WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.280 Good morning, CFC. Go ahead and take your copy of God's Word and open up to the book of James. 00:00:06.020 --> 00:00:11.500 Still in chapter 1, we'll be looking at verses 16 through 18 this morning. 00:00:18.500 --> 00:00:23.320 Now, this text for today picks up exactly where we left off last week. 00:00:23.320 --> 00:00:29.940 We saw that God tempts no one because he is inexperienced with evil. 00:00:30.420 --> 00:00:33.740 James makes that very clear in verses 13 through 15. 00:00:34.920 --> 00:00:41.019 And James alludes to the fact that God is holy, that he's without sin in those verses as well. 00:00:41.640 --> 00:00:44.900 But now he's going to talk about that other side of the coin, right? 00:00:44.939 --> 00:00:47.980 Last week we talked about that side of the coin that says God's not evil. 00:00:48.420 --> 00:00:51.760 Now we're going to see the side of the coin that says, but God is this. 00:00:51.759 --> 00:00:54.579 We're going to see who God is. 00:00:55.979 --> 00:01:01.780 And so James writes, again, in James 1, starting in verse 16, James writes, as a transition statement, 00:01:01.979 --> 00:01:05.560 Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. 00:01:06.939 --> 00:01:13.780 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, 00:01:13.819 --> 00:01:17.659 with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. 00:01:17.659 --> 00:01:28.519 Of his own will, he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. 00:01:30.719 --> 00:01:32.939 There's a book called Lone Survivor. 00:01:33.039 --> 00:01:37.400 It was made into a movie starring Mark Wahlberg, and I'm sure a lot of you are familiar with it. 00:01:37.400 --> 00:01:41.380 It's a true story of former Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell. 00:01:42.200 --> 00:01:47.260 And on a mission in Afghanistan, Marcus Luttrell was out with three of his closest friends, 00:01:47.700 --> 00:01:50.360 and they were all overwhelmed by hundreds of Taliban. 00:01:51.740 --> 00:01:53.140 His friends all died. 00:01:53.780 --> 00:01:59.120 A helicopter was sent in to save them full of other Navy SEALs, but they were also shot down, 00:01:59.200 --> 00:02:01.780 hence the title Lone Survivor. 00:02:01.840 --> 00:02:04.980 Marcus is the only one that made it out of this tragedy. 00:02:04.980 --> 00:02:07.620 And how did he survive? 00:02:07.799 --> 00:02:11.560 Well, after the firefight, he hid in the wilderness for some time. 00:02:11.659 --> 00:02:12.960 He was shot up. 00:02:13.120 --> 00:02:13.780 He was starving. 00:02:13.960 --> 00:02:14.599 He was thirsty. 00:02:14.759 --> 00:02:15.759 He had to crawl everywhere. 00:02:16.539 --> 00:02:17.840 They didn't have his gun anymore. 00:02:18.480 --> 00:02:22.960 You can imagine the fear, the panic, the feeling of helplessness. 00:02:24.140 --> 00:02:28.280 And eventually, he came across a local, an Afghani found him. 00:02:28.420 --> 00:02:31.800 And for those of you who know the movie, you can remember this scene. 00:02:31.900 --> 00:02:33.000 Marcus freaks out. 00:02:33.439 --> 00:02:34.659 He goes for his grenade. 00:02:34.659 --> 00:02:35.840 The only thing he's got left. 00:02:35.960 --> 00:02:37.180 And he's holding it, right? 00:02:37.219 --> 00:02:38.419 Speaking the universal language. 00:02:38.539 --> 00:02:39.799 Hey, you mess with me. 00:02:39.879 --> 00:02:41.639 I'll finish this both kind of thing, right? 00:02:41.819 --> 00:02:43.259 A serious moment. 00:02:44.000 --> 00:02:48.400 He's got this look of fear, confusion, anxiety, angst in his eye. 00:02:50.659 --> 00:02:53.439 And you can imagine why he's freaking out, right? 00:02:53.439 --> 00:02:55.139 He doesn't know this man. 00:02:55.199 --> 00:02:56.159 He doesn't know who he is. 00:02:56.219 --> 00:02:58.280 He's not sure if he's Taliban or not. 00:02:58.840 --> 00:03:00.680 He doesn't know if he can trust him. 00:03:00.680 --> 00:03:03.980 But the story goes on. 00:03:03.980 --> 00:03:07.900 And this particular Afghani ends up being one of the good guys, so to speak. 00:03:07.900 --> 00:03:09.280 He saves Marcus's life. 00:03:09.860 --> 00:03:14.340 And Marcus is able to trust him because he has to in order to survive. 00:03:14.340 --> 00:03:16.939 Now, why am I mentioning all this? 00:03:16.939 --> 00:03:19.520 What does this have to do with James? 00:03:19.520 --> 00:03:29.219 I want to suggest that we often react to God's working in our life like Marcus does with this local Afghani. 00:03:29.280 --> 00:03:31.140 We respond in defensiveness. 00:03:31.340 --> 00:03:32.540 We get angsty. 00:03:32.660 --> 00:03:33.580 We react. 00:03:33.820 --> 00:03:36.860 We don't know if we can trust God and what he's doing. 00:03:36.860 --> 00:03:41.360 Because oftentimes when he is at work in our life, it is very uncomfortable. 00:03:41.700 --> 00:03:42.580 It's very trying. 00:03:43.300 --> 00:03:46.500 He takes us places where we don't always want to go. 00:03:47.300 --> 00:03:48.320 And we get defensive. 00:03:50.300 --> 00:03:52.920 And so when he does this, we are tempted by our flesh. 00:03:53.000 --> 00:03:59.560 Our reaction is not to jump into the arms of the Lord, but to get defensive, to grab our grenades, so to speak. 00:04:00.340 --> 00:04:02.300 God, I don't want this trial, all right? 00:04:02.300 --> 00:04:05.160 Back off is kind of our posture. 00:04:05.159 --> 00:04:07.539 And why do we do that? 00:04:07.579 --> 00:04:12.300 It's because we do not trust God is who he says he is. 00:04:12.359 --> 00:04:17.399 We do not trust that the trials he allows us to have are for our good. 00:04:18.699 --> 00:04:28.579 And you can imagine if Marcus had known this local who helped him, if Marcus knew that he was good, that he was wanting to help Marcus, he wouldn't have gotten defensive. 00:04:28.719 --> 00:04:30.500 He would have jumped into his arms. 00:04:30.500 --> 00:04:34.500 Their encounter would have looked very different. 00:04:35.160 --> 00:04:37.600 And this leads me to the first point. 00:04:37.680 --> 00:04:38.540 This one's quick. 00:04:39.360 --> 00:04:43.520 But point number one, James does not want us to be deceived. 00:04:44.000 --> 00:04:47.080 So James does not want us to be deceived. 00:04:47.200 --> 00:04:48.580 What does he not want us to be deceived about? 