Women's Bible Study - February 21st, 2024 - Power of Prayer

February 21, 2024 · Deborah · James

Series · James · Week 21 of 23

Scripture referenced 17 passages

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

Matthew 28 Jesus' last words to go and make disciples, baptizing in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

1 Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb.
2 Behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from the sky, and came and rolled away the stone from the door, and sat on it.
3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow.
4 For fear of him, the guards shook, and became like dead men.
5 The angel answered the women, “Don’t be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus, who has been crucified.
6 He is not here, for he has risen, just like he said. Come, see the place where the Lord was lying.
7 Go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has risen from the dead, and behold, he goes before you into Galilee; there you will see him.’ Behold, I have told you.”
8 They departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring his disciples word.
9 As they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, “Rejoice!” They came and took hold of his feet, and worshiped him.
10 Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Go tell my brothers that they should go into Galilee, and there they will see me.”
11 Now while they were going, behold, some of the guards came into the city, and told the chief priests all the things that had happened.
12 When they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave a large amount of silver to the soldiers,
13 saying, “Say that his disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept.
14 If this comes to the governor’s ears, we will persuade him and make you free of worry.”
15 So they took the money and did as they were told. This saying was spread abroad among the Jews, and continues until today.
16 But the eleven disciples went into Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had sent them.
17 When they saw him, they bowed down to him, but some doubted.
18 Jesus came to them and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.
19 Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 teaching them to observe all things that I commanded you. Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

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1 Timothy 6:17-19

Paul's instruction to Timothy about the wealthy: not to be proud, trust in God, be generous and rich in good works

17 Charge those who are rich in this present world that they not be haughty, nor have their hope set on the uncertainty of riches, but on the living God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy;

18 that they do good, that they be rich in good works, that they be ready to distribute, willing to share;

19 laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold of eternal life.

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James 5:7-11

Be patient like the farmer, take courage, no grumbling, example of Job's endurance and the Lord's tenderness

7 Be patient therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. Behold, the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient over it, until it receives the early and late rain.

8 You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.

9 Don’t grumble, brothers, against one another, so that you won’t be judged. Behold, the judge stands at the door.

10 Take, brothers, for an example of suffering and of perseverance, the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.

11 Behold, we call them blessed who endured. You have heard of the perseverance of Job, and have seen the Lord in the outcome, and how the Lord is full of compassion and mercy.

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Joshua 1:9

Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid, the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go

9 Haven’t I commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Don’t be afraid. Don’t be dismayed, for Yahweh your God is with you wherever you go.”

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Isaiah 40:31

Those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength and soar on wings like eagles, shared with daughter Julia during her struggle with dyslexia

31 But those who wait for Yahweh will renew their strength. They will mount up with wings like eagles. They will run, and not be weary. They will walk, and not faint.

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Philippians 2

Start thinking about other people instead of worrying about yourself

1 If therefore there is any exhortation in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any tender mercies and compassion,

2 make my joy full, by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind;

3 doing nothing through rivalry or through conceit, but in humility, each counting others better than himself;

4 each of you not just looking to his own things, but each of you also to the things of others.

5 Have this in your mind, which was also in Christ Jesus,

6 who, existing in the form of God, didn’t consider equality with God a thing to be grasped,

7 but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men.

8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, yes, the death of the cross.

9 Therefore God also highly exalted him, and gave to him the name which is above every name;

10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth,

11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

12 So then, my beloved, even as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

13 For it is God who works in you both to will and to work, for his good pleasure.

14 Do all things without murmurings and disputes,

15 that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without defect in the middle of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you are seen as lights in the world,

16 holding up the word of life; that I may have something to boast in the day of Christ, that I didn’t run in vain nor labor in vain.

17 Yes, and if I am poured out on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice, and rejoice with you all.

18 In the same way, you also rejoice, and rejoice with me.

19 But I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered up when I know how you are doing.

20 For I have no one else like-minded, who will truly care about you.

21 For they all seek their own, not the things of Jesus Christ.

22 But you know the proof of him, that, as a child serves a father, so he served with me in furtherance of the Good News.

23 Therefore I hope to send him at once, as soon as I see how it will go with me.

24 But I trust in the Lord that I myself also will come shortly.

25 But I counted it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker, fellow soldier, and your apostle and servant of my need;

26 since he longed for you all, and was very troubled, because you had heard that he was sick.

27 For indeed he was sick, nearly to death, but God had mercy on him; and not on him only, but on me also, that I might not have sorrow on sorrow.

28 I have sent him therefore the more diligently, that, when you see him again, you may rejoice, and that I may be the less sorrowful.

29 Receive him therefore in the Lord with all joy, and hold such in honor,

30 because for the work of Christ he came near to death, risking his life to supply that which was lacking in your service toward me.

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Proverbs 11:25

The generous will prosper and those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed

25 The liberal soul shall be made fat. He who waters shall be watered also himself.

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Job 38-40

God questioning Job about the foundations of the earth and the limits of the ocean

38:1 Then Yahweh answered Job out of the whirlwind,

38:2 “Who is this who darkens counsel by words without knowledge?

38:3 Brace yourself like a man, for I will question you, then you answer me!

38:4 “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare, if you have understanding.

38:5 Who determined its measures, if you know? Or who stretched the line on it?

38:6 Whereupon were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone,

38:7 when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

38:8 “Or who shut up the sea with doors, when it broke out of the womb,

38:9 when I made clouds its garment, and wrapped it in thick darkness,

38:10 marked out for it my bound, set bars and doors,

38:11 and said, ‘Here you may come, but no further. Here your proud waves shall be stayed?’

38:12 “Have you commanded the morning in your days, and caused the dawn to know its place;

38:13 that it might take hold of the ends of the earth, and shake the wicked out of it?

38:14 It is changed as clay under the seal, and presented as a garment.

38:15 From the wicked, their light is withheld. The high arm is broken.

38:16 “Have you entered into the springs of the sea? Or have you walked in the recesses of the deep?

38:17 Have the gates of death been revealed to you? Or have you seen the gates of the shadow of death?

38:18 Have you comprehended the earth in its width? Declare, if you know it all.

38:19 “What is the way to the dwelling of light? As for darkness, where is its place,

38:20 that you should take it to its bound, that you should discern the paths to its house?

38:21 Surely you know, for you were born then, and the number of your days is great!

38:22 Have you entered the treasuries of the snow, or have you seen the treasures of the hail,

38:23 which I have reserved against the time of trouble, against the day of battle and war?

38:24 By what way is the lightning distributed, or the east wind scattered on the earth?

38:25 Who has cut a channel for the flood water, or the path for the thunderstorm;

38:26 To cause it to rain on a land where no man is; on the wilderness, in which there is no man;

38:27 to satisfy the waste and desolate ground, to cause the tender grass to grow?

38:28 Does the rain have a father? Or who fathers the drops of dew?

38:29 Out of whose womb came the ice? The gray frost of the sky, who has given birth to it?

38:30 The waters become hard like stone, when the surface of the deep is frozen.

38:31 “Can you bind the cluster of the Pleiades, or loosen the cords of Orion?

38:32 Can you lead the constellations out in their season? Or can you guide the Bear with her cubs?

38:33 Do you know the laws of the heavens? Can you establish its dominion over the earth?

38:34 “Can you lift up your voice to the clouds, That abundance of waters may cover you?

38:35 Can you send out lightnings, that they may go? Do they report to you, ‘Here we are?’

38:36 Who has put wisdom in the inward parts? Or who has given understanding to the mind?

