We are off to the Fort Smith Symphony today, the theme is A Youthful Celebration. Our daughter Jaclyn & her friend Shane is going with us along with Sarah, our sister. We are looking forward to meeting the folks from the Sebastian County Heart Gallery a group that we have supported who will showcase photographs of Foster Children from Sebastian County who are looking for forever homes. A very noble cause.

It's going to be a really good time. KR

A study of James 28, James 1:18-25

Self Control VI

We have been looking at the first chapter of the Epistle of James for some time now, 28 Sundays to be exact, that is over 7 months of Sundays!

We are far from finished. I know that some of you may grow weary from such an exhaustive study, however please bear with me in this.

James is a very valuable text for living the Christian life. It is my experience that we learn very little about living the Christian life in Church these days, and when the Lord called me to Shepherd this little Flock, I made a promise to Him that with His help, we would become the real deal. We would live for Christ, in every area of our lives.

So, He is holding up His end of the bargain. He lead us to this text, and so far has shown us a lot of invaluable information. We are all at different places in our walk, but hopefully we are all on the same path, or desiring the same thing, which is life, purpose and intimacy with God the Father.

Together we will learn to count it all joy when we fall into various trials, through patience, through remaining in Christ regardless of what comes our way.

Always moving forward, never retreating, never getting stuck in a rut. Always growing in love for the Lord, and in love for each other, and in love for all mankind. Living the Christian life.

Last week we wrapped up a segment on the four types or conditions of soil of the heart, the hard heart, the superficial or shallow heart, the crowded heart that is overgrown with the cares and desires of the world, and the good heart or receptive, deeply broken heart.

As we continue in this study on self control, we will need to conduct further examination of our hearts.

Once a seed is planted, there remains more to do if it is to be successful and fulfill its purpose. It has to become established, it has to grow and it has to bear fruit.

I know I have used this analogy before, but wouldn’t it be awful, if babies never grew up and became adults? Babies are so sweet and so precious, and I love to just sit and hold a sleeping baby.

Babies are born to become adults. Not just chronological adults, those who are called adult because of the number of years that they have been alive, but mature, responsible adults, fulfilling their purpose for living. Bearing fruit.

I like to think that in Heaven, they have it all figured out. Down here, we wonder what’s what, but in Heaven, they know. Down here we see only what we see, we experience only what we experience, and know only what we can know, but up there, they see all, experience all and know all, because God is revealed in all of His Glory there.

Here is what they say in Heaven about our purpose, what we are here for, Revelation 4:1-11.

Ok you say, that is how we got here, but what about the purpose?

First off, please understand God is not arbitrary or capricious, He does everything for a reason and everything has purpose under the sun. For everything thing there is a time, a season and for everyone there is a reason.

Second since He created all good things, He created us, and He is worthy to receive Glory, Honor and Power, then our purpose is to worship Him. To ascribe to Him all Glory, Honor and Power.

Refusing to bring glory to God is prideful rebellion and it is the sin that caused Satan’s fall, and ours too.

We bring glory to God by acknowledging Who He is, placing Him in right relationship in our lives, which means He is in control, on the throne of our heart, by doing what He says, by loving one another, by becoming Christ like.

We worship God by enjoying Him.

C. S. Lewis said" In commanding us to glorify Him, God is inviting us to enjoy Him."

Rick Warren said, "God wants our worship to be motivated by love, thanksgiving and delight, not duty".

John Piper said, "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him".

Paul the Apostle said, "Everything comes from God alone. Everything lives by His power and everything is for His Glory". Romans 11:36.

Paul also said in Colossians 1:16 " For by Him all things were created that are in Heaven and that are on Earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him".

So as Christians we believe or understand that we did not just happen, that we were intentionally created for the purpose of pleasing God, by loving and worshiping Him, by living a life that is good and meaningful, that reveals His love to a lost and dying world, thereby drawing men and women, boys and girls to Him so that they too will learn to live with Him in Heaven.

So James says we are to lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, (superfluity of naughtiness), and receive with meekness the implanted word which is able to save our souls.

Meekness is the direct opposite of wrath.

Once we have received the Word into our heart, then we are to be doers of the word, not just hearers only. Hearing only, claiming to be God’s child, and not doing what He says is the ultimate form of hypocrisy and anti-worship.

A simple definition of Worship is Honor. Some possible synonyms of Worship or Honor might be, admire, adore, bow down to, celebrate, deify, esteem, exalt, glorify (we have already said), magnify, love, praise, pray to, respect, revere, or venerate.

An antonym of Worship would be to dishonor, disrespect, hate.

James says we delude ourselves if we are hearers only, we deceive ourselves, we are kidding ourselves. How foolish it is to delude yourself. To know Him is to love Him, to love is to obey!

