Sermon Reflections from Boasting About Tomorrow | Damon Hopkins  | July 23, 2023

Damon was on fire for the Lord this week as he spoke from the heart about James 4.   However, he set the stage by referring to our memory verse for this week, Hebrews 11:1.  “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”  Everything is life hinges on our faith in Jesus.  We can pray to Him, feel His Spirit within us testifying to Him, we can read His Word but we cannot see Him.  And yet, knowing what we feel, read, hear and share with others about Him, we can be assured of the unseen.  Living a life of faith as proclaimed in Romans 1:17 “For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” And 2 Corinthians 5:6-7 “Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. 7 For we live by faith, not by sight. “  This begs the question, are you waking by faith, trusting in the unseen God?  Your proof of His existence should be your life.  What miracles has He performed on your behalf?  What relationships has He mended?  In what ways has God provided for you?  Start a blessing list today and watch it grow.  It will be added proof of God in your life and your dependence upon Him!

Damon then launched into James 4 and tackled the admonitions from James to put away fighting amongst ourselves.  What motives did Damon mention that trouble you?  You own desires, things you covet, pride, hatred… the list is long for all of us. However, as a Christian we do not need to settle for repeating these sins that cause strife among us.  We can choose Jesus and His better way of living.  Damon suggested this recipe for following and avoiding the pitfalls Satan wants us to drop into! 

Examine our own behavior.  Seek to look at yourself honestly. Can’t see things- ask the Holy Spirit to help you identify areas you need to work on.  The Apostle Paul struggled with this and relates in Romans 7:18-20 “For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.”  

Pray.  Confession is good for the soul and leads to renewed life. 1 John 1:9 is one of my favorite promises.  “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”   God promises to forgive and cleanse us of all we have done wrong- not just some but all.  We get a new start with each confession.  God promises to bury our sins in the depth of the sea (Micah 6:19) and they are behind His back (Isaiah 38:17).  God puts them away and does not refer to them again.  If you are troubled by a sin that you have asked forgiveness for- know that it is Satan that is causing you to remember not God.  They are behind Him. Rebuke Satan and move forward knowing you are forgiven completely. 
 
Read the Word.  Look into God’s Word to know Him better, know what he desires of you and how you are to live.  Here are a few places to start in your search.  Micah 6:8 “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”  The Sermon on the Mount in Matthew Chapters 5-7 or the Upper Room discourse in John Chapters 14-17, some of the shorter letters of Paul- Philippians speaks of joy filled living and Galatians focuses on faith in Christ alone. 

Discuss with other believers your struggles, hopes, dreams, and desires so that together you may be grounded and established in Christ.  Fellowship is essential to growth and confirmation of our faith.  We are to build each other up in Christ.   I love the words of Hebrews 10:23-25 “ Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” 
 
As you read and meditate upon this 4th chapter of James this week, also look into your life and see if you are a ‘war’ or enmity with God over anything.  Are you focusing more on worldly things versus spiritual goals and truths?  Would you consider yourself double-minded?  James tell us that the solution is to focus on Jesus.  7-8 “ Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”  Damon empathized God’s promise if we submit to God, resist Satan, draw near to God Then HE PROMISES to Come to You!  You can count on it!

Damon concluded with James’ admonition to not boast about tomorrow as we do not know what tomorrow holds.  We only know for certain who holds our future, JESUS!  God promises in Deuteronomy 31:6 about our future, “ Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”  

We can count on Him!  He is always with us!
Linda

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Sermon Reflections from Taming The Tongue | Alex Hardt  | July 9, 2023
  July 16, 2023