38:37 Who can count the clouds by wisdom? Or who can pour out the bottles of the sky,

38:38 when the dust runs into a mass, and the clods of earth stick together?

38:39 “Can you hunt the prey for the lioness, or satisfy the appetite of the young lions,

38:40 when they crouch in their dens, and lie in wait in the thicket?

38:41 Who provides for the raven his prey, when his young ones cry to God, and wander for lack of food?

39:1 “Do you know the time when the mountain goats give birth? Do you watch when the doe bears fawns?

39:2 Can you count the months that they fulfill? Or do you know the time when they give birth?

39:3 They bow themselves, they bear their young. They end their labor pains.

39:4 Their young ones become strong. They grow up in the open field. They go out, and don’t return again.

39:5 “Who has set the wild donkey free? Or who has loosened the bonds of the swift donkey,

39:6 Whose home I have made the wilderness, and the salt land his dwelling place?

39:7 He scorns the tumult of the city, neither does he hear the shouting of the driver.

39:8 The range of the mountains is his pasture, He searches after every green thing.

39:9 “Will the wild ox be content to serve you? Or will he stay by your feeding trough?

39:10 Can you hold the wild ox in the furrow with his harness? Or will he till the valleys after you?

39:11 Will you trust him, because his strength is great? Or will you leave to him your labor?

39:12 Will you confide in him, that he will bring home your seed, and gather the grain of your threshing floor?

39:13 “The wings of the ostrich wave proudly; but are they the feathers and plumage of love?

39:14 For she leaves her eggs on the earth, warms them in the dust,

39:15 and forgets that the foot may crush them, or that the wild animal may trample them.

39:16 She deals harshly with her young ones, as if they were not hers. Though her labor is in vain, she is without fear,

39:17 because God has deprived her of wisdom, neither has he imparted to her understanding.

39:18 When she lifts up herself on high, she scorns the horse and his rider.

39:19 “Have you given the horse might? Have you clothed his neck with a quivering mane?

39:20 Have you made him to leap as a locust? The glory of his snorting is awesome.

39:21 He paws in the valley, and rejoices in his strength. He goes out to meet the armed men.

39:22 He mocks at fear, and is not dismayed, neither does he turn back from the sword.

39:23 The quiver rattles against him, the flashing spear and the javelin.

39:24 He eats up the ground with fierceness and rage, neither does he stand still at the sound of the trumpet.

39:25 As often as the trumpet sounds he snorts, ‘Aha!’ He smells the battle afar off, the thunder of the captains, and the shouting.

39:26 “Is it by your wisdom that the hawk soars, and stretches her wings toward the south?

39:27 Is it at your command that the eagle mounts up, and makes his nest on high?

39:28 On the cliff he dwells, and makes his home, on…

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Job 42:12

The Lord blessed Job more in the second half of his life than the first

12 So Yahweh blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, one thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand female donkeys.

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James 5:13

Are you suffering? You should pray

13 Is any among you suffering? Let him pray. Is any cheerful? Let him sing praises.

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Mark 6

Anointing with oil was medicinal, used in healing during that culture

1 He went out from there. He came into his own country, and his disciples followed him.

2 When the Sabbath had come, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many hearing him were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things?” and, “What is the wisdom that is given to this man, that such mighty works come about by his hands?

3 Isn’t this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judah, and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” They were offended at him.

4 Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country, and among his own relatives, and in his own house.”

5 He could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people, and healed them.

6 He marveled because of their unbelief. He went around the villages teaching.

7 He called to himself the twelve, and began to send them out two by two; and he gave them authority over the unclean spirits.

8 He commanded them that they should take nothing for their journey, except a staff only: no bread, no wallet, no money in their purse,

9 but to wear sandals, and not put on two tunics.

10 He said to them, “Wherever you enter into a house, stay there until you depart from there.

11 Whoever will not receive you nor hear you, as you depart from there, shake off the dust that is under your feet for a testimony against them. Assuredly, I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!”

12 They went out and preached that people should repent.

13 They cast out many demons, and anointed many with oil who were sick, and healed them.

14 King Herod heard this, for his name had become known, and he said, “John the Baptizer has risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him.”

15 But others said, “He is Elijah.” Others said, “He is a prophet, or like one of the prophets.”

16 But Herod, when he heard this, said, “This is John, whom I beheaded. He has risen from the dead.”

17 For Herod himself had sent out and arrested John, and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, for he had married her.

18 For John said to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”

19 Herodias set herself against him, and desired to kill him, but she couldn’t,

20 for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and kept him safe. When he heard him, he did many things, and he heard him gladly.

21 Then a convenient day came, that Herod on his birthday made a supper for his nobles, the high officers, and the chief men of Galilee.

22 When the daughter of Herodias herself came in and danced, she pleased Herod and those sitting with him. The king said to the young lady, “Ask me whatever you want, and I will give it to you.”

23 He swore to her, “Whatever you shall ask of me, I will give you, up to half of my kingdom.”

24 She went out, and said to her mother, “What shall I ask?” She said, “The head of John the Baptizer.”

25 She came in immediately with haste to the king, and asked, “I want you to give me right now the head of John the Baptizer on a platter.”

26 The king was exceedingly sorry, but for the sake of his oaths, and of his dinner guests, he didn’t wish to refuse her.

27 Immediately the king sent out a soldier of his guard, and commanded to bring John’s head, and he went and beheaded him in the prison,

28 and brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the young lady; and the young lady gave it to her mother.

29 When his disciples heard this, they came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb.

30 The apostles gathered themselves together to Jesus, and they told him all things, whatever they had done, and whatever they had taught.

31 He said to them, “You come apart into a deserted place, and rest awhile.” For there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.

32 They went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves.

33 They saw them going, and many recognized him and ran there on foot from all the cities. They arrived before them and came together to him.

34 Jesus came out, saw a great multitude, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd, and he began to teach them many things.

35 When it was late in the day, his disciples came to him, and said, “This place is deserted, and it is late in the day.

36 Send them away, that they may go into the surrounding country and villages, and buy themselves bread, for they have nothing to eat.”

37 But he answered them, “You give them something to eat.” They asked him, “Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread, and give them something to eat?”

38 He said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go see.” When they knew, they said, “Five, and two fish.”

39 He commanded them that everyone should sit down in groups on the green grass.

40 They sat down in ranks, by hundreds and by fifties.

41 He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he blessed and broke the loaves, and he gave to his disciples to set before them, and he divided the two fish among them all.

42 They all ate, and were filled.

43 They took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and also of the fish.

44 Those who ate the loaves were five thousand men.

45 Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat, and to go ahead to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he himself sent the multitude away.

46 After he had taken leave of them, he went up the mountain to pray.

47 When evening had come, the boat was in the middle of the sea, and he was alone on the land.

48 Seeing them distressed in rowing, for the wind was contrary to them, about the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea, and he would have passed by them,

49 but they, when they saw him walking on the sea, supposed that it was a ghost, and cried out;

50 for they all saw him, and were troubled. But he immediately spoke with them, and said to them, “Cheer up! It is I! Don’t be afraid.”…

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Luke 10

Anointing with oil was medicinal, used in healing during that culture

1 Now after these things, the Lord also appointed seventy others, and sent them two by two ahead of him into every city and place, where he was about to come.

2 Then he said to them, “The harvest is indeed plentiful, but the laborers are few. Pray therefore to the Lord of the harvest, that he may send out laborers into his harvest.

