James 2:14-3:18 - The Evidence of Faith - Pastor Jarrod - Sunday Morning Service 8:30AM-

Can I have some of, thank you. But I feel like that one needs to like, that's kind of a powerful, it needs to like build, yes. And if we start slowing down, then it doesn't feel as buildy. So, that's my, exactly, yes, yes, build with the guitars. Good morning, everyone.

Let's start with a word of prayer. Dear Jesus, thank you so much for letting us gather together on this beautiful morning to refresh our hearts and our minds and to turn them back where they belong. Which is on you. As we worship you this morning, I pray that our minds will be cleared and our hearts only turn to you. And for us to give you the praise and the glory that you deserve.

In Jesus' name I pray, amen. Will you guys stand with me for this first song? Come to you thankful today, Lord, for this time to worship you and be together and hear from you. I'm just thankful that you think of us as your treasure. We're precious to you. Think about that today. Much they are loved.

We cannot do anything to make you love us more. And we cannot do anything to make you love us less. And what a blessing that is to us to be able to rest in what you've done for us. And to just focus on glorifying you in all that we do. And nothing else.

Dear God, I pray that that is our prayer from all of us. That not our will but yours be done. What a blessing it is to know that no matter what we do, you have it all in your hands. And we don't need to worry.

I pray for Jared as he comes up to give the message today. That you will be with him and that you will give him the words to say. And that all of us here will focus, take it with us throughout the week. And not just come in the door just to check something off a list. But to really desire to grow closer to you and to learn about you and to know you better. In Jesus' name I pray.

You guys can greet one another.

Alright, good morning. If you guys could go ahead and start making your way to your seats. We'll get started.

I'm glad you're here this morning. It's good to see everybody. Pastor Ryan is at a conference this weekend. So just be praying for him as he and his family come home today. Just a couple of things. If you've got your bulletins with you. Just a couple of things. If you're looking for a place to get plugged in here on the left side of your bulletin. Or all the studies.

And things that are happening throughout the week. So just find a place to get plugged in there. And go from there. Your Bible reading plan. Your Bible weeding plan. Your Bible reading plan. Is there on the back page of your bulletin. So make sure you keep it up with that. And directory photos. I think they're going to do one more. One more photo session. So if you did not...

Get your photo taken. You still want to be in the directory. It's going to be next Sunday. November 23rd. Both first and second services. I imagine they'll probably have it set up in the south lobby here again.

Another thing to look at. Is they're having a women's conference at Grace Calvary in Wellington. And that's going to be December 6th. From 830 to 430. So if you're interested. Go find Diane Nichols. And she'll give you all the details. And she'll give you all the details. And then a couple other things here. So they're doing the live nativity again. And I cannot even remember what church it's at now.

But they're doing the live nativity again this year. And so if you're interested in volunteering for that. Go speak with Joe Palmer. And he can give you all the details for that. And then lastly. Shoeboxes. Operation Christmas Child. Shoeboxes are due today. So if you still have your shoeboxes. And you haven't got them filled yet. You still got time between this service.

And then you can go to the website. And the next service. So go get those filled up. And bring them up. And we'll pray over those. And load them up after second service. So I think that's all the announcements. That I have written down.

If you need a Bible this morning. There should be one in your row. We're going to be reading out of Psalm 46. This morning for our responsive reading. Psalm 46. And as you guys are turning there. If you guys wouldn't mind stand with us. I'll read the odd verses. If you'll follow along with Pastor Allen. And the even verses. Psalm 46. For the choir director.

A psalm of the sons of Korah. Set to Alamoth. A song. God is our refuge and strength. A very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear. Though the earth should change. Though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea. Though its waters roar and foam. Though the mountains quake. At its swelling pride. Selah. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God.

The holy dwelling place of the Most High. God is in the midst of her. She will not be moved. God will help her when morning dawns. The nations made an uproar. The kingdoms tottered. He raised his voice. The earth melted. The Lord of hosts is with us. The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah. Come behold the works of the Lord. Who has wrought desolations in the earth.

