Jesus Said, For It Is Written
Greetings our friends and family. Leanna and I want to thank each of you who have joined us here in the J and L Ministries Paltalk room. Also we want thank those who view these videos on both the Christian networks and secular sites. From looking at the links where people are visiting the J and L Ministries site on the Weebly platform from, I can tell that many are sharing the materials that we have added and we thank you. For those watching on the J and L Ministries u-tube channel, I'll leave links to some of the ministry channels that have allowed us to share these sermon messages in the description box. If you do take the time to visit them, please take the time to look around their sites and let them know we sent you. From the title of today's message, most would probably suggest that we will base the message on the temptations of Jesus after He was baptized. You're partially correct, but I want to go much deeper than those passages. So let's get started with Matthew 4:1. Leanna will be posting the verses here in the room, but please, if you have your Bible close by, open it up and follow along with us. I also suggest that you write the scriptures down so you can look them up later. We're going to pick up just after John baptized Jesus in the Jordon river. From this point on, according to what we know from the Bible, Jesus starts His ministry here on earth. I want to ask you all a few questions before we begin reading the scripture. Do we believe the Bible is from God? 2 Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. Praise the Lord!! We believe Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever? Glory to God! We believe what Peter said in Acts 10:34 Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons. Halleluiah! Matthew 4:1-11 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. (2) And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. (3) And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. (4) But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. (5) Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, (6) And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. (7) Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. (8) Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; (9) And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. (10) Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. (11) Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him. Church, I find this to be a lesson to be learned here when Satan comes subtly to tempt us! Amen? How often do we speak the Word of God against those things that attack us? In the almost Three years that Leanna and I have been holding services here at our home, I've suggested numerous times for those who have attended to write or print out scriptures and pin them up in areas where you'll see them often during the course of the day and constantly speak them out. It's also a good way to build up your faith. We believe God's Word to be true, yes? 1 Peter 1:23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. Praise Jesus! Brothers and sisters in Christ, what attacks are coming to you by the enemy? It's crucial that we stick to what the Bible clearly says concerning how to handle these attacks. Whatever we need to know about Satan is contained in the Scriptures. Amen? Satan is the father lies. The Bible tells us Jesus says in the Gospel of John: John 10:9-15 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. Church, listen to this next verse. We have all heard it, but do we truly know it? Do we thoroughly understand it? (10) The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I (Jesus) am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. (11) I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. (12) But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. (13) The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. (14) I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. (15) As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. Where I intend to go with this is in our health, finances, our walk with God, our families, and the list is endless. I want to go in a different direction if I can, as I see this issue going on all over the world. Please turn to Galatians chapter 1, verses 8 and 9. I want us to look at dealing with spiritual thieves, and this is a serious matter. Apostle Paul was a Godly man and tried till his dying day to teach the truth from God's Word. Let's see what he said to the Galatian church. Galatians 1:8-9 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. (9) As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed. Now if we can go back a couple books to 1 Corinthians 15 and we'll read verses 3- 5. 1 Corinthians 15:2-5 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. (3) For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; (4) And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: (5) And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: If Christ’s body lies in some nameless grave, there's no hope for the believer, and the Gospel is nothing but emptiness. How do we know His sacrifice for sin was accepted? How can we hope for our own resurrection and immortality? By faith in what this book that lies dusty and unopened in many homes teaches us. Church, we're not free from false teachers today. Peter wrote in 2 Peter 2:1-3: 2 Peter 2:1-3 KJV But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. (2) And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. (3) And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not. Look at all the famous people in the word writing their own religious beliefs. Look at all the new religions springing up all over the world. I've shared this many times in the past couple years. Look at all the denominations all over the world. I'm not trying to down any particular church, but did you know that there are over 200 types of Baptist faiths? Brethren, there are those who flock to Wal-Mart and local book stores to pick up the newest book from this doctor so-and-so and the next version of this pastors book on some how to get rich scheme, when all you have to do my friends is open up your own Bible and not just skim over the words, but study them to find God's will for your life. Where God sends His true messengers with His Word, the devil always sends someone to seduce and deceive, and especially to deny Christ’s redemptive work. Such men bring swift destruction upon themselves, even though they prosper for a while. Let's look at what Paul said to the Corinthian church. 1 Corinthians 1:4-10 I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ; (5) That in everything ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge; (6) Even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you: (7) So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ: (8) Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. (9) God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord. (10) Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. This scripture alone is why I won't belong to any organized denomination. Leanna and I have been part of some of them and in all of them they left out or added to what my Bible says. Okay, let's get off this topic as it's not where I originally felt led to teach, but thought it important enough to touch on. Let's turn to 1 John 5:3. Friends, we need to get this. Jesus in His death had a double purpose, not only to save us from hell but to cleanse us. We are defiled inwardly by the pollution of sin. Through Him we have “the washing of regeneration.” We are defiled outwardly by the guilt of sin, and by His blood we're separated from sin’s condemnation. Praise Jesus! 1 John 5:3-4 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. (4) For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Are you born of God? Friends, I didn't hear you. Are you born of God? Did we see what verse 4 says? "For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith." Friends, that makes those who are truly born again overcomers of the world. Does that excite you? So when you say I'm a world over-comer, (listen up) you're not overcome by the world. Amen? Then I ask you. Why do we see Christians hurting financially, marital problems, health issues, temptations, stress, worries, and the list goes on and on. Why? Let's look at some of the reasons. How are we living our lives? Can we say we're living exactly like the Bible tells us to? Some of you may remember the sermon series I did a while back "Having the Compassion of Christ". In that series we discussed many things that many had no idea that they had to live by. I hope they got it and turned their lives around. What about you? Are there things that are holding you bondage that might be holding blessings back from being fulfilled? What about your faith? Your faith has much to do with victory in your life. Turn to Hebrews 11. I love this faith chapter. If one reads and meditates on this chapter they'll find that all throughout the Bible faith in God was one of the most important things that got these men and women through. Praise God. I mentioned pinning up scriptures all over your house? This could be a first verse to start with. Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Some might remember the message I did on the woman with the issue of blood. What faith she had! You find this story in Mark chapter 5. For 12 years she had this issue. She spent all the money she had on doctors and the problem became worse. We find that she made her way through a crowd that was thronging Jesus and touched a piece of His robe and immediately YOU say it. Immediately, she was healed. And what did Jesus say to her? Mark 5:34 And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague. Thank You Jesus. If I can have you turn to Matthew 8:1-4. I've mentioned many times I haven't felt called to preach healing messages even though Leanna and I are walking testimonies of being healed by the Master. I can share how my life has been spared. I can share how many times I was healed months before the doctors said I would be because of my faith and the faith of those I allowed to lay hands on me and pray. Praise Jesus. Matthew 8:1-4 When he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him. (2) And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. (3) And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. (4) And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them. Jesus is the divine Son of God, sovereign over all physical ailments, over all circumstances, over the powers of nature, over the evil missions of Satan and over sin. Faith takes Him at His word and finds rest and deliverance at all times in His Word of power. Church, are we getting this? Our faith is so important. On healing…do we believe Jesus still heals today? Is that where your faith is? If not, I guess we have to ask if you believe the Bible is still true? Do we believe God hasn't changed? That He isn't a respecter of persons? Why does God heal some and not others? I know, some of you and most churches determine it must not be God's will that everyone is healed. I'm not going to go through the whole message on healing, nor do I know the exact reasons why some are healed and some are not. I do believe faith and obedience play a big factor. Here's something that's been asked of me many times in the past couple weeks. Is it Gods will that all go to Heaven? I know because I know most of you in this Paltalk room can answer this quickly. Let me ask you this. Is it God's will that no person perishes? How many unsaved die every day? Does it please Him that people die that are unsaved? No! Think back to these 2 of many passages that we read on healing. Did Jesus say to the woman with the issue of blood, "Daughter, it is because of God's will you were healed?" Or to the man with leprosy, "Sir, this is your lucky day. You picked the right time to beg for Me to heal you, because today God said that you could be healed. If you asked yesterday, well, He might have been too busy.” No, He said, "Your faith has healed you, or made you whole.” Where can anyone show in their Bible that Jesus did not heal when someone asked to be healed? I've studied mine and not once have I found Jesus refusing to heal. I really would like to go the rest of the morning on this and we will probably another day. Let's talk about love. I know, the ladies are getting all tingly hearing we're going to talk about love. And the men are thinking, “Oh no, not the love thing!” So many don't know the importance of loving others. Forgiveness and unforgiveness is another sore spot with some, yet we can read that love and forgiveness is very important in our spiritual walk with Jesus. Please turn to Colossians 3 :13. For those hearing my voice here on Paltalk, u-tube or maybe reading this later, or reading this on one of the sites that I post on, we've read many scriptures and haven't even scratched the surface of being in obedience to God, or even how to defeat the enemy with the sword, God's Word. It's been a start, but this message could go on for a month of Sundays and still not learn it all. Colossians 3:13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. There are so many scriptures we could look at on forgiving. Why should we forgive? Why does God make such an issue of forgiveness? I think we can answer that question in several different ways. Isn't it God's character? When we forgive, we reflect the Father's Love. When we look at how Jesus taught His disciples to pray in the Lord's Prayer it's saying, "Forgive as He has forgiven you" (from Jim's translation). Forgiveness gives us the opportunity to extend to others what God has extended to us. Do you remember where you were when Jesus found you? Maybe there were countless times that you ignored or even rejected Him. I've heard testimonies where some go as far as doing everything they can do against Him. Why? For some it's because of feeling hurt, because of thinking God had abandoned them, or for whatever reason. Even then the Lord reached out to you and offered His forgiveness. And when you received His love He promised He would "remember the past no longer." Praise God. I know I have a past I’m not proud of, but you and I were forgiven when we were saved. When we forgive others we show that His Spirit is at work within us. When we forgive we demonstrate that we haven't forgotten where He found us. Glory be to God. I'm not sure about you, but that excites me. But (you say), "If we forgive, aren't we just letting someone get away with a wrong?" We feel if we "simply forgive" (and there's nothing simple about it) we'll be allowing someone to take advantage of us. Shouldn't we make people aware of the wrong they've done? The Scripture says of a man, "It is his glory to pass over a transgression." Pro 19:11 The discretion of a man deferreth his anger; and it is his glory to pass over a transgression. Wrath denotes weakness; a noble heroic spirit overlooks a petty offense.” But what if the wrong is great? Not forgiving is a greater wrong. In injuring you, he has offended against man, but in you not forgiving him, you offend against God. Here's a passage that tells us two things. Many aren't going to like what these two verses say, but what's the title of this message? For it is Written. Friends, what we've looked at today are some ways that we need to conduct our lives. Do you want to see God work in your life? Then these scriptures need to be followed. There was much more that I wanted to share, but because of time I'll finish with these last two verses I was mentioning. Please turn to Matthew 5:23. For those who think that tithing was only for the Old Testament time, here's one of a few verses that says otherwise. Matthew 5:23-24 Therefore if thou bring thy gift (A what?) to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; (24) Leave there thy gift (A what?) before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. Friends, we need to be a light in this dying world. There's so much that wasn't included in this message, and hopefully we can look at more in the next few weeks. One of the topics I really wanted to discuss was on love. In closing, I want you to hear part of a popular Christian song from a couple three years ago. The part of the song I want to share comes from 1 Corinthians 13:1-7 If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don't love, I'm nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. If I speak God's Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, "Jump," and it jumps, but I don't love, I'm nothing. If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love. Think about that my friends. We all say that little 4 lettered word, but do we truly know, or get what love really is? The word love is probably the most used and least understood word in any language. Think about that as you go throughout your day. We all can say we love someone, or something, and we do it all throughout the day. But do we truly mean it, or better yet, really understand what love is? My friends, Jesus Christ knew exactly what it meant. Jesus came to earth to demonstrate the meaning of true love when He willingly gave His life for all humanity. Glory to God! Jesus took our punishment upon Himself to redeem you and me from our sinfulness. John 15:12-13 KJV This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. (13) Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Praise Jesus! And do we notice, He called you and me His friend? John 15:14-27 KJV Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. (15) Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. (16) Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. (17) These things I command you, that ye love one another. (18) If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. (19) If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. (20) Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. (21) But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me. (22) If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin. (23) He that hateth me hateth my Father also. (24) If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father. (25) But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause. (26) But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: (27) And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning. My friends, again this week there's been a lot of scripture put before us. What you and I need to fully grasp in the last part of this message is Christ proved His love to you and me and the world by laying down His life for it in redemption work. John 3:15-17 KJV That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. (16) For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (17) For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. The love Jesus had and has for you and me should always be the standard of measure of our love to others in service for Him. Praise the true living God! Now, and I know there will be some who won't take this well. Yes we are to love, but...and as brother Jeff would say, "However." We're responsible for our actions. We're responsible for our words. As I was finishing up these notes last night, I went to check on the Cross Roads Fellowship sites and remembered I hadn't viewed brother Jeff's videos that he posts almost everyday. Anyways, he gave an excellent example of love. In short, think back to when you were a child. Your parents loved you, yes? Now when you did wrong, there were consequences, yes? You got scolded, or a tongue lashing, or some of us might even remember having to get our own switch, and for those who do remember, we got the thinnest stick there was, didn't we? How naive we were back then! Come on someone, you know what I mean. My point is, there was a price to pay for what we did wrong. Our mom and dads still loved us. It's how we learn to not do the things that we needed to be corrected of. Likewise, Our Heavenly Father does love us, yet there are times he needs to get on our case about things we're not doing right. There are times that we need to be chastised. And there are times when God must turn His head and probably waits for us to smarten up. Come on somebody. I'm sure most of us have been there at one point or another in our spiritual walk. Don't be a "part-time" Christian who demands a full-time God. Same as their are times when we have to separate ourselves from those who are professing to be Christlike, yet do things that are abominations in the site of God. Stop and be the man and woman in Christ that you were called to be. There are times that we need to separate ourselves from those who are claiming to be Christians that when time reveals their real identity, they're not what they claim to be. Because I said a while back that I was sharing the last scripture, on your own this week, dig into 1 Corinthian chapter 5. Read who we should be staying away from. Remember, the ones that Apostle Paul was dealing with and whom he was talking about were ones claiming to be followers of Jesus. Friends, my heart right now is being dealt with on this very matter. Our dear friends, this will be the end of this message for this week and we'll continue with part 2 next week. We do want to thank each of you for joining us here in the J and L Ministries room on Paltalk. Thank you all for visiting and watching this video on all the sites that we and others share on. Again, I'll post in the description box below on this video some of the sites that I personally share them on, but I know that at times they've also been shared by others on Facebook, Twitter, Bing and many other sites that I've never heard of before. We love you and until next Sunday, whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as though you were working for the Lord and not for people.
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Good morning everyone and welcome to today’s message from J and L Ministries. Leanna and I want to thank you for visiting the J and L Ministries room here on Paltalk.
