#9 GRIP - Hold Together

James: 12 lessons we don't want to hear  •  Sermon  •  Submitted
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Basically we try and gear the service towards thanksgiving and celebrating God for who he is. In addition to that someone from the council will share a brief testimony or word of witness before the Prayer time which will be geared towards celebration. The themes of the sermon revolve around holding on and persevering in the midst of suffering and the storms of life. The two in themes in some ways seem to contradict, celebration and perseverance, but the are also intertwined or at least interdependent. Our celebrations are inauthentic if we pretend there are no storms, and our perseverance is pointless if there is no finish line.

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I - When I Lost Traction on the Ice Coming back to CBC

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*That sick feeling when you don't have control*
A youth group game you will never be able to play again.
DEEPLY PROBLEMATIC
You never know how much faith you are putting in something until it lets you down
PRETTY DANGEROUS
Lots of fun

Y - We are constantly putting our faith onto pretty weak stuff

We are constantly putting our faith in hosting onto pretty weak stuff
Transition: It got me thinking about all the things I put my faith in,
My Phone/Gps
The Supermarket
911
Electricy
Clean water
But it goes beyond that
Paychecks
Doctors
Retirement accounts and savings
social security
insurance
Insurance
Health
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Even Spiritual things, or ideas
If I do good things, good things will happen to me.
God never gives you more than you can handle.
What do you put your trust in? Andwhat do you do when those things slip.
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So waht do you do when the wheels slip off the road? What do you do when the storm comes and it's clear that the thing you were holding onto is not going to cut it?
When you have that pit in your stomach feeling.
When you lose traction
I have been asking myself is that thing solid enough to get me through those kinds of moments?

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Transition: James is writing to a community of people whose wheels have no traction.
James’ readers were in the middle of
Jewish Christians living in Jerusalem
Non-Christian Jews were actively persecuting them (friends, neighbors, family members, former buisness partners)
They were poor
Non-Christian Jews were actively persecuting them
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Their community was besieged from all sides
Roman Occupiers were really turning the screws on Jews in Jerusalem
That led to factions within the Jewish community that wanted violent revolution.
In a few short years (responding to a violent rebellion) Rome comes in and utterly destroys Jerusalem and the temple. Kills tons of people
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The Storm of James’ audience - The oppressing rich, religious persecution, injustice in Jerusalem.
70 AD was on the way
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These are people desperate for hope. People who have no control over their future. Feeling that “sick” feeling when things break loose, and you dont know what is going to happen.
Thinking, “God if you are there, why!”
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James’ Message to them is Hold on, a little longer, don't slip.
dont slip
Read It - 5:7-11
He gives them three pictures
Like a Farmer - Knows the rains are coming - GRIP on Future Hope not present outlook
Like the Prophets - Spoke While Suffering - w/o seeing - surrounded by closed ears - GRIP on God’s Promises - Not present changes
Like Job - Trusted God while honest and aware of the INJUSTICE he was facing - Protesting, but holding on - GRIP on to a refusal to curse God. Even though he was mad, even though...
What do they have in common? - Grip (the ability to hold on)
JOB - Complained, questioned God, lamented, wept, but he refused to curse God. Even though his suffering was unjust.
The Prophets - allowed God to blow up their lives to proclaim a message 99.9999999% of people refused to hear in their day.
The Farmer - Spends all the money and work on the front end, burying treasure in the dirt counting on the rains to come and the ground to multiply and bring forth a crop.
All three - manage to grip onto something they cant see and its not until you see the long view, sometimes the VERY long view that God’s faithfulness and trustworthiness becomes clear.
POINT: Where is your grip? And when your grip is slipping what do you do?
Its not that its sinful or wrong to have misplaced handholds. Its just not a good idea.
The Good news is there is a better place to hold on.
At the end of Jesus longest teaching on what it means to follow him, Jesus says this in the book of Matthew.
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24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.

Y - Where is your Grip?

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The Good news is there is a better place to hold on.
At the end of Jesus longest teaching on what it means to follow him, Jesus says this in the book of Matthew.
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24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.

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Maybe things are going great...
This is the time to ask yourself where your foundation is.
Questions:So I’ll ask again, “Where is your Grip?”
On your health?
Your 401(k)?
Your career?
Your plans?
Your family?
Your Comfort?
Your hobbies?
Your skills?
Your Success
Religious ideas? - Prosperity Gospel, God never give you more than you can handle,
What would it take to hold those other things lightly and instead cling to God?
Take some time to celebrate that.
The Good news is there is a better place to hold on.
At the end of Jesus longest teaching on what it means to follow him, Jesus says this in the book of Matthew.

24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

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24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.

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ask God how you can rely on him more.
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Where is it that you are putting your hope?
Who is in the middle of a storm in your life that needs someone to grab on and help them hold on to God?
Maybe you are weathering the storm
Hold on Together
your wheels are slipping and everything seems to be wrong.
Get support
turn to scripture
That thing your were holding onto has crumbled into your hands and now your don't know which way is up.
hold on to someone else
IF you are in the middle of that storm, James’ words are for you especially.
GRAB on like the Farmer, the prophet, and even JOB.
resist the urge to scramble
Grab on to God by coming to him in prayer, Grab onto God in his word, Remember the ways he has cared for your in the past, Find another person of faith to help you grab on.
Find the things to celebrate
And most of all DONT GIVE UP

W - Hold on to Him

Wherever you are...
This is the time to ask yourself where your foundation is.
He has not forgotten about you, transformation and help is right around the corner. Just hold on.
Maybe you are in the middle of the storm...
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Lets pray together
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The Problem: A faith that has no room for suffering is made of paper mache. Waiting to crumble.
because trials, setbacks, and failures WILL come.
And the question is is our faith worth holding onto in the storm?
Is it able to bear weight?
IS the faith we are building a faith that will last trials?
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