3 Go your ways. Behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves.

4 Carry no purse, nor wallet, nor sandals. Greet no one on the way.

5 Into whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house.’

6 If a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you.

7 Remain in that same house, eating and drinking the things they give, for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Don’t go from house to house.

8 Into whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat the things that are set before you.

9 Heal the sick who are therein, and tell them, ‘God’s Kingdom has come near to you.’

10 But into whatever city you enter, and they don’t receive you, go out into its streets and say,

11 ‘Even the dust from your city that clings to us, we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that God’s Kingdom has come near to you.’

12 I tell you, it will be more tolerable in that day for Sodom than for that city.

13 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon which were done in you, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.

14 But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the judgment than for you.

15 You, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades.

16 Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me. Whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me.”

17 The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!”

18 He said to them, “I saw Satan having fallen like lightning from heaven.

19 Behold, I give you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy. Nothing will in any way hurt you.

20 Nevertheless, don’t rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

21 In that same hour Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit, and said, “I thank you, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for so it was well-pleasing in your sight.”

22 Turning to the disciples, he said, “All things have been delivered to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is, except the Father, and who the Father is, except the Son, and he to whomever the Son desires to reveal him.”

23 Turning to the disciples, he said privately, “Blessed are the eyes which see the things that you see,

24 for I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see the things which you see, and didn’t see them, and to hear the things which you hear, and didn’t hear them.”

25 Behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested him, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”

26 He said to him, “What is written in the law? How do you read it?”

27 He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.”

28 He said to him, “You have answered correctly. Do this, and you will live.”

29 But he, desiring to justify himself, asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?”

30 Jesus answered, “A certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who both stripped him and beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead.

31 By chance a certain priest was going down that way. When he saw him, he passed by on the other side.

32 In the same way a Levite also, when he came to the place, and saw him, passed by on the other side.

33 But a certain Samaritan, as he traveled, came where he was. When he saw him, he was moved with compassion,

34 came to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. He set him on his own animal, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.

35 On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, and gave them to the host, and said to him, ‘Take care of him. Whatever you spend beyond that, I will repay you when I return.’

36 Now which of these three do you think seemed to be a neighbor to him who fell among the robbers?”

37 He said, “He who showed mercy on him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

38 As they went on their way, he entered into a certain village, and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.

39 She had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word.

40 But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she came up to him, and said, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister left me to serve alone? Ask her therefore to help me.”

41 Jesus answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things,

42 but one thing is needed. Mary has chosen the good part, which will not be taken away from her.”

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1 John 2:20

All believers have the anointing of the Holy Spirit

20 You have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all have knowledge.

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1 John 5:14

Confidence in approaching God: if we ask according to his will, he hears us

14 This is the boldness which we have toward him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he listens to us.

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Matthew 6

Jesus teaches the model prayer, the Lord's Prayer

1 “Be careful that you don’t do your charitable giving before men, to be seen by them, or else you have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.

2 Therefore when you do merciful deeds, don’t sound a trumpet before yourself, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may get glory from men. Most certainly I tell you, they have received their reward.

3 But when you do merciful deeds, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand does,

4 so that your merciful deeds may be in secret, then your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

5 “When you pray, you shall not be as the hypocrites, for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Most certainly, I tell you, they have received their reward.

6 But you, when you pray, enter into your inner room, and having shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

7 In praying, don’t use vain repetitions, as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their much speaking.

8 Therefore don’t be like them, for your Father knows what things you need, before you ask him.

9 Pray like this: ‘Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy.

10 Let your Kingdom come. Let your will be done, as in heaven, so on earth.

11 Give us today our daily bread.

12 Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors.

13 Bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For yours is the Kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen.’

14 “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

15 But if you don’t forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

16 “Moreover when you fast, don’t be like the hypocrites, with sad faces. For they disfigure their faces, that they may be seen by men to be fasting. Most certainly I tell you, they have received their reward.

17 But you, when you fast, anoint your head, and wash your face;

18 so that you are not seen by men to be fasting, but by your Father who is in secret, and your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.

19 “Don’t lay up treasures for yourselves on the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break through and steal;

20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consume, and where thieves don’t break through and steal;

21 for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

22 “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is sound, your whole body will be full of light.

23 But if your eye is evil, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other; or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You can’t serve both God and Mammon.

25 Therefore I tell you, don’t be anxious for your life: what you will eat, or what you will drink; nor yet for your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food, and the body more than clothing?

26 See the birds of the sky, that they don’t sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns. Your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you of much more value than they?

27 “Which of you, by being anxious, can add one moment to his lifespan?

28 Why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They don’t toil, neither do they spin,

29 yet I tell you that even Solomon in all his glory was not dressed like one of these.

30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today exists, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, won’t he much more clothe you, you of little faith?

31 “Therefore don’t be anxious, saying, ‘What will we eat?’, ‘What will we drink?’ or, ‘With what will we be clothed?’

32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.

33 But seek first God’s Kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things will be given to you as well.

34 Therefore don’t be anxious for tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Each day’s own evil is sufficient.

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John 14

Jesus teaches disciples to ask in his name

1 “Don’t let your heart be troubled. Believe in God. Believe also in me.

2 In my Father’s house are many homes. If it weren’t so, I would have told you. I am going to prepare a place for you.

3 If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and will receive you to myself; that where I am, you may be there also.

4 Where I go, you know, and you know the way.”

5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going. How can we know the way?”

6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me.

7 If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on, you know him, and have seen him.”

8 Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.”

9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you such a long time, and do you not know me, Philip? He who has seen me has seen the Father. How do you say, ‘Show us the Father?’

10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? The words that I tell you, I speak not from myself; but the Father who lives in me does his works.

11 Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me; or else believe me for the very works’ sake.

12 Most certainly I tell you, he who believes in me, the works that I do, he will do also; and he will do greater works than these, because I am going to my Father.

13 Whatever you will ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

14 If you will ask anything in my name, I will do it.

15 If you love me, keep my commandments.

16 I will pray to the Father, and he will give you another Counselor, that he may be with you forever,—

17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world can’t receive; for it doesn’t see him, neither knows him. You know him, for he lives with you, and will be in you.

18 I will not leave you orphans. I will come to you.

19 Yet a little while, and the world will see me no more; but you will see me. Because I live, you will live also.

20 In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.

21 One who has my commandments, and keeps them, that person is one who loves me. One who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him, and will reveal myself to him.”

22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, what has happened that you are about to reveal yourself to us, and not to the world?”

23 Jesus answered him, “If a man loves me, he will keep my word. My Father will love him, and we will come to him, and make our home with him.

24 He who doesn’t love me doesn’t keep my words. The word which you hear isn’t mine, but the Father’s who sent me.

25 I have said these things to you, while still living with you.

26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and will remind you of all that I said to you.

27 Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, give I to you. Don’t let your heart be troubled, neither let it be fearful.

28 You heard how I told you, ‘I go away, and I come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I said ‘I am going to my Father;’ for the Father is greater than I.

29 Now I have told you before it happens so that, when it happens, you may believe.

30 I will no more speak much with you, for the prince of the world comes, and he has nothing in me.

31 But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father commanded me, even so I do. Arise, let us go from here.

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Matthew 7

Jesus teaches that God knows how to give good gifts

1 “Don’t judge, so that you won’t be judged.

2 For with whatever judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with whatever measure you measure, it will be measured to you.

3 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but don’t consider the beam that is in your own eye?

4 Or how will you tell your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye;’ and behold, the beam is in your own eye?