We've been studying the importance of sharing the Gospel with others for the past couple weeks and there's much more for us to learn, but I felt led to go in another direction this morning. I'm in hopes that we can pick up where we left off at some point soon. Throughout the week, I've had many discussions with believers and non-believers about their relationships with Christ, or of course with nonbelievers, their lack of relationship. One of the sites I'm blessed to be with called me on something that I added in a prayer that's been heavy on my heart. Friends, anyone can say that they're a believer of Jesus Christ. We can wear t-shirts with scriptures on them. We can sing songs praising God. We can read and know the Bible from cover to cover, and that won't save you. Satan knows scripture and we know that he's not saved. We can even be deacons or pastors of a church. That doesn't make us saved. I've had conversations with some who don’t even know why they're saved. Sounds impossible, doesn’t it? It's true. There are so many out there, and when you have the compassion to lead others to salvation and you hear testimonies of some who claim to be saved, you'll be amazed at some peoples replies to how they know that they're saved. Most of you know that I'm on many Christian sites posting prayers each morning and in the past few months, I've been sharing a devotional type video called J and L Ministries Words Of Wisdom For Today. And of course I share the videos of the sermons here on Paltalk on Sunday mornings. There are some of these Christian sites that I used to be part of that allowed posts that were more of the world than facebook. That shouldn't be. When we're saved, we're a new creation. The old man or woman is gone. The things that we did that were sinful shouldn't be what we desire anymore. Jesus living in us should be what others see. The love and compassion for others should be at the top of our list each day. The filthy talk should be gone. The actions that hurt others should be gone. The garbage of some of the soap operas that people are so addicted to should be a thing of the past. Our whole way of thinking, talking and our actions should be totally new. Praise Jesus! Please turn to the book of Colossians chapter 1. For those who have been with us for a while know that the book of Colossians is one of my favorite books of the Bible. I don’t have time to go through the whole book, but I want us to look at some of the issues Paul addresses to them. I think we can find many of these same things hindering the churches here in America today. Amen someone? Let’s start in chapter 1 verse 9. Colossians 1:9-16 KJV For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; (10) That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; (11) Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; (12) Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: (13) Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: (14) In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: (15) Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: (16) For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: Church, I find this to be very satisfying and a guide for all of us. Apostle Paul said that He prayed without ceasing for this church and… that they be filled with wisdom and spiritual understanding. To me that speaks of a heart cry that Paul had. Do we pray for the church? Do we pray for other brothers and sisters? I hope so. I know that Leanna and I have many praying for us and I'm so thankful to God to have those kinds of brothers and sisters. There are pastors and ministries that we pray for on a daily basis. Paul prayed that they be filled with God’s will in ALL, not some of His Wisdom and Spiritual understanding. Notice he didn’t say man’s understanding. God’s ways are not our ways. His thoughts are not our thoughts. They're so much better, but we need to come to the place in our life where we can understand that and believe in faith on these things. Praise God!!! In verse 10, we see that Paul prayed that the church would be walking worthy of the Lord to all - pleasing, being fruitful in every work and increasing in the knowledge of God. My friends, as I go about my daily routine, I don’t see the fruit in many claiming to be Christ-like. I hear many of those who claim to be Christ-like using His name in vain. I see them involved in games online that I would never dream of being part of. I see them saying hateful things to others, including their children. How is that being Christ-like? How is that staying away from worldly things? Now, I'm not faultless, I have my issues, but I try to correct those things when I smarten up to realize that Jesus is watching me at every moment and I do want to please Him. The back-stabbing and back biting? You see and hear it all over the place. Let Christ change you. I mention every week that believers need to be in God’s Word every day and in prayer. All human beings who've accepted that there is a God, and that the Bible is His revelation to man, need to seriously apply themselves to finding out its basic message. Many of those calling themselves Christians seem to do a poor job at this. For many, a few verses they may hear on Sundays, a Bible somewhere in the home that is never opened. They may remember a handful of Bible stories and they think they've done a good job. They think they've made God happy. I want you to all think about this. It’s no wonder that with such a laid back attitude to God's mighty Word of truth, there’s so much confusion and uncertainty in the lives and minds of so many. I've witnessed ones who, because they go to church rarely, and own a pew or two, think that they're mighty Christians. Those things are works. Works will not save any of us. We can't earn our way to Heaven. We can't buy our way into Heaven. What does the Bible say that one must do to be saved? You don’t have to turn to all these verses, but please, please write them down and when the enemy tries to tell you otherwise, rebuke him with God’s Word. Amen? God said in order to go to Heaven, you must be born again. John 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. John 3:5-7 KJV Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. (6) That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. (7) Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. In the Bible God gives us the plan of how to be born again which means to be saved. His plan is simple! You can be saved today. How? Romans 3:22-23 KJV Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: (23) For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Because you're a sinner, you are condemned to death. Romans 6:23 KJV For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. This includes eternal separation from God in Hell. Not for a while, but eternity. And you and I friends have no clue to how long eternity is. Hebrews 9:27 KJV And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: And then this verse that even the lost have heard over and over. But God loved you so much. John 3:15-18 KJV That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. (16) For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (17) For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. (18) He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. Are we getting this church? What about your lost family members and closest friends? Do you suppose some of them need to hear this message? 2 Corinthians 5:21 KJV For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. Jesus had to shed His blood and die. Leviticus 17:11 KJV For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul. Hebrews 9:22 KJV And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. Here's just how much God loves you. Romans 5:8-9 KJV But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (9) Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. Although we can't understand how, God said my sins and your sins were laid upon Jesus and He died in our place. He became our substitute. It's true. God can't lie. Those who've been following us have heard scripture showing us this. He's not a respecter of persons. So now I ask you church, are you following Jesus? If you're saved, you made Him Lord of your life. Do you really know Him? Do you hear Him? Do you obey His voice? We're considered sheep in the Bible. Jesus is our Shepherd. Let's see how sheep and the Master Shepherd work together. John 10:1-18 KJV Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. (2) But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. (3) To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. (4) And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. (5) And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers. (6) This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them. (7) Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. (8) All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. (9) I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. (10) The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. (11) I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. (12) But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. (13) The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. (14) I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. (15) As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. (16) And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. (17) Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. (18) No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father. Friends, when we can get a full understanding of what Jesus was saying here, it'll change your lives forever. I also would like to mention, and some of you have heard me tell this before....I've raised sheep with my parents. We had in excess of 200 breeding ewes. For those who aren't familiar with sheep, ewes are female sheep. Rams are males. Because of the two breeds we raised, we could have two lamb crops a year. In other words, each ewe could give birth twice a year and we would hope for twins or triplets each time. So, when I say 200 breeding ewes, that meant that there were many more sheep on the farm of many different age groups. Upwards to 500 at certain times of the year. Why do I mention this? I know what sheep are like, and I know how to be a shepherd, so I can relate to what Jesus was saying here. Sheep trust their Shepherd. We used to graze them on tree farms and ski slopes, so to keep them safe and to keep them from getting into trouble, I needed to know them and they me. They knew my voice. Let’s look what Jesus said next. John 10:25-38 KJV Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me. (26) But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. (27) My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: (28) And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. (29) My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. (30) I and my Father are one. (31) Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him. (32) Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me? (33) The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God. (34) Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods? (35) If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken; (36) Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God? (37) If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. (38) But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him. Praise the Lord!! Listen to the boldness Jesus had. Listen and seek the knowledge in this passage that Jesus tried to teach these religious men. I hear from so many who when asked if they're saved say, “Well yes Brother Jim, I was baptized when I was 3.” Oh, really? So you gave your heart to the Lord when you were 3 knowing who Jesus was and put your faith in Him? I repeated a prayer after someone when I was 16 or 17 and I went about life like I always did. I know I wasn’t saved; there was no good fruit at that time in my life. I did the same thing when I was 23 years old when I was in the army. Yet I had the same rotten fruit coming out of my life. Please turn to Mathew chapter 3. I ask if those who were 3 years old knew how to repent? Matthew 3:1-3 KJV In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, (2) And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. (3) For this is He that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. For those taking notes, here are a few scriptures. Leanna, you don't have to post these scriptures, but friends, please write them down so you can study them yourselves. Jesus said in Luke 13:3 I tell you, No. But unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. The apostles listening to Jesus in Mark 6:12 And they went out and proclaimed that men should repent. Luke 24:47 and that repentance and remission of sins should be proclaimed in His name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. Peter said in the temple Act 3:19 Therefore repent and convert so that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. I find there are those with little Christian background who decide to try to figure out the Bible's message, but find that everyone they approach tries to offer them a package deal of doctrines and human philosophies which do not fundamentally reflect the words of the Bible. Dear friends, it's all about an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. The basic message of Scripture has a beauty and strength that only increases after being viewed and proven from many different angles. Grasping the real truth of the Gospel as taught in the Bible's pages will affect every part of our lives, leading men and women the world over to properly give glory to God as He intended, both now and for eternity. Glory to God. So many research books by this Dr. So-and-So and buy books from this ministry or that one, when they have all they need right in the Bible. Can I hear Amen's all through this room? Jeremiah 15:16 Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts. To achieve this friends, be sure to pray for God's help in understanding the Word before you read your Bible. Catch and understand this next verse. Acts 20:32 And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the Word of His grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified. Praise Jesus!! My wife and I are so determined to feed the inner man that dwells within, and also to learn mentally, that we play CD's every night when we go to bed. Many times it's of sermons of godly men, or the King James Bible on CD. In the last 10 years, I doubt if there's been a dozen nights that we haven't done this. Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. I believe that even when our minds are at rest, or we are asleep, that the Word of God, which is Spirit, feeds the Spirit within. I know for me, because of playing these CD's, scripture seems to come to me much faster. I can speak God’s Word out against the attacks the enemy throws my way. Friends, I share these things because it has helped me. I encourage you to do the same thing. Yes, it may take a while to get used to having it playing, but in the long run, I think you'll be glad you did. When people hear over and over that the lifestyle that so many are living is unpleasing to God and for some, even a lifestyle being lived that's an abomination to God, even though they think they're in good hands. I hope that if they hear what the Bible says, they would repent of the wickedness. Acts 17:30 Truly these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent. All people everywhere, and that includes you and me, are commanded by God to repent. Repent of what? Repent of our sins. "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves; and the truth is not in us" (1 John 1:8). Repent of not fully serving and following all that God says. All people everywhere, and that includes you and me, are commanded by God to repent. God is pleading with us to repent. He greatly desires that we turn to him. He tells us in 2 Peter 3:9, The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. Boom Boom. God wants us to repent so we can be saved. He's patiently waiting on us. But eventually our time will run out. The longer we put off repentance, the harder our heart gets. Friends, we're not guaranteed tomorrow. This world gets crazier every day. I don’t wish this, but look at the craziness happening everywhere in the world, there are drunk and drugged up drivers running our streets. What about earthquakes, tornadoes, floods and our health? Anything could happen from now till the next 12 hours. Repentance isn't just being sorry. 2 Corinthians 7:10 says, "For Godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death." If one is only sorry he got caught, then this won't lead to repentance. Godly sorrow helps bring on repentance. Repentance isn't sorrow for sin, but one can't repent without being sorry he's sinned. Isaiah 55:7 KJV Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. In repentance, one must first understand he has sinned, feel sorrow for the sin, and then stop and turn away from that sin. Repentance is a change of heart and a change of mind. We must make up our minds to stop living life our way and start living it God’s way. It's making up our mind that henceforth we're going to serve God with all our might and do everything He says. Matthew 22:37, Jesus said to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. In other words, and this is kind of a recap of this whole message, we must do it with all of our being. Apostle Paul says, “Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not!” To show our repentance we are to “Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance” (Matthew 3:8). Why should we repent of sins? “For the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). Spiritual death is separation from God in eternity. Unless one repents he cannot go to Heaven, but will eternally suffer the torments of Hell. We must give up our sin and “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body” (Romans 6:12). “He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes his sin shall have mercy” (Proverbs 28:13). Repentance is a change of heart, which results in a change of actions for the better. Without repentance we cannot receive forgiveness and be saved. Where we spend eternity, in Heaven or Hell, is determined by our repentance. I love this verse. All of Heaven is anxious for us to repent. Jesus says, “Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:10). Romans 2:4 says, "Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing the goodness of God leads you to repentance." God has been so good to us, and this should cause us to want to please Him in every way. 1 John 4:19, "We love Him, because He first loved us." This should cause us to want to repent and do all the things that He's asked us to do, otherwise we do not love God. Jesus said in John 14:24, He who does not love Me, does not keep my words." 1 John 2:4 says, "He who says 'I know Him', and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. Do you know and love Christ? If you do, you'll want to do everything that He says. In John 14:15 Jesus says, If you love Me keep My commandments. My heart's breaking because friends, you know there are ones close to us who have wicked hearts. Let's not be hypocrites, you know them. They're good people, but they haven't turned from their sin. For those who may be reading this online, they maybe ones who sit next to you in church. Again, there are so many churches right here in our community not teaching the whole Bible. I'm not trying to badmouth these churches, but isn't it our responsibility to share the gospel? To share the truth? I'm not saying that a genuine Christian isn't going to mess up. I have days that the flesh gets the best of me. 1John 2:1 My little children, I write these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2John 1:6 And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, as you heard from the beginning, that you should walk in it. 2John 1:8-9 Look to yourselves, so that we may not lose those things which we worked out, but that we may receive a full reward. :9 Everyone transgressing and not abiding in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ, he has both the Father and the Son. I love Mathew chapter 7. To me it says it all, but in this verse Jesus tells how to get to Heaven. Matthew 7:14 KJV Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. Does everyone truly understand what Jesus is saying here? If you're a genuine Christian, a child of God, you'll walk in the way of righteousness as a style of life. And if you step off that path of righteousness, the Father will come for you, discipline you and put you back on the path. Living like the world isn't the path that God has chosen for you. There are many who have professed to have gone through the narrow gate and yet they live in the broad way like everyone else of this world. Matthew 7:16 You shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles? Look at your life, how you talk, walk, dress, treat others, your passions, your desires. What kind of fruits are showing in your life? Is Jesus in there somewhere, or is He something you do on Sundays and Bible study nights? He should be the center of each of our lives. What's the fruit in your life? Do you walk like the world, talk like the world, watch the things on TV of the world, dress like the world? Do you experience the same joy of the world? Is God someone that you think of periodically? Here's one that runs wild in this area. The dirty ugly spirit of religion. The Pharisees in this area are terrible. And yes, I know all about that spirit, because I was like that. I would have been one of the ones that Jesus continually rebuked. Matthew 7:17-21 Even so every good tree brings forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree brings forth evil fruit. a good tree cannot bring forth evil fruits, nor can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that does not bring forth good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you shall know them. Church, I so appreciate you being here today, or reading or watching this online. I know that we covered many scriptures today, but please, if you missed any of this message, you can watch it on the J and L Ministries u-tube channel. For those who are members of either Cross Roads Fellowship sites that my wife and I own, or members of A Far From Normal Faith Ministry, Mylook Online or the Lokey Sisters site, you can view it there. And of course there is Google+ and if you've chosen to follow either Jim Kinson on Google, or the J and L Ministries page, you should be getting these automatically. I'm going to keep the room open for questions and for those who may want to discuss what we looked at today. I'm going to stop the recording though. Brothers and Sisters in Christ. We love you and till next Sunday... Psalms 34:3 KJV O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together. Good morning friends and family. What a glorious day the Lord has made. Amen, everyone? Leanna and I want to thank each of you who have joined us here in the J and L Ministries room here on Paltalk. We also want to thank those who have faithfully watched the videos that we've made from these sermons and also for all the website owners who have allowed us to continually share videos and blogs on their sites. Glory to God!
