1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:03,080 Church family once again as you guys find your seat, if you 2 00:00:03,080 --> 00:00:08,039 would open your Bibles to the book of James, James chapter 1. 3 00:00:08,039 --> 00:00:11,240 This morning we're going to be in verses 16 to 18. 4 00:00:11,240 --> 00:00:14,760 We, we just started a series through James a few weeks ago 5 00:00:15,160 --> 00:00:18,000 after finishing the book of Numbers and we're still in 6 00:00:18,000 --> 00:00:20,040 chapter 1. We'd be kind of going through a 7 00:00:20,040 --> 00:00:22,520 rather slow pace because James is not that long of a book. 8 00:00:22,520 --> 00:00:25,720 So I wanted to spend more time looking at it, breaking down the 9 00:00:25,720 --> 00:00:27,160 text. And this morning we'll be in 10 00:00:27,160 --> 00:00:29,840 three verses, 16 to 18. The title of the sermon this 11 00:00:29,840 --> 00:00:34,320 morning is this made Alive by the word of truth. 12 00:00:35,120 --> 00:00:38,000 So let's read the text, open us in a word of prayer, and we'll 13 00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:39,000 jump into the sermon this morning. 14 00:00:39,440 --> 00:00:46,920 James one beginning in verse 16. Do not be deceived, my beloved 15 00:00:46,920 --> 00:00:52,000 brothers. Every good gift and every 16 00:00:52,000 --> 00:00:57,160 perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of 17 00:00:57,160 --> 00:01:02,640 lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to 18 00:01:02,640 --> 00:01:06,880 change of His own will. He brought us forth by the word 19 00:01:06,880 --> 00:01:11,720 of truth that we should be a kind of first fruits of His 20 00:01:11,720 --> 00:01:14,640 creatures. If you will pray with me, 21 00:01:20,710 --> 00:01:25,910 Father, I pray this morning that if there's anybody in this room 22 00:01:25,910 --> 00:01:31,280 that is has not been made alive by your grace, by the Holy 23 00:01:31,280 --> 00:01:34,960 Spirit, Lord, I pray that you would make them alive. 24 00:01:35,920 --> 00:01:39,640 You would awaken their soul, that you would plant the seed of 25 00:01:39,640 --> 00:01:42,960 the gospel in their hearts, and God, that you would cause it to 26 00:01:42,960 --> 00:01:48,360 sprout and to give life to them. For those of us, Lord, who have 27 00:01:48,360 --> 00:01:52,880 been made alive, I pray that you would help us to meditate, to 28 00:01:52,920 --> 00:01:55,920 reflect on such a great salvation that we've been given 29 00:01:58,360 --> 00:02:02,280 and how it happened. How were we made alive. 30 00:02:04,560 --> 00:02:06,160 Help us to reflect on this this morning. 31 00:02:06,160 --> 00:02:14,320 God, I pray in Jesus name, Amen. John Flable, 17th century 32 00:02:14,320 --> 00:02:17,840 Puritan, wrote in the mystery of Providence. 33 00:02:18,600 --> 00:02:23,840 Providence is not only seen in great things, but in every mercy 34 00:02:23,840 --> 00:02:28,360 we enjoy. Every bit of bread, every hour 35 00:02:28,360 --> 00:02:33,840 of health, every ray of comfort is a gift from above. 36 00:02:37,200 --> 00:02:41,160 You see, to a starving man, even a piece of bread is a tremendous 37 00:02:41,160 --> 00:02:45,760 gift. To a woman in chronic pain, even 38 00:02:45,760 --> 00:02:50,280 one hour of being pain free is a wonderful mercy. 39 00:02:51,920 --> 00:02:57,680 To a person struggling to breathe, even a breath of air is 40 00:02:57,680 --> 00:03:09,480 a gift, and to those who are dead and knew it, being made 41 00:03:09,480 --> 00:03:16,840 alive is a gift. Sermon this morning is about God 42 00:03:16,840 --> 00:03:23,440 making us alive by the word of truth because He is a good and 43 00:03:23,440 --> 00:03:26,520 gracious Father. We'll look at the text this 44 00:03:26,520 --> 00:03:27,880 morning. I'm going to start with the next 45 00:03:27,880 --> 00:03:29,600 position of the text. What we'd like to do at this 46 00:03:29,600 --> 00:03:34,320 church is to first start with the text itself, to explain it, 47 00:03:34,320 --> 00:03:37,200 to exposite it, to open it and break it open that we would 48 00:03:37,200 --> 00:03:39,760 understand it. And then I will apply it. 49 00:03:39,760 --> 00:03:42,280 And I'll give us 9 points of application this morning from 50 00:03:42,280 --> 00:03:45,840 this short text this morning. So let's start looking at it 51 00:03:46,240 --> 00:03:47,720 verse by verse, section by section. 52 00:03:47,720 --> 00:03:49,600 I'm going to divide it into 7 sections. 53 00:03:50,000 --> 00:03:52,560 So we'll start with verse 16. James writes, Do not be 54 00:03:52,560 --> 00:03:58,520 deceived, my beloved brothers. Now, commentators are torn as to 55 00:03:58,520 --> 00:04:02,360 whether verse 16 belongs with the previous section, what we 56 00:04:02,360 --> 00:04:05,920 looked at last week, or if it belongs with the following 57 00:04:05,920 --> 00:04:07,800 section with what we're going to look at this morning. 58 00:04:08,040 --> 00:04:10,520 It's not really clear as to whether it's which one it 59 00:04:10,520 --> 00:04:14,280 belongs with, but I think perhaps it serves as a bridge 60 00:04:14,280 --> 00:04:16,240 between the two. I think it actually goes with 61 00:04:16,240 --> 00:04:17,959 both. It's serving as a bridge between 62 00:04:17,959 --> 00:04:20,800 these two sections. Before we look at the purpose of 63 00:04:20,800 --> 00:04:22,880 that bridge, let's talk about the command. 64 00:04:22,880 --> 00:04:27,680 Here James gives us a command. The command is do not be 65 00:04:27,920 --> 00:04:30,400 deceived. And what does it mean to be 66 00:04:30,400 --> 00:04:32,080 deceived? We all know that word. 67 00:04:32,080 --> 00:04:33,760 What is? What does the Greek word mean 68 00:04:33,760 --> 00:04:36,360 here? It means the cause to go astray 69 00:04:36,560 --> 00:04:40,840 from a specified way, to lead astray, to cause, to wander, or 70 00:04:40,840 --> 00:04:44,120 to mislead. The verb here can either be 71 00:04:44,120 --> 00:04:48,680 active, middle, or passive. If it's active, he would be 72 00:04:48,680 --> 00:04:53,280 saying do not deceive others. If it's middle, he would say do 73 00:04:53,280 --> 00:04:56,960 not deceive yourself. And if it's passive, he would 74 00:04:56,960 --> 00:05:01,720 write do not be deceived. Here the verb is passive. 75 00:05:02,040 --> 00:05:04,480 So James is exhorting the church. 76 00:05:04,760 --> 00:05:08,520 Do not let yourselves be LED astray. 77 00:05:09,040 --> 00:05:10,560 Don't let yourselves be deceived. 78 00:05:11,120 --> 00:05:13,800 And notice what James calls them in the exhortation. 79 00:05:14,200 --> 00:05:19,880 He calls them beloved brothers three times in this letter. 