not only betrayed Jesus but also turned a person away from trusting Him as Savior.

Let me be quick to make an observation about prejudices. We need to understand that there is a difference between showing favoritism and tolerating sin. Today, there is a call for tolerance which is no more than a cloaked verbalism for acceptance of sin. God has always been against showing favoritism but he never supports the toleration of sin. In this passage, James is not calling us to accept sin. Too often liberal interpretations of such scripture lead some to believe that we are to tolerate sin and sinful actions. As we think of tolerance the problem is that too often tolerance is a one way street. Those that preach a strong tolerance message are often intolerant of others.

Rather than tolerance James is dealing with favoritism that is based on the outward appearance. Do you remember the story of David’s selection as King? As Samuel and David’s father were reviewing the possibility of David’s brothers being King. God spoke to Samuel that it is not the outward appearance that counts but the internal expression of God’s grace. The fact is, God is not interested in the size of your bank account or what you wear, he is interested in the character of your heart.

As I was preparing for this message I came across a phrase that would be useful for our understanding. The phrase is “compromised by the superficial.” The phrase in essence states that too often we are misled and misguided by the outward expressions of others. It might be their emotional exuberance. It might be their intellectual prowess. It might be the flaunting of their wealth, but all of that is insignificant if the heart does not match up to the outward expression. We can be easily seduced and compromised by the superficial. How many have gone into business or have married someone because they were comprised by the superficial. It is for that reason that God calls us to a deeper relationship with Christ.

Before we move on let me make this one comment. The idea of favoritism does not mean that we do not have people that we hang out with more than others, it simply means that we do not credit of discredit others simply by their outward dress or facade.

The second area that needs to be addressed is the idea of tolerance. We have already mentioned this briefly. The problem is that tolerance gives way to and allows sin to go unchecked. In the secular world view of today we find that people are calling for tolerance; but in essence this most often is focused on the acceptance of one’s sin or and bad behavior. Look at what we are being asked to tolerate: dishonesty, sexual perversion, abortion, alternative lifestyles, bad behavior, drug addiction, alcoholism and the list goes on.

Rather than tolerate sin we are called to root out sin. The writer of Hebrews reminds us in Hebrews 12:1-2 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Paul in Colossians 3:5-15 also speaks to this. “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all. Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.

Today we are being called to accept everyone regardless of their outward appearance and the facade that they present. How about you? Are you showing favoritism? Are you exhibiting prejudicial actions?

Peninsula Community Church

February 24, 2013

James – How’s your Religion?

James 1:26-27 If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

The last time I went to the doctor one of the things that I was asked to do was to stick out my tongue and say ahhhhh! When I was younger, I use to wonder why he would do this but as I have gotten older I now have a better understanding for this. The reason a doctor will ask you to do this is that he can often measure the health of the body by examining the tongue. For example, he can tell if we are under stress because of certain conditions that might be evident on the tongue and in the mouth. He can determine if there is a potential for sickness, as a coated tongue is often a sign of bacteria evident in the body. He can also discover certain cancers. 

In this passage, James is telling us to stick out our tongues and say ahhhhh! James presents two ways to show the purity of one’s religion. His goal is to present us with a definition of good religion. To do so, he presents two ideas that reveal who we are and what we are all about. The first idea is matter of controlling our tongue. The second is a matter of how we minister to orphans and widows. Our primary focus today will be on the tongue.

Before we get into the meat of this discussion, let me speak to this idea of religion for just a moment. There is a big difference between having religion and being a passionate follower of Christ. Religion while it was supposed to be a good thing has most often become a perverted system of rules and regulations. This is best illustrated by the Pharisees. The Pharisees, the religious leader’s of Jesus’ day, took God’s law which could be summed up in “Loving God” and “Loving Others” (Mark 12:28-31) and developed 613 laws which included 365 negative commands and 248 positive commands. 

Joe Stowell, professor at Moody Bible Institute, proposes that, at the time of Christ, the Pharisees had produced a heartless, cold, and arrogant brand of righteousness. The problem is that new laws were continually invented to satisfy their need to control others. The result was that their laws created a judgmental spirit and a false standard of righteousness. Instead of freedom, these laws became a burden and they were unnecessarily confusing and contradictory because of the number of laws presented.

The truth of the matter is that there were so many laws that even the Pharisees could not keep all of their own laws. For them it was easier to make a law than it was to deal with the heart. Any time you have a system in place where the rules are primary and the heart issues are nominal in terms of priorities, then we have a problem. The issue is that we can have an outward persona that appears to have it together. Jesus described this as being white washed tombs. In that day they would paint the burial vaults with a white wash to keep them looking nice. His point was though they looked good on the outside the tombs still contained deaf men’s bones.

This however is not the kind of religion that James is propagating here. He is not propagating a long list of laws but he is referring to a positive response to God’s word and commands. He is referring to being a hearer and a doer of God’s word which means we bring our hearts into alignment with God’s will and His purposes for our lives. Good religion does not come from a long list of rules but it only comes by way of God’s grace. The law does not save us, as it is only a school master that points us to sin. In Galatians 2:15-16, Paul says, “We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.”

Paul continues in Galatians by helping us understand that we were held captive under the law until faith came through Christ. The law was our “guardian” or as the KJV says it was our “schoolmaster.” It pointed us to Christ but was powerless to deal with the power of sin that ruled over us. Christ came as the fulfillment of the law. While the ceremonial law was no longer needed as Christ came to satisfy the requirements of that part of the  law, the moral law remains in tack. 

With that said James illustrates for us what “good” religion looks like. It is one that is not guided by a long list of rules but by a heart motivated by Christ’s love and His righteousness. Therefore, one who exemplifies good religion is one who controls their tongue. As we consider the tongue, we must understand that just as the physical tongue is barometer for our physical health, the tongue is also a barometer of our spiritual condition. It is of note that James throughout this book discusses the work of the tongue and the working out of our faith in practical ways.  James is keenly aware that our tongue will either support us or it will betray us. It is for that reason that he uses the word picture of a bridle. A bridle serves to steer or guide a horse. In essence he is saying that we should put a bridle on our tongue to guide and steer our tongue in the right direction.

What comes from our mouth reveals the character of the heart which reveals the health of our spiritual body. Jesus stated that it is out of the heart that the mouth speaks for the heart is the seat of one’s emotion and thoughts. In Matthew 15:18-20 Jesus says, “Out of the heart comes evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person.”

We must understand that we all communicate unhealthy and unwise things at one point or the other. This does not mean that we are necessarily evil minded, it simply means that this action is pointing to an adjustment that must be made within us but, an on going pattern of unhealthy talk will define who you are as a nonspiritual person. The problem for some is that they may never use a curse word and yet they curse others by way of slander, lies and corrupt thinking. Too often this is done in private or it is done with others in a group with the absence of the one being spoken about.

To understand this, let me ask you a couple of questions.

• Do you edify others or do you slander others?
• Do you give thanks or do you complain?
• Do you speak truthfully or do you speak falsely?
• Do you speak with civility or do you use sarcasm?
• Do you speak humbly or do you speak with pride and arrogance?

Let’s look at these questions for a moment. Let’s begin by asking ourselves, “Do I edify others or do I slander people and tear them down by my words?” The answer to this is important. One way to define this is to ask if you spend more time talking about someone rather than talking to the person. When you do speak to them are you encouraging them or do you find yourself tearing them down by being critical and judgmental? Are you looking at the faults of others only or are you looking for the positive in their lives as well.

