WORKING FAITH studies from the book of JAMES ¡ ¡ ¡ Karen ¡Gonzalez ¡ for ¡ JoLynn Gower 493-6151 jgower@guardingthetruth.org
WORD FOR THE JOURNEY v James 5:16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. v Relativism (in regards to truth): the philosophical position that all points of view are equally valid, and that all truth is relative to the individual; there is no objective standard of truth v Moral, or Ethical relativism (in regards to behavior) essentially teaches the idea that there are no universal, permanent criteria to determine what may or may not be an ethical act. That a society’s ethics evolve over time and change to fit circumstances v Cultural Relativism says that “right” and “wrong” should only be considered within the context of the culture and environmental influences of a society
RELATIVISM IN TODAY’S CULTURE v Large-scale rejection of traditional values v Absolute truth being abandoned v Proverbs 16:25 tells us “there is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” v Society, individauls, and culture do not determine what is true, or what is right or wrong. God does! v James 1:13-16 13“Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. 14But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. 15Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death. 16Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.
SIN STRUGGLES: NOT GOD’S FAULT v Satan not identified as the cause of temptation v Circumstances/environment not responsible v God is not the cause of temptation, but here’s where relativism comes into play: v If God created everything, v Then the tempting situation or thing and my desire of it came from Him v That makes God responsible for my sin v So God made me this way, it’s not my fault v Relativism might even say: MAYBE IT’S NOT EVEN A SIN IN THE FIRST PLACE
THE CAUSE OF TEMPTATION v V14-but each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust . Temptation’s root: our own heart v Greek exelko (carried away) – to lure forth v Greek deleazo (entice) means to bait or catch by bait: from the root word for ‘entrap or delude’ v Internal lust/desire meets with external opportunity v External opportunity is DECEPTION: its hook is for us to meet that desire in an ungodly way, which draws us out from under the umbrella of God’s protection v DESIRE + DECEPTION = SIN v …each one… enemy knows our ‘baits’ v Jesus “tempted” but not deceived: “ IT IS WRITTEN” v Stay on mission!
THE COURSE OF TEMPTATION v 3 stages v Stage one: 'lust' or 'desire' v Stage two: action, resulting in sin v Stage three: death v Romans 6:23 The wages of sin is death. v Temptation of Eve: Genesis 3:6-22 v Temptation of David: 2Samuel 11:2-17 v Death is not just physical v Thanatos: ‘death with implied idea of future misery in hell’ v We will never ultimately prosper by way of sin v Sin never brings permanently good things into our lives
THE CAUTION AGAINST SIN v DO NOT BE DECEIVED about sin v Matt 26:41 Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. v Greek gregoreo – strict attention, take heed v Culture’s norms = not our norms v DO NOT BE DECEIVED about the Savior, either v V17 Every good thing and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow v No good gifts come by way of sin’s shortcut v Open doors do not always indicate God’s good gift!
THE CREDIBILITY CRISIS v Too many listeners who are not doers v The church looks no different than the world v THE WORLD SAYS: THE BIBLE SAYS: v Accumulate stuff give; be generous v Newer/bigger/better/faster be content v ’You deserve…’ serve others v ‘Find yourself’ die to yourself v ’Look out for #1’ Look to interests of others v If it feels good, do it Do not be conformed
NO ’AUDITING’ CHRISTIANITY v 4 things vitally important in our witness as true believers to bring credibility back to the church v Know truth v Obey the word v Be consistent v Show character v V22 But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves v Hearers : Greek akorates : a word used for auditing a class v ‘Hearer-only’ Christians are deceiving themselves and living a lie
CONSISTENT IN WORD & DEED v PEOPLE ARE LISTENING AND WATCHING US! v Hypocrisy vs. truth v Matt 12:34-36 – words and actions reveal our hearts; v Prov 10:19 When there are many words, transgression is unavoidable, But he who restrains his lips is wise. v Prov 17:27 A man of knowledge uses words with restraint, and a man of understanding is even-tempered v The Bible is a mirror that will reveal our true hearts v Greek parakypto (intently) – inspect intentionally and keep doing it (consistency) v Blessing only comes when we ACT v Christian deeds mean nothing if our words are out of line
SHOWING CHARACTER v PRIORITIES: what are we concerned for? v Priorities reflect our character v Pure and faultless religion: v Cares for orphans and widows v Keeps oneself from being polluted by the world v Jesus’ behavior on earth v If the Word of God is really in us, it will affect us. Our lives will look different when we are obedient to the Word of God - We are transformed v Ask yourself: Am I truly living a Christ-like life? Am I obedient to the word of God? Or am I a ‘hearer only’ and living a lie?
v “If we once get above our Bibles and cease making the written Word of God our sole rule as to faith and practice, we shall too lie open to all manner of delusion and be in great danger of making shipwreck of faith and a good conscience.” George Whitfield v There is no substitute for submission to Scripture. Your spiritual health depends on placing the utmost value on the Word of God and obeying it with an eager heart.” John MacArthur
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