He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth. He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two. And he burns the chariots with fire. Cease striving and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth. And read verse 11 with me. The Lord of hosts is with us. The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah. And Lord God we thank you that you are in faith.

We thank you that you are in faith. We thank you that you are in faith. You the Lord of hosts. The Lord of armies is with us Lord. And help us to cease our striving and to rest in you. To find our rest and our peace in you Lord Jesus. We ask your blessing upon this time now Lord. We love you and we praise you in Jesus name. Amen. You may be seated.

If you have your Bibles this morning. Go and open them up to James chapter 2. James chapter 2. It's been several months since the last time I taught in James. I think it was. I think it was June. The last time I taught. But just to kind of recap where we were in James last time. We talked about being a doer of the word. And not just a hearer. You know James 1.22 says.

But be ye doers of the word. And not hearers only. Deceiving your own selves. And James told us that if we were a hearer only. We were someone who looks at his own face in the mirror. But then he goes away. And immediately forgets what he looks like. He immediately forgets what kind of person he is. And God calls us to have that heart. That not only shows up on a Sunday morning or a Wednesday night.

To hear an awesome message. But then as we walk the 30 feet out the door. We lose that fire. That's not what he's called us to do. It's not what he's called us to be. He calls us believers. Brothers and sisters. To not only hear the word. But to act on it. And to do it. And this morning James is going to expound on that principle a little bit more. So here in James chapter 2.

We're going to start in verse 14. And James says. What good is it my brothers and sisters. If someone claims to have faith. But does not have works. Can such faith save him? If a brother or sister is without clothes. And lacks daily food. And one of you says to them. Go in peace. Stay warm and be well fed. But you don't give them what the body needs. What good is it?

In the same way. Faith if it does not have works. Is dead by itself. In this first section. James asks. A question to believers. And keep in mind that these believers. These people that James is writing to. Are Jewish converts. They're Jewish people who have converted to Christianity. They're converted to be followers of Jesus. But they've been scattered throughout the kingdom of Israel.

And even outside of Israel. And it's even possible at this particular point in time. That they're facing a lot of persecution. And if you're familiar with church history at all. You'd know that the church. The early church was severely persecuted. They had it coming from two sides. They had it coming from Rome. Who persecuted Christians. And they also had it coming from.

From the Jewish. From the Jews. And so to be a believer. During this time period. Especially a believer converted from Judaism. Was especially dangerous. And difficult. And James is asking these believers. What good is it? If someone claims to have faith. But does not have works. Can such faith save him? And I think it's a question. That if we're going to call ourselves a believer.

A follower of Jesus. We should be asking ourselves. To simplify. If you claim to have faith in Jesus. Where's your evidence? I briefly mentioned this last time. But there's a book out there. By a guy named Kyle Eidelman. And it's called Not a Fam. And he says. In that book he says. What you believe. How you believe. Should be reflected in reality. It should be reflected in your day to day life.

And all the decisions that you make. Otherwise. It's a delusion. He's saying that if we truly believe. And have faith. That Jesus is the Son of God. And we're claiming Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Our belief. Needs to be reflected in that reality. It should be reflected in how we live. It should be reflected in how we act. How we speak. How we talk to people.

They should be able to tell that there's something different about us. Believer is what you believe. Reflected. In your life. Is what you believe reflected in your reality. Are you controlling. What comes out of your mouth. Are you controlling your attitude. And I honestly struggle with this one. A little bit sometimes. Okay. Are you controlling. What you allow into your head.

What you see and what you hear. Are you controlling what you watch. On TV and on the internet. Is what you're watching. A reflection of that belief. And I ask that because. I ask those questions because what you put into. Is what's going to come out of you. The Bible says and Matthew says. Out of the overflow of the heart. The mouth speaks. And how about this.

Is what you believe reflected in. Like how you run your day to day business. For those of us out there. We're fortunate enough to have like our own businesses. And things like that. Is what you believe reflected in how you run your business. Do you have honest weights. And measures. Are you honest in how you run your business. Are you honest in how you pay your employees.