Second, “Do I give thanks more than I complain?” My heart can be filled with bitterness or it can be filled with gratefulness and joy. Bitter hearts end up hurting others because they become distrusting of those who have grateful hearts. Instead of rejoicing, they become upset with others who seem to have it all together. A person with an ungrateful heart is hard to please and the one with an ungrateful heart will have a hard time in feeling satisfied because they are never content with the things they possess. The tendency is that they always want something else to satisfy them and cause them to feel accepted.

Third, “Do I speak the truth or do I continually speak falsehoods and lies?” To be clear sometimes we do not speak lies outright, sometimes we simply distort the truth to make us look better or to avoid the reality we may face, if we were perfectly honest. A partial untruth is still and untruth. God calls for us to be honest in our communications and in our dealings with others. To mislead someone is a falsehood and in the end hurts the one propagating the falsehood. 

Four, “Do I speak with civility or do I speak with sarcasm?” The problem with sarcasm is that it begins as a joke but the problem is there is too often an element of truth in our expressions of sarcasm. A second problem is that sarcasm gets more hateful. A third problem is that sarcasm becomes the mode of operation that we use when we battle others. In the end sarcasm brings pain and hurt the one the sarcasm is aimed. It tears the other person down rather than building them up.

Fifth, “Do I speak humbly or do I speak with pride and arrogance?” Let me be clear to speak humbly does not mean that I cannot be emphatic or direct in my approach. We often confuse directness with pride when that is not the case. However, when I am prideful and arrogant, the message is lost and/or distorted. Pride and arrogance come when I try to present myself in a deceptive manner. It comes when I try to present myself as something else when that is not the case at all. 

What we learn here is that our vocal communication is a measure of our hearts and the transformation or the lack of transformation that has come…. but listen to what the Bible says to us.

1 Corinthians 13:11-12 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.

Ephesians 4:15 Speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

Proverbs 4:24 Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you. 

Colossians 4:5-6 Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.

Colossians 4:5-6 Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.

So how is your tongue today? Does it point to a healthy spiritual life or is there some work to do? The fact is you are not alone as we all can grow in this area of our life. It’s your choice but God is ready to assist you in this area. Will you allow Him to do that?

Peninsula Community Church
February 17, 2013
James – Actions Speak Louder Than Words

James 1:21-25 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently 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 perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

This morning we are going to look at an important topic. In this passage, we find that James issues a challenge for believers to live out their faith in a practical way because we are called to put into action what we hear. In the passage, James presents two types of Christians. The first is the one that hears the word but forgets and fails to properly apply the Word and the second is the one that hears and makes a proper application of the word.

To bring some analysis to this lets examine two hypothetical people. The first person is the one who hears and forgets what he has heard. This person has grown up in the church. They have memorized Scriptures. They have studied the Bible and in their adult life they have continued to attend church, faithfully. They are involved in Sunday School, Bible studies, Seminars and conferences where they discuss biblical stories and they ponder deep theological questions. This person is often an avid reader of Christian books and Christian literature. In some denominational settings this would be the person who has received all of the attendance awards and Bible memorization certificates. In many ways, this person seems to be a godly individual, but when their life is reviewed more closely, there is a disconnect between their appearance and who they are in real life. In the real world, they exhibit poor morals. They are dishonest and have been caught in several lies on the job. It is not unusual to see them carry spare parts and supplies off the job that they will use for their personal business without having proper clearance to do so. They also tend to get angry and fly off the handle with little or no provocation. They tend to exhibit a prideful and self-centered heart. They also tend to look out for number one and show little or no concern for others. They show up at church on Sundays, and they can share and discuss many insights from the Bible, but the day-to-day routine of their life seems unaffected by the Word.

The second person is the one who hears and takes action. This person is similar to the first in certain respects. They are committed to a church body where they learn from God’s Word and where they discuss it with others. They also love to talk about the stories of the Bible and they wrestle with deep theological issues. They read Christian books and magazines to gain a greater understanding of the Bible. The difference, however, is that this person’s life, in their day-to-day routine, is profoundly affected by the Word. They are not perfect. They still struggle with selfishness, impatience, and apathy, but they are not content to let their life remain as it is. You see they are striving to live according to the Word. They understand what it means to experience the joy of obeying the truth of God’s words and His commands. They trust God’s promises and they desire a greater understanding of God’s word so they can grow even more. Therefore, they read the Bible, not as a topic for interesting discussion, but as a guide for their daily life. The fruit of this exercise is very evident. The result is that they tend to be more patient and compassionate. They know how to exercise restraint in what they say. They look out for the needs of others and as we spoke about last week they are quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to anger.

Perhaps the difference in these two is that one cloaks themselves in the word whereas the other devours the word and allows it to transform their life.

For those who have children, you may have experienced something like this in your family or perhaps as a child you were the guilty party. Do you remember telling your child to do something? Then they would head off to play, only to forget what they were supposed to do. The whole time they assured you that the task would get accomplished. They had every intent of doing what you had asked them to do but they forgot. They became distracted and missed an opportunity to obey their parents. This is the confrontation we face when we do this with God’s word. Rather than being hearers, God expects us to be doers. That is, He is calling us to a walk of obedience. We hear, we listen and we obey what we have heard.

In this passage, James uses the word picture of a mirror to illustrate what he is communicating. In those days, they did not have the kind of mirrors we have today as they would have used a polished piece of metal as a means to reflect their image. In my preparation for this message, I thought about the role that mirrors play in our lives. The first thing I considered was that the main purpose of a mirror is to reflect the outward appearance. Every morning, I check myself in the mirror to make sure that my teeth are brushed properly. I check to make sure that my hair is in place. I check to make sure that my clothes match and they everything is in place. I do this so that I can have a proper presentation of myself and so that I will diminish any embarrassing moments.

Another thing about mirrors is that by using a mirror, I begin to understand more about my outer man. As a result, I know that I have blue eyes. I know that my hairline is receding and that my hair color which use to be brownish blonde is now more of a salt and pepper. But when you look in the mirror you make those adjustments but you don’t take the mirror and hold it up all of the time to check yourself out. There is no need to do this as you trust the reflection and the changes you make. Secondly, we would be amiss if we took a look at ourselves but failed to make the adjustments to correct the areas needing change. How foolish would it be to see a problem and not correct it. For example, maybe it is a cut on the face after shaving or a bit of shaving cream left under the nose. Perhaps it is a spot of dirt we missed while taking our shower. Regardless of what issue we might find, we correct the issue, we don’t leave it.

The purpose of the Word is to reflect the inward appearance. It is the reflection of Christ that we see in the word which becomes our model for life. Rather than just outward adjustments, the word of God reflects the inner changes of character and soul that must occur. It should be noted that I believe this is the reason that James talks about the implanted word of God. The Word God cannot be a superficial experience, it must be digested and consumed. It must become a part of the fabric of your life so that the Word becomes the guiding force of your life that is directing your steps and your actions. In verse 21, James commands us to “receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.” The word is the means by which we are born again (verse 18), and it is also the means by which we live the Christian life (verse 21).