80 00:05:20,040 --> 00:05:23,400 He calls them by this title. It means pertaining to one who 81 00:05:23,400 --> 00:05:29,360 is dearly loved, prized, valued. Now what is the bridge? 82 00:05:30,400 --> 00:05:34,520 Do not be deceived by what? James just says Don't be 83 00:05:34,520 --> 00:05:35,800 deceived. But he didn't tell us what not 84 00:05:35,800 --> 00:05:37,880 to be deceived by. Do not be deceived by what? 85 00:05:37,880 --> 00:05:40,320 What's the bridge? I think there are two categories 86 00:05:40,320 --> 00:05:45,440 here with the previous section #1 do not be deceived into 87 00:05:45,440 --> 00:05:50,720 believing that God gives us trials in order to tempt us. 88 00:05:52,080 --> 00:05:53,280 But we looked at the last week, right? 89 00:05:53,280 --> 00:05:56,440 God is going to give us trials, and it may feel like God has 90 00:05:56,440 --> 00:05:58,680 given us these trials in order to tempt us to sin. 91 00:05:58,800 --> 00:06:00,840 James is saying don't be deceived by that. 92 00:06:01,640 --> 00:06:05,320 God does give us trials, but he gives us trials to test us, not 93 00:06:05,320 --> 00:06:07,760 to tempt us. That's the first one. 94 00:06:08,000 --> 00:06:12,720 The second is do not be deceived into believing that trials are 95 00:06:12,720 --> 00:06:20,200 from God, but blessings are from the world or yourself, your own 96 00:06:20,200 --> 00:06:23,200 hard work. No, blessings do not come from 97 00:06:23,200 --> 00:06:25,440 the world. Blessings do not come from our 98 00:06:25,440 --> 00:06:29,040 own hard work. Don't be deceived into believing 99 00:06:29,040 --> 00:06:31,360 that. So where do they come from? 100 00:06:31,480 --> 00:06:34,320 Where do our gifts and our blessings come from? 101 00:06:34,520 --> 00:06:41,040 Look at our 17 a every good and every every good gift and every 102 00:06:41,040 --> 00:06:47,840 perfect gift is from above. Now I have two questions with 103 00:06:47,840 --> 00:06:50,000 this statement. Number one, what is the 104 00:06:50,000 --> 00:06:52,440 difference between a good gift and a perfect gift? 105 00:06:52,960 --> 00:06:55,280 Right. It could be a hand diocese. 106 00:06:55,280 --> 00:06:57,120 It's just they mean exactly the same. 107 00:06:57,120 --> 00:07:00,400 And I think that's possible. The net Bible translates it this 108 00:07:00,400 --> 00:07:04,000 way though. All generous giving and every 109 00:07:04,000 --> 00:07:07,640 perfect gift is from above and they give this note with it. 110 00:07:08,040 --> 00:07:12,160 The first phrase refers to the action of giving and the second 111 00:07:12,160 --> 00:07:15,920 to what is actually given. So not only is all giving from 112 00:07:15,920 --> 00:07:20,880 the Lord, but so is every gift that that's one way to think of 113 00:07:20,880 --> 00:07:23,600 it. Second question I had is what 114 00:07:23,600 --> 00:07:26,800 does James mean by perfect gift? Every good and perfect gift, 115 00:07:26,800 --> 00:07:27,080 right? What? 116 00:07:27,080 --> 00:07:28,520 What does it mean by perfect gift? 117 00:07:29,040 --> 00:07:32,440 Well, what makes the gift perfect is not the gift itself, 118 00:07:33,040 --> 00:07:36,680 but the giver. The giving is good and the gift 119 00:07:36,680 --> 00:07:42,160 is perfect because it comes from a good and perfect giver, James 120 00:07:42,160 --> 00:07:43,960 writes. It comes from above, which 121 00:07:43,960 --> 00:07:47,720 clearly refers to our God. Look at 17 B. 122 00:07:49,080 --> 00:07:52,440 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the 123 00:07:52,440 --> 00:07:56,040 Father of lights. Coming down from the father of 124 00:07:56,040 --> 00:07:58,640 lights. Coming down is a present active 125 00:07:58,640 --> 00:08:02,280 participle, which again testifies that it is not a one 126 00:08:02,280 --> 00:08:04,200 time giving. It's not as though God gives you 127 00:08:04,200 --> 00:08:07,040 a gift one time and that's it. It is coming down. 128 00:08:07,160 --> 00:08:09,760 It is actively ongoing coming down. 129 00:08:09,760 --> 00:08:12,680 It's a continuous generosity of the Father. 130 00:08:13,800 --> 00:08:17,600 And James here uses a phrase that is quite unusual for God. 131 00:08:17,600 --> 00:08:19,880 It in fact occurs nowhere else in all of Scripture. 132 00:08:20,080 --> 00:08:24,480 He calls God the Father of lights, Father of lights. 133 00:08:24,480 --> 00:08:26,400 What is what does that phrase mean? 134 00:08:26,720 --> 00:08:29,400 Father here probably carries the nuance of creator. 135 00:08:30,040 --> 00:08:33,559 God is the creator of lights. It's probably what he intends 136 00:08:33,559 --> 00:08:35,400 there. This brings us back to creation 137 00:08:35,400 --> 00:08:41,640 where God said, remember his first words, let there be light. 138 00:08:43,120 --> 00:08:45,840 And thus he gave us the sun and the moon and the stars. 139 00:08:46,920 --> 00:08:54,160 Look at 17 C with whom there is no variation or shadow due to 140 00:08:54,160 --> 00:08:58,440 change. With no variation, no shadow due 141 00:08:58,440 --> 00:09:01,640 to change. This is one of the primary text 142 00:09:01,640 --> 00:09:05,760 that is used to support the doctrine of what we call God's 143 00:09:05,760 --> 00:09:07,800 immutability. You may have heard that phrase 144 00:09:07,800 --> 00:09:11,280 before, God's immutability. It's a doctrine that teaches us 145 00:09:11,280 --> 00:09:14,720 that God is unchanging, right? God is unchanging. 146 00:09:15,400 --> 00:09:17,880 We just sung that right. He's unchanging. 147 00:09:18,120 --> 00:09:22,480 He's unchanging in His person, His perfections, His promises, 148 00:09:22,480 --> 00:09:24,840 His purposes. He's unchanging. 149 00:09:25,040 --> 00:09:27,040 This doctrine has testified in other parts of Scripture. 150 00:09:27,360 --> 00:09:31,720 Malachi 36 For I the Lord do not change. 151 00:09:32,160 --> 00:09:35,720 For Samuel 1529, the glory of Israel is not a man that he 152 00:09:35,720 --> 00:09:40,120 should change his mind or Hebrews 13/8. 153 00:09:40,120 --> 00:09:43,680 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. 154 00:09:44,880 --> 00:09:47,600 Let's look at what James writes here to to make this statement. 155 00:09:47,600 --> 00:09:49,480 He makes 2 statements here. A. 156 00:09:49,960 --> 00:09:54,320 He says there is no variation. This is the only time this word 157 00:09:54,320 --> 00:09:57,840 is used. It means a change our variation 158 00:09:57,840 --> 00:10:00,360 in the nature or character of something. 159 00:10:00,840 --> 00:10:03,240 So a change in the nature or character of something. 160 00:10:03,520 --> 00:10:07,720 So what James is saying is that God does not change his nature. 