And how you treat your employees. How about this. Is what you believe. Reflected. In how you raise your families. Moms and dads. Are you raising your kids in the Lord. Are you teaching them. His word. Are you spending time in the word. With them. Are you doing family devotionals. How about this. Are you living out what you're teaching your kids. You know there's.

I've heard a lot of parents. That they live by this principle. Do what I say. Not as I do. It's. I've been there a couple of times. Just. Full disclosure. Yeah. But are you living out what you're teaching them. How about this. Are you helping your brothers and sisters in need. You know Jesus himself. Blessed are the. Said himself. Blessed are the merciful. For they shall receive mercy.

Believer once again. Is what you believe reflected in your life. If we're going to claim to be a follower of Jesus. It needs to be reflected. In how we live our lives. How we act. You know. When you guys walked in here this morning. You guys had enough faith in every one of these chairs. That you decided to sit down. It was reflected. Your faith in that chair was reflected in how you acted.

And what you did. Otherwise we'd all be standing right now. Right. If you're claiming to believe in Jesus. It needs to be reflected in your life. Otherwise it's an empty belief. It's an empty claim. It's a delusion that we bought into. James himself said it. Just a few verses earlier. If we're not going to be a doer of the word. If we're not going to. Live out what we believe.

We're deceiving our own selves. Faith without evidence. Isn't faith. It's a dead faith. And there's no life in it. Verse 18. It says but someone will say you have faith. And I have works. Show me your faith without works. You believe that God is one. Good. Even the demons believe. And they shudder. Senseless person. Are you willing to learn. That the faith without works is useless.

Wasn't Abraham our father justified by works. In offering Isaac his son on the altar. You see that faith. Was active together with his works. And by his works. Faith was made complete. And the scripture was fulfilled. That says Abraham believed God. And it was credited to him. As righteousness. And he was called God's friend. You see that a person. Is justified by works.

And not by faith alone. And in the same way. Wasn't Rahab the prostitute. Also justified by works. In receiving the messengers. And sending them out by a different route. And just as the body without the spirit is dead. So also faith without works. Is dead. James goes on in verses 18 and 19 here. Someone will say. You have faith. And I have works. Show me your faith without works.

And I will show you faith by my works. You believe that God is one. Good. Even the demons believe. And they shudder. James actually calls out. And challenges those. Who operate in the pure belief. Who operate out of pure belief. But no works. Where is your evidence. Where is your works. If you show me your faith. I will show you mine. Show me your faith without works.

And I will show you faith by my works. Now I want to take a moment. To address something here. Just real quick. It's not the works. That save anybody. You can't do enough works. To be saved. Okay. That's not what James is saying. Works can never save you. Only faith in Jesus Christ. Will do that. A lot of folks actually say. That this verse here in James. Actually contradicts.

Paul in Ephesians 2 verses 8 and 9. I'm going to turn over there. Just real quick. As soon as I get there. There we go. Galatians Ephesians. Ephesians 2 verse 8 and 9. It says. That works are saved. By grace through faith. And this is not from yourselves. It is God's gift. Not from works. So that no man can boast. So. A lot of people say. That those two verses.

Actually contradict each other. And this actually does not contradict. What Paul is saying. James isn't saying. That it is by works you are saved. He is saying. That you can earn salvation. Through faith. If your heart is truly changed. Through that saving relationship. With Jesus. Then works are going to be the evidence of it. There is going to be some evidence of it.

You can't earn your salvation. By working your butt off. And at the same time. You can't just believe you are saved. Just because you believe that God exists. James even addresses that verse. In verse 19. Good. Great. But guess what. Even the demons believe that too. They believe that he exists. And they even shudder. I have known too many people. Who are in one camp or the other.

They believe that God exists. And therefore that they are saved. That they are going to heaven. And unfortunately that is just not the truth. Then there is the other camp. That people who believe. That they can just work. And work and work. That they can earn enough grace. To be saved. And it actually contradicts. The very definition of grace. It is unearned favor.

Unmerited favor. You can't do anything to earn it. I have known too many people. Who are in one camp or another. And friends James says it better than I ever could. He says the demons believe. And even Satan himself believes that God exists. Yet look where they are at. Your belief must have some kind of evidence. Otherwise you are going to stand before God.

