Sermon Tone Analysis

We’re going to *continue teaching* on the *book of James*, so let’s *pick up* where we *left off last time*.

*I) **Turn with me to **James 1:2-4**.*

*A) **James begins to explain* *in verse 4 why we can count it all joy* *when we fall into various temptations (tests and trials*).

*1) **We said last week from verse 3* *that the tests and trials will begin to develop patience (perseverance) in our lives*, *but that’s only the beginning.*

*B) **The Word* *“PATIENCE”* *in* *verse 3 and 4* *means* *“PATIENTLY ENDURING.”*

*1) **But it means more than just that.

It means that you will “patiently continue to stand and continue to fight the good fight of faith.*”

*2) **Verse 4 says that* *“PATIENCE”* *or* *“PATIENTLY CONTINUING TO STAND”* *will bring about its perfect work*.

*a) **The first perfect work* that *it will bring about in your life is that you will be “PERFECT and ENTIRE.”*

*b) *The words *“PERFECT and ENTIRE”* *mean* *“MATURE and COMPLETE.”*

*3) **Learning how to stand in faith* *and* *how to believe God for his promises* *without wavering*; *regardless how a situation looks*, *or* *how long it seems to take before we see change*, *is a true sign of MATURITY and COMPLETENESS.*

*a) **Learning how to stand in faith* for God’s promises *is a sign maturity*.

*C) **What is this maturity*, *which is true faith and perseverance* *going to produce?*

*1) **The manifestation of God’s promises in your life*.

*2) **James says* *if we’re walking in perseverance* *and in true patience*, which is a byproduct of true Christian maturity, *we will be* *“LACKING NOTHING.”*

*a) **We’ll be lacking nothing in our maturity level*, like the *character and virtues* that should be in the Christians life.

But also means that *we’ll be lacking nothing* *concerning the promises of God*.

*II) **James 1:5**.*

*A) **You might be thinking*, *“I can’t produce the qualities and virtues* *that* *a mature Christian should be producing in their life.”*

*1) **You’re absolutely right*, *we can’t produce these qualities in virtues in our live* *BY OURSELVES *and *we can’t always make the right decisions* in our own selves.

*a) **We should not be relying on our own ability*.

*b) **(1st JOHN 4:4)* says, *“Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, then he that is in the world.”*

*(i) **We have the Holy Ghost dwelling on the inside* of us *and* *we do not have to rely on our own ability*, but *we can rely on the Holy Ghost*.

*(ii) **(John 14:26)* says*, “The Holy Ghost shalt teach you all things.”*

And *(JOHN 16:13)* says*, “The Holy Spirit will guide you into all truth.”*

*2) **(James 1:5)* *says*, that *if we lack wisdom on how to handle situations*, *we should ask God for wisdom* *and He will give it to us liberally.*

*a) **We need to rely on the Holy Ghost* *to give us* that *wisdom and to guide us in all the areas of our lives*.

*b) **But let me say this, I don’t think that any of us have reached a place where we hear the voice of the Spirit* *perfectly*.

*(i) **We are pressing toward that mark*, *but we haven’t arrived yet.*

*(ii) **Anything that you get from the Spirit*, *needs to be in line with the Word* of God.

*You should always go to the Word* *to verify* *that the leading you have is* *scriptural*.

*B) **James 1:6-8**.*

*1) **1st all in context* here *James says* *there is a prerequisite for receiving the wisdom of God* *and that is* *to ask in faith without doubting*.

*2) **But the same idea* *is true* *with all of God’s promises*.

*a) **Wisdom is a promise from God*, *healing is a promise from God*, *prosperity is the promise from God* *and* *safety is a promise from God*.

*b) **All of God’s promises come to same way*.

*We must 1st ask in faith* *without doubting* *and God will give it to us liberally*.

*3) **In these Vs*.

*James adds that a person* *that is wavering* *is unstable in all his ways*.

*a) **A wavering person is a person that stands in faith one moment* *and* *in the next moment* *they doubt that God will really come through*.

*b) **James goes on to add in (verse 7)* *that the person that is not standing in faith* *will not receive anything from the Lord*.

*(i) **James is not only talking about wisdom here* because *he says that person who is not standing in faith will not receive ANYTHING from the Lord.**

*

*C) **James 1:9-11**.*

* *

*1) **In verse 9* *were James says*, *“Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted.”*

*a) **No matter how you look at this verse* *it is a faith statement.*

*b) **Just because a brother or sister* *in the Lord* *is going through some different tests and trials in their life* *does not mean that they’ll automatically be exalted*.

*(i) **But just as James has already been talking about* *in the previous Vs*.

*if we stand in faith* *we are to believe that His promises are ours.*

*(ii) **So if you’re going to different test and trials* *in your life* *then you can rejoice* *because* *the promises of God already belong to you*.

*2) **He also tells us*, *starting in verse 10*, *that the rich man can also rejoice when he is facing different tests and trials* *because* *he will learn to trust God instead of trusting his wealth.*

*a) **James goes on to add in verse 11* *that the rich man who trust in his money* *will perish in his ways unless he learns to put his trust in the Lord*.

*3) **The Word* *“LOW”* *in these Vs*.

*refers to a humbling experience*.

*a) **We all go through different tests and trials* *and those tests and trials* *cause us to become humble*.

*So we can rejoice in those tests and trials* *because a humble disposition of mind is very valuable in inside of God*.

*b) **They cause us to trust God* *and not riches or self*.

*D) **James 1:12**.

(Temptation - trial).*

* *

*1) **In this verse* *James goes back to what he is talking about in Vs. 2 through 4.*

*2) **God blesses and rewards* *those who persevere through tests and trials*.

*a) **Those who steadfastly endure trials* *and have stood their ground* *will receive the CROWN OF LIFE.*

*b) **I was reading 1 commentary* and *they said* that *“the crown of life”* *that is spoken of in verse 12* *refers to the life here and now*.

*(i) **That we will receive life in its fullness and completeness that (James 1:4) is referring to right now*.

*(ii) **In* (*JOHN 10:10*) *it says that* *Jesus came that we might have life* *and that we might have it more abundantly.*

*(iii) **If I was to read this verse emphasizing the proper tense* *it would say this*: *“Jesus came so that we would have eternal life now* *and that we would have*, *right now*, *life more abundantly.”*

*(iv) **But again*, *there is a prerequisite*, *not only do you have to endure trials*, *but as* (*verse 12*) *puts it*, *we also have to love God*.

*c) **Others have said* that *this* *“CROWN OF LIFE”* *refers to eternal life*.

*Either way we’re blessed*.

*W.

O. L. C. C. Thursday, Feb. 19, 1998*