00:04:48.660 --> 00:04:52.660 He does not want us to be deceived about who God is. 00:04:52.660 --> 00:04:57.360 Now, this verse could have been attached to last week's sermon. 00:04:57.480 --> 00:05:03.840 In fact, this whole sermon could have been one sermon with last week and be longer because it's all intimately connected. 00:05:04.580 --> 00:05:08.879 But this verse in particular, verse 16, as I said, it's a transitional verse. 00:05:08.940 --> 00:05:12.340 It ties last week's text with this week's text. 00:05:12.420 --> 00:05:14.540 This is the flipping of the coin, right? 00:05:14.580 --> 00:05:16.600 Now we're seeing the other side of the coin. 00:05:16.700 --> 00:05:19.400 God's not this, but he is this. 00:05:19.399 --> 00:05:25.699 So practically, this verse, verse 16, means that we should know who God is. 00:05:25.779 --> 00:05:30.759 We should study his word to discover himself as he has revealed himself. 00:05:32.419 --> 00:05:41.819 And then we would respond to God's trials so differently if we trusted him, not with the defensive postures, but with open arms begging to cling to him. 00:05:41.819 --> 00:05:52.719 The whole word of God convincingly, thoroughly, and unambiguously proves, demonstrates, and shows that God is good. 00:05:52.819 --> 00:05:55.159 We have every reason to trust him and turn to him. 00:05:56.500 --> 00:05:58.519 And the book of James is part of that witness. 00:05:58.740 --> 00:06:01.819 James gives us some specific reasons to trust God. 00:06:02.879 --> 00:06:08.699 According to James, verse 17, God is the giver of every good and perfect gift. 00:06:08.699 --> 00:06:10.180 And this is the second point. 00:06:11.060 --> 00:06:14.819 God is the giver of every good and perfect gift. 00:06:16.339 --> 00:06:19.319 So looking at the first half of verse 17, James writes, 00:06:20.259 --> 00:06:26.680 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights. 00:06:28.240 --> 00:06:33.599 Again, last week we saw that God does not tempt, but now James is telling us what he does do. 00:06:33.599 --> 00:06:37.899 He gives every good and perfect gift. 00:06:38.699 --> 00:06:42.139 They all come from above, verse 17, according to James. 00:06:42.259 --> 00:06:48.399 Meaning, if there is anything good in your life, anything that is perfect, it can only come from the Father. 00:06:50.000 --> 00:06:51.120 And that makes sense too. 00:06:51.839 --> 00:06:56.699 If we are sinners by nature and live in a fallen world like we established last week, 00:06:57.279 --> 00:07:03.279 then how could anything good or perfect come from us who are anything but good or perfect? 00:07:03.279 --> 00:07:11.239 So James is saying one of the proofs that God is without sin is that God gives good and perfect gifts. 00:07:11.779 --> 00:07:19.259 An evil being cannot give good and perfect gifts, nor can a bad being give, or excuse me, a good being give bad and imperfect gifts. 00:07:20.259 --> 00:07:22.559 And this is just as Jesus taught, right? 00:07:22.559 --> 00:07:24.759 A good tree can only bear good fruit. 00:07:24.879 --> 00:07:27.479 A bad tree can only bear bad fruit. 00:07:27.539 --> 00:07:28.419 That's Matthew 5. 00:07:28.420 --> 00:07:33.640 This also sounds similar to Jesus' other teachings in the Sermon on the Mount. 00:07:34.199 --> 00:07:39.379 And again, you'll recall me saying James' epistle and the Sermon on the Mount are very intertwined. 00:07:40.180 --> 00:07:43.720 But in Matthew 7, verses 9 through 11, Jesus says to his disciples, 00:07:43.720 --> 00:08:08.940 So Jesus is saying that God is so much better than any evil being. 00:08:09.040 --> 00:08:12.440 He's not saying that wicked and unrepentant men give good things. 00:08:12.439 --> 00:08:17.079 He's saying, hey, if even they give the appearance of giving good gifts, 00:08:17.180 --> 00:08:22.360 how much more so will your good heavenly Father give you good things himself? 00:08:22.480 --> 00:08:25.980 How much greater must he be as a gift giver? 00:08:27.220 --> 00:08:28.659 And he's so much greater. 00:08:30.659 --> 00:08:37.700 Now looking back at James, verse 17 is intimately connected to verse 4 as well from our first week of James. 00:08:37.700 --> 00:08:41.840 I talked about the importance of that Greek word that week, teleon, 00:08:41.940 --> 00:08:44.920 the Greek word for perfect or whole or complete. 00:08:45.780 --> 00:08:48.100 And this word is a big deal in the Sermon on the Mount. 00:08:48.360 --> 00:08:51.400 It's an even bigger deal in the epistle of James. 00:08:51.560 --> 00:08:53.700 It runs throughout the entire book. 00:08:54.520 --> 00:08:56.460 James says in chapter 1, verse 4, 00:08:56.460 --> 00:09:04.820 And let trials have their full effect in order that you may be perfect or teleon and whole, lacking in nothing. 00:09:05.820 --> 00:09:07.940 In our text today, verse 17, James says, 00:09:08.500 --> 00:09:13.879 Every good gift and every perfect teleon gift is from above. 00:09:13.980 --> 00:09:15.900 It's the same word again. 00:09:15.899 --> 00:09:19.459 And this forms a sort of inclusio, right? 00:09:19.480 --> 00:09:20.039 A bookend. 00:09:20.240 --> 00:09:26.720 So this is telling us, this is cuing us that our text today is wrapping up what was started in week one. 00:09:27.759 --> 00:09:30.039 James is tying it all together. 00:09:30.220 --> 00:09:37.100 This is all running from the same thought, the same vein that we saw in verse 1 through 4 in the first week. 00:09:37.100 --> 00:09:49.300 What James is saying then is that trials produce, excuse me, trials themselves are good because they are from God who is good. 00:09:49.899 --> 00:09:54.920 And these trials produce in us good, which is for our good. 00:09:55.940 --> 00:10:00.480 Okay, that's a pretty decent summary of James 1, 1 through 18. 00:10:00.480 --> 00:10:07.659 Our good, specifically in James' context, is our being made whole, our being made perfect, 00:10:07.800 --> 00:10:12.659 our progression toward that wholeness and perfection we have been talking about. 00:10:14.120 --> 00:10:20.120 And again, as a way of a reminder, wholeness captures the idea of total devotion to God. 00:10:20.200 --> 00:10:25.340 In the weeks to come, you'll see how James looks at wholeness primarily as obedience. 00:10:25.340 --> 00:10:34.320 The more we obey God, the more we are demonstrating that we are on the path to wholeness, the path to perfection. 