I'm excited today to start part two of sharing the Gospel, because that's where my compassion is. For some time, my prayer has been that God would lead me to those who don’t know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Any of you had that same prayer? It should be each and every one of our prayers, and I hope by the time we're done, all of you might have that same compassion. Timothy 2:1-5 KJV I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; (2) For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. (3) For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; (4) Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. (5) For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Brothers and sisters, I ask you in all honesty. I really want you to think about what I'm about to ask. How serious are you about being all that God has planned for your life? Are you comfortable in your comfy home? Are you comfortable in your life to not worry about sharing what Jesus told His followers to do? Are you going to be a lukewarm Christian or are you going to join me in being on fire for Jesus and take the gospel message to the world? I may strike a nerve with some people today, or tomorrow, or the next day from those hearing my voice, but church, today is the day to get off our backsides and win souls for Christ and then equip them to do the same. Praise Jesus! For those hearing my voice, are your children saved? What about your moms and dads, aunts, uncles, grandchildren, grandparents? What about your best friends? Do they know Jesus as Lord and Savior? For those people that I just mentioned, does it bother you that they don't have a personal relationship with Jesus? It should, and there are those that are related to me and then those that don't, that it eats at me. Some I've shared my faith with and then there are those that I haven't, but friends, I'll never give up. Church, those who have work to do to further the Kingdom of God must, and I repeat, must stir themselves up as mighty warriors to do it. And then brethren, they must strengthen themselves for it's in His strength and power. Halleluiah! And friends, there are times it's going to hurt. I can promise you that. There could be suffering even unto death for those who remain faithful in their faith in Jesus. We can see it every day. Look at those in other parts of the world. Look at the poor souls in Oregon. 2 Peter 3:1-12 KJV This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance: (2) That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour: (3) Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, (4) And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. (5) For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: (6) Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: (7) But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. (8) But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. (9) The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (10) But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. (11) Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, (12) Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? One thing I could never understand is why those who have experienced the saving grace of our Lord Jesus, why they wouldn’t want to share what He's done for them with everyone they know. Now I know the enemy (Satan) will put doubt in our minds. Satan will put fear in your minds and his voice will tell you these things: “Your brother or sister isn’t going to listen to what you have to say about Jesus. Your parents will disown you if you bring up God. Your friends will laugh at you if you even mention anything about Christ." Hmmm, sound familiar? It should, because that's how that slimy devil works. Ask almost any Christian and they'll share the same story. I've been there. Until the past few of years, I've had many times that I felt an urgency to pray with people and that fear would set in. Sometimes after much prodding, I would ask if that person would mind if I could pray for them, and the answer was always yes. As I said, that crooked legged devil will throw distractions. What finally helped me with this is, If God put someone on your heart to pray for, why then should we have fear? Make sense? Fear is not of God. "Well Brother Jim, if God created me, where did all the fear that I have bottled up come from?" Glad you thought to ask that. Let’s let the Bible tell us. Please turn to 2nd Corinthians 11:2-4 . Apostle Paul talks about the deceptive power of the enemy. One thing I'd like to mention before we read these verses is this. For those who have been following J and L Ministries for a while have heard me say this and have done this with us. Hold your Bible up. Do we all believe that every word of this Bible is from God? Do we all believe that God is the same yesterday, today and forever? He does not change? He's not a respecter of persons? So, if what He said during the time Apostle Paul wrote this letter to the church of Corinth, it goes for us today? Praise God. 2 Corinthians 11:2-4 KJV (2) For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. (3) But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. (4) For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him. Friends, these verses need to be taken to heart. Because I'm on so many Christian sites and also post daily prayers on some secular sites, I see much of what people post about the Bible and what their thoughts are. I tell you there are some deranged beliefs. One I just saw as I was writing this. Someone posted that there's proof that Jesus wasn't crucified on a cross. Come on, the proof is in the Bible. He was raised from the dead on the third day. That’s proof enough for me. How about you? All these new religions and beliefs need to be shunned. 2 Timothy 2:15-18 KJV Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (16) But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness. (17) And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus; (18) Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some. Friends, we need to have our shunner alerts on. Amen? My beloved, the passage I just read from and this one I'm about to read, I share often and I do it for the very reason that there are so many being deceived, just like there was back then. 2 Peter 3:16-18 KJV As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction. (17) Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness. (18) But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever. Amen. The sad thing is friends, there are many who are going to perish because they can’t decipher the truth, because they don’t know what God’s word says, because their Bible sits on a shelf collecting dust. Many are just too lazy to take the time to open it up. They come up with all the excuses available. I know. I was at that place. What Paul was saying in these verses we read from in 2 Corinthians is about the deceptive power of the enemy. Satan is the father of lies and will do whatever he can to keep us from walking in the powerful life of Christ. Amen? One of the weapons he uses against us is fear. When we're driven by a spirit of fear, we don’t act out with power, love and a sound mind. Please turn to 2nd Timothy 1 7-10. Here we'll see fear is not of God. 2 Timothy 1:7-10 KJV For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. Oops, stop. Pause. Hit the brakes. Church, read verse 7 again. Soooooo, if fear didn’t come from God, where did it come from? That’s right, Satan. The enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy. When you or I are about to witness to someone, there he'll be. Your heart might start to race. Doubt will set in. Distractions will come. Oh boy, will the distractions come! The enemy doesn’t want you to share the Gospel with a lost soul. Church, you can get through this. I say you can get through this. Praise God. We can rebuke that crooked legged, slime ball with God’s word. Let’s continue with verse 8. (8) Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God; (9) Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, (10) But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel: Wow church, as one of my favorite pastors says, “That speaks volumes." Brothers and Sisters, fear causes us to trade power for an overwhelming, pervasive feeling of powerlessness. When we start thinking that we’re at the mercy of our past and our circumstances, we discount the power that's ours through the Holy Spirit. Fear can talk us into trading love for lust because fear makes us decide that we're not going to risk our hearts again. Love which enables us to hear, believe, hope and endure all things is the incentive to all obedience, where fear keeps us from loving. Love is the driving force behind everything else in life. Some of you may have dealt with fear all of your lives. It may have been a major stronghold as a child. The enemy will try to use that fear to convince you that you'll never be anything different. That slimy devil will put thoughts in your head that you'll never amount to nothing. Maybe that's what you heard from others all your life. The enemy will try to convince you that God can’t change you. That He isn’t real. Am I speaking to anyone today? Is the Holy Ghost tugging at your heart? I want to tell you that scripture says differently. God’s Word says just the opposite of what the enemy has lied about to any of you here in this room or watching this later. Friends, listen up. Jesus came to save the world. God created you and knew you before you were in your mama’s womb. He has a perfect plan for you. God’s Word says that Jesus came to heal the sick. He came for those who desperately need him. He came to set the captives free. Is there anyone here with burdens today, any sick, any who have not been set free? I tell you that when you can really see that this is what the Bible says and you trust in the Savior of the world, you'll begin to believe it. And friends when that happens, your life changes. There may be someone listening right now who has casually heard these words I've just said before. And many of those people have played church. They say the right things around believers. They act all holy when they're at church, but in their personal time, they act like the world. I tell you stop! Get real! Turn to Jesus. Truly repent. Truly surrender to Him and friend, when you're serious about following Christ, your life will change. Please turn to 1st Corinthians 2: 9-16. 1 Corinthians 2:9-16 LITV (9) according as it has been written, "Eye has not seen, and ear has not heard," nor has it risen up into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for those that love Him. (10) But God revealed them to us by His Spirit, for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. (11) For who among men knows the things of a man, except the spirit of a man within him? So also no one has known the things of God except the Spirit of God. (12) But we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit from God, so that we might know the things that are freely given to us by God. (13) Which things we also speak, not in words taught in human wisdom, but in Words taught of the Holy Spirit, comparing spiritual things with spiritual things. (14) But a natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he is not able to know them, because they are spiritually discerned. (15) But the spiritual one discerns all things, but he is discerned by no one. (16) For "who has known the mind of the Lord?" "Who will teach Him?" But we have the mind of Christ. Friends, I can see a couple of reasons why the lost don’t want to hear the Gospel. First, we know that the Bible says that to those who perish the Gospel to them is like foolishness. I also think because of what so many churches here in America have been doing, there's a bad taste in many people’s mouths. I don’t think I need to point any fingers, as the true believer knows what is scriptural and what is not. People are looking for something that feels good. People want a message that doesn’t put them down. Many are after rituals and tradition, because that's what they know. What happened to a relationship with Christ? As the late David Wilkerson cried out, “Where is the anguish? Where are the Sunday school teachers that weep over the kids that are dying and going to hell?” Think about that quote for a minute. I mean, really let it sink in. Selah. This is why I praise God when our grandson is here on Sundays. I know that he, even at a tender age, is hearing the truth. From there, he has to make the right choices from the seeds sown. Praise God!! What about your loved ones and best friends? Are you concerned for their eternal well-being? Do you care whether they spend eternity in heaven or hell? Do you pray for them daily? I want us to see what Apostle Paul says in 1 Timothy chapter 2. Again we're going to see the heart of God wanting all men to be saved, but notice what He said about praying for all people, and that means even for the elected officials. 1 Timothy 2:1-4 KJV I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; (2) For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. (3) For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior; (4) Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. Church, I want to look at some verses that shows that God listens to our prayers. Please turn to Psalms 116: 1. I've mentioned in many messages that what we pray for should line up with God’s Word. Amen? We know because we've read that He wishes no man or woman perishes, yes? So is it His will that we pray and He will hear our prayers for salvation for our parents, brothers, sisters, grandparents, cousins, brothers, sisters and friends? Even those people we don’t know that we may have just met this very second and pray for their lost souls? Let’s read King David’s prayer. Psalms 116:1-4 KJV I love the LORD, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications. (2) Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live. (3) The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow. (4) Then called I upon the name of the LORD; O LORD, I beseech thee, deliver my soul. Praise God!! Now let’s go to Mark, chapter 2. I could do a whole study on this passage we're about to read, and we may at some point. Mark 2:2-12 KJV And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto them. (3) And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four. (4) And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay. (5) When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee. (6) But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts, (7) Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only? (8) And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts? (9) Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk? (10) But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,) (11) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house. (12) And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion. There is much to say about this passage, but the one thing I want you to notice, maybe 2 things, is this. Nothing was said about the man with palsy’s faith. Verse 5 When Jesus saw their faith, He said unto the sick of the palsy, "Son, thy sins be forgiven thee." I'm sure this sick man was believing in faith too, but we don’t read that. Praise Jesus for being so compassionate. I want to close with one last passage and we'll continue this next week, God willing. Next week, I want to go into more detail about how we can see our loved ones saved. Anyone have loved ones who need Jesus who don’t know Him? I'm sure that everyone here, listening, or reading this can name at least one. Please turn to Mark 9:17 and we'll read through to 29. I want everyone to take notice of what Jesus says to His disciples on this issue. Mark 9:17-29 KJV And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit; (18) And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not. (19) He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me. (20) And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming. (21) And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child. (22) And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us. (23) Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. (24) And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. (25) When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him. (26) And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead. (27) But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose. (28) And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out? (29) And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting. We see that Jesus, after hearing from this son’s dad that he had this spirit from when he was a child. One of the first things that I want you to notice is this. (19) He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I suffer you? Bring him unto me. I find that first, we need to have faith in what we ask. The dad said that he brought the boy to the disciples and the boy wasn’t delivered. Even though the 12 disciples and many others walked with Jesus and saw all He did, they still lacked in faith. I also want you to notice what Jesus said in verse 29. (29) And he said unto them, "This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting." We've seen the importance of prayer and some of you who've followed our ministry know that I've been fasting at times and have seen the results. Friends, there's so much more to discuss and I hope that you all join in next week. My hope for each of you here in the J and L Ministries Paltak room and for those who watch the video on u-tube might take that pad of paper that I mentioned you to get, have many names on it, and that you continue to pray for those people. I have blood relatives that I pray for often that they'll come to the saving grace of Jesus. Yesterday, Leanna and I went to Bangor to pick up a new modem. There were several things about that whole trip that were out of the ordinary. I mean totally different and we ended up across the river to eat and then go to a different Wal-Mart that we very seldom visit to pick up something that Mischelle needed. As we went to check out, I drifted elsewhere and a young lady called for Leanna to come to her checkout counter. When I got there, my mouth dropped. That young lady behind the counter was my daughter, who I hadn't seen in years. Praise God! My friends, God knows my heart. He knows that I'm not ashamed to share His Word. I'll talk to even those who constantly reject Him. I know what He's done in my life. I know the things I was and am delivered of. Praise Jesus. I know the conceited, immoral, cold-hearted, prideful person I was. And beloved, if He can save me, if He can deliver me of some awful things and turn me into a person that loves all people even though they've hurt me, if He can change me from someone who wouldn't give a dime to anyone, to a person who now loves to give and looks for opportunities to give, if He can change me to a humble person, take all the anger and bitterness that I had and turn it into love and compassion for others, I tell you, He can change you. Friends, thank you for spending this time with us here in the J and L Ministries Paltak room. Thank you for those who are watching on u-tube, or the many Christian and secular sites that have allowed us to share on. We ask you to please share this video and all the Words Of Wisdom Videos with friends and family. I'm going to stop this recording, but I'll be keeping the Paltalk room open for questions and remarks, so hang tight. Church, we love you and until next week, everything you say or do should be done in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. Let's be the light of Jesus that shines in this dark and dying world. Good morning friends and welcome to the J and L Ministries Paltalk room. We're hoping Paltak behaves itself today, as there seems to be many issues the past few months.
For those who may have looked for last Sundays message and couldn't find it, you're not going crazy. When I started to render it to add to u-tube, there was no sound. The platform I'm using to put those together switched to the wrong microphone. Today’s message is going to touch on many topics. For those who follow the news, you probably have noticed that there seems to be more trouble in every part of the world, including here in the United States. Before we get started, I want to remind everyone that God still sits on His throne and He's still in control and does what He pleases. Those who have been with us for a while should remember the verses where we found this. Psalms 115:3 KJV But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased. I've found where many non-believers, and sadly even those professing Jesus as Lord, if you can believe, say that if there truly is a God that He would not have allowed the tornadoes in different parts of the US to happen. He would not have allowed all the soldiers to be shot and the bombings to have happened. Shootings all over the world wouldn't have happened if there was really a God that loves us. Have you heard these things? It's hard to explain these things to those who don’t believe in Christ. If God loves everyone, then why the millions upon millions of babies that have been brutally aborted? What about the Christians that are being killed? Where was their God? It’s hard to explain to some who doesn’t believe in Christ. We do have choices, and you don’t have to look very hard to find that this country has made many wrong choices against God’s will. Yes? Also, the Bible tells us that we will be persecuted. John 15:18-21 KJV If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. (19) If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. (20) Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. (21) But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me. Today we're going to look at some of the things that Jesus said would come in the last days. Now, we read this, but it's not to create fear in you my brothers and sisters, but to strengthen your faith. These things are already happening and they will get worse, but you know what? I'm ready. I will not worry about tomorrow. Please turn in your Bibles to John 16 and we are going to start with verses 1-16. We read in chapter 15 where Jesus warns us about being a follower of Him. The hatred of the world. “If the world hates you, you must realize that it hated me before it hated you." When we're saved, we're then called to live in a way that's much different than that of society. We're told not to live like the world, but that can be a very hard thing to do when we're right smack dab in the middle of it. We're to look toward heavenly things and be the reflection of Jesus in the things we say and do. Let's see what Jesus said in Matthew 16:24. Matthew 16:24-25 KJV Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. (25) For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. I think of the rich man who asked Jesus what must he do to be saved, and after Jesus said to obey all the commandments, which this man claimed he had done. Then he was told to sell all he had and give to the poor and he walked away sad. This is why when a Christian is very much praised by the power of this world and is exalted as a model for everyone by mass-media, it's good not to trust too much. Jesus said, “If you belong to the world, the world will love you as its own; but because you do not belong to the world, because my choice of you has drawn you out of the world, that is why the world hates you." We have two choices: the world or the Gospel. Which of these two will you choose? John 16:1-16 KJV These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended. (2) They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. (3) And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me. (4) But these things have I told you, that when the time shall come, ye may remember that I told you of them. And these things I said not unto you at the beginning, because I was with you. (5) But now I go my way to him that sent me; and none of you asketh me, Whither goest thou? (6) But because I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart. (7) Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. (8) And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: (9) Of sin, because they believe not on me; (10) Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; (11) Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged. (12) I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. (13) Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. (14) He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. (15) All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you. (16) A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father. When we look through these verses and then look through the history of the church, we find that believers have been persecuted all along. The first disciples of Jesus were persecuted. Doesn’t it seem strange that through all these centuries people would hate people who love God and who are to share their love and their God with the world? It does until you think about the Gospel message. Here's what the late David Wilkerson had to say about why the world hates the true church, its pastors and the parishioners. A true Christian is loving, peaceful, forgiving and caring. Those who obey Jesus’ words are self-sacrificing, meek and kind. Now, common wisdom tells us it’s not natural to hate those who love you, bless you and pray for you. Rather, people hate only those who abuse, rob and curse them. So, why are Christians so hated? Jesus says simply, “If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you…. