Women's Bible Study - January 31st, 2024 - Walking in the Holy Spirit

January 31, 2024 · James

Series · James · Week 18 of 23

Scripture referenced 16 passages

The passage this message was preached from, in full, with every other passage it reached for.

Ephesians 5:15-18 Paul's parallel to James: be careful how you live, don't be drunk with wine, be filled with the Holy Spirit

15 Therefore watch carefully how you walk, not as unwise, but as wise;
16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
17 Therefore don’t be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
18 Don’t be drunken with wine, in which is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit,

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Ephesians 1

having believed, we are marked with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, to the saints who are at Ephesus, and the faithful in Christ Jesus:

2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ;

4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and without defect before him in love;

5 having predestined us for adoption as children through Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his desire,

6 to the praise of the glory of his grace, by which he freely gave us favor in the Beloved,

7 in whom we have our redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,

8 which he made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence,

9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he purposed in him

10 to an administration of the fullness of the times, to sum up all things in Christ, the things in the heavens, and the things on the earth, in him;

11 in whom also we were assigned an inheritance, having been foreordained according to the purpose of him who does all things after the counsel of his will;

12 to the end that we should be to the praise of his glory, we who had before hoped in Christ.

13 In him you also, having heard the word of the truth, the Good News of your salvation—in whom, having also believed, you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,

14 who is a pledge of our inheritance, to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of his glory.

15 For this cause I also, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which is among you, and the love which you have toward all the saints,

16 don’t cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers,

17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him;

18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of his calling, and what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,

19 and what is the exceeding greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to that working of the strength of his might

20 which he worked in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and made him to sit at his right hand in the heavenly places,

21 far above all rule, and authority, and power, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in that which is to come.

22 He put all things in subjection under his feet, and gave him to be head over all things for the assembly,

23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

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Matthew 27

Pilate said the chief priests handed Jesus over because they were filled with jealousy

1 Now when morning had come, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death:

2 and they bound him, and led him away, and delivered him up to Pontius Pilate, the governor.

3 Then Judas, who betrayed him, when he saw that Jesus was condemned, felt remorse, and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,

4 saying, “I have sinned in that I betrayed innocent blood.” But they said, “What is that to us? You see to it.”

5 He threw down the pieces of silver in the sanctuary, and departed. He went away and hanged himself.

6 The chief priests took the pieces of silver, and said, “It’s not lawful to put them into the treasury, since it is the price of blood.”

7 They took counsel, and bought the potter’s field with them, to bury strangers in.

8 Therefore that field was called “The Field of Blood” to this day.

9 Then that which was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled, saying, “They took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him upon whom a price had been set, whom some of the children of Israel priced,

10 and they gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord commanded me.”

11 Now Jesus stood before the governor: and the governor asked him, saying, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus said to him, “So you say.”

12 When he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing.

13 Then Pilate said to him, “Don’t you hear how many things they testify against you?”

14 He gave him no answer, not even one word, so that the governor marveled greatly.

15 Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to release to the multitude one prisoner, whom they desired.

16 They had then a notable prisoner, called Barabbas.

17 When therefore they were gathered together, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release to you? Barabbas, or Jesus, who is called Christ?”

18 For he knew that because of envy they had delivered him up.

19 While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him, saying, “Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered many things today in a dream because of him.”

20 Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the multitudes to ask for Barabbas, and destroy Jesus.

21 But the governor answered them, “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” They said, “Barabbas!”

22 Pilate said to them, “What then shall I do to Jesus, who is called Christ?” They all said to him, “Let him be crucified!”

23 But the governor said, “Why? What evil has he done?” But they cried out exceedingly, saying, “Let him be crucified!”

24 So when Pilate saw that nothing was being gained, but rather that a disturbance was starting, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, “I am innocent of the blood of this righteous person. You see to it.”

25 All the people answered, “May his blood be on us, and on our children!”

26 Then he released to them Barabbas, but Jesus he flogged and delivered to be crucified.

27 Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium, and gathered the whole garrison together against him.

28 They stripped him, and put a scarlet robe on him.

29 They braided a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and a reed in his right hand; and they kneeled down before him, and mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!”

30 They spat on him, and took the reed and struck him on the head.

31 When they had mocked him, they took the robe off him, and put his clothes on him, and led him away to crucify him.

32 As they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name, and they compelled him to go with them, that he might carry his cross.

33 When they came to a place called “Golgotha”, that is to say, “The place of a skull,”

34 they gave him sour wine to drink mixed with gall. When he had tasted it, he would not drink.

35 When they had crucified him, they divided his clothing among them, casting lots,

36 and they sat and watched him there.

37 They set up over his head the accusation against him written, “THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

38 Then there were two robbers crucified with him, one on his right hand and one on the left.

39 Those who passed by blasphemed him, wagging their heads,

40 and saying, “You who destroy the temple, and build it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross!”

41 Likewise the chief priests also mocking, with the scribes, the Pharisees, and the elders, said,

42 “He saved others, but he can’t save himself. If he is the King of Israel, let him come down from the cross now, and we will believe in him.

43 He trusts in God. Let God deliver him now, if he wants him; for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”

44 The robbers also who were crucified with him cast on him the same reproach.

45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour.

