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James & Jude Series Lecture Notes
©2008 Barbara Rohland all rights reserved

Introduction to James & Jude

As believers, we know… by what God has revealed to us - that finding the “good life” is a matter of correctly understanding and responding to God’s truths or what we might call “His operating instructions” for humanity. Haven’t you always known that you should “read the instructions and follow them” before putting something together? And this is also true of how we “put together our lives”. And in this case, our instructions are in this good book we call the Bible. The “abundant life” in Christ isn’t about “stuff” but rather about the receiving of eternal life through Jesus Christ, which is by definition, is “superabundant”. (John 10:10)


But, if we truly examine our own lives, we encounter the agonizing distance between what we should be and who we really are. To live the good life, we have to understand how much our lives belong to God first and then to others and what a good thing that is. And all of this brings us to our study of James and Jude.

For those of us claiming to have a Biblical Worldview, we say we have faith in God’s truths.

But what good is truth if we don’t know how to live it? This is what James is all about – “godly wisdom” that’s not just knowledge of the truth, but the living out of that truth in our daily lives. And so, the epistle of James will be giving us some answers to our 4th Worldview question? “How should we live?”

In fact, it’s been said that if the teachings of this epistle were put into practice throughout the church it would mean the revitalization of Christianity. It would put all relationships right. It would bring to life the 2nd greatest commandment, “to love your neighbor as yourself”. And so, this epistle is an exhortation to live like Christ lived.

Everyone loves the book of James because it’s so practical – it’s been called the “Proverbs of the New Testament”. The author of James is traditionally thought by the early church to be the half-brother of Jesus who became one of the leaders of the 1st Christian church in Jerusalem. James wrote what’s thought to be the earliest written book in the N.T. and he wrote it with the authority of one who had personally seen the resurrected Christ. One of the reasons he’s thought to be the ½ brother of our Lord is because this epistle of James is so very like the teachings of Jesus.

James may actually say less about the Lord than any other writer in the N.T., but his speech is more like that of the Lord than the speech of any one of them. The parallels are significant and for almost everything James has to say we can recall some statement of Jesus which would have suggested it. All through James you’ll get the feeling that it’s a practical commentary of how to apply the teachings of the Sermon on the Mount.

And James wrote in a style that's simple and straightforward. There's usually no good ason to misunderstand what he’s saying – he writes his words in a plain manner with no hidden meanings even though he doesn’t explain everything he says. His short sentences go like shots or darts straight to the mark – we’ll feel their impact and they’ll make an impression on us – he doesn’t make any exceptions – it’s as though he’s saying to each of his readers, “Now that you’ve read this, what are you going to do about it?”

Lesson # 1

Did you know that all our churches are full of individuals who sin? It doesn’t matter if the church is small and meets in a house or if it’s one of those big mega churches. It seems that everything that can go wrong when people gather together sooner or later does. And when things happen, those who are outside of the church - they use those “things” as excuses not to go.

The truth is that even as Christians, “if we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us”, according to 1 John 1:8. What we learned from 1 John – is that sin should no longer be the pattern of our lives through the power of the Holy Spirit - but - this side of heaven we will continue to struggle with the problems of our flesh.

In “The Message”, which is the Bible in Contemporary Language by Eugene Peterson - he compares churches to hospitals in his introduction to James. Just as a hospital collects the sick under one roof, the church collects sinners. Many of the people outside the hospital are every bit as sick as the ones inside, but their sickness is undiagnosed, disguised, or ignored. The same is true with sinners outside the church.

In fact, Jesus told the Pharisees who had complained about his eating with tax collectors and sinners – He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.” And He went on to say, “For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” (Matthew 9:12) Those Pharisees were so “self-righteous” they didn’t even know how sick (or sinful) they really were. At any rate, churches aren’t always the best models of good behavior. They are – rather - places where - hopefully - there’s conviction of sin through the preaching of God’s word - and a desire to do something about it and to grow in “Christlikeness.”

And so, the difference between believers who have a Biblical Worldview and unbelievers who have other worldviews is that we know we have a problem - sin. We know that we were created in the image of God to be holy like He is holy but since the Fall of Man we’ve all inherited the sin nature that began with Adam and Eve. This is the simple explanation and answer to our first two worldview questions: “Why are we here?” and “What’s gone wrong with the world?

And we know that because of our sin, we need a Redeemer. We need the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the only way that our sin can be forgiven so we can be reconciled to God. He’s the only solution to our third Worldview question, “How can it be fixed?”

This letter of James shows one of the church’s early pastors doing a good job of bringing out into the open the sinfulness that had shown up amongst these Jewish believers who were “scattered abroad”. But James does much more than just name sins – he reveals godly wisdom from above that’s not just knowledge of truth but skill in living out that truth. What good is knowing the truth if we don’t know how to live it? And so, James is going to help us with our fourth Worldview question – “How should we live?” Are we living the way that Christ would want us to live?

Please open your Bibles with me to the epistle of James. We read in verse 1 of chapter 1 that James calls himself a “bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ”. Now, this isn’t the way we usually introduce ourselves to others, is it? James, like Jude, uses this description in a positive sense that describes the slave who’s been freed but chooses to willingly serve the master he loves and respects. James, in identifying himself as a “bondservant”, implies a humble and complete submission to our Lord. We are Christ’s “bondservants” in the sense that we voluntarily obey His will, and labor for him, and not for ourselves. And when we choose to serve others, we’re also choosing to serve the Lord.


Now James came to be the leader of the church in Jerusalem, along with Peter and John.

And that church was being persecuted – this is why the recipients of this letter are described as “scattered abroad”. The persecuted, suffering church is a common theme in the N.T. They were hated because the world hated Christ and this is still true today. After the death of Stephen, the first Christian martyr, we can read in Acts 8:1, “a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles”. Acts 11:19 adds that those who had been scattered had traveled as far as “Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch preaching the word to no one but the Jews only. And so, the word spread and a great number believed and turned to the Lord”.


The unrest of Acts 12, when Herod the king “stretched out his hand to harass some from the church” could have led to more believers leaving Jerusalem. So this description, “scattered abroad” became a technical term referring to Jews living outside the land of Palestine in Gentile countries. And calling them the “twelve tribes” was a common NT title for Jews.


I spoke to you last week about the contents of James being organized around a series of tests that measure the genuineness of our faith. Don’t we all want to know and have the assurance that our faith is real and that we have eternal life? James wanted to be sure that no one was deceived about their own salvation. And for any in the church whose faith is not genuine James has an invitation for them to come to Christ in this epistle. What could be more tragic than to think you have eternal life, only to hear from the Lord, “I never knew you, Depart from Me…?” (Matthew 7:23)


Looking now at verses 2-4, we read, “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” When James says, “My brethren,” he’s saying – they’re brethren according to the flesh – meaning Jews – as well as brethren according to the spirit – fellow believers. And the first thing James addresses here is how we persevere when we’re under the pressure of suffering – he calls this “the testing of your faith”. Our true character is revealed during the trials that God allows in our lives. And notice that the wording doesn’t say “if you fall into various trials” – it says “when”. They will happen. Life’s difficult – full of trouble – it’s a reflection of the “fallenness” of this world.


The purpose of a trial is for us to discover our true nature. We may think we have faith – but – we don’t really know it until “troubles” come into our lives that break the pattern of our peace, comfort, and happiness. And, we’ve just read that when these things happen, we’re “to count it all joy”.

Now, let’s be honest - this isn’t our normal human response to trials. We say we believe that God is good and it’s easy to have joy in His goodness when there’s money in the bank and we’re healthy and everyone thinks we’re wonderful. But it’s not so easy when you’ve just lost your job, or a loved one has just been diagnosed with a terminal illness, or your church goes through a nasty split, or your husband says he doesn’t want to be married to you anymore. The word “count” here may also be translated as “consider” or “evaluate”.

And this gives the meaning that as believers - we must make a conscious effort and commitment to face the trials of our lives with joy – it isn’t easy to look beyond the pain of what we’re going through to what lies ahead with the Lord - but this is what we’re being told to do here - to focus on the end result – that “perfect work”.


Did you know that God doesn’t exist to solve all of our problems? What matters to Him is that believers should reflect His glory. And so, He purposes and allows our trials to help conform us to His image. For instance, the apostle Paul, in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, speaks of the “thorn in the flesh” that was given to him, “a messenger of Satan to buffet me.” We can see here the similarity to Job’s trials – the immediate cause was Satan but the ultimate cause was God. And the reason for this trial was “lest he be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations”…Paul had many “personal revelations” from the Lord beginning with his encounter on the road to Damascus resulting in his salvation - to some sort of trip to heaven and back you can read about at the beginning of this chapter 12 in 2nd Corinthians. Paul had lots to boast about “in his flesh” but God wanted to keep him humble. And so, this trial can be seen as a means to keep Paul from the sin of pride. He had pleaded with the Lord three times that whatever was the cause of his suffering – that it would “depart” from him. This shows us that trials drive us to a more intimate and intense prayer life. Think about it – when have you been closest to the Lord?


And what was the Lord’s answer to Paul’s prayer? Verse 9 tells us, “And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, My strength is made perfect in weakness.” The weaker we are, the more clearly God’s grace and power can shine through us. Our suffering should take on a whole different perspective when we realize that it’s an essential tool in the hand of God to conform us to the image of His Son. Through the testing of our faith, we learn to be “strong in the Lord”, patiently enduring the pressure of a trial until God removes it at His appointed time. This “patience” implies a cheerful, hopeful endurance – a willingness to “wait” on the Lord’s timing concerning our trial. We don’t love the suffering or the process, but we can have joy in the result.

Lesson 2

We come now to the last section of today’s passage which addresses the seriousness of this sin even when it seems small to us. Look at verses 8 and 9 where we read, “If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself,’ you do well; but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors.”

“Royal law” is binding - it’s sovereign. When a king makes a law - that settles the issue. “Loving your neighbor as yourself” shows no partiality because we do really do love ourselves – we feed ourselves – “we wash our faces when we get up – we dress ourselves – we’re always trying to make ourselves happy. Treat everyone the same way you would want to be treated. This is the “golden rule” kind of love. When you’re fulfilling this law of love - James then says “you do well” – you’re doing great - it’s a commendation - you’re acting consistently with who you are in Christ.

You looked back at the 10 Commandments in your lesson this week – Did you see that all the laws concerning human relationships can be summed up in this royal law? For instance, if you love your neighbor as yourself, you’re not going to murder them – you’re not going to steal from them, and so on.

This law is the “agape” kind of love – the self-sacrificing, “meeting needs” kind of love. Love your neighbor with the same intensity and with the same concern for their health and spiritual well-being as you do for yourselves. So, when you come across a person with a need, do something about it if you can.