00:10:36.120 --> 00:10:43.340 And James' main variable that he looks at to determine if a man is whole or perfect is not whether or not he is reformed, 00:10:44.280 --> 00:10:49.560 whether or not he homeschools his kids, or whether or not he has the right books on his shelf. 00:10:49.559 --> 00:10:55.319 James doesn't look at these, but in James 3, 2, we find out what James looks at. 00:10:55.419 --> 00:10:59.500 He looks at whether or not we control our tongues. 00:11:00.939 --> 00:11:01.759 James 3, 2 says, 00:11:02.239 --> 00:11:09.439 For we all stumble in many ways, and if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect, 00:11:09.579 --> 00:11:16.719 there's that word again, teleon, he is a perfect man, also able to bridle his whole body. 00:11:16.720 --> 00:11:22.180 So notice that if we control our tongue, we control our whole bodies. 00:11:22.279 --> 00:11:27.600 Our entire being is under control as evidenced by our tongue. 00:11:28.660 --> 00:11:30.779 And this is right along with Jesus' teachings. 00:11:30.940 --> 00:11:33.660 In Matthew 12, verse 34, Jesus says, 00:11:33.740 --> 00:11:37.740 For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. 00:11:39.080 --> 00:11:41.300 Our speech reveals our heart. 00:11:41.420 --> 00:11:45.399 Our very nature is shown in our speech. 00:11:46.720 --> 00:11:53.620 Again, James does not expect us, nor does he say that we can reach this perfection or wholeness in this life. 00:11:53.700 --> 00:11:55.060 He says in James 5, 16, 00:11:55.620 --> 00:11:59.080 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another. 00:11:59.899 --> 00:12:02.240 So obviously, he has room for sin. 00:12:02.300 --> 00:12:05.560 He's not saying this is something we attain here and now. 00:12:05.559 --> 00:12:13.259 But he is saying that we are constantly called to be striving after this state of wholeness and perfection. 00:12:14.259 --> 00:12:18.879 We are to obey God in this life and grow in that obedience. 00:12:18.879 --> 00:12:21.659 Now that all sounds good. 00:12:21.740 --> 00:12:22.519 God is good. 00:12:22.620 --> 00:12:24.279 He's the giver of good and perfect gifts. 00:12:24.460 --> 00:12:26.759 But what if he changes? 00:12:27.539 --> 00:12:29.399 What if God is having a bad day? 00:12:29.480 --> 00:12:30.659 He gets a little emotional. 00:12:31.220 --> 00:12:34.200 And he decides that he feels like sending us bad and evil gifts. 00:12:34.720 --> 00:12:36.939 Or if this were a business deal, you might be asking, 00:12:37.600 --> 00:12:41.960 What guarantees do I have that God will come through? 00:12:41.960 --> 00:12:45.400 And this takes us to point number three. 00:12:45.879 --> 00:12:48.139 Point number three, looking at the second half of verse 17. 00:12:48.620 --> 00:12:50.100 God is immutable. 00:12:50.500 --> 00:12:52.440 God is immutable. 00:12:52.940 --> 00:12:56.340 Which is just a fancy term for meaning he does not change. 00:12:57.480 --> 00:12:59.139 So second half of verse 17. 00:12:59.700 --> 00:13:00.379 James writes, 00:13:00.379 --> 00:13:03.759 So these good and perfect gifts coming down from the Father of lights, 00:13:03.940 --> 00:13:10.120 with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. 00:13:11.960 --> 00:13:13.920 He always is who he says he is. 00:13:14.040 --> 00:13:17.019 If he was good yesterday, then he will be good today, 00:13:17.019 --> 00:13:19.040 and he will be good tomorrow. 00:13:19.900 --> 00:13:25.379 Not one variation, not one change, even in the shadow that he casts. 00:13:26.040 --> 00:13:26.720 Think about that. 00:13:26.720 --> 00:13:31.680 No sun or anything causes even a shadow of change. 00:13:31.800 --> 00:13:34.560 Nothing can move him or cause him to be moved. 00:13:35.960 --> 00:13:38.980 And this is further vindication of God's holiness. 00:13:39.139 --> 00:13:40.240 We talked about that last week. 00:13:40.240 --> 00:13:44.799 He does not change, and that is such good news. 00:13:46.960 --> 00:13:50.560 And James' proof for God being without change is a packed illusion. 00:13:50.799 --> 00:13:54.279 So James refers to God as the Father of lights. 00:13:55.360 --> 00:13:57.419 And lights is plural in the Greek, 00:13:57.680 --> 00:13:59.980 and it should be in your ESV translations as well, 00:14:00.120 --> 00:14:02.180 though some make it singular. 00:14:02.179 --> 00:14:05.159 But this is important to note, 00:14:05.659 --> 00:14:07.879 because Father of light, singular, 00:14:08.120 --> 00:14:09.059 Father of light, 00:14:09.559 --> 00:14:12.559 carries the idea of God being the Father of truth, 00:14:12.739 --> 00:14:13.679 which he is, of course. 00:14:14.500 --> 00:14:16.459 But that is not James' point. 00:14:16.979 --> 00:14:20.879 James says specifically the Father of lights, plural. 00:14:22.019 --> 00:14:26.000 That word for lights is often referring to the stars in Greek literature. 00:14:26.000 --> 00:14:31.519 So James is getting at the idea that God is the Father of the stars. 00:14:32.559 --> 00:14:35.059 And the other important term here is Father. 00:14:36.399 --> 00:14:40.740 For Hebrews, and remember, James is writing to dispersed Jewish Christians, 00:14:40.940 --> 00:14:41.899 so Hebrew people. 00:14:42.860 --> 00:14:42.980 Right? 00:14:42.980 --> 00:14:45.019 So for these people, for Hebrew people, 00:14:45.580 --> 00:14:47.320 the name Father for God 00:14:47.320 --> 00:14:52.600 almost always carries the idea of God being the creator of the universe. 00:14:52.840 --> 00:14:54.360 He fathered everything. 00:14:55.539 --> 00:14:59.159 A quick example of this is Job chapter 38, verse 28, 00:14:59.379 --> 00:15:00.580 which says, 00:15:00.680 --> 00:15:02.139 Does the rain have a father? 00:15:02.639 --> 00:15:05.240 Who fathers the drops of dew? 00:15:05.240 --> 00:15:07.580 And the obvious answer is, 00:15:08.159 --> 00:15:10.480 God, the Father brings about the rain and the dew 00:15:10.480 --> 00:15:12.560 because he created it. 00:15:14.519 --> 00:15:17.940 And if it is not clear already that James is talking about God 00:15:17.940 --> 00:15:20.320 as the creator of the stars and planets, 00:15:20.740 --> 00:15:23.379 even the Greek words for variation and for shadow 00:15:23.379 --> 00:15:24.519 do to change 00:15:24.519 --> 00:15:28.320 are phrases that were used in Greek astrology. 