At the end of this life. He is going to look at you. And he is going to say away from me. Because I never knew you. Friends those are terrifying words that I never want to hear. I never want you to have to hear those. To hear those words. Rather. I want to stand before God. And hear him say well done. Good and faithful servant. Well done. Good and faithful servant.

James goes on to use. Two examples. Very famous examples from the Old Testament. Abraham and Rahab. As examples of true faith. Evidenced by their works. Abraham being the father. Being the father of the Jews. And Rahab. Being a prostitute. She housed the Israelite spies in Jericho. When Israel was getting ready to enter the promised land. And he says in verse 21.

James does. Wasn't Abraham our father. Justified by works and offering Isaac. His son on the altar. Wait a minute. I thought Paul said in Ephesians 2. That we're justified by faith. And not works. Lest any man should boast. And if you're questioning that. You would be correct. But doesn't that contradict each other? No. The word justified here in the Greek is.

And I'm going to butcher this pronunciation. But dikaiou. And there's essentially two definitions for this word. The first definition is to render or demonstrate. One to be righteous. And the other definition is to declare. One to be righteous. And the usage here. Suggests that the correct definition to apply here. Is to demonstrate. It's an action word. To demonstrate one to be righteous.

Abraham wasn't made. Or declared righteous. Because of his obedience in sacrificing his son Isaac. Okay. If you remember Abraham was declared righteous. Way back in Genesis 15.6. Some 20 plus years before this event. Right. Some 20 plus years before Abraham. Ever took Isaac up on this mountain. To put him on an altar. He was already declared righteous. Because of his belief in the promise.

That God made to him. To make him into a nation. But then if you fast forward. To the account of Abraham and Isaac. Abraham. Keyword demonstrated. His faith here through obedience. In sacrificing his son Isaac. Abraham fully believed. God's promise. And in that. He was declared righteous. But then. He fully obeyed God. And demonstrated it. Demonstrated his faith.

Fully obeyed God. And would have gone through with sacrificing Isaac. Had God not stopped him. And in the same way. Moving on to Rahab. In the same way. Rahab was not justified by her works alone. Okay. Remember Rahab was considered. A lady of the evening. And she had no works. She had nothing to boast about. Up until that point in her life. Nothing to be able to say.

That she was righteous in any way shape or form. Yet she had heard of God's amazing works. In bringing Israel out of captivity. She had heard how God parted an entire ocean. She had heard. How God led them through the desert. With a pillar of cloud. And a pillar of fire. She had heard how God provided manna for them. And quail. And water from a rock. And how God guided them through the desert.

And took care of his people. She had heard of God's amazing works. And bringing Israel. Out of captivity. And she believed them. And she believed it so much. It drove her to actually do something. It drove her to actually. Put her faith into action. It drove her to actually hide. These Israelite spies. From the king of Jericho. See that wasn't just a small thing.

She could have actually been put to death for that. Had she been found out. Okay. But yet she believed. She believed in who God was. And the power of God. And she was declared righteous. But then when it came time. She demonstrated her faith. She acted out her faith. So you see. It isn't works alone. And it isn't faith alone. Yes true faith alone. Will be evidenced.

By a changed heart. That demonstrates. That's an action word again. A changed heart that demonstrates. Faith in the one true living God. Because faith without evidence. Faith without fruit. Isn't faith. I've met a lot of Christians that. You know. I genuinely question their faith. I genuinely question whether or not. They're a true Christian. A true believer.

A true follower of Jesus. Because guess what. There's no fruit. They show up on a Sunday morning. And by Monday morning. They're back to their old worldly ways. They're dropping f-bombs every other word. They talk about horrible. Awful disgusting vile things. They do awful vile things. But yet. They're claiming to be a believer. Faith without fruit isn't faith.

And there's no evidence. And if you're here this morning. And you're calling yourself a believer. A Christian. May I strongly urge you just to take. Take some time. Take a long hard look. And see if your faith is being lived out. James tells us. In chapter one. To not just be a hearer of the word. But a doer of the word. Is your faith being lived out in your lives?

