WEBVTT

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 The book of James and I want to stress really one of the emphases of James in verse 17.

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 So I read that verse as a kind of controlling text for the things I'll say in the next few minutes.

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 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variation or shadow due to change.

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 I read verse 18 as well, of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth that we should be a kind of first fruit of his creatures.

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 And in so doing, James draws the attention of his hearers here anyhow to God's goodness and God's greatest gift to humanity.

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 Or as it were, the reality that someone who is good usually manifests this by being generous.

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 We usually associate goodness with generosity.

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 And the reason why James is concerned to speak about God's goodness here is because, as you have noticed earlier in the book of James,

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 one of the main themes, in fact in the whole book and certainly has been stressed earlier in chapter 1,

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 is just the reality that Christians face in having trials in the world.

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 And James is helping these Christians to think through how to respond to trial.

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 And in many ways he has even mentioned that trials are things that God uses to make Christians better.

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 God in some way brings these trials their way.

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 And we have enough from the rest of scriptures to conclude that God expects believers to expect to go through trials.

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 And James is also conscious of how sometimes within trials believers face temptations.

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 That is, they might be tempted to unbelief or tempted to do that which is inconsistent with their faith.

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 And whilst James stresses that under no conditions, under no circumstances,

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 should Christians act in a way that is inconsistent with their faith.

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 Trials are difficult, but God gives the wisdom and the strength to go through them.

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 And God is using them to make you more like your savior.

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 And so don't sin against them.

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 There is no excuse for sinning against the Lord or doing that which is inconsistent with his law.

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 He realizes that one of the things that they might suggest or they might be facing this in their minds is,

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 well if God is God and wants us to do that which is good, if God wants us to be good Christians,

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 why does he allow trials to come when he knows trials often cause us to face temptations?

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 And we are tempted by these trials we go through.

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 Why does God even tempt us to do things that are wrong when he wants us to do right?

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 And James says, whoa, you begin to veer off there.

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 So you know, quite strongly he says in verse 16,

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 if you begin to think that God is the type of God that makes someone do evil,

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 or that wants someone to do evil, or that really ever does anything that is evil,

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 you're being deceived.

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 He says, don't be deceived.

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 You know, someone is getting the better of you.

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 Perhaps in James' mind, this is the kind of trick that Satan uses to turn people away from God.

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 When they start to think that God can do evil,

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 and when they begin to, when they fail then to realize how good God is.

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 So not only does James say to them, listen, God just doesn't make you do evil.

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 You know, God will, and God doesn't do evil.

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 He says quite emphatically and positively, he says, God does that which is good.

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 You know, every good gift and every perfect gift comes from God.

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 He can't be more kind of absolute in his affirmation.

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 You don't understand just how good God is, and how good God has been.

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 And this is preeminent and revealed in the way God gives gifts.

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 If he was evil, or if he had any bit of evil in him, then how come he gives so much?

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 And he kind of says, you know, everything you enjoy in this world,

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 every gift that people enjoy, really comes from the maker.

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 It's this kind of view that believers have of the living God,

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 this kind of view that the scriptures present about God,

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 that he's not just a God who sits back and folds his hands and allows the world to run its course.

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 When we enjoy the good gifts of a beautiful creation,

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 when you enjoy the wonderful gift of, some of you last night, you prepared for today.

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 You knew you were going to be here at ten past one.

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 You knew that you're going to leave here if the preacher finishes on time by 1.30, 1.40 or so.

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 And you head to work, and you had meetings, and some of you studied for meetings,

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 and some of you are hoping to seal a deal today or something.

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 You're hoping that something goes your way.

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 Some of you have promised to meet with friends later, or to meet with family later.

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 And we take these things for granted, but the Christian view is,

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 these come from a God who controls all these things,

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 and who just does these for people.

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 He does this to them.

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 And so the scriptures can say, for example,

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 that those who think of God should never forget how good God is.

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 Right? Psalm 103.

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 Don't forget God's benefits, how gracious God is.

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 God is a God of blessings.

