Sermon Tone Analysis

“*THE PURPOSE OF YOUR SALVATION*”

                       (A Series on the Book of James)

 

Westgate Chapel 05~/1~/05                                    James 4:13-5:6

 

Proposition:      The purpose of your salvation is the praise of His glorious grace.

! i.    introduction

!! -     WOULD you please all take the piece of paper just handed you and fold it in half?

!! -     NOW, would you write on one half, in no more than 3 or four words what you believe to be the purpose of your salvation?

!! -     WHAT is the purpose of your salvation?

!! -     WRITE it on one half of the piece of paper, fold it up and put it in your purse or pocket please….and

I am asking you not to take it back out until the end of the sermon.

!! -     I REALLY want everyone to participate please.

!! -     THIS is just for your benefit.

You are not going to be asked to turn it in.

!! -     BUT I believe you are going to find it very important to you and your Christian life.

!! -     WHAT is the purpose of your salvation?

!! -     (GIVE time for writing)

!!  

!! -     GREAT!

!! -     NOW, would you take your Bibles please and turn to Ephesians 1 (page 1156).

!! -     THE verses we are going to be examining in James today require that we start in Ephesians…with the purpose of our salvation.

!! -     I HAVE obviously not read what you have written on your piece of paper re: the purpose of your salvation, but if you are like most Christians in America, the majority of you have written two words, “eternal life.”

!! -     SOME of you have written “forgiveness of sins.”

!! -     A FEW have written “to evangelize.”

!! -     WHEN Pastor Ben did this same thing with some of the young people at a prayer meeting at his house, one high school young lady was honest enough to write down, “I don’t know!”

!! -     DON’T you think it is important that you know why you have been saved?

!! -     LET’S start reading Ephesians 1:3…..and nobody sneak your piece of paper out and try and change what you wrote….yet.

!!!       “*Blessed /be /the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly /places /in Christ,* 4 *just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him.

In love* 5 *He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will,* 6 *to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved*.”

(Ephesians 1:3-6)

!! -     HE blessed us, chose us, predestined us to be sons and daughters….so that we would be to the praise of the glory of His grace.

!! -     WAIT, there’s more!

!! -     LOOK at verses 11-12,

!!!       “…*we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will*, 12 *to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory*.”

(Ephesians 1:11-12)

!! -     GOD has invested in us everything we need to live godly lives…so that our lifestyles would result in people praising the glory of God.

!! -     WAIT there is still more!

!! -     LOOK at verses 13-14,

!!!       “*In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise*, 14 *who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of /God’s own /possession *[that’s us]*, to the praise of His glory*.”

(Ephesians 1:13-14)

!! -     THREE times in the same chapter of Ephesians, the Holy Spirit directly connects the purpose of your salvation and mine with God receiving glory from the way we live our lives in Christ.

!! -     WHICH is exactly what Satan wants to steal from us to get to God through us.

!! -     HE was jealous of the glory of God when he served at the throne of God before his fall…and was cast out of heaven for his rebellion.

!! -     HE tried to rob God of the glory by tempting Jesus, and failed.

!! -     SO now his main goal is to steal the glory that God deserves from your life and mine.

!! -     HOW does God receive glory from us?

!!! ~*     From the way we treat each other.

!!!! -     Ephesians 3:10 says that when the life of the church is seen by rulers and authorities in heavenly places the manifold wisdom of God is made known….glory!

!!! -     From conversations we have that build others up.

!!! -     From our worship, private and corporate.

!!! -     From our ministries to others.

!!! -     From our Christ-like attitudes.

!!! -     From witnessing to others.

!!! -     From our stewardship of our finances and giving.

!!! -     From our disciplined hunger for God in His Word.

!!! -     From obedience.

!!! -     From our victories over temptation and sin.

!!! -     From our obvious dependence on God for every aspect of our lives.

!! -     AND what is the purpose of your salvation?

To be to the source of God receiving glory.

!  

!  

! ii.   a lifestyle independent of god

!! -     WHICH is the purpose of the Epistle of James!

!! -     JAMES is a mirror for you to see your life, in the reflection of those things that bring glory to God.

!! -     TURN with me to James 4:13-5:6.

!! -     IN these eleven verses, there are five very real lifestyle issues that are designed to steal the glory God deserves out of your life and mine.

!! -     AND each of these lifestyle issues represents an attempt to pull your shoulder away from God and do it on your own.

!!  

!! *1.

ARROGANCE*

!! -     AND the first issue is arrogance.

!! -     LOOK at verse 13,

!!!       “*Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit*.’”

!! -     THE issue is living your life, making plans as if God had nothing whatsoever to do with your life.

!! -     “TODAY or tomorrow”….you

assume full control of the times of your life.

!! -     “SUCH and such a place”….you

assume full control of the location you live your life.

!! -     “SPEND a year there….you

assume full control of the seasons of your life.

!! -     “AND engage in business”…you assume full control of the activity of your life.

!! -     “AND make a profit”…..you assume full control of the purpose of your life.

!! -     AND God is not even considered, not consulted, and not honored as Lord.

!! -     HE gets no glory!

!! -     AND James says to these people in the church (verse 14),

!!!       “*Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow.

You are /just /a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away*.

15 *Instead, /you ought /to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.*’”

!! -     JAMES is not suggesting a mechanical mantra be added to our conversations like a good luck charm.

!! -     HE is suggesting the humility of heart that…

!!! ~*     Recognizes God’s sovereignty over all of our lives as Creator.

!!! ~*     Recognizes His double ownership of us since He has redeemed us.

!!! ~*     And honors and glorifies Him by seeking His will in every aspect of our lives….and

pursuing His kingdom above all other agendas.

!! -     LOOK at verse 16,

!!!       “*But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil*.”

!! -     WE might try and justify our actions, but the glory that is due the Lord from our lives gets stolen.

!!  

!! * *

!! * *

!! *2.

HOARDING*

!! -     THE second issue James raises is hoarding the things of the world.

!! -     LOOK at James 5:1-3,

!!!       “*Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you.*

2*Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten.* 3 *Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire.

It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure*!”

!! -     NOWHERE in the Bible are riches in and of themselves condemned.

!! -     BUT the Bible is full of warnings about the deception of wealth….either for those who have it or those who will have it.