James is such a practical book as it is filled with advice and admonitions about how to live our best Christian life.  A life where our walk and our talk line up with scripture and are pleasing to God. Pastor Alex took this Sunday to walk us through James Chapter 3 gleaning important truths for us to remember and put into practice.
James starts with the admonition to be careful if you are a teacher.  At first glance most of us would say- I don’t teach.  But all of us are teachers of spiritual truths by the way we speak and act.  Our children, spouses, family and neighbors all hear and see our ‘teaching’ each and every day.  I know James was talking about teaching spiritual truths and the need for them to be accurate so that we give out the Word of God correctly.  We do not want to cause others to deliberately stumble by what we say and do.  Take a few minutes and think about a spiritual truth- God is love, God desires us to be just and righteous in Christ, etc.  How have others seen these truths in your life?  Are you giving a true picture of Christ and His love?  James reminds us that we need to be mindful of the messages we give to others and be sure they are aligned with scripture and show who God is.
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Next James talks about the power of the tongue.  It is a small member of our body but used improperly it can do great damage.  We only have think about a time we said something to someone that was unkind or hurtful.  I’m sure we have all experienced the repercussion of those types of remarks.  Pastor Alex talked about the tongue being a container that we carry around with us that can greatly affect everyone and everything.  He wanted us to remember that the power of the mouth has the ability to give life to those around us- positive, hope filled encouragement or to give death with putdowns, discouragement, slanderous, and even evil thoughts.  We can praise God or curse God with the same tongue.  It holds a lot of power and we need to be mindful of how and when we speak. When we are speaking ill of something, it is like using deadly poison or pouring gasoline on a fire.  David describes a poisonous person in Psalm 140:1-3 “Rescue me, Lord, from evildoers;   protect me from the violent,
2 who devise evil plans in their hearts
    and stir up war every day.
3 They make their tongues as sharp as a serpent’s;
    the poison of vipers is on their lips.    I know we all agree with David that only the Lord can rescue us from such people and their vile tongues! 

I love the way James 3 concludes.  He talks about 2 kinds of wisdom.  Wisdom from God and wisdom of the world.  We know we cannot all be perfect but we can seek God’s help, wisdom and guidance to live as best we can for Him.  He empowers us through His Holy Spirit to stand firm and resist the devil and his enticing desires.  Worldly wisdom is described in James 3:14-15” But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15 Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.”  Worldly wisdom causes strife, bitterness, selfish desires and untruth to grow in our lives.  The root of this type of wisdom is unspiritual and of the devil.  It is filled with evil desires and leads to chaos.   The wisdom of God, by contrast, is described in James 3:17-18 “But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 18 Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.”  God’s wisdom leads to peace, hope, living well with others, showing others about Jesus and His righteousness.  What a contrast- chaos vs peace!   Pastor Alex reminded us that God’s Wisdom produces good fruit.  James calls it a ‘harvest of righteousness’.  Isn’t that what we all truly desire? 

So how do we get there? 

1. Watch what we say and try to align our words and deeds with scripture.  Pray- ask God to help you ‘mind your words.’
2. Take measure of our words. Examine- are they ‘poisonous’ in nature or do they lead to good feelings and encouragement.  My Mom use to say, “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.’  Seems to fit here with James.
3. Look for the fruits of the Spirit in your life.  Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”  As we walk the Christian walk and seek to glorify Jesus in our lives, we should see more and more of this fruit. 

Not seeing fruit?  Pray about it and seek God’s help and wisdom. Just as David did, call upon the Lord and seek Him.  Remember our memory verse for this week from John 14:1 ““Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.”   Be comforted, God is greater than anyone or anything we can face.   He knows the way; seek Him and He’ll guide you.

Linda

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​Come visit us at 5353 Concord Blvd, on the corner of Concord Blvd and Kirker Pass.

Sermon Reflections from Favoritism Forbidden | Alex Hardt  | July 9, 2023

James 2 is a very practical chapter for the church and how it is to operate.  It also speaks to each believer about their own personal walk and commitment to Christ and His kingdom.  Damon began with some personal examples of where he has seen favoritism in the form of snobbery within the church that caused him to reevaluate and question his own thoughts and actions. It was a good reminder how one action builds upon another and events can spiral away if we are not diligent.  God calls us to look carefully at our actions and listen to our own words.  Are they words and deeds that will bring Him glory?  Are they edifying to Him and others?  James calls favoritism sin, 2:8-9 “If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,  you are doing right. 9 But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers.”  Where are you allowing Satan to lead you to sin?  Is it your arrogance- thinking you are better than other believers, more devoted, more generous? Or is it your pride –thinking your way of doing things is better or you always get the right outcome?  Satan is the great deceiver and we must always be aware and on guard.  We need to constantly reassess and see if we are showing others Christ in and through our actions.  John 13:34-35 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”  Damon challenged us to align ourselves with scripture and focus on how we are acting and reacting with others.  We are to constantly ask, are others seeing the love of Christ through me?