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 And so really and truly, if people were thinking properly,

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 the scriptures would lead us in the direction of understanding,

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 we don't know how blessed we have been.

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 And that's why one of the greatest sins is to disregard our maker.

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 Because he is consistently, constantly blessing us.

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 And so James says, this is who God is.

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 This is what God is like.

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 And actually, one of the tricks of the devil perhaps,

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 and one of the sad deceptions that people go through,

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 is thinking that because, for example, there is trouble in our world,

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 and there is trouble,

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 and because sometimes we see agony,

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 and we see suffering,

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 and we see sometimes evil in ourselves,

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 we start to think, well,

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 the God who made this world can't be good.

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 You know, if there is a God,

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 and he made this world,

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 well, surely he isn't good,

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 because I know there is so much trouble in the world.

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 And James says, that's a huge deception,

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 because it stops people from really contemplating

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 truly what God is like,

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 when really God is good.

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 And this should make him all the more approachable.

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 And it should fill us all the more with a longing

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 to know who he is, and what he is like.

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 And what James actually has said already is,

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 if you're wondering what the reason for evil is,

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 if you're looking for where evil comes from,

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 don't worry about looking at God,

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 who's always given that which is good.

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 Look at ourselves.

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 Look at our world.

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 Look at what man has done with the good God has given him.

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 It's not so much that the creation is evil.

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 It's not that God has made things that are evil.

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 It's that men have done evil with the good that God has done.

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 It's that men have consistently, for example,

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 disregarded their maker,

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 and tried their best to usurp his authority,

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 or to ignore his law and principles,

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 which would have allowed them to live a fulfilled life.

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 One of the commandments of the Bible,

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 the fifth commandment,

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 when it addresses how,

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 one of the ten commandments,

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 sorry,

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 which is the fifth commandment,

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 when it addresses how parents are to be respected.

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 And I think Christians have always thought that,

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 even though that commandment is couched in,

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 kind of parental terms,

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 so the commandment literally says,

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 honor your father and mother,

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 so respect your parents.

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 That it really was,

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 it's really representative of a whole principle of living,

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 where God expects us to respect those who he places in authority over us.

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 So not just our children to respect their parents,

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 but employees to their employers,

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 and citizens to their government,

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 and so on and so forth.

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 That actually God,

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 God expects people to work in order and hierarchy.

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 And you know,

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 attached to that commandment is a promise,

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 that the scriptures say,

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 you know,

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 if children obey their parents,

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 and respect their parents,

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 they will live fulfilled lives,

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 they will have a prosperous life,

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 they will live long,

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 life will be full and rich.

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 And again,

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 you may apply that to just the all of life,

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 with the scripture saying,

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 you know,

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 if people respected authority properly,

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 there would usually be peace in a land,

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 and there will be prosperity.

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 I say that to say this,

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 what God has done,

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 is usually given us principles,

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 of how to live in the world he made.

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 What human beings have done,

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 by and large,

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 is ignore them.

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 And then expect to get on fine,

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 even though they've ignored,

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 the principles that a good God has given them to run by.

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 It's not so much that God is God,

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 is that we find that we are,

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 you may say evil,

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 or bad,

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 because we have just not done,

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 what God has said.

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 And James,

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 then presses on to this,

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 it's one thing to say someone is good,

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 because they give.

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 It's another thing to say someone is good,

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 because they give to those people,

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 who don't deserve,

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 what they receive from them.

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 You know,

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 it's one thing if I help out a friend,

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 and if I give to a family member,

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 it's another thing if I give to someone,

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 who I don't know,

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 who's a stranger to me.

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 But it's maybe even more so,

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 if I give to a stranger,

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 who has just done me wrong.

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 Right, you know,

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 if I help out the man,

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 who kind of robbed me last night.

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 You know,

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 that kind of thing.

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 You say,

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 he's really good.

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 And when James turns our attention,

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 to the gift that God gives,

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 which he calls,

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 the gift of a kind of a new birth.

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 God bringing us forth.