46 About the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lima sabachthani?” That is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

47 Some of them who stood there, when they heard it, said, “This man is calling Elijah.”

48 Immediately one of them ran, and took a sponge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him a drink.

49 The rest said, “Let him be. Let’s see whether Elijah comes to save him.”

50 Jesus cried again with a loud voice, and yielded up his spirit.

51 Behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom. The earth quaked and the rocks were split.

52 The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised;

53 and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection, they entered into the holy city and appeared to many.

54 Now the centurion, and those who were with him watching Jesus, when they saw the earthquake, and the things that were done, feared exceedingly, saying, “Truly this was the Son of God.”

55 Many women were there watching from afar, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, serving him.

56 Among them were Mary…

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Romans 2:11

there is no partiality or favoritism with God

11 For there is no partiality with God.

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1 Samuel 16:7

God told Samuel he looks at the heart, not the outward appearance, when choosing David

7 But Yahweh said to Samuel, “Don’t look on his face, or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for I don’t see as man sees. For man looks at the outward appearance, but Yahweh looks at the heart.”

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Colossians 3:11

in the new Christian life it does not matter if you are Jew or Gentile, barbarian or Scythian, Christ is all that matters

11 where there can’t be Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bondservant, freeman; but Christ is all, and in all.

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1 John 1:9

confess and repent and you are forgiven, taking the lid off the Holy Spirit's control

9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us the sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

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Romans 14:2

each one of us will give an account of ourselves to God

2 One man has faith to eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables.

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2 Corinthians 5:10

we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ to receive what is due for the things done with the life God gave us

10 For we must all be revealed before the judgment seat of Christ; that each one may receive the things in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

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Galatians 6:2

we are called to carry each other's burdens and in this way fulfill the law

2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

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Proverbs

whoever shuts their ears to the cry of the poor will also cry out and not be answered

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Romans 10:9

declare with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart he was raised on the third day and you can have assurance you are saved

9 that if you will confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

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Romans 4

Abraham is called the father of our faith because he trusted God

1 What then will we say that Abraham, our forefather, has found according to the flesh?

2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not toward God.

3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”

4 Now to him who works, the reward is not counted as grace, but as something owed.

5 But to him who doesn’t work, but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness.

6 Even as David also pronounces blessing on the man to whom God counts righteousness apart from works,

7 “Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, whose sins are covered.

8 Blessed is the man whom the Lord will by no means charge with sin.”

9 Is this blessing then pronounced on the circumcised, or on the uncircumcised also? For we say that faith was accounted to Abraham for righteousness.

10 How then was it counted? When he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision.

11 He received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while he was in uncircumcision, that he might be the father of all those who believe, though they might be in uncircumcision, that righteousness might also be accounted to them.

12 He is the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had in uncircumcision.

13 For the promise to Abraham and to his offspring that he should be heir of the world wasn’t through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.

14 For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void, and the promise is made of no effect.

15 For the law produces wrath, for where there is no law, neither is there disobedience.

16 For this cause it is of faith, that it may be according to grace, to the end that the promise may be sure to all the offspring, not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all.

17 As it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations.” This is in the presence of him whom he believed: God, who gives life to the dead, and calls the things that are not, as though they were.

18 Besides hope, Abraham in hope believed, to the end that he might become a father of many nations, according to that which had been spoken, “So will your offspring be.”

19 Without being weakened in faith, he didn’t consider his own body, already having been worn out, (he being about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb.

20 Yet, looking to the promise of God, he didn’t waver through unbelief, but grew strong through faith, giving glory to God,

21 and being fully assured that what he had promised, he was also able to perform.

22 Therefore it also was “credited to him for righteousness.”

23 Now it was not written that it was accounted to him for his sake alone,

24 but for our sake also, to whom it will be accounted, who believe in him who raised Jesus, our Lord, from the dead,

25 who was delivered up for our trespasses, and was raised for our justification.

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James 1

if you want wisdom, come ask God and he will give it

1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are in the Dispersion: Greetings.

2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you fall into various temptations,

3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.

4 Let endurance have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach; and it will be given to him.

6 But let him ask in faith, without any doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven by the wind and tossed.

7 For that man shouldn’t think that he will receive anything from the Lord.

8 He is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

9 But let the brother in humble circumstances glory in his high position;

10 and the rich, in that he is made humble, because like the flower in the grass, he will pass away.

11 For the sun arises with the scorching wind, and withers the grass, and the flower in it falls, and the beauty of its appearance perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in his pursuits.

12 Blessed is the man who endures temptation, for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord promised to those who love him.

13 Let no man say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God,” for God can’t be tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one.

14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed.

15 Then the lust, when it has conceived, bears sin; and the sin, when it is full grown, produces death.

16 Don’t be deceived, my beloved brothers.

17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom can be no variation, nor turning shadow.

18 Of his own will he gave birth to us by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.

19 So, then, my beloved brothers, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger;

20 for the anger of man doesn’t produce the righteousness of God.

21 Therefore, putting away all filthiness and overflowing of wickedness, receive with humility the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

22 But be doers of the word, and not only hearers, deluding your own selves.

23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man looking at his natural face in a mirror;

24 for he sees himself, and goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.