161 00:10:08,040 --> 00:10:10,080 He does not change his character. 162 00:10:10,760 --> 00:10:12,960 They are unchanging. B. 163 00:10:13,440 --> 00:10:16,240 There is also no shadow due to change. 164 00:10:16,240 --> 00:10:18,600 What does that mean? No shadow due to change? 165 00:10:19,120 --> 00:10:22,480 This is probably connected with the previous phrase Father of 166 00:10:22,480 --> 00:10:24,680 lights. That probably is connected to 167 00:10:24,680 --> 00:10:26,880 that phrase. In other words, if you look at 168 00:10:26,880 --> 00:10:31,080 the lights in the sky, the sun, the moon, and the stars, they 169 00:10:31,080 --> 00:10:33,440 all 'cause variations of shadows. 170 00:10:33,440 --> 00:10:39,040 They all 'cause variations of light and darkness, right? 171 00:10:39,160 --> 00:10:42,280 We all know this to be true. I was actually watching Man 172 00:10:42,280 --> 00:10:46,920 versus Wild with my son. My son Moses is he loves all 173 00:10:46,920 --> 00:10:49,560 things science and, and all things related to that. 174 00:10:50,040 --> 00:10:55,040 I think so he watches Man versus Wild and if I'm ever going to be 175 00:10:55,040 --> 00:10:57,520 caught out in the wild, he, I'm hope he's with me. 176 00:11:00,240 --> 00:11:03,200 Bill Griz was sharing that if you ever caught in in, in a 177 00:11:03,200 --> 00:11:05,840 wilderness, in a desert, you don't know which direction to 178 00:11:05,840 --> 00:11:07,680 go. One way to do this is to take a 179 00:11:07,680 --> 00:11:10,800 stick in a stone and put a stick in the ground and then it'll 180 00:11:10,800 --> 00:11:13,120 cast a shadow and you put a stone at the end of that shadow. 181 00:11:13,280 --> 00:11:16,200 And then you wait 15 minutes. The shadow will move and then 182 00:11:16,200 --> 00:11:18,960 that direction will tell you which way to go. 183 00:11:19,160 --> 00:11:21,400 The direction will move east and then you'll know which way is 184 00:11:21,400 --> 00:11:23,000 north. I was like, that's brilliant, 185 00:11:23,560 --> 00:11:26,360 right? Why does it change? 186 00:11:27,080 --> 00:11:29,520 Because the lights in the sky change. 187 00:11:31,240 --> 00:11:34,680 James point is that God is not like this. 188 00:11:36,200 --> 00:11:38,440 God does not change like the heavens do. 189 00:11:40,320 --> 00:11:45,920 Look at verse 18. A Of his own will, He brought us 190 00:11:46,000 --> 00:11:49,040 forth. Of his own will, He brought us 191 00:11:49,080 --> 00:11:50,880 forth. I could preach the entire sermon 192 00:11:50,880 --> 00:11:53,280 on just that phrase. I really want to preach the 193 00:11:53,280 --> 00:11:54,440 entire sermon on just that phrase. 194 00:11:54,800 --> 00:11:58,320 It's such a simple phrase and yet it is pregnant with 195 00:11:58,320 --> 00:12:00,520 theology. What does this mean? 196 00:12:00,920 --> 00:12:03,480 Let's look at the second part First, though. 197 00:12:04,480 --> 00:12:07,480 Brought us forth, brought us for. 198 00:12:07,480 --> 00:12:08,760 What does that mean? Literally? 199 00:12:08,760 --> 00:12:11,680 It means to give birth to to give birth to. 200 00:12:11,840 --> 00:12:15,040 It's the same word used in verse 15 where James writes. 201 00:12:15,200 --> 00:12:19,160 And sin, when it is fully grown, gives birth to death. 202 00:12:19,320 --> 00:12:23,720 Same exact word. So what does James mean that God 203 00:12:23,720 --> 00:12:28,680 gave birth to us? He means the same thing Jesus 204 00:12:28,680 --> 00:12:35,440 meant when he said to Nicodemus, You must be born again. 205 00:12:37,320 --> 00:12:41,360 In order to have physical life, you must have a physical birth, 206 00:12:42,880 --> 00:12:46,800 and in order to have spiritual life you must have a spiritual 207 00:12:46,800 --> 00:12:50,360 birth. If you are going to have 208 00:12:50,360 --> 00:12:55,240 physical life, you must be born of a woman, and if you are going 209 00:12:55,240 --> 00:12:59,600 to have spiritual life, you must be born from above. 210 00:13:00,800 --> 00:13:04,520 We call this the doctrine of regeneration, where God takes 211 00:13:04,520 --> 00:13:10,200 that which is dead and he makes it alive, gives it life. 212 00:13:11,280 --> 00:13:15,880 Now how does God do this? How does God cause us to be born 213 00:13:15,880 --> 00:13:18,680 again? How does he do it? 214 00:13:18,800 --> 00:13:21,800 This is so important. Don't miss this. 215 00:13:21,960 --> 00:13:34,040 Notice what James writes here. Of his own will, of his own 216 00:13:34,280 --> 00:13:43,800 desire, of his own choosing, God gives us birth. 217 00:13:45,480 --> 00:13:48,840 The apostle John affirms this teaching when John writes in 218 00:13:48,840 --> 00:13:52,240 John 112 to 13. But to all who did receive him, 219 00:13:52,400 --> 00:13:55,360 who believed in his name, he gave the right to become 220 00:13:55,360 --> 00:14:03,720 children of God, who were what? Born not of blood, not of the 221 00:14:03,720 --> 00:14:10,560 will of the flesh, not of the will of man, including your own, 222 00:14:12,720 --> 00:14:22,360 but of God. Look at verse 18B by the word of 223 00:14:22,360 --> 00:14:25,760 truth. Now, what was the agent by which 224 00:14:25,760 --> 00:14:28,480 God gave us birth? What was the agent? 225 00:14:28,480 --> 00:14:31,640 In other words, if we are physically born by the seed of 226 00:14:31,640 --> 00:14:34,880 man, what are we spiritually born by? 227 00:14:36,040 --> 00:14:38,680 You need the seed of man to have physical birth. 228 00:14:38,800 --> 00:14:42,400 What is the agent by which we are spiritually born? 229 00:14:42,480 --> 00:14:45,720 And here's what it is, the word of truth. 230 00:14:46,040 --> 00:14:48,240 What is that? That is the gospel. 231 00:14:49,200 --> 00:14:51,200 That is the gospel Ephesians 113. 232 00:14:51,200 --> 00:14:54,760 Paul writes in him you also, when you heard the word of 233 00:14:54,760 --> 00:14:58,360 truth, the gospel of your salvation. 234 00:14:58,920 --> 00:15:01,400 Peter writes, Since you have been born again through the 235 00:15:01,400 --> 00:15:10,640 living and abiding word of God. Look at 18 C that we should be a 236 00:15:10,640 --> 00:15:14,760 kind of firstfruits of his creatures. 237 00:15:15,320 --> 00:15:18,560 What does that phrase mean? A firstfruits of His creatures. 238 00:15:18,880 --> 00:15:23,720 Firstfruits is a way to refer to Christians in the New Testament. 239 00:15:24,080 --> 00:15:28,080 Second Thessalonians 213 because God chose you as the first 240 00:15:28,080 --> 00:15:31,680 fruits to be saved. Or Revelation 14, four. 241 00:15:31,920 --> 00:15:36,600 These have been redeemed from mankind as firstfruits for God 242 00:15:36,840 --> 00:15:39,640 and the Lamb. What James is saying is that 243 00:15:39,640 --> 00:15:43,240 God's plan is to redeem all of creation, right? 