It’s one thing to be lead astray, it’s quite another to deceive yourself. Sadly, when we delude ourselves, playing religious games with God, most everyone knows but us! Especially the children!

How many wonderful young people have turned hard toward God, turning their hearts from Him because of a self righteous, hypocritical, hard hearted, un-loving parent, grandparent or Sunday school teacher who claimed to be Christian!

They know it’s not real, and they know if you are a game player, then God must not be all that you say He is, and their disillusionment turns them away from you and hardens their hearts toward God, thus, all but assuring a very hard, un-fulfilled life, lacking love, lacking purpose, lacking the very essence of life itself.

Josh McDowell rightfully says, "you can con a con, you can fool a fool, but you can’t kid a kid".

The very best thing you can do for your children and grandchildren is to right now, receive the Word of God into your heart, and begin to live, full out, sold out, out in the open, real life lives for God!

You don’t have to be perfect, you don’t have to be anything but set on living a life that is pleasing to God. He will do the rest!

James 1:22-25.

In Verse 21 James compared the Word of God to a seed planted in the soil of your heart, here he compares it to a mirror.

Why do you own a mirror? Is it there for your entertainment, like a portrait by one of the old master’s, are you one of those who thinks the mirror is the best picture in the hall so you sit and look into it all the time for the shear pleasure?

Most of us own a mirror for one thing, self examination. To be able to see what you really look like and make adjustments if necessary.

That is why a make up mirror is magnified several times, to see the real you and cover up the blemishes. A rear view mirror is not magnified several times and is not a make up mirror, it is there to see what is behind you!

When we look into the mirror of God’s Word, we see ourselves as we really are in contrast to a Holy God. You see, I am not your role model, Lisa isn’t your savior. God’s Word, the Bible is an exact description of His Holy and Perfect Character, and Jesus is the ultimate, perfect expression of His Righteousness and His Word.

Don’t be comparing yourself to me, I am not the image anyone should desire, neither is Lisa, neither are you. Compare yourself to God’s Word, to God’s Character, to God’s Son, His Word is a mirror for your soul!

James mentions several mistakes that people make when they look into God’s mirror.

First they merely glance at themselves. They do not carefully study themselves in light of God’s purposes when they study or read God’s Word. Even some who read a chapter of the Bible every day or read the entire Bible through in a year, often only carelessly read the Word. Carelessly means without care or caring.

James says in 1:23-24 that if anyone hears the Word and does not do it he is like someone who observes himself in a mirror and promptly goes away and forgets what he looks like. This word observes, or beholds, is the Greek Katanoeo which means to observe as we know or to notice, to consider.

In verse 25 however, James uses a different word, "but he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does".

This word for looks is the Greek Parakupto, and it means more than an observation or to notice something.

Parakupto means literally to bend down or stoop down near or by something in order to look at it more closely. Metaphorically Parakupto means to look into, to found out about, to know.

This word is used in one of our favorite Easter Stories, John 20:5- 10.

John was peering intently into the tomb, looking for the Body of Jesus, which we know was not there because God had raised Him from the dead. Peter just rushed right on in.

John 20:11-14. Mary Magdalene, also peered intently into the tomb, seeking to find her Lord and Master, and she did.

In order to grow in the Lord, to fulfill our purpose in maturing and become fruit bearing Christians, in order to live the life of freedom we were created for, we must look intently into the Word of God seeking to find our Lord and Master.

Very often when we do, we will not like what we see. That is when we choose to worship God, to honor Him by turning from our revealed sin, and by turning to Him, seeking His work in our hearts and lives.

For too many centuries men have tried to remake God in their own image, someone said that "in the beginning God made mankind in His own image and we have been returning the favor ever since".

When you look into the mirror of God’s Word, and see something that needs changing, when your reflection is not like Christ, give it to Him, change direction then, do it His Way, it is the right Way. It is the only way to freedom.

Another mistake people make when looking into the mirror of God’s Word, is they fail to obey what the Word tells them to do.

Many Christians enjoy substituting reading for doing, or even talking for doing.

We must examine our own hearts and lives in light of God’s Word, then make whatever changes are required, and do what He says.

This requires time, attention and sincere devotion, placing Him in His rightful place as Lord and God.

James 1:25 that the man is blessed in the doing of the Word. We will talk more about this next week.

A study of James 27, James 1:16-22

Self Control V

Last week we ended our time together with this thought:

A major source of discouragement for Christians is the thought that I should be perfect, but yet I still sin. I have plaguing thoughts and sinful desires, bad habits, lustful eyes or a lying tongue and I cannot shake it so why should I try.

The strive for perfection is noble but often leaves us in a state of despair or a state of denial, or just giving up.

We need to give our problems to the Lord and cooperate with Him in recovery, and allow Him in His power and in His time to take them away.