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you” (John 15:18, 20). Why is this so? The church, and every minister and believer in it, is hated because of its mission. You see, our mission is much more than telling lost people, “Jesus loves you.” It’s more than trying to accommodate and appease people. You may draw back in surprise when I remind you of what our mission is. Simply put, our mission as Christians is to take back from the ungodly what's most precious to them: self-righteousness. It's to translate them into a freedom they think is slavery. It's to separate them from damning sins, a blessing they see as only ending in boredom and sadness. Church, the most precious thing to a worldly person is his self-righteousness. Think about it: he's spent his whole life forming a good opinion of himself. He’s built an idol to his good works. He praises himself that he’s really good at heart and kind to others. Simply put, he’s built his own Tower of Babel, a monument to his own goodness. He's sure that he’s good enough for heaven, and too good for hell. This ungodly man has spent years beating down his conscience and searing it. He's taught himself to still every voice of conviction that comes to him. And now he enjoys a false peace. He's become so deceived that he actually believes God admires him! This is truth my friends. And now, just when he's shut down the voice of his conscience, you, a Christian, come along. And the truth you bring speaks more loudly than his dead conscience: “Unless you’re born again, you can’t enter the kingdom of heaven.” Suddenly you’re a threat in this person's mind. You’re someone who wants to deprive him of his assurance that all is well with his soul. All this time, he has thought he is okay. But now you’re telling him that all his good works are as filthy rags. I tell you, this man doesn’t see you as someone who’s bringing good news. No, in his eyes you’re a tormentor, someone who’s out to take away his peaceful sleep at night. Sound familiar to before you came to know Jesus as your Savior? Maybe some of you still feel like, "Man, I wish I still could do the same things I did before." You might be thinking, "I sure miss the bar scene," or maybe thinking, "I miss the movies I used to watch. Why is it so bad to hang out with drug buddies?" Friends, you need to stay away from these things. When the enemy starts putting these thoughts of one more drink won’t hurt you, one little joint I smoke, or a pill to get high isn’t going to bother you. You’d better not fall for that lie. "I just want to go to one porn site, just this one time." Get it out of your mind, because once you have that thought, you're hooked again. Lust of the flesh. Church, God will reveal Himself to anyone who seeks Him. We can look in the book of acts with Cornelius, who feared God. Acts 10:1-5 KJV There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band, (2) A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway. (3) He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour of the day an angel of God coming in to him, and saying unto him, Cornelius. (4) And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, What is it, Lord? And he said unto him, Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God. (5) And now send men to Joppa, and call for one Simon, whose surname is Peter: Skip down to verse 34. Acts 10:34-48 KJV Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: (35) But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him. (36) The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all:) (37) That word, I say, ye know, which was published throughout all Judaea, and began from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached; (38) How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him. (39) And we are witnesses of all things which he did both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom they slew and hanged on a tree: (40) Him God raised up the third day, and shewed him openly; (41) Not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God, even to us, who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead. (42) And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead. (43) To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins. (44) While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. (45) And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. (46) For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter, (47) Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we? (48) And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days. Beloved, there are Muslims who have prayed for the true God to reveal Himself to them and they've had angels appear and they've come to the saving grace of Jesus. Glory to God! Church, we're to be different than the world and in the name of Jesus, that's what I pray for all who attend these services each week, those who will be joining in the near future. And for the ones who read these messages every week, we'll be different. We'll fear God. We'll seek God’s face and want to be all that He has planned for us and be in obedience to that plan. We'll be His disciples. We'll be world changers. We'll be His light in this dark and dying world. We'll be the ones who share the Gospel with the world. We'll be the ones who pray for the sick. And church, here's, as pastor Jeff of A Far From Normal Faith Ministry, the boom, boom. Here are the words of Jesus. Matthew 28:18-20 KJV And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. (19) Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: (20) Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. Matthew 28:20 AMP Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations [help the people to learn of Me, believe in Me, and obey My words], baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. This is where I think the church has gone wrong. We share the gospel on salvation, but do we teach them discipleship? Friends, we've read scripture of who we need to be in Christ. We have a choice. Yes, I said we have a choice. God doesn't force us to call on Him. We can accept Jesus as Lord, or we can deny Him. And friends, God is a good God and He is a just God. Psalms 7:11 KJV God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day. Now quickly I want to show you a few verses about seeking God and while we read them, we have to remember that God cannot lie, and He is not a respecter of persons. Jeremiah 29:11-14 KJV For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. (12) Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. (13) And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. (14) And I will be found of you, saith the LORD: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the LORD; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive. Now, I'm going to share a few scriptures showing where we are to seek God, and while I read them, I want you to catch what the verse means, but I also want to show you something that separates Christianity from any other religion. And for the record, I hate using the word religion when talking about Christianity (Christ like), but that's how it's classified. James 1:5 KJV If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. Acts 17:26-27 KJV And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; (27) That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: Matthew 7:7-8 KJV Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: (8) For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. You search the in-corrupt seed of Muslim faith, it's not for all. The same with Buddhism or any of the religions. The only True Living God of the world is where you will see that every man and woman has that chance to make a choice. John 3:15-18 KJV That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. (16) For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (17) For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. (18) He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. It's your choice, my friend. For those who say God isn't fair, how much fairer can He be? You have to remember He's a just God. God does hate sin, but He was willing to send His Son to earth. He that knew no sin to die to cleanse you and me of all our unrighteousness and remember it no more. Praise God. But you need to make that choice to receive Jesus or not. And that choice has consequences. We can receive Christ and have the hope of eternal life, or we can deny Him and lose that hope and spend eternity in the lake of fire. To me, it's a no-brainer. And my friends, when you call on Jesus to be Lord and Savior and you live your life for Him, wow, you see just how good God is. So now friends,make it personal. I will in the name of Jesus change from the wicked ways that have not pleased God. I'll sow GOOD seed into my son, daughter, grandchildren, husband, wife, niece, nephews, uncles Grandparents and friend’s lives who don’t know Jesus as Lord. I'll start from this day to do all things as if I were doing it for the Lord. I will read my Bible every day, from this day forward because I want to know God, His ways and what He has planned for me. I'll read my Bible because I want to strengthen my faith….faith comes from hearing and hearing from the Word of God. I will read God’s Word and meditate on it so I know how to be a witness to those who God puts on my heart, who don’t know Him. Is God speaking to anyone? I'll read and meditate on it because Proverbs 4:20-23 KJV My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. (21) Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. (22) For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh. (23) Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. Halleluiah!! Glory to God!! I'll be the husband that the Bible speaks of. I'll be the wife that I was called to be. I'll have the love and compassion of Christ to my neighbor, coworker schoolmates and everyone that I might have had problems dealing with. I'll be more forgiving to those who have hurt me in words and actions. I can do all these things and more because of Christ in my life who strengthens me. Glory be to God!!! Romans 8:35-39 KJV Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? (36) As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. (37) Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. (38) For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, (39) Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Philippians 4:4-8 KJV Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. (5) Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. (6) Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. (7) And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (8) Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. These are the things I want for my life and for yours brothers and sisters in Christ. And church, we all can have them when we let the Holy Spirit be our guide. Thank You, Jesus! Jesus said this to Satan when He was tempted in the desert, and we can do the same thing whenever we are tempted against God’s word. Luke 4:4 KJV And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. Church, the next time your heart fails you with fear, hurt, loss, loneliness, or a wound, apply the medicine of the LORD. It’s only the well-fed hearts and souls that are healthy. John 6:63 KJV It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. God’s word has never been more available than it is today. Friends, you can go to Wal-Mart or most book stores and pick up a Bible. You can get a used one at a Salvation Army or thrift store. You can even download Bibles free from many sources online. I prefer e-Sword and have had it for years now and friends, it is free. There are so many translations, dictionaries, commentaries, maps and so much more. Friends, for those who say they don’t have time to spend in God’s Word, you don’t fool me and don’t think for a minute you're fooling God. I was at that place once before. Make time. Soon you'll desire to be in it. Get into God’s Word and God’s Word will get into you and bring His life into your existence and bless you. Jeremiah 15:15-17 KJV O LORD, thou knowest: remember me, and visit me, and revenge me of my persecutors; take me not away in thy longsuffering: know that for thy sake I have suffered rebuke. (16) Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts. (17) I sat not in the assembly of the mockers, nor rejoiced; I sat alone because of thy hand: for thou hast filled me with indignation. If we don’t daily and often read His words, we have no one to blame but ourselves for not ingesting them, devouring them, and receiving of their inherent and divine medicinal properties. When we do, healing, joy, rejoicing, restoration, and wholeness will result. Praise God. God’s Word is so powerful and living. I'm amazed at how often scripture that I've read over and over and over teaches me something new. The Bible is alive. Friends, I am about to close but I urge everyone this week who's hearing this message, reading it at another time online, please, please, please, if you haven't been in God’s Word daily, please start today. Don’t let the devil talk you out of it, because he will try. I guarantee it. Satan is the father of lies and he comes to steel, kill and destroy your life. When we get God’s Word in us, we learn how to sense the enemy when he sneaks in and how to get rid of him. Don’t let pride get in the way of asking God for needs in your life, don’t let doubt rob you of a miracle. Acts 20:20-32 KJV And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publickly, and from house to house, (21) Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. (22) And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there: (23) Save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me. (24) But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God. (25) And now, behold, I know that ye all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, shall see my face no more. (26) Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. (27) For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. (28) Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. (29) For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. (30) Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. (31) Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears. (32) And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified. Beloved, Jesus said in John 14:6 KJV Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. Friends, there are those who don't like that verse very much, but you know what? That verse excites me. I praise God that there is a way. Praise Jesus. And we read earlier, that invitation is to all people throughout the world. It isn't for just those who can afford it. You don't have to belong to a special club. It isn't for just the smartest of people. No, it's for all who will seek Him and repent of their sins and follow Him. Glory to the name of Jesus! Jesus is the only way. 2 Peter 3:9 KJV The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Psalms 34:8 KJV O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. Friends, we thank you all of you who have joined in us in the J and L Ministries room here on Paltalk, we thank those who have read the sermon notes on the various sites and those who have been following our sermon videos on u-tube and again on the many sites. Leanna and I love you and to all our brothers and sisters, till next week, Psalms 34:3 KJV O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together. What does the Bible say about that little member that dangles underneath our nose? part 2 Greetings friends and family and welcome to J and L Ministries in the Paltalk room and also those watching on the various Christian Networks and also some of the secular sites. Last week, we looked at words spoken being seeds that can sow good fruit or bad fruit. During that message we looked at many verses in the book of James chapter 3 on how our little member (the tongue) can be such a dangerous thing. This week as we continue, I want to look at positive things our tongues say. But we are also going to touch on things that many of the body of Christ is involved in and for most they don't seem to even be aware, or don't care. We read two verses last week that I want to look at again. Proverbs 18:21 KJV Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. James 3:2 KJV For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body. This week I want to look at the positive words we need to speak and starting from these two verses. I want everyone to think back in this past week and think back to positive words that you may have spoken to a co-worker, fellow student, maybe a family member, someone at church, or maybe a neighbor. Does anyone remember what it means when we speak blessings over someone or say God bless you? Anyone? It doesn’t have to be word for word as I know it's a mouthful. What it means is this: I bless you means I declare over you that God’s full intention that He has for your life would come into fullness. How many want God’s full intention in your spouse’s life? How many want to speak God’s intentions that He's purposed for your children or grandchildren’s lives? It should be one of our greatest desires. When we learn these principles, we can speak to things that are not pleasant, or those things that are against God’s will and then expect and watch things change. Faith and works, Amen? I have nothing to gain by advertising this material, but I have seen it work. Praise God. I also want to comment on how we speak about illnesses, diseases, etc…. You all know by now that my wife, Leanna has been battling with symptoms of diabetes, and stage 3 chronic kidney failure. From day one, I've said, that with proper diet, exercise, and because we serve a God that still heals today, she would be fine. I still believe that. I had one doctor that rolled her big eyes when I said that, yet during Leanna’s next visit and after a letter from her doctor saying that she should be expecting to be on dialysis soon, was amazed at the improvements that had been made and made the comment that she, Leanna, could come off, or reduce some of her medications, very soon. Thank You Jesus. It's been a struggle for Leanna, because first, what she should eat for the sugar issues isn't good for her because of the high potassium levels. Secondly, this is still relatively new to her as she found out all these things a little over three years ago and because of having a new doctor every 6 to 9 months and because she does improve, they remained baffled. Third, and I’m sure that there's much more, but she's had doctors who aren't believers in Christ and believers that we serve a God that still heals today. Leanna's getting better about not saying, "What won’t kill me for one disease will on the other. I can’t eat anything." Now, this isn't pick on Leanna day, but just to bring caution to everyone things we shouldn't say and what we should say. What I want to try to encourage everyone to do when you're going through storms in your life or a family member is to speak differently. We need to be aware of the things that we say. Church, what we need to realize is there's power in our words. We read it last week and again this week. 