Weekend Sermon -- James 1:5-8

 Welcome to this week's sermon. I hope that you are all doing well and are in good health.

For the past couple of weeks now, we've been studying in the book of James. Last week, the focus was on the trials that can often come to us in the course of this life. Often, we can't understand what the Lord's purpose for our lives is during times of trials and testing. At these times, James tells us in verse 5 to ask the Lord for wisdom. I believe that if we truly ask the Lord to reveal to us His will for us that He will do it. We have to truly be sincere, and we must be willing to learn and implement God's will and God's way for us.

This leads us into the broader area of asking for wisdom and guidance from the Lord. We will often find ourselves in situations at work and in our relationships when we don't know just what to do. At these moments, we can ask the Lord for wisdom in order to make the proper decisions.

This section of James also deals with exercising faith when making requests of the Lord. When we pray, we must truly believe that God will do what we ask as long as it is in keeping with His will. For instance, we know that God is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. When we pray that someone will come to faith in Jesus, we must believe that God can and will bring about His ultimate will. We must not doubt that God has the power to change the heart of any person.

James also warns us against being double-minded and unstable in our faith. Many of us will have a doubt now and again, but we must not allow them to take root in our minds. In order to have a steady faith in the Lord, we need to know what we believe and why we believe it. We gain this knowledge and confidence in God through the diligent study of Scripture. We also grow in our knowledge of and confidence in the Lord when we spend time with the Lord in prayer and meditation. The closer we are to Jesus, the more we know how much He loves us. This helps us to have faith in Him and trust in His goodness. Amen.

Prayer Requests

The forecast for my area is for heavy rain. Please pray that it does not rain too much and cause flooding or damage.

Please pray for those in Alabama who were hit by the tornado. Pray that they will receive the aid needed to recover.

Pray for an end to the coronavirus pandemic. Pray that the sick will recover.

Pray for peace in this world. Let us focus our prayers on Afghanistan, Syria and Yemen.

For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for Malaysia and Togo.

Next week, we will continue in James. I will post the verses on Monday, and I will try to post on Wednesday. May God bless you all.

Verses For The Week

 Romans 8:18 -- "For I consider the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us."

Matthew 19:17 -- "And He said to him, ' Why do you ask me what is good? If you would enter life, keep the commandments.'"

John 3:17 -- "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him."

Weekend Sermon -- James 1:2-4

 I want to thank you for taking the time to read the blog this week. I also want to thank the Lord for giving me the opportunity to post these messages each week. I hope and pray that you are all doing well and are in good health. 

Last week, we began a new series of messages on the book of James. Over the course of the next several weeks, we will be going through James to see what the Lord has to teach us from this book. Last week, we went over the authorship of the book along with some of the major themes in the book. Today, we will be studying what James has to tell us about the trials that we encounter in this life. 

In James 1:2 we are told to, "Count it all joy when you fall into various trials." This is a hard statement to come to grips with. I don't know of too many people who are filled with joy when they encounter hard times in this life. I know that I want my life to have as few hard times as possible. Realistically, everyone who lives on this planet will undergo hard times and trials at some time or another. Some people face hardships and trials every single day of their lives. 

There is a reason that James tells us that we can count it all joy when we fall into various trials. Verse 3 states, "knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience."

The hard trials that we face in life are often tests of our faith. I know this from personal experience. After  my parents passed away, I was faced with some very severe financial problems. For awhile, I didn't know if I was going to make it through. I wondered at times if the Lord would deliver me, and sometimes I questioned whether God really cared about me at all. 

Thanks be to God, the Lord did see my through this trial and hard time in my life. Jesus kept His promise to never leave me or forsake me. Throughout this, and other difficult trials and circumstances, I have felt the peace in my heart that Jesus promised to those who would place their faith and trust in Him. 

I have found, and I believe this is what James is trying to say, that when we encounter a trial or a hard time, it builds our faith in the ability of God to work in our lives and see us through when we encounter hard times and trials in the future. James says it this way in verse 4, "But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing."

When we come out on the other side of a difficult time or trial of faith, we build our faith. We have experience with the goodness and provision of the Lord, and this strengthens our faith and trust in the Lord Jesus. 

Throughout my life, I've had a great deal of trouble with my health. I was born with a condition that caused me to have an immune system that does not work properly. There have been many hard times and trials dealing with the ramifications of this condition. I've had to go to the Lord on many occasions to ask Him to see me through. As the Lord Jesus has brought me through these difficulties, it has allowed me to have confidence in the Lord to see me through when other things go wrong or are hard in my life. I know that I can have confidence in Him, because He has been faithful to deliver me in various other hard circumstances and trials. 

I am not one that believes that God is perpetually sending us trials to build up our faith. I believe that just living in this world presents us with bad things and hard times to get through. The Lord will use these hard times to build our faith and make us better people. He wants us to trust in Him and in our past experiences with Him. 

I don't know what trials and struggles you might be going through right now. However, I know that you can rely on the presence of the Lord to see you through the rough times that you are going through right now. I encourage you to keep believing in the Lord and in His goodness. 

