Making a profit
How to live as a slave; Epistle of James • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 28:11
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What’s the bottom line?
What’s the bottom line?
What’s the bottom line, what is the goal, what do do you want the end result to be? In Christianity, just as there is in the world, a bottom line. Tonight we are looking at some things to consider regarding the bottom line, about making a profit, so to speak.
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In this world, and in Christianity having a return, a good return, on your investment takes time, energy, commitment, perseverance with some trials along the way. But the profit in the world and Christianity are different.
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(insert Return on Investment picture)
In the world and in Christianity both want a return on investment
Business world return of money invested; in Christianity hope fulfilled
Business world takes time energy; Christianity takes time and energy
Business world takes faith (subjective); Christianity takes faith (objective)
Business world often times has some problems along the way; Christianity is assured there will be.
Business there is no assurance of bottom line profit; in Christianity we can have assurance
Tonight we are going to look at a few things
The profit of considering it a joy
The profit of testing your faith
The profit of being made perfect and lacking nothing
Evaluating, testing your investment
Profit of considering it a joy (Jm1:2)
Profit of considering it a joy (Jm1:2)
In a time of dispersion; a time of persecution it was a time of tribulation and trials, and we can learn in the midst we are to consider it all joy. This is a great proverb for today just as it was to the recipients of the Epistle.
1 James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad: Greetings. 2 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,
3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
As usual we need to keep things in context so I wanted to give all the verses, then go back and look at them together.
No one likes trials, but the passage says consider them all joy
No one likes to think they are coming, but the passage says when
No one likes the unknown, but the passage says various trials
Trials in positive sense for testing; in the negative sense for temptation.
Trials defined
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Trials: word peirasmos in the Greek meaning “an external adversity which provides a testing towards an end” Other scriptures to reference (Mt6:13; Heb3:7-9; 1Cor10:13)
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peirasmos: an experiment, a trial, temptation
Original Word: πειρασμός, οῦ, ὁ
Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine
Transliteration: peirasmos
Phonetic Spelling: (pi-ras-mos')
Definition: an experiment, a trial, temptation
Usage: (a) trial, probation, testing, being tried, (b) temptation, (c) calamity, affliction.
No one likes trials; these Christians were in the midst of them, many were losing their home because of their faith, many were being persecuted because of their faith. Nero was the ruler in Rome and was even burning Christians at the stake, using them as torches in his garden. Many were running to avoid persecution, even death.
Our passage says consider it “pure joy”
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,
So, joy, joy a profit? not only does it say joy, it says pure joy, that means all joy, every joy, whole joy, throughly joyful. Joy is not limited to circumstances it is found in the Truth.
I want to go back to trails for just a minute and give a few scriptures to look at
Trials/Temptations as you just read go hand in hand, so look at
13 ‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’
Another good example we can look at where the same word is used in testing.
7 Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says, “Today if you hear His voice, 8 Do not harden your hearts as when they provoked Me, As in the day of trial in the wilderness,
9 Where your fathers tried Me by testing Me, And saw My works for forty years.
Now one more, may we remember what Paul had to say.
13 No temptation 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 the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.
(expand on that for 1-2 minutes)
Well maybe one more word form this verse we should look at “various”
2 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,
Various in Greek is “Poikilos” and the definition is “many or several kinds of trials” here are some various kinds
Cause and effect: - these are the ones we bring on ourselves(Gal6:7)
7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.
Spiritual trials (1Pt4:12-16)
12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; 13 but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation.
14 If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. 15 Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler;
16 but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name.
Spiritual mystery trials - things we can’t explain
Such things as cancer, death of child, etc.
Biblical example, Job
No matter the trial, no matter the temptation, no matter the testing the answer to the trial, temptation or testing is Jesus. We need to rely, trust,lean on Him in pure joy!
The profit of testing your faith (Jm1:3)
The profit of testing your faith (Jm1:3)
Just as no one likes disciple at the time (Heb12:11) it is beneficial, so is your faith being tested and tried. For it produces endurance, patience and perseverance (Jm1:3)
11 All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.
and then in our passage, joyful for we know the results.
3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.
3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.
3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.
God does not create evil, but will use it for good (Gen50:20; Rom8:28)
Look at God using what man meant for evil for good, now that is a faith testing, faith trying, faith building thing
20 “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.
For then we can know
28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
(expand on this; insert personal story of faith being tested, tried, grown)
Faith has it’s source to help it grow (Rom10:17; Heb11:6)
Faiths source
17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.
and add to that
6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.
Faith gives us victory over the world (1Jn5:4; 1Pt1:7)
4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.
Our faith that is imperishable
7 so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
Faith that is tried, tested is proven (Rom5:1-5)
1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.
3 And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; 4 and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope;
5 and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
Faith takes endurance, it takes perseverance and it takes resolve, bringing to the next point
The profit of being made perfect and lacking nothing
The profit of being made perfect and lacking nothing
The end result for a company is the bottom line profit, for the Christian there is a profit too.
4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
Perseverance end result lack nothing, means, maturity
God will take the trials, tests and give a perfect result
Perfect result, be perfect (Mt5:48); Greek word teleios
Jesus uses the call to be perfect, the same word teleios
48 “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
(carefully explain, expand on this, our perfection is only in Christ and Christ in us)
Press on towards that goal (Php3:12-14; Eph4:13)
12 Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. 13 Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,
13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.
What is the goal? a mature man who brings unity of faith, that has been tested, tried and proven
13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.
Evaluating, testing your investment
Evaluating, testing your investment
There are ways we can check the status of our investment to make sure it is growing and it will have a godly profit for not just now, but for eternity. Here is a self examination to consider.
Are you slave to righteousness (Rom6:17-19)?
Are you seeking the things above (Col3:1-5)?
Are you walking and being of good courage (2Cor5:6-10)?
6 Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord— 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight—
7 for we walk by faith, not by sight— 8 we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.
9 Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.
Are you casting your cares on Him (1Pt5:7)?
Are you being transformed (Rom12:1-2) and conformed (Rom8:29)?
If your faith evident (1Tim4:12)?
12 Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe.
Are you salt and light (Mt5:13-14)?
13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. 14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden;
Summary/encouragement
May the end result be
That you are complete in Him (Col2:10)
10 and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority;
Sharing him so others maybe complete too (Col1:28()
28 We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ.
(encouragement slide 1- complete in Him) encouragement (Encouragement slide -2) prayer (exit slide)