'Power in our words. Better yet, there is power in the name of Jesus. I think many forget this when they go through storms, and I have my hand raised also, as there are times I jump and act on my own when I might be struggling with an issue. I'm better, but I still at times need to be reminded. I, as I hope all of you are all children of God. I learn from His word. I read and I study what His word says for my life, my family’s lives and for you who come to our house, join in live via Paltalk, phone, or for those who can now watch these messages on U-tube or on the other many sites they are shared. Take the Gospel to the world is what Jesus commanded us to do in Mark 16:15. That's what I try to do each week and also for those that I meet throughout the week. Let’s look at some of the verses discussing Jesus' name and the power in His name. Friends, there's only one Jesus who stands as a mediator between the Father God and humanity. There's only one Jesus who died on the cross and arose victoriously who said, "All power in heaven and in earth now belongs to Me." There are churches one must confess their sins to a priest and go through a bunch of rituals, yet my Bible says "No one comes to the Father but by Me." Actually let's go there. Praise Jesus. John 14:6 KJV Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. That doesn't mean to bow down to some statue. You know what, we're not going there today because that's a sermon in itself and God willing we'll do that soon, as that's been on my heart. There have been messages that I've done where I've asked you to write scriptures down and post them in places that you'll see them and have asked you to speak them out. I hope you've been doing that. When you and I use the name of Jesus in faith, it means knowing WHO it is that stands behind that name, knowing the wealth and the power that's invested in the name of Jesus. Amen? This is one of the greatest weapons that you have in your arsenal to use against the enemy. Let’s turn to Philippians 2:9-11. Philippians 2:9-11 KJV Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: (10) That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; (11) And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Praise God!! Halleluiah! Friends, the enemy's going to try to throw you off the path that God has chosen for you and he'll use everything he can. Satan doesn't play fair. There have been many times that I knew that I knew that I was supposed to ask someone if I could pray with them. It's one thing to pray for someone in your own prayer closet. What I mean is in a place where you're alone, or with your spouse or a close friend, but to pray with someone that you barely know? That takes leaning on God’s strength. That's getting bold! That's defeating the fear that Satan tries to shower you with. Don’t allow Satan to make you think. "But brother Jim, I tried this before, it just doesn’t work for me." This isn't a trick, this is the Word of God. You've got to plant the Word inside your heart and mind and not move off of it, no matter what you see or hear. The enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy, but Christ came to give us life and life more abundantly. Praise Jesus! And the Savior of the word calls you His friend. Church, for this reason I asked you to memorize verses. God tells us in His word, that every word is true and every man (that denies it) is a liar. God's trying to work some miracles out in your life and Satan's trying to block it. Satan's trying to destroy it and convince you that following Jesus is a waste of time. Don't believe the father of lies. You can be victorious by using the name of Jesus and having faith and confidence in His name and His Word, because Jesus is the Word, Who became flesh. You can trust God’s Word. Praise the King of Kings. Listen up church. Get these words in your heart. Praise God. 1 John 4:1-6 KJV Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. (2) Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: (3) And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. (4) Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. (5) They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. (6) We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error. Did we get this church? Halleluiah! It's very important that we go to the Word of God, the Bible, for ALL our priorities in life. And all of our understanding about who Jesus is, what the Gospel is, how a person becomes reconciled with God, The Bible tells how a person gets to heaven, how we should live as Christians, what the Church is. The Bible teaches us how the Church should function. Organized church, did you catch this? Who should lead in the body of Christ, what our calling is in society on this earth. Here's a big one. What should our message be to the World? If I was to ask everyone who is Jesus to you? What has God called you to do? You don’t have to answer out loud, for those listening live. What's your relationship with God? Is He someone you think about just on Sundays? Maybe again on a week night if you go to a Bible study? Can you talk about your faith with your friends? Family members? Do you have conversations with God on a daily basis? Do you know what your gifts are? I'm not trying to attack anyone, but these are things that we should know. We find these things as we spend time in His Word, in prayer and when we're in obedience. He has a perfect plan for each of us. The first night, I should say in the wee hours of the morning, I came home after bringing Leanna to the ER, I spent an hour crying out to God on the drive home after hearing one symptom after another that the doctors discussed could be wrong with my wife. We went because of a sore on her ankle. In that prayer, I asked God, "Why all this, Lord? I know that You blessed us with this part of J and L Ministries. Why these symptoms? I can’t do this on my own. You blessed me with her and because of her, I have a purpose now. Because of her and what You've done through the both of us, why take her away?" I was hurting and when I was almost home, I realized what was going on. We had gotten to a higher place with God. We were studying things that I guarantee the enemy didn’t want us to learn about. In many ways we were coming to a higher level with God. Then 4 days later, my dad passed away. The same day I brought Leanna home from the hospital. Again I went through stuff, and again I had many hours of traveling picking up family from the airport and bringing them two hours north to my parents home and then a two hour ride back to my home. Because of that alone time and in prayer, I wrote a salvation message to read at my dad’s funeral in front of those who were professing atheists. Praise God. I know I've gone totally off what I thought I was supposed to teach on today, but there must be something that someone needed to hear. If that was you, I'd like to hear after this service. If you're watching this or reading this and it spoke to your heart, please drop me a message. Back to words being seed. If everyone can please turn to Matthew 12:32. Whatever's in your heart will eventually come out of your mouth. Matthew 12:32-37 LEB And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him. But whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him either in this age or in the coming one! (33) "Either make the tree good and its fruit is good, or make the tree bad and its fruit is bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. (34) Offspring of vipers! How are you able to say good things when you are evil? For from the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. (35) The good person from his good treasury brings out good things, and the evil person from his evil treasury brings out evil things. (36) But I tell you that every worthless word that they speak, people will give an account for it on the day of judgment! (37) For by your words you will be vindicated, and by your words you will be condemned." Good things as well as bad things come into being why? Because of the words we speak. I know we looked at this last week but let’s turn to Matthew 15:10-20. I want us to see what Jesus says in this parable. Matthew 15:10-20 KJV And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand: (11) Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man. (12) Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying? (13) But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. (14) Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch. (15) Then answered Peter and said unto him, Declare unto us this parable. (16) And Jesus said, Are ye also yet without understanding? (17) Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught? (18) But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. (19) For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: (20) These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man. These words from Jesus are to the bad or evil treasure in our hearts that comes out as negative and perverse speech. We've seen in other studies that all through the entire Bible we're given very explicit and detailed instructions about speaking right words. We're to be witnesses to the world. If we're cursing others, and I don’t mean just swearing, but saying hateful things that down others, is that being a good witness? When Christians are bad mouthing others, slandering other people, and here comes the boom, boom, involved in gossip, what will the unbeliever think about your faith in God? Are they going to be learning the ways of God? I think not. If that's the way that God sets you and me free, by living just the way the world does, why bother? Let's turn to a verse we've looked at before. Proverbs 4: 20-24. Proverbs 4:18-27 KJV But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. (19) The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble. (20) My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. (21) Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. (22) For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh. (23) Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. (24) Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee. (25) Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee. (26) Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. (27) Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil. Powerful words here. Friends, I think the message God's trying to get across to us today is this. We need to be careful with our words. I remember a saying that my mom used to say to my brother, sister and me, and I am sure most of you have heard it too, "If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say it." Amen? Do we want to say things that are going to harm people and then come back to harm us? Think about that for a moment. Remember there's power in our words. We can curse or bless with what we say. Amen? Romans 12:2 tells us to be not conformed to this world but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may PROVE what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Once you prove God’s word to be true to yourself, the gates of hell will not be able to prevail against it. You'll know that you know that it's the truth and no one will be able to steal it from you if you continually guard your heart. Proverbs 21:23 KJV Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles. 1 John 5:18 KJV We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not. With these two verses, should we not want to live our lives for God the best we can? When we totally surrender to Jesus, we can. So now, let's touch on a topic that's been brought up by a couple of friends. I just mentioned it a few minutes ago. Because of time's sake, we can't get into a whole sermon about it, but let's look at gossip and slandering others. What does the bible say about it? "Brother Jim, is it really that big a deal?? Let's see what God thinks. Psalm 119:11 AMP Your word I have treasured and stored in my heart, That I may not sin against You. So let's first look at the definition of gossip. Search Results 1. gos·sip ˈɡäsəp/ noun noun: gossip 1. 1. casual or unconstrained conversation or reports about other people, typically involving details that are not confirmed as being true. : information about the behavior and personal lives of other people : information about the lives of famous people : a person who often talks about the private details of other people's lives Now let's look at some verses to see if it is okay according to God's word to gossip: Now for those who try to look up gossip in the KJV, you're not going to find it, and because there are those who've been following this ministry for a while who won't believe anything but, I'll stick to the KJ. Before I end this message, I'll show you enough verses that you'll know that gossip is definitely not pleasing to God. Proverbs 6:16-19 KJV These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: (17) A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, (18) An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, (19) A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren. That passage alone should seal the deal, but I'll share some more. Proverbs 16:28 KJV A froward man soweth strife: and a whisperer separateth chief friends. Proverbs 17:4 KJV A wicked doer giveth heed to false lips; and a liar giveth ear to a naughty tongue. Proverbs 20:19 KJV He that goeth about as a talebearer revealeth secrets: therefore meddle not with him that flattereth with his lips. "Okay brother Jim, I don't think I want to look at the book of proverbs anymore." Okay my friend, let's look in 2 of my favorite books. Colossians 3:8-10 KJV But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. (9) Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; (10) And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: James 4:11 KJV Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. You see friends, our words are so very powerful. We need to bridle our tongues. Words of encouragement need to be used. Yes, there are times we need to be bold and correct others, but use Godly wisdom. We looked last week at our tongue being able to start a forest fire. I shared a testimony on that, but what I also failed to mention is I see it happening right now within the body. 1 Timothy 5:13 KJV And withal they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not. Friends, let us be the light of the world. Don't be part of the world, but let the world see that we're different. You and I can be different because of Jesus living inside of us. Thank you brothers and sisters in Christ for being here on Paltalk, and for those who have watched or read on the many sites that I and others have shared them on. We love you and we hope that each of you have a great week in the Lord. What does the Bible say about that little member that dangles underneath our nose? Greetings to all of you this beautiful Sunday September 6, 2015. Leanna and I want to thank each of you who has joined us here in the J and L Ministries room on the Paltalk platform and also for those who'll be watching this on U-tube, or both Leanna's and my Cross Roads Fellowships sites, Mylook Online, A Far From Normal Faith Ministry, or Lokey Sisters and Google+. And then there are those who may be watching on Twitter or Facebook where friends have been posting there. All the Glory to God. About 5 years ago, Leanna and I offered a Bible study, studying from the book of James, on the power of our tongues. I think it's important that we be reminded from God’s perspective on this, because He knows all and He knows us, being our Creator. He also knows how our tongue can get us into a heap of trouble. All week long this topic seems to be what I have felt the Lord has put on my mind, along with another topic that will fit perfectly within this series that a couple people have brought up. Again, glory to God. So first, I would ask those who have a Bible in reach to grasp on to it. Do we all agree that the Bible is true? Every word of it is true? We all agree that the entire Bible was inspired from God? Praise the Lord! We're going to be searching throughout the Bible for God’s truth, so if you're taking notes, please have your paper and pen handy, as I'll be referring to many scriptures and we have a short time today to go through them. I want to look first at Proverbs 18: 21. This verse I hear used often, but I wonder if most heed the meaning. We're supposed to be hearers of the Word of God and then be doers. Yet that little member that dangles underneath our noses often wags. Proverbs 18: 21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. What a powerful verse. We can speak death unto someone. We can speak death unto ourselves. You may say, "Brother Jim, how can I do that?" My friend, many do it on a daily basis. Example: My head aches so bad I want to die. Hmmm!!! I hurt so bad, it’s just killing me. Really? Then, there are the words that we can speak to or about others that can leave a scar that lasts for life. I'm sure each of you can relate to that in some point in your life. These things should not be. Now, did we catch the last part of that verse? "And they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof." Think about the words that you've spoken about a supposed friend, maybe your wife or husband, or a child. Maybe a classmate, or co-worker. Are you speaking negative words that might come back to you? Hopefully each one listening is speaking positive words. Words that uplift and edify those people, and that's what I want to have come back to me. Amen everyone? Let’s go to Matthew chapter 15. Matthew 15:10-12 KJV And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand: (11) Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man. (12) Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying? A Christian life, brothers and sisters, is to be Christ-like, and the things I hear many professing Christians saying is not being Christ-like. Let's go down a few verses to verse 18. Jesus is speaking here. Matthew 15: 18-19 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. (19) For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: Let’s see what else the Bible says about our hearts by turning to Jeremiah 17:9. Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? So my friends, if our hearts are not right, we shouldn't say a thing. You know how when we get frustrated or angry we're apt to say things that we shouldn’t or don’t mean. Has anyone been there? Proverbs 12:18 There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise is health. I know Leanna, I'm keeping you busy, but these are all things we need to read, understand and then make it part of our lives. Psalms 57:4 My soul is among lions: and I lie even among them that are set on fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword. One thing that really bothers me, and I'm sure you've heard it - parents who speak ill words over their children like, “You won’t amount to nothing. Why are you so stupid? You're so dumb." This doesn’t just hurt at the time it's being spoken. It can leave a scar on that child’s life forever. It also can be spoken into existence. Ephesians 4:29 KJV. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. Okay, so we're to say good things to one another. What kind of words should we speak? That which edifies and words that may minister grace unto the hearers. Proverbs 16:24 KJV. Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones. Here's what Jesus said at the Mount, and brethren, we need to listen up and heed these words. Matthew 12:36-37 KJV. But I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. (37) For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned. The amplified version says this: 36 But I tell you, on the day of judgment men will have to give account for every idle (inoperative, nonworking) word they speak. 37 For by your words you will be justified and acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned and sentenced. Are we seeing the dangers of speaking negatives towards others or ourselves? What stirred me up to discuss what we speak was we had a sermon playing one night, as we always do when we go to bed, and I heard a few scriptures that kept going through my mind. You know how a song comes on and you can’t get it out of your head? Sometimes it stays for days? Have any of you been there? Well, I woke up and there were parts of scriptures that I woke up with very early in the morning. So when I came downstairs I looked them up on E-sword. They didn’t seem to go with anything that I was going through, but figured that someone needed to hear them. These are powerful and very important scriptures that I want us to listen to and repeat. Amen? Joel 3:10 Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears: LET THE WEAK SAY, I AM STRONG. Psalms 27:14 Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD. Ephesians 6:10 KJV Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might. Later that morning I got a letter from a woman from Cross Roads Fellowship that I know battles from depression and she was tired of stuff and said she felt like ending everything like a friend of hers did a few months back. See how God works? Hallelujah!!! I replied to her and gave her the scriptures and told her to pin them up all over her house as a reminder and to speak them out. You see, I believe that the Bible is true. I believe there's much power in God’s Word, and when we speak scriptures out, we're speaking God’s words. Hebrews 4:12 KJV For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. God is our light and strength by whom and in whom He lives. Praise God! We should therefore let the heart be fixed in Him and the mind stayed upon Him, waiting His deliverance in all circumstances. Please turn to Proverbs 4 and verse 20. Here's a passage that those who've been joining us have heard me say often, but I feel we should be reminded of often. Praise the Lord. Proverbs 4:20-23 ASV My son, attend to my words; Incline thine ear unto my sayings. (21) Let them not depart from thine eyes; Keep them in the midst of thy heart. (22) For they are life unto those that find them, And health to all their flesh. (23) Keep thy heart with all diligence; For out of it are the issues of life. My friends, when we get into the Bible and meditate on these Words, they should be a reminder to us. I've often said to post scriptures up around places that you can read them and speak them out as a reminder. In a video just recently, I heard brother Jeff from a far from normal faith ministry mention something similar. Let’s all say this verse together. Psalms 18:32 KJV It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect. Again!!! GNB He is the God who makes me strong, who makes my pathway safe. Let’s say it again. He makes me strong. Do we hear our friends saying this? This is where we need to start changing what we speak. Leanna and I were blessed to have pastors who taught us when someone asks how you are, don’t start in with “Well you know, I’m tired and I’m broke and I.... No, no and no. Say, "I am blessed." When you're a child of God, you are blessed. Speak it out. Leanna and I always say we're blessed when someone asks how we are, even when we don’t feel it. We are blessed, and if you want to go even further, say you're blessed and highly favored from God above. We know we're blessed. We know that God's taking care of all our needs. We know that He's guiding us in the things we do for His Kingdom. Praise God. Mischelle, if you can type what you often say. Let’s say it again. I am strong in the Lord. He fills me with strength. Remember, there's life and death in the power of the tongue. He makes my path safe. Glory to God!!!! Psalms 27:1 A Psalm of David. The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? Let’s say it again. Let the weak say I am strong!! You're not saying your words, you are saying God’s Words. Do we believe there's power in these words? Psalms 19:14 KJV Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer. Say this, My God makes me strong!!! Satan wants you to say you're weak. He, little “h” wants you to speak ill of yourself. The Lord is the strength of my life. Again. I am strong. God is the strength of my mind, my body, my emotions. The Lord is the strength of my life. Friends, we need to get this and put our faith in this. Psalms 29:11 KJV The LORD will give strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace. Let’s go to Psalms 71. I love this book. So many verses we can use, but let’s look at Psalms 71:16 KJV. I will go in the strength of the Lord GOD: I will make mention of thy righteousness, even of thine only. Say it with me, I will go in the strength of the Lord GOD. Glory to God. Remember, this is what we're told in the Bible. I will go in the strength of the Lord GOD. Remember when the enemy comes and says you're too tired to go to church, or to go to work, or whatever. I will go in the strength of the Lord GOD. Psalms 84:7 KJV They go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appeareth before God. They go from strength to strength. Let us all say this........ I’m going from strength to strength. I will go in the strength of the Lord God. God is my safe place. In God I will find my strength. Philippians 4:13 KJV I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. I am strong in the Lord. I am strong in the power of His might. Brothers and sisters, we went through many scriptures, yet I would highly suggest copying them down and posting them in places where you'll see them often. When you see them, keep speaking them out. Not just once or twice, but over and over. These are scriptures we should all be saying when we feel discouraged. When we feel like giving up. When we feel like we just can't go on anymore. In closing, let's turn to Matthew 7:7-8 . Matthew 7:7-8 KJV Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: (8) For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Let’s remember to speak good things. Let us remember to speak words that were inspired from God over situations. Let us not talk down other people. It's easier to not say anything if we remember that we're going to be held accountable for the things we say. I pray that these scriptures spoke to someone today. Our words are more important than most even know. As we read, we're responsible for every idle word we've spoken. It's so easy to let our flesh take over, but I honestly believe, when we're filled up with God's Word each day, it doesn't leave room for the negativity to come in. Praise God. Friends, in closing, we'll probably be a couple, maybe 3 weeks on this series, as the Lord leads. I know that there's one area that concerns our little member the tongue that I feel very much led to speak on and as I said, I'll probably add it to the next couple of messages. We thank each of you for being with us this morning and we do hope that you'll not just let these verses in one ear and out the other, but chew on them today. Write them down, maybe underline them in your Bible. Get them in your heart, but above all, act upon them. For those who want to hear this video, I won't have it up today, as I have to leave immediately after I close this room, but hopefully tomorrow it will be posted on J and L Ministries u-tube channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcZK5TvqtrxZnf91hgSfw_g Friends, thank you again for being part of this sermon message today, we love you and Leanna and I hope your week is filled with joy as you seek God's will for your life. Good morning brothers and sisters in Christ. Leanna and I want to welcome each of you to this J and L Ministries room here on Paltalk and for those watching the videos on the various networks that have allowed us to share them. For all of those networks, a big thank you.