5 You hypocrite! First remove the beam out of your own eye, and then you can see clearly to remove the speck out of your brother’s eye.

6 “Don’t give that which is holy to the dogs, neither throw your pearls before the pigs, lest perhaps they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.

7 “Ask, and it will be given you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened for you.

8 For everyone who asks receives. He who seeks finds. To him who knocks it will be opened.

9 Or who is there among you, who, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone?

10 Or if he asks for a fish, who will give him a serpent?

11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

12 Therefore whatever you desire for men to do to you, you shall also do to them; for this is the law and the prophets.

13 “Enter in by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter in by it.

14 How narrow is the gate, and restricted is the way that leads to life! Few are those who find it.

15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves.

16 By their fruits you will know them. Do you gather grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles?

17 Even so, every good tree produces good fruit; but the corrupt tree produces evil fruit.

18 A good tree can’t produce evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree produce good fruit.

19 Every tree that doesn’t grow good fruit is cut down, and thrown into the fire.

20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

21 Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

22 Many will tell me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name, in your name cast out demons, and in your name do many mighty works?’

23 Then I will tell them, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you who work iniquity.’

24 “Everyone therefore who hears these words of mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man, who built his house on a rock.

25 The rain came down, the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat on that house; and it didn’t fall, for it was founded on the rock.

26 Everyone who hears these words of mine, and doesn’t do them will be like a foolish man, who built his house on the sand.

27 The rain came down, the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat on that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.”

28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the multitudes were astonished at his teaching,

29 for he taught them with authority, and not like the scribes.

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Recap

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

This was the final session of First B Jackson's women's study through the book of James, taught by Deborah. She brought the series to a close by walking through James chapter five, covering patience in suffering, the danger of grumbling, and the power of prayer, and she wove in personal stories alongside the text to show what it looks like to trust God when circumstances do not change.

What was said

Deborah opened by framing James as a book of discipleship, not a book of works. The question James keeps asking, she said, is what does it actually look like to follow Jesus? Drawing on a definition from Tony Evans, she described discipleship as a developmental process that moves believers from spiritual infancy toward maturity, the way a baby moves from milk to solid food. All of us, she said, are listening to some voice, and James is urging us to make that voice God's.

Before getting to the main passage, Deborah noted that James stops to address believers who have wealth and are using it only on themselves. She connected this to Paul's instruction in 1 Timothy 6, which she said she once walked through with a new Christian in California who had just seen his business take off. The point was not that money is wrong, but that God made us to be lovers and givers, and the question is always what we do with what he has entrusted to us.

James then turns to suffering, and Deborah emphasized that James never promises changed circumstances. What he does promise is that endurance is possible. She unpacked his farmer analogy through memories of her grandparents' 88-acre farm in Ohio, where she watched them plant, water, weed, and wait through hard seasons with full confidence a harvest was coming. That posture, working through the waiting without giving up, is what James is calling believers toward.

James pairs patience with courage, and Deborah anchored that in Joshua 1:9. The command to be strong and not afraid is not a suggestion that the road will be easy, it is a reminder that God goes with his people into the difficult places. She was honest that she has gone weak and doubted, and honest that she has always regretted it, because God has always shown up. She told the story of her daughter Julia, who was identified as dyslexic in first grade and spent her elementary years weeping because she could not read, and who today reads manuscripts for a living.

James also warns against grumbling, and Deborah said that is a natural response to exhaustion and suffering but a destructive one. She pointed to Philippians 2 and Proverbs 11:25 as practical help, the practice of turning outward toward others when the temptation is to turn inward toward complaint. Then she moved into James's teaching on prayer, noting that the disciples, who watched Jesus perform miracles, asked him to teach them one thing: how to pray. She walked through the passage on calling elders, anointing with oil, and confessing sin, making clear that the anointing referred to medicinal practice of the day, and that James is calling believers to seek good care and pray, not to choose between the two.

On healing, Deborah was careful and direct: James is not guaranteeing physical healing, and the absence of healing is not evidence of weak faith. She pointed to Paul, who begged God to remove his suffering and was told no because God had a larger purpose in it. She showed a clip from The Chosen in which Jesus speaks to the disciple James about his physical condition, telling him that the story of praising God in spite of suffering is rarer and reaches further than the story of a miracle. And she closed by asking the women to pray for her friend Jane, who has ALS and is declining quickly, sharing that she believes God can heal Jane this side of heaven and is praying for that, and that if it is not his will, she is asking for mercy in how Jane goes. The prayers of a righteous person, James says, have great power and produce wonderful results, and that is why, Deborah said, they pray for each other every week.

Doing a Bible study?

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

Deborah described discipleship as paying attention to which voice you are listening to and following, whether that is culture, media, friends, or God. Which voice do you find yourself listening to most often, and what has helped you tune it out in favor of God's voice?
Deborah used her grandparents' farm to illustrate what patient endurance looks like: waiting with hope, working through the waiting, and calling on the Lord to send rain. When you are in a hard season, what does it look like practically for you to work while you wait rather than just sit and worry?

and 3 more questions in the guide

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Find in this transcript

Testing. Hello. Good morning. Good morning, everybody. Let's prepare our hearts for worship.

Give Jesus give Jesus all of us, all our minds, all our hearts, all our souls. Jesus, we look to you, we turn our eyes to you, Our minds, our bodies, everything, every part of us, we wanna give glory to you this morning. Thank you for bringing these ladies in safely. We love you. We love you.

We wanna give our offering this morning, sacrifice of praise. We wanna give it all to you today. All that we have, Lord, all

whatever it looks like for

us each individually, we just present ourselves to you, surrender fully.

For this next song, you all know that Lord's Prayer. Right? Our Father, thou art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. We're gonna sing that this morning. We're gonna ask his kingdom to come and his will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.

And as we sing this, let's just bring these these situations away heavy in our hearts this morning to the throne where only he could do what he can do. Right? Let's sing this together. Our father. Sing yours is the kingdom.

Know, I was listening to all of you guys singing, and it was just beautiful. And I felt God as picture of this mighty woman of God rising up for this time. We're not meant to be afraid. You know, he hasn't given us a spirit of fear. We are meant to rise up and be bold.

And as I was hearing you guys singing, you were singing, yours is the kingdom, you know, yours is the power and let heaven come, and it just inspired me so much. What if we all took the word of God for what it said and did what it says. So I just encourage you. Let's just go back into that, yours is the kingdom and just declare that boldly this morning. Over whatever situation might be on our mind this morning.

We'll just declare the word of God over it. Alright? For yours is the kingdom. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for your promises. Thank you, God, that you have promised to never leave us nor forsake us.

You've promised in your word that the righteous the for effective fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. And so we take that promise this morning, Lord, and we ask for your kingdom to come and your will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. And for us to walk in tune with your spirit, God, to be led by you and everything that we do. God, teach us to abide in you. And thank you, God, that we get to gather this morning and for one more Bible study of this series.

And we just ask that you open our ears to absorb everything that you want us to hear, Lord, and that we can walk away just new today. Amen.

Thank you. Mhmm. Good morning. Good morning. Thank you, Ali and Shar.

So beautiful. Can you all hear me? Yes. Okay. Because it feels like I'm not very loud.

Alright. So today, we land the plane of James. I feel like it's been a short flight, don't you? So today we're gonna land the plane and I think that you'll agree with me, James' overall message to us, he gets a bad rap from some saying that he's a book of works but he's not a book of works, he's a book of discipleship. How do we follow Christ?