And when we get to verse 9, we come to a “but” – some were not following this “royal law”. Some were committing the sin of favoritism – not showing love to everyone. “If you show partiality, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.” And verse 10 adds, “For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.” … How many sins must you commit to be a sinner? ONE How many laws do you have to break to be a “transgressor of the law?” ONE

The law of God is heavy – it’s burdensome – there’s no grace in it alone. Without God’s grace and our Redeemer, Jesus Christ, it’s hopeless to try and live by the law. Because to break the law even at one point is defying the authority of God – defying the Word of God – it’s like saying to God, “I will not love you with all my heart, mind, soul, and strength - I will not love my neighbor as myself” in whatever sin we choose to do .

The reason this was so important for these Jewish believers to understand is because the rabbis used to say, “Whoever obeys only one law, good is appointed unto him.” The Jews of Christ’s day were apt to regard the law as a series of detached commands. To keep one was to gain credit – to break one was to incur debt – so adding up both sides, one could end up with a credit or debit balance. This was typical of a “works” system - doing more good things than bad will make you OK with God? Right? They were adding grace to the law meaning they had no need of a Savior. Isn’t this a typical worldview of non-Christians who think they can work their way to God?

And to make his point, James picks out the sins of adultery and murder to include in his comparison to the sin of partiality. This seems harsh but the sin of favoritism can lead to an attitude of hate which is the attitude behind murder. It’s true that not all sins are equally horrible, destructive, or damaging but they’re all still sin. It’s been said that lawbreaking is like hitting a window with a hammer – you may only hit it in one spot but it will shatter the whole thing. God’s law must always be seen as a perfect unit. Any violation of the law makes us sinners – unrighteous. The true heart after God acknowledges that we want to perfectly obey all of His law but we can’t. And when we can’t - by grace and through faith - we come to our Redeemer, our Savior, Jesus Christ for cleansing and forgiveness for all of our sins.

And finally, before we end today, James exhorts us to “speak and so do” in verse 12, “as those who will be judged by the law of liberty.” Practice obedience because you’ve been freed from the bondage of your sin by Christ’s work on the cross and because the Holy Spirit has given you the power to obey God’s Word. And then, verse 13 speaks of judgment without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. When there are no deeds of mercy as a part of a person’s life it’s evident that the life of God is not in that person. Back again in the Beatitudes – “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” (Mt. 5:7) The evidence of a life that’s received the love and mercy of God is shown in a person who loves others w/o favoritism – shows mercy to the needy – and loves others as they love themselves. And so, mercy triumphs over judgment.


As we finish today, we need to ask ourselves if we’ve perhaps been “auditing” church or even this Bible Study with regard to what we “hear”. I remember being aware of “auditors” in some of my college classes and at the time I envied them. They didn’t have to take any of the tests or the dreaded “final” for that class. They could just sit there and enjoy “listening”. But when I think about it now, I have to wonder what they really gained from being there. Did it make any difference in their lives? I don’t know. But I do know that the things I’ve learned the most from have been the most difficult. “Easy” has no impact on us. There isn’t an “easy button” for Christianity. We all have to “pack our own parachutes” like Anita said during her lectures. We need to continue in the Word and we need to obey it. But at the same time, Christ’s yoke is easy and His burden is light when our obedience is done in love for our Savior who has redeemed us by His grace.

As believers we’ve been given genuine freedom from sin. As the Holy Spirit applies the truth to believer’s hearts, we’re enabled to obey God. And this is where the blessing lies – not in just “hearing” but in “doing”. Maybe when we leave church and shake hands with our pastors and thank them for their “wonderful sermons” – maybe they should say back to us, “So, what are you going to do about it?” We’d probably be shocked and offended if they did, but this kind of question would be for our good. The application of becoming a “doer” of God’s word will change our lives and it will be more than a momentary experience. We’ll be able to be less partial in our dealings with people - more like Christ. In fact, as we desire to live obedient, Spirit-filled lives our love will be compassionate and without hypocrisy – not partial, based on personal attraction or desirability toward certain people. This will safeguard and empower us and be a blessing, both to others and to the church, the “body of Christ”.

Lesson 3

Now, let’s look at what James says about genuine or “living faith”.  And again, he gives us an example – this time of two real people who lived out their faith by what they did.  In your lesson this week you read Hebrews 11 – it’s a moving account of the faithful O.T. saints.  You read over and over “by faith,” “by faith” before each name listed – “by faith, they did what?”  By faith they did some amazing things all documented here – you made a list of all the things they did.  “By faith” they obeyed God – they acted on their faith – these “heroes of the faith” were known by what they did – their “works of faith”.  This is the only way faith can be demonstrated.  These “works” were a “testimony” of their faith.

 And Abraham is the first example here in James 2:21 where we read, “Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar?”  “Justified by works?”  But – we say – Paul says in Romans 4:2, “For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.  For what does the Scripture say?”  And then Paul quotes Genesis 15:6, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”  Paul’s saying that Abraham was justified by faith apart from the works of the law.  In fact, Abraham was justified before the law was even given – and before he was given the law of circumcision, and long before he offered up Isaac.

 Let’s stop a moment to look at some definitions that might help us in our understanding of this supposed controversy between Paul and James over whether we are justified by faith or by works.  The word “justified” in the Greek has legal connotations.  It basically means we’ve been acquitted from the guilt of our sin – found “not guilty” – and this is only because of Christ’s “work” – His substitutionary death on the cross – the shedding of His blood paying the price for our sins.  It’s His righteousness that God sees in those who belong to Christ by grace through faith.  Those who truly believe on the Lord Jesus Christ are legally declared to be righteous.  This statement isn’t saying that works justify us before God at salvation because over and over in Scripture we’re told that we’re not justified by the works of the law.  Why???  Because it’s not possible – remember in James 2:10 - that if we stumble in even one point of the law, we’re guilty of all of it.  And we do all stumble…   

 On the other hand, James is saying here in verse 21, “Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar?”  The meaning here adds to the definition of “justified” in Romans 4.  Paul basically said that Abraham was acquitted and declared righteous by believing in God’s promises by grace alone through faith alone.  In James, Abraham was shown to be righteous by his willingness to sacrifice his son in obedience to God.     

And what was it that Abraham did?  He simply did what God told him to do.  You read about it in Genesis 22.  Abraham was ready to offer his son Isaac - his only son of the promise – the son that he loved and had waited for so long.  And if God hadn’t stopped him, he would have done it.  It was a test of Abraham’s faith - and at the end “the Angel of the Lord * said to him, “now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son from Me.” 

How could Abraham have possibly done what he did without truly believing in God?  And didn’t this act sufficiently prove that he believed in God and that it was his faith that led him to this extraordinary act of obedience?  In Hebrews 11:18-19 we can read, “In Isaac your seed shall be called, concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead” – Isaac was the promised seed – the only heir of the promise and Abraham believed God’s promise.  If God had allowed Isaac to die, Abraham believed that God would still fulfill that promise, even if meant raising Isaac from the dead.  That’s true, living faith. 

So James goes on to say in verse 22 of our text, “Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect?”  This is the idea of bringing something to completeness – to its fulfillment.  Just as a fruit tree is only a tree until it does what it was meant to do - bear fruit - in the same way, faith hasn’t reached its completion until it demonstrates itself in a righteous life.  Faith then, reaches its goal in “good works”.  Certainly the Scripture was fulfilled as verse 23 says, “Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him as righteousness.”  This time it’s James who’s quoting Genesis 15:6.  And he adds here that Abraham “was called the friend of God.”  Abraham was “justified by faith before God” but he was “justified by works” before men.  Verse 24 says, “Can you see that a man is justified by works, and not by faith alone. 

It’s the only way “we can see.”  God has the ability to “see” our faith without its works.  He sees and knows whether it’s genuine or not.  This is why the dying thief on the cross - who only had time to believe - is told by Jesus - “today you will be with Me in paradise.”  Jesus knew his heart.  Remember 1 Samuel 16:7 which tells us, “For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart” – so He sees a new believer with genuine faith before there are any righteous works.

God knows if a person’s faith is real – He knows if there’s truly “new life”.  We’re the ones who don’t know until “we see” the fruit in a believer’s life including our own.  We must be shown – we must see the “works”.  And so, all of Hebrews 11 is a testimony for us “to see” what “living faith” truly is. 

Abraham, the father of the Jews, and the father of all of us who are faithful, is the first example given by James here of “living faith” – faith that’s real.  The second example seems a complete contrast to Abraham - an “unlikely choice”.  Her name is Rahab – she’s a Canaanite - a harlot who betrayed her own country.  Again we can see the impartiality of God in His inclusion of her not only here in James but she’s also in that list of the faithful in Hebrews 11 and along with Abraham in the genealogy of Christ.   

So, what did she do?  She received the messengers of Israel, associating herself with the people of God – even when everything seemed against them.  She separated herself from her own people “by faith”.  And as it says right here in verse 25, “Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way?”  It was her faith, her belief that God was the one true God – that He was the God of miracles who had led His people out of Egypt.  She believed all that she knew about God and it was accounted to her as righteousness.  And when she was given the opportunity, her faith was demonstrated when she put her life on the line for those Jewish spies that she hid and then helped to escape.  If she’d been found out she’d have been killed.  She showed her faith by her works. 

Now, from these illustrations, there’s something important we must notice.  The works shown here that demonstrated the faith of these two individuals – it was more than simply going to church, going to a Bible study, or singing a song of praise, although these things are all a part of being a Christian.  The question we need to ask ourselves is – “What’s most valuable to you as shown by how you live your life?”  What could have been more valuable to Abraham than Isaac, the son that he loved - the son of the promise?  What could have been more valuable to Rahab than her own life?  Both of them were willing to put these things on the line – to give them up if necessary – because of their faith in God. 

It’s these kinds of tough tests that reveal our hearts and the strength of our faith.  There are those willing to “live for Christ” until it costs them something that they value more.  Jesus told the parable of the soils to illustrate this truth.  (Matthew 13:1-23)  The seeds that were sown in this parable were the word of God concerning salvation – the gospel message.  The seed sown in a “stony heart” has no root and as soon as suffering, trials, and persecutions come along - this superficial believer is offended, stumbles, and falls away.  The seed sown in a “thorny heart” is soon “choked off” by the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desire for other things – the result is that although the word was heard there’s no fruit produced.  In contrast - when seeds are sown in the heart prepared by grace through faith – that person bears fruit – some thirty-fold, some sixty, and some a hundred. Those who believe with genuine faith will show it.  The gospel takes deep root, grows, and shows what it is by their “works.” 

And James concludes this passage of Scripture with a final analogy – a very vivid one. Verse 26 says, “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.”  A physical body without the spirit is unable to support life - and in the same way - faith without works is unable to support spiritual life.   

So, James is really saying – “Look at yourselves.”  “Do you say you believe without ever obeying?”   “Do you love your sin more than you love God?”  “Do you say you love God without loving His other children?”  “Or do you love God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength and love your neighbor as yourself?”  “Is it your hearts desire to sin less, please God more, and give Him the glory?”  