244 00:15:43,400 --> 00:15:46,760 All of creation is going to be redeemed, not just us, but the, 245 00:15:47,000 --> 00:15:49,960 the, the, the mountains, the trees, the animals, right? 246 00:15:49,960 --> 00:15:52,120 We, we will look out in the, even in the world, we see a very 247 00:15:52,120 --> 00:15:56,000 cruel world still with tornadoes and hurricanes and lions killing 248 00:15:56,000 --> 00:15:58,360 zebras. We, we live in a cruel world. 249 00:15:58,560 --> 00:16:01,040 God is going to redeem all of creation. 250 00:16:01,920 --> 00:16:06,160 He's going to undo the curse to heaven and a new earth. 251 00:16:07,720 --> 00:16:17,320 And the first fruits of this future redemptive harvest is US. 252 00:16:20,520 --> 00:16:25,880 In other words, the salvation of Christians testifies to the 253 00:16:25,880 --> 00:16:30,120 redemptive harvest that awaits all of creation. 254 00:16:32,000 --> 00:16:34,960 In addition, first fruits also implies A treasured possession. 255 00:16:35,160 --> 00:16:37,000 If you remember in the Old Testament, who did the first 256 00:16:37,000 --> 00:16:39,680 fruits belong to? They belong to God. 257 00:16:40,320 --> 00:16:45,360 They specifically belong to God. Likewise, James is saying, you 258 00:16:45,720 --> 00:16:49,920 brothers and sisters, you belong to God. 259 00:16:50,200 --> 00:16:53,640 You are his treasured possession. 260 00:16:55,200 --> 00:17:00,920 He made you His. We'll stop there with the 261 00:17:00,920 --> 00:17:03,640 exposition application of the text. 262 00:17:03,920 --> 00:17:14,240 I have 9 points #1 we have a personal responsibility to not 263 00:17:14,240 --> 00:17:18,280 be deceived. We have a personal 264 00:17:18,280 --> 00:17:21,079 responsibility to not be deceived. 265 00:17:22,560 --> 00:17:25,000 Normally when we think of someone being deceived, we think 266 00:17:25,000 --> 00:17:27,000 of it as something they can't control, right? 267 00:17:28,280 --> 00:17:29,360 And that's how I think of it, right? 268 00:17:29,360 --> 00:17:30,680 Someone's deceived, they can't control it. 269 00:17:30,680 --> 00:17:34,160 Because in other words, if you knew you were being deceived, 270 00:17:34,480 --> 00:17:37,600 you wouldn't be deceived if you if you were. 271 00:17:37,600 --> 00:17:40,200 If Fred was deceiving me and I knew he was deceiving me, I 272 00:17:40,200 --> 00:17:45,000 wouldn't be deceived. The reason we are deceived is 273 00:17:45,000 --> 00:17:47,880 because we don't know we're being deceived, right? 274 00:17:50,320 --> 00:17:54,040 I can remember as a child, my brother and I, my older brother 275 00:17:54,040 --> 00:17:56,240 and I, we loved watching infomercials. 276 00:17:57,040 --> 00:18:00,040 We'd wake up on Saturday morning, go get our serial, turn 277 00:18:00,040 --> 00:18:02,760 on the TV right as before the days of streaming or you have 278 00:18:02,760 --> 00:18:06,800 like cable and we had like 3 channels we turn on and we watch 279 00:18:06,800 --> 00:18:08,280 infomercials. We loved it. 280 00:18:08,480 --> 00:18:11,440 We thought every product was the greatest product in the world. 281 00:18:12,920 --> 00:18:16,160 We believed everything this TV salesman was pitching us. 282 00:18:17,200 --> 00:18:19,920 We would go tell our dad, Dad, dad, you've got to get this 283 00:18:19,920 --> 00:18:22,440 product. It'll clean anything. 284 00:18:22,440 --> 00:18:27,520 And my dad would never buy it. Why? 285 00:18:27,640 --> 00:18:32,680 Because he knew better. He was not as easily deceived as 286 00:18:32,680 --> 00:18:38,200 my brother and I were. We have a personal 287 00:18:38,520 --> 00:18:42,240 responsibility to not be deceived. 288 00:18:44,000 --> 00:18:47,000 Jesus says watch out that no one deceives you. 289 00:18:47,000 --> 00:18:50,680 Matthew 24 Four. How many times does Paul write 290 00:18:50,680 --> 00:18:54,960 these exact same words as James? First Corinthians 69 Do not be 291 00:18:54,960 --> 00:18:58,120 deceived. First Corinthians 1533 do not be 292 00:18:58,120 --> 00:19:01,040 deceived. Galatians 6-7 do not be 293 00:19:01,040 --> 00:19:03,960 deceived. John writes little children, let 294 00:19:03,960 --> 00:19:08,400 no one deceive you. First, John 37, The reason we 295 00:19:08,400 --> 00:19:13,040 study this book, the reason we memorize it and meditate on it 296 00:19:13,160 --> 00:19:19,120 and dissect it and, and, and just ingested the reason that 297 00:19:19,280 --> 00:19:24,320 that we come to Friday nights, we come to Sunday school. 298 00:19:24,320 --> 00:19:27,800 The reason you're here right now listening to this sermon, the 299 00:19:27,800 --> 00:19:30,120 reason we go to small groups, the reason we go to to 300 00:19:30,120 --> 00:19:36,360 discipleship, all of this, all of it is in part so that we 301 00:19:36,360 --> 00:19:44,320 would not be deceived. Our desire, my desire for you 302 00:19:44,360 --> 00:19:49,320 and my hope that your desire would be that we would become so 303 00:19:49,320 --> 00:20:00,560 acquainted with the truth that we can easily spot the lie #2 304 00:20:02,560 --> 00:20:06,120 being a church family is not enough. 305 00:20:08,600 --> 00:20:15,480 We are to be a beloved family. Being a church family is not 306 00:20:15,480 --> 00:20:19,160 enough. We are to be a beloved family. 307 00:20:20,680 --> 00:20:23,840 I love that as a church, we are a family. 308 00:20:24,720 --> 00:20:29,560 I love it. We are not a Community Center. 309 00:20:30,840 --> 00:20:34,720 We are not a book club. We are not a Cultural Center. 310 00:20:35,640 --> 00:20:39,080 We are not an association. We are not a religious 311 00:20:39,080 --> 00:20:42,080 fraternity. We are not a workshop. 312 00:20:43,080 --> 00:20:46,520 We are not a sports league. We are not a hobby club. 313 00:20:48,360 --> 00:20:53,200 We are a family. We are brothers and sisters in 314 00:20:53,200 --> 00:21:00,880 Christ. But being a church family is not 315 00:21:00,880 --> 00:21:05,000 enough. We are to be a beloved family. 316 00:21:07,240 --> 00:21:13,360 The reason I say that being a family is not enough is because 317 00:21:13,360 --> 00:21:14,600 not everybody loves their family. 318 00:21:17,760 --> 00:21:19,040 Not everybody loves their family. 319 00:21:20,080 --> 00:21:21,920 Not everybody enjoys their family. 320 00:21:24,560 --> 00:21:26,640 Not everybody spends time with their family. 321 00:21:28,640 --> 00:21:31,520 Not everybody is close or intimate with their family, 322 00:21:35,280 --> 00:21:42,920 James writes. Do not be deceived, my beloved 323 00:21:43,920 --> 00:21:48,320 brothers. If you read the New Testament, 324 00:21:48,320 --> 00:21:52,600 it's clear that the apostles did not see the church as merely a 325 00:21:52,600 --> 00:21:55,280 family. They saw it as a beloved family. 