Is there some fruit there? Is there some evidence of your faith? And if not. Then it's time to come to true faith in Jesus Christ. Amen. Chapter three. Moving on here. Verse one it says. Not many should become teachers my brothers. Because you know that we will receive. A stricter judgment. For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says.

He is mature. Able to control the whole body. Now if we put bits into the mouths of horses. And driven by fierce winds. Oops sorry. Skipped a line here. If we put bits into the mouths of horses. So that they obey us. We direct their whole bodies. And consider ships. Though very large. And driven by fierce winds. They are guided by a very small rudder. Wherever the will of the pilot directs.

So too. Though the tongue is a small part of the body. It boasts great things. A large forest. And the tongue is a fire. The tongue is a world of unrighteousness. It is placed among our members. It stains the whole body. Sets the course of life on fire. And it is itself set on fire by hell. Every kind of animal. Bird. Reptile. And fish is tamed. And has been tamed by humankind.

But no one can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil. Full of deadly poison. And with it we curse people. Who are made in God's likeness. Blessing and cursing come out of the same mouth. My brothers and sisters. These things. Should not be this way. Does a spring pour out sweet and bitter water from the same opening? Can a fig tree produce olives? My brothers and sisters.

Or a grape vine produce figs? Neither can a salt water spring yield fresh water. I really love the book of James. It says. It says. A large portion of it. Does build up the believer. But it also. It also. Can bring a lot of conviction. It can absolutely wreck your life. It has wrecked mine a few times over. Anyway here we go. James address is something that is becoming.

More and more important today. And that is the importance of words. You see words. Words do have great power. You know. They can change the course of an entire person's life. More than that. They can change the course of an entire nation. They can also. In fact. Affect an entire body of believers. For good or for bad. Words can build up. And they can tear down.

The old saying. We all heard as kids. You know. We have all heard it. Sticks and stones. They never hurt me. Some of the most untrue words ever spoken to mankind. Words can. And do hurt. Amen. Yeah. Sometimes for good. And sometimes for bad. Words do have great power. Which is why James says in verse one here. He says not many should become teachers. My brothers.

Because you know that we will receive stricter judgment. James is. In a way. Kind of discouraging. Folks from becoming teachers. And in James's time. There were these Judaizers. Who were going out among the believers. And they were saying okay. If you want to believe in Jesus. That's fine and dandy. You go ahead and do that. But you still need to follow the law.

You still need to offer these daily sacrifices. You still need to go to the temple. You need to offer your sacrifice there. And it's just. But you also need to follow the mosaic law. And those teachers. Were pulling people away from Jesus. Fast forward to today. There's a lot of people. Doing the exact same thing. There's a lot of false teachers out there. They say it's okay to follow Jesus.

Just don't get too crazy. You know. There are those who take the word of God. They twist it around. To suit their own false interpretations. And they try to justify sin. And if you want to. If you want to start a bible study. Great. That's awesome. You better pray about it. A lot. I prayed three months before taking this job. If you want to be a pastor. Okay great.

Pray about it. A lot. Take a step back. Check your motivations. And seek God's counsel. Why? What does that mean? What does that mean? It means that. We as teachers. We as those who give out God's word. Are going to stand before God as believers. To be judged for the things that we've done. On this side of eternity. But we're going to be doubly accountable.

For how we handled God's word. And the question always becomes. Did I handle God's word correctly? Did I rightly divide. His word. Did I teach the whole council. Of God. Did I do my very best to give out God's word. And point people to Jesus. Or did I use the platform that God's given me. To twist God's word. And advance my own agenda. And chase people out of the church.

So with that in mind. If you think God is calling you. Into the ministry. To be a teacher. To be a pastor. Or even just to lead a bible study. In any way shape or form. This is your warning. Absolutely. Bathe that decision. In prayer. Bathe it in prayer. For weeks. Months if you have to. Until you get clear direction from God. Because what comes out of your mouth.