00:15:28.480 --> 00:15:29.980 They use these words to describe 00:15:29.980 --> 00:15:34.960 the orderly and periodic movement of the stars and planets. 00:15:35.240 --> 00:15:40.659 So James' point is that we can look at how the stars and planets are moving. 00:15:41.379 --> 00:15:43.360 They go one place and then they go to another. 00:15:43.879 --> 00:15:45.379 Some are orderly, some are chaotic, 00:15:45.519 --> 00:15:48.799 but it is God who directs them all. 00:15:49.899 --> 00:15:52.720 In other words, James is saying that God does not change 00:15:52.720 --> 00:15:56.379 the way the stars and the planets do. 00:15:56.500 --> 00:15:59.539 And that was kind of a common thought in the Jewish world. 00:15:59.720 --> 00:16:02.100 Philo is a first century Jew, 00:16:02.600 --> 00:16:03.639 not a Christ follower, 00:16:03.639 --> 00:16:05.519 but a contemporary of Christ. 00:16:06.299 --> 00:16:09.699 He made the same point by contrasting God with creation. 00:16:09.860 --> 00:16:10.360 Philo said, 00:16:10.840 --> 00:16:14.600 every created thing must necessarily undergo change, 00:16:15.059 --> 00:16:16.220 for this is its property, 00:16:16.960 --> 00:16:20.740 even as unchangeableness is the property of God. 00:16:20.819 --> 00:16:21.860 So you see the contrast. 00:16:22.019 --> 00:16:22.879 Creation changes, 00:16:23.240 --> 00:16:25.580 but the creator does not change. 00:16:25.580 --> 00:16:29.780 Again, last week I asked you to do this. 00:16:29.840 --> 00:16:30.879 I'm going to do it again this week. 00:16:30.960 --> 00:16:34.800 Put yourself in the shoes of dispersed Jewish Christians 00:16:34.800 --> 00:16:36.840 that James is writing to. 00:16:38.240 --> 00:16:40.700 You have been driven from Jerusalem by Herod, 00:16:40.740 --> 00:16:41.980 which we saw in Acts 12. 00:16:42.800 --> 00:16:45.220 You face all the issues of displacement, 00:16:45.460 --> 00:16:46.200 no job, 00:16:46.420 --> 00:16:47.840 likely separated from friends 00:16:47.840 --> 00:16:49.139 and maybe even some family. 00:16:49.139 --> 00:16:51.139 poverty has struck you, 00:16:51.199 --> 00:16:53.139 which we're going to see more in the weeks to come of that. 00:16:54.179 --> 00:16:54.879 But in general, 00:16:55.059 --> 00:16:56.600 from an earthly vantage point, 00:16:56.720 --> 00:16:59.100 things are not going well for you. 00:17:00.220 --> 00:17:00.919 As a Jew, 00:17:00.980 --> 00:17:02.759 you grew up reading about the Exodus 00:17:02.759 --> 00:17:05.019 and how God would deliver his people from the dispersion, 00:17:05.740 --> 00:17:07.200 and yet here you are, 00:17:07.639 --> 00:17:10.200 dispersed throughout the nations. 00:17:10.200 --> 00:17:13.740 You'd probably be tempted to wonder, 00:17:13.940 --> 00:17:15.759 when did God change? 00:17:16.860 --> 00:17:17.860 But James says to you, 00:17:17.880 --> 00:17:21.400 God is without variation or shadow due to change. 00:17:21.480 --> 00:17:23.319 The huge implication being 00:17:23.319 --> 00:17:26.200 that God will keep his word, 00:17:26.660 --> 00:17:28.340 that God has not forgotten about you, 00:17:28.400 --> 00:17:30.779 that God will still gather his people 00:17:30.779 --> 00:17:32.779 to rule and reign in the new heaven 00:17:32.779 --> 00:17:34.120 and the new earth 00:17:34.120 --> 00:17:37.660 with our conquering Lord Jesus Christ. 00:17:37.660 --> 00:17:41.880 This is a message that God still loves you, 00:17:42.000 --> 00:17:43.140 God will still deliver you, 00:17:43.220 --> 00:17:45.540 and God will still uphold you. 00:17:46.900 --> 00:17:48.259 That was James' message 00:17:48.259 --> 00:17:50.380 for these dispersed Jewish Christians, 00:17:50.500 --> 00:17:51.540 and that message is one 00:17:51.540 --> 00:17:54.580 that we need to remind ourselves of today, 00:17:54.680 --> 00:17:57.380 a gospel message to cling to for sure. 00:17:59.400 --> 00:18:02.540 Now here's something that I think is truly remarkable. 00:18:02.740 --> 00:18:05.080 We are wrapping up James' opening section 00:18:05.080 --> 00:18:07.279 where he defends the holiness of God 00:18:07.279 --> 00:18:10.319 in light of temporary afflictions and temptations. 00:18:11.039 --> 00:18:13.319 We have seen that James has argued for this 00:18:13.319 --> 00:18:15.779 by citing the character of God, 00:18:16.299 --> 00:18:18.940 the comparison to the stars and the planets. 00:18:20.059 --> 00:18:21.160 And he has even demonstrated 00:18:21.160 --> 00:18:24.920 that sin comes from us and our sin nature. 00:18:26.299 --> 00:18:29.039 But now, this is the remarkable thing, 00:18:29.359 --> 00:18:31.160 James also uses us, 00:18:31.579 --> 00:18:32.680 we, the believers, 00:18:33.059 --> 00:18:34.180 in the midst of sojourning, 00:18:34.180 --> 00:18:38.640 as his final proof that God will come through. 00:18:39.640 --> 00:18:41.600 God will establish a new heaven 00:18:41.600 --> 00:18:43.120 and a new earth with his church, 00:18:43.279 --> 00:18:45.440 and the evidence for this is the fruit 00:18:45.440 --> 00:18:47.860 we are already bearing as believers 00:18:47.860 --> 00:18:51.140 whom God has indwelled with his Holy Spirit. 00:18:51.140 --> 00:18:54.759 So this takes us to the fourth point 00:18:54.759 --> 00:18:55.840 and the final, 00:18:55.980 --> 00:18:57.160 and we're going to spend the most time here, 00:18:57.240 --> 00:18:58.180 but the fourth point, 00:18:59.180 --> 00:19:01.440 we are the firstfruits of things to come. 00:19:02.480 --> 00:19:03.300 I'll repeat that, 00:19:03.360 --> 00:19:06.140 we are the firstfruits of things to come. 00:19:07.600 --> 00:19:09.240 So looking at verse 18, 00:19:09.740 --> 00:19:10.500 James writes, 00:19:10.500 --> 00:19:23.819 There's a handle on the mug that threw me off. 00:19:26.960 --> 00:19:27.759 All right. 00:19:28.759 --> 00:19:31.500 So notice that it's from God's own will 00:19:31.500 --> 00:19:33.940 that we are brought forth. 00:19:33.940 --> 00:19:36.600 A decisive statement that makes it plain 00:19:36.600 --> 00:19:38.580 that God is for our good. 00:19:38.680 --> 00:19:41.000 He has given us new life. 00:19:42.100 --> 00:19:42.440 In fact, 00:19:42.900 --> 00:19:44.259 the phrase brought us forth 00:19:44.259 --> 00:19:45.740 could be translated as 00:19:45.740 --> 00:19:47.200 he gave birth. 