25 But he who looks into the perfect law of freedom, and continues, not being a hearer who forgets, but a doer of the work, this man will be blessed in what he does.

26 If anyone among you thinks himself to be religious while he doesn’t bridle his tongue, but deceives his heart, this man’s religion is worthless.

27 Pure religion and undefiled before our God and Father is this: to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

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James 2:1-13

real faith does not show favoritism, mercy triumphs over judgment

1 My brothers, don’t hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ of glory with partiality.

2 For if a man with a gold ring, in fine clothing, comes into your synagogue, and a poor man in filthy clothing also comes in;

3 and you pay special attention to him who wears the fine clothing, and say, “Sit here in a good place”; and you tell the poor man, “Stand there,” or “Sit by my footstool”;

4 haven’t you shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?

5 Listen, my beloved brothers. Didn’t God choose those who are poor in this world to be rich in faith, and heirs of the Kingdom which he promised to those who love him?

6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Don’t the rich oppress you, and personally drag you before the courts?

7 Don’t they blaspheme the honorable name by which you are called?

8 However, if you fulfill the royal law, according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well.

9 But if you show partiality, you commit sin, being convicted by the law as transgressors.

10 For whoever keeps the whole law, and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.

11 For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not commit murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.

12 So speak, and so do, as men who are to be judged by a law of freedom.

13 For judgment is without mercy to him who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

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James 2:14-26

faith without deeds is dead, illustrated through Abraham and Rahab

14 What good is it, my brothers, if a man says he has faith, but has no works? Can faith save him?

15 And if a brother or sister is naked and in lack of daily food,

16 and one of you tells them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled”; and yet you didn’t give them the things the body needs, what good is it?

17 Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead in itself.

18 Yes, a man will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without works, and I by my works will show you my faith.

19 You believe that God is one. You do well. The demons also believe, and shudder.

20 But do you want to know, vain man, that faith apart from works is dead?

21 Wasn’t Abraham our father justified by works, in that he offered up Isaac his son on the altar?

22 You see that faith worked with his works, and by works faith was perfected;

23 and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him as righteousness”; and he was called the friend of God.

24 You see then that by works, a man is justified, and not only by faith.

25 In the same way, wasn’t Rahab the prostitute also justified by works, in that she received the messengers, and sent them out another way?

26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, even so faith apart from works is dead.

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Recap

The message in order, in a few minutes of reading.

Pastor Deborah walked First B Jackson through James chapter two, tracing what genuine faith actually looks like in practice. The sermon pressed on a simple question: if nothing in your life has changed, is your faith real?

What was said

James opens his second chapter by addressing favoritism, and Pastor Deborah spent time explaining why that particular sin mattered so much to him. Every person, James argues, bears the image of a glorious God, which means every person carries worth and dignity. When the early church seated the wealthy man up front and waved the poor man to the back, they were not just being rude. They were placing their trust in human power and influence instead of in God, and they were stripping hope from people who needed it most. That was revolutionary ground for a Roman world built on a caste system, and James called it out as evil.

The favoritism section connects directly to a broader teaching about which spirit is actually controlling us at any given moment. Paul's language in Ephesians five fifteen about being filled with the Holy Spirit, Pastor Deborah explained, is not a request for a fresh dose of something we lack. We are already sealed. Being filled means being controlled, the same way alcohol controls the person under its influence. The point is that every sin, even one we consider minor, puts a lid on the Holy Spirit's influence in our lives. First John one nine tells us how to take that lid off.

From there the sermon moved to mercy, which James calls greater than judgment. Pastor Deborah drew a distinction between grace, which is God giving us what we do not deserve, and mercy, which is God not giving us what we do deserve. The Bema Seat judgment, she explained, is not about condemning believers. Salvation is settled. But it will involve a review of whether we used the life God gave us to show mercy, carry burdens, listen to people, and meet real needs. Blessed are the merciful, Jesus said, because mercy is an action word. It means moving toward someone.

James then addresses the objection that faith and works are two separate tracks. His answer is blunt: even the demons believe God exists, and it has done nothing for them. Belief that never becomes lordship, that never changes what occupies your time, your budget, your words and your schedule, is dead. Pastor Deborah applied this directly to conversations she has had with people who point to a single moment of decision decades ago and assume they are fine, with no church, no community, no visible change in how they live.

To close, James brings forward two examples. Abraham trusted God with the thing that mattered most to him, his son Isaac, and that trust was the completion of his faith. Pastor Deborah noted that Abraham made plenty of mistakes along the way, lying about Sarah, taking matters into his own hands with Ishmael, but he kept returning to a God he had learned he could trust. The near-sacrifice of Isaac, she said, also points us to what God did in giving His own Son. That story is not just about Abraham passing a test. It is God showing us the magnitude of what He did for us, and why He wants a living, honest relationship rather than a polished, unchanged one.

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Here is a guide we have prepared for you: the passages in order, questions for the group, and room to write.

Pastor Deborah described how we are always under some kind of spirit, whether our own, the world's, the enemy's, or the Holy Spirit. What does it look like practically, in your daily life, to let the Holy Spirit be what controls you rather than something else?
James says showing favoritism is sinful because it takes hope away from people and puts our trust in people rather than God. Where do you find yourself looking to people or status for help or security instead of turning to God first?

and 3 more questions in the guide

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Speaker 2Good morning, everybody. It's 10:00. Help us. Good morning, everybody. I'm gonna open up in prayer.