Abraham was called the friend of God.  What do friends of God do?  According to John 15:14, Jesus says, “You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.”  And Abraham certainly did what God told him in our illustration of living faith.  He was “intimate” with God.  And so we must ask ourselves, “Do people look at me and know that I’m God’s friend?”  How would they know it?  They would know it by how I “live out” my faith and how you “live out your faith.” 

There was a story of a native from another area who came to where a missionary was working.  The native said to the missionary, “I want to know what you teach.”  The missionary then said, “Have you ever heard the gospel?”  The native said, “No, I have only seen it.”  And then he went on to describe a Christian he had met.  Wow!  Would anyone be able to “see” the gospel in our lives?  A person can hear about faith but the truthfulness of it has to be seen. 

I’d like to end by saying once again that none of us are perfectly living out our faith.  But it should be our hearts desire to do so and God knows our hearts.  Let’s finish with these words of encouragement from Hebrews 6:9-11, “But, beloved, we are confident of better things concerning you, yes, things that accompany salvation, though we speak in this manner.  For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister.  And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.”                         

Lesson 4

We come now to the last part of Chapter 3 which is about “wisdom.”  Wisdom is an incredible word personifying the highest attainment a person can achieve.  When the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, He said “Ask!  What shall I give you?”  Wow!  How would you answer if God asked you that question?  Well, we know what Solomon asked for – he humbly asked for the best thing – wisdom.  He called himself a “little child” – we see the humility here – he said he didn’t even know how to “go out or come in” and yet he’d been chosen by God to be king of His people, Israel.  He knew he needed the Lord’s help to accomplish anything good for these people who were too numerous to be numbered or counted.  And the Lord was pleased when Solomon asked for an “understanding heart” that could “discern between good and evil.”  Read chapter 5 of 1 Kings about this when you have time - it also includes an incredible example of Solomon’s wise judgment.  And we know that Solomon went on to become “greater than all the kings of the earth.” 

Now in our text today, James specifically speaks of the difference between God’s “wisdom from above” or “spiritual wisdom” which is compared to man’s wisdom, called here by James “earthly, sensual, and demonic”.  Look at verses 13-18 where we read, “Who is wise and understanding among you?  Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom.  But if you have bitter envy and self- seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth.  This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic.  For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there.  But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.  Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.”

We can again see here that the emphasis of James is on our “works” – works that show our genuine faith.  He says, “Who is wise and understanding among you?  Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom.”  So, you’ll notice that “wisdom”, in God’s view, is not just what you know – it’s how you live because of what you know – your lifestyle.  You’re not wise unless what you know has changed your life.  Spiritual wisdom from God shows up in a changed life.  And the saddest thing of all would be to know the truths of God and not be affected by them. 

This changed life is not a legalistic obedience to rules but it’s an attitude – an attitude described here as “meek.”  “Meekness of wisdom” as it says in verse 13 gives the idea of humility.  It’s being willing to yield and submit yourself in obedience to God’s wisdom and will.  On the other hand, James knew about those people who are “wise in their own eyes” – people who think they’re wise tend to be proud and arrogant – conceited.  You’ve probably run across them.  We see them on T.V. all the time.  For sure you’ll find many of them in secular universities filling the minds of our young people with what God calls – “the foolishness of men.”  But those who are truly wise are “humble” – they’re “teachable” – they’re able to be “persuaded” and “fully convinced” by the Word of God.  So, this spiritual wisdom from above is shown in a lifestyle that honors God.

As we look at this comparison, verses 14-16 show us what the “wisdom of the world” looks like next to the spiritual wisdom that God offers in verses 17 and 18.  These two kinds of “wisdom” are not only two types to choose from but they’re in conflict with each other.

In 1 Corinthians, Paul calls the wisdom of the world “foolishness.”  James gets more specific by describing what it looks like and the attitudes behind it – how earthly wisdom can “play out” in someone’s life.  He’s warning us.  Don’t be arrogant just because you’ve acquired some earthly wisdom.  There are those who pursue wisdom to elevate themselves above others.  And if they do, it shows a heart of “bitter envy and self-seeking” that “boasts and lies against the truth.”  The idea here is that there’s nothing to boast about if you have any measure of “wisdom” that’s not from God.  The expected outcome of wisdom would be success which in turn should bring happiness.  But this is not always true.  Solomon knew this truth.  He said in Ecclesiastes, “I have attained greatness, and have gained more wisdom than all who were before me in Jerusalem.  My heart has understood great wisdom and knowledge.  And I set my heart to know wisdom…”   

This last statement sounds like Solomon was not always depending on God’s wisdom.  And it’s this kind of boasting that “lies against the truth” because men’s wisdom is so limited when compared to “wisdom from above.”  Solomon went on to conclude that this was “like grasping for the wind” when it comes to finding answers in life that really matter.  This is the difference – much of the work that Solomon did ended up having no more lasting value than the folly of a fool.  He did build the temple that his father David was not allowed to build.  But we know that he left his kingdom divided to his two sons, both of whom squandered their opportunities.  And we know that Solomon’s heart had turned from the Lord as he allowed himself to love many foreign women breaking God’s law concerning intermarriage.  He had 700 wives and 300 concubines; and his wives turned away his heart to other gods.  (1 Kings 11:3-4)  This was not godly wisdom.  Wisdom that’s not from above is vanity – a futile attempt to be satisfied apart from God.

 Then James goes on to say that this kind of wisdom is “earthly, sensual,” and “demonic.”  “Earthly”, gives the idea that it’s limited to time and space and to the earth that’s cursed.  Men’s wisdom is restricted to the best that natural man can come up with.  It’s wisdom without “light” or spiritual illumination.  It goes no higher than the mind of a man.  So, no matter how much a person may learn and know, they never learn the life-changing, eternal, divine, spiritual truths apart from the wisdom of God.

 James also says that this wisdom is “sensual.” This simply means it natural – fleshly - of this world.  And then he says it’s demonic.”  You might note here that these three adjectives parallel “the world, the flesh, and the devil.”  He’s saying that whatever is not of God comes from the devil.  Why?  Because Satan is the prince of the power of the air and ruler of what?  The world – this evil world system.  We talked about that back in 1 John.  We are not to love the world and this includes the wisdom of the world.

And the results of this false wisdom are found in verse 16.  And this takes us back to the motivations for attaining wisdom.  If we’re motivated by jealousy and selfish ambition there will also be “confusion and every evil thing.”  “Confusion” describes the same kind of instability found in the double-minded man of James 1:8.  It’s from the same word.  It’s also the same word translated “unruly” here in verse 8 of this chapter 3, depicting the tongue.

So, worldly wisdom brings chaos, disorder, confusion because it has nothing to do with what’s Godly, what’s spiritual.  And then this leads to “every evil thing.”  This is not only evil things but the idea of things that are “simply good for nothing in the long run” – useless – “vanity.” 

Just look at the world around us.  We’re supposedly wiser and more educated than we’ve ever been before.  We have an incredible measure of technology but we are just as dangerous to one another as we’ve ever been and even more so because of the technology.  We can kill each other easier and in greater numbers at once because of that technology.  Consider our computers, for instance.  As wonderful as they are to those who use them “for good reasons” they’ve provided opportunity for much evil, such as pornography.  So we’re as vile and wretched and wicked as men have ever been because human wisdom has no power to change us for the better.

 So then, let’s see the contrast of what true wisdom “from above” looks like.  Verse 17 tells us that it’s “first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.”  First of all, “spiritual wisdom” is sought out of a pure heart – a clean heart – one that’s been “cleansed with the washing of water by the word.”  (Ephesians 5:26)     And what comes from a pure heart seeking wisdom “from above” is very clear here.  It promotes peace and loves peace.  It’s gentle in seeking to make things right but does so in the kindest possible way, patiently putting up with any difficulty.  It’s “willing to yield”, to be taught – to submit to God’s will and word and to others as well.  In being “full of mercy” we see the concern for others over self by those who are spiritually wise.  And this will be shown in acts of compassion to those who suffer and are hurting. 

James then says it’s full of good fruits – the righteous works he’s been talking about that show our genuine faith.  These works benefit those around us whether they’re our “brethren” or our “neighbors.”  These “spiritual good deeds” bring honor and glory to God – they’re without partiality as we’ve already studied.  And then, finally, they’re without hypocrisy.  They’re sincere, genuine, and real without any pretense or phoniness.  This is a picture of a person who possesses wisdom “from above.”

And what’s the final result of all this?  Verse 18 says, “Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.”  Romans 12:18 states, “If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.”  Good works that come from genuine faith will flourish in those who have made peace with God.  True spiritual wisdom is not what you know – it’s the way you live.  You are truly wise when you live a righteous life. 

We all need to ask God for “wisdom from above” like Solomon did.  In order to have true wisdom we need to pursue God because He’s the source.  And to know “wisdom” begins with a right relationship with God.  “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added to you.”  (Matthew 6:33)  And what does Scripture say about how wisdom begins?  “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”  And the rest of this verse from Psalm 111:10 tells us, “A good understanding have all those who do His commandments.” 

We desperately need “wisdom from above.”  And when we ask for it from God we know from chapter 1 of James that He will give it to us.  We can choose the greatest possession one can have – spiritual wisdom. Why would we want to follow the false wisdom of the world when all it leads to is “vanity?”  Nothing is really known until it influences your life – so to “live wisely” is ultimately to live a life of righteousness and obedience.

Let’s end today with Colossians 4:5-6 which can be seen as a kind of summary of today’s chapter in James with regard to how believers can influence an unbelieving world.  We are told to “Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time.  Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.”  So, “walking in wisdom” includes our tongues – how we speak.  Hopefully our speech will communicate grace to those who hear us.  In other words it’s spiritual, wholesome, fitting, kind, sensitive, purposeful, complimentary, gentle, truthful, loving, and thoughtful.  And it’s “seasoned with salt”, meaning that it not only flavors by acting as a blessing, but that it also acts as a purifying influence within this decaying society of our world…..“Dear Lord, let these things be true in our lives.”

Lesson 5

So, what’s the answer to these kinds of problems in the church? What’s the antidote to conflict in the church as well as conflict with God? We come next to an amazing section of James that gives us our only ray of hope – that gives us a counteracting power that, if appropriated, can change everything. Look at the first part of verse 6 with me. “But He gives more grace.” It’s only the sovereign grace of God that can rescue us from our propensity to lust for the evil things of the world. The grace of God is greater than the power of sin – greater than the power of our flesh – greater than the power of the world, and greater than the power of the devil. Our need of God’s grace is great. We will never completely know the enormity of our sin but what we can know is that “where sin abounded, grace abounded much more.” (Romans 5:20)


And who is it that God gives His grace to? The rest of verse 6 tells us, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” He doesn’t give His grace to the proud enemies of God who love the world – He gives it to the “humble.” Humility is the cure for worldliness.