00:19:48.240 --> 00:19:51.019 So it seems like James intends the contrast 00:19:51.019 --> 00:19:53.039 with verse 15 from last week. 00:19:53.140 --> 00:19:54.080 So if you recall, 00:19:54.160 --> 00:19:56.500 a sinful man gives birth to sin, 00:19:56.539 --> 00:19:57.720 which produces death. 00:19:58.480 --> 00:19:59.680 But here in verse 18, 00:19:59.740 --> 00:20:00.660 what does God give birth to? 00:20:00.700 --> 00:20:02.059 He gives birth to life. 00:20:02.059 --> 00:20:06.039 And God does this through the word of truth, 00:20:06.099 --> 00:20:08.399 meaning the gospel that is the scriptures, 00:20:08.659 --> 00:20:09.240 all of it. 00:20:10.639 --> 00:20:11.659 Paul affirms this. 00:20:11.759 --> 00:20:13.159 Romans 10, 17, he writes, 00:20:13.259 --> 00:20:14.720 So faith comes from hearing 00:20:14.720 --> 00:20:18.819 and hearing from the word of Christ. 00:20:20.720 --> 00:20:23.519 So we are reborn, as James reminds us. 00:20:23.599 --> 00:20:25.700 No longer are we dead men walking 00:20:25.700 --> 00:20:26.799 who give birth to sin, 00:20:26.859 --> 00:20:28.579 which results in eternal life 00:20:28.579 --> 00:20:29.679 or eternal death. 00:20:29.680 --> 00:20:32.080 Rather, the gospel, 00:20:32.200 --> 00:20:33.420 and a quick summary, by the way, 00:20:33.660 --> 00:20:35.759 so we fell in the garden into sin 00:20:35.759 --> 00:20:37.799 and deserve eternal torment and death 00:20:37.799 --> 00:20:40.740 because we disobeyed our creator, God. 00:20:41.380 --> 00:20:42.900 But God, being rich in mercy, 00:20:43.039 --> 00:20:45.080 has made a way for our sin to be paid 00:20:45.080 --> 00:20:46.620 by sending his son, Jesus, 00:20:47.140 --> 00:20:48.740 to bear the wrath that we deserve. 00:20:49.620 --> 00:20:50.600 And Christ is now risen, 00:20:50.840 --> 00:20:51.200 ascended, 00:20:51.380 --> 00:20:52.940 seated at the right hand of God, 00:20:53.120 --> 00:20:53.640 the Father, 00:20:53.640 --> 00:20:55.660 and God the Son will return 00:20:55.660 --> 00:20:58.120 to subjugate all things to himself 00:20:58.120 --> 00:21:00.180 as he creates the new heaven 00:21:00.180 --> 00:21:01.680 and the new earth. 00:21:03.300 --> 00:21:05.420 So this gospel, which I just summarized, 00:21:05.460 --> 00:21:08.120 is already going forth in this world. 00:21:08.200 --> 00:21:09.500 It is by this gospel 00:21:09.500 --> 00:21:12.100 that we are brought into new life. 00:21:12.160 --> 00:21:13.140 It is by this gospel 00:21:13.140 --> 00:21:15.440 that God is already beginning 00:21:15.440 --> 00:21:17.640 to make things anew, 00:21:18.300 --> 00:21:20.780 the already but not yet. 00:21:20.779 --> 00:21:24.680 Or as James so concisely puts it, 00:21:24.740 --> 00:21:27.240 we are the firstfruits in verse 18. 00:21:29.259 --> 00:21:31.359 Now, secular pagans use this term, 00:21:31.539 --> 00:21:32.240 firstfruits, 00:21:32.399 --> 00:21:32.920 aparche, 00:21:32.980 --> 00:21:34.079 as a word to describe 00:21:34.079 --> 00:21:35.420 either the best offering 00:21:35.420 --> 00:21:36.879 they had of their crops, 00:21:37.440 --> 00:21:38.420 or in other cases, 00:21:38.539 --> 00:21:39.579 they use this word to describe 00:21:39.579 --> 00:21:40.960 the best people they had 00:21:40.960 --> 00:21:42.799 to enslave to the service 00:21:42.799 --> 00:21:44.160 of a deity or an idol. 00:21:45.480 --> 00:21:46.899 In the New Testament, however, 00:21:47.279 --> 00:21:49.019 this word is almost always used 00:21:49.019 --> 00:21:50.819 as a name for Christians. 00:21:51.599 --> 00:21:53.400 You and I who are in Christ, 00:21:53.539 --> 00:21:54.839 we are firstfruits. 00:21:55.879 --> 00:21:57.379 And this is not shocking 00:21:57.379 --> 00:21:59.720 because like a temple slave, 00:21:59.799 --> 00:22:00.980 a secular temple slave 00:22:00.980 --> 00:22:02.200 who is committed to worshiping 00:22:02.200 --> 00:22:03.680 a false deity, 00:22:04.200 --> 00:22:05.460 we are called to love 00:22:05.460 --> 00:22:06.599 the one true God 00:22:06.599 --> 00:22:08.200 with our wholeness 00:22:08.200 --> 00:22:09.920 as slaves or as firstfruits. 00:22:10.139 --> 00:22:11.960 These words were often used 00:22:11.960 --> 00:22:12.859 interchangeably, 00:22:12.980 --> 00:22:13.680 both in the Bible 00:22:13.680 --> 00:22:15.400 and in secular writings. 00:22:16.480 --> 00:22:17.240 And again, you'll recall 00:22:17.240 --> 00:22:17.940 from week one, 00:22:18.460 --> 00:22:19.640 James refers to himself 00:22:19.640 --> 00:22:21.740 as a slave of God 00:22:21.740 --> 00:22:22.519 in verse one. 00:22:23.900 --> 00:22:25.559 But the point here is this, 00:22:26.339 --> 00:22:28.480 our salvation is a picture 00:22:28.480 --> 00:22:29.779 and an assurance 00:22:29.779 --> 00:22:31.440 of good things to come 00:22:31.440 --> 00:22:33.000 from our Father. 00:22:34.660 --> 00:22:36.039 It is amazing 00:22:36.039 --> 00:22:37.539 that we were dead sinners 00:22:37.539 --> 00:22:39.359 who rebelled against God, 00:22:39.440 --> 00:22:40.220 but now we claim 00:22:40.220 --> 00:22:41.779 to love Him and serve Him. 00:22:42.720 --> 00:22:43.720 That's unbelievable. 00:22:43.720 --> 00:22:46.480 And maybe you have forgotten 00:22:46.480 --> 00:22:47.740 just how bad we were 00:22:47.740 --> 00:22:48.460 before Christ, 00:22:48.620 --> 00:22:49.819 but Paul's description 00:22:49.819 --> 00:22:51.120 doesn't hold any punches. 00:22:51.360 --> 00:22:52.960 In Ephesians chapter 2, 00:22:53.000 --> 00:22:53.920 verses 1 through 3, 00:22:54.000 --> 00:22:54.519 he writes, 00:22:55.819 --> 00:22:56.559 and you were, 00:22:56.660 --> 00:22:57.640 so past tense, 00:22:57.720 --> 00:22:58.480 referring to the church 00:22:58.480 --> 00:22:59.519 prior to Christ, 00:23:00.200 --> 00:23:01.640 so you were dead 00:23:01.640 --> 00:23:03.519 in the trespasses and sins 00:23:03.519 --> 00:23:05.240 in which you once walked, 00:23:06.420 --> 00:23:07.400 following the course 00:23:07.400 --> 00:23:08.120 of this world, 00:23:08.279 --> 00:23:09.140 following the prince 00:23:09.140 --> 00:23:10.559 of the power of the air, 00:23:10.660 --> 00:23:12.440 meaning we followed Satan. 