We thank you, father, for these beautiful, beautiful daughters of yours, Lord. My prayer today has just been that even in worship, even if we're this time that the walls would would come down. Not even the walls with each other, but just with you. Those things that hinder us from just really entering in to drawing near to you and and not just that. The truth is that we are close to you.

There's nothing that can separate your love from us, but that we would feel it. We would know your love and your presence today, Jesus. Sing again. Thank you, Lord, for your love. Thank you for your love, Jesus.

Thank you for your love, Jesus. Thank you, father. Thank you for your love. Thank you for your Holy Spirit. Your Holy Spirit gives us the power to do the things that we can't always the the all the things that you ask us to do, it's not meant to be done in our own strength.

It's supposed to be done by the power of your spirit, and so we just ask for you to come and fill us to overflowing. And I do pray for revelation of that love today, that that love that really comes from you is the only way to be able to love others. So we ask for the love overwhelms us, that overflows to people around us, that doesn't feel like rules and things that we gotta do. It comes from an overflow of knowing you. So thank you, In Jesus' name.

Speaker 1Amen. Thank you, Shar. Yay. Thank you, Shar. Alright.

Well, welcome back to James chapter two. You can have a seat. I hope that you are encouraged reading James two because as Shar said, it's not a book about how to earn more of God's love, it's a book about falling in love with Jesus so that you want to be so close to him, you are in the dust of our rabbi. I love that saying. So James chapter two.

Well, remember when we started this study, I told you this year is gonna be a very interesting year. I mean, not only is America having an election year, but there is a lot of things going on in this world that are incredibly interesting. Did you catch what happened on Monday? That Elon successfully his company successfully implanted a Neuralink inside a human brain. Now this could be very good news.

This could be very bad news. The good news is that this chip hooks up with AI, artificial intelligence, and can help someone who's paralyzed move again. That's really good news. Right? This chip can help traumatic brain injury victims or Alzheimer victims.

That's incredible. But this chip could also control a lot of our brain. That's not so incredible. This is the we are living in incredibly interesting times, And I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing. I I'm sure if I was paralyzed, would think that was a very good thing.

Where that's going to go may not be a good thing. But as our world gets darker and darker, I don't know if you sense this, but the spirit is just moving in this really powerful way. I mean, right here in our valley today, please Lord bless the first FCA meeting. FCA hasn't been here in how long Arlen, like ever or?

Speaker 2It's been here but it just had needed to restart.

Speaker 1Many years and we have this movement of youth getting involved. Allie's here with Young Life, Arlen with FCA, Christina's involved in all this and these kids are coming together and worshiping the Lord. It's really incredible and I think the Lord is saying through James, this is such a relevant book for us today. Now is the time to shine your light. If we lit a candle in here, how much light would it give off?

Not a whole lot, right? Because we have light in here. But if we lit a candle in an absolute dark room or dark cave, it would give off a lot of light, right? So as the world gets darker, I think our light will shine brighter and have more influence and I see that happening too. That is the great news.

So James, first letter to the first letter, first book in the New Testament, and he is establishing what the first believers of the church were to look like to the world. And remember last week, three ways that we know our faith is real. James says, first of all, your thinking will start to change. As James says, this word is like a mirror and it reflects to us lies that we've picked up on, narratives from the world that aren't true and he wants us to root out those lies and play a narrative of truth based on what God says. So he says your faith is real when your thinking starts to change and then number two, our thinking will inform what our heart knows.

Our heart will know certain things and what does the Bible say flows out of the heart? What flows out of the heart, ladies? Words. Words, our tongues, so our words will start to change, there'll be a shift there. And number three, our thinking and what we know in our heart will start to shift our behavior.

Suddenly, we will have different priorities in life, a different moral code. Our moral code doesn't line up with the culture anymore. What used to be really comfortable to us, those movies we watched or the things we said or the parties we went to, we're like, that doesn't feel so good anymore because our moral code will line up with what God says. So James James' real heart of the matter is you can't just say, oh yeah, I'm a Christian, all is good, and nothing ever changes. He's like, if that's the case, you've got to pause and go, is this faith for real?

And I see this all the time in the American church. My husband and I were at dinner with a couple recently and we kept trying to lead the conversation back to church or faith or Jesus or anything to do with him and this couple kept going in a different direction. And so finally, I don't know what came over me, I'm usually not this bold at dinner, but I said, I'm just curious, are you all Christians? And my husband's like, you know, like swallows. And the guy's like, yeah, I'm a Christian.

And I said, tell me about that. And this guy is like my age, he's not a spring chicken and he goes, well, when I was you know 20, I went to a Billy Graham crusade and I heard the message of Christ and I walked down to the front and I gave my life to Christ. I'm like, that's amazing. And then what happened? Like, did you get involved in a church?

What did you do? And he just looked at me and he's like, no. I didn't have time for that. And so this is what James is talking about. James is like, you can't just have this one time profession and think, I am good.