So, what does it mean to be humble? Verses 7-10 bring us to a series of imperative verbs commanding us to do certain things in order to be right with God. This is how a person receives the “saving grace” necessary to be reconciled to God – to no longer be His enemy. This is a call to salvation. If the tests of James have revealed a faith that’s not genuine – this is the ultimate “make up” test that can make all things right between you and God. And if we’ve already appropriated God’s saving grace, this is how we must continue to “walk with the Lord” day by day, moment by moment by His Spirit which dwells in us.


We read here that first of all we must “Therefore submit to God.” Because “God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.” So, we must submit to Him. This describes a willing, conscious submission to God’s authority over us because He’s the sovereign ruler of the universe. It’s His world – He created everything in it and is ruler over all of it. We must align ourselves under this truth. To be lined up on the side of the evil world system is to be an enemy of God. And God’s enemies will always lose the battle. So – submit - in obedience to the Lord - and you will find peace – rest for your souls. Jesus said, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Stop fighting God – give up your will for His - come to Him through His Son – respond to His invitation of grace.


“Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” He’s the one we must fight and take a stand against – not God. All people are either under the authority of God or they’re under the authority of the devil. There’s no middle ground. Christ said, “He who is not with me is against Me…” (Matthew 12:30) As believers, we’ve overcome the devil and his minions.

- This is because, “He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” (1 John 4:4) Christ’s Spirit, abiding in us, protects us from all manner of things, including the false teachings of the world.


“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” Actively pursue an intimate love relationship with God - this is only possible through His Son. The truly redeemed heart longs for communion with God. Hebrews 7:19 told the Jews that “the law made nothing perfect; on the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God.” The Levitical system kept the people outside His presence – only the priests could “draw near.” But Christ made it possible for all who believe - “believer priests” - to draw near. Because of Christ’s work on our behalf we can come “boldly to the throne of grace, that we may find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16)


“Cleanse your hands, you sinners...” The Greek word for “cleanse” means to thoroughly clean out – to purge. For us to be “vessels of honor” to be used by God – the picture is of a container that would have to be scoured and purged of all its former filth. The O.T. priests had to wash their hands before approaching God – and sinners who approach Him must recognize and confess their sins. Remember 1 John 1:8-9? “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Confession of sin characterizes genuine faith and God continually cleanses those who are confessing. So, agree with God when you sin and keep short accounts.


And Ephesians 4:32 tells us, “And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.” We’ve been forgiven – so, we must forgive. This alone would go a long way toward resolving conflicts with others in the church.


“Purify your hearts, you double-minded.” This takes things a step further. The cleansing of the hands symbolized our outward behavior – the way we act. This command to “purify our hearts” reminds us that it’s the inner thoughts, motives, and desires of our hearts that truly need to be made clean. Remember the “double-minded man in James 1? His mind was divided between God and the world – he was unstable in all his ways. Psalm 24:3-5 tell us who may stand in God’s holy place (another way of saying “Who may draw near?”) – “He who has clean hands and a pure heart.” These are the ones who will receive blessings from the Lord and righteousness from the God of our salvation. So, we must choose to follow God in all things and leave the world behind.


“Lament and morn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.” This should be our response to the sin in our lives. None of us are perfect nor will we be this side of heaven. But what matters, is how we respond to our sins. This speaks of the “broken and contrite spirit.” And this again leads us back to our Lord’s Beatitudes. In Matthew 5:3-4, Jesus tells us, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” The blessings here are not from the world but rather from the deep feeling of “well-being” given by God to those who genuinely believe – those who can say, “It is well with my soul.” “Poor in spirit” refers to the deep humility of recognizing our utter spiritual bankruptcy apart from God. It describes those who are acutely conscious of their own “hopelessness” apart from God’s grace. Remember, “God gives grace to the humble.” And “those who mourn” are mourning over their sins. They exhibit a godly sorrow that produces repentance leading to salvation. The “comfort” comes from being forgiven and saved. You have to feel bad before you can feel good. What did Peter do when he had just denied Christ 3X – “when he thought about it, he wept bitterly.” We should all continue to sorrow over the sin in our lives. Otherwise, we’ll just keep doing it – we won’t confess and repent or turn from it. Those of the world continue to laugh and party and live according to their desires and pleasures. They’re not sorry over sin – in fact the word is not in their vocabulary. They’ve changed its name – they call it a disease – they call it a mistake – they call it a personal preference that they have every right to practice. You can see the pride there – and God “resists the proud.” There is no grace for them.


And finally, we come to the last command in this section which is a kind of summary of them all. “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.” This is the exact opposite of those people described at the beginning of our chapter. In all their wars and fights they were attempting to lift themselves up. It’s the way of the world. They’re proud, arrogant, and selfish because in the world, everything revolves around a hierarchy with someone always trying to rise above someone else. In God’s kingdom this is not the way of believers. Did you know that the Greeks and Romans had no word for “lowliness of mind?” It became a term of derision with the idea of being low, shabby, and humble. But the Christians, who apparently coined it, saw it differently. They “esteemed others better than themselves” – especially God. So, to “humble yourself before God” is to make yourself “low.” It involves being conscious of God’s presence – being conscious of who He is – God almighty and sovereign, who is also holy and perfect…and the list could go on and on of His incomparable attributes. When we see the truth of who God really is and then look at ourselves…we are overwhelmed by our sinfulness – in fact, we should be overwhelmed…period! And if you’re not then you probably don’t have a very high view of God. Those of the world who only claim to believe in God have brought Him right down to their own level - as an equal - so they can choose to live the way they want. We like to compare ourselves to other people so we can feel better about ourselves – because we can always find someone worse by comparison.


But to dare to compare yourself to who God really is - is to “be humbled in His sight.” This is something we all need to do to see ourselves in the right perspective. It’s like looking in that mirror of God’s word. Do you remember that I said we would not only see ourselves more clearly with all our imperfections but we would see Christ in all His perfections? So, keep on looking at His word. Our goal is not to be better than someone else – but to be more like Jesus Christ. And when we’re humbled by who we are, “He lifts us up.” This is the same as God giving us “more grace.” God has grace for those who formerly walked according to the wisdom of the world – He has grace for His former enemies – grace is available for all who humbly seek it.

Lesson 6

As we finally come now to the last two verses of James – it’s as though this entire letter has been leading us to this point. Look with me at verses 19-20. “Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.” These verses are a fitting conclusion to this wonderful epistle because they express the objective of James’ entire letter. Throughout – the intent has been that none of those reading or hearing this message from James would be found lacking in genuine, saving faith. He wants to be sure that no one is deceived about their own salvation. Jesus Himself, in His Sermon on the Mount introduced us to the thought that there will be those who name the name of Christ - even preach His message - and say they have done things in His name who will not be genuine believers. We’ve gone over those verses again and again…when Jesus said, “Depart from Me, I never knew you.” The tragic reality is that in all generations there are those who are in “soil that never produces fruit” – they may seem to have responded – but no transformation of the heart has taken place. The tares and the wheat are allowed to grow together until the time of the harvest – the true and the false are mingled together in our churches.


Throughout, James has been helping us to evaluate our faith - through this series of tests that have been given in this epistle to help us to recognize genuine, living, saving faith. As believers we’ve been “rebuked” and convicted by James. We’ve seen the areas of our lives that need correcting and we’ve been given instruction in righteousness – that we might be complete, and thoroughly equipped for every good work. This is how we profit from Scripture to use the words of 2 Timothy 3:16-17.


But, in another sense, this letter is evangelistic – because there are those in a church who would not pass any of these tests: those who began but fell away when times got tough, when the world offered something they desired more than Christ – those who “heard the word and then turned away and forgot what they heard” – those who “said but did not do” – those whose faith proved to be “dead - those who’s love for God and their neighbor was not real as shown by their actions - faith that was only “professed” - not really “possessed.”


We’ve already had one call to salvation in the middle of chapter 4 where we were told to “Submit to God – resist the devil – draw near to God – cleanse our hands and purify our hearts – mourn over our sin – and finally to humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord.” In other words – “Come to true salvation – follow Christ.” And if you’ve already come – continue – and persevere to the end.


And here at the end of James we see one last appeal for salvation. In verses 13 and 14 we saw the believer who was suffering and weary and sick when James said “Is any among you…?” And we saw that the answer was to pray. This is one of the ways we care for each other – we pray. Now in verse 19 we have the “anyone among you” being the one who has “fallen from the truth.” He’s been “with them but not of them” – he needs to be drawn back to true salvation by the rest of those in the fellowship who have true faith. This is a call to care for those who are lost. The whole letter is a call to those whose faith is less than genuine to come to true faith.


Throughout this epistle we’ve talked about knowing the assurance of our own salvation. But here we see something a little different. James is talking about the ministry of pursuing those who say and/or think they are saved when there is no evidence of the reality of their faith. And how might we know this? As 1 John 2:19 says, “They went out from us, but they were not of us, for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us.” Some used to be among us and have just “left.” They’re gone. And some may still be there, at least physically, but not spiritually. And they would fail these tests in James. These are the ones James is concerned about. The evidence that helps us to identify them is that they’ve “wandered from the truth.” They’ve gone the way of “error” – they’ve gone “their own way” - as our verses here tell us. And this puts them in great danger of judgment unless something changes.


“Wander” is also translated as going astray and erring. Back in James 1:16 it’s translated as being “deceived” in the NKJV. It has the meaning of “rejecting” the truth and choosing your own way. It’s often used to describe the unsaved and this truth can be seen when you put it together with the phrase in v. 20 of our passage, “turns a sinner from the error of his way.” James calls this person a “sinner” – this is significant – because it’s a term used only to describe an unbeliever in Scripture. Believers still sin as we’ve often said but we’re no longer seen in Scripture as “sinners.” This is because according to Romans 5:8-10, “God demonstrated His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.” So, we used to be “sinners” but this changed when we came to salvation in Christ “by grace through faith.


The stakes here are incredibly high. To remain a “sinner” is to be subject to the wrath of God. In Hebrews 10 - in the contemporary language of the Message – the writer warns - that to turn your back on all that you’ve learned, all the truth you now know – is to reject Christ’s sacrifice and to be left on your own to face God’s judgment – and a mighty fierce judgment it will be! You would be better off if you knew nothing. We’re told here that to “turn this person back” to the truth is to “save a soul from death.” The death spoken of here is eternal death.


There are those who were once a part of the church, who are now in false doctrine. Or they’re living a godless lifestyle and may still be going to church. This can also include the one who attends church as one of the “good works” in their life that they think will make them right with God while having nothing to do with God the rest of the week. So who will be used to “turn” this one” back to the truth? We like to think that this is someone else’s job. But 2 Corinthians 5:18 tells us, “Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation…” The “us” who has the ministry of reconciliation is the “us” whom God reconciled to Himself. Do you understand? We may be praying that someone – some stranger - would come across our path that we can share the gospel with when there’s already someone we know who has wandered from it after seeming to have believed it. Don’t give up on that person. Such were some of us. And they would be just as needy of the truths of salvation as the first type.