00:23:12.440 --> 00:23:14.240 The spirit, 00:23:14.340 --> 00:23:14.779 so Satan, 00:23:14.880 --> 00:23:16.519 the spirit that is now at work 00:23:16.519 --> 00:23:18.580 in the sons of disobedience, 00:23:19.539 --> 00:23:21.779 among whom we all once lived 00:23:21.779 --> 00:23:23.720 in the passions of our flesh, 00:23:24.100 --> 00:23:25.100 carrying out the desires 00:23:25.100 --> 00:23:26.759 of the body and the mind, 00:23:27.559 --> 00:23:28.480 and were by nature 00:23:28.480 --> 00:23:29.420 children of wrath 00:23:29.420 --> 00:23:30.640 like the rest of mankind. 00:23:31.640 --> 00:23:32.940 So using that wholeness language 00:23:32.940 --> 00:23:33.680 before Christ, 00:23:33.759 --> 00:23:34.960 we were wholly committed 00:23:34.960 --> 00:23:36.600 to sin, death, 00:23:37.160 --> 00:23:38.080 and wickedness 00:23:38.080 --> 00:23:40.320 by nature children of wrath. 00:23:40.319 --> 00:23:42.460 So how on earth 00:23:42.460 --> 00:23:44.099 did God change us? 00:23:44.159 --> 00:23:44.879 How on earth 00:23:44.879 --> 00:23:47.839 do we now love him? 00:23:50.240 --> 00:23:51.240 And we love him 00:23:51.240 --> 00:23:54.039 because he first loved us. 00:23:54.899 --> 00:23:55.960 God foretold 00:23:55.960 --> 00:23:56.980 how he would change us. 00:23:57.079 --> 00:23:58.000 The prophet Jeremiah 00:23:58.000 --> 00:23:59.819 records the word of the Lord. 00:24:00.139 --> 00:24:01.659 Jeremiah 32, verse 40, 00:24:01.740 --> 00:24:02.639 God says, 00:24:02.640 --> 00:24:04.440 I will make with them 00:24:04.440 --> 00:24:06.320 an everlasting covenant 00:24:06.320 --> 00:24:08.259 that it will not turn away 00:24:08.259 --> 00:24:09.900 from doing good to them. 00:24:10.400 --> 00:24:12.060 And I will put the fear of me 00:24:12.060 --> 00:24:12.740 in their hearts 00:24:12.740 --> 00:24:15.000 that they may not turn from me. 00:24:15.640 --> 00:24:16.280 So notice that. 00:24:16.380 --> 00:24:17.640 It will not cease 00:24:17.640 --> 00:24:19.000 from doing good to us, 00:24:19.080 --> 00:24:19.600 the church, 00:24:19.740 --> 00:24:22.100 us who are in the everlasting covenant, 00:24:22.200 --> 00:24:22.900 the new covenant. 00:24:23.560 --> 00:24:25.340 He has put the fear of himself 00:24:25.340 --> 00:24:26.540 in us 00:24:26.540 --> 00:24:27.660 so that we do not 00:24:27.660 --> 00:24:29.000 turn from him, 00:24:29.620 --> 00:24:30.480 but that we remain, 00:24:30.480 --> 00:24:31.299 that we persevere, 00:24:31.400 --> 00:24:32.759 that we remain faithful. 00:24:34.440 --> 00:24:35.920 So we know with confidence 00:24:35.920 --> 00:24:37.339 that God will bring about 00:24:37.339 --> 00:24:38.640 this new heaven 00:24:38.640 --> 00:24:39.420 and new earth 00:24:39.420 --> 00:24:41.120 with all the church ransomed 00:24:41.120 --> 00:24:43.400 because God does not change, 00:24:43.480 --> 00:24:44.960 because God is good, 00:24:45.039 --> 00:24:47.200 because God is the creator 00:24:47.200 --> 00:24:49.140 and rules everything. 00:24:50.640 --> 00:24:52.680 And because God has changed 00:24:52.680 --> 00:24:54.079 our nature. 00:24:54.960 --> 00:24:56.440 This is a down payment 00:24:56.440 --> 00:24:57.519 on things to come, 00:24:57.599 --> 00:24:58.000 so to speak, 00:24:58.039 --> 00:24:58.680 a down payment 00:24:58.680 --> 00:25:00.160 that we witness 00:25:00.160 --> 00:25:01.620 with every step 00:25:01.620 --> 00:25:02.640 of sanctification 00:25:02.640 --> 00:25:04.539 in this life. 00:25:05.240 --> 00:25:06.720 So here's the big sentence here, 00:25:06.759 --> 00:25:06.900 right? 00:25:06.940 --> 00:25:08.240 Here's the thing to walk away with 00:25:08.240 --> 00:25:09.060 from this point. 00:25:09.660 --> 00:25:10.920 Our very obedience 00:25:10.920 --> 00:25:13.779 is a reminder to ourselves, 00:25:13.880 --> 00:25:14.820 to the church, 00:25:15.140 --> 00:25:16.200 and to the world 00:25:16.200 --> 00:25:18.080 of God's character, 00:25:18.620 --> 00:25:19.279 his purposes, 00:25:19.920 --> 00:25:20.820 and his sovereignty. 00:25:21.380 --> 00:25:22.580 You cannot account 00:25:22.580 --> 00:25:23.980 for our obedience 00:25:23.980 --> 00:25:25.299 unless you account 00:25:25.299 --> 00:25:26.519 for God 00:25:26.519 --> 00:25:27.360 and his word 00:25:27.359 --> 00:25:28.279 and his promises. 00:25:29.799 --> 00:25:31.079 Every time we obey, 00:25:31.199 --> 00:25:32.839 we are being a witness 00:25:32.839 --> 00:25:33.919 to the truthfulness 00:25:33.919 --> 00:25:35.619 of his word, 00:25:35.779 --> 00:25:37.879 a witness to the fact 00:25:37.879 --> 00:25:39.319 that Christ will return 00:25:39.319 --> 00:25:41.259 to judge the earth, 00:25:42.079 --> 00:25:43.459 to separate the goats 00:25:43.459 --> 00:25:44.240 from the sheep. 00:25:45.979 --> 00:25:48.399 To James' Jewish Christian audience, 00:25:49.240 --> 00:25:50.179 he's saying this, 00:25:50.219 --> 00:25:50.519 he's saying, 00:25:50.619 --> 00:25:50.740 hey, 00:25:50.740 --> 00:25:52.380 even in the midst 00:25:52.380 --> 00:25:53.339 of your trials 00:25:53.339 --> 00:25:54.460 and temptations, 00:25:54.819 --> 00:25:56.660 you can honor God 00:25:56.660 --> 00:25:58.140 by obeying him, 00:25:58.220 --> 00:25:59.240 and this is a reminder 00:25:59.240 --> 00:25:59.779 to you 00:25:59.779 --> 00:26:01.700 of his promises. 00:26:02.700 --> 00:26:03.759 He promised 00:26:03.759 --> 00:26:04.420 to continually 00:26:04.420 --> 00:26:05.420 sanctify you 00:26:05.420 --> 00:26:06.519 which you have 00:26:06.519 --> 00:26:07.039 witnessed. 00:26:08.180 --> 00:26:08.740 Therefore, 00:26:08.859 --> 00:26:09.579 you can trust 00:26:09.579 --> 00:26:10.480 that he is still 00:26:10.480 --> 00:26:11.259 in control 00:26:11.259 --> 00:26:12.440 and he will come 00:26:12.440 --> 00:26:13.319 through on all 00:26:13.319 --> 00:26:14.319 of his other 00:26:14.319 --> 00:26:15.680 promises. 00:26:15.680 --> 00:26:15.920 promises. 00:26:16.640 --> 00:26:17.799 You won't be 00:26:17.799 --> 00:26:18.539 strangers 00:26:18.539 --> 00:26:19.700 and sojourners 00:26:19.700 --> 00:26:21.000 forever. 00:26:22.799 --> 00:26:23.700 James is saying, 00:26:23.799 --> 00:26:24.360 take heart 00:26:24.360 --> 00:26:25.320 and know 00:26:25.320 --> 00:26:26.440 that he is 00:26:26.440 --> 00:26:27.700 God. 00:26:28.940 --> 00:26:29.740 Let us be 00:26:29.740 --> 00:26:30.680 encouraged 00:26:30.680 --> 00:26:31.560 by this truth. 00:26:33.060 --> 00:26:33.580 And in closing, 00:26:33.660 --> 00:26:34.259 I want to offer 00:26:34.259 --> 00:26:35.640 just a few applications 00:26:35.640 --> 00:26:36.680 in light of these truths 00:26:36.680 --> 00:26:37.240 we have heard 00:26:37.240 --> 00:26:37.880 this morning. 