For over a month now we've been studying, and today we will conclude this series, "Having The Compassion Of Jesus." Though we could go a lot further with this in many different areas, I think we're supposed to move on to something else. Today as we finish this study with some of the things that we've already covered, we'll also be reminded of other scriptures dealing with us having the compassion that Jesus had and still does. Jesus is still very much alive! I said, Jesus is still very much alive. Halleluiah!! First, let’s start with what compassion means, and do you have it? Also, what does it mean to you in your life? Have you felt that someone's being compassionate towards you lately? Do you feel compassionate towards others more than you want them to feel compassionate towards you? Why do you feel the way you do? Let’s look at a verse we used at the beginning of this series. Please turn to Matthew 9:36. Matthew 9:36 KJV But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. If you remember, we looked at the definition of compassion: Compassion means having a sense of deep sympathy and the heartfelt feelings of sorrow for someone hurting physically, mentally or emotionally; an unselfish need to reach out to help relieve the unfortunate misery of a person in need. The feeling of regret and pity, showing a kind, loving attitude. What kind of compassion did Jesus, our Savior have? Jesus had the perfect righteous compassion. Let’s look at Matthew 20:34. Matthew 20:34 KJV So Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes: and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed him. Jesus was perfect in every way possible and free of carnal sin (the sin we're born with, dating back to Adam and Eve when they sinned mankind's first sin). The life of Jesus was not tainted with jealousy or immorality as yours and my lives are. Christ was righteously pure and full of positive faith because He was doing the perfect will of the Father who sent Him to save mankind. Thank You and praise You, Jesus! Jesus being perfect had pure unselfish motives when He felt compassion toward others. Unlike the people of the world, Jesus Christ cared more for our lives than He did His own. (His precious sinless life was laid down for our sins at the cross of Calvary.) Glory to God!! Jesus compassionately understood people’s feelings. Let’s turn to Matthew 14:14. Matthew 14:14 And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with (what?) compassion toward them, and He healed their sick. Jesus was motivated to win souls, (why?) Compassion! John 6:38 For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. Who was Him? God. John 6:40 And this is the will of Him (God) that sent Me (Jesus), that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on Him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day. Jesus wanted to share the Father’s love, why? Compassion! Church, some of us are getting this. Praise the Lord! John 15:12-14 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Friends, hear me on this. Hear the Holy Spirit. We have to be willing to lay down our lives for others. "Brother Jim, you mean I have to be nailed to a cross as Jesus did?" No, unless that's what God calls to happen. Friends, not one person should be left on the earth that doesn't have the chance to make the decision to know Jesus Christ as their Savior. Nothing in our lives should be more important than that quest. We're in a spiritual war for people's souls and we mustn't let up one minute or back down. From time to time we may have to withdraw our forces to recoup and heal up our battle wounds and scars, but as soon as we're able to fight, we have to get right back into doing our righteous duty. Even from a hospital bed people have been led to Jesus, and by opening up your mouth, so can you! If we love our fellow mankind, then no matter how badly we get hurt and wounded we must not give up the fight. Satan will throw everything that he can at us, but we must not quit. If one door is closed, then we strive to walk through another door. We must not always assume that every door closed was Satan's doing but realize that the hand of God is with us leading the way. We just have to trust Him to be doing the right thing even when it seems like He's not. We have to trust and walk by spiritual eyesight and not worldly carnal eyesight. There are times that we seem to get hit by every dart that's thrown. There may be times that everything you touch breaks. Anyone going through that right now? Then, just when you seem to get caught up with bills, another catastrophe happens. Then there are those who are dealing with health issues, maybe you just feel like giving up. Some have possibly gone so far as to cry out "Where are You God? Don't You even care?" My dear friends, I need to remind you, He's still right there. Sometimes we need to remind each other that God is still in control. We keep trusting in Him. That's what we all need to do when we see or hear another brother or sister going through a tough time. That's what Jesus had to do with the disciples when they got down on their faith. We also need to be in prayer for others going through trials. It's that important. Jesus showed compassion with great courage. I think it was in the second part of this series that I discussed Jesus’ half brother James, preaching to the Jews that were scattered because of fear for their lives after Jesus was put to death. Let’s see How Jesus was affected when His chosen people were scattered abroad without a shepherd. Please turn to Mathew 9:36. Matthew 9:36 But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. Suffering from sin that Satan brought into the world, we, as Adam and Eve, go through some of the same things. Let’s look at Genesis 3. Genesis 3:1-7 KJV Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. Let’s look at the word subtle: crafty, sly, artful, crafty, deceitful, and treacherous. And notice, the serpent, Satan was already there. Even though in Genesis 2:15-17 it says: Genesis 2:15-17 And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. (16) And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: (17) But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. Back to Genesis 3:1-7 Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he (Satan) said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? (2) And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: (3) But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. (4) And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: (5) For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. (6) And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. (7) And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. Friends, Satan may come to you as your long lost friend. He'll make you feel like that, but I tell you he hates you and everything about you. He hates your life, he hates your family. There's nothing he likes about you other than seeing you not following the Savoir of the world. Now this is Satan's plan: 1) He tempts us to doubt and question God's Word. 2) The devil strives to get us to look at the problem rather than seeking and putting our faith in God. 3) By making us think that wrong things look easier than what we should do in the Lord’s eyes. 4) Satan affects our emotions by making us feel like a failure. 5) The devil gets us to delay in doing what we know to be right so the job never gets done. He makes us afraid with fear! 6) What is the job at hand for believers? Winning souls for the Kingdom of God! Have any of you experienced any of these attacks? I can tell you that I've had them just as clearly as can be. Some I have overcome with ease, because of my trust in Jesus. There have been some trials that I still struggle with right now. Let’s look at how Jesus felt compassion when He saw people who were suffering: Matthew 9:35 And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. Here's Jesus’ commandment to His followers. Matthew 10:8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give. Matthew 11:5 The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. Are we carrying out these commandments? Let’s look at a man possessed being freed of demons. Mark 5:2-13 KJV And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, (3) Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains: (4) Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him. (5) And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones. (6) But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him, (7) And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not. (8) For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit. (9) And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many. (10) And he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country. (11) Now there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding. (12) And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them. (13) And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand;) and were choked in the sea. We also need to have that same compassion Jesus had and still has today, sitting at the right hand side of God the Father. Jesus did all these things because of His compassion for them and for you and me. Jesus felt compassion at the risk of His very life. Listen to what the writer of Hebrews says. Hebrews 12:2-4 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. Friends, this is why we don’t ever give up the fight to win souls. Even though we may at times get wearied in our minds, yet we know that we have not resisted unto death to win souls for the Lord. We should have and use Godly compassion. Through some of the studies that Leanna and I have shared, I've said that Jesus taught by example of how to be compassionate. Matthew 9:36-37 But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. Jesus taught people to follow Him and teach others how. Mark 6:34 And Jesus, when He came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and He began to teach them many things. Jesus taught believers to pray for workers and laborers. Matthew 9:38 KJV Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest. Here's a major verse. The Lord taught us compassion by giving all He had. John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Brothers and sisters, Jesus wants you and me to develop compassion toward others. I can list many times where we're commanded to love our brothers and sisters. Love our spouses. Love our neighbors. Love our enemies. Turn the other cheek. Do unto others as you would like done unto yourself. These are hard things to do with certain people. But you know what? It can be done if we truly want the compassion that Jesus had. Here is a list how. A. By constantly dwelling upon His Word filled with spiritual teachings. 1. Read, study, and study some more. 2. Act and live out our lives by the teachings, letting them become a part of us. B. Spending time among Godly people. 1. Going to church and attending regularly. 2. Having dinner with believers and getting to know their personal lives and sharing your faith and testimony. 3. Ministering to their needs and watching their Godly examples. C. Here's where I truly want to see each and every one of us. Spending time looking and seeking out the lost and lonely. 1. Getting to know them by inviting them out to lunch and spending time with them. 2. By visiting the nursing homes, hospitals and even grocery stores as well as jobs. Clubs and classes are excellent places to look. 3. Become aware of anyone that's isolated and lonely like the sick, disabled or senior citizens not yet in nursing homes. 4. Get to know your neighbor by showing up with a tray of cookies and invite them over for coffee. Leanna and I at one time shared goodies at Christmas time with many neighbors. 5. Here's a tough one but an important one, and Jesus mentioned it. Visit the jails and minister to prisoners. These are just a few suggestions, but you know what? If you're serious about doing God’s work, He'll guide you with what gift He has given you. In closing, I really want you to think about these points I'm about to bring up. I want you to think about where you are in all of this. Where are all of the souls that should be saved today after 2,000 years of Bible training? Are people any different today in their desire to reach the lost than they were in Jesus’ time? What keeps us from reaching out with compassion to win souls for the Kingdom of God? Lack of real courage and compassion? Does the desire to win souls permeate your whole being and when we see people that we strongly sense are lost, do we reach out to minister to their needs? How can we say that we care about the lost when we make no real effort to even try to reach them? How many people truly try to even talk to their neighbors, and who are our neighbors if not all of mankind? If we become too engrossed with our own problems and comforts, we'll never be able to reach out to the lost. Set aside TV and computers for a time and go out of your way to reach the lost. Jesus set the example by going out to the multitudes, didn’t He? Can we believers do anything less with our lives? Should we let comfort keep us from striving to reach out to the unsaved? We can all pray for the lost and that the Lord will send laborers into the field and I pray that we all do, daily. If we have trouble teaching people, can’t we at least invite people to come to church to be taught? Maybe even send this video to them? Be an encourager to those who are going out in the field because they'll be under demonic attack. They'll need to be spiritually covered with all of our prayers. Let compassion to save the lost motivate you into action. Some of the people were filled with ingratitude and self-centeredness, yet Jesus revealed His compassionate heart when He showed His mercy by feeding and healing them. Jesus felt a burning desire to save them spiritually, but He knew their immediate needs had to be met first in order to reach their hearts. The eternal needs could then be met after their physical needs were satisfied. Feeding their bodies made the people look with love and become more receptive to receiving the message. In other words, they had to trust the messenger first before they could trust the message. The Lord was tired, and yet He placed His own needs and comforts aside to minister to others needs. Can we do any differently? I've learned much these past few months in trusting God. When we go through trials and troubles, the Lord teaches us how to handle problems so that we then have the knowledge and sympathetic compassion to help others. As we see their problems, we remember how we felt and how we were able to make it through. This then opens the door to winning souls for the Kingdom of God, because the Lord can use our painful past to minister healing into the lives of other people. We become the laborers of the Lord harvesting souls for the Kingdom of God. If we're failing to see people as God does, it's because we haven’t yet learned to develop Godly compassion. Jesus had compassion for those weak in faith, and yet He still reached out to save them. He fed the five thousand by taking care of their physical needs first and then their spiritual needs. Find a way to help others first and then you'll reach their hearts. My dear friends, I challenge your attitudes and actions to become motivated to minister with compassion into the lives of people and show them their need to have a relationship with Jesus Christ. Start viewing people from a biblical perspective and come to understand the mind of God when it comes to winning souls for His Kingdom. Remember my friends, there may be a finger pointed at each and every one of you, but I have them pointed back at me too. Let’s let God take full control over our entire life and be so on fire for Him that people around us can’t help to take notice and want so badly what we have. Let’s win back what the enemy has stolen from us. It starts with a change in me and you. It starts with prayer. It starts with a deeper relationship with Jesus. It starts with a greater knowledge of God’s word. It starts with a change in our speech. Cursing and blessing. And it also starts with a change in our actions. Are you up for the challenge? That concludes this message on Having the Compassion Of Christ. I'm not sure what the Lord will have us teach on next week, but I'm sure it'll be a message that each of us need to hear. There will be a list of some of the websites that we share these messages on in the description box below. Please support these sites not in money, but by visiting and also if led, join these sites and tell them Jim led you there. We love you and do hope that you seek the Lord for everything in your life For almost a month J and L Ministries has been teaching a series called: Having the Compassion of Jesus. For those who've been watching, reading or have read these teachings, I hope that you've been blessed as much and learned as much as I did preparing them. We want to first thank all of you who've joined us here in the J and L Ministries Paltalk room and also thank the site owners who have allowed Leanna and I to post on their sites and also thank those who support us by reading, watching, sharing and commenting on these messages.
This morning we're going to continue our study from the book of James. We want to find out what little things impact you and I and how they can change our lives forever. Do the little things in your life impact the big things in your life? They absolutely do. But I want everyone to take a few minutes to think about this question and then see how you feel about this question after this study. Little things have a tremendous impact on destinies. They have a tremendous impact on all the big things of our lives. Please open your bibles to James, chapter 3. I want everyone to listen carefully to these verses. James 3:1-5 My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation. (2) For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body. (3) Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body. (4) Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth. (5) Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! Here's what the amplified says: James 3 Not many [of you] should become teachers ([a]self-constituted censors and reprovers of others), my brethren, for you know that we [teachers] will be judged by a higher standard and with greater severity [than other people; thus we assume the greater accountability and the more condemnation]. 2 For we all often stumble and fall and offend in many things. And if anyone does not offend in speech [never says the wrong things], he is a fully developed character and a perfect man, able to control his whole body and to curb his entire nature. 3 If we set bits in the horses’ mouths to make them obey us, we can turn their whole bodies about. 4 Likewise, look at the ships: though they are so great and are driven by rough winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the impulse of the helmsman determines.5 Even so the tongue is a little member, and it can boast of great things. See how much wood or how great a forest a tiny spark can set ablaze! When you stop and think about these verses, it's very powerful. He uses a lot of metaphors showing us examples of how little things can make a big difference in big things. I love horses, and because I owned them when I was younger and learned how to break wild horses, I can relate to what James is saying here. Because of their size, let’s use the Clydesdale horses as an example. You know the kind of horses I'm talking about? The ones that pull the Budweiser wagon? They're huge. Here are horses of significant power, and yet with the little bit in their mouth and over the course of teaching the Clydesdale's, they can make them go right or left, stop, go forward and even backwards by these little tiny bits in that huge horse’s mouth. Ashton, our grandson, used to get me to sit down and watch cartoons with him when he was younger. I never liked cartoons, even as a young child. This is still not my favorite thing to do, yet it gives another example of how a little child can get a big grandpa to do this because of the influence he has on my life (a small mass influencing a larger mass). A tiny little seedling with proper care can make a difference in how a tree grows. What James is telling us in this, the tongue is a very small member, but the tongue has significant impact over all your life. So if little things can influence great power, imagine what the tongue could do. The tongue can be used to put nations at war. Example, how Hitler did. Or the tongue can convince people to stop war as Churchill did. Let’s take a moment to think of some of the quotes from presidents. John Quincy Adams: All men profess honesty as long as they can. To believe all men honest would be folly. To believe none so is something worse. Friends, if your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader. Abraham Lincoln: A house divided against itself cannot stand. Again I ask you my friends, am I not destroying my enemies when I make friends of them? Ulysses Grant: Hold fast to the Bible. To the influence of this Book we are indebted for all the progress made in true civilization and to this we must look as our guide in the future. George Washington: If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter. Think about this one. Nations, like individuals, are punished for their transgressions. One little letter, whether you realize it or not, sent to a senator, representative, or congressman might change a vote. Your one little thank you note to a pastor could make the difference in his next sermon or bible study. Husbands, I hope I’m right here; our words can bring a smile that lasts all day on the face of our wife, children, or grandchildren. Little things have great impact over big things and James wants us to understand what we say has a significant impact on how other people respond to what we say. There's more here he wants us to know. Little things influence great destinies as well as great power. Your destiny where things go in your life is changed by what you say. James 3:3 talks about little things influencing great power. You put a tiny little bit in a great powerful horse’s mouth and you can make that horse do pretty much what you want it to do. Verse 4: Look at the ships: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds they are guided by a small rudder. So if verse 3 talks about little things influencing great power, verse 4 talks about influencing great destinies, that one little rudder can change the direction of a huge ship. It can change whether you go to South America or North America. It can change whether you go to the west coast or the east coast. It can change whether you go to Asia as a person seeking a new route to India or end up in America. Now, I think what James points out in this verse is he's saying that little things like decisions in our lives can have a huge impact later on in our lives. But just think about the little tiny decisions. The decisions where we go to church, or where one might go to a college or university, decisions on who to marry or where to work. A huge one for Leanna and me was whether to grow J and L Ministries to where we would be holding services in our home. It was a decision where we needed to trust in God, because I've not gone to theology school to do this and neither has my wife. I have to rely on God to give me what I teach you. I praise Him for this opportunity to be His mouthpiece. As I’m writing this study, all the while I’m thinking of examples that might give you a greater understanding where I’m going with this. I like to paint pictures in people’s minds, so they can see what I want to say. Before Leanna and I bought this house many years ago, we looked at a small restaurant. I'd always liked to cook for the public, and from a friend who is gone now, I learned the restaurant business. I knew that there was money to be made. After we looked at it a couple of times, I knew that it would be a wrong decision, because I knew me, and I knew health issues that we both have, and that wouldn't have been the right choice. Another example – After asking my wife one morning, many years ago, after never talking about God together, if she would go to church with me the next Sunday and the words that she spoke, and the way she spoke those words was definitely a big decision with a huge impact. That yes answer may have been our final time to begin a relationship with Jesus, as neither of us were serving Him back then. Tiny decisions can affect significant changes in our lives. Now James is saying this: It’s necessary to balance things in our lives. You and I have a tongue that we can say good things with and we have a tongue that we can say bad things with. If we find ourselves wondering whether what we have to say is valuable or not, balance the effect of what we have to say. If you can put a little bit in a horse’s mouth and control great power, if you can put a tiny rudder in the water and control great direction, great destinies, is it possible that you can control your tongue and control great power and control great destinies at the same time? I've seen parents speak to their children with their tongues in such a way that they can change the destiny of that child. When they say to that child, “You’ll never amount to nothing…….. you’re not as good as your brother or sister is…….. you’re never going to be smart……. You’re ugly……. You’re an idiot……… You’re dumb” or worse. Those words can actually scar that child and change the whole direction of their life. On the other hand, when parents talk to their children in a loving, nurturing way, that changes their direction too, plus it teaches the child to be a good example with his or her friends and their children when they grow up. What James wants you and me to know today, is that we have to balance our words because our words are very powerful. We need to balance our words because our words can change destinies in people. The whole point of these verses is, you and I have to control our tongues, because if we don’t control our tongues, everything in our lives gets out of balance. Let’s go to verse 5, where James talks about fires. I've been through some fires. The one that really triggers my mind, and I think sets an example of how James is describing this whole chapter was while I was working at a dairy farm. A grain truck was blowing grain into the grain bin way too fast, and whether it was because of static electricity or the friction, no one will probably ever know, but it caused the grain bin to start burning, which then spread to the barn as we were milking, and then to the attached house where a 3 month old infant died. That one little spark destroyed a metal grain bin, it destroyed thousands of dollars of grain, some of the young calves didn’t survive being thrown out available doors or windows into sub-zero temperatures. The barn was so badly burned that it had to be completely rebuilt from the ground up. Part of the house had to be rebuilt, and the whole inside was redone because of water and smoke damage. As I mentioned before, there was a baby that lost its life. Now we get into the power of the tongue in that whole situation. Through the building and rebuilding and getting through the insurance garbage, the husband and wife didn't handle this situation as they should have. It was a horrific situation as one can only imagine. The wife wanted nothing to do with farming, the husband had done nothing but farming, I witnessed words thrown back and forth at each other on numerous occasions. Sadly they divorced and the husband, after the farm was up and running, couldn’t deal with the loss