And we see that in America today. I talk to people all the time that are like, yeah, was raised in the church, I was baptized in the church, My dad was a pastor, my mom was a Bible study teacher. I'm good. And James is saying, you're not good. You're not good because here's what he's teaching us, that at all times, you and I are under a spirit.

We are either under our own spirit, what I think, we are under the spirit of the world, we are under the spirit of the enemy, we are under the spirit of addictions, of alcohol, of drugs, or we are under the Holy Spirit. Paul says it this way in Ephesians five fifteen, be careful how you live. You can see how God's word is just so intertwined. This is Paul saying the same thing James is saying, be careful how you live. Don't live like fools but like those who are wise.

Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don't act thoughtlessly but understand what the Lord wants you to do. The Lord wants you to do certain things. Paul says understand that. And then he he uses an example of what not to do.

He says, don't be drunk with wine because this will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit. Now, we think this word filled with the Holy Spirit means like, oh, I need to constantly ask for a filling of the Holy Spirit. That's not correct theology. Ephesians one tells us, having believed, we have been marked with a seal and that seal is the promised Holy Spirit.

You and I are filled every day, but you know what we do? We put a lid on it and then we don't allow that Holy Spirit to control us. So this word filled means be under the influence or be controlled by the Holy Spirit. And I think this is so interesting because I was like, oh, that is so interesting because I was driving down Broadway, and the liquor store on Broadway is called Spirits and Spice because we call alcohol spirits. And I I never made that connection before because when you're controlled by it, you're under that spirit.

Isn't that interesting? And Pilate said, when they handed Jesus over to Pilate in Matthew 27, you know what Pilate said? He said, he's here because the chief priests were filled with jealousy. So they handed him over to be crucified. Do you I mean, the chief priest didn't drink a bottle of jealousy.

That was the spirit that was controlling them. That put Jesus on the cross. So at all points, we are choosing what spirit we're being controlled by. And I love how James kind of establishes how we can be controlled by the Holy Spirit by having real faith. So point number one, there are some handouts on your table, and I would encourage you to take notes because otherwise you're gonna walk out of here and not remember a thing I said.

Okay. Point number one from James two. Real faith does not show favoritism. In other words, when we're showing favoritism, we are not under the control of the Holy Spirit. We're under a different spirit.

James says, my brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, you must not show favoritism. Suppose someone comes into your meeting wearing gold and fine clothes and there is a poor man in old, filthy clothes. If you show special attention to the person wearing the fine clothes and say, here's a good seat for you, but you say to the poor person, oh, you go stand over there, have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts. Okay. This is really good stuff because I at first, I'm like, of all things, James, why are you why are you talking about favoritism?

I mean, there's a lot of sins out there, but you're talking about favoritism and this is why. This is super important. First of all, every word in the Bible has purpose and James could have described our Lord Jesus Christ with so many of his amazing character traits, but he uses the word glorious. Do you know why? Because glorious means magnificence, excellence, and it means dignity.

So James is saying, our Lord that we worship is full of dignity, and every single human being is made in his image. Therefore, every human being has great worth and dignity and value and it is sinful and wrong for us as followers of Christ. If we say we're Christians and we have Christ's spirit in us, then every person matters to us. There are no people on a higher level than than any other people. In fact, Paul wrote in Romans two eleven that there is no partiality or favoritism with God.

God doesn't have favorites. Now, I used to listen to a pastor who would say, God doesn't have favorites, but he definitely has intimates, and I do believe that's true. I do believe those who are in this word seeking him hear him a lot more often than those who are not. But he does not have favorites and you and I are not to have favorites either. In fact, when God told Samuel, go to the house of Jesse, you're going to anoint the next king after Saul, Samuel kept going to the tallest one, the tallest son, the most handsome son, the smartest son, And God was like, nope, nope, nope.

And Samuel's like, well, there's only one son left and he's the shepherd boy. And God's like, that's the one. That's the one because you, Samuel, in your humanness are looking at the outside, but I look at the heart. That's what God looks at. That's first Samuel sixteen seven.

So remember, this is the first church, so people were watching how they behaved and James is like, they're watching our behavior and we cannot show favoritism. And in this culture, this would have been a revolutionary thought because the Romans lived by a caste system And in the caste system, if you were born into the right family, then everything was great for you. If you were born into the wrong family, you really had no hope of change. And we see today over a billion people still live like that in other religions. In India, you're born into the wrong family.

Well, guess what? The the Indians born into other families don't help those families cause they're like, tough luck for you. You were born into the wrong family. So what James is saying, this favoritism is so evil because you're taking away hope from people. And with Christ, there is always hope.

It doesn't matter what your parents were like, where you were from, what color you are, what education status you are, with Christ, you have a purpose and he has a plan for your life and there is hope for you. Colossians three eleven, Paul wrote, in this new life, in this new Christian life, it doesn't matter if you are Jew or Gentile, if you are a complete barbarian, a Scythian hero, and those were people from the North covered in tattoos who were very barbaric. Paul said, it doesn't matter, you come in and you are welcome. It doesn't matter because Christ is all that matters and he lives in all of us. And that's why with our community Bible study, the small group leaders and I really want to welcome wherever you're from.