As we look at this passage, we see that James is saying that the one who hears the Word but does not act on the word is deceiving themselves. There is a difference between analyzing and discussing the word and making an application of the word into one’s life so that it impacts who one is and how they are to live. The only way to truly receive the word is to receive it humbly. We can’t put ourselves over the word, but we must humbly put ourselves under the word and submit to its authority in our lives.

Let me close by sharing a couple of scriptures that highlight and confirm the message that James is communicating.

Titus 1:15-16 To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds and their consciences are defiled. They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work.

John 3:36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

Romans 2:6-11He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. For God shows no partiality.

1 John 5:2-3 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.

So may it be that we put into practice what we gain from God’s word. Like the lottery, you have to be in to win it. And, you have to be in the word to allow it to change our lives.

Peninsula Community Church
February 10, 2013
James – Slow Down, You Move Too Fast

James 1:19-21 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

As a child, I always remember that when I would get angry the counsel I would receive would be to count to ten. Little did I know how great this counsel would be and little did I know, at that time, how close this was to the Bible’s counsel as well.

Another bit of counsel I would receive was from my grandmother. she would say that God gave us two ears and one mouth therefore we should listen twice as much as we talk. Once again I did not realize how close to scripture this counsel was.

As I was preparing for this message I was reminded of the lyrics to a song written by Simon & Garfunkel in the late 1960s that encouraged us to slow down. I am sure you remember the song. The lyrics went something like this: “Slow down, you move too fast, you’ve got to make the morning last, just kickin’ down the cobble-stones, lookin’ for fun and feelin’ groovy.” While this is certainly just lyrics to a song, it is my belief that James had the same sentiment in the passage before us.

As we look at this passage, we see that James begins with a call to action. He says “Know this.” This would be the same as saying, “Listen up” as what I am about to tell you is extremely important. He in essence says, “Take notice of what I am going to tell you, if you want to know how to live your faith out in a practical way.”

How is this accomplished? To guide us James highlights three practices every passionate follower of Christ needs to develop in their lives. By putting these actions into practice our lives and our relationships will be positively affected. In this passage, he suggests that we need to be better listeners. We need to be slower in our responses and we need to be slower in letting anger get the best of us. If we do these things, most conflicts would dissolve and many conflicts would never develop.

Let’s look specifically at how James instructs us.

First, James instructs us to be quick to hear. How true it is that we need to be better listeners? Too many times we are thinking of our next line or the response we might give rather than truly listening to the other person? By doing this, we potentially miss out on what is really being said. The result is that we receive disjointed and incorrect communications. In years past, the emphasis on good communication was focused on the one communicating. If the message was not received then it was automatically the speaker’s problem. As information on this subject has developed, scientists have found that one can communicate perfectly and yet there will be a failure on the part of the listener to receive the data correctly. The one communicating can give one message but those in the audience can receive conflicting messages. Why is this? It is because they are day dreaming, they are thinking of what they have to do later, or they have an animosity toward the speaker. These and other reasons can impact what one hears.

To be a good listener is in reality a mark of humility. It is something we do as we consider others as being more significant than ourselves. The following exhortation from Paul supports this idea. “Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves” (Philippians 2:3). To listen, means that we attempt to understand others before responding.

Second, James instructs us to be slow to speak. As we study the Bible, we find that the tongue can be a force for life or it can be a force for death, especially when we don’t stop to think about what we are saying. Too many times the problem for us is there is a tendency to blurt out the first thing that comes to mind and that is not always a good thing. Think back on your life when this has happened. What were the results?

The other aspect of note is that you cannot speak and listen at the same time. When we are speaking we are not listening or at least we cannot do both effectively. When we are busy talking we can miss out on what others are saying. All we have to do is look at the political rhetoric of our day. Rather than debates, we have monologues. Rather than true discussions, we have individuals who want to give their talking points without any interest in hearing another’s viewpoints. And, we wonder why so little is being accomplished.

The writer of Proverbs has some insight into this idea when he says, “When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent” (Proverbs 10:19). “There is one whose rash words are like swords thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing” (Proverbs 12:18). Finally, he says “Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life; he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin” (Proverbs 13:3).

While listening is a sign of humility, waiting to speak is an action of one who loves others. In 1 Corinthians 13:4 Paul states, “Love is patient.” Waiting before I respond or being slow to speak is one way God calls me to love others. Prudently restraining my lips (Proverbs 10:19) allows me to get past my initial impulse (which is frequently wrong). It gives me a chance to ask God for wisdom and discernment, and to ask clarifying questions that often don’t come in the heat of the moment.

Third, James admonishes us to be slow to anger. In life, we need tough skins and soft hearts. We need to understand that people around us are not always listening to us and that they sometimes says things before they think them through. Once we recognize this, we will be more apt to understand those around us. Too often, we respond to others who do not think their words through and we jump the gun before we think things through ourselves. The result is that we say and do things in haste that we would not do under normal circumstances.

The problem is that in anger we say things that injure others. The fact is, our words effect others for good and evil. They bring life and they bring death. Listen to what the word says about this. “Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body” (Proverbs 16:24). When I speak, it is so important that my words “give grace to those who hear” (Ephesians 4:29). Paul states, “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” Gracious words are sometimes tender and sometimes tough according to Proverbs 27:6, but they are always measured, clear, honest, and if possible concise according to Proverbs 10:19. Gracious words always aim for truthful restoration and agreement (2 Corinthians 13:11). Deadly words aim to destroy, wound and bring pain which is the opposite of gracious words.

In this passage, James is not saying that anger is wrong because anger is a God given emotion. It is an emotion that we cannot help, but we can control. Anger can be used for healthy outcomes or it can lead us to sin and evil. Angry words can be spoken that can tear down a relationship in an instant. Remember these verses? Proverbs 14:17a states, “A man of quick temper acts foolishly” while Proverbs 29:22 says, “A man of wrath stirs up strife, and one given to anger causes much transgression.” Misplaced anger accomplishes nothing positive in either person.

So how does all of this apply to us. When we are quick to listen, we can hear the heart of the other person in ways that will not occur if we are busy talking or attempting to think of our next line or comeback. When we truly listen to others, we get to know them more than just a surface understanding. We can hear their heart. We can read their body language and their verbal cues. If you truly listen, you might be amazed at what you might hear.

When we are slow to speak, we are more likely to take the time to evaluate our response thereby more clearly communicating what we want or need to communicate in a better way. When we are slow to speak, there is less of a chance to have to apologize for my actions later because I have said something stupid. The fact is that it is out of the heart that the mouth speaks but that does not mean that we have to speak everything in our heart.

It is for that reason that James instructs us to put away filthy things and unwholesome things because these things will affect how we respond. Sometimes we are quick to respond because we want to cover up who we are and we believe that by controlling the conversation, we cover up who we really are. A pure heart speaks pure things. A pure heart that is quick to listen and slow to speak will be one that is less likely to get angry or upset. That is God’s will for us,

Peninsula Community Church

February 3, 2013

James – Good Gifts

James 1:16-18 Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights 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 creatures.

For me, the idea of gift giving can be an interesting one. Gifts as you know come in all sizes and shapes and the size or the shape of the gift does not inherently define the content of the gift. So many times, we open a gift given to us with a specific idea in mind of what the gift might be but we can be disappointed when we find that what is inside it something totally different. 