Jesus said that He came to seek and to save the lost. The goal is to “turn them back to the truth” and as a result to “cover a multitude of sins.” Believing the truth of the gospel saves the sinner from a “multitude of sins.” These sins were removed by the death of Jesus on that cross – He died in our place. And how far have they been removed? “As far as the east is from the west.” (Psalm 103:12) Do you want to be the instrument God uses to bring someone to repentance so that their sins will be forgiven? It’s a privilege.


Is this your earnest desire – to help convert the sinner - to be used by God in this way? Christ told the parable about finding the lost coin to illustrate the joy that comes from this ministry. When the woman found the coin she called her friends and neighbors and said, “Rejoice with me for I have found the piece that I lost! Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (Luke 15:8-10) And this truth is also taught in the parable of the prodigal son. At the end of the story, the father explains his joy and gladness to his other son by saying, “your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.” (Luke 15:11-32) Do you know anyone who is dead – who is lost? What are you going to do about it?


Let’s pray.

Dear Heavenly Father,

Give us these kinds of opportunities and let us know they’re from you. Convict us to call – to write – to go see those who were “once among us” and may even still be with us, at least physically. Help us to pray for them and to have the joy of being Your instrument in the saving of their soul. Give us that privilege for Your glory. For we know that - without You - we can do nothing.

Make us faithful to heed all the inspired words of James – that our lives might be lived according to Your wisdom and will – patiently persevering to the end - with genuine faith - and in the light of Christ’s soon return. Lord, I can’t wait until “every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to Your glory, our Father in heaven.

And it is in the wonderful name of Your Son that we pray these things. Amen

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Lecture # 7 - Major Lecture Points - The Battle Between Our Ears

We begin the last chapter of our study this week with Peter telling us he wants to "stir up our pure minds". The word used in the passage for "pure" comes from the Greek word eilikrinēs (eye lik ree NACE) that originated from a word describing the sun's rays. What a beautiful visual. Our pure minds are minds that should radiate out into the world like the rays of the sun because we truly are salt and light in this world in which we live. Peter continues to say he wants to "stimulate our wholesome thinking and refresh our memory". Paul wrote about the mind in Romans when he told us not to copy the behavior and customs of this world, but to let God transform us into new people by changing the way we think.

Someone once said that the biggest battles we will ever fight will take place between our ears. I believe this wholeheartedly. 2 Corinthians 10:6-6 address this. The Message relays it this way, " The world is unprincipled. It's dog-eat-dog out there! The world doesn't fight fair. But we don't live or fight our battles that way—never have and never will. The tools of our trade aren't for marketing or manipulation, but they are for demolishing that entire massively corrupt culture. We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ. Our tools are ready at hand for clearing the ground of every obstruction and building lives of obedience into maturity." If we allow ourselves to think like the world, we will soon embrace the things the world teaches, but if we allow ourselves to think as God thinks, we will be lights in a dark world.

When you assess what the world thinks and teaches against what the Truth of Scripture proclaims, you find some glaring differences.

The world teaches that truth is elastic, expanding and contracting from generation to generation and culture to culture. The world tells us that truth is something tailored to the individual. I found some shocking statistics about this:
• In 1997, 50% of Christians and 25% of non-Christians said that there are moral truths that are unchanging, and that truth is absolute, not relative to the circumstances.
• In 2000, 40% of individuals involved in a Christian disciplining process believed that there is no such thing as absolute moral truth. 1
• In January of 2000-, a Barna Research poll showed that 38% of adult Americans believe that absolute true exists.
In November of 2001-, another Barna poll showed that this had dropped almost in half -- to 22%.

Such a rapid change -- from 38% to 22% within 23 months -- is almost unheard of in the field of morality and religion. The most frightening statistic for me was that Barna drilled down to find out the beliefs about absolute truth in the Christian community. The poll revealed these figures for those in the church who believe in absolute truth:
15% of adults who are not born-again Christians.
32% of those who attend conservative Christian churches.
32% of adults who are born-again Christians.

These figures have to indicate that despite the fact that Bible teaches that truth comes from God, and that it is not something formulated by public opinion, either many in the community of faith do not believe what the Bible says or they are not reading and studying the Bible. That scares me.

The world also says that truth for you, might not be truth for me, after all, it's a matter for the individual to decide, it's all relative. The Barna group posed that question as well. They asked, "Do you believe that there are moral absolutes that are unchanging or that moral truth is relative to the circumstances ...?"

_The majority of Christian adults and three out of four Christian teens do not believe they can know absolute truth, these figures caused George Barna observe, "The church is in trouble."
___Almost two-thirds of adults (64 percent) said truth always is relative to the person and her or his situation. Only 22 percent of adults indicated they believe any truth is absolute. The others said they don't know.
___The balance is even more out of kilter among teenagers. Eighty-three percent said moral truth depends upon the circumstances, and only 6 percent claimed to believe in absolute truth.
___ Barna discovered that the move toward moral relativism follows a generational progression. Among adults age 36 and older, 60 percent said they believe truth is relative. That number climbed to 75 percent for adult's age 18 to 35, before jumping up to 83 percent for teens.
___While born-again Christians are more likely to believe in absolute moral truth than non-Christians, the numbers are not stellar.

Once again, it appears that we can only conclude one of two things; either many Christians do not believe the Word of God or many Christians are not reading the Word of God.

These statistics show that following the ways of the world will lead us into truthlessness, a selfish and bleak existence, an existence that bears no resemblance to the truth of God. Peter reminds us that we need to steer clear of such an existence. He wrote this letter to exhort us to develop pure reason. He wanted us to have a purity of thought that would develop into a right way to reason. One of the best methods to develop this right way to reason is to develop your Biblical worldview. If we process every situation, everything that is presented to us in light of creation, the fall, redemption and restoration, we will be stirring up our pure minds. We will know, understand, and believe the truth of the Word of God. We also need to continue to study God's word in groups like this. This means not just listening to what someone else thinks God's Word means but diving into Scripture, studying it and coming to your own understanding. Then you are prepared to listen to a lecture or a CD or DVD. I would caution you though, test everything you hear from everyone against the Word of God because that is the ONLY place where absolute truth is found.

 

Lecture # 6 - Major Lecture Points - The Dangers of False Teachers

In our study this week, we read about the dangers of false teachers, the characteristics of false teachers and the consequences of walking away from the truth.

Since we have discussed and thought through the concept of truth vs tradition, we are prepared to move into Peter's comments about false teachers. Funny, how so often when the discussion of false teachers comes up, there is immediate finger pointing at the doctrines of other churches. I am not saying that this may not be true in some cases. As a matter of fact, we learned this week in the first verse of our study that there are false teachers among us. What I am saying is that just as we looked at our beliefs about truth vs tradition we must dig deep into our identification of false teachers. Are we objecting to the twisting or abandonment of the truth of Scripture or are we objecting to the method in which the truth is delivered? Are we in fact objecting to the marketing when the message is correctly grounded in Scriptural truth and principles? It is important that before we label someone as heretical or a false teacher that we make this determination first.

In order to make the determination, we must first examine our hearts and then examine our text for this week because Peter clearly lays it out for us.

"But there were also false prophets in Israel, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will cleverly teach destructive heresies and even deny the Master who bought them. In this way, they will bring sudden destruction on themselves. "So, two glaring indicators of false teaching would be heretical and destructive teaching and denial of Jesus Christ. In other words, discernment of false teaching requires that we test what we hear and see with the Word of God, not the preferences and preconceived notions we hold. Not what we think people should do and say but what God and the truth of Scripture command us to do and say.

Peter tells us that false teachers will be smart and they will be able to argue their case cleverly. If you are not in the Word, if you do not understand who God is, if you haven't packed your own parachute, then you just might be swayed by the arguments of these false teachers. False teachers will also be clever in hiding their real agenda. This makes "false teacher" spotting all the more difficult. It is so much easier to pick out those who present an "out there" wacky theology. It is another matter to be able to discern lies when they are woven tightly around truth.

Someone once said that few people enter a cult or a false faith by studying the Bible alone. Some false teachers will give respect to the Bible but they will say that it cannot be fully trusted. They will state that books were lost or texts were altered. They then will offer other books that they claim are authoritative and that prove, they say, further revelation than what Scripture offers. Some will hold the Bible as the authority but will not draw the student into Biblical truths. Instead, they will direct them to doctrinal books of leaders. Such books will normally contain amounts of Biblical truth liberally sprinkled with the personal heresy of the leader. For those who do not study or know the Bible, they think they are reading and learning the truth. Some false teachers will actually re-write the Bible to make it fit with their heretical beliefs. This rewriting can be so subtle it is difficult to discern if you do not compare it side by side with Scripture. Paul spoke about this method in 2 Corinthians 4:2, "We reject all shameful deeds and underhanded methods. We don’t try to trick anyone or distort the word of God. We tell the truth before God, and all who are honest know this."

False teachers come in all shapes and sizes and they offer all sorts of heresy. They will look like us and some will come from within the body of believers. They are not going to walk up to us and say, "Hi, I'm a false teacher and I'm here to deceive you." They will be cunning and stealthy and they will insinuate themselves into a group unnoticed. Don't think that you will recognize them by their evil ways. They will often appear to be good people. When Peter says that they will be "denying the Lord who brought them", it appears that he is saying that these people will be those who profess belief in Jesus Christ, the Lord who brought them into salvation. That is a frightening thought. It means that people who are saved, or at least appear to be saved, are capable of bringing heresy into the body. Just because someone appears to be walking with the Lord does not mean that they cannot bring destructive heresies to the body. Often, the worst damage is done by a good person who teaches lies than a bad person. Those lies are accepted much easier because of the character of the person.

Peter warns us that many will follow the ways of the false teacher. Heresy can grow in popularity. False teaching can snowball. Look at the rush to embrace the Da Vinci code as some sort of doctrine rather than the novel it is. It is true that the devils work can increase but remember it can NEVER bear fruit. Be fruit pickers, look for the fruit in teaching.
 