00:26:39.160 --> 00:26:40.460 Application number one, 00:26:41.720 --> 00:26:42.340 cast all 00:26:42.339 --> 00:26:43.220 of your anxieties 00:26:43.220 --> 00:26:44.179 and cares 00:26:44.179 --> 00:26:45.859 upon the Lord. 00:26:47.119 --> 00:26:48.079 We do not need 00:26:48.079 --> 00:26:48.939 to get defensive 00:26:48.939 --> 00:26:49.839 when we encounter 00:26:49.839 --> 00:26:50.839 God through his word, 00:26:51.319 --> 00:26:51.619 prayer, 00:26:51.759 --> 00:26:52.220 the church, 00:26:52.379 --> 00:26:53.259 or our conscience. 00:26:54.159 --> 00:26:54.819 We know that 00:26:54.819 --> 00:26:56.359 when he's convicting us 00:26:56.359 --> 00:26:57.699 or when he's 00:26:57.699 --> 00:26:59.779 punishing us 00:26:59.779 --> 00:27:00.500 for our sin here 00:27:00.500 --> 00:27:00.799 and now, 00:27:00.879 --> 00:27:02.099 it's for our good. 00:27:02.179 --> 00:27:03.339 It's meant to bring us 00:27:03.339 --> 00:27:05.240 into right relationship 00:27:05.240 --> 00:27:05.619 with him 00:27:05.619 --> 00:27:07.399 and to right living. 00:27:08.819 --> 00:27:10.119 People should be defensive 00:27:10.119 --> 00:27:11.519 when strangers 00:27:11.519 --> 00:27:12.440 approach them 00:27:12.440 --> 00:27:13.960 in a questionable fashion, 00:27:14.039 --> 00:27:14.180 right? 00:27:14.200 --> 00:27:14.980 You would be wise 00:27:14.980 --> 00:27:16.279 to get defensive 00:27:16.279 --> 00:27:17.099 if a stranger 00:27:17.099 --> 00:27:17.879 is on your porch 00:27:17.879 --> 00:27:18.660 at 3 a.m. 00:27:19.680 --> 00:27:20.980 But God approaches us 00:27:20.980 --> 00:27:22.279 in clear ways 00:27:22.279 --> 00:27:23.740 for clear purposes, 00:27:24.039 --> 00:27:25.139 all of which are good, 00:27:25.200 --> 00:27:26.240 and he is anything 00:27:26.240 --> 00:27:27.920 but a stranger 00:27:27.920 --> 00:27:29.700 for us who know him, 00:27:30.259 --> 00:27:31.200 who've read his word. 00:27:32.579 --> 00:27:33.660 We can trust him, 00:27:33.680 --> 00:27:34.379 and more than this, 00:27:34.460 --> 00:27:34.579 though, 00:27:34.619 --> 00:27:36.359 we can cast our cares 00:27:36.359 --> 00:27:37.619 upon him. 00:27:39.339 --> 00:27:40.359 Is anyone hurting? 00:27:40.359 --> 00:27:42.099 Anyone in a rut of sorts? 00:27:42.219 --> 00:27:42.299 Well, 00:27:42.359 --> 00:27:44.319 God is our great helper, 00:27:44.479 --> 00:27:45.259 and he wants you 00:27:45.259 --> 00:27:46.039 to pray to him 00:27:46.039 --> 00:27:46.699 for wisdom, 00:27:46.939 --> 00:27:47.799 for spiritual growth, 00:27:47.899 --> 00:27:48.439 for knowledge, 00:27:48.559 --> 00:27:49.099 for peace, 00:27:49.099 --> 00:27:51.039 and so on. 00:27:52.019 --> 00:27:53.279 So cast all your anxieties 00:27:53.279 --> 00:27:54.279 and cares upon the Lord. 00:27:55.199 --> 00:27:56.179 Application number two, 00:27:57.679 --> 00:27:58.599 set your mind 00:27:58.599 --> 00:27:59.799 on things above 00:27:59.799 --> 00:28:01.599 with expectation. 00:28:01.599 --> 00:28:04.699 It is easy for us 00:28:04.699 --> 00:28:06.519 to get caught up 00:28:06.519 --> 00:28:08.079 in the temporary afflictions 00:28:08.079 --> 00:28:08.980 of this world, 00:28:09.059 --> 00:28:09.659 whether they be 00:28:09.659 --> 00:28:11.519 small or large. 00:28:12.339 --> 00:28:13.419 We say we believe 00:28:13.419 --> 00:28:14.419 that Jesus will return 00:28:14.419 --> 00:28:15.579 to make all things new, 00:28:15.740 --> 00:28:17.019 but in our hearts, 00:28:17.139 --> 00:28:17.939 all we think about 00:28:17.939 --> 00:28:19.319 is how to get more comfortable 00:28:19.319 --> 00:28:21.419 here and now. 00:28:22.480 --> 00:28:23.319 Well, I really want 00:28:23.319 --> 00:28:23.980 a bigger house. 00:28:24.099 --> 00:28:25.119 I really want more kids. 00:28:25.199 --> 00:28:26.240 I really want a better job. 00:28:26.319 --> 00:28:27.559 I really want a softer mattress. 00:28:29.000 --> 00:28:29.619 And please hear me. 00:28:29.619 --> 00:28:30.500 None of those things 00:28:30.500 --> 00:28:31.359 are bad things. 00:28:31.459 --> 00:28:31.679 In fact, 00:28:31.739 --> 00:28:32.539 kids are a blessing 00:28:32.539 --> 00:28:33.199 of the Lord, right? 00:28:34.319 --> 00:28:35.500 But when you focus 00:28:35.500 --> 00:28:36.559 on those things 00:28:36.559 --> 00:28:38.079 and forget about 00:28:38.079 --> 00:28:40.219 eternal and heavenly realities, 00:28:40.899 --> 00:28:42.159 those things will 00:28:42.159 --> 00:28:43.619 disappoint you. 00:28:44.099 --> 00:28:44.719 The mattress, 00:28:44.899 --> 00:28:45.279 the job, 00:28:45.359 --> 00:28:45.679 the house, 00:28:45.719 --> 00:28:45.979 and yes, 00:28:46.219 --> 00:28:47.399 even your own children 00:28:47.399 --> 00:28:49.519 will be an unsatisfying God 00:28:49.519 --> 00:28:51.019 to pursue after 00:28:51.019 --> 00:28:52.739 with your whole being. 00:28:54.259 --> 00:28:55.439 But Paul tells us 00:28:55.439 --> 00:28:56.739 in Colossians 3, 2, 00:28:57.259 --> 00:28:58.239 set your mind 00:28:58.239 --> 00:28:59.459 on things that are above, 00:28:59.460 --> 00:29:00.180 not on things 00:29:00.180 --> 00:29:02.000 that are on the earth. 00:29:03.079 --> 00:29:04.220 And Paul also says 00:29:04.220 --> 00:29:05.620 in Philippians 4, 8, 00:29:05.819 --> 00:29:06.700 Finally, brothers, 00:29:07.420 --> 00:29:08.160 whatever is true, 00:29:08.279 --> 00:29:09.279 whatever is honorable, 00:29:09.600 --> 00:29:10.579 whatever is just, 00:29:10.840 --> 00:29:11.779 whatever is pure, 00:29:12.480 --> 00:29:13.380 whatever is lovely, 00:29:14.180 --> 00:29:15.299 whatever is commendable, 00:29:15.519 --> 00:29:16.759 if there is any excellence, 00:29:16.840 --> 00:29:17.600 if there is anything 00:29:17.600 --> 00:29:18.779 worthy of praise, 00:29:19.799 --> 00:29:21.299 think about these things. 00:29:21.299 --> 00:29:23.779 and ultimately, 00:29:23.980 --> 00:29:24.759 that principle 00:29:24.759 --> 00:29:25.720 that we just read 00:29:25.720 --> 00:29:26.419 in Philippians 00:29:26.419 --> 00:29:28.079 will always steer 00:29:28.079 --> 00:29:30.240 your mind toward Christ. 