Hold on to the words of Hebrews 13:8 that tells us that "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever." We know the great and mighty things that the Lord Jesus did for others in the Scriptures. He is the same today as He was then. He can help you to make it through. He has promised that no matter what happens to us in this life, we will be with Him for all eternity if we place our confidence in Him. Amen. 

Prayer Requests

Please pray that the coronavirus vaccines will be distributed quickly so that we can get this plague behind us. Pray that those who are sick will recover. 

I am having a few health problems right now. Please pray that I will get better. Thank you. 

We need to remember to continue to pray for peace in this world. Iraq had an incident this week, so let us pray for peace there. Continue to pray for peace in Afghanistan, Syria, Libya and Yemen. 

For our prayer focus countries this week, let us all pray for those who live in Senegal and China. Pray that many will come to know about the Lord Jesus. 

Next week, we will continue in our series on James. I will post the sermon on Friday. I will post the verses on Monday, and I hope to have a post on Wednesday. May God bless you all. 

A Post About Several Things

 Today, Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th President of the United States. Let us all pray that God will guide him and keep him safe. I thank God that I was able to see this day.

I want to let everyone know that the sermon may be posted on Saturday instead of Friday. I have to work most of the day on Friday. I may have to post on Saturday, but I will get it posted. 

I want to give you an update on what I think of the new All Creatures Great And Small series currently airing on PBS. I've watched two episodes so far. I like the new series, but I don't think that it is anywhere nearly as good as the original TV series. Robert Hardy who played Siegfried Farnon in the original series gave a performance that was much better and more in keeping of how the character was portrayed in James Herriot's books. I will keep watching the series in hopes that it will improve. 

Finally, I want to give you a recommendation. I love corgis as most of you who read this blog probably know. I just reread an old favorite called "Corgiville Fair" by Tasha Tudor. This is a children's book, but I love it anyway. The drawings and story are fantastic. Do yourself a favor, and get a copy of this book. 

Verses For The Week

 Hebrews 12:14 -- "Make every effort to live in peace with everyone, and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord"

I Peter 1:16 -- "Be holy, for I am holy."

Weekend Sermon -- James 1:1

 Welcome to our first sermon in our new sermon series on the book of James. I have been looking forward to this series for some time, and I hope that it will help us to grow in our knowledge of the Lord. 

Today is an introduction to the book of James. James is known as a general Epistle. That means it was not written to a specific audience as were Ephesians and Colossians for instance. Other general Epistles include I Peter and I John to name a couple. 

There is a debate as to who the author of James is. The majority of Bible scholars believe that the author is Jesus' brother James. He came to believe in Jesus when Jesus appeared to him after the resurrection. James would become the leader of the church in Jerusalem. His active leadership role is recorded in the events found in Acts 15. Acts 15 relates the issues and the outcomes of the first church council.

Some believe that this Epistle was written by James the brother of John. This James was one of the inner circle of Jesus' disciples. James was the first Apostle to suffer a martyr's death. If this James us the author, James would be the first of the New Testament books to be written as this James only lived a few years after the Ascension of the Lord Jesus.

There are a few who believe that the Apostle known as James the Less wrote this book.

My personal belief is that James the brother of John wrote this book. James was chosen by Jesus as one of the three men who were the inner circle of the disciples. I believe that Jesus may have done this so that James would write this important Epistle. I have only recently come to this belief. I know that it is not the majority opinion.

Whoever wrote this book was very familiar with the teachings of Jesus. As we study through James, we will see that much of Jesus' teaching is given to us in this Epistle.

James is concerned about three primary areas. This work teaches us about the importance of putting faith into action. It also tells us about the importance of proper ethical behavior in the life of a Christian. We will also see that James is concerned about seeing that people are treated fairly and without prejudice.

Over the course of the next few weeks, we will study what James has to teach us. I love the book of James. Apart from the Gospels, James is my favorite book in the New Testament. Amen.

Prayer Requests

As I am typing this post, it is snowing and blowing hard. I have to drive to work this afternoon, so please pray that all will be well.

Please pray that the coronavirus vaccine distribution will operate more efficiently and reach more people faster. Pray that the sick will recover.

Pray for peace and safety during the Presidential Inauguration.

Pray for peace in the troubled areas of the world. Syria, Yemen, Libya and Afghanistan need prayer.

Our prayer focus countries this week are Albania and Myanmar. Pray that many will come to know the Lord.

Next week we will continue with our series in James. On Monday, I will post the verses, and I will try to post something on Wednesday. May God bless you all.

Prayer Request

 The weather forecast for my area is calling for high wind and blizzard like conditions. Please pray that this storm is not as bad as what is being predicted. I still hope to post the sermon tomorrow, but it may be delayed until Saturday.  Thank you for your prayers. 

A Special Day

January 13 is a special day. This is the day that I met my friend Toby several years ago now. Both of us were going through hard times, and we really needed each other. I was very depressed, and Toby's people weren't taking care of him properly. I believe that Jesus worked things out so that the two of us could be together and help one another through life.

The two of us had a wonderful life together. We got to travel around a lot, and we both knew that we could count on one another no matter what.