The other problem with gifts is that too many times gifts are given with strings attached. Parents often do this. If you are really, really good then you will get ‘x.’ While this is certainly a way to discipline the child, if it is the only means to administer discipline, the child may begin to believe that their parent’s love and acceptance is based solely in a reward system rather than in unconditional love.  

At other times, gifts are used by some to buy another’s love. I knew of a couple where they would constantly fight and many times the fighting would get physical. They would part ways but then he would apologize and make up to her by buying her expensive jewelry and once he even bought her a new car not so much to show his love to her but to prevent her from leaving. In essence his gifts were actually a way to manipulate his wife.

Each of these illustrations present a level of deception in the giving of gifts. It is for this reason that James begins this passage by addressing deception. The fact is we are living in a time where deception seems to be the standard mode of operation. Of note, just this week I received a copy of a letter that was sent to President Obama and the leaders of both houses. The gist of the letter was to point out the deception and dishonesty that is being propagated on the nation and it was a call to action for them to be honest in their approach to legislative issues and to the business of running the U. S. Government.

James also recognizes the potential for deception among believers. Therefore, he calls on the believers of His day to resist the temptation of deception. In particular, this deception relates to the view one has of God. Too often, we have a skewed view of who God is. The result is we have a misunderstanding of who He is and because we have a skewed view of God we have a skewed view of His gifts to us. We need to understand that our view of God will determine how we live life and how we deal with others.

There are many deceptive views of God today. I will mention two extreme views. One view purports that God has created everything and then stands back and allows things to run its course without any direct involvement from God. This view supposes that God has little intervention in the affairs of life and it presents a disconnected and detached God that is unconcerned about our daily life. It is for this reason so many feel that God is disconnected from their life and from the particular situations they face. They begin to believe that God is a distant God and this view is confirmed in their relationships every day as they live out broken relationships every day. The result is a feeling of loneliness and abandonment.

A second view is that God controls every action we take to the point that we have absolutely no choice in what we do or what we say. This view purports that God predetermines every action taken even if these are acts of sin perpetrated on mankind. I spoke with one pastor who claimed that if someone was raped that it was God’s will and that it was God’s predetermined will for that to happen. The problem with this view is that it takes away man’s responsibility for their actions and presents a God who is controlling, unfeeling, and one that justifies sin. This view would purport that God is responsible for causing men to sin which is in direct contradiction to His character.

In the first view, there is little or no dependance on God and there is a sense that man is in total control. The result is that man feels he does not need God. In the second view, God is in total control to the point that man has no control over His life which results in him not taking responsibility for his actions. The fact is, God is sovereign and in control but that does not negate our human responsibility for poor decisions that cause damage in others lives.

Regardless of these two views, there is one thing that James wants to assure us of. He wants us to know that every good and perfect gift comes from God, the Father. God’s gifts are both good and perfect. It is important to note that this speaks to the character of the giver just as much as it does to the quality of the gift. God is good and He is perfect in all of His ways, and because He is good and perfect, His gifts are good and perfect.

We see this illustrated by Jesus in Matthew 7:11. Jesus says that if we who are evil know how to give good gifts to our children, how much more will your father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him. If we ask for bread, He does not give us a stone, or if we ask for a fish, he will not give us a serpent? Notice the action required of one the asking and then a response of God providing.

God is not in the business of offering one thing and then giving us something else. You see God is not into bait and switch. I am sure we have all experienced this act at some point. We see a sales circular that promotes the sale of a certain item at a certain price. You go to the store only to be disappointed because they do not have the specific item or the item available is more money than advertised. It is a ploy to get you into the store because they know if they get you into the store that you will most likely buy something else. I am so glad that God does not do that. What He advertises He gives and it is good and perfect.

So what are some of the gifts that God gives.

To begin with God gives us life. A part of the problem in our fallen world is that man tends to define life in so many different ways. He defines life by what he possesses. He defines life by what he does. He defines life through what he has achieved. The problem, however, is that while these things are great man can still become burdened with guilt, shame and regret to the degree that they miss out on the joy of life. Life seems a burden and not a joy.

Real life however is defined in a person and that person is Jesus Christ. God sent His son, Jesus, to earth to give us the greatest gift of all, eternal life. We observe this in Mark 10:45; John 3:15-17; John 5:21-26; John 6:47; and John 10:28. Each of these passages note that life comes by way of Jesus Christ. The life He gives is one that represents a future hope but it also represents a present now. This is a principle that is evident in Scripture. There is the now and there is the yet to come of God’s gift. If we accept this life and believe that we are only waiting for some future hope we are missing out on the completeness of the gift God has given. Too often, we live as if we have no hope now but we appear to live as if our hope is some futuristic event. But we have hope now and we have hope in the future. 

This life He gives is one that is abundant. Life as a believer should be rich and full. The term abundant means “full” and “complete.” It is abundance plus. This brings us to the second gift.

God gives us everything we need to live life fully.  God created all things for us to enjoy so we could experience a full life.  Everything we have—including our families, friends, church, finances, jobs, houses, investments, credit, equity, cash, businesses, automobiles, and more—is given to us by God and is a part of our treasure. God has made us stewards of these treasures, but we are not owners. Good stewards make every effort to manage their treasure according to the heart and will of the one to whom it ultimately belongs. In this case it is God’s property but we are the stewards. God wants us to use these gifts in a way that honors Him. How are you managing the gifts He has given you?

Third, God gives us the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is not just a gift, He is a person who was sent by God to assist us by directing our lives in truth and righteousness. God is a good Dad who listens to his kids and gives them what they need but not everything they want. We need the Holy Spirit. Why? Because he regenerates our heart so that we can follow Jesus. He produces good fruit in our lives. He empowers our efforts so that we can participate with God in loving people and building his church. He aides us as we share our faith with others. He brings conviction to the heart of the wayward sinner and the misguided believer.

Four, God gives us a purpose. God does not give us these gifts to us for us to be sidelined by fear and laziness. He gives them because he has a plan and a purpose for each us. Sometimes this purpose is clearly defined but at other times we find that we bloom where we are planted. You may not have planned on being where you are or even doing what you are doing but he uses it. I can best illustrate this by way of how I was asked to serve as the Chairman of the Long Island Task Force for Promise Keepers. I went to my first meeting where the chair resigned. Before I left the meeting, to my surprise, I had been elected to the chairman’s position. I did not plan it, but God had a purpose and a plan for that team of guys. We were able to come along side of churches to help them start men’s groups and we were effective in bringing men together for Island wide events; something that had never happened before. 

There are so many gifts available to us as believers but while God gives us these great gifts it is our responsibility to appropriate these gifts as our own. If someone where to give you a gift, it is not yours until you accept it.

So what are you doing with the gifts?

Peninsula Community Church
January 27, 2013
James – The Cause of Sin

James 1:9-15 “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 flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits” “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 being 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 desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death”

James interjects into this passage a reference to one’s standing in life by way of their economic condition. What he infers is that we need to have a right understanding of who we are. He insinuates that there is a tendency in the lowly brother to miss out on what has been given to them. They can be so focused on what they do not have they fail to see or comprehend how much they truly have. The result is that they live a depressed and despondent life. James is calling them to be exalted in whose they are, who they are, and what is available to them in Christ.