Whatever church you're from, whatever your background is from, it's about Jesus and being in his word and that is our focus in this study, always. I want you to know that. You are always welcome. Well, because James was so strict about this and corrected their behavior, Christianity began to spread like wildfire because this was revolutionary to people of this time, that everyone could have value, that everyone could have hope, that everyone was welcomed and accepted because that is true Christianity. But you have to ask yourself, what was the motive of these believers showing favoritism, in this case, to the really rich people coming in?

What was their motive? Well, really the heart of this and why it was so evil and wrong is because they were putting their faith in people of this world instead of turning to Jehovah Jireh to meet their needs. They were like, you know what? This person's rich. This person can help me and I'm suffering.

I need help. Instead of turning to God, they're turning to people of this world. In fact, James says, are you kidding me? Not only are you hurting people and dishonoring people, but you are turning to people who exploit you, who have the resources to take you to court and they are taking you to court, and these are people who blaspheme the name of Jesus. They're not even followers of Christ.

And you've let them come in and you've let them have influence in your life. I'm sure James was like pulling his hair out going, what? No. This is not what Christians do. But you know what?

I think we kinda do this today. I mean, we put people on a pedestal that have no right to be there. I just heard on the news that new polling shows that Taylor Swift, like her or not, Taylor doesn't follow Jesus, and she's going to be a major influence in our elections. And I'm like, are you kidding me? Why would I listen to Taylor Swift?

I have no idea why anyone would. I think the same way about movie stars. I'm like, you guys, your lies are not something I want. I mean, you're famous and you're rich, but you're so miserable because you make all these bad choices and why do you get to be influencers? We do the same thing that James is calling them out for doing.

So I think this passage should cause us to pause and say, who am I really allowing to influence this narrative that plays in my head? Where am I going for help? Where am I going for truth? Where am I going for support? Jesus says, why don't you just come to me?

When you're weary and exhausted, you come to me and I will help you and I will give you answers and I will give you rest. Last week in chapter one, he said, you want wisdom? You come and ask me for wisdom and I will download it for you. And why don't we do that? James is like, that's what real faith looks like.

It doesn't show favoritism. He goes on to say, if you keep the royal law found in scripture, this is verse eight, which is what? It always comes back to this, doesn't it? Love your neighbor as yourself, then you're doing right. You're doing the right work.

But if you show favoritism, then you're sinning. For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking it all, breaking all of it. For he said, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder. If you do not commit adultery but do not murder, you've become a lawbreaker. Okay.

So what is all this about? James is like, look, you think, why am I not talking about the big sins? Because we automatically go, okay, well, I'm not a murderer. I don't commit adultery. So I'm just showing a little favoritism.

And what James is saying here is sin is sin. Sin is sin. You have the Holy Spirit in you, but when you sin, it doesn't matter if you think it's a lesser sin. You put a lid on his influence and control over you. But first John one nine tells us how to take that lid off.

How do we take the lid off? First John one nine says, just confess, repent, and you're forgiven. Recognize it, get back on the path, and say, Lord, I'm sorry I did that. Help me not to do it again. So James is like, all sin is sin.

It separates you from fellowship with Jesus Christ. He goes on to say in verse 12, so speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment. This is point two in your handout. Real faith shows mercy.

Real faith shows mercy. These are the works James is talking about and he says God's mercy is greater than God's judgment. Yes. But Romans fourteen two tells us someday each one of us will give an account of ourselves to God. Remember the rope.

I love the rope illustration because this little red zone is our life today but the rope goes on forever and ever symbolizing our timeline. We are eternal beings and James says, you get to the end of that red zone and then what? Then you're gonna stand before God. Paul says it like this in second Corinthians five ten, we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ so that each one of us may receive what is due for us. Check out what he says, for the things you did with the life God gave you, whether good or bad.

Okay, this is super important because Paul is talking to believers and there are two different judgments at the end of the red zone. For the believer, there's a judgment called the Bema Seat Judgment. For the unbeliever, there's a judgment called the Great White Throne Judgment. And they're two completely different judgments. And I just want to give you peace today.

Hopefully, you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior because you will not have the great white throne judgment. You will stand before God for the Bema Seat judgment. And during this judgment, he is not gonna replay your sins on the big screen. Thank you, Jesus, because Paul tells us there's no condemnation for those in Christ. We are not going to be condemned during this judgment.

But you know what he is gonna do? He's gonna play back opportunities that he gave us to show mercy, to love others, and he's gonna show us if we did that, there will be rewards. If we didn't do that, in that moment, there's gonna be great regret. But only for that moment at the judgment and then for eternity, we're with him. But he does play back what we did.

And this is super important. As believers, this judgment has nothing to do with our salvation. We're either in the family or not, and once we're in, we're in. It's like when my kids misbehave and I want to disown them, they're still my kids, and I love them to pieces. There's nothing they can do to not be my kid.

And once you're a child of the king of kings, you're a child. So it has nothing to do with eternal salvation, but this judgment is based on how I lived my life. Okay? And that's what James wants us to understand. As believers, we are not saved by works.

When James says judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful, He's not saying you're gonna be saved by your words or your works are even showing mercy. That's not what James is saying. But he's saying one day, you will be judged by your words and your works and how well you loved others. That's what James is saying. So I think it's important that we pause here and make sure we understand what this word mercy means.