James 2 is not all about how we act impartially towards all believers and unbelievers so they will see Christ but he also speaks about how our faith should be reflected in our deeds.  Deeds for unbelievers stand alone as good or bad but deeds for the believer are to be a reflection of Christ within us.  We cannot count on good deeds to gain us credibility with the world and His kingdom.  They must be accompanied or motivated by our faith in Christ.  The world’s opinion of our ‘good’ deeds should not matter to the believer.  The only opinion that matters is God’s.  He wants to know why you did what you did.  God wants actions of the heart. Our heart for Him is to be our motivation.  We do what we do because of our love for Him!  When someone looks at our deeds they need to see both the good deed and the faith that motivated it.  However, since people do not always perceive things correctly we should be relieved that God sees, God knows and God sees and knows what is in our hearts.  He knows our true motivations.  His opinion is the only one that matters! 

When I was working on memorizing James, I gave considerable thought to James 2:13-14.  I struggled to make sense over “mercy triumphs over judgement”.   Here are these verses in the New Living Translation and then in the Message.  As you read and study James 2 this week, I pray they will be helpful.  The New Living Translation  “So whatever you say or whatever you do, remember that you will be judged by the law that sets you free. 13 There will be no mercy for those who have not shown mercy to others. But if you have been merciful, God will be merciful when he judges you.”  The Message 12-13 Talk and act like a person expecting to be judged by the Rule that sets us free. For if you refuse to act kindly, you can hardly expect to be treated kindly. Kind mercy wins over harsh judgment every time.

Let the lessons of James 2 speak to your heart this week.   Will you be more open and less judgmental?   Will your love and good deeds be a reflection of your faith? Will you seek to treat others with godly mercy knowing you are going to be totally provided for by God’s grace? 
Linda

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Our Sunday service is online and in-person at 11:00am.
​Come visit us at 5353 Concord Blvd, on the corner of Concord Blvd and Kirker Pass.

Sermon Reflections from Trials and Temptations | Alex Hardt  | July 1, 2023
 
What kind of appliance would you equate with life?  A sieve, a blender, a mixer, a BBQ or a pressure cooker?   I grew up with a working mom that used the pressure cooker to speed meals to the table.  She found it a wonderful tool to get what she needed done quickly.   Pastor Alex’s example of the way diamonds are formed reminded me of the pressure cooker.  Life is like that- we’re in it and the product, meal, diamond, are not produced unless pressure is applied.  God uses this same principle when working with our character as James reminds us in James 1:2-4 “ Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”   The pressures of life’s trials are used by God to produce steadfast, enduring character within us.  As we walk with Christ, they cause us to grow more and more like Jesus.  He did not crack under pressure regardless of the cost. 

God desires to build, create that same steadfast faithful character within us. This godly character will help us withstand even greater things in our future. This character will build and strengthen our faith and trust in God.  What is it that is looming in your future that is causing you to doubt or be afraid?  Are your bills to high, your job unsteady, or are your family relationships in trouble?  Whatever the trials you are facing He is greater.  1 John 4:4 “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”   John 16:33 ““I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”   As Pastor Alex reminded us, the truth of God’s greatness and goodness needs to be applied to our lives in faith.  With faith, even as small as a mustard seed, God can transform our lives and deliver us from fear!

Trials and temptations are part of life and it is not if they will come to us but a matter of when.  James reminds us that God is there for us and has His great wisdom available for us to use.  James 1:5 “ If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”  I take this to mean that God does not consider any question dumb or worthless.  He is not going to think badly of us when we ask for wisdom or put us down for not knowing the answer or the way.  He promises to not find fault in our asking and delights to give us His wisdom!  When God gives, it is pressed down to overflowing, abundant wisdom that is practical and applicable to our lives!

James 1:17 reminds us that God is unchanging. He will not change His mind or principles.  “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”  We can count on God to remain steadfast.  I love Hebrews 13:8  “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”  What comfort we have knowing our God is immutable generation to generation! 
The last verses of James 1 are rich in wisdom on how to live our lives in a godly way.  He admonished us to watch how we interact with others. 19 “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.”    He reminds us to live clean lives and stay in God’s Word.  21 “Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted can save you in you, which.”  James wants us to look truthfully at ourselves and our walk with Jesus seeking to apply God’s Word to our lives. 25 “ But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.”   Lastly he exhorts us to seek to live with pure faith and religion so that we may be victorious over the pressures of the world. 27 “ Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” 

How will you deal with your pressures this week?  Will you look to God and seek His wisdom and advice.  Will you seek to apply His Word to your life and circumstances?  This chapter is rich and has much to teach us about life, living and using God’s ways in the world.  Will you seek to understand and apply the messages found in James 1?
Linda

SERMON LINK
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Our Sunday service is online and in-person at 11:00am.
​Come visit us at 5353 Concord Blvd, on the corner of Concord Blvd and Kirker Pass.