On the other hand, those who are rich are reminded that their confidence rests not in what they possess and but in God. The problem is that because they lack for nothing; too often there is no need for them to trust God for anything. This came to light when I was talking with a missionary just a few days ago. He stated that he sees a heightened level of faith and trust in God in the countries he serves because of what they lack physically and financially. When we boil it down, both wealth or the lack thereof can be a test of one’s character and can be a measurement of where one puts their trust.

In preparing this message, I came across a couple of interesting news articles. The first was a report that one in three lottery winners are broke within five years. Those who win larger amounts have a 10% greater chance of having to file for bankruptcy within five years or less of them winning the money. In a November 28, 2012 article, Forbes magazine made the following observation. “Far more often, it seems, money doesn’t buy happiness in this context any more than it does in others.” Take the case of Evelyn Adams. She beat the odds by winning the New Jersey lottery twice in 1985 and 1986. She collected a total of $5.4 million. The problem is that she totally blew through the money because of her out of control spending habits, bad investments, gifts to family and gambling. Today, she is completely broke.

William “Bud” Post, a 1988 lottery winner, died broke in 2006. What happened to his $16.2 million Pennsylvania lottery winnings? He spent it on houses, cars, boats, an unsuccessful family business and a twin-engine airplane (even though he didn’t have a pilot’s license). Within a year, he was $1 million in debt, his former girlfriend had successfully sued him for part of his winnings, and his brother tried to hire a hit man to kill him.
A third story I found was in the Toronto News dated 2008. A woman won $5 million in the lottery, but somehow she kept her financial dealings hidden from her husband. Her husband had no clue of what she was doing with all of their money as she was handling both his money and her money. He, being a medical doctor and extremely wealthy in his own right, became suspect of his wife’s dealings. When he did not get the answers he needed, he killed her with a lethal injection of a deadly cocktail of drugs. Surprisingly, after her death he found that they were broke and had a overwhelming amount of unpaid bills. The sad part is that he had to borrow the money for her funeral. At 71 years of age he is now on trial for murder.
These trials only speak to one small segment of life but trials come in all sizes and shapes. Trials seem to come to disrupt our lives and unsettle us. It is for that reason, James continues to discuss the subject of facing trials. We can learn much from this passage:
The first thing we learn is that every trial is met with a level of temptation. Any significant change in our existence can be a test and in every test that comes there is an opportunity for temptation. These changes can be physical, emotional, financial, or spiritual. Regardless of how the tests we face come to us, they will tempt us toward positive responses or they will tempt us toward evil responses. More specifically, James notes that testing can lead us to a crown of life or it can lead us to death. It will move us toward God or it will move us away from Him. Trials by their nature change us and shape us forever. We will either exhibit a greater faith in Christ and we will be stronger as a result of the trial or the trial will get the best of us and we will face some form of death as a result. It may be that we become less trusting, more cynical or down right rebellious but there will be a death.

One difficulty in translating this passage is that the translators of the Bible used two different English words, one for “trial” and one for “temptation,” while the Greek uses the same word for both. While the same word is used, the word can have different nuances of meaning depending on how it is used within the context of the discussion. This idea is similar to the Chinese use of the alphabetical symbol used in their language for the words “crisis” and “opportunity.” It is the same symbol, but it is how it is used that makes a difference. It can be a moment of crisis or it can be a moment of opportunity. Here we see that testing can grow us or it can kill us.

A second lesson learned here is that no one causes us to sin; we sin because we desire it. James make a critical doctrinal statement in this passage. He states that God cannot tempt us to sin. Why is that? For God to tempt us to sin would run counter to His character and who He is. So, where does temptation come from? James states that temptation comes from within man and is rooted in his desires and his wants.

To explain this Tim Keller, pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian in Manhattan, stated that we must not confuse the cause of sin with the occasion of sin. The cause of sin is our desire but the occasion noted here is the trial. The test in school does not cause us to fail the test but we fail because of what is lacking in us. Keller uses the example of people that abuse children. He states that those that are abused often become abusers. It is a proven fact that what we hate in others we become ourselves. However, regardless of how we have been treated in the past or regardless of the damage done to us; these things are not an excuse for sin and therefore should not cause us to sin. The real cause of sin is the war that goes on within us. It is a brought on by the fall of man in the Garden of Eden. Because you are a creation of God and you have Christ in you can stop sin by way of your thought process and by partnering with the Holy Spirit. We all have free will. We can choose to sin or we can choose to deal with the sin. Remember that while God allows testing to come into our lives He never tempts us to sin. We sin because of the attitudes and lusts of our hearts that go unchecked.

We must understand that we only do what we most desire to do. It is for that reason that we must take responsibility for our actions. One way to illustrate this is a situation that could take place on your job. Suppose the boss wants you to lie big time to cover a mistake he made or else you will loss your job. If you choose to lie, the fact is that you wanted to keep your job more than you were concerned about lying. You always do what you want to do. You sin because you desire it and are drawn to it.

A third lesson from this passage answers the question, “Why are we tempted to sin?” James uses a sexual metaphor to describe how sin enters the heart. He states that one is seduced by sin when he is drug away by his evil desire. When we fail to resist the draw of sin in our hearts there is a subsequent conception and a birth. He continues the analogy by stating that the grandchild of this relationship is death.

EPITHUMIA is the Greek word used here for “evil desire” The general idea realized in this word is that the essence of sin is an over desire for things. It is not that we want bad things but we want things too badly. It is our “over desires” that seduce us. This may be food, sex, money or any other healthy thing that we desire without using good judgement and self control.

In the Old Testament a word picture that is often used for sin is the idea of spiritual adultery. Therefore, sin in the Old Testament was not seen as just breaking the rules but it was seen as an act of adultery. It was seen in the Israelites rebelling against God and going after other gods. The picture that is painted in this is that sin comes because people are seduced into the arms of another lover. It is not that they are dissatisfied with their spouse but the other person too often makes them feel more secure, more needed and more of a man or woman. They need the strokes and the adoration from the other lover and they fall for the oldest trick in the Bible; deception and doubt.

Tim Keller stated, “Sin begins when something becomes the author of your self esteem.” It becomes a fatal attraction for us because we trust whatever that is but it can become a fatal attraction. All sin tends to start like that. If there is anything that is added to Jesus for our happiness, we are in trouble. Here in James the word picture given us is the idea of lust. To be honest lust is not just wanting bad things but it is wanting things badly.

Sin is conceived within the heart but it will grow and become full grown if we do deal with it sufficiently. Sin begins as a seed within the heart. The seed gives birth to actions that would not normally define us. Have you ever noticed that we lie most often because we want security and we are afraid that people will find out who we really are and that they will not like that person. What is giving birth to the lie? A fatal attraction to career, job, success, self esteem, or money. Fear is the seed.

If you think the answer to avoiding sin is to just say no; you are wrong. If it were that easy we could just say no and all would be well. It has been said that the way to break the hold of a beautiful object on the soul is to show it something even more beautiful. Jesus must become the passion of our hearts. If we put our lives into the hands of anyone except our spouse we are setting ourselves up for trouble. If we say, “You make me feel…..” We are in trouble. My people have forgotten me was the cry of God’s heart.

