2025 0420 Easter James 1 verses 16 to 18
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Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.
Know the Truth
Know the Truth
Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters.
James is drawing attention to a deception
this deception in 50 to 60 AD is the same today
Verses 13 to 15
Verses 13 to 15
there is a direct refutation of the previous verses
God is NOT tempting me
I am responsible for my sin
lets us consider the nature of God
Nature of God
Nature of God
it is the status of our divine God - our heavenly Father
James now describes the truth, the absolute reality
We are part of God’s family
So how did we get here?
The Perfect Gift
The Perfect Gift
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
every good and perfect gift is from above
the source is our Heavenly Father
in contrast with everything else
God does not change
He is light, and light is pure
This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.
God Unchanging
God Unchanging
God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind.
Does he speak and then not act?
Does he promise and not fulfill?
so God is light and does not change
the reality is that he does not lie
he keeps his word
he fulfils his promise
it is THE promise that boldly speaks to us today
New Birth
New Birth
He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.
the promise is a restoration of who we were before the Fall
we have to have a new birth
the old corrupted self restored to a new spiritual being
a new birth as Jesus explained to Nicodemus (John 3)
Word of Truth
Word of Truth
the deception is desroyed by the word of truth
the word of truth is the one and only Jesus
all truth is in Jesus
and we find truth in Jesus alone
Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
children of God birthed of God through the Word
every good and perfect gift is now described in Jesus
Jesus - glory, grace and truth
Jesus alone and not by human reasoning nor action
Reason for the Season
Reason for the Season
this is why we celebrate Easter
not for eggs, nor for holidays, not for fuzzy feelings
we have been given the right to be children of God
to those who believe
We are Firstfruits
We are Firstfruits
the firstfruits signify the start of something bigger
Israel was the first fruits of the Lord’s harvest
Israel was holy to the Lord, the firstfruits of his harvest .... declares the Lord.
He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.
we are now the firstfruits of ALL of God’s creation
this is immense and mind blowing
believers are an essential and integral part of God’s redemptive creation
this is our eternal destiny
The Gift of God
The Gift of God
God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God
this is the good and perfect gift
the gift of Jesus as Saviour
from God and not from us
many have chosen Jesus to be their Lord and Saviour
have you?