of his wife and losing an infant child. He sold the farm, and that meant three employees also lost their jobs. James 3:5 KJV Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! The point James has to make in this, it doesn’t take much of a spark to set an entire forest ablaze, like it doesn’t take much of your speech to set ablaze a whole family or to ruin a whole family. The great Chicago fire started with Mrs. O’Leary’s cow. It didn’t take much of a cow to burn down a great deal of Chicago. And what James is indicating here is, little things have great impact on big things. We have to take care of little things before they are able to make big things out of little things. The tongue is a very small member. Look at the members of your body. Your hands and your feet are all bigger than your tongue. Though the tongue isn’t the smallest part of your body, it has great power, and compared to the damage that your tongue can do, or the good that your tongue can do, it is a very, very small member. James wants us to understand that little things can influence great disasters. Marriages are often ended by the sharp words that can come from a person’s tongue; kingdoms sometimes go to war over statements made by a dictator or a leader who simply didn’t know how to control his tongue. Here's something that you may not have thought about, but churches have split right down the middle and destroyed, their testimony in the community is destroyed simply because of a wagging tongue. Someone who preferred to gossip rather than keep control of their tongue. The tongue is there to encourage us, it’s there to lift up hope for the rejected. It’s there to comfort those who are sorrowing. It’s there to soothe those who are dying, but all too often we don’t balance our tongue with those things, we balance it on the opposite side by cutting words, by hateful words. We balance our tongues by saying things that later on we regret and everyone else regrets. James wants you to know this: Faith without works is dead. But, if you take your faith and out of your faith you work the wrong thing, you kill your faith. So, you have to learn to balance your faith and works, you have to learn to balance your words so that your words aren't killing your faith. It’s one thing for me to tell you I believe God. I believe God is gracious. I believe God is good. I believe God is righteous. I believe God is always right. It’s one thing for me to tell you that, and then to speak in a way that shows God has no influence on my life at all. To speak in a way that I have no interest at all in serving a God who is righteous, who is good, God’s character is great. Life is lived in a balance, and in order to have the kind of balance we need, because the tongue can be used both for good or bad, we need to make sure that we use our tongue to build people up, and not to tear them down. James says “A big forest fire is set on fire by the little spark of our tongue.” So be careful little tongue what you say. I don’t want to let my words kill my faith, and we didn’t read these verses, and this is where I get the chance to say how important it is for each and every one of us to read God’s Word daily. It's where I can put emphasis on how important it is to be in prayer daily. This is where I urge everyone to pray for their families, friends, this country, the world and for those who don’t know Jesus. James 3:6-9 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. (7) For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: (8) But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. (9) Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. Did everyone catch this end and see why the bible and prayer are so important? Knowing that, it sounds like that’s something we should be turning our attention to daily. It says, “No human being can entirely control the tongue," so I have to recognize first of all that I’m not fully capable of making sure I only say the right things. I do however know someone who is fully capable and that’s the person I need to go to every day, and that’s the Spirit of God. I need to pray to Him every morning, “Lord, I’m going to say a lot of words today, and I’m gonna speak to a lot of people. May what I say and what I speak always please You.” Now if I know what pleases God, I can say what pleases God and benefits others at the same time, that means that I have to have some mouthwash every morning, and my mouthwash is right here in the Bible. This mouthwash enables me to control the tongue and at the same time use the tongue to benefit other people. That’s a daily process just like brushing your teeth is a daily process. I've found sometimes, when I was active with the American Legion, or like when I met with the couple living a life of adultery that I might have shared with some of you, about saying this quick prayer: “Lord, let me be wise in what comes out of my mouth. Give me the words to help this person out. Help me with the words in this situation. Father, help me speak Your Words, and not those of my own, as You know the hearts of those I'll be seeing.” I have often said, “Lord, don’t let me make a fool of myself by what I say." As human beings, our tongues can get us into trouble all the time. I think often about what Joseph went through. Here he was 17 years old and went the extra mile as asked by his dad, to go where his brothers were. What happened? He was thrown in the pit, then sold as a slave. I think there are times that God allows us to go through things to make us trust Him more. To toughen us up, if you will, so that when we go through trials, we're more prepared to overcome them. Joseph trusted God, and look how it prepared him and the Israelite's at a later time. After the events I just mentioned, he was slandered by Pottifer’s wife and thrown in a dungeon. He volunteered to explain a dream of a butler also in prison and was promised that he would be remembered, yet not for 2 years was he remembered. In a message I did on Joseph some time back, I mentioned that Joseph never complained, according to the Bible. It's as if the harder that Joseph tried to live a Godly life, the more trials came up. Psalms 105:17-19 He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant: (18) Whose feet they hurt with fetters: he was laid in iron: (19) Until the time that his word came: the word of the LORD tried him. I want you to catch this. When you read from the Gill’s commentary on these verses, and I'm only going to read a short part, I think it might teach us something about Joseph and maybe have a better understanding of this part of the message and what Joseph went through. Whose feet they hurt with fetters,.... For it seems Joseph was not only cast into prison, upon the calumny of his mistress; but had fetters put upon him, and his feet were made fast with them; and these were so close and heavy, as to pinch and gall and hurt him; which, though not mentioned in his history, was undoubtedly true; see Gen.39:20. He was laid in iron: or "the iron" (or, as the Targum, "the iron chain") "went into his Soul" His body; it ate into him, and gave him great pain: or rather, as it is in the king's Bible, "his soul went into the iron chain His body was enclosed in iron bands. In all this he was a type of Christ, whose soul was made exceeding sorrowful unto death: he was seized by the Jews, led bound to the high priest, fastened to the cursed tree, pierced with nails, and more so with the sins of his people he bore; and was laid in the prison of the grave; from whence and from judgment he was brought, Isa. 53:8. In writing this part of the message, I want to remind everyone about what scripture tells us when we go through trials. Acts 16:23-36 And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely: (24) Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks. (25) And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. (26) And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed. (27) And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled. (28) But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here. (29) Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, (30) And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? (31) And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. (32) And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. (33) And he took them the same hour of the night, and washedtheir stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway. (34) And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house. (35) And when it was day, the magistrates sent the serjeants, saying, Let those men go. (36) And the keeper of the prison told this saying to Paul, The magistrates have sent to let you go: now therefore depart, and go in peace. Paul said in Philippians 4:11, "Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content." I John 4: 18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. Psalm 50:15 "Call upon Me in the day of trouble: I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me. Friends, we must praise God in every situation. No matter how bad it looks or feels, praise is the answer. God always delivers. He always comes through. Maybe His timing isn’t ours but He always takes care of business. We need not worry. Philippians 4:6 Be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." In closing, let me close with this scripture. If today you're going through something hard, just remember you must endure hardness as a good soldier and keep on going on. 2 Timothy 2:3 Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. I know there was a lot to digest in this, but I pray it helped all of you and that you may be blessed by this message. Leanna and I want to thank each one of you that has joined us this morning and also those that read, or watch this later. Also thanks to Pastor Jeff Earls of A Far From Normal Faith Ministry. Marshall and Trina Blake, owners of My Look Online, Nell Porter of the Lokey Sisters sites and the many others who have graciously let J and L Ministries share prayers, the Words of Wisdom videos and these sermons on their sites. We love you all and we do hope that you encourage other brothers and sisters in the things of the Lord. To have the Compassion of Jesus part 3
Good morning friends and welcome to the J and L Ministries room here on Paltalk. It's been an exciting week as there have been doors opened to share God's Word. I've started sharing mini teachings via u-tube and various websites, both secular and Christian. Glory to God. A brother in the Lord directed me to a video recording platform that allows other things that the program I had been using didn't. This morning, let’s continue our study in James. Last week we looked at faith and how to balance faith into our lives, according to what James said in Chapter 1. This week, I'm going to show you about balancing faith and works. Many people get confused with this topic. Faith and works are the 2 most important things of living the Christian life. If you have one without the other, you only have half of a life. So today we want to find out how to balance your faith with what faith does. Everyone excited? There are lots of people who think faith and works are opposites of each other. Many Christians bump heads over this topic. I'm in hopes that through this study, God will reveal what He's revealed to me in a way that's easy to understand. Faith and works are actually complementary to each other. I see faith and works the way I see french fries and ranch dressing. They're both good, and they're good apart, but they're a lot better when they're together. Leanna says yuk, but I love those two together. Today we want to look at what James has to say from James 1 and James 2, about balancing your faith with your works. Let’s dig into God's Word, shall we? James 1:21-24 KJV Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. (22) But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. (23) For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: (24) For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. Now I love the mirror image because we can all identify with that. There are three possible responses to looking into a mirror that I can think of. My wife is continuously looking in the mirror or a reflection to make sure her hair isn't out of place. In recent days, she's looking at her ankles, because she now has them. I think it's a woman thing to look in the mirror when they pass one. Friends, picture this. You’re at one of those places and you get one of these mirrors that are curved where you either look extremely tall or extremely short. You're fooled by what you see looking back at you. You know the mirrors I'm talking about? You look in that mirror and it makes you slender; it makes you tall, and you say, “I think I'm losing weight. I think I'm getting taller”. But you aren’t. It’s the mirror that's doing that. There are lots of people who fool themselves with their mirrors. A second response is that you can get an accurate assessment by looking into a mirror and become discouraged by it. You get up in the morning, you look in the mirror; you have an accurate assessment and you say, "Man, this day is going to be terrible! Look at my hair. What can I do with this?” Another woman thing. That's getting an accurate assessment, but not coming away from looking in the mirror with any great help. The third response is you can get an accurate assessment and make a positive change. You can look and say, “Look at this hair, something has to be done. I'd better get to work on it right away." And when you come away from the mirror, this time not fooled, and you do something about it. Have I painted a picture? So what James is telling us, is this: Faith without works deceives us into believing we're something we're not. We think we're very gracious people and we think we're very faithful people. We think we're very spiritual people, but we don't do anything about our faith. And it's like looking in a mirror and saying, “I'm a good person." But it's deceiving ourselves. So he starts out by saying faith without works can deceive you. Look at James 1:25 KJV But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. Here's the contrast: Faith without works deceives some people, but faith with works blesses everyone who makes an adjustment based on what you see in the mirror. Leanna and I have been listening to a series on blessings. It's a 6 part series and if anyone is interested, I can send you the CD's, but you should really read the book. If you remember the message I shared about a year ago on what we should say or not say, this series goes much deeper. James talks here about the perfect law of liberty. At first they don't sound like they go together. The perfect law of liberty? But I want you to keep your place in James and go to Psalms 19:7. Psalms 19:7-11 KJV The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. (8) The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. (9) The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. (10) More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Ok , listen (11) Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward. What's the perfect law of liberty? What are your thoughts on these verses? We have it in our hands. This Bible is the perfect law of liberty. What he says here in Psalm 19 is the “law of the LORD," verse 7; it's a synonym for the Bible. "The testimony of the LORD" is a synonym for the Bible. The precepts of the LORD. All these words are just simple synonyms for God's Word. So when I look into God's Word, I can either fool myself and not believe what I see there, or I can look into God's Word and know what I see there and know something about myself and be so discouraged and say, “I might as well just give up." Or I can look into God's Word and say, “I need some positive changes in my life.” And so He says when you look at faith and works together and make the changes that are necessary from your faith, you work out your faith by making those changes and Praise the Lord; you will be blessed by that. This book that we're reading from is the perfect law of liberty, perfect in the fact that you need nothing else. This Book doesn't tell me what I ought to do, it tells me how to live so that I please God and benefit other people. So I'm freed by the law of this Book. Again, this series that we've been listening to, Power of Blessings, discusses this too. This Book doesn't say, "You shall not do this," But when it does, it says, "You shall not do this because it will harm you in this way." What the Bible does is it shows me the way to live that benefits other people and pleases God at the same time. So it brings to me liberty. Only God's law truly can set me free. Keep your place in James, but turn to John 8:32. John 8:32 KJV And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. Do you want to know the truth? Do you want to be free from those things that have bound you? James 1:25 KJV But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. Glory to God! This is where you get the balance between faith and works. You look into the Law of God, the Word of God in faith. You come away from the Word of God acting on what you learned from God's Word. So I'm blessed when I do something as a result of looking into God's Word. I'm not blessed simply because I looked into it; I'm blessed because when I looked into it, I learned something and I acted on what it said. I remember a couple of years ago, Leanna received what could have been a very discouraging report from her doctor. Without going into details, there could have been some very negative consequences if some of her numbers didn't change within those next 3 months. I remained believing God still heals today and that she was already healed. Now did that mean she was to just sit around and just hang on to that promise? No, she needed to do much more than that. Diet and exercise would play a big role in her recovery. Faith in her healing would play a big part. I believe speaking scriptures and praising God was a big part of why the doctors can't explain why her numbers on her kidneys are better. Glory to God. What James wants you and me to understand is pretty clear. He says you need to not only see yourself clearly, but you need to respond to what you see. You need not only to know who you are and get a right assessment of who you are, but if there are changes needed to be made, you need to make those changes. It doesn’t help us to look at God’s Word and say, “Yep, that's me. I'm a miserable failure. I can never be what the Bible says.” If you do that, you're no better off than those who never looked at all. But when you and I look into this Book and we find ourselves in the pages of this Book and we see the positive changes we need to make in our lives and then we go out and we make those changes, we change the way we live. We change the way we treat other people. We change the way we treat the neighbors, the family and the kids. We change the way everything is in our lives when we make positive changes as a result of getting a good picture of ourselves in the mirror of God's Word. That's the balance of faith and works. And it takes both of those. You can't just work making changes if you don't know what those changes ought to be. And in order to know what the changes need to be, you have to look into God's Word. But when you look into God's Word and you make no changes, there's no balance between faith and works. Is everyone understanding this? Through writing this study, I have to remind everyone that every time you open God's Word we should pray “Lord, show me in this reading I do today, who I am. Show what I need to do. Show what I need to change." When we do that, we may get a difficult assessment of who we are. Other times we may have a better picture, but if we want to be the light of Jesus and to have compassion like Jesus, that’s where we need to start. James is absolutely right here. The most difficult thing in the Christian life is the balance that's necessary to live the life that pleases the Lord God. And the great balance in the life of the believer is the balance between faith and works. James 2:18 KJV Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. While we do God’s good will, He abides with us still, and with all those who trust and obey. I came to this conclusion while studying for this. When we think about works, we have a tendency to think of works with deeds. These are the deeds you and I might do. I help the little old lady across the street. Call an older person and ask if I can help them go grocery shopping, or things like that. Those are good deeds, but I think more than that, it’s the work of understanding God's Word. It’s the work of applying God's Word to my own life; and if I do that correctly, and I do it consistently, it's going to filter out to the little old lady who needs help to cross the street, or the person we take shopping. Let's go to James 2:14. Remember last week I mentioned that there were times that the disciples had disagreements, but how they looked to God for the answers? We may see that here. James 2:14 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? Can faith save him? I want to stop here because this is where a lot of people think there's an issue between Paul and James. Paul constantly, in the Book of Romans, and Galatians, and elsewhere, constantly is saying it is faith that brings salvation to us. James entirely agrees. One cannot be saved apart from faith, but the key here is this. He says, "What good is it my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?" Not, "Can faith save him?" Can the kind of faith that looks into God's Word and says I have faith, but doesn't do anything about it, James says that's not the kind of faith that saves. There's no difference between James and Paul on these issues. James 2:15-16 KJV If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, (16) And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Now what can someone who's dead do? Let's just take a few minutes and get a pen and a piece of paper out and list all the things a dead person can do. I'll give you about 15 seconds to figure this out. That sounds foolish doesn’t it? But look what James says. Faith that does not activate itself is not activated by God's Word. That kind of faith is totally useless. James describes it as being "dead." Now, there are three issues he brings up here. The first one is found in verse 14. What good is it my brothers if someone says he has faith, but does not have works? What he's talking about here is the difference between deeds and creeds. Now, some people believe all the right things; they just don't do all the right things. And what he's doing here is making a distinction between those who say, “I have faith”, and those who actually live out their faith. What he's saying isn't easy for us to hear. But what he's saying is the absolute point of James in this chapter. James 2:14 tells us that if we have creeds, we believe things, but if those creeds don't lead to deeds, those creeds are dead, our belief system is dead. It's of no value whatsoever. Verses 15 and 16 tell us that words without deeds are as bad as creeds without deeds. You can believe something and not do something about it and that's not good. But you can also believe something and talk about it and never do anything about it and that's not good either. So he says in verse 15, if a brother or sister is poorly clothed, lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, listen to the good words here. Go in peace, be warmed and filled, without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? In the first verse he's saying there's a distinction between deeds and creeds. In the second verse he's saying there is a distinction between words and deeds. We talk about what needs to be done, but we don't do it. We talk about how we need to be in God's Word every day, but we don't go to God's Word every day. We talk about sharing our faith with our neighbor, but we never share our faith with our neighbor. Or, ready for this? Sharing our faith with a perfect stranger. There are times that we may be led to share God’s word with someone we've never met…………………. Is God speaking to someone? What he's saying is, “Your faith is dead. It's lifeless. It's useless." You have to exercise faith, and exercised faith produces you doing something about it. In verses 15 and 16, the contrast is between words and deeds. You can say to a person, “Oh! You're so poor. You're in such pathetic condition. I wish somebody would help you.” But if you don't help them, you haven't lived out your faith. You haven't helped them at all. And then notice verse 17. This is the key of the whole argument. James 2:17-18 KJV Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. (18) Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. I think this is the key to James’ argument in the entire book. Faith is designed to work. In closing my friends, I want to look at a parable Jesus told and I think from this, it will sum the whole thing up. You all have heard the parable Jesus told of the good Samaritan? Luke 10:30-37 KJV And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. (31) And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. (32) And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. (33) But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, (34) And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. (35) And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. (36) Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? (37) And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise. This my friends is faith and works working together. And what did Jesus say to do? Verse 37 Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise. Faith is not designed to be a body of truth that you have memorized and you hold dear. Faith is not to be something that you inculcate in your life, you put it in your mind, you hide God's Word in your heart, and then you see a person in need and you're not moved at all by that. You do nothing to help that person. That isn't faith. And what James is saying is the only kind of faith that matters is the kind of faith that acts upon what it believes. My beloved brothers and sister in Christ, I do hope that each of you came away with something from this message today. I know there were reminders for me, and that's good. You know, we can never get enough of God's Word. There have been times that when I listen to someone else teach a message, and they can be using the same scriptures that maybe I've been studying, and the approach they use is exactly what I needed to hear at that very moment to get a revelation. Praise God! We want to thank you all again for visiting us here in the J and L Ministries room here on Paltalk. Also a huge thank you to A Far From Normal Faith Ministry for sharing these messages. Also MyLook Online, Lokey Sisters and you my friends who view them on U-tube, Google+ and our faithful members on both Cross Roads Fellowship sites and J and L Ministries on the Weebly platform. We love you all and please share with your friends about these messages being broadcast live here on Paltalk. Have a great week in the Lord. Good morning. This morning we're going to continue the series on having the compassion of Jesus and discussing wisdom and how we can use it to balance our life. I'm in hopes that we can learn from this series to better our lives and that all of us can truly have the same compassion as Jesus in every area of our lives. For me it's a daily process. I struggle at times with not having enough patience with circumstances, but I know that Jesus can help me there. Hopefully it will help in some of the issues that you face?