What do we do then? We must realize the thing we go after may not be a woman. It could be our job. It could be our love of sports. It could be our love of shopping. It could be the love of money. It could be many things. Whatever fatal attractions we have, we must let them go and fall in love with Christ again. How do we do that? We get into the Word and allow the Word to permeate our hearts. For those who are married or have been married, do you remember what it was like when you were dating your spouse? You could not see any other person though the room was filled. You did not want to be with anyone else but that one person. You spent hours talking and relating with them to get to know them better. Too often, however, we fail to continue to keep the relationship fresh and alive. Christ desires that of us. He wants us to draw close to him. He loves us.

Peninsula Community Church

January 20, 2013

Wisdom from God 

James 1:5-8 If any of you lacks 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.  

People do dumb things. A man in our church in New York was cleaning his gutters and windows one spring. He was having trouble reaching one of the windows because his ladder was too short. To resolve the issue, he decided to put a picnic bench on top of a picnic table and then put the ladder on top of the picnic bench. I am sure that you know the outcome already but after he put the bench on the table and the ladder on the bench; he climbed the ladder. All went well until he found that he could not reach the corner of one of the windows so he leaned over to reach the outer edge of the window. That was just another bad decision in a series of bad decisions. It was at that moment that chaos broke lose. The ladder slipped on the bench and the bench slipped off the table and he began to fall. As he was falling, he said that it was in that moment that he realized how dumb this decision was. The amazing thing is that he only received a broken arm in the fall.

Another man related this story to me. He was a cross country tractor trailer driver and had been on the road for a while and was getting hungry. He looked over his shoulder and realized that his lunch was sitting on the bed in the truck’s sleeper compartment. He came up with the idea that he would put the truck on cruise control, stand up in the cab and reach for the bag. The problem was that the bag was just out of his reach. So, in a moment of total stupidity he let go of the steering wheel and quickly grabbed the bag. It was in that moment that he realized that he had let go of the steering, that he was traveling 70 MPH and he had a full load of sugar on his truck. It was also in that moment he realized how dumb that decision was.  

Believers do spiritually dumb things too. James shows us that one of the dumb things we do is try to navigate through the trials of life without asking God for help. We take things into our own hands without considering God’s purpose, plan or Word but without God we make a mess of things. For one, we will not understand the purpose of the trial and we will miss the positive results that come from successfully navigating a difficult situation. Remember that it is in our trials that we understand ourselves better and we understand God better as well. 

As we look at this passage, there are four key things we can learn. 

First, James says that if you lack wisdom, ask and you will receive it. This verse must be read in context with the previous verses to understand the true meaning of James’ admonition. When you are facing various kinds of trials, there is at your disposal the ability to ask for wisdom to know how to navigate these issues. The fact is God wants us to successfully navigate the difficulties of life but He also recognizes that we need to ask for divine intervention. It is here that James suggests that one of the best ways to secure divine intervention is to ask God for wisdom. It is important to note that He is calling us to do the asking as wisdom is not a given for us. There are some things that God will do for us without asking but here we see that we must pray for wisdom and we must do so regularly.  

The idea presented in the verb “to ask” is the idea of continually asking. This is the same tense as the word “ask” in Matthew 7:7 where Jesus states that when we “ask we shall receive,” and when we “knock it shall be opened,” and when we “seek we shall find.” Each of these verbs carry the idea of continually doing something. Therefore, the request for wisdom is not a one time deal but requires that we continually seek God for wisdom. 

To fully understand wisdom, we must understand that wisdom is a process of right thinking. The goal must be to think the way God thinks and not settle for our own thinking that is removed from Biblical truth. The truest form of  wisdom is found in the fear of the Lord (Proverbs 9:10). This is the beginning of wisdom as the fear of God is foundational to all wisdom. The fear of The Lord does not push us away but draws us to him with grateful hearts and with minds that anticipate answered prayers. 

Second, we must understand that there is a difference between wisdom and knowledge. Knowledge is understood as the gaining of information while wisdom is understood as the appropriate application of the information obtained. While we have an abundance of information,  the problem is that we lack appropriate application of the information. For example, the man who placed the ladder on the bench and the bench on the table had correct information in that this would give him the right height he needed but if he had appropriately applied the information he would have been warned of the possible effects of making such a move. 

We are living in the information age where there is an abundance of information. There is no lack of information because of the internet, the availability of books, TV shows and magazine articles. I recently spoke with my family doctor about this. He stated that one of the most challenging issues he faces today is that people have such access to all sorts of information they often come to him with some sort of self-diagnosis. He stated that while some are good diagnostics, most are exaggerations and misdiagnoses based on false information. 

While there is much knowledge in the world, what is missing is godly wisdom. In James 4, two types of wisdom are evaluated. There is earthy wisdom and there is wisdom that comes from above. It is this spiritual wisdom that James calls us to ask for. For knowledge to be useful, wisdom must be applied. The problem is that most of the world uses its knowledge based upon the wisdom of the world and ignores God’s plan. Man thinks that he is as good, or better than God, or doesn’t believe in a supreme God at all. 

Third, we see that God gives wisdom generously and without reproach. If we ask, he will give us the wisdom we need without holding anything back. He is a generous God. We ask and He gives. There is no end to His ability to supply and meet needs. The thing we must understand is that he uses a variety of avenues to send His wisdom to us. It can come through experience, through counseling with others, through advice given by way of professionals who give us appropriate advice and wisdom comes from the Word and by way of the Holy Spirit speaking to our hearts.

God also gives wisdom without reproach or judging. The term reproach means to have shame or insult. Regardless of the reason for the need to request wisdom, God gives wisdom to those who ask without shaming or insulting the requesting the wisdom. He does this even when we make bad choices and have self-inflicted trials. God wants us to ask and He generously and without shame or insult gives wisdom. This is so different from what we tend to do. When someone id facing a trial or they have made foolish choices we attempt to belittle or lecture them. God does not lecture, he gives generously and without shaming you. 

Fourth, James explains that we must ask without wavering. We cannot be double minded in our approach to asking God. I am reminded of a woman who called me one day and stated that she had already spoken to her psychiatrist, her doctor, her case worker and her other pastor and wanted to know what I thought about a particular issue. I told her she would have to chose one as each were given her different counsel. 

To be double minded is to have a divided heart. We want to trust God but also want to trust non biblical and non godly avenues for gaining wisdom. The problem that exists is that we lose faith and trust altogether. James warns that when we start to see things from God’s perspective we should believe what we see and not doubt. A person who says they have faith in God, yet doubts God’s ability, power and plan, are in essence putting their faith in both God and in worldly wisdom. Such a person is truly double minded and they should not expect to receive anything from God!

We cannot rely on God and the world’s wisdom. We cannot ask God for wisdom and then reject His plan and His response. I worked with a pastor who came to me for counsel about pastoring the church he represented. I would give him counsel and he would agree to it but when we would meet again he would share that he did the opposite which created more conflict. We do this to God as well. He gives us counsel but we reject the counsel and life gives us more conflict as a result. 

God offers us wisdom today, will you accept it? Where do you need wisdom? Got a big decision coming with your career, your marriage, or your kids? God wants to help. He has wisdom to offer. Remember what James says. If you want wisdom from God, you’ve got to ask! If you ask, he’ll give it.

Peninsula Community Church
January 13, 2013
Practical Faith For Endurance

James 1:2-4 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

As we look at this passage, we should note that James does not use the usual pleasantries nor does he waste any time on the usual introductions. Instead, he goes to work presenting the message that was on his heart. He knew the people he was writing to were facing severe religious persecution and they were facing an extreme set of circumstances.