326 00:21:56,120 --> 00:22:00,600 Paul calls Tikakis, Onissimus, Philemon, Apophis, Luke. 327 00:22:00,800 --> 00:22:03,400 He calls them all beloved brothers. 328 00:22:04,280 --> 00:22:08,480 Four times in Romans 16, He calls individuals beloved. 329 00:22:09,080 --> 00:22:11,320 He calls Timothy his beloved child. 330 00:22:11,720 --> 00:22:14,120 He calls the Romans and Philippians beloved. 331 00:22:14,240 --> 00:22:16,840 He calls the Corinthians beloved children. 332 00:22:17,400 --> 00:22:20,040 Peter calls Paul a beloved brother. 333 00:22:20,280 --> 00:22:23,920 Peter, John, and Jude all call. The churches are writing to 334 00:22:24,160 --> 00:22:28,920 Beloved and three times in this letter James calls these 335 00:22:28,920 --> 00:22:34,920 brothers and sisters Beloved church family. 336 00:22:35,240 --> 00:22:52,960 We are more than a family. We are a beloved family. 3 God 337 00:22:52,960 --> 00:22:56,600 is not a trial dispensing vending machine. 338 00:22:58,080 --> 00:23:01,960 God is not a trial dispensing vending machine. 339 00:23:03,400 --> 00:23:07,000 Imagine if every time you went to a vending machine, right, you 340 00:23:07,000 --> 00:23:09,040 walk up. I went to one the other day and 341 00:23:09,040 --> 00:23:12,000 I was at a basketball gym and it was like, it was like a candy 342 00:23:12,000 --> 00:23:13,240 bar. It's like 375. 343 00:23:13,240 --> 00:23:15,800 I was like, when did candy bars get 375 in a bin? 344 00:23:15,800 --> 00:23:18,840 It's like it's ridiculous. Anyway, I didn't buy it. 345 00:23:22,200 --> 00:23:23,920 Imagine if every time you went to a vending machine, you looked 346 00:23:23,920 --> 00:23:27,880 at the items. Major selection input the 347 00:23:27,880 --> 00:23:35,200 numbers F5, Peanut M&M's and as you open the bottom tray, what 348 00:23:35,200 --> 00:23:37,800 comes out there was not peanut and M's, but veggie straws. 349 00:23:42,640 --> 00:23:46,680 I don't want veggie straws, I want peanut M&M's. 350 00:23:48,520 --> 00:23:52,160 Imagine if no matter what number you input, rather than getting 351 00:23:52,160 --> 00:23:56,520 what you wanted, you only got what you didn't want. 352 00:23:57,880 --> 00:24:00,240 I would imagine that over time you would stop going to this 353 00:24:00,240 --> 00:24:04,720 vending machine. I think that sometimes this is 354 00:24:04,720 --> 00:24:11,480 how it can feel with God. We can begin to believe the lie 355 00:24:11,480 --> 00:24:14,840 that God is a trial dispensing vending machine. 356 00:24:16,120 --> 00:24:21,760 We ask Him for what we want and instead He gives us a trial. 357 00:24:23,840 --> 00:24:29,000 This is not what I ordered God, James writes. 358 00:24:29,000 --> 00:24:33,440 Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. 359 00:24:33,720 --> 00:24:36,520 Deceived about what? Deceived about what? 360 00:24:36,640 --> 00:24:39,920 Deceiving into thinking that God only gives trials. 361 00:24:42,000 --> 00:24:45,680 It is true that God does give us trials, but it is not true that 362 00:24:45,680 --> 00:24:48,840 God only gives us trials. And it is not true that God 363 00:24:48,840 --> 00:24:52,480 primarily gives us trials. That's not true either. 364 00:24:53,320 --> 00:24:56,440 Sometimes we're in the middle of a difficult trial, right? 365 00:24:56,440 --> 00:24:58,240 Especially if it's a really, really hard trial. 366 00:24:58,440 --> 00:25:01,200 Or perhaps you've had trial. You've ever been to seasons 367 00:25:01,200 --> 00:25:03,360 where it's like 1 trial, then another trial, then another 368 00:25:03,360 --> 00:25:07,360 trial. Sometimes we know seasons begin 369 00:25:07,360 --> 00:25:12,880 to think that God actually enjoys giving trials more than 370 00:25:12,880 --> 00:25:20,600 He enjoys giving gifts. It's like the kid who wakes up 371 00:25:20,600 --> 00:25:25,120 on Christmas and instead of getting a new bike or a new 372 00:25:25,120 --> 00:25:28,280 video game, he gets math homework. 373 00:25:35,660 --> 00:25:37,420 Do not be deceived church family. 374 00:25:38,780 --> 00:25:48,180 God is not a trial dispensing vending machine. 4 Everything 375 00:25:48,180 --> 00:25:53,140 good we have in our life is owing to neither intelligence, 376 00:25:53,660 --> 00:26:00,900 opportunity, education, America, family, hard work, or luck. 377 00:26:02,320 --> 00:26:06,440 It's owing to a good and gracious father. 378 00:26:08,960 --> 00:26:12,160 Let's say that I bought a house, right? 379 00:26:12,360 --> 00:26:14,600 Let's say that I bought a house. Somebody came up to me and 380 00:26:14,600 --> 00:26:16,440 asked, how did you get that house? 381 00:26:17,840 --> 00:26:19,480 There are many ways I can answer that question. 382 00:26:21,080 --> 00:26:22,720 I could attribute it to intelligence. 383 00:26:23,440 --> 00:26:27,400 Well, I knew this would be a smart purchase, so I bought it. 384 00:26:29,280 --> 00:26:30,680 I could attribute it to opportunity. 385 00:26:31,640 --> 00:26:33,800 I was given the opportunity to purchase it, so I did. 386 00:26:35,240 --> 00:26:36,720 I could attribute it to education. 387 00:26:38,480 --> 00:26:41,040 I went to a good school, which allowed me to get a good job, 388 00:26:41,360 --> 00:26:42,560 which allowed me to buy this house. 389 00:26:44,160 --> 00:26:47,360 I could attribute it to America. This is the American dream. 390 00:26:47,680 --> 00:26:52,560 It's what makes America great. I could attribute it to family. 391 00:26:53,520 --> 00:26:57,480 My parents raised me to save up for a house and that's how I was 392 00:26:57,480 --> 00:27:00,840 able to buy it. I could attribute it to hard 393 00:27:00,840 --> 00:27:03,840 work. I worked really hard for this 394 00:27:03,840 --> 00:27:08,440 house, plain and simple. I could attribute it to luck. 395 00:27:09,520 --> 00:27:11,080 You know, honestly, we just got lucky. 396 00:27:14,040 --> 00:27:18,880 And all of those may be true and one particular sense, but what 397 00:27:18,880 --> 00:27:27,040 is the correct answer? How did you get this house? 398 00:27:29,280 --> 00:27:34,920 I owe this house to a good and gracious father. 399 00:27:38,760 --> 00:27:46,280 James writes that every good gift, every single gift is from 400 00:27:46,280 --> 00:27:51,080 above. This is true for our marriages. 401 00:27:53,320 --> 00:27:56,040 People ask me all the time, well, you know, all the time. 402 00:27:56,040 --> 00:27:58,240 That's not fair. People ask me frequently, like, 403 00:27:58,960 --> 00:28:04,240 how did you get her? I didn't do anything. 404 00:28:04,680 --> 00:28:09,520 It was the Lord. She's way above my pay grade. 