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 He's really saying about,

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 how God looks upon a world,

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 of men and women,

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 who by and large,

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 always disregard his law.

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 Who,

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 who,

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 who,

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 we still,

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 we still lie,

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 when he tells us not to lie.

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 We steal,

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 when he tells us not to steal.

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 We,

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 we basically,

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 ignore the maker of the heaven and earth.

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 We don't want to worship him.

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 We don't want to have anything to do with him.

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 Not so much because we're not convinced he's there,

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 but because we're convinced that if we,

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 convince ourselves,

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 or if we remind ourselves of the fact that he is there,

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 then we maybe just have to worship him,

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 and reckon with him.

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 And that's the one thing we don't want to do.

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 And James shows us that actually,

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 God keeps giving to those people.

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 And God is,

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 he keeps giving,

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 and he gives this particular gift,

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 of what we call the new birth in Christianity,

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 friends.

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 So,

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 so,

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 so,

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 so,

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 so what God does is,

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 he looks at men who are so far from him.

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 He looks at men who are so estranged from him.

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 And he reminds us,

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 that the greatest gift we can have in this life,

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 is the gift of knowing our God.

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 Of being reconciled to him.

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 The world will continue,

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 friends,

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 to be,

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 as it were,

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 in a bad state.

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 We will continue to have to reckon with the fact that there is so much sorrow in the world.

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 So much agony in the world.

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 So much so that we could become heavily pessimistic,

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 and without hope,

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 and kind of hopeless.

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 Because,

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 what is the meaning of life?

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 It's kind of vain.

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 Whatever I do,

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 whatever,

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 whatever I enjoy,

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 it still doesn't take away from the fact that people are suffering.

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 It still doesn't take away from the fact that,

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 for example,

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 we all have to one day leave this beautiful world,

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 and leave life,

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 and go to the grave.

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 And what is truly the meaning of life?

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 And James says,

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 the meaning of life is knowing the God who made us.

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 The big problem with human beings,

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 is that we've gone far from the God who made us.

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 What God does,

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 is show his goodness,

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 by giving us this gift,

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 of his son.

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 By really himself coming down,

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 looking at our situation,

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 and saying,

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 I'm concerned for falling humanity.

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 And then granting the gift to the world,

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 of men coming to know how to have fellowship with God.

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 And,

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 he gives us a new life.

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 Right?

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 If we trust in his son,

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 Jesus Christ.

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 He,

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 he,

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 he,

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 he,

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 he reconciles us to himself.

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 The gift of having our sins forgiven.

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 God gives us that.

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 You know,

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 he gives us,

00:11:25.779 --> 00:11:27.279
 he gives us the gift,

00:11:27.639 --> 00:11:28.180
 James says,

00:11:28.240 --> 00:11:29.580
 in accordance with the truth.

00:11:29.580 --> 00:11:29.920
 So,

00:11:30.060 --> 00:11:30.480
 how does God,

00:11:30.639 --> 00:11:32.159
 how does God give us these gifts?

00:11:32.159 --> 00:11:34.459
 How do we receive the gift of God's,

00:11:34.459 --> 00:11:36.079
 of God's goodness to men,

00:11:36.159 --> 00:11:37.219
 whereby we come to know him?

00:11:37.500 --> 00:11:38.779
 How does God give us himself?

00:11:39.279 --> 00:11:40.799
 By giving us the truth.

00:11:41.399 --> 00:11:41.579
 And,

00:11:41.639 --> 00:11:42.339
 it's a wonderful thing,

00:11:42.379 --> 00:11:43.659
 that God should meet with us that way.

00:11:43.879 --> 00:11:45.539
 In a way that all of us can relate to.

00:11:45.620 --> 00:11:45.759
 Right?

00:11:46.059 --> 00:11:46.379
 We,

00:11:46.379 --> 00:11:46.600
 we,

00:11:46.600 --> 00:11:46.799
 we,

00:11:46.799 --> 00:11:47.299
 we come here,

00:11:47.339 --> 00:11:48.159
 some of us on these,

00:11:48.240 --> 00:11:49.339
 for these meetings.