As we review this passage, we must realize there are two types of trials. There are those trials we bring upon ourselves and there are those trials that come from an external source or circumstance. How do self imposed trials come? Self imposed trials occur when we disregard God’s word or we live in disobedience to the commands of God. Disregarding God’s word and disobedience causes one to face unnecessary trials and tribulation. I don’t understand it but for some reason some Christians seem bent on asking for trouble. They rebel against the divine standard and when life takes a turn for the worse, they complain to God about the “trial” He sent them when in reality it is a trial of their own making. For that reason, those who sow seeds of disobedience shouldn’t be surprised when sprouts of discouragement and despair appear. The trials you cultivate through rebellious behavior can yield a very different and disastrous outcome.

James begins by stating that we should “count it all joy when we face various kinds of trials.” As you might guess the word “count” is an accounting term which means “to evaluate.” The idea presented is that we must evaluate which side of the ledger we will post the trials of life. Will the trial be an asset or will it be an expense? Will we allow God to use the trial as an opportunity to grow us to be more like Him or will we become bitter and angry? This decision is a function of the mind. It is here that I am reminded of the words of Isaiah. “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you” (Isaiah 26:3). When we look at hardships from God’s perspective and place the proper value on them, we can rejoice in the beneficial outcome, even while experiencing pain. Humanly speaking, trials hurt; but from the Lord’s point of view, they help us grow in the understanding of ourselves and of God. How you respond to problems in your life will reflect who you are and where your faith is. They will reflect your attitudes and what side of the ledger you are placing the trials of your life.

To “count it all joy,” may seem like an impossible task to some but we must recognize that there is a difference between joy and happiness. It should be noted that the root word for “joy” in the Greek is the same root word for “grace.” Joy is a mindset established by the work of the Holy Spirit. Joy is a gift of grace to those whose heart and mind are focused on the One who can bring all joy and peace. After all joy is a fruit of the spirit (Galatians 5:22).

Happiness on the other hand is an emotion triggered by circumstances. It describes that bubbly feeling you get inside when everything is going your way. If I were to give you a million dollars this morning with no strings attached, you would most likely experience an emotional happiness. While a million dollars may make you happy for a while, it does not bring permanent joy. Joy is more than an emotion; it is a life-changing mindset. Joy is a deep, abiding sense of well-being that can sustain you even if you lose a million dollars. Therefore, joy is unmoved by one’s circumstances.

When we understand the difference between joy and happiness, we will understand that we do not have to face trials as victims but can do so with purpose, wisdom and an overcoming spirit. Circumstances can rob one’s happiness but it cannot rob one’s joy. Trials will obliterate our happiness but trials will enhance our joy. Why, because we understand that joy is a God-given supernatural attribute of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, we choose to walk in the supernatural grace. Someone has said, “Our attitude will determine our altitude.” How and what we think will determine the effect of joy on our lives. When we consider this, we must recognize that God is calling us to navigate these things with patience and not passion. We are not to pray so much to have the affliction removed as much as we should pray for the wisdom on how best to use the trial for our growth and to make the right use of the trial we have been given.

Trials test our faith and this testing produces steadfastness in our spirits. The testing of our faith produces in us a steadfastness that is unmovable and unshakeable. Tony Evans says this about trials. “Remember in school when the teacher announced that you were going to have a test? If you have accepted your assignment, studied the material and prepared properly, the result of the test was a foregone conclusion: you received the reward of a good grade and advancement. If you’re prepared, your trials and preparation provide you with an opportunity to “strut your spiritual stuff” so to speak.”

When circumstances turn against you and the deck seems stacked in favor of the enemy, it is just as though God is saying, “Clear your desk and grab your pencil. Here comes a pop quiz.” God wants to know the same thing that your math teacher wanted to know: has the information that he gave you to study been assimilated? Better yet God wants you to know that you have assimilated the information given so you will remain steadfast in whatever comes. The fact is, exams make people nervous. Trials cause pain but there is nothing like the rush you feel when you know you’ve scored big.

James says that trials will produce the effect of steadfastness and patience. To let patience have its perfect effect means that we must not lay down our pencils halfway through the exam. Even if you have answered each question correctly, quitting at the halfway point limits your score to 50%, an F at most schools.

We do not stop in the middle of the test but we complete it. The Lord gives us a precious promise in I Corinthians 10:13: “No temptation [test or trial] has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide a way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it.” God made you. He knows when enough is enough. The trials you face will be appropriate and within your power to endure. James stated “Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to those who love him” (James 1:12).

The result of allowing trials to have their work in us leads us to understand that we are being perfected in Christ, that we are complete in Christ and that we lack nothing. We are empty and lacking because we fail to apply what God has taught us and allow the truth of God’s word to penetrate every area of our life. Life is perfect, complete and satisfying when we trust God. Why is this? It is because God looks at your situation today, breaks through your wall of trials, invades your experience and single-handedly turns your circumstances around. That’s life.

It could be that job you have been looking for or the desire to see your unsaved spouse or family member come to know Christ. You’ve prayed for years that they would become the man or woman God wants them to be. Faithfully, you applied the principles of submission and love. Then, suddenly, your stubborn spouse, son, father or sister confesses his or her sin and seeks a Savior. That’s life. There are few experiences on earth that match the excitement of seeing God turn trials into triumph, but that transformation is a process, not an event.

We must remember that it takes the fire of the furnace to produce hardened steel. Only the intense pressure of the earth can create the precious diamond. Only our trials can produce the kind of Christian character God wants to build within us.

When God wants to drill a man, And thrill a man, And skill a man;
When God wants to mold a man To play the noblest part,
When He yearns with all his heart
To create so great and bold a man That all the world shall be amazed,
Watch His methods, watch His ways How He ruthlessly perfects Whom He royally elects.
How He hammers him and hurts him,
And with mighty blows, converts him Into trial shapes of clay Which only God understands, While his tortured heart is crying, And he lifts beseeching hands.
How He bends but never breaks When His good He undertakes.
How He uses Whom He chooses, And with every purpose, fuses him;
By every act, induces him To try His splendor out.
God knows what He’s about.

You may be here today and you may be facing intense trials. Know this, God knows where you are. He knows your needs. He has a plan to strengthen you and cause you to survive but not just survive but grow in His grace and His wisdom.

Let’s pray.

Peninsula Community Church

January 6, 2013

A Focus on the Future 

This morning I want us to focus on some of the goals we have as a church for this year. I want to remind some and inform others that our mission statement is “PCC exists to turn irreligious people into Christians and Christians into fully devoted followers of Christ.” For me, when we speak of irreligious people we are talking about the non-churched and those who have not committed their lives to Christ. If that is our vision then what we do as a church must be focused on bringing the non-churched into the church and the nonbeliever to Christ.That is why each event we host always has as it’s primary function the invitation to bring new folks into the church to expose them to a church that is not hung up on legalism and false teaching but also a church that is preaching the Word; without compromise or apology. It is for that reason, we encourage you to share your faith with others.

As we consider the goals for PCC, let us focus on Habakuk’s writings in Habakuk 2:2-3. He stated, And the Lord answered me: “Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it. For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay.  