Has the power. To turn someone to Jesus. Or turn someone away from Jesus. Jesus uses these illustrations. Of controlling horses and ships. You know. To make a horse where you want it to go. I'm not a big horse guy. I don't really know a lot about them. But what I do know. Is that if you want to control a horse. You have to use a bridle. And you have to put a bit in their mouth.

And when you pull on the rein. When you pull on the reins. One way or the other. The horse will know what direction to go. The horse will know whether to stop. Or to go. Or whatever. You know I can't just walk up to a horse. And just plow that field. And it doesn't work like that. You've got to direct it. You've got to do something with it. It's a very small piece.

But it's a very powerful piece. And it's a very small piece. But it allows you to bring this very large animal. Into submission. It allows you to direct it. And in the same way. The illustration of a ship's rudder is used. You know. We've made some absolutely massive ships. I'm. I'm in awe. Of the utterly massive ships. That mankind has made. I did a little research.

And the largest active seagoing vessel. In the world right now. Is called the Emma Maersk. According to an article I found online. In terms of length and gross tonnage. She is 1,302 feet long. And a gross tonnage. Of 171,000 tons. Just an absolutely. Massive ship. Huge. And yet the only way to control her. The only way. To control something that big. Is with the rudder.

And it's relative to the overall size. The rudder is extremely small. It's very, very small. But powerful. And without the rudder. The ship doesn't even get out of port. It never makes it to its destination. You know. They can spend hundreds of millions. Not billions of dollars. Building this thing. But if they don't put the rudder on. It's a waste of time and money.

It's powerful in terms of what's important on a ship. And in the same way our tongues can be just as powerful. You can build somebody up. And in the next sentence. Completely tear them down. James says. In one breath you can bless the Lord. And in the next breath. You can curse him. That's how powerful the tongue is. Blessings and cursing. Blessings and cursings.

Come out of the same mouth. You can build somebody up. In one moment. And in the next moment. Tear them completely down. The tongue can be used to great effect. And James says it can be used to bless and curse. And to the latter. He says it's a restless evil. Full of deadly poison. Now if you'll just. Indulge me here for just a second. I'm a huge. And I mean huge.

Lord of the Rings fan. Now I don't go to these conventions. I don't dress up like Gandalf or anything like that. Not that big of a fan. But huge Lord of the Rings fan. And every time I watch it. I pick up on all kinds of cool biblical principles. Every single time I watch it. I pick up something else. And in the second movie. It's called The Two Towers. The King of Rohan.

Is sort of under this spell of sorts. And the Caesar's name. Is Wormtongue. Who does nothing but give this king bad advice. And so that the enemy can kind of. Sneak in. And slowly take over this guy's kingdom. From within. And at some point the king's niece. And this guy Wormtongue. They have this conversation. And she tells him outright. Your words are poison.

And it was true. His words were so poisonous. And right and delightful in the king's ears. That it was. Took nothing but words. To take over an entire kingdom. So you have to be careful. Because there are. Many false teachers out there today. And they do this very similar thing. They give out words that. That seem right. They seem pleasing to the ear. But yet.

Their ultimate goal. Isn't to teach the word of God. Their ultimate goal. Is to go against the word of God. Is to go against the kingdom of God. Their ultimate goal is to build up their own agenda. Their words. May seem wise. Their words may seem powerful. But they are in fact poison. Their tongue is used to great effect. Against the kingdom of God. They're drawing all these people in.

Yet they are no closer. To Jesus now. Than they were before they ever went to that church. Their words seem great. But when you boil it down. Strip away all the so called wisdom. The message behind it. Is nothing but pure evil. It's poison. Therefore. Not many should become teachers. My brothers. Because you know. That you will receive a stricter judgment. So to kind of close out this section.

And bring it all back together. The question becomes. How do we control the tongue? And the answer is. You fill yourself with heavenly things. You fill yourself with heavenly things. Jesus in Matthew 12. He's talking to the Pharisees. Who were spewing out. Nothing but evil things against Jesus. He says. Out of the overflow of the heart. The mouth speaks. What you put into you.