We often either try to do too much or refuse to do our part in seeking to rid ourselves of filthiness. We can’t do it on our own and God won’t do it all by Himself either.

Jesus died to take away our sin, we are no longer slaves to sin. We have been set free to live righteous lives in Christ. We simply trust and obey God’s Word, seek to live lives that are pleasing to Him, by forsaking sin and the world and let Him do the rest. He will.

What this means is that rather than having a plan of coming to Christ through a list of don’ts, ie.... you need to quit this, and quit that, we need to focus on some things that we do.

Rather than take a negative approach to Christianity, to God, to the Bible, we should move in a positive way to embrace Christ.

Jesus didn’t not sin because He couldn’t, He didn’t not sin because He would get in trouble or because He wasn’t tempted.

I think there are several supporting reasona for His Faithfulness, but the overlying motivation of Christ toward Holiness, was pleasing the Father.

Jesus was committed to His Mission, to seek and save the lost. He knew if He sinned, some careless little sin, He would fail at His Mission, but even worse, He would fail the Father, He would displease God..

I wish that as parents, or Church leaders, or business people, or ministers of Grace and Gospel, we were as faithful to our mission.

If American Parents today were committed to the mission of raising their Children to be good and godly, faithful, honest and trustworthy people who love God, and live for His honor, what a difference that would make.

If Church leaders and Church members were committed to the mission of the Church, which is to seek and save the lost, honoring God through worship, discipleship, fellowship, evangelism and service, caring for one another and our neighbors, what a difference that would make.

Sadly most parents today are doing their time just trying to get the kids through school with the least hassle, more committed to the activities that entertain than the exercises that mature.

Christians seem to be more concerned with tradition, methodology or style and having every little thing just my way, at just my time in just my style, than they are living committed lives of sacrifice and worship to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who has given us life itself!

So we run to the extremes either direction, find a comfortable spot and settle in, kind of walking in place throughout life. You know you can’t get very far in a journey walking in place. What you get is a rut. A rut is a grave with the ends kicked out.

Jesus wants us to live, to love, to have joy and purpose, to be on mission, to be in faithful relationship with God, no matter what our circumstances, no matter what, because He loves us, because that is what we are created for.

He has given us the way, the only way we can do that, He Himself is the example, He Himself is the Way. Jesus recognized God for the Sovereign that He is. Jesus acknowledged God’s Greatness and Honored Him with every area of His Life.

Here is His Command: We love the Lord our God with all of our heart, with all of our soul, with all of our mind and with all of our strength, and, we love our neighbor, each other, as ourselves. In this we find life.

Which brings us to the fourth type or condition of soil of the heart, good soil.

Matthew 13:18-23.

The first heart is described as hard, like a road bed. The seed of the Word of God cannot penetrate it’s surface so the devil comes along and snatches the word away.

The second heart is broken enough for the seed to penetrate the surface, however it is not broken deep enough, and is honestly not looking for eventual fruit, it only wants the plant, it seeks to gain some immediate satisfaction or relief, it wants to get something back that it thinks is lost. It’s a shallow heart.

Remember, on the surface, a shallow heart can be very fertile, but it won’t send it’s root down deep, because that requires effort and sacrifice. It is here that you either choose God and go all the way, or eventually deny God and wither and die. It is difficult although not impossible, to ever grow anything on this soil again.

The third heart is wrought with weeds and thorns, the seed was sown among many competitive options, riches, things, reputation, selfish desires. For our discussion, false gods that compete for your faith and desire.

Once again, choosing God is necessary and the only solution to fruit bearing life, however such a choice is also painful because it involves weeding, pruning and cultivation.

Sometimes, often in fact, it is necessary to weed something good from your life for something much better and frequently better doesn’t look best at the moment. This is the narrow path and few choose it, although, they are all blessed of God who do.

It requires un-learning negative learned behavior, it means not learning bad habits or acquiring negative addictions or attractions to begin with wherever possible.

It requires humbling yourself to make things right. Zaccheus (Luke 19:1-10) recognized this, and upon receiving salvation gave everything he had cheated back four fold and he gave half of all he had to the poor. Not to be saved, but evidence of a changed heart.

The fourth soil, is described as good soil, it is broken, ready for the seed. The good soil recognizes the seed and commits itself to the process, the ultimate goal of bearing fruit, and bear fruit it does.

Some a hundred fold, some sixty and some thirty. Not all the same quantity, but all equally important, of the same quality.

Matthew, Mark and Luke all three recorded this parable of Jesus.

Matthew says that Good Soil is someone who understands the Word and bear fruit, Mark uses the word accept rather than understand. Mark 4:14-20

Accept, this goes back to being swift to hear, slow to speak and slow to wrath, sometimes we have to stop, look and listen and let God get a word in edgewise. When we stop up our ears by already having made up our mind, we also harden our hearts to what God would say to us.