What does it look like if we're true followers of Jesus? And James gives us real practical examples of what that looks like And you might be going, well, exactly what does that word discipleship mean? Do you know what that word means? It means who we're listening to, who we're learning from, who we're following. And here's the thing, all of us are listening to some voice.

It's either the voice of the culture, the voice of media, the voice of social media, the voice of our friends, we're all listening to a voice and James is teaching us learn to listen to God's voice and follow him. I love what doctor Tony Evans says. He says, discipleship is the developmental process, we're all in process, right? The developmental process that progressively brings Christians from spiritual infancy to spiritual maturity. And that's why Paul says when you first become a believer, you're drinking milk and you should drink milk because you're a baby.

Babies don't eat a big sandwich. But at some point, you gotta go for the bigger meals, right? That's how we develop as human beings, that's how we develop spiritually. It's interesting because you know, last words are important, aren't they? And Jesus' last words in Matthew 28, Jesus said, go and make disciples.

Go and make disciples and baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Teach others to obey my commands and be sure of this, and I love this because throughout scripture, he always reminds us of this. He's like, it's not gonna be easy, it's not gonna be easy for you, it's not gonna be easy for them, but I will be with you always. I will always be with you. Just like Ali just said, he never leaves us or forsakes us.

So, James is really a picture of what a healthy disciple looks like, what an emotionally and spiritually healthy follower of Christ looks like. I love Ronald Ruhlhauser, he's an interesting author and this is what he says a healthy soul looks like. He says, first, a healthy disciple or healthy soul has a fire in her veins. She is energized, vibrant and living with the zest of full hope that life is ultimately worth living for. Now he says he too, I just changed it for us to she, but that is a healthy follower of Christ, right?

We have hope. We know that we're not here by accident, we know we're not here for nothing, we're here for a reason. And he goes on to say, the healthy soul starts to get this sense of where I came from, why I'm here, and where I'm going. And that's kind of how I start living my life. Why am I here?

Is it all about me? That's a miserable place to be. Or is it about representing Christ to others? And where am I going? Someday it's all going to be okay.

And that's what I love about James because James kind of unpacks what it looks like while we're here. Remember in chapter one, James reminds us, look, you're gonna have troubles here, but what it should look like for you as a follower of Christ is that you have this sense that it's going to be okay, that Jesus is with me, I'm not alone, and it's going to be okay. And remember, was interesting because James said, be quick to talk? No. He said, be quick to listen and slow to speak, and he certainly meant among each other because that's the sign of a good relationship.

But more than that, he meant with the Holy Spirit. He meant that when when you're struggling, be quick to listen to the Holy Spirit. Don't start a narrative that might not even be true. Go to the spirit first and be quick to listen to him. In chapter two, James talks about favoritism and we're like, okay, well that doesn't seem like a terrible sin, but he's like, any sin is sin before God.

And remember the power lines that go down? Any sin puts a kink in our power line and it stops the flow of the Holy Spirit, and it's like the lights go out. We don't want the lights to go out. We wanna keep the lights on. We want the energy flowing.

So James is like, take care of that sin. And he's like, and don't think you're just okay if you say you believe in God because even the demons do that and they're demons. And why are they demons? Because even though they know about Jesus, they don't respond to him. They don't respond in obedience.

They don't respond in submission. They don't respond and they never learn to have a relationship with him. James is like, don't be that person who says, yeah yeah yeah, I'm good, I believe in God. And then James three was a doozy, wasn't it? The power of the tongue.

And the power that this little thing has is pretty crazy. And he taught us that, you know, there is so much power in this tongue that you can literally bring healing to someone. You can speak truth and grace and love and heal a broken heart. But you can also, like a match, set a forest on fire. You can set relationships on fire and burn them down with that tongue.

And what was his bottom line? That everything we do flows from the heart. So get your heart right with Jesus and out of that overflow will come words that bring healing and life and actions that bring healing and life. And today, James closes chapter five, I think with a super important message for us today. He goes back to suffering and hardship and closes with prayer.

And I think it's a message that we need today but before he jumps into suffering, you can just see how James is writing and he goes, wait a second, there's an issue I need to address among believers. And he calls out those who have extra and don't use it for good. And he calls out the wealthy believers who are just using it on themselves and not only are they selfish but they're hurting others. And I was thinking about this and I thought, yeah, I can see that in my journey in life because what does money bring with it? It brings this spirit of power and this spirit of control.

And James is like, you better use that power for good because someday you're gonna stand before God and he's gonna say, what did you do with the blessings I gave you? Did you bless others? I remember years ago in California, a guy came to me and he said, Deborah, my business has just exploded and I have all this extra money and I'm a new Christian and he knew I was a Christian and he said, is it okay for me to have this money? And I said, let's go to God's word and see what God says. And I took him to first Timothy chapter six because Paul is teaching Timothy.

Timothy was a pastor just like James. Paul, Timothy and James all taught the same thing about money. And Paul said to Timothy, teach your believers this about money. This is first Timothy six seventeen through 19. He said, first of all, teach those who are rich not to be proud and trust in their money because it's very unreliable.

And can I tell you, especially in Orange County, California, Greg and I saw many wealthy people lose it all, completely get wiped out? It is unreliable. Their trust should be in God. Just keep your trust on God. And then it says, tell them to use their money for good.

Be rich in good works and generous, ready to share. And by doing this, you're storing up for yourself treasures as a good foundation that you may experience true life. And I was like, Brady, you wanna experience true life? Don't focus on yourself. Start giving that away.

I mean, God says you can have pleasures, there's nothing wrong with that. But your focus should be why did he give me all this? What am I gonna do with it? And God God made us, and I say this all the time and I remind myself of this, he made us to be lovers and givers. And that's when I'm feeling best about myself, when I'm loving the way he says to love and when I'm giving.

So James just wants to call that out and then he jumps into the meat of his message in verse seven. He says, Brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord's return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen. You too must be patient and take courage for the coming of the Lord is near.

And while you're waiting, no grumbling. Do not grumble because the judge is standing at the door. For examples of patience and suffering, dear brothers and sisters, look at the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. We give great honor to those who endure under suffering. For instance, you know about Job.

We've all heard about Job. He was a man of great endurance. You can see how the Lord was kind to him in the end, for the Lord is full of tenderness and mercy. Okay, some major takeaways from this. First of all, and this is on your handout too, notice James did not say when you're suffering and struggling, God's gonna change those circumstances.

He never says that. In fact, he drills right down into if those circumstances don't change, this is what you're to do. Number one, be patient. And what does his word be patient mean there? It means don't give up, hang in there, don't ever give up on God, just be patient, endure like Job did, hang in there.

And then he does what we see throughout Scripture other authors doing, he compares patients to a farmer. Okay, so I grew up in Ohio until sixth grade next to my grandparents who had an 88 acre farm. So I am a farmer's granddaughter, and I loved the farm. I was on the farm every day pretty much, and my grandparents had cows and chickens and pigs, and I would gather fresh eggs, and they had these huge gardens that I would always help my grandma in. And I learned a lot of lessons from that that apply to endurance.

First of all, I'm taking a list from David Gusick. I love his commentary on this. He said the reason James pulls in farmer in an analogy for endurance is that the farmer has to wait a long time with hope and expectation of a reward. And I can tell you, as a child, we would plant in the garden, and I would say to my grandma, Mom, I called her Mom, which my mom didn't love but she loved, and I would say, mom, where's the cucumbers? And did you ever see those little cookie cakes called Little Debbie's?