Is what's going to come out of you. So if you fill your heart. With the things of heaven. With the words of heaven. That's God's word. That's the Bible here. But if you're filling your heart. With the things of the world. Guess what? That's what's going to come out of you. Verse 13. Who among you is wise. And understanding. By his good conduct. He should show.

That his works are done in the gentleness. That comes from wisdom. But if you have bitter envy. And selfish ambition in your heart. Don't boast and deny the truth. For the wisdom does not come down from above. But is earthly. Unspiritual. And demonic. For where there is envy and selfish ambition. There is disorder and every evil practice. But the wisdom from above.

Is first pure. Then peace loving. It's gentle. Compliant. Full of mercy. And good fruits. Unwavering and without pretense. Cultivate peace. In this last section of scripture. James starts off by asking a question. Who among you is wise and understanding? Who among you thinks he is wise? And I. I suspect that there is probably. There may have been those in the early church.

Perhaps the Judaizers. Who were. Handing out worldly wisdom. Disguised as godly wisdom. And either way James gives us a way. To tell the difference. Between the two. Worldly wisdom. Seeks to benefit. You. It seeks to benefit. Ourselves. And is rooted in jealousy and envy. Worldly wisdom will. Will say that. You need a brand new car in your driveway. You need a brand new car.

That you can't afford. Because. Pay attention. Because you deserve it. You've worked hard. For so many years. You've sacrificed so much. And guess what. It's time for a brand new. Mercedes Benz. You know. Let's face it. That old beater of mine. It ain't looking very good anymore. And my neighbors probably think. I'm absolutely broke. You know and guess what.

You know. I've got a 17 year old Honda CRV. And it's got a tail storm. That I affectionately call dimples. Which is. Short for dimples the deer slayer. And it doesn't look good at all. This thing has. Has hail dents all over it. You know. And the hood doesn't match. But you know what. It runs great. And guess what. It's paid for. Worldly wisdom would say. Godly wisdom however.

Is rooted in Jesus Christ. And is pure. It's peace loving. It's gentle. Compliant. Full of mercy. It's unwavering. And it's without pretense. Godly wisdom. Godly wisdom would say. That I need to deny myself. And follow after him. And he will provide all that I need. Okay. If you can't trust anyone else. Trust your heart. And to that I say. Bless your heart.

That's worldly wisdom. Godly wisdom. If you flip over to Jeremiah 17 9. It says. It tells us that the heart. Is deceitful above all things. And is desperately wicked. Who can understand it. I've had a lot of. When I've been faced with a lot of decisions. I've sought counsel from a lot of people. And they've always told me. They've always tried to encourage me.

To do what I think is right. But I've also heard a lot of them tell me. Jared you just need to follow your heart. You just need to do what you think is best. You follow your heart. And you're going to be just fine. Well bless your heart. Thank you. Guys understand. God's word says that the heart is deceitful and wicked. Who can understand it. So therefore why should you follow it.

You should never. Follow your heart. Never. Worldly wisdom. Says you live your best life. Now. Godly wisdom. Says otherwise. Matthew 16 24. Jesus himself says. If you're going to follow me. You need to deny yourself. And take up your cross. Now these are just a few examples of worldly wisdom. Versus godly wisdom. See worldly wisdom is rooted. Like it says here.

In jealousy and envy and selfish ambition. And it seeks to benefit only one person. And that's you. It benefits no one else. And as I mentioned earlier. About these false teachers out there. Using their tongue for evil. You know I looked up. I looked up the videos for this. This one particular pastor. This one particular famous or infamous pastor. And I didn't.

I didn't watch any of them. I didn't get ahead with that garbage. But these are the titles. Of just a few of these videos. That were returned from my search. These are the titles of these sermons. That this pastor preaches. And this guy pastors thousands. Thousands. First one. Let God take care of you. Second one. If you need something to believe in. Believe in.

Yourself. Third one. God is saying. You are on the right path. Fourth one. Focus on. Yourself. Your life will change. And last one here. God is doing a new thing in your life. Did you catch the common denominator there? It's all about you. It's not about Jesus. Jesus is nowhere in there. It's all about you. It's not about others. And James goes on to say in verse 17.