00:11:49.519 --> 00:11:49.759
 And,

00:11:49.860 --> 00:11:51.500
 this is how God gives himself to men.

00:11:51.879 --> 00:11:53.159
 Not in a way that's over complicated.

00:11:53.639 --> 00:11:55.600
 Not by asking them to do things they can't achieve.

00:11:55.899 --> 00:11:57.000
 Not by pilgrimages.

00:11:57.720 --> 00:11:59.000
 Not by washings,

00:11:59.000 --> 00:11:59.860
 that some of you might,

00:12:00.000 --> 00:12:00.299
 you know,

00:12:00.339 --> 00:12:01.120
 stare far from.

00:12:01.120 --> 00:12:02.240
 But by just,

00:12:02.960 --> 00:12:03.419
 using,

00:12:03.700 --> 00:12:04.120
 actually,

00:12:04.440 --> 00:12:04.700
 men,

00:12:05.980 --> 00:12:06.840
 humans like ourselves,

00:12:07.019 --> 00:12:08.519
 to explain the truth to us.

00:12:08.860 --> 00:12:10.779
 By giving us a book that contains his truth.

00:12:10.980 --> 00:12:12.500
 This is the almighty God,

00:12:12.600 --> 00:12:13.240
 full of power.

00:12:13.539 --> 00:12:14.600
 When we begin to think of him,

00:12:14.840 --> 00:12:16.440
 we really just can't comprehend him,

00:12:16.480 --> 00:12:18.399
 but he makes a way that we can know what he's like.

00:12:18.840 --> 00:12:19.620
 He tells us,

00:12:19.820 --> 00:12:20.340
 in the truth,

00:12:20.340 --> 00:12:21.379
 and I think the truth that,

00:12:21.379 --> 00:12:22.840
 that James has in mind,

00:12:22.899 --> 00:12:23.240
 when he says,

00:12:23.560 --> 00:12:23.899
 he brings,

00:12:24.019 --> 00:12:25.360
 he gives us new birth by,

00:12:25.519 --> 00:12:26.360
 the word of truth,

00:12:26.600 --> 00:12:27.879
 is the truth of the gospel.

00:12:28.659 --> 00:12:28.879
 You know,

00:12:28.879 --> 00:12:30.500
 and it's a message of hope.

00:12:30.720 --> 00:12:31.519
 It's God saying,

00:12:31.879 --> 00:12:34.159
 tell men and women who are so far from me,

00:12:34.480 --> 00:12:37.039
 that because of what Jesus Christ has done on the cross,

00:12:37.439 --> 00:12:38.759
 they can come near to me.

00:12:39.080 --> 00:12:40.480
 That in the work of Jesus,

00:12:40.840 --> 00:12:42.740
 sinners are drawn closer to God.

00:12:43.180 --> 00:12:45.259
 And when we speak about the work of Jesus,

00:12:45.340 --> 00:12:47.740
 it's just a reminder that God doesn't ask us to do anything,

00:12:48.080 --> 00:12:49.600
 to fix this broken relationship.

00:12:49.700 --> 00:12:50.720
 Not in and of our own selves.

00:12:51.220 --> 00:12:52.919
 Jesus Christ does all that needs to be done,

00:12:53.440 --> 00:12:54.919
 for this relationship to be fixed.

00:12:55.139 --> 00:12:55.659
 On our part,

00:12:55.720 --> 00:12:57.240
 we just come and receive his work.

00:12:57.639 --> 00:12:58.419
 We come and we say,

00:12:58.480 --> 00:12:58.620
 Lord,

00:12:58.680 --> 00:12:59.340
 we acknowledge,

00:12:59.480 --> 00:12:59.659
 God,

00:12:59.720 --> 00:13:00.240
 we acknowledge,

00:13:00.580 --> 00:13:01.799
 that we don't know our maker.

00:13:01.799 --> 00:13:04.240
 We acknowledge how far we are from you.