I was her Little Debbie girl and she would say, Little Debbie girl, be patient. It takes time. We plant the seed, the cucumber's coming. And it would take forever, but she always had that hope and expectation, she knew it was coming. Then David Gudzik says the farmer waits a long time in the waiting and the farmer works through the waiting.

And that was a picture of my grandparents. They were the hardest workers and they watered those fields, they pulled the weeds from those fields, they planted those fields, they were working while they were waiting. And my grandmother used to tell me, she used to say, we need rain. Without rain, these seeds aren't gonna be nourished. And she would look up to the heavens, calling on the Lord to bring rain.

And I think that's what we do in our waiting. We know what we need and we call up to the heavens and we ask the Lord to pour down the rain on us, Lord. The farmer waits despite difficult circumstances and many uncertainties. You know, sometimes we go to the garden and overnight, there was some pestilence that just ate all the leaves or the winds would blow and knock down the cornfields. And that's what happens to us in life too, that's why the authors always compare our life to a farmer.

We don't know when the winds are gonna blow up on us. And sometimes, we don't see it coming and it's nothing we did. It just comes up on us. And what would my grandparents say? Tomorrow's a new day.

We show up tomorrow, we work tomorrow, we do whatever it takes. And they had this attitude because they knew the harvest was coming. They knew there was going to be a harvest. So in our suffering, we never give up, we be patient. And number two, James says, be courageous.

Don't go all weak. You know what this word courageous means? It means to be stable and firm and this is a theme throughout James, isn't it? James is like, plant your feet on the solid rock and stop wavering, stop going, are you gonna show up, God? Are you good, God?

Are you there for me, God? Do you really love me, God? He says plant your feet and be solid. You know, one of my life verses is Joshua one nine and Joshua is about to take the people into the promised land and he's like, it's a land flowing with milk and honey, it's a land of prosperity, it's a good land. But they were afraid.

Why were they afraid? Because there were giants in the land. He's like, yes, it's a good place to go but there are gonna be giant problems there and there's gonna be giant problems for you and me. And Joshua said to them, be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged no matter what happens, do not be discouraged.

Why? Because he's with you. He says because the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go in this land. He is with you. So don't be afraid, be courageous.

And can I just tell you, whenever I do go weak and I'm fearful thinking, are you gonna show up for me, Lord? I always regret it because he always does. And I'm always disappointed in myself like, oh, why did I doubt you again when you have been so faithful to me? When my daughter was in first grade, she was very self aware. She had an older brother, so she watched her older brother and she wanted to read.

It was very important to her

read. And I went in for her teacher conference and the teacher said, Deborah, we've got a problem. Julia is crying every day because she has memorized the books but she can't read. And I said, okay, what do we do? And she's like, think something's wrong.

I think she might be dyslexic. And so we put her through all these tests and she did have a form of dyslexia. But can I tell you, her elementary years were brutal because she would sob and say, why can't I read like other kids? Why can't I read like Grayson? And one day she came to me and she said, Mommy, Jesus doesn't love me.

He loves Grayson. He doesn't love me. She was a tiny little thing. I said, Baby girl, he loves you more. You are extra special because he's going to show up for you in the most powerful, amazing way.

We're going to get through this. And when I was driving home from that teacher conference, I still cry when I think about it because her little heart was so broken. And I looked down on the conference sheet and they went to a Christian school, and you know what verse was on that sheet? Isaiah 4zero 31. Those who trust in the Lord, some translations say those who hope or those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength and they will soar on the wings like eagles.

And I would tell her, Baby, you're gonna soar. You're gonna soar. So fast forward, Julia is 31 today, do you know what her job is? Primarily, she reads. She interviews authors to see if their book would be a good TV show and she has to read all those books.

And I tell her, Jules, are you soaring on the wings of eagles? And she laughs. She goes, mom, it's so crazy. I read all the time and she can she can plow through a book faster than I can. So this is a lesson the Lord taught me.

Don't waver, Deborah. Focus on me, put your trust in me, it might take a while. It took all through those elementary years, but it was worth it. It was worth it. Number three, in the waiting, no grumbling.

No grumbling. Don't grumble against each other and don't grumble against God. And you know why James is saying this? Because we wanna grumble. We're tired, we're weary, we're suffering, our bandwidth is stretching like a rubber band to the point of breaking, so we're gonna grumble.

Our inclination is not to go sing praise songs. But you know what happens if we do it? It completely shifts our attitude. And I put some verses on here, this has worked for me. When I'm feeling really downcast and struggling, I I don't know why this works but it does because God knows how he made us.

In Philippians two, he says, start thinking about other people. Don't just keep worrying about yourself and your troubles, go do something for someone else. And Proverbs eleven twenty five says, The generous will prosper. Those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed. Doesn't that sound delicious?

Do you wanna be refreshed? Then do something for someone else and no grumbling. And finally, number four, Jesus is for you, he's for you, he's for you. It's gonna be okay. If there is one thing, if I had to summarize one thing in the Bible, it would be he is for you because in this world, we feel like he's not because circumstances are not always for us.

People are not always for us. I myself am not even always for me, but he is always for me. He is for me. James said, have you heard of the endurance of Job and seen the outcome of the Lord's dealings? Okay, why is Job in the Bible?

Because God wanted to show us if he took every possible thing that we value from us, he's still for us. What did he take from Job? I mean, talk about getting wiped out financially. Job was one of the wealthiest men of his time and overnight, he got wiped out. And then the most hurtful thing, I think personally, that could happen is the Lord took his children.

Okay, that right there, And not one child, he took all of them. And then Job himself suffered with these oozing sores. He couldn't even sit down, he couldn't lie down, he was so miserable. And just to put the nail in the coffin when he's suffering like this, his friends we're not like that in this community, but his friends were like, Job, seriously, you brought this on yourself. So repent and maybe God will have mercy.

And Job's like, well, no, I haven't been living in a pattern of sin. I don't have a kink in my power line. I've been repenting. No, I don't have any sin. And they're like, Job, you must have a sin in your life.

And this is what we call the retribution principle, and this is still taught today. But I think the Lord put this in here to teach us this is not true. Just as we should be annoyed with his friends saying this to him, what his friends were basically saying, the retribution principle is if you're a good person and you do good, then God will give you good. If you're an evil person, then God will give you evil. Well, I'm sorry.

Look in the world, there are evil people prospering, and there are very good people suffering. Did they cause that suffering? Sometimes, but many times, no. And Job didn't either. Job didn't.

In fact, his wife said to him, Job, seriously, just curse God and be done with it. And you know what Job said to her? My Redeemer lives. Job is like, I will not curse God. My Redeemer lives.

He is alive to my problems. He's not dead to me. He is alive. And what does redeemer mean? It means an advocate, a defender.

Job is like, I don't understand this, I don't know what's happening, but he will defend me. And then day after day, Job started saying, why is this happening to me? Why? And that's what you and I say, why? Why, Lord?

And the Lord teaches us something here through Job. The Lord took Job and he said, seriously, Job? Read Job 38, thirty nine and forty. He said, Job, were you here when I laid the foundations of the earth? Job, by your word, do the ocean waters stop at their boundaries?

Do you have that power, Job? Job, do you have the power to call up the dawn every day? In other words, the Lord was telling Job, I don't need to explain myself to you. I am God Almighty, you are my created, all you need to know is I will take care of you. And God never told Job why.