That wisdom from above. Is first pure. Then peace loving. It's gentle and then compliant. Some of your translations may say. Focused on others. But full of mercy and good fruits. It's unwavering and without pretense. You know. I mentioned this back in chapter one. But to get through this life. Especially through the trials. You're going to need wisdom. You're going to need wisdom.

Solomon needed. And he knew where to get it. He went to God. Because godly wisdom is pure. It's undefiled. It's uncorrupted. And it's from God's word. It loves peace. It's gentle. And it's willing to yield. And it is merciful. And it's unchanging. And it's without hypocrisy. Jesus in Matthew chapter five. Beatitudes verses five through ten here. He said. Blessed are the merciful.

That's verse seven. Blessed are the pure in heart. That's verse eight. Blessed are the peacemakers. Verse nine. Blessed are the humble. The meek. In other words. Those who are willing to yield. Blessed are those who are persecuted. Because of righteousness. Blessed are those who are unwavering. Blessed are you who are full of godly wisdom. I love. I love talking to you folks.

Because you guys are so full of wisdom. You guys are so full of godly wisdom. And I soak it in. All of it. I love it. I love talking to you guys. You guys have such wisdom. Blessed are those who are full of godly wisdom. And be careful. Be careful where you're sourcing your wisdom from. Because again. Blessed are those who are spewing out nothing. But false wisdom.

And especially in these last of the last days. Now. I'm not saying that all the worldly wisdom out there is bad. Okay. There's. There's a few nuggets of good wisdom out there. And here's just. Here's a few for you. I just wanted to throw these out there. To kind of brighten your day a little bit. Number one. Accept that some days. You're the pigeon. Some days you're the statue.

Always keep your words. Soft and sweet. Just in case you have to eat them. How about this one. Drive carefully. It's not only the cars that can be recalled by their maker. And lastly. Statistically 132% of all people exaggerate. To close this out this morning. May I just say. If I were to offer one piece of godly wisdom. It would be this. And that is to repent.

For the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Jesus is coming back soon. Amen. Would you guys stand with me. I'm going to ask the worship team to come on back up. Father God we just thank you. Thank you for allowing us to be here today Lord. I thank you for your word. I thank you for your godly wisdom. Lord may we take this wisdom that you give us this morning God.

May we apply it to our life. Let us not be hearers of the word. But doers of your word. Lord if we're going to claim to have faith. If we're going to claim to be believers. And followers of you Lord. Let there be evidence of it. Let the evidence of a changed heart. Come forth. And glorify you Lord God. Father we just love you. And we praise you God. We thank you for who you are.

For how much you love us. For what you've done for us. God nobody could have done what you've done. Lord you willingly stepped down from your throne in heaven. You came to earth. You lived among us. You lived a perfect life among us. And then you willingly. Took our place on that cross. Lord in the moments. In the moments leading up to the cross. You had a decision to make.

And you said. Not my will but your will be done. Lord in that moment. Knowing what you were faced with Lord. It would have been so easy for you to just say. I can't do this. I'm not going to do this. I'm not going to do this for a wicked world that doesn't love me. But you didn't. Lord God. You. You said not my will. But your will be done. And you willingly.

Went to the cross. You willingly took the beatings that we deserve. You willingly. And lovingly. Had the flesh stripped off your back. Or beaten. And nailed to the cross. Because you loved us that much. You loved me that much Lord. You went to the cross. For the worst version. Of myself Lord. And I just thank you. So much. We give you praise. We give you glory.

We give you honor. Because it's all due to you Lord. It's all due to you. We love you and we praise you in Jesus name. Amen. Thank you once again for giving us the amazing blessing. Of getting together with other believers. And turning all of our attention to you. For a couple hours. I want to tell the world this week. That we truly live out our faith. And that we are the hands and feet of you.

And that when people see us. They see you. And that we live our life. Just honoring you and giving glory to you. And giving praise to you. And letting the world see us as something different. And not being one with the world. But turning everyone's attention to you. You are so amazing. And powerful and wonderful. And we are so blessed. You love us the way that you do.

In Jesus name we pray. Amen.