Lecture # 5 - Major Lecture Points - Rabble Rousing for the Lord

It isn't just important that we understand these differences to make things more comfortable for ourselves. It is critical that we understand the differences so that we can more effectively bring Christ to those who stand outside the doors of our church buildings. And there are many standing there. A recent Gallup poll revealed that only 20% of the population of this country attends church regularly. Therefore, if we do the math, the other 80% are the ones standing outside our doors. Scripture is clear about what we are to do with that 80%. Numerous passages in the Bible refer to evangelizing. My favorite is Romans 10:14-15, " 14 But how can they call on Him to save them unless they believe in Him? And how can they believe in Him if they have never heard about Him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? 15 And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!”[

We cannot read these words and disassociate ourselves by thinking that these messengers are someone else. That these messengers are those people who are called to ministry or called to foreign lands, other people, not us. God meant every one of us is called. It's sort of like jury duty. No excuses are accepted anymore. You are called to serve and you serve. That service will and should look differently for all of us. I love what Paul said in 1 Corinthians, "19 Even though I am a free man with no master, I have become a slave to all people to bring many to Christ. 20 When I was with the Jews, I lived like a Jew to bring the Jews to Christ. When I was with those who follow the Jewish law, I too lived under that law. Even though I am not subject to the law, I did this so I could bring to Christ those who are under the law. 21 When I am with the Gentiles who do not follow the Jewish law,[a] I too live apart from that law so I can bring them to Christ. But I do not ignore the law of God; I obey the law of Christ. 22 When I am with those who are weak, I share their weakness, for I want to bring the weak to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some. 23 I do everything to spread the Good News and share in its blessings." In other words, we often have to change the marketing to reach others but we NEVER change the message.

There were many that felt Paul was some sort of rabble-rouser, definitely not a team player. There are many Pauls and Paulettes in our world today. In Los Angeles I met them with names such as surfers for Christ, ex gang members for Christ. I have read about women who live and minister to prostitutes, there are those who minister to people coming out of the gay and lesbian lifestyle. I know a man in our old church in California who evangelizes people in the movie and TV industry. There are many more out of the box ministries in this country and all over the world. I think it's a shame that as soon as we identify them, we want to slap a label on them, postmodern ministry, emergent church and then categorize them and often dismiss them. They may not be traditional but are they speaking the truth of the Gospel? Is it appropriate for us to judge, condemn, or trivialize what they are doing? Should we stop and wonder if they are our modern day Pauls and Paulettes?
 

Lecture # 4 - Major Lecture Points - The Tension Between Faith & Works

There has always been a tension with believers when the subject of faith and works comes up. I head it explained once as two sides of a pendulum. If the pendulum swings too far to either side, there is imbalance.

I have mentioned before that my husband and I are passionate about outreach and have been involved in leading Alpha and Starting Point groups. Over the years, I have found that there are certain topics and questions that will always come up, whether we were leading a group in Los Angeles or Sandpoint. One hot topic that always comes up is the one of the perceived inequity of God accepting the conversion of people in prison. Somehow, there is the feeling that God has cheapened His grace by allowing those people into heaven in light of how they have lived their lives. We know that God's grace is offered to those people because of Christ's words to the thief who hung on the cross beside Him. If the truth be told, we are all those people. Our sins might not have landed us in prison but they are sins that should bring us condemnation. The sacrifice of Christ on the Cross removed condemnation from all of us. God's grace covers us all but if we wait until the end of our life, if we wait until the depravity of what we have done lands us in a jail cell for the rest of our lives, we have missed the joy and eternal life that God offers those who follow Him here on earth.

God offers His grace and love to us wherever and whenever we ask Him into our hearts. It is a tragedy that some wait so long to ask that they miss much of the joy that God intended for their lives. It is also a tragedy when those who know Jesus Christ allow the enemy to deceive them into believing that their sins are unforgivable. The law of man says that we cannot be restored to a vital place with God. The law of man is about being committed to something. Walking with Jesus is being surrendered to someone. Jesus couldn't have made this concept more clear than when He said in John 11, " 25 …“I am the resurrection and the life.[a] Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. 26 Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die…"

Ladies, if you sit here this morning unsure about your salvation, take those words to heart. If you believe in Jesus Christ, you have received eternal life. You may have found yourself in a place where you couldn't see this truth but the truth of God doesn't become untruth just because we are deceived. God is truth, God is life and eternal life is available to everyone who names the name of Jesus Christ. PERIOD!

Faith without works is not eternal condemnation. Faith without works is a sad faith. It is a faith that does not project the truth of Jesus Christ to others. Faith without works is a faith that is one-dimensional and "me" oriented. Faith without works is a faith that is stripped down, a faith without all the goodies that serving the Lord provides. I don't mean "goodies" in the material sense. I'm talking about the thrill of building relationship with someone, telling them about what faith in Jesus Christ means and then being a part of their baptism at City Beach. I'm talking about being able to wrap your arms around someone and cry with them because you are a wounded healer, using the trials you have faced to comfort others and bring glory to God as you minister. I'm talking about doing a simple kindness for someone and responding to their question, "Why?" by saying "Because God has blessed me and I want to pass His blessings on to others."

Faith without works is a flimsy faith. I don't know about you but I want a faith that is buffed, strong and ready to take on whatever the world wants to throw at me. I want to be like the wise little pig in the nursery story. I want a faith that is built diligently from the bricks of prayer, knowledge of God's Word and His characteristics, self-control and godliness. I want a house of faith that will withstand whatever winds the enemy tries to blow at it. A house of faith that is big enough to offer shelter to others, a house of faith that offers love to all who enter. A house of faith that is so strong that no matter how hard the enemy huffs and puffs, it will never blow down.

My challenge for all of us this week is to begin to apply mortar to the bricks of our faith house. Peter has assured us that bad weather is coming. Let's make sure that we can remain safe and snug inside.


 

Lecture #3 - Major Lecture Points

• Spiritual Gifts; what are they and how can we find & use ours?
• Fiery Trials-why? How do we survive them?
• Women in the body of believers & humble leadership

One day Chicken Little was strolling through the woods when -- KERPLUNK -- an acorn fell on her head. "Oh my goodness!" said Chicken Little. "The sky is falling! I must go and tell the king." On her way to see the king, Chicken Little came across several other forest creatures. She convinced them to leave their daily tasks and come with her to see the king. After all, the sky was falling and there was no reason to go about the day's business during such a crisis. The little chicken and her newfound friends could focus on nothing but the inevitable crisis. This single mindedness set them up for potential disaster. Disaster came in the form of a clever fox who offered to show them a shortcut to the king's palace. At the moment the helpless crew was ready to step into the clever fox's trap, the King's hunting dogs arrived and chased the fox away. You see, the King had seen what was happening and he sent his dogs to dispatch the fox and save Chicken Little and her friends just in time. The King then presented Chicken Little with a beautiful red umbrella to keep her safe from any more falling acorns. From that day on, Chicken Little understood that there was no acorn that could penetrate her beautiful umbrella. She strolled through the forest, safe in the knowledge that she had the King's special protection.

If this story had existed during Peter's day, perhaps this is how he would have begun this week's Scripture passages, "But the end of all things is at hand; therefore don't be a Chicken Little, but open your red umbrella of prayer and keep yourself covered with it at all times." The truth is, whether Christ comes in our lifetimes or not, the end of all things is near for everyone as we are only temporary residents in this world. It is my passionate belief that God doesn't want us so focused on the minutia of when and where He will return that we fail to live our lives as shining examples of His love and grace. Paul exhorts us to "be watchful in our prayers… and… have fervent love for one another." Yes, we must let our hearts and minds be watchful and ready for the return of Jesus Christ. Yet we must also watch ourselves. How am I living today? If Jesus did return right now, would I be ashamed? Would I feel peace that I had done everything I could to live for Christ and show the world who He is through my actions?

Paul also tells us that we must connect to God in prayer and connect to other people in love. He refers to it as a "fervent" love. The word is Ektenēs (ek-ten-ace' ) in Greek. It describes intent and doing something without ceasing. This description of love is so contrary to the way the world defines it. The world wants us to believe that love is organic, spontaneous. The world mocks a love that is intentional because it believes that an intentional love is not a true love. The world thinks that love is all about romantic, spontaneous feeling and if that feeling dissipates, well then, it's time to move on. How many of you in this room have been married more than 10 years, have children or parents or friends? Would you say that your love for these people is completely spontaneous or is there some intentionality there? If we must be intentional in our love for Christ, wouldn't it make sense that intentionality would be required in our love for others? Love isn't something that happens to us, it is something created by us.

One of the ways we can express this intentional love for God and for others is to use the Spiritual Gifts we have been given. Dr. Paul Ford, the founder of Church Resource Ministries defines Spiritual Gifts as "supernatural abilities Christ has given believers to build the body of Christ." The Greek for the word "gift" in verse 10 of our study this week is charisma. In this context in the text, it means, "that which is given by God".

Scripture makes it clear that all followers of Jesus Christ are given spiritual gifts. There are many spiritual gift assessments you can do to help you define your gifting but understanding what gifting you have received from the Lord doesn't require testing and detective work. The task of discovering gifts sometimes paralyzes us to the point that we sit in our church pews, frozen and waiting for God to provide a divine revelation of our gifting and doing nothing to further the kingdom. Understanding what gifting you have received is not that complicated.

We can understand our gifting if we do some very simple things. Don't wait until God sends some divine revelation. Get out there and use your gifts. Be aware of what happens when you serve. Pinpoint the ministries in which you feel the most fulfilled, the ones where you appear to be the most effective and those in which your abilities are affirmed. These things are indicators of whether you are working in your gifting. Wrap everything you do in prayer. Seek God's direction. Do you feel God's leading in this ministry or are you doing this to please/help/impress someone else? Only God should be calling you to what you are doing.

There is nothing wrong with taking a spiritual gifts assessment test in order to put a name to your gifts but I cannot stress enough that USING them is more important than labeling them! There are many places other than 1 Peter that list spiritual gifts, we studied many of them in this week's lesson. Spiritual gifts may make use of your natural talents but natural talents are NOT spiritual gifts. A talent is the result of genetics and/or training, while a spiritual gift is the result of the power of the Holy Spirit. A talent can be possessed by anyone, Christian or non-Christian, while spiritual gifts are only possessed by Christians. While both talents and spiritual gifts should be used for God’s glory and to minister to others, spiritual gifts are focused on these tasks, while talents can be used entirely for non-spiritual purposes.


" As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God." Love is exhibited as we give to the church and the world, using the gifting God has bestowed upon us. When we use our gifts to help others, we are good stewards of the multi-faceted or manifold grace of God that Peter talks about in verse 10. If we are bad stewards of the manifold grace of God, if we do not exercise our gifts for the love of God and of others, it is as if that grace was given to us in vain. That grace is wasted, because it only comes to us, and doesn’t move through us. Think of yourself as a conduit. Through the utilization of your gifts, the amazing grace of God comes into you and sparks out into others.

