Faith Rests In the Truth
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INTRO: James ends letter with truth, correction, salvation, focus on the Word and all he’s written
INTRO: James ends letter with truth, correction, salvation, focus on the Word and all he’s written
ILLUST:
ILLUST:
Think back to some truths James has focused on:
Trials, real, will come (Faith responds to trials)
Satan is not to blame for our problems (Faith takes responsibility)
Be doers, not just hearers (Faith is busy)
Not discriminating/favoritism (Faith welcomes those seeking God)
The tongue can be tamed (Faith guards the tongue, defends the brother, not tearing down with complaining)
God’s wisdom is available (Faith asks for wisdom)
Faith produces humility and dependence on God
Faith believes with a trusting faith (not like the demons, who ‘believe’)
And....we endure, while we wait for Christ!
Overall: Faith Shows You Know God, His Word, His Truth
Overall: Faith Shows You Know God, His Word, His Truth
1) Think about how truth affects people
1) Think about how truth affects people
Disciples - help others, humbly,
by doing so, you can prevent great hurt
Believers can be led astray, they can stray from truth
Knowingly - grieve the Spirit
Unknowingly - choosing worldly wisdom, if not know any better
Disciples reach the lost, loving to see a soul saved, also preventing great hurt, eternally
Growing believers, new converts
Receive correction, humbly, and by doing so, you spare great hurt
Learn the truth, to help others, to reach others (as you grow to be strong disciple)
POINT: By correcting and being corrected, a “multitude of sins are covered,” they are properly dealt with, not to linger, not lurking, not haunting (testimonies spared, proper repentance and forgiveness in play actively)
So we, church, can get on with the business of our church - reconciling the world to Christ
Great process reminder: lovingly correct, know truth, accept correction, repent - all part of the road to knowing God, growing closer
Be corrected and grow, and then help others do the same
Lost people reject the truth
Knowingly - without excuse
Told lies by so-called “Christians” (just get baptized, just be a good person, God really doesn’t send people to Hell, relax you have time…)
2) Truth Is Important To the Lord ()
2) Truth Is Important To the Lord ()
Therefore Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”
The truth is what needs to be taught (sounds simple, but often the truth is set aside for various reasons)
False teaching is deadly, eternally
False teaching can be like rat poison, a small amount of poison in a large amount of good food
Can’t teach false stuff, just because it feels good
Jesus was a bit stern with people teaching, who should have known better
Because false teaching can kill the faith in new believers, or believers who are struggling in trials
“It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea, than that he would cause one of these little ones to stumble.
(1000-2000 pounds, “don’t you DARE cause a young believer, or someone seeking to stray or stumble!!”
Quote: Better to have someone die this hideous death than to kill the faith or deter the growth, of an immature or struggling believer!
FURTHER: “Christians” can put up stumbling blocks for others, after giving in to them themselves. This made Jesus angry
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.
We greatly underestimate sin and its power to destroy and influence others (taking it lightly)
The Galatians are ripped by Paul for allowing “another Gospel” to affect the church (“foolish” is a strong word)
Our own wisdom leads to this - letting “stuff” get in the way
False security is eternally destructive (I’m convinced, that 80-90% of the people in our area, wearing the label “Christian” don’t understand Biblically what that means)
Why are WE not indignant about false teaching, not warning others against it? (not judging the teacher, but the teaching)
There IS truth, and at some point, it has to matter! And we have to know better!
James expects EVERYONE to know it!
Paul says it well, many of you should be graduated from milk to meat, you should be teachers, knowing the basics and beyond
That source of truth, teaching, correction, is GOD’s WORD
All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.
Unfortunately, Paul warned of days like these in which we live
”3-4
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.
FAITH KNOWS THE TRUTH, LEARNS MORE, TEACHES, GROWS
(“Preachers need to preach the truth, not just what people want to hear”)
What about “truth-teaching” at Cornerstone, and locally?
Language is critical: “Christian” vs “Disciple” (the word “Christian” means so little to people anymore, because anyone can claim it, even wrongly)
The church has all but given up on basic truth:
Creation, Sin, “Race,” Gospel, Role of the local church, and on and on
What do we, Cornerstone, say about these? What do we need to learn, re-learn, or even forget past false teachings, depending on our backgrounds? (Look at challenge questions in bulletin)
Implicit teaching: We teach much more by what we do, as opposed to what we say, think about that
People wondering about Cornerstone, and the faithful life, watch us, and watch us, and then make their decisions, regardless of what we say, even if we speak some truth
Gospel can be watered-down, “easy” to accept, no substance to it
“Better to be saved than baptized” - yes, baptism as the means to salvation is a big deal around here, and it’s wrong
Surrendered life
We are double-minded
We need radical obedience
Our faith needs to show, destroying all that we put in the way of real, active, faith - FAITH SHOWS IT, YOU KNOW GOD!