405 00:28:13,520 --> 00:28:17,080 It was the Lord. This is true of our marriages, 406 00:28:19,280 --> 00:28:22,720 it's true of our children. It's too far. 407 00:28:22,720 --> 00:28:27,000 Health, our jobs, our finances, our talent, our bodies, our 408 00:28:27,000 --> 00:28:29,400 possessions, our education, our intellect. 409 00:28:29,640 --> 00:28:37,400 Everything is owing to a good and gracious Father, because 410 00:28:37,440 --> 00:28:42,120 everything we have is a gift, all of it. 411 00:28:44,400 --> 00:28:53,880 Nothing is owing to anything else. 5 Every time we see the 412 00:28:53,880 --> 00:28:57,680 light, it's a reminder of God's goodness. 413 00:28:58,920 --> 00:29:03,680 Every time we see the light, it's a reminder of God's 414 00:29:03,680 --> 00:29:05,880 goodness. James calls God the Father of 415 00:29:05,880 --> 00:29:07,320 lights. I think he's thinking of 416 00:29:07,320 --> 00:29:10,840 creation here where Moses writes that the earth was without form 417 00:29:10,840 --> 00:29:13,680 and void darkness was over the face of the deep. 418 00:29:13,920 --> 00:29:18,480 And God said, let there be light and there was light. 419 00:29:18,480 --> 00:29:21,200 And God saw the light and he said the light was good. 420 00:29:22,480 --> 00:29:24,440 You know, I was thinking about those verses that Moses wrote 421 00:29:24,800 --> 00:29:28,600 and I was, I realized I could substitute myself there, or how 422 00:29:28,600 --> 00:29:30,160 you could substitute yourself there. 423 00:29:32,200 --> 00:29:37,080 That at one point in my life Matt was without form and void 424 00:29:37,280 --> 00:29:41,080 and darkness was over the face of his life. 425 00:29:41,520 --> 00:29:51,280 And God said, let there be light and I was made alive. 426 00:29:54,680 --> 00:29:59,840 Every time we see the light, it is a reminder of the goodness of 427 00:29:59,840 --> 00:30:02,680 God. It is a reminder that we are not 428 00:30:02,680 --> 00:30:10,040 walking in darkness. Remember when we were children 429 00:30:11,320 --> 00:30:15,520 or kids? If I were to ask you what, what 430 00:30:16,240 --> 00:30:18,280 is one of the biggest fears that you have? 431 00:30:21,320 --> 00:30:26,960 Dark, right? No kid likes being in the dark. 432 00:30:30,120 --> 00:30:34,640 Talk to my parents will have Night Lights, maybe crack the 433 00:30:34,640 --> 00:30:36,480 door open. You know their kids like they 434 00:30:36,480 --> 00:30:38,240 close you go to close the door and like, mommy, can you leave 435 00:30:38,240 --> 00:30:43,240 the door open? The reality is that even as 436 00:30:43,240 --> 00:30:44,960 adults, we're still scared of the dark. 437 00:30:46,120 --> 00:30:48,200 It's just an adulthood. The darkness turns into a 438 00:30:48,200 --> 00:30:53,520 metaphorical darkness turns into a metaphorical darkness. 439 00:30:54,400 --> 00:31:00,520 We are terrified of being in the dark, facing dark times, taking 440 00:31:00,520 --> 00:31:05,760 a shot in the dark, seeing the dark side of life, being kept in 441 00:31:05,760 --> 00:31:12,240 the dark, going into the dark. The description is we don't fear 442 00:31:12,240 --> 00:31:17,440 the dark because the Father of Lights is with us. 443 00:31:20,480 --> 00:31:23,480 People say that there is light at the end of the tunnel. 444 00:31:23,920 --> 00:31:27,920 Not for us. Not for us. 445 00:31:30,680 --> 00:31:37,480 There is light in the tunnel because the father of lights is 446 00:31:37,480 --> 00:31:50,680 with us. 6 Our trust in the future grace of God is rooted in 447 00:31:50,680 --> 00:31:56,000 his immutability. Our trust in the future grace of 448 00:31:56,000 --> 00:31:59,240 God is rooted in his immutability. 449 00:32:00,240 --> 00:32:04,040 Everything changes, doesn't it? Doesn't everything change? 450 00:32:04,040 --> 00:32:08,440 And because of this, it can be hard to trust, can be hard to 451 00:32:08,440 --> 00:32:10,560 trust like anything, because everything changes. 452 00:32:11,160 --> 00:32:15,760 The weather changes, right? I especially, man, I don't, I 453 00:32:15,760 --> 00:32:17,720 don't check. I don't trust weatherman at all. 454 00:32:19,800 --> 00:32:22,480 People will sometimes check the weather here like 10 days out, 455 00:32:22,960 --> 00:32:25,320 right? And I'm like, it's Seattle. 456 00:32:25,880 --> 00:32:28,720 It'll change 10 times before it gets there. 457 00:32:31,040 --> 00:32:34,920 I'll never forget one time, like I told the story before in 458 00:32:34,920 --> 00:32:39,760 Alabama, one time they said 95% chance of rain, 95% chance. 459 00:32:39,760 --> 00:32:43,400 I was supposed to play golf. And so I cancelled my golf 460 00:32:43,400 --> 00:32:49,280 outing, didn't ran a drop. One time I said 5%, that these 461 00:32:49,280 --> 00:32:50,840 are true stories. One of them said 5%. 462 00:32:50,840 --> 00:32:53,080 So me and my buddies all got together, went to the golf 463 00:32:53,080 --> 00:33:00,040 course, got on hold #1 downpour. Sorry if any of you are in 464 00:33:00,040 --> 00:33:03,800 meteorology. In school, the weather changes, 465 00:33:03,800 --> 00:33:07,360 culture changes, what's fashionable changes, what's 466 00:33:07,960 --> 00:33:09,960 what, what music is in style changes. 467 00:33:10,640 --> 00:33:14,760 Children change. I see your kids especially, 468 00:33:14,760 --> 00:33:17,480 like, you know, your young kids. I see them walking around and 469 00:33:17,480 --> 00:33:20,640 man, I miss the days of just watching Children wonder at 470 00:33:20,640 --> 00:33:22,600 everything. Everything is a wonder for them. 471 00:33:24,640 --> 00:33:27,160 I know parents, especially if your kids are like in diapers or 472 00:33:27,160 --> 00:33:29,200 like, you know, they're throwing food all over the floor and 473 00:33:29,200 --> 00:33:30,920 stuff like you're like, these days are never going to end. 474 00:33:31,080 --> 00:33:32,920 You will miss them. You will. 475 00:33:35,800 --> 00:33:38,080 Children change. Marriage changes. 476 00:33:38,880 --> 00:33:41,960 Who you married, who you're married to at year one will not 477 00:33:41,960 --> 00:33:43,920 be who you're married to at year 10. 478 00:33:45,120 --> 00:33:51,960 It just won't be. For better or for worse, our 479 00:33:51,960 --> 00:33:55,840 bodies change. Wrinkles, sunspots, loss of 480 00:33:55,840 --> 00:33:58,960 hair, Cellulite going Gray, memory loss. 481 00:34:00,320 --> 00:34:03,960 People's moods change. You ever had a friend who was so 482 00:34:03,960 --> 00:34:07,280 happy and then 5 minutes later they're saying my life is over? 483 00:34:12,560 --> 00:34:18,600 Everything changes. Everything changes except God, 484 00:34:20,800 --> 00:34:28,920 except God, James writes. With God, there is no variation 485 00:34:28,920 --> 00:34:35,080 or shadow due to change. God's immutability may be his 486 00:34:35,080 --> 00:34:40,120 greatest attribute that nobody talks about or rarely gets 487 00:34:40,120 --> 00:34:43,400 talked about. I could think of at least a 488 00:34:43,400 --> 00:34:46,400 dozen reasons why this doctrine is so precious. 