Leanna, the L of J and L ministries and I want to say thank you for joining us here in the J and L Ministries room on this Paltalk network and hope this message speaks to each of your hearts. In this study we're going to be looking into the book of James. We have to know how to balance the wisdom that we find around us in the world with the wisdom that comes from God. I hope that in the next few weeks we can learn through these studies just how to do that. I love the Book of James because it's such a balancing act. When I first thought of the title of this study, balancing, I had a vision of gym class back in 4th or 5th grade. It wasn’t a pretty site if you were to watch me on the balance beams. I had the strength and balance to do what we were taught, but I had a fear of heights, as it hadn’t been that long before that I fell out of a huge pine tree. And as I was studying this book of James, it reminded me that life is like that. You have to keep your balance or you fall off and you become a casualty. So today we're going to begin looking at the Book of James. Let's read James Chapter 1. James 1:1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greetings. Now, let me stop there because first of all, James is a man who is one of the pillars of the church at Jerusalem. James, Peter and John were all missionaries to Jewish people. He's writing to Jewish people here. Jewish people of what is called the Dispersion. Dispersion – Webster’s dictionary: The state of being scattered or separated into remote parts; as the Jews, in their dispersion, retain their rites and ceremonies. So that would be those Jews who were driven out of Jerusalem, lived perhaps even outside of the country of Israel. And it's great that this happened because many of those people became believers in the Messiah, Jesus. And the great way that God used to spread the missionary Gospel, the Gospel message around the world was through this act of Dispersion. So James, speaking to people who were living outside of Jerusalem--and he has a great message of comfort and hope for them. And these people really needed it because they were facing significant trials. We'll see about that in verses 2 and 3. What I also want you to notice is that James, who is the half brother of the Lord Jesus, doesn't bank on the fact that he's related to Jesus. He doesn't even bring it up in this conversation. James called himself a servant of God. Literally a slave of God. That was an expression Paul used often. And he uses the Lord's name only twice in this little epistle, here and again in chapter 2, verse 1. It doesn't appear in any one of James speeches, the idea that he's related to the Lord Jesus. You can check those out in Acts 15, or again in Acts 21. From what I get from all of James writings is he simply wants to say, “I am following the same Savior you are following. I've come to know the same Messiah that you've come to know. I've come to know Jesus of Nazareth who is my half brother, but more than that, He is my Savior”. And that puts James in a very unique category. There aren't many people who can write about Jesus from the perspective of James. Well, he says, "Greetings," to them, verse 1, also an important word. It's a word that's used by James, and for a few years now, I've been using it when addressing people in e-mails and sometimes in my replies on some sites. It's the Greek word (chario) which includes joy and fellowship and happiness, and it seems to be the signature word for James, just like Paul always says, "Grace and peace”. This is the word that James uses. James 1:2-5 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into diverse temptations; Now, let's get into what he's talking about here in this verse. My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into diverse temptations; (3) Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. (4) But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. 5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. James is talking about the balancing act. And the balancing act in these verses relates to the balancing act between our need and God's ability to fill that need. Church, notice what he says here. He says, "You people are going through severe trials and you don't understand these trials. And that's OK because of this reason, verse 5, "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him." Now the question immediately comes to our minds. Why would he even say this? What wisdom is it that they lack? And you have to connect this to verses 2 and 3 because in verses 2 and 3 he says, you’re going through deep, deep waters here. You're having incredible difficulties, great troubles. And you don't understand these troubles. And you know what? These people are just like you and me. Every time we go through deep water, every time we might backslide to live on the dark side of life and we can't see up and don't understand what's going on, we need answers. I go through those times in my life. I sometimes lack the wisdom on my own to provide those answers. So I need a place to go to find that wisdom. I find the answers through prayer and trust in Jesus. You see my friends, there are so many books and shows on TV and the list goes on of places that so many go to for answers. TV hosts that claim to have the perfect answer for everyone's life. Many even have the title of doctor before their name. People spend a fortune on books, fortune tellers, and other gimmicks to find what's going wrong in their lives. They search all over for the answers. What is the perfect answer, brothers and sisters in Christ? Have faith in God. That's the answer, church. Brothers and sisters in Christ, there isn't one single thing that you or I could ever go through that Jesus didn't already take care of for you and me. Not one thing. His finished work. Glory.... Back to James and his letter. James is very tactful here. He doesn't say, "Look, you people are going through deep waters, and you don't understand what you're talking about. And you need to consult God here." Look what he says. He says, "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God." Very, very tactful approach. So there's a very common need here. James is saying, our common need is, we need the wisdom of God, but there's a very sensible solution to our common need. Yes, I need God's wisdom, so what do I do about that? Well, look at his answer. "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God." You know, sometimes it's so evident, so close to us, so immediate, so understandable as the nose on our face. Many times what is the most understandable, most logical, most likely response is the last one we think of. If you're going through a tough time right now and you don't have answers, if you lack the wisdom to appreciate the difficulty of your life, James says to you, "Just ask God." The simple solution to a very common need is just simply to ask God. Now when you don't understand what's going on, you can get advice from all your friends. You could get advice from the advice columns (Dear Abby when I was a kid). Some go to Pastors for advice in figuring out how to solve tough life choices. The simple response and I tell everyone in every blog I post that God inspires me to write...the simple solution to our need for knowledge is just to ask God. Either find out in His Word, or in prayer, or both. Halleluiah! Friends, I've found when sharing the gospel with others in the past few years, scripture comes up so much faster now. I may not be able to tell you the exact chapter and verse number, but because I'm more quicker to ask God for His words when dealing with a situation that someone is going through, He does it. Praise God! Now, God is very available to us. Notice in verse 5 it says: James 1:5 "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him." Now, what I want you to see here is how God gives wisdom. I mean, just think about the character of God. He's very available to us. He gives wisdom these ways. First of all, He gives it generously. There's no limit to the amount of wisdom God has. God can give you wisdom and not be depleted at all in His wisdom. He can give wisdom to me when I need it and He's still not depleted. He's very, very generous. Unlimited is how God gives wisdom. Remember the old nursery rhyme Old Mother Hubbard? "Old Mother Hubbard went to the cupboard to fetch her poor doggy a bone. And when she got there the cupboard was bare and so the poor doggy had none." That will never happen when it comes to seeking wisdom from God. There is an unlimited supply of wisdom with God. All we have to do is ask. So first of all, He gives it to us generously. Secondly, notice He gives to all. Wisdom is not just for the chosen few. Wisdom is not just for the super spiritual. Wisdom is not just for your pastor, or not just for your husband or just for your mother or father. Wisdom is for you, too. God gives generously to us. "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God who gives generously to all." So there isn't a single person on the face of this earth needing answers to the issues of life. "So brother Jim, why am I going through such a tough time?" There isn't a single person on the face of the earth today who can't go to God and find wisdom from Him. Now the issue is will we recognize the wisdom of God and go to Him or will we try to figure it out ourselves? Or what often is the case, will we simply blame God and say, nobody can give me wisdom and why I'm going through such a tough time? Now there have been times when I've asked for wisdom when I feel God has really put something on my heart like putting these sermons together and the past few weeks. And other times where I've asked for wisdom. Then there are times that I don’t seem to sense any sort of response, and so I'm not quite sure. So how do we make sure that we're receiving wisdom and that we're hearing from God and not just our own minds? Any of you go through the same thing? That's a very legitimate question, because that happens to all of us. We ask and we don't seem to know. Let's remember first of all that our asking and not getting a response doesn't reflect on God's ability to respond. It may be that we aren't ready to receive the response. Maybe we haven't come to the point in our lives where we're willing to trust the response. You ask God for wisdom and He says OK, but this is what wisdom is going to mean for you, and He knows you're not there yet. So we need to wait a little bit. It may be that we're not quiet enough to hear that still small voice. I speak for myself in saying this, we need to be quiet. I struggle with this when I'm in prayer for certain things and there are noises and distractions around me. And the best place for me to be is where I have no distractions. For me, I can escape to my garden and even though I may be weeding, planting, or picking, I can speak and hear His voice. Sometimes the response is the response that God knows is best for us, but not at that time best for others around us. So He'll ask us to wait. And the worst thing is having God ask us to wait, because we want answers and we want them right now. I raise my hand. But it doesn't work that way. So we should never assume that God isn't listening. We should never assume that God isn't able. We need to assume that God will provide the wisdom as He says He will in the time that it's best for us to have that wisdom. Then there is another possibility and most don't want to hear this one, but remember these aren't my words. This comes from James being led by the Holy Spirit. James 4:2-8 KJV Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. (3) Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. (4) Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. (5) Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? (6) But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. (7) Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (8) Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Wisdom is available to us. Wisdom comes from God. God gives wisdom unlimitedly. I mean, He has all the wisdom there is. This isn't just for the intelligent, not just for the spiritually elite. God gives wisdom to everyone. He gives it universally. And notice the last thing there. He gives it uncritically. He doesn't give it with reproach. If you don't understand what's happening to you right now, and you're going through a tough time in your life, and you say, "Lord, help me. Please let me understand," God doesn't say to you, "Well you dummy, you should understand." You know, that's not the way God responds. He doesn't do it with reproach. He doesn't find fault in our needing wisdom. He simply provides the wisdom necessary in the way it's best for us to receive it. James is writing to people who are going through tough times. They don't live in Jerusalem. They're on the outskirts of the land God gave them and they're being persecuted for their faith. They just lost their teacher Jesus, and they're having trials of all kinds. And in the process of that, they don't know what to do. And James says, "Here's what you do. Ask God to help you understand." Let's study the next 3 verses. James 1:6-8 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. (7) For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. (8) A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. So James says, "Look, you've got to ask of God. But when you ask of God, you have to believe God exists. You have to believe that God is good. You have to believe that God will answer you." So he takes a very positive approach. First of all he says, "You need to believe and don't doubt." It's easy for us to say, "I doubt whether God can help me at all in this situation." But if you want help from God, you have to believe that God will provide that help for you. And you have to believe that God will provide exactly the right kind of help you need. I read a story one time about a woman whose little daughter was ill with a fever. And the daughter was getting worse all the time. So she called the babysitter and said, “Would you watch her while I run to the store and get some medicine for her?” So she did. The babysitter watched the little girl while the mother ran off to the store in her car. She went in, got some medicine to bring the fever down, and when she got back to the car she discovered the horror of all horrors. She locked her keys in her car. Well she prayed quickly, “Lord, send somebody by quickly to help me." And she looked down and there was an old rusty wire coat hanger on the ground. Now, she'd seen this on television so she unwrapped it, and she's trying to get this door open with a coat hanger. And she's praying the whole time saying, “Lord, please send somebody by who can help me.” And just then a guy rode up on an old motorcycle. Scruffy looking guy, long hair, greasy-looking kind of dude and he said, “Can I help you ma'am?” And she said, “Well I've locked my keys in the car.” And he says, “I can help you" and gets off his bike. In a matter of seconds, he opens the door. And she says, “Oh, you're such a nice man.” He said, “No ma'am, I'm not a nice man at all. In fact, I just got out of prison today for breaking and entering automobiles.” And immediately she hugged the man and she thanked the Lord and said, "Oh Lord, thank you for sending me an expert!" You know, when God provides for our needs, it's never less than we need. We need to ask Him though, and we need to believe that He'll provide and we need to believe He'll provide an expert. Secondly, notice in verse 6 it says we need to believe and not waver. You know, don't be like a wave of the sea driven and tossed. It's kind of like a cork in the water, you know? You've seen a cork bobbing around in the water. He says first of all, "Believe and don't doubt." Secondly, When you believe, don't begin to waiver. Don’t' begin to weave back and forth in your belief system. Just believe that God will do what He says He'll do. I think the reason most people change their mind so often is that they never find one worth keeping. They believe God one day, and they don't believe Him the next day. And they believe Him again, and they don't believe Him again. You need to be convinced of the righteous character of God before difficulty comes into your life, because if you're wrestling with that issue when difficulty comes into your life, you're going to lose that battle every time. Look at Peter when he saw Jesus walking on the water during a storm. What happened next? What did Peter say and do? Let's turn to Matthew 14: 28 to see what exactly what was said and done. Matthew 14:28-31 KJV And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. (29) And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. (30) But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. (31) And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? So James says, number one, You need to believe and not doubt. And number two, You need to believe and don't waiver on your belief. Stand strong, even if the answer doesn't come directly from God, even if it doesn't come immediately from God. Believe and don't weave. And then notice in verse 7, He says, For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord. Believe and not doubt. Believe and not weave. And he says then believe and you will receive. He's talking about people who are having a tough time in life. They're being persecuted for their faith. They need help in understanding how they could go through what they're going through. So he says, "Look, if you believe, God will provide for your needs." And the needs in this case are just needs to understand what God's doing. John 15:7 If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Abide in Me; My words abide in you, then you've met the qualifications to ask of God. See, a lot of us want God to respond to our needs without living a life that pleases Him. Jesus says, "First of all, you have to find your life in Me. Every day. The days that are good, you still find your life in Me. The days that are bad, you find your life in Me. You abide in Me. You stay in Me, and when you stay in Me, then you ask whatever you will and God will do for you whatever He wills." This isn't a promise that God will provide all of our wants. It's a promise God will provide all of our needs. And if you're having a tough time today and don't understand why you're having such a tough time, ask God. Let Him have the opportunity to explain to you why He wants to bless you, and that blessing doesn't seem to be coming. I sometimes struggle with this verse because without the doubting part, not because I think I'm doubting God's ability, but because when I'm asking for wisdom, I so doubt my own ability to hear it, than about these verses. It's important to keep James' words and Jesus' words in proper perspective. That's why I read John 15:7 “Abide in Me and My words abide in you, then you ask whatever you want and I will give it to you." We may not doubt God's ability to respond. We doubt our ability to hear His response. And the reason we doubt our ability to hear His response is we don't know where He's responding, and here it is, right here. So we abide in Jesus and His words abide in us, we spend time in God's Word. And the result of that is while we're in God's Word, God's showing us His response. Halleluiah! Many times I don't think we get a response from God because we're looking for a lightning bolt like I was expecting when I said the sinners prayer, because that’s what I heard from others. But it doesn't always come that way. You and I friends probably won't see a bush burning that the flames don't consume. We may not while on earth ever hear an audible voice from God. God ordinarily doesn't speak to us out of heaven. He speaks to us through His Word. So any time you're going through a difficult situation, and you're asking God the why question, you'll find the response in God's Word. Abiding in His Word. Many of us come to God looking for solutions. But we're not asking Him for solutions. We have a solution we're presenting to Him. We want His spiritual stamp of approval on it. "I'm having trouble and this is what I think, God. What do You think?" I don’t believe this is the way we approach God. Our belief system is not a belief in why things happen or how we can handle the things that happen to us. Our belief system is in the character of God who promises us that. Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. If we believe the character of God has our best interests at heart, then every time we face difficulty in our lives and we say, “Lord, help me understand this," and we don't get an immediate response, we don't automatically assume that reflects on God's character. It automatically helps us to understand it reflects on God's timing. And timing is very different from character. So the more we read from God's Word, the more we understand God's character. The more we understand God's character, the better we are able to trust Him. When we come to verse 6, it says that we need to ask in faith with no doubting. A lot of people have shaky faith. They're doubting. They're wavering back and forth. So if that's the case for someone today, what should we say to them so they can get correct in their faith to be able to ask for wisdom? You know, I'm new to this, but I would suggest saying, the good thing about God is God wasn't born yesterday. God didn't come on the scene yesterday. God has a record and that record is recorded in God's Word. So, when questions of faith come up and you waiver in that faith, you can go back to God's Word and find out what other people who have had those questions who have wavered did. Look at Abraham. I'm in hopes to include some of his life in this series. Here’s a man who had great faith in God one day, and a little less great the next day, and back to great faith. I mean, he's a perfect example of where all of us are. Friends, I've enjoyed this time with you and I do hope that the words shared today have helped you. We also want to thank all the ministries that have allowed Leanna and I to share these messages and also thank you, brothers and sisters for being here in the J and L Ministries room here on Paltalk. We love you and we do hope that you visit us again next Sunday at 11:00AM EST time. Blessings. |
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