Being a conduit isn't always safe. Peter talks about this when he exhorts us to endure when we suffer for Christ. It is so hard to accept the truth that as followers of Jesus Christ we can assume we will suffer. The difference between our suffering and that of the world is that we have joy and hope in the midst of it. When we suffer, Christ is glorified. When we suffer, we draw closer to God. In their book, "The Worn Out Woman" Dr. Steve Stephens and Alice Gray provide a wonderful acrostic for the word closer. In times of trial, we COME TO HIM for comfort and strength. It is often at these times that we finally give up trying to exert our own control and we LEAN ON HIM for the strength and guidance that we are incapable of providing for ourselves. The best way to understand what God is saying to you during fiery trials is to OPEN YOUR BIBLE and read His word. Once we have sought His will and His word, we must be prepared to SURRENDER OUR EXPECTATIONS in the matter. God will hear and God will respond but it will be in His time, in His way and on His terms. Think of Mary and Martha when they sent for Jesus to heal Lazarus. I have always wondered about the words in John 11, "Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was. Jesus loved Mary, Martha, and Lazarus and yet, He stayed two more days where he was. Why did he wait? Wouldn't you think that He would hurry as fast as he could to Lazarus' bedside? I received a revelation when I read what Jennifer Kennedy Dean of the Praying Life Foundation wrote about this event. Her theory is that He waited because He planned to more than Mary and Martha expected. He didn't rush to the bedside to confirm their faith; He waited so that He could stretch their faith. Mary and Martha's expectation was for healing for Lazarus. Never did it occur to them that Lazarus would be raised from the dead. How often has God done something in our lives that never would have occurred to us?

The next letter on the acrostic is E for ETERNALIZE YOUR THOUGHTS. God wants us to look at everything, the good and the bad, through His perspective. We can cling to the absolute truth that God is alive. He loves us. Even when life isn't fair, God is. He is merciful and one day He will return to make everything right. Finally, we must RELEASE EVERYTHING TO GOD.

Once we have handed our concerns to God, we must leave them with Him. Worry is not the same as concern. Worry is a continual rehashing of what has gone wrong in our lives or what might go wrong in our lives. Even worse, worry is telling God that we just don't trust Him to handle our stuff. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus clearly told us not to worry. He said it at least three times. We are commanded not to worry. Did you know that worry or anxiety is mentioned 25 times in the New Testament as something we should avoid? The opposite of worry is peace and peace is what God has for us. Perhaps one of the best things said about worry outside of Scripture was Corrie Ten Booms comment, "Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow; it empties today of its strength."

The last main theme of this week's study is leadership. Peter uses the analogy of shepherding the flock. In previous lessons as well as in this one we have looked at the characteristics of shepherds and of the ultimate Shepherd, Jesus Christ. Peter addresses the leaders of the church and admonishes them to care for the flock that has been entrusted to them by God. This is our mandate as well, whether we are leading a country, a corporation, a congregation or our children, faith in Jesus Christ calls us to servant leadership.

The very concept of servant leadership seems contradictory from the world's view but it makes perfect sense in God's economy. I love the example of strong female servant leadership we find in Judges with the story of Deborah. Deborah was a prominent woman The first three things we learn about Deborah is that she is a prophetess, a wife and a judge. In other words, Deborah was a woman trying to balance an extremely important career, an extremely important spiritual calling and the extremely important calling to be a wife and perhaps even a mother. The fact that Deborah was a Judge becomes more important when we remember that God only raised up Judges periodically and when He did, it was to quash the oppressors of His people and to lead the people as well. In other words, Deborah's job was not a cushy one. Sisera, the commander of the army of the king of Hazor had 900 iron chariots at his disposal. Israel had no iron technology at all. And this was the time that God chose to call the current leader of Israel, Deborah, to march against Sisera.

We know that Deborah had just about as much pressure as anyone could handle at work and yet, with one call from God, she accepted the challenge. When we remember that Deborah was a prophetess, it becomes clearer as to why she was so quick to take on this task for the Lord. Prophets, male and female, were chosen by God to relate His will to His people. Deborah put her duty to God and her relationship with God at the top of her priority list.

The fact that the text makes a point of mentioning Deborah's position as a wife encourages me. It is as if we are being told that career, ministry calling and marriage are all compatible, contrary to what we are often told.

The story of Deborah illustrates the equal in purpose but separate in function concept very well. When she heard from God, she immediately called for Barak, the military commander, to lead the army into battle. All previous judges of Israel had been men and they were all military leaders. The fact that Deborah was not does not diminish her accomplishments. I think it provides a wonderful blueprint for all Christian women. I have read the passage where Deborah talks to Barak in five or six translations and it is still not clear to me whether he received a direct command from the Lord or whether it came from God through Deborah to him. Deborah asks Barak, "Hath not the Lord commanded you…" the Hebrew translation of the word "commanded" means, "Hasn't God appointed, enjoined, commanded or sent a message to you?" We can't really tell if she is telling him that God has commanded him to do this or if she is saying, "Didn't you hear from God about this?" Either way, we learn a great lesson from Deborah. She didn't let her ego get in the way by thinking, "Wait a minute, I'm the judge, I get to lead this battle! What's God doing trying to bring some guy into this?" She recognized the wisdom of God's plan and she operated in the way that God had designed for her. She was equal in purpose but separate in function. She recognized the importance of Israel having a competent military leader and she placed herself in the background: the quality of a servant leader.

Deborah's confidence was rooted in her deep relationship with God. She made herself a servant to the Lord and despite stepping back to let Barak come forward, God blessed her and gave her a special place in history. We read about her today in Judges as a strong and amazing woman. She was self-confident and assertive yet modest and willing to serve God rather than exerting what some may have believed to be her rights.

So how are we doing in the leadership roles God has given us? Would someone say of us, "she is a leader, a wife, a mother and a woman who is willing to take a back seat if that is what furthers the kingdom."

We learned this week in chapter 5 that humility is expressed by submission. Are we submitted? Are we humble in our service to Him or do we fight for what we think we deserve? Do we eternalize our thoughts when it comes to leadership, understanding that it is not we who should have the glory but God? How are you doing in this area? Are you annoyed that your husband doesn't give you enough credit for what you do in the home? Do you believe that you have been slighted in the workplace because your ideas were not used? Did you put your heart and soul into something wonderful for ministry in your church and watch someone else get most of the credit? I think we could probably answer yes to one of those questions.

God isn't interested in our resumes, He is interested in our submission. He knows what we've done and if it was done to glorify Him, we already have our reward. Perhaps there are times when it is better that we don't get the credit for what we do because then our focus would be on us and not bringing glory to the God of the Universe.

We live in a world that tells women we must demand our rights. We must take charge and let everyone know we are capable. We must refuse to back down. This doesn't work in God's economy. The basic truth is that the created has no right to demand anything from the creator. The created has no need to demand anything from the Creator because the Creator loves us and cares about everything that happens to us. The words of Jesus in Matthew 6 are so appropriate here. I am reading from the Message: " If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don't you think he'll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I'm trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God's giving. People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met."

When we lead, it isn't we who should get the credit, it should be God. If we are truly humble in spirit and genuine in our desire to serve and glorify Him, He will do amazing things with us and through us as his conduits.

Catherine Booth suffered much physical pain during her teenage years. The problems of a spinal curvature required her to lie in bed for months at a time. During her months of forced confinement, Catherine read. She read the Bible and she read the works of great theologians such as Charles Finney and John Wesley. Although she had been raised in a religious home, she came to her own personal faith in Jesus Christ during those days. She also began to fell a sense of the ministry to which God was calling her.

Catherine felt strongly that women had an important place in God's plan. She married a young preacher who supported, rather than squashed her passion for ministry. She studied the Scriptures deeply in order to understand God's design for women. She wrote a book called "Female Ministry" based on these studies.

By the time she was the mother of six children, she was also the co-founder of one of the largest ministries in the world. She felt the pinch of ministry, work and family and once stated testily, ""I cannot give time to preparation unless I can afford to put my sewing out. It never seems to occur to anybody that I cannot do two things at once.". By the time she had eight children her husband became gravely ill and she found herself solely responsible for running the ministry.

Catherine was a multi-tasker for God but her tasks were assigned to her by the Lord and she gladly accepted them. It is because she was a servant leader that we do not see bright red buckets on Christmas with "William and Catherine Booth Ministries" printed on them. Those buckets that are manned each Christmas simply say, The Salvation Army. It doesn't matter if we know what Catherine did. What does matter is that she followed the passion God had given her and she served with humility and obedience.

If Peter were standing at this podium today, tailoring his message to us, a group of women from many different churches in Sandpoint, Idaho on February 6th, 2008, perhaps he would have summed up his teachings in 1st Peter this way:
For those of you women who are in leadership position in your church, remember that I too hold leadership in the body of Christ. As a fellow leader, I urge you to care for the flock God has entrusted to you. Work in your ministry with joy and willingness, not with whining and griping. Don't involve yourself in ministry for what you get out of it. Do it because your heart yearns to serve God, in any way that He calls you. Don't lord it over those you lead. You don't have to tell people how good or talented or capable you are. Show them by your actions, be a good example.

Ladies, be humble and submit yourselves to the power of God. The enemy would love to see you kicking and screaming and demanding your rights as women. If we know Christ, we know that through our submission, we have incredible freedom. We understand that God has created women equal in purpose but separate in function.
Hand over everything that creates stress in your lives and trust that the God of the Universe is big enough to handle it all, and even more. Never become complacent, thinking that you are safe in your little church bubble. Satan rules this world and he would love to rule your life too. He cannot rule you, or your life as long as you stand up to him. Remind him that "greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world." Say it a thousand times a day if you need to. You can never speak truth too often.
Understand that your faith is not a guarantee against suffering. We know right now how many of our brothers and sisters in Christ are suffering. Go to Him when you suffer and don't forget to seek the fellowship and prayers of other believers in your times of trial.
It is so amazing that God loves us so much that He has called us to share in his eternal glory through the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. When we suffer, the same God who gave His Son to die for our sins is watching and caring for us. He will restore, support and strengthen us. Soon we will find ourselves standing on His strong foundation once again. All power to the God who holds the world in his hands. May the peace of the Lord be with you until we meet here again next week.

 

Lesson # 2

Lecture #2 - Major Lecture Points
-In the world but not of the world
-Suffering: Why do we have it and when it happens, how do we deal with it?
-A woman's place in the Kingdom of God (and the dreaded "S" word"  

As we step out into the world as women who understand the true meaning of submission, as women who can face suffering with a new perspective, how do we serve the Lord and not become sucked into the ugliness and lies that the word provides? No doubt, you had some conversations about this in your small groups this morning.

 I see a change coming in the way the church reaches the world. The church has hidden behind its safe walls, loving and caring for the lost but only at safe distances. We opened our doors and invited anyone in who wanted to know more about the God we worshipped and we would even go a safe distance from those walls when we felt it was necessary but we really focused on what went on inside those walls, what was safe and comfortable.  