This passage has much to teach us about vision and while I cannot share in great depth let me make a couple of observations about this passage that will help your understanding. The first thing to notice is the vision God gave to Habakkuk came from a time of prayer and seeking God. Too often churches make drastic changes to how they function and do church without ever spending time in prayer. Habakkuk knew he had been called to be the leader but he also knew that he best leadership would come from praying and seeking God for His direction. Through Him God sent a vision to the people of Israel. While God speaks through the leadership of the church God, the leadership must never lapse into a spirit of pride where they reject anyone being able to hear from God for the future of the church. Additionally, this does not mean that others cannot be involved or should not be involved with formulating the vision but there must be a a leader or leadership who serves as a focal point to understand and cast vision. If there this does not occur, there could be multiple visions in competition with one another which can create chaos and confusion and as we know God is not the author of confusion. Know this and let me make this clear, I believe that God can use each of you to shape and mold our future and our vision here at PCC.

The second observation about the passage is the term used for vision. The Hebrew word for vision is  CHAZON which indicates “a revelation from God which is received by inward intuition.”  CHAZON represents not only the vision but it also represents the goals that it takes to bring the vision into existence. John Maxwell said this about vision. “Vision is foresight with insight based on hindsight. Vision is seeing the invisible and making it visible. Vision is an informed bridge from the present to a better future. Vision is a picture held in your mind’s eye of the way things could or should be in the days ahead. Vision connotes a visual reality, a portrait of a preferred future.” 

Let me pause for a moment and ask you “What is your vision? What are you dreaming of that is not a reality right now but you have a picture in your mind of what things could be?” Perhaps it is a family member who needs Christ. Perhaps it is a personal goal. For me, it is finishing my degree. It is seeing this building filled with new families and children who would to take the journey toward being fully devoted followers of Christ with us.

The third observation from this passage is that the CHAZON or vision was to be written plainly. This can mean two different things. For one, the vision must be written in such a way that it is easily transferred to everyone. This also means that if someone were running they could still read the vision and understand it. The goal is for the vision to be simple and it must be easy to understand. Andy Stanley has stated “vision pre-decides for us. The clearer our vision gets, the fewer things we do and the easier it is to say no. It’s gotta be simple, it’s gotta be portable, it’s gotta be repeatable. It has to be transferable. For vision to happen there must be systems in place. It is establishing these systems that can cause us the greatest problems. Sometimes the vision is simple but the systems we put in place are more complicated than they ought to be. Too often we complicate the vision that God intended to make simply. 

I remember one of the church’s where I was a staff member that we spent hours trying to figure out how to state our vision. At every staff meeting for a year we would spend hours trying wrestle with the vision. In the end, we never fully developed the vision. Why? We were trying to complicate it. If you look at most churches that are successful today, they do not have pages and pages of vision but they have one vision that they can be articulated in one or two sentences. They may have many goals to accomplish the vision but the vision is simple. Let me remind you that our vision is “PCC exists to turn irreligious people into Christians and Christians into fully devoted followers of Christ.”

The fourth observation is that the vision of God takes time to be fulfilled in its entirety. The problem we have is that we live in an instant culture where we want everything now and have lost the ability to wait patiently. In our waiting, we must not lose heart and we must not try to force the birth of a vision before its time. Remember what Isaiah 40:31 says. God gives strength to those who patiently wait for the vision to unfold. In my life there have been times where I have faced frustration because I did not think a vision or a goal had been fulfilled in the time I thought. In my frustration, I thought I could help God out and what I caused was a premature birth of the vision. Instead of being strong and healthy, the vision had to be placed on life support and often the vision died because of what I had done. However, when I have waited on God I have been amazed at the outcomes. 

With that said, let me share some goals we have for PCC for 2013. I will begin with a couple of personal goals each of us should have individually.

To begin with, I want to challenge everyone at PCC to read through the Bible this year. In the foyer you will find a read through the Bible map to help you accomplish this goal. For some, you may already have your plan in place but this will be for those who do not have a tool to help them. I encourage you to buy a notebook and after you have read the scriptures for the day, record your thoughts, the lessons learned and the actions to be taken. Share these thoughts with others so that you are growing in the Lord together.

I want to challenge everyone to make a list of people to invite to the church this year. Perhaps these are some people you have invited before but keep inviting them until they tell you to get lost or they come. Think of some new folks that you have not invited yet to join you on a Sunday for the service. One option for you is to invite them to join you for the service or special event and then take them for a slice of pizza or a lunch somewhere after the service. Be patience with those you invite and don’t use guilt or false pretenses to get them to come to the church. You see how we get people into the church is what we will have to continue to do to keep them in the church. If we use gimmicks to get people in the church, we will have to use gimmicks to keep them there. The best way to get new people into the church is to genuinely invite them and love them in the process. On the back of the insert, I have provided a place for you to list your potential invites.  

I want to challenge everyone to consider sharing your faith with at least one person per month at a minimum this year. Now, I would trust that this would become a common occurrence in your life but we must begin somewhere. Perhaps there are some people you have been praying about sharing your faith with them. If so, place their name in the area provided on the back of handout. Spend time praying for the people you have on the list. Set aside a specific time every day to say a prayer for those on your list and then look for ways to invest in their lives. Invite them to dinner. Look for a way to meet a need in their lives. Have them at your house for a game night. The opportunities are endless and the results are priceless.

I now would like to share some ministry oriented goad for the church. Let me begin with one goal that we had last year that has not come to fruition the way we thought it might. Most of you know we had a desire to launch Connect Groups this past fall but have placed that on hold for now for a number of reasons. For one, we had several of our potential leaders unable to serve at this time due to health issues, work schedules, family needs, and so forth. Although we are not officially launching the ministry I would encourage you to invite folks to your home not as a Connect Group but just as a time of fellowship and having a chance to get to know one another. This is one of those areas where we thought we were ready but we have faced many obstacles. I am convinced that at the right time God will help us launch the Connect Groups and it will be awesome. This is one of those things where we must wait for God’s appropriate moments.

Now to some goals we can achieve. I would like to see our men’s and women’s ministry revamped this year. I know Michelle could use some help in planning and executing activities for the women of our church and I could use some help with the men’s ministry. So if you are interested in providing some help see either Michelle or I and we can discuss how you can be involved. I know for me I could use someone or a group of guys that could plan some of some of our activities such as breakfasts, retreats, and outings. 

I would like to see us prepare the space in the nursery and toddler room for the future growth we are going to experience and must experience in this ministry. One of the needs we have here at PCC is to attract younger families but we will never do that if we do not have the ministries in place these families need that will lead them to consider this their church home. For example, I would like to see us finish the mural that is the nursery. We are working on the carpet reinstalled and then cleaned. We are working on getting the area staffed with trained people.

I would like to see us revamp the children’s ministry area so that we have the latest technology for them to use. I would like to see us design the room so the children would want to come to church and they would want to invite their friends. Let’s paint the walls. Let’s setup a viewing center with a wide screen monitor. 

I also believe it is time for us begin to plan a youth group ministry even though we are still about two years away from needing that. We need to plan now for what we will be later. 

There are a number of other items we have but time will not allow us to present every one of them but I have included them is a Goal Setting brochure in the foyer.

As we close let me ask you are you with me on these things? This vision cannot be just the vision of the leadership team. It must “our vision” or else it will never work. Would you join me this year? We need everyone on board to help us accomplish these tasks. I believe we can do it.