5.16.48 10.22.2017 James 4.11-17 Little Victories
The Secret of Functional Faith • Sermon • Submitted
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▾ Start:
11 Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.
12 There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?
13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”—
14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.
15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”
16 As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.
17 So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.
Entice:
Entice:
• Entice:
Why are we here? What is the point? A basic question but essential. Who is ministry for? How can we make an impact on our community if the preaching of the Word always focuses on the practice of those who are already believers?
• Why are we here? What is the point? A basic question but essential. Who is ministry for? How can we make an impact on our community if the preaching of
the Word always focuses on the practice of those who are already believers?
the Word always focuses on the practice of those who are already believers?
3 Questions:
3 Questions:
the Word always focuses on the practice of those who are already believers?
▾ Engage: 3 Questions:
When was the last time you said something mean?
When was the last time you said something mean?
Something truly hurtful, spiteful or demeaning?
• When was the last time you said something hurtful, spiteful or demeaning to someone?
When have you acted with foolish pride?
When have you acted with foolish pride?
• When have you replaced your will, your purposes and your desires for God?
When have you ignored your duty with an impulsive excuse?
When have you ignored your duty with an impulsive excuse?
• When have you not done what you should and waved it off as an excusable oversight?
• Expand: The purpose of the Church is not to "work on the Church." When we expend all of our energy trying to get Christians to act like Christians it robs us of
Expand: The purpose of the Church is not to "work on the Church." When we expend all of our energy trying to get Christians to act like Christians it robs us of the energy we need to engage our fallen culture.
the energy we need to engage our fallen culture.
Excite: In our self-justification, in our desire to be both arrogant and devoted we fool ourselves into thinking that the real issue is other people, small, excusable faults or a few things that have slipped through the cracks. The real issue:
Excite: In our self-justification, in our desire to be both arrogant and devoted we fool ourselves into thinking that the real issue is other people, small, excusable faults or a few things that have slipped through the cracks. The real issue: who is in charge? You cannot be both filled with pride and a fully devoted follower.
Excite: In our self-justification, in our desire to be both arrogant and devoted we fool ourselves into thinking that the real issue is other people, small, excusable faults or a few things that have slipped through the cracks. The real issue: who is in charge? You cannot be both filled with pride and a fully devoted follower.
• Excite: In our self-justification, in our desire to be both arrogant and devoted we fool ourselves into thinking that the real issue is other people, small, excusable
who is in charge?
who is in charge?
faults or a few things that have slipped through the cracks. The real issue: who is in charge? You cannot be both filled with pride and a fully devoted follower.
You cannot be both filled with pride and a fully devoted follower.
Explore: Pride causes otherwise righteous people to displace God and behave like unbelievers!
• Explore: Pride causes otherwise righteous people to displace God and behave like unbelievers!
Explain: Today we have before us a few small examples of how believers behave badly
• Explain: Today we have before us a few small examples of how believers behave badly
We behave badly when we…
• We behave badly when we…
▾ Body of Sermon:
1 Speak Evil of our Neighbor. vv.11-12
1 Speak Evil of our Neighbor. vv.11-12
▾ 1 Speak Evil of our Neighbor. vv.11-12
1.1 Our responsibility is to live righteously not to challenge the devotion of others. 11
• 1.1 Our responsibility is to live righteously not to challenge the devotion of others. 11
1.2 When we give in to this impulse it deposes God…and damages relationships. 12
• 1.2 When we give in to this impulse it deposes God…and damages relationships. 12
We behave badly when we…
We behave badly when we…
2 Exalt our self. vv. 13-16
2 Exalt our self. vv. 13-16
▾ 2 Exalt our self. vv. 13-16
2 Exalt our self. vv. 13-16
2 Exalt our self. vv. 13-16
2 Exalt our self. vv. 13-16
• 2.1 Pride causes us to depend on self not God. 13
2.1 Pride causes us to depend on self not God. 13
▾ 2.2 Pride causes us to forget that our life is temporary and dependent. 14,15
2.2 Pride causes us to forget that our life is temporary and dependent. 14,15
• 2.2.1 Because we focus on self...
2.2.1 Because we focus on self...
• 2.2.2 Instead of focusing on God and His providende.
2.2.2 Instead of focusing on God and His providence.
2.3 Pride causes us substitute boasting for belief and that is sin.16
• 2.3 Pride causes us substitute boasting for belief and that is sin.16
We behave badly when we…
▾ 3 Excuse our Omissions. v. 17
3 Excuse our Omissions. v. 17
3 Excuse our Omissions. v. 17
3 Excuse our Omissions. v. 17
3 Excuse our Omissions. v. 17
• 3.1 Knowing and not doing=Sin.
3.1 Knowing and not doing=Sin.
• 3.2 Our tendency is to make excuses, ascribe it to forgetfulness, or blame others.
3.2 Our tendency is to make excuses, ascribe it to forgetfulness, or blame others.
▾ Shut Down:
Little Victories, Big Results
Little Victories, Big Results
• 1 Do all the good that you know to do. When you discover more-do it too. Trust God rather than your own purposes. Build up and don't tear down your
Do all the good that you know to do. When you discover more-do it too. Trust God rather than your own purposes. Build up and don't tear down your brothers in Christ.
brothers in Christ.
James is addressing both individuals and the Church. The social impact of the behaviors he is proscribing is huge. A church filled with biting criticism, unfocused and unfaithful living, that substitutes forgetfulness and neglect for diligent Christian living is not able to pursue ministry, correct the abuses in society and proclaim the gospel to the lost.
• 2 James is addressing both individuals and the Church. The social impact of the behaviors he is proscribing is huge. A church filled with biting criticism,
unfocused and unfaithful living, that substitutes forgetfulness and neglect for diligent Christian living is not able to pursue ministry, correct the abuses in
James quickly deals with these matters because our job is not to "work on the Church" but to preach the Gospel.
society and proclaim the gospel to the lost.
God wants us to do that. I want to do that. I want you, I ask you to help.
• 3 James quickly deals with these matters because our job is not to "work on the Church" but to preach the Gospel.
• 4 God wants us to do that. I want to do that. I want you, I ask you to help.