Mercy is an interesting word because it really has two definitions to it. The first definition, you know the difference between grace and mercy, right? Grace is what God gives us when we don't deserve it. I don't deserve eternal salvation in a glorious place, but Jesus gave that to me as a gift of grace. That's grace.

Mercy is God not giving me what I do deserve. Okay? So when we first moved here sixteen years ago, we came from California where my husband and I were used to driving 80 miles per hour. I mean, that was really the speed limit. And we live on this road that goes forever, and it's 35 miles per hour, 45 in some spots.

And there is like no one there most of the time. And my husband could not get his brain around 35 miles per hour. I kid you not, he was pulled over 13 times before he got a ticket, and he would say to the person pulling him over, oh my gosh, he's like, I am so sorry. I can't even believe I was going 55 in a 35. He's like, there's no one here, it's flat.

I just don't even know how to drive 35. And every time, they would show him mercy and say, okay, well, we get it. Yeah, there's no one here, but you do need to slow down. I was with him on that thirteenth time and I said, you know what, Greg? If they don't give you a ticket, I'm getting out of this car and I'm gonna write you a ticket because you need to slow down.

And the guy was like, yeah, I've heard that story before because he had pulled him over before and he's like, sorry dude, you've got to slow down because that is just the speed limit. But how much mercy did he get? 13 times he was pulled over and I just think the Lord is like that with you and me, that's why he says mercy triumphs judgment. He will pull us over 13 times and say, Deborah, you're off the path again. Can you get back on the path?

He is so merciful with us. Jesus said in the beatitudes, the great teaching of the beatitudes, blessed are the merciful for they will be shown mercy. What did Jesus mean when he said that? Well, this word mercy here is an action word. It means you're moving, you're stepping in to help when others need help.

You're showing them mercy. My sister needs prayer. You know what? I'm I'm gonna move my schedule around to go pray over my sister or brother. Mercy forgives.

Mercy learns to forgive. Mercy is a word of help and action and it's a generous word and in scriptures, mercy tells us that we take time to actually listen to others because that shows they have value to us. So Jesus is saying, blessed are the merciful. When you're willing to step in and help someone, blessed are the merciful for they will be shown mercy. And Paul writes this in Galatians six two, a picture of mercy, that we are called to carry each other's burdens and in this way, we fulfill the law.

He's like, don't worry about what the law says, just worry about am am I loving others by doing whatever I can to help them in this journey of life because this journey of life is such a slog sometimes, isn't it? So people need an encouragement. People need to feel like they're valued. So maybe I'm late to go skiing one day because I'm gonna stop at the grocery store and listen to someone. That's what Jesus is saying, blessed are the merciful.

And then there's a rebuke in Proverbs. Proverbs tells us if we don't learn to do this as Christians, check this out, whoever shuts their ears to the cry of the poor will also cry out and not be answered. God is saying, you as a Christian, as a Christ follower, you need to follow me and actually do what I did. So love on others, show mercy to others, and if your prayers aren't being answered, pause and ask yourself, do I need to open my hands to help someone? Do I need to open my heart and spend time with someone?

Do I need to open my wallet because someone is in need and I I have a little extra and I can help them? That's what the Lord is telling us here. So moving on to point three, real faith learns to love God and love others. Real faith learns to love God and love others. Verse 14, James writes, What good is it, brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith and has no deeds?

Can such a faith save them? And what James means here by deeds, some of your Bibles say works. So what does that word works and deeds really mean? You know what it means? It means what's occupying you.

What is occupying my time? What occupies my budget? What occupies my words? What occupies my schedule? This is what James is saying.

Suppose a and he gives us a real life example. Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes or food. If one of you says to them, Oh, go in peace, keep warm and be well fed, you know, Oh, bless your heart, honey, and you do nothing for them? James is like, what is that? That is showing you that your faith is dead, is absolutely dead.

I love how the message says it. When James says that kind of faith is dead, the message says, isn't it obvious that God talk? We must sound this is where the Lord says, you sound like a gong in my ears. It's just annoying. Isn't it obvious that God talk without God acts is outrageous nonsense?

He's like, you're not kidding anyone. But and then James goes on, but someone will say, you have faith, I have deeds, you have deeds, I have faith. James is like, blah blah blah blah blah. Let me sum this up for you. This is what I feel like he's saying.

He's going, here's the bottom line. You think you're okay because you believe in God? Let me tell you something, even the demons believe in God and they're demons. Okay, what is James saying here? He's saying, they were there when he was crucified.

Those demons were there when he was resurrected. They know he's real. But they don't have saving faith. They have never put their trust in him. They have never lived for him.

Romans ten nine says, if you declare with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, he isn't Jesus is not Lord of their life, they worship a little g God called Lucifer. He is not lord of their life but if you declare with your mouth Jesus is lord and believe in your heart he was raised in the third day, you can have assurance you're saved. And James is saying, if if you declare that you believe in him, big deal. If he is never lord of your life, you're in trouble. So you need to pause and sort that out and invite him in to be lord of your life.