And we want to know why, but sometimes the Lord isn't gonna tell us why. And this is where our faith comes in. And how did it end for Job? Job forty two twelve says, The Lord blessed Job more in the second half of his life than the first. It ended up pretty well for Job because Job said, okay, I will not curse him, I will not turn my back from him, he's alive to me and I'm just gonna wait.

And God sorted it all out and worked it out for Job. So then James goes into prayer because when we're struggling through life, when we're walking through this life, James is like, keep the communication lines open with God. Don't overthink prayer, don't think that it has to be this good morning, dear heavenly Jehovah, how art thou today? It's not like that at all. It's just talking like I'm talking to you.

I talk to God all the time. There's a narrative running all the time in my mind. And James says in verse 13, are you suffering? Well, you should pray. What a concept.

Why aren't you praying? I just envision the angels You know, when I pray, I picture this mighty throne with this robe that just goes on forever and I really don't picture God the Father's face, but I picture Jesus sitting at his right hand and why is Jesus at his right hand? Advocating and defending us, interceding for us. But also, scriptures tell us the angels are around the throne twenty four seven and some of these angels, since the beginning of time, are stuck on one word, holy, holy, holy. Why are they saying that word?

Because he's they see. We don't see, we live by faith now, but someday we'll see too. They see his holiness and his goodness and his beauty and that's all they can say is holy, holy, holy. And I picture these angels looking at us going, okay, she's in trouble again. Why isn't she asking you, her great defender and advocate?

Why isn't she talking to you? Why is she calling her friend? Why is she grabbing a glass of wine? Why is she doing all these other things when you're just waiting to help her? Why isn't she praying to you?

James goes on to say, Are you sick? Then you shall call the elders of the church to come and pray for you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. Wow, okay, this verse is so often taken out of context. We're gonna drill down on exactly what James was saying. First of all, he's saying, elders, You don't always have to go to a pastor or a teacher in the church, although that's what the word elder means.

It also means elderly as in mature. Okay? Someone who's further along in their faith, who's strong in their faith, who's mature in their faith, go to them to pray with you. And yes, definitely go to a pastor or a teacher, but go to anyone who loves the Lord and who's following him. And what does an anointing with oil mean?

Well, we know from Mark six and Luke 10 that the anointing with oil was medicinal oils, that during this time in this culture, oils were used to heal, and oils are very healing. So James is saying seek the best medical attention possible and pray in the name of Jesus. That is the best thing you can do for yourself. He says in one John two twenty, just to drill this down, he reminds us that all of us have the anointing of the Holy Spirit over us, so we have a power that we can tap into, and James goes on to say, and the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well. The Lord will raise them up.

If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. Okay, first of all, James is saying some of you are sick because of your sin. You're living in this pattern of sin and it's literally making you sick. And you can think of things that make us sick, right?

So James is saying, confess that sin. Richard Wohr says, sins prevent the energy of God from flowing through us, the love of God from flowing, they are self erected blockades that cut us off from God and hence cut us off from living the abundant life. So James is like, oh my gosh, can you please deal with your sin? Remember last week when we talked about David, how David committed the most egregious sins? I mean, David basically knocked down all the 10 commandments, and yet God says, This is a man after my own heart.

Why did God say that? You know why? It's what James is saying. Because David, of course he felt shame and of course he felt disappointment, but he didn't stay there. He took that sin out of the darkness and he put it before the Lord and he said, Lord, here it is, I did this, I'm owning it.

Will you shine your healing light upon this darkness? Will you heal me? Will you forgive me? And every time the Lord says, yes, yes I will. There will be consequences, I mean, baby died with Bathsheba, there were consequences.

But then David had four sons who followed the Lord and one of those sons became the wisest man and a great king. So God says, yes, David, I will forgive you because David always brought it out of the darkness and he set it before the Lord and maybe James is saying to you, what is that sin that you just are so afraid of bringing before the Lord that has kept you stuck, that has kept you in shame? James is like, bring it before the Lord. You're gonna experience a healing. And what does he mean when he says he will heal and raise us up?

Well, first of all, this isn't always physical healing. Sometimes, yes, we get physical healing, but not always. I mean, want you to consider that today, followers of Christ, disciples of Christ will die because they're sick. Did they not have faith? Maybe, maybe not.

Paul certainly had faith. Paul had more faith than anyone and he begged the Lord to heal him and the Lord said physically, no, I won't, Paul. I will not because I'm gonna use it for a greater good. And when there's a greater good involved, God will not heal us physically. What James is saying here is God will rise us up out of the stress and the worry and the fear.

He will rise us up and heal us emotionally, he will heal us spiritually, but sometimes he will not heal us physically and it doesn't mean that we don't love the Lord, it doesn't mean we don't have faith. In fact, first John five fourteen says, this is the confidence we have in approaching God, that if we ask according to his will, he hears us. Now, do you think when Jesus was on the cross and he said, Lord, oh my gosh, I'm in pain, take this cup of suffering from me. Do you think Jesus had faith? Jesus had faith.

Jesus is faith. How did he end that prayer? How did he end it? However, not my will but your will be done. And why didn't God take that cup of suffering and heal him right then and there?

He wanted to save us. There was a bigger picture. And sometimes God says no, just like with Job, because there's a bigger picture, and we wouldn't even understand it. In Matthew six and John 14 and Matthew seven, Jesus is teaching his disciples about prayer. You know what's so interesting about prayer?

His disciples watched him perform these incredible miracles. They watched Jesus do these things that were just like, wow. And yet, what is the one thing they went to Jesus and said, can you teach us? They said, Jesus, can you teach us how to pray? That's the one thing they really wanted.

And Jesus gives them the model prayer in Matthew six, which these girls didn't even know I was gonna say today, and they sang the Lord's prayer, which was amazing. And he he teaches them the model prayer and in John 14, he teaches them to ask in Jesus' name and in Matthew seven, he teaches them that God knows how to give us good gifts. But there's a theme with Jesus' teachings about prayer. Never once did he guarantee us physical healing. But you know what he guaranteed us?

God's goodness and God's presence and God's grace. Have you all seen The Chosen? There's a clip that just, man, it spoke to me, and I wanna share it with you today because it's a clip about healing, and I think they did such an amazing job with this. If you haven't seen The Chosen, you can get a free app from Angel Studio and just airplay it on your TV. There are many ways to see it.

Is it? There it is. Awesome.

Master. Mr. James.

May I have a moment? Of course. I am. Forgive me. I'm not always confident to speak.

Slow

to speak. It's a very good quality.

I wanted to ask you a question, please. So you are sending us out with the ability to heal the sick in lane. Yes, that that is what you said. Yes. So you're telling me that I have the ability to heal.

Forgive me. I just find that difficult to imagine with my condition, which you haven't healed.

Do you want to be healed?

Yes. Of course, if if that's possible.

I think you've seen enough to know it's possible.

Then why haven't you?

Because I trust you. What? Little James, precious little James, I need you to listen to me very carefully because what I'm going to say defines your whole life to this point and will define the rest of your life. Do you understand? In the father's will, I could heal you right now.

And you'd have a good story to tell. Yes? Yes. That you do miracles. And that's a

good story. But there are already dozens who can tell that story. And there will be hundreds more, even thousands. But think of the story that you have, especially in this journey to come if I don't hear you. To know how to proclaim that you still praise God in spite of this, to know how to focus on all that matters so much more than the body, to show people that you can be patient with your suffering here on earth because you know you'll spend eternity with no suffering.

Not everyone can understand that. How many people do you think the father and I trust this with? Not many.

But the others, there's so much more.

So much more what?

I don't know. Stronger, better at this.