Toby has been gone several years now, and I miss him every day. I know that the two of us will be together again in  heaven one day.

Verses For The Week

 Romans 4:7 -- "Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sn is covered."

Mark 10:47 -- "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God."

Weekend Sermon -- What We Preach

 Thanks for taking the time to read the sermon this week. I am sorry to be so late in the day posting this, but I just got off work. It has been a long day. Today's message is in some ways an introduction to our new sermon series that will begin in earnest starting next week.

Over the course of my life and ministry, I have encountered three different strains and schools of thought concerning what is the appropriate message for the church to preach. In the churches of my youth, the belief was that the church should only preach about salvation and living a holy life without sin. These churches believed that it was wrong to preach about social justice and the church's role in helping to end opression and social ills.

In some other churches that I am familiar with, the preaching is almost entirely centered around making sure you don't sin too much and lose your salvation. 

A third strain of preaching that you will encounter is all about the social gospel. I went to a church like this for a time. In the year that I went to this church with some family members, I never once heard a sermon about receiving Jesus as Savior and making Him the Lord of one's life.

So, what is right? I believe that it is right to preach the whole counsel of God found in the Scriptures. In the Bible, we see that humans have fallen into sin, and God provided a way of salvation through the death and resurrection of His Son the Lord Jesus Christ. 

The Bible also shows us how to live a life of holiness that is pleasing to God. Jesus is our example. He lived without sin. If we look at what He did and follow His teachings and commandments, we will know how to live in this world as ambassadors of Christ.

God is concerned with people. He is on the side of the opressed not on the side of the powerful. The prophetic tradition of Scripture, the Sermon on the Mount and Matthew 25 demonstrate that Christians are to work for peace and justice. We are to do as much good as we can to help others and to help make this world a better place.

One short book of the New Testament clearly contains all three of the types of preaching that I have discussed. Over the course of the coming weeks, I hope that you will join me in studying through the book of James and seeing what the Lord would have us learn from this epistle. Amen

Prayer Requests

Please pray for the USA and its leaders. This is an unsettled time. 

Pray for an end to the coronavirus pandemic. Pray that the vaccines will rapidly reach many people. Pray that those who are sick will speedily recover.

Continue to pray for peace. Pray for peace in America. Pray for peace in Yemen, Afghanistan and Syria.

For our prayer focus countries this week let us pray for Indonesia and Djibouti. Pray that many will come to know Jesus.

Next week, we will begin our series on James. I will post the verses on Monday and something on Wednesday. May God bless you all.

A Sad Day In America

 This is a sad day. I never thought that I would see a mob take over the US Capitol Building. I am not a Trump supporter. You've probably figured that out by reading the blog in the past. He needs to be a true leader, concede the election and uphold the rule of law. Violence and mob rule are not the answers. I believe that as a nation we need to come together and promote the principles of democracy. 

Recommendations And Something To Look Forward To

 I want to start today's post by relating to you something that I am looking forward to. This coming Sunday, an all new broadcast of All Creatures Great And Small will start airing on Masterpiece Theatre in the United States. One of my favorite programs of all time is All Creatures Great And Small that aired in the 70's and 80's. This series featured Christopher Timothy as James Herriot and Robert Hardy as Siegfried Farnon. I don't know if the new program will be as good as the old program, but I am certainly going to be watching it. 

For those of you who might not know, James Herriot is my favorite author. I've read his books over and over again several times. I hope that the new series will capture the magic of the books. From what I understand from those in the UK that have already viewed the series, the new program if very good. 

Now, I want to recommend a couple of items. I've been rereading a book called the Jesus I Never Knew by Philip Yancey. I recommend this to you as a great book about who Jesus is and about what He did while He was here on this earth. 

For those looking for something fun to read, I recommend the three Citizen Dog cartoon books that are available. I've read these many times, and they always help me to feel better about the day. 

Verses For The Week

 Matthew 12:50 -- "For whoever does the will of my Father who is in heaven, he is my brother and sister and mother."

Matthew 20:16 -- "The last shall be first, and the first last."

Weekend Sermon -- Some New Year Thoughts

 Happy New Year to all. This will be a very short message as we start the new year.

As we start out a new year, I would like us to reflect on thankfulness and hopefulness. Even though 2020 was a very challenging year, there are things we can be thankful for in 2020. I am thankful that the Lord supplied my needs, and He brought me to a good job. I was able to write a devotional book and post it on the blog. As you look back at 2020, try to find things to be thankful for.

Now that 2021 is here, we look forward with hopefulness. I am hoping and praying that the coronavirus pandemic will come to an end. I hope that the vaccines will get to everyone quickly. I hope that I can expand my ministry for the Lord in this new year. Amen

Prayer Requests

As I am writing this post, it is snowing a lot where I live. Please pray that the snow will slack off, and I can get to work safely. 

Pray for an end to the coronavirus pandemic.

Continue to pray for peace. Let us focus our prayers on Libya and Ethiopia this week.

For our prayer focus countries let us pray for Gambia and Azerbaijan.

On Monday, I will post the verses. I will try to post something midweek. We will start a new sermon series next Friday. May God bless you all.