00:29:31.119 --> 00:29:32.200 What is more true, 00:29:32.359 --> 00:29:33.019 more honorable, 00:29:33.220 --> 00:29:33.700 more pure, 00:29:33.779 --> 00:29:34.279 more lovely, 00:29:34.419 --> 00:29:35.019 more commendable, 00:29:35.139 --> 00:29:35.779 more excellent, 00:29:36.059 --> 00:29:37.399 or more worthy of praise 00:29:37.399 --> 00:29:38.940 than our Lord Jesus? 00:29:40.700 --> 00:29:41.599 Think on him, 00:29:41.759 --> 00:29:42.700 fill your mind with him, 00:29:42.859 --> 00:29:44.019 fill your heart with him, 00:29:44.119 --> 00:29:45.659 and see him with your eyes. 00:29:45.740 --> 00:29:46.759 Let your whole person 00:29:46.759 --> 00:29:47.339 be committed 00:29:47.339 --> 00:29:48.400 to serving 00:29:48.400 --> 00:29:49.379 and exalting 00:29:49.379 --> 00:29:50.720 his name. 00:29:53.339 --> 00:29:54.920 And one important way 00:29:54.920 --> 00:29:55.799 you should do this 00:29:55.799 --> 00:29:59.700 is by looking for comfort 00:29:59.700 --> 00:30:00.180 and hope, 00:30:00.640 --> 00:30:01.400 not in the things 00:30:01.400 --> 00:30:02.059 of this world, 00:30:02.240 --> 00:30:03.440 but in the one to come 00:30:03.440 --> 00:30:05.160 where Christ will wipe away 00:30:05.160 --> 00:30:06.180 every tear. 00:30:07.879 --> 00:30:08.940 And application number three, 00:30:08.980 --> 00:30:09.759 and this one flows 00:30:09.759 --> 00:30:10.799 out of the last one, 00:30:11.400 --> 00:30:12.400 application number three 00:30:12.400 --> 00:30:14.060 is that we are to read 00:30:14.060 --> 00:30:16.220 God's word daily. 00:30:17.800 --> 00:30:18.940 And this helps us 00:30:18.940 --> 00:30:19.800 set our minds 00:30:19.800 --> 00:30:21.960 on things above. 00:30:22.360 --> 00:30:22.759 And notice, 00:30:22.840 --> 00:30:23.759 I did not say study, 00:30:23.860 --> 00:30:24.860 but rather read. 00:30:24.960 --> 00:30:25.519 So to be clear, 00:30:25.600 --> 00:30:26.820 we all need to do both. 00:30:27.000 --> 00:30:27.900 They're vital. 00:30:28.060 --> 00:30:28.480 They're both 00:30:28.480 --> 00:30:29.680 extremely important. 00:30:30.080 --> 00:30:31.120 You can't do one well 00:30:31.120 --> 00:30:32.700 without the other. 00:30:34.440 --> 00:30:35.460 But James tells us 00:30:35.460 --> 00:30:36.340 to not be deceived 00:30:36.340 --> 00:30:37.600 about who God is 00:30:37.600 --> 00:30:39.340 and who we are. 00:30:40.380 --> 00:30:41.000 Scripture needs 00:30:41.000 --> 00:30:41.740 to be read daily 00:30:41.740 --> 00:30:42.940 because every page 00:30:42.940 --> 00:30:44.759 is dripping with evidence, 00:30:44.859 --> 00:30:45.519 with reminders 00:30:45.519 --> 00:30:46.740 about who God is 00:30:46.740 --> 00:30:47.799 and who we are. 00:30:49.059 --> 00:30:50.220 It is hard to be deceived 00:30:50.220 --> 00:30:51.339 if you are constantly 00:30:51.339 --> 00:30:52.200 filling yourself 00:30:52.200 --> 00:30:53.000 with the truth 00:30:53.000 --> 00:30:55.599 of God's word. 00:30:56.839 --> 00:30:57.799 And you might push back 00:30:57.799 --> 00:30:58.079 and say, 00:30:58.160 --> 00:30:58.799 well, I get it. 00:30:58.839 --> 00:30:59.680 God is good, right? 00:30:59.880 --> 00:31:00.940 That's three words. 00:31:01.019 --> 00:31:01.680 I don't need to read 00:31:01.680 --> 00:31:02.240 that every day. 00:31:02.339 --> 00:31:03.759 That's easy to remember. 00:31:05.519 --> 00:31:06.200 And to that, 00:31:06.279 --> 00:31:06.839 I would say, 00:31:06.960 --> 00:31:07.500 yes, you do. 00:31:08.319 --> 00:31:09.200 It might be easy 00:31:09.200 --> 00:31:10.700 to remember the statement 00:31:10.700 --> 00:31:12.480 and it might even be 00:31:12.480 --> 00:31:13.580 easy to remember 00:31:13.580 --> 00:31:15.019 a verse to go along 00:31:15.019 --> 00:31:15.400 with it 00:31:15.400 --> 00:31:15.920 or to remember 00:31:15.920 --> 00:31:16.759 that it is the right 00:31:16.759 --> 00:31:18.259 answer, so to speak. 00:31:19.580 --> 00:31:20.980 But to truly know this, 00:31:21.039 --> 00:31:21.980 to truly know 00:31:21.980 --> 00:31:23.660 that God is good, 00:31:23.799 --> 00:31:24.740 biblically speaking, 00:31:25.279 --> 00:31:26.940 is to live in accordance 00:31:26.940 --> 00:31:28.100 with that truth. 00:31:29.680 --> 00:31:30.720 To be candid with you, 00:31:30.740 --> 00:31:31.700 it is very difficult 00:31:31.700 --> 00:31:32.480 to remember 00:31:32.480 --> 00:31:33.819 this simple truth 00:31:33.819 --> 00:31:34.960 because the world 00:31:34.960 --> 00:31:35.519 is screaming 00:31:35.519 --> 00:31:36.500 with one lie 00:31:36.500 --> 00:31:37.539 after another 00:31:37.539 --> 00:31:38.539 and they all 00:31:38.539 --> 00:31:39.539 essentially boil down 00:31:39.539 --> 00:31:40.420 to saying God 00:31:40.420 --> 00:31:42.220 is not good. 00:31:43.559 --> 00:31:44.200 And I've seen 00:31:44.200 --> 00:31:45.000 many Christians, 00:31:45.099 --> 00:31:45.859 myself included, 00:31:46.720 --> 00:31:47.359 who've gone through 00:31:47.359 --> 00:31:47.839 a season 00:31:47.839 --> 00:31:49.500 neglecting Scripture 00:31:49.500 --> 00:31:51.180 for which there are 00:31:51.180 --> 00:31:53.000 many negative consequences. 00:31:54.079 --> 00:31:54.759 And one of the 00:31:54.759 --> 00:31:55.940 deadliest ones 00:31:55.940 --> 00:31:57.000 is that we forget 00:31:57.000 --> 00:31:57.639 the character 00:31:57.639 --> 00:31:58.339 and person 00:31:58.339 --> 00:31:59.279 of God. 00:31:59.359 --> 00:32:00.319 We begin to question 00:32:00.319 --> 00:32:01.599 God 00:32:01.599 --> 00:32:02.399 and we start 00:32:02.399 --> 00:32:03.779 to believe 00:32:03.779 --> 00:32:04.599 a lie. 00:32:04.599 --> 00:32:06.159 and that's 00:32:06.159 --> 00:32:06.439 as old 00:32:06.439 --> 00:32:07.000 as the garden. 00:32:08.919 --> 00:32:10.079 So fill your mind 00:32:10.079 --> 00:32:10.899 with the Word of God 00:32:10.899 --> 00:32:11.419 that you might 00:32:11.419 --> 00:32:12.439 know Him 00:32:12.439 --> 00:32:13.179 more fully 00:32:13.179 --> 00:32:14.579 so you might 00:32:14.579 --> 00:32:15.399 set your hope 00:32:15.399 --> 00:32:16.199 on Him alone 00:32:16.199 --> 00:32:17.139 who does not 00:32:17.139 --> 00:32:18.279 change 00:32:18.279 --> 00:32:19.959 and so that you 00:32:19.959 --> 00:32:20.839 can learn to trust 00:32:20.839 --> 00:32:21.500 Him with all 00:32:21.500 --> 00:32:22.319 your anxieties 00:32:22.319 --> 00:32:22.980 and doubts 00:32:22.980 --> 00:32:23.799 because He 00:32:23.799 --> 00:32:25.139 cares for you. 00:32:26.359 --> 00:32:27.000 Let's pray.