We must begin to listen, and we need to accept the Word of God as written.

This word accept that Peter remembered here and Mark recorded is the Greek word, Paradechomai. Paradechomai means to receive, to admit, to embrace with assent and obedience, to receive or embrace with peculiar favor.

If we are to be fruit bearing Christians, we must receive the Word of God in our lives with agreement, obedience and with favor peculiar to God.

Trusting and obeying, we are to put the Word of God where it belongs, in a class all by itself. Not an optional teaching or philosophy, but truly the Word of God, from God Himself to man.

Being God’s Word from God’s Mind makes His Word, the Bible and it’s precepts, correctly taught, perfect without flaw, wholly true, always relative to time, place and environment. God’s Word is an expression of His Character, in His Word is our very life.

Jesus is the Word of God, from the beginning to now and on forever.

Jesus taught the Kingdom of God is like a treasure that a man found in a field that was so precious, so valuable that he went straight away and sold all that he had to buy the field.

He also taught that the Kingdom of God is like a magnificent pearl of great price that was so valuable upon finding it, the merchant sold all that he had to buy the pearl.

The Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of Heaven is the rule and reign of God in our lives and time.

Under the direction of the Holy Spirit, Dr. Luke authored even more insight into this parable. Luke 8:11-15

This passage more directly connects with our study than either Matthew’s or Mark’s because he speaks directly to the principals we are learning and will learn from James Ch. 1. Luke 8:15-18.

Luke uses two forms of the word "good" here. The first is Kalos, something of a constitutionally good, he would say something like this, "the inherently good heart" . Kalos is good without necessarily being benevolent.

Next Luke uses the word Agathos, which is good and benevolent, profitable, useful, it is in contrast to Kalos.

Luke says that Jesus said, in order to be good ground, we have to have a benevolent heart, he also added the word, honest or noble heart.

We have to remove our self from the throne of our life, establish in our hearts that God is sovereign and place Him on the throne.

We must then cherish His Word, giving it full value in our minds, and in our commitments, like Zaccheus, honest, noble.

His Word is clear, and His Heart is pure, and it is for people. God is crazy about people. He put the loving of others right next to the loving of God in the Great Commandment.

We must ask Him to give us strong desire for His Righteousness, a spirit that is pliable, moldable and teachable so we can apply His Word to our lives, and we must ask Him to help us love one another. Ask Him for a humble heart, (God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble). Then we can grow.

There is more.

The person who’s heart is deemed "good ground" who will bear fruit for the Kingdom, keeps the word, verse 15. This word , Katecho, keeps means to hold fast in a spiritual sense, to remain.

Katecho is used for this: "to bring a ship toward the shore". Imagine if you will, attaching ropes to a treasure ship, tying them securely to trees, to a tug and with all force necessary, bringing the ship into shore.

Not hearing the Word and filing it away for another time, but securely, steadfastly applying it, building your life on it as a wise man builds his house upon a rock.

So, Luke says, we are to receive the Word into a humble heart, (James says meek), hang on to it, apply it and then he says we will bear fruit with patience.

Here is our old friend patience again, hupomone, meaning to remain under. To remain faithful to, steadfast in God’s Word, obeying Christ throughout good times and bad times, so we can bear fruit.

Interestingly Mark and Luke both placed the parable of the revealed light right after this discourse. Matthew has it way before. Let’s see what Luke says about it, Luke 8:16-18.

I think God is telling us here to live our faith out in the open. If we honor God before men, He will honor us before Heaven, He will bless us with more.

Being careful of what we hear means that we are to beware of false doctrine, avoid lying, self seeking teachings of men and of satan, not confusing or diluting the truth of the word of God. It mainly means be careful what you believe or trust.

Anyone can distort God’s true Word and make it say what they want, but if you will sit alone with God, prayerfully confess your sins, appropriate His forgiveness and ask Him to reveal to you the truth of His Word. He will, if you will listen an obey.

Don’t say you have listened if you don’t obey.

What kind of soil is your heart today?

Is it hard? Does it need breaking? It may be hard because it has been hurt, God wants to heal your hurting heart today.

Is it shallow? Seek God for who He is, not for what He can do for you. Choose Him, He wants to sink His roots down deep into your soul today.

Is your heart crowded by the cares and desires of the world? Put God in His rightful place as Lord and Master. Weed out the competition for your affection.

Do you have a good heart? Noble and benevolent, receiving the Word of God with gladness, holding fast to His Commandments and remaining in Him? You will bear fruit in His time, remain steadfast.

Whatever the condition of your heart, God can and will make it good if you will give it to Him. He will exchange your heart of stone for a heart of flesh and come and live there always, just ask.