James is telling these Christians what works are of value to God and the work that is of value to him, the works of faith is submitting to his lordship, learning to love him, and learning to love others by showing them mercy. He goes on to say, don't be a foolish person. Do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? He's like, it's foolish to think that way and yet, don't we see this in the American church today? We see churches that don't teach the truth.

We see churches that vote for politicians that stand in direct opposition to this and support politicians that stand in direct opposition to this. James is like, don't kid yourself. That is a dead faith. Okay? That's crazy.

James is going on to say, if we love him, the culture is gonna see something different in you. I talked to Christian parents who have young adults who are like, Deborah, seriously, you think I'm gonna tell my young adult not to have sex until they're married? That's crazy. And I'm like, that's only crazy if you're listening to the narrative of the world and the culture. That is not crazy according to God's word and God will bless them.

We can't control what they do but my goodness, you're their parent. You should at least speak truth to them. Speak truth to them. We have just watered it down so far that we say you can have sex with whoever you want, whatever combination you want. It's okay, you can be a Christian and do that and God says, really?

Because I stand in direct opposition to that. James is like, you've gotta look different than the culture because you know what the culture says about the American church today? Well, you guys are just like us because we act just like them. James picks two believers to close with to give us an example of what real faith looks like. He picks Abraham and he picks Rahab.

He says, Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together and his faith was made complete by what he did 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. Paul says that Abraham in Romans chapter four is the father of our faith. Why did Paul say Abraham's the father of our faith? Paul said, because here's this guy who was living in this area, which is present day Iraq.

He's living there. He has his own culture. He has his own people, and God comes to him. Imagine God coming to you and asking you this. Abraham, I want you to leave your father and his family, and I want you to take your wife and everything you have and move to this foreign place called Canaan.

Okay. Abraham had never even heard of Canaan or seen Canaan. This whole different place with different language, different people, different food, I want you to move there. And Abraham said, Okay. I'll do it.

And he picks up and moves, and then God tells him, I'm gonna make a new people from you, Abraham, and they will be as numerous as the sand on the seashore. And Abraham's like, Okay. And then tick tock, Abraham's 60, he's 70, he's 80, he's 90. And not until he was 100 years old did God give him that promised son from which these people would come from. And Abraham made many mistakes along his journey, just like you and I will.

He lied about his wife Sarah to save his skin. He took matters into his own hands with Ishmael because he was getting impatient with God. But then God came to Abraham when Isaac was a young adult, and you know Abraham loved this child because he waited his whole life for him. And God said, Abraham, I want you to take him up the mountain and sacrifice him. Are you kidding me?

That doesn't even make sense. But you know what? Abraham had learned a lot. He had learned he could trust this God. He had learned that God loves him, and he didn't even hesitate.

He didn't call a council together and say, let's pray and see if there's a little way out of this. No. The next morning, he got up and he said, Come on, Isaac. We're going up to the altar. He believed God was gonna work this out.

He didn't understand how. He couldn't see how this was gonna end, but he believed God with the most important thing in his life, his son. And God said to him when he was about to sacrifice him, Abraham, don't do it. You don't need to sacrifice Isaac. Why did God do this?

I think it's for two reasons. One, remember we talked last week about how God will test us to show us how far we've come and what we've learned and also to show us what we still need to learn. And I think God wanted to show Abraham, you've come so far. Like, you are trusting me with the thing that means the absolute most to you. And I think God also gives us this story because, I mean, I read that.

If God asked me to take my Griffin or little Ford William and sacrifice them, I'd be like, Ford, I cannot do that because God wants us wants us to push back and go, that is asking too much. That is that is just asking too much of us, and God says, that's right. I want you to know the magnitude of what I did for you. I did that for you. I gave my son for you.

Why? Because I want to be in this relationship with you that's real and that's intimate, not this fake Christianese, bless your heart, everything's just great in this world kind of relationship. That's just stupid, James says. That's dead stuff. I want to be in a relationship with you that's alive and that's dynamic and that when the you know what hits the fan, you get on your knees and you come to me, and I will hold your hand and I'll get you through anything that comes your way.

That's what I want with you, a real living faith and that is the book of James. Lord Jesus, thank you. Thank you for your word. Your word, I love that you say it's alive and it's powerful and when we put that in us, when we eat your bread of life, I just feel like we become more alive and we become powerful in this dark world. Lord Jesus, may we be influencers for you.

People are looking for hope. People need to know they are worthy and they matter. Let us show them mercy. Give us opportunities this week, Lord, to pause and help someone. Whatever that looks like, showing them mercy, loving on them because of the love of Christ that indwells us.

Thank you for your amazing word. Bless these women, Lord, and bless their small group in Jesus' holy name. Amen.

Speaker 2Yes, Lord. We just reflect right now on those words, and we just submit our hearts to you just to reflect on what that looks like. Just highlight something to us, Lord. Thank you, Lord. We love you.

We are we're here. We're out here hungry to hear your words, and so we just ask that you go before us today, Lord. Just go before us in our conversations and the and every part of it, Lord. You promise that you're with us when two or more are gathered, so we thank you for all you've done. And we wanna walk it out in the fullness today.

In Jesus' name. Alright. We can dismiss into groups. Any announcements? Yeah.

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Faith And Works Favoritism Holy Spirit Control Real Faith Showing Mercy

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