James, I love you, but I don't want to

hear that ever again. I know how easy it is to say the Song of David that I fearfully and wonderfully made, But it doesn't make this any easier. And in this group, it doesn't make me feel like any less of a burden.

A burden? First of all, it is far easier to deal with your slow walking than it is to deal with Simon's temper. Trust me. Are you fast? Do you look impressive when you walk?

Maybe not. But these are things the father doesn't care about. You are going to do more for me than most people ever dream. So many people need healing in order to believe in me, or they need healing because their hearts are so sick. That doesn't apply to you.

And many are healed or not healed because the father in heaven has a plan for them, which may be a mystery. And we remember what Job said. The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. When you pass from this earth and you meet your father in heaven, where Isaiah promises you will leap like a deer, your reward will be great.

So hold on a little longer. And when you discover yourself finding true strength because of your weakness, and when you do great things in my name in spite of this, the impact will last for generations. Do you understand?

Thank you, boss.

A man like you healing others. Oh, out of sight. I can't wait to hear your stories when you return. Shannen, myself, Shiloh, and James. Remember, you will be here.

It's only a matter of time.

So powerful, isn't it? Ken Barth says, When we clasp our hands in prayer, it is the beginning of an uprising against the disorder and darknesses in this world. And that's why James is reminding us to pray. This past weekend, I got to go to Orange County to visit some friends and Joan sends her gratitude of prayers, and I got to see Joni, she's looking great, that tongue is healing beautifully, and Joan received her miracle, praise God, right? The other reason I went to Orange County is my friend of thirty plus years, we raised our kids together, Jane, was having her birthday.

Luke, can you show a picture of Jane? This is Jane. In March, Jane called me and said, Deborah, strangest thing I have with the doctors calling drop foot. I can't use my foot. Then Jane broke her foot and her foot never healed.

This was in July. Jane came to see her and her husband came to see us and she was limping. And she said, I'm going home to have more tests done. The doctor thinks I have ALS. Do you all know what ALS is?

It is next level. I have walked through cancer, I have walked through heart disease with friends and loved ones, I have walked through loved ones just dying in every possible way. But ALS is something entirely different because Jane's brain and her mind is still 100%, but her body is beginning to fail her. In November, I went back for her daughter's bridal shower and Jane was with a walker. And next picture, Luke.

And today Jane is in a wheelchair. This is progressing so quickly. And I can barely understand her, which is why I went back this weekend to celebrate her birthday because it's probably the last time we can talk. And I said to Jane, You know I'm praying for a miracle, Jane. And she said, I know Deborah.

And I said, what else can I pray? And she said, here's the thing, from here on out, it gets really ugly because she's having a really hard time swallowing, so what's next is Jane can't swallow and Jane won't be able to breathe. So the feeding tubes are next and then the breathing tubes. And she said, I don't want that. If God isn't going to heal me this side of heaven, would you please pray, and this is why I'm bringing this up, because James ends with the prayers of a righteous person are powerful and they have wonderful results.

I am asking you to please join with me and pray that the Lord would show Jane mercy if he does not heal her, and I believe he could, and I'm gonna pray that, but if that is not his perfect will that he takes her in her sleep, that she does not go through what is coming. And I believe in faith that one way or another, God is gonna give Jane her miracle. I believe that. And I I know that you'll pray with me because you did with Joan and Joan is so grateful and I I love these two girls and I love Jane and I hate seeing what's happening to her family but I know, I know the Lord is moving even when it doesn't make sense. The prayers you can show the last picture, Luke.

Was Jane blowing out her birthday cake and that's her beautiful daughter beside her. The earnest prayers of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. I believe that. Do you believe that? I believe that.

That's why we do prayer requests every week. I believe the Holy Spirit moves and I believe he's gonna move here too. Lord, we just, we thank you for your word. We thank you, Father, that your ways are higher than our ways and your thoughts are higher than our thoughts. I don't understand so many things.

Jane, for example, just a lovely person minding her own business, taking care of her family and now she has ALS. But I know and believe in my heart that you are always working good. And I know that this time here is so short that the truth is if you do take Jane home, I'll be there soon too. And I just thank you for the hope we have in you. And Jesus, I just picture you as my ark.

And I was telling Jane that, that you are the arc where we run for protection, where we run for provision, where we run for your presence. And thank you that you offer that to us, that you promise you will never leave us, that you are there for us, and that you are our great advocate and redeemer. Bless these ladies, Lord, as they go about their Wednesdays without coming here. I'm going to miss them. But thank you for every Wednesday that you've given us.

In Jesus' holy name, amen.

I keep having the same old dream that I'm drowning in a sea. Waves are rising all around, flood as far as I can see. And all of a sudden, wrapped up in line, I hear the heavens cry. My son So when the floodwaters rise and the sun goes dark, you'll be safe in my arms. I hear them laughing, making jokes while I work on my boat.

In the sky. Then all of a sudden, through all the noise, I hear still small voice saying, build yourself an ark, let me heal your broken heart. So when the floodwaters rise and the sun goes dark, you'll be safe in my yards.

So, father, help us

will be safe in your arms.

Now it's time to go to our small groups, I guess. I love you all and

oh, I guess, okay. Julia has a

announcement. Thank you, Valerie.

This is beautiful. I'm gonna take this off here.

You have to be thankful for those that have these beautiful voices. Like me, just let out a joyous noise. Share. Yes. Let's just do this.

Well, thank you all for coming to attend the James study. I was talking to Deborah earlier. It was such a committed group. You came week after week and an extra shout out to the moms who bring the babies. They were equally as committed, and we're just so very thankful.

I I would like to encourage you to give some thought as to what your best takeaway from James was. What's what was the takeaway that you're conscientiously focused on in your daily walk, and can that be something you focus on during Lent? It's one thing to just come and get the head knowledge, but it's a completely different thing when you can actually apply it to the heart and and become closer to Christ walking, in his dust. So I want to encourage you, to give that some deep thought. And I would also like to thank, several people.

First, when you would come in, you would see Arlen and Susie's beaming smiles welcoming you. So thank you, Susie and Arlen, for your welcoming. And then you'd meet Louisa, who would check you in and offer you a name tag, she had various supporters with her during the time. And Louisa, thank you so much. You don't all know what a big job that really is behind the scenes, but she handled it beautifully.

And then Casey, Susie Baldock, and Addie, who set up the refreshments every week, thank you so much for coming in early and staying late to make sure that that was all taken, Ally, for their beautiful voices and commitment to to worship music. To Luke, thank you, Luke, for all the AV. It really does help us online also. So that's and then let's all give a round of applause to God's messenger, Deborah. So I would like to encourage you over this summer not to let all this just, you know, blow away.

I send the recaps out so that you have a condensed version of something that's just, you know, it'll five little pages. You can read one a day or a week or what. Just keep it fresh in your mind when you when you aren't in study, and so you're continually focusing on, you know, the head to the tongue thing and all the other lessons we've learned from James. And her video reminds, if you haven't seen the chosen, by all means, make that a summer project and begin to read John because the book of John will be our next study. We're gonna begin the Wednesday after Labor Day, which is September 4.

So make a note of that now for eight weeks. No hair appointments on Wednesday mornings. The one thing you can never change. Right? So, September 4 to October 23, we will be studying the book of James.

So you might wanna get a little head start reading that. I'm sorry, John. John, not James. We can read James again if you want. Yeah.

Okay. Alright. So at this time, we're gonna break out into our small groups, and you can share what you learned in the final chapter. Thank you so much.

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