489 00:34:47,199 --> 00:34:49,840 I'll give just one, though. Based on our passage, I'll give 490 00:34:49,840 --> 00:34:51,040 just one. Here's the question. 491 00:34:51,280 --> 00:34:56,600 How do I know that God will continue to be good to me, 492 00:35:00,000 --> 00:35:01,200 right? You know, there's like deals 493 00:35:01,200 --> 00:35:04,920 where it's like, you know, it's like free, free sweatshirt. 494 00:35:04,920 --> 00:35:07,560 Sign up here and you get a free sweatshirt good while supplies 495 00:35:07,560 --> 00:35:11,200 last, right? And then if you like, if you're 496 00:35:11,200 --> 00:35:13,520 a procrastinator, you sign up and like, sorry, we ran out. 497 00:35:15,080 --> 00:35:16,600 How do I know it's not like what God is? 498 00:35:16,640 --> 00:35:19,720 God's like grace while supplies last. 499 00:35:22,040 --> 00:35:31,480 How do I know that God? I believe He gives continue to 500 00:35:31,480 --> 00:35:35,680 do this because he doesn't change. 501 00:35:37,840 --> 00:35:45,280 Because he doesn't change the God who gave Abraham and Sarah a 502 00:35:45,280 --> 00:35:49,320 child at 190 years old respectively, who gave the 503 00:35:49,320 --> 00:35:53,280 Israelites the promised land, who gave Ruth a new husband, who 504 00:35:53,280 --> 00:35:57,520 gave David the Kingdom, who gave Solomon riches and wisdom. 505 00:35:57,680 --> 00:36:01,320 The blind sight, the deaf hearing, the lame walking, the 506 00:36:01,320 --> 00:36:06,640 mute speaking, The God who gave all of these is the exact same 507 00:36:06,760 --> 00:36:16,600 God that you and I serve. He hasn't changed at all and He 508 00:36:16,600 --> 00:36:22,800 never will. Our trust and the future grace 509 00:36:22,800 --> 00:36:27,840 of God is rooted in His immutability. 510 00:36:29,880 --> 00:36:41,600 He doesn't change. 7 You are alive not because you chose God, 511 00:36:43,120 --> 00:36:51,160 but because he chose you. You are alive not because you 512 00:36:51,160 --> 00:36:54,960 chose God, but because he chose you. 513 00:36:57,520 --> 00:36:59,720 Growing up in the church, I've been growing up in the church my 514 00:36:59,720 --> 00:37:05,040 whole life as a kid and then when I was, you know, 18I I left 515 00:37:05,040 --> 00:37:09,600 for a few years. Growing up in the church, I was 516 00:37:09,600 --> 00:37:15,080 taught that when a person hears the gospel they are given a 517 00:37:15,080 --> 00:37:19,320 gift. God puts this gift at your feet 518 00:37:21,760 --> 00:37:24,760 and it's your choice as to whether you are going to accept 519 00:37:24,760 --> 00:37:28,800 this gift or not. If you accept the gift, you will 520 00:37:28,800 --> 00:37:33,600 be saved, or if you reject gift, you will be lost. 521 00:37:37,880 --> 00:37:41,520 There's not necessarily anything wrong with this idea, except 522 00:37:41,520 --> 00:37:47,160 that it's misleading. It's misleading because what is 523 00:37:47,160 --> 00:37:51,160 suggest is this. It suggests that what is 524 00:37:51,160 --> 00:37:58,480 decisive what hear that word decisive, What is ultimate? 525 00:37:58,960 --> 00:38:06,200 And whether a person gets saved or not is their choice, not 526 00:38:06,200 --> 00:38:11,920 God's. So the reason that I am saved is 527 00:38:11,920 --> 00:38:15,040 because I chose to accept this gift. 528 00:38:16,520 --> 00:38:21,200 And the reason that my lost family or friends are not saved 529 00:38:21,200 --> 00:38:23,600 is because they chose to reject this gift. 530 00:38:28,320 --> 00:38:31,000 I believe that for 25 years of my life. 531 00:38:34,640 --> 00:38:41,000 And then something happened. I started to read this book for 532 00:38:41,000 --> 00:38:48,240 myself. I started to read this book for 533 00:38:48,240 --> 00:38:53,640 myself. And I came across statements 534 00:38:54,600 --> 00:39:02,120 like this. Of his own will, He brought us 535 00:39:02,120 --> 00:39:09,800 forth, or as the CSP translates, by his own choice, He gave us 536 00:39:09,800 --> 00:39:14,640 birth. And as I came across those kinds 537 00:39:14,640 --> 00:39:16,920 of statements, and there are dozens of them in the New 538 00:39:16,920 --> 00:39:19,120 Testament, my whole understanding of salvation 539 00:39:19,120 --> 00:39:21,480 changed. It blew my mind. 540 00:39:22,720 --> 00:39:27,600 My whole thought process of how was I say it changed. 541 00:39:29,280 --> 00:39:33,240 I realized that God made me alive not because I chose Him, 542 00:39:34,520 --> 00:39:42,320 but because he chose me. Now, I don't know why this took 543 00:39:42,320 --> 00:39:45,120 me so long to realize. If, if, if that doesn't do it 544 00:39:45,120 --> 00:39:48,720 for you, Common sense would teach us. 545 00:39:49,520 --> 00:39:56,000 Nobody chooses to be born. How could anybody choose to be 546 00:39:56,000 --> 00:40:00,200 reborn? We didn't ask our children to be 547 00:40:00,200 --> 00:40:03,800 born. I did not consult with Abraham 548 00:40:03,800 --> 00:40:06,520 before he was born at two months into our marriage. 549 00:40:06,640 --> 00:40:08,280 Abraham, would you like to come now? 550 00:40:08,800 --> 00:40:10,440 We've only been married for two months. 551 00:40:11,360 --> 00:40:13,160 Would you like to? Sure, Dad. 552 00:40:13,400 --> 00:40:18,320 OK, we'll have you. We did not consult with our 553 00:40:18,320 --> 00:40:22,600 children being born. We chose to have them. 554 00:40:27,360 --> 00:40:35,280 Likewise, when God made us spiritually alive, he chose to 555 00:40:35,280 --> 00:40:38,720 make us alive. This is common sense. 556 00:40:38,800 --> 00:40:40,440 I don't know why it took me so long. 557 00:40:44,000 --> 00:40:48,800 Why would the decision ultimately, decisively rest with 558 00:40:48,800 --> 00:40:52,840 me? Why would it not rest with God, 559 00:40:57,640 --> 00:41:01,200 brother and sister? And let me let me say, if you're 560 00:41:01,200 --> 00:41:02,800 like, is this just an academic point? 561 00:41:02,800 --> 00:41:08,200 Why are you making such a big It's not The moment you 562 00:41:08,200 --> 00:41:11,880 understand this, your whole outlook on Christianity and 563 00:41:11,880 --> 00:41:14,400 salvation and what God did in your life changes. 