00:13:04.659 --> 00:13:06.680
 But we also acknowledge that you're a God who is good,

00:13:06.759 --> 00:13:08.220
 and who has kept on giving,

00:13:08.779 --> 00:13:10.899
 so much so that you've given your son to die for sinners.

00:13:10.899 --> 00:13:12.899
 And I would receive this gift.

00:13:13.039 --> 00:13:13.879
 I would have it.

00:13:14.279 --> 00:13:14.659
 And friends,

00:13:15.019 --> 00:13:15.659
 one thing I,

00:13:15.819 --> 00:13:17.399
 the thing that I would say to you all,

00:13:17.439 --> 00:13:18.220
 as you go back,

00:13:18.419 --> 00:13:18.620
 I know,

00:13:18.659 --> 00:13:19.179
 wherever you go back to,

00:13:19.199 --> 00:13:19.659
 you go back home,

00:13:19.740 --> 00:13:20.459
 you go back to work.

00:13:20.899 --> 00:13:22.959
 I hope you would contemplate this,

00:13:23.000 --> 00:13:24.919
 this greatest gift that God gives to the world.

00:13:25.279 --> 00:13:26.579
 The gift of knowing him.

00:13:27.079 --> 00:13:28.340
 The gift of knowing your maker.

00:13:28.759 --> 00:13:30.860
 And by putting your trust in him,

00:13:31.199 --> 00:13:32.519
 then being able to explain,

00:13:32.899 --> 00:13:33.459
 in a sense,

00:13:33.539 --> 00:13:35.759
 having an explanation for all the evil around you.

00:13:36.259 --> 00:13:38.699
 And it may come just down to this,

00:13:38.700 --> 00:13:40.980
 that although everything seems to be,

00:13:41.060 --> 00:13:42.980
 there seems to be a lot wrong in this world,

00:13:43.580 --> 00:13:45.040
 although there's things that make us cry,

00:13:45.160 --> 00:13:46.340
 there's things that disappoint us,

00:13:47.100 --> 00:13:48.320
 God is still in control.

00:13:48.960 --> 00:13:49.940
 And God is good.

00:13:50.520 --> 00:13:51.680
 And God hasn't forsaken,

00:13:52.180 --> 00:13:53.780
 God doesn't forsake us,

00:13:53.820 --> 00:13:55.520
 if we draw to him and his son Jesus Christ.

00:13:55.740 --> 00:13:56.780
 Just that alone,

00:13:56.940 --> 00:13:57.100
 friends,

00:13:57.160 --> 00:14:00.860
 knowing that I don't have to carry the guilt of my own sin.

00:14:01.500 --> 00:14:02.960
 But when I see a perishing world,

00:14:03.040 --> 00:14:05.720
 and I realize that I deserve to be perishing with the world,

00:14:05.720 --> 00:14:07.620
 because I'm a sinner just like the world.

00:14:08.040 --> 00:14:08.899
 But God speaks,

00:14:09.000 --> 00:14:09.879
 and God gives a gift,

00:14:09.980 --> 00:14:11.639
 and it's a gift of his son,

00:14:11.860 --> 00:14:12.980
 it's a gift then of hope,

00:14:13.340 --> 00:14:14.519
 that tells all of us,

00:14:14.600 --> 00:14:15.080
 men and women,

00:14:15.480 --> 00:14:16.620
 that we can all come to him,

00:14:16.680 --> 00:14:17.620
 we can all put our faith,

00:14:17.879 --> 00:14:19.340
 in the work of the Lord Jesus Christ,

00:14:19.500 --> 00:14:21.220
 and once again receive the gift,

00:14:21.460 --> 00:14:22.160
 of a good God.

00:14:22.240 --> 00:14:24.360
 The gift of knowing that we're God's children.

00:14:24.980 --> 00:14:25.160
 Amen.

00:14:26.240 --> 00:14:26.940
 Okay, let me,

00:14:27.220 --> 00:14:28.840
 I just close this with a word of prayer.

00:14:28.840 --> 00:14:28.960
 Amen.

00:14:28.960 --> 00:14:28.960


00:14:28.960 --> 00:14:28.960