We live in a new world now. Many of the people who need the Lord don't realize that He is what they need. They have so many options to try to fill the void in their lives that they can easily test it all, they don't have to go looking for anything. False teaching and pagan ideas permeate every place we go and if you think that Sandpoint is an exception, think again. I cannot go to my gym without coming face to face, on a daily basis, with Indian and Buddhist philosophy and religion. I am not offered opportunities to tone my body and care for my health; I am being offered opportunities to believe in eastern philosophy. It is more PC in our town to embrace visiting Buddhist monks or Muslim teachings than it is to allow a Christ follower to speak or teach at any public gathering. We can circle the wagons and hunker down by the fire in each of our camps of faith but we are doing no good for the Lord and all we end up accomplishing is stinking from smoke.

 I believe we must all must wake up and realize that more and more people will NEVER visit our church to meet God. I'm not talking about someone being afraid to enter a beautiful traditional building with stained glass, I'm saying that an unadorned warehouse is often too "churchy" for many. How are we going to reach these people for Christ if we don't get out there, meet them, and show them through our lives that Jesus exists, that He is real and that He loves them?

 Now I'm going to say something shocking here so get ready-when we begin this type of ministry we may have to begin it without ever mentioning the word God or Jesus. I told you it would be shocking. Someone once said that people don't care how much we know until they know how much we care. We must earn the right to talk to people about the things of the Lord. That right is built on the foundation of relationship. The carnal side of my personality hates this idea. I don't want any more friends; I love the ones I have. I don't want to spend my precious time when I could be stamping, shopping, kayaking, watching movies or having fun with my real girlfriends, building relationships with people that I have nothing in common with. Newsflash, aside from the stamping, shopping, kayaking and girlfriends, that is exactly what Jesus did. He was God, He had very little in common with any of the people He encountered, yet He invested His time in them-and in us.

 I'll tell you a secret-God is really a kick in the pants. Whenever He calls us out of our comfort zone to step into the muck of the world and minister, He always brings excitement and joy with it. If we are truly grounded in the Word, if we really believe what Scripture tells us about sharing the Gospel, if we have a heart that wants to do whatever God calls us to do then we can do nothing BUT get out there and bring the Word of God to the lost world that exists on our very own streets.

In your lesson this week on Day 1, item B of the worldview questions, you were asked to discuss how a Christian's call into the world might lead to criticism and asked to give specific examples. I hope you took time to talk about some out of the box methods. I heard a great one recently. I ran into a friend one day while I was Christmas shopping. This woman has ministered and shared the Word of God in some areas and to some people that I would never have the nerve to approach. True to form, her joyful spirit cast a light around all of us who stood near her. During the course of the conversation she said, "Have I told you about my cigarette ministry?" Rather than being shocked, I was excited to hear what wild and wacky thing the Lord had her doing so I eagerly replied, "No, tell me about it."

She had spotted a world worn man one day, digging cigarette butts out of a snow bank near one of the local bars. As she tells it she felt the Lord telling her, go to the store and get two packs of cigarettes, the best menthol and non-menthol she could find. Then she was simply to wait for an opportunity. You see, she recognized that if she offered a cigarette and some time to that man and others like him, she would have an opportunity to share the Gospel with him that would otherwise have never come to her. I delight in hearing about people like this, but sadly, there who would judge her or worse, censure her for handing out cigarettes to destitute people. Jesus didn't think inside the box, why should we.

 If God is calling you to do something that some may consider wacky or out of the box, pray about it, ask God to give you confirmation or for Him to set up the divine appointment, then trust Him to be in control of whatever you are doing. If you are focused on the goal –bringing Christ to those who don't know Him, you will succeed. We can venture into the world and even stand in the middle of the ugliness if we are dressed in the armor of God. You might not be called to a cigarette ministry but there is so much you can do that might be out of your comfort zone. What have you done in your neighborhood to show the love of God? Is the only reason your neighbors know you attend church because you and your family load up the car and leave for an hour or so each Sunday? If you are a stay at home mom, could you invite the other women in your neighborhood for coffee or mom's break in the afternoon? Could you shovel the driveway for a neighbor, bring some cookies or warm drinks to the people working on the house down the street, offer to baby-sit for a young couple who are in desperate need of a night out? You may not have the chance to mention the word God at first but trust me, the subject will come up!

 Ladies, do you know how blessed we are? We know Jesus Christ, we have the confidence in eternal life, we have joy even in the middle of bad times, and we are so rich while so many women in our neighborhood, in our town, in our world are dripping in the worldly trappings of success and happiness but are empty inside. We cannot keep this marvelous knowledge and gift to ourselves, we must share it with everyone and anyone God puts in our lives. That often means living well for Christ and not spouting Bible verses.

 Let's pray that God wouild bring one woman in each of our lives this week, one woman that we can show a small kindness, one woman who we could share a word of hope with, one woman to whom we can demonstrate what a true woman of God looks and sounds like; a woman who is strong, compassionate, self confident and sure in the knowledge of Christ's saving grace.

 Someone once said that we have two choices, we can be fishers of men (or in our case, women) or we can be aquarium keepers. What's it going to be….are you going to put on your designer waders and cute vest and get our there or are you going to stay inside, watching the aquarium?

~©Anita Aurit 2008 from Lesson #2 -Hard Times and Holy Living, a study of 1 & 2 Peter

Lesson # 1
-The difference between grace and the law
-The difference between joy in Christ and happiness
-Eternal life now and in the future

Peter lovingly refers to the church as the elect, or as you learned in your lesson this week when you did your word study, the chosen or favored people of God. And so it is with this warmth and love, and the reminder of the great gifts of faith and eternal life we receive from the Father, that Peter begins to take us through the manual or "how to" of what it means to live in Christ.

He doesn't waste any time getting to the hard stuff. Peter begins in verse 6 to talk about the fact that we can have joy in the midst of trial. This is a hard passage for those who do not know Christ to understand as it often it is for those of us who do follow Him. The struggle with this passage stems from our lack of understanding of the difference between joy and happiness. Happiness is the reaction that results when positive outside stimuli connect with our feelings. If the world throws us a challenge, or if the outcome of a situation is not at all what we wanted, we find it difficult, if not downright impossible, to be happy. We can paste on a happy face but our emotional state doesn't really change. Joy, on the other hand, is the result of the inward working of the Spirit in us and it remains in our hearts, regardless of outside influence. Joy does not depend on feelings. In fact, it has nothing to do with feelings. Joy is a part of the gift of eternal life that we receive in the here and now as followers of Jesus Christ. You read many verses in your lesson this week that talked about maintaining joy. Joy is a seed that is planted in our hearts through the workings of the Spirit. If we suffer, if we experience outcomes that are not good, joy still blooms in our hearts because it needs nothing from the outside world to thrive, just as every plant in our garden does not disappear because of draught, rain or wind. We can maintain joy and help joy flourish with the living water of the Word of God but joy resides in us as followers of Jesus Christ. Happiness is only a visitor. It flits in and out of our hearts. Happiness is fickle and shallow. Joy remains, deeply rooted, despite what we experience. Some have described a joyful person as some who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.

It is important for me to say here that joy is not fastening our "church lady" mask and pretending that all is okay when we are in the middle of a mess. Joy lives side by side with honesty. Read the prayers of the Psalms and you will hear joy in action. There is fear, disappointment and hurt in many of the Psalms but there is always joy in the Lord and reverence for the God who loves us. One of the most powerful testimonies we can provide to the world is our honesty in the midst of sorrow and disappointments. It provides a glimpse into what it means to have Jesus Christ as our Savior. It helps the watching world understand what joy is. It demonstrates that the Christian life is not all lollipops and roses. When we stand before others, vulnerable, crushed yet still living with joy, they see the Spirit in us. They have a glimpse of God. We become living examples of Peter's words in verse 2:" God the Father knew you and chose you long ago and his Spirit has made you holy.” Because we are chosen by the Father, because we know Him and seek a relationship with Him, we have joy, " This is expressed in verse 8 of Chapter 1: You love Him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy."

In verses 3-9 Peter refers to our joy in Christ as being part of the hope we have for the future as well as part of blessing of following Christ in the here and now. I heard song years ago, that referred to someone being "so heavenly minded that they were no earthly good." Sadly, many live this way, existing under the bar that God has set for them because they do not understand that eternal life began for them the minute they accepted Christ. God wants us to live our faith out loud, to step forward as He calls us to new ministries and new experiences. He wants us to see His power NOW and in eternity. And as the fires of trials and tribulations refine us, as we hold fast to the joy of the Lord, we walk closer and closer to Him in every way.

As Peter finishes his rousing message about joy and the hope in living an eternal life he changes track in verse 13 and begins to instruct us about our call to live a holy life. The NLT says, "So think clearly and exercise self control". How often do we hear "but I didn't mean to do it" as a defense against less than holy living? Intention, just like emotions are not the wisest way to gauge excuse our actions. Again, Peter makes a heartfelt argument for why we should live holy lives when he says in verse 14 "Obey God because you are His children. Don't slip back into your old ways of doing evil; you didn't know any better then." During my paralegal studies, I learned that there is a universal concept that applies to courts all over this country-"ignorance of the law is no defense". Just because you haven't memorized all of Scripture or because you didn't read that particular passage, if you are a follower of Jesus Christ, you have the Holy Spirit in you and you know what things are important in God's economy. Things like life, marriage, reverence for the Lord, motherhood, fatherhood, truth and self-control, to name just a few. It is time for us as believers to stop trying to whitewash sin. When we try to make sin pretty or acceptable, when we attempt to be "PC" with the laws of God, we cripple the message of the Gospel. We need to be transparent about identifying sin in our lives, call it what it is, repent of it and move on in God's grace.

How do we live holy lives? We will get into many of the details in the coming weeks but the best place to start to answer that question is with Peter's words in chapter 2 verse 1, "So get rid of all malicious behavior and deceit. Don't just pretend to be good! Be done with hypocrisy and jealousy and backstabbing." That verse is the crux of why so many people are turned off by Christianity. It isn't God who offends them, it is our malicious behavior, our deceit, our hypocrisy, our jealousy and our back stabbing that make a very poor showing for Jesus Christ. In other words, people are holding the Gospel at arm's length because we have represented it so poorly in our own lives. I am not saying that we won't slip and fall into one or more of these behaviors. But when we do, our naming of Jesus Christ as our Savoir requires us to be accountable and transparent and to be more diligent about repentance and honesty than about hiding our flaws. There is no representation of Christ in our lives that is more compelling than our willingness to be transparent and honest when we stumble. I would add, immediately after we stumble and not after we have denied and hidden our failings. Honesty and repentance lose too much power when they come as a result of being found out.

~©Anita Aurit, 2008 from Lesson #1 -Hard Times and Holy Living, a study of 1 & 2 Peter
 

fore. It takes an understanding of Exodus to understand the title - The Lamb of God. I hope you have become very aware that the New Testament comes to life through an understanding of the Old Testament.

Remember – when we study the Old Testament it adds depth and richness to our understanding of the New Testament… a depth that can come no other way.


~©Terry Wood from Lesson 16 Lecture, Joyfully Free, A Journey Through Exodus

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