564 00:41:16,200 --> 00:41:26,400 It's not an academic point if you think that what was decisive 565 00:41:26,400 --> 00:41:28,520 and saving you was you doing this. 566 00:41:29,320 --> 00:41:36,720 Thank you God, that gift won't matter that much to you. 567 00:41:37,000 --> 00:41:39,840 It'll matter. It won't matter that much. 568 00:41:43,320 --> 00:41:50,880 But if you think that you were at the bottom of a lake dead, 569 00:41:52,880 --> 00:41:58,400 and he swam down and pulled your dead corpse up and breathe life 570 00:41:58,400 --> 00:42:04,160 into your soul, that'll matter a lot. 571 00:42:07,560 --> 00:42:11,440 Your view of what God did in your life will change. 572 00:42:11,800 --> 00:42:18,680 Your life will change. Brother, sister, you are alive 573 00:42:18,680 --> 00:42:26,600 not because you chose God, but because He chose you. 8 God uses 574 00:42:26,600 --> 00:42:30,960 the word of truth to make us alive. 575 00:42:31,840 --> 00:42:36,000 God uses the word of truth to make us alive. 576 00:42:36,560 --> 00:42:39,960 For the past few years crows have been pulling up our grass. 577 00:42:42,960 --> 00:42:47,560 I have come this close to buying ABB gun to shoot them, but I'm 578 00:42:47,560 --> 00:42:51,240 afraid I'll get arrested living in Seattle, those Alabama, I 579 00:42:51,240 --> 00:43:01,410 totally do it. They're eating European shaper 580 00:43:01,410 --> 00:43:03,410 beetles. I researched this. 581 00:43:04,010 --> 00:43:06,770 They're eating European. It's an invasive species that 582 00:43:06,770 --> 00:43:11,610 was brought into the airport back in 2015 and they've spread 583 00:43:11,610 --> 00:43:13,650 all over this area. And that's why crows are 584 00:43:13,730 --> 00:43:19,330 destroying everybody's lawns. We have large dirt patches in 585 00:43:19,330 --> 00:43:22,210 our grass, like large, huge dirt patches in our yard. 586 00:43:23,360 --> 00:43:29,520 I can rake up the dead grass, I can till the soil, I can water 587 00:43:29,520 --> 00:43:35,280 it, I can try to collect the larvae, but none of that will 588 00:43:35,280 --> 00:43:39,840 cause the grass to grow back. Why? 589 00:43:40,720 --> 00:43:47,160 Because seed is needed, Charles Spurgeon writes. 590 00:43:47,160 --> 00:43:51,160 The Gospel is like a seed. It seems a very little thing, 591 00:43:51,360 --> 00:43:55,000 but when it is sown in the heart, it brings forth life. 592 00:43:57,000 --> 00:44:01,600 Brothers, don't ever forget that God uses the word of truth to 593 00:44:01,600 --> 00:44:05,600 make us alive. Yes, there are birds. 594 00:44:05,600 --> 00:44:07,840 Yes, there are thorns. Yes, there are rocks. 595 00:44:07,960 --> 00:44:13,720 Yes, there are invasive beetles, but if God sows this seed into 596 00:44:13,920 --> 00:44:18,320 the soil of a person's heart, they will be made alive. 597 00:44:21,240 --> 00:44:26,400 So bring the soil, bring the watering can, bring the 598 00:44:26,400 --> 00:44:29,360 fertilizer, bring the gardening tools. 599 00:44:31,920 --> 00:44:38,320 Don't forget to bring the seed. The seed is what gives the life, 600 00:44:39,720 --> 00:44:49,440 the word of truth is what makes us alive #9 Last point. 601 00:44:50,600 --> 00:44:54,800 The church is a living testimony of the harvest that awaits. 602 00:44:55,480 --> 00:44:58,760 The church is a living testimony of the harvest that awaits. 603 00:44:59,160 --> 00:45:01,360 I was looking up this, you know, phrase of first fruits. 604 00:45:01,360 --> 00:45:04,120 I was like, what do first fruits tell a farmer? 605 00:45:04,200 --> 00:45:05,880 It tells a farmer at least three things. 606 00:45:05,880 --> 00:45:08,760 Number one, it tells the farmer the readiness of the harvest, 607 00:45:09,160 --> 00:45:11,960 the readiness of the harvest. The farmer is no longer waiting. 608 00:45:11,960 --> 00:45:13,840 Now is going to the time to gather. 609 00:45:13,840 --> 00:45:15,800 You've been waiting and waiting for the harvest. 610 00:45:16,000 --> 00:45:19,400 The harvest is here. Now it's time to gather #2 tells 611 00:45:19,400 --> 00:45:22,400 the quality of the harvest. If there are good first fruits, 612 00:45:22,560 --> 00:45:26,200 it will be a good harvest. And #3 tells the provision of 613 00:45:26,200 --> 00:45:28,280 the harvest. The farmer gets to enjoy those 614 00:45:28,280 --> 00:45:30,560 first fruits. He gets to take those home and 615 00:45:30,560 --> 00:45:34,240 enjoy them with his family before the full harvest comes. 616 00:45:35,320 --> 00:45:37,040 James is writing. Remember, James is writing to 617 00:45:37,040 --> 00:45:40,200 Christians who have been scattered, most likely due to 618 00:45:40,200 --> 00:45:42,920 persecution. And one question that would 619 00:45:42,920 --> 00:45:45,920 certainly go through their mind as they are scattered from their 620 00:45:45,920 --> 00:45:48,040 lives, scattered from their families, scattered from their 621 00:45:48,040 --> 00:45:49,520 homes. One question that would 622 00:45:49,520 --> 00:45:50,840 certainly go through the mind is this. 623 00:45:51,600 --> 00:45:53,320 Is this the end of the church as we know it? 624 00:45:56,360 --> 00:45:58,400 Persecuted countries always face this question, right? 625 00:45:58,520 --> 00:46:00,280 Is this the end of the church in China? 626 00:46:00,640 --> 00:46:02,480 Is this the end of the church in Somalia? 627 00:46:02,840 --> 00:46:05,080 Is this the end of the church as we know it? 628 00:46:05,200 --> 00:46:09,920 And the answer is no. How do we know that? 629 00:46:10,000 --> 00:46:12,080 Because Jesus is still saving people. 630 00:46:13,680 --> 00:46:17,760 Here we are 2000 years later and the church is still here. 631 00:46:18,920 --> 00:46:21,600 Sometimes it seems like Christianity is dwindling, that 632 00:46:21,600 --> 00:46:25,160 the church is losing, right? Turn on the news, go out to your 633 00:46:25,240 --> 00:46:27,760 workplaces or the school. It feels like Christianity is 634 00:46:27,760 --> 00:46:31,320 just losing. The world's getting more dark, 635 00:46:31,320 --> 00:46:34,240 more secular. And yet James writes that we are 636 00:46:34,240 --> 00:46:37,080 first fruits of a future harvest. 637 00:46:39,400 --> 00:46:44,680 I am not worried if there will be a church for my children or 638 00:46:44,680 --> 00:46:47,040 even for my grandchildren. I'm not worried about it. 639 00:46:47,720 --> 00:46:49,680 Why? Because I know there will be. 640 00:46:51,480 --> 00:46:55,560 I know there will be. How do I know? 641 00:46:58,080 --> 00:47:00,400 Because I see a lot of first fruits here this morning. 642 00:47:03,360 --> 00:47:11,680 I see a lot of first fruits and therefore I know a harvest is 643 00:47:11,680 --> 00:47:19,360 coming with each generation. The Church is a living testimony 644 00:47:19,560 --> 00:47:23,520 of the harvest that awaits. Let's pray.