Sermon Tone Analysis

Humble Faith

Faith in Action

We are in the middle of a series entitled Faith in action

from the book of James

the theme of the book of James is Grow up

A practical book

Pointing out that genuine faith, produces fruit.

James in his book points out to three types of faith

Dead faith, without works, demonic faith, believing the same way demons do , dynamic Faith, faith in action.

James was warning the believers about some behaviors adopt in the church, that contradicted our believes and faith.

Throughout this series we will look into different aspects of a faith in action.

Humble Faith

Let’s pray

1 Guarding our hearts

Jas 4:1 Where do wars and fights come from among you?

Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members?

Jas 4:2 You lust and do not have.

You murder and covet and cannot obtain.

You fight and war.

Yet you do not have because you do not ask.

Jas 4:3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.

Why do we get into conflict with others, with ourselves and with God?

Here is the root cause of our conflicts, notice that James was not asking “what are you guys arguing about?”,

We Would probably answer, is his fault.

James was going right to the root cause.

Is about our heart condition, the war inside of us in our hearts.

If the conflict is in our home, or at our church the root is the same.

is Selfishness, we often get in conflict with others because we want what they have, so we covet, we lust we murder.

I have seen very little conflict among people, when their relationship is about serving and loving each other.

Conflict usually comes when selfishness is involved.

Mat 5:21 "You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.'

Mat 5:22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment.

Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, 'Raca,' is answerable to the court.

And anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell.

Unchecked anger is sin

We also get in conflict with ourselves, here in the US I often hear about the American dream, for many is just to make lots of money and have a very comfortable life, whatever your dream is, if is not what God has for you, you will live an unsatisfied life wanting things that is not for us.

Our Heavenly Father created us uniquely, out of His love and goodness He poured many gifts upon us, we may not even be ware of them, but instead of discovering our gifts and what God has for our lives, we create this world of fantasy in our heads and around us, and in it we feel rejected.

imagine that God created you as an excellent musician, but your dream is to be volleyball player or to surf big waves, It may be very disappointed by following your dreams, we can even become abusive to ourselves because we not really good in something we desire to do.

Mary the mother of Jesus said yes to the news from Gabriel the Archangel, when she was a teenager, I’m not sure if that was, her American dream, it cost her entire life and reputation.

Luk 1:38 "I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered.

"May your word to me be fulfilled."

Then the angel left her.

2 Choose friendship with God.

Jas 4:4 Adulterers and adulteresses!

Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

This word, world, Kosmos in the Greek.

All around, our surroundings including people and morality.

James is using the word world in a moral sense, just like John in 1 john.

1Jn 2:15 Do not love the world or anything in the world.

If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them.

1Jn 2:16 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.

1Jn 2:17 The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.

World is everything around us calling us to disobey God, to submit to our own will, and not the ways of God.

Friendship with the world is when all these things become more important to us than your friendship with God.

our way of thinking, if its not in line with scripture is sin.

Our judging of others, my way,

or The way we dress up, if is not to honor God you are sinning.

From bathing suits to fine dining dresses, for men and women, are you glorifying God?

The way you eat,

The way we treat each other

What we do with our finances

If the world does not have a secondary place in our lives, it is the most important thing for us.

1Jn 5:19 We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.

Faith in action puts God’s first.

Jas 4:5 Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, "The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously"?

2 Be Humble

Jas 4:6 But He gives more grace.

Therefore He says: "GOD RESISTS THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE."

Jas 4:7 Therefore submit to God.

Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

The only way we will ever have authority over the enemy, is when we humble ourselves and submit to God.

The enemy will listen and he will run away from you if you are humble and submitting to God.

Jas 4:8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.

Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

Jas 4:9 Lament and mourn and weep!

Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.

Jas 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.

This word Tapeinoo in the Greek lay low at heart, Humble, Humbleness is to Agree with God, yes, we are sinners, and we need His forgiveness, we need to repent of our sins, and we need to forgive those who offended us.

Only after we do that we can submit to God, accept and yield to His wisdom and authority then we will have authority against satan and demonic powers.

Many of the people who have come to me for prayer asking for healing they were struggling with demonic oppression.

I remember this older lady I was praying for in Colombia many years ago but her story reminds me of the need to be humble.

I was just finishing a long line of praying for people, the service began around 11 am is after 5pm and we needed to be back for the evening service.

This older lady walks in with her son, her back was bent almost to the same height of her waste, she told me she was in great pain if I could pray for her.

I quickly prayed and asked the Lord for help, I was tired and hungry.

What came to me immediately was the word sin, I don’t usually asked this question when people come for prayer but I had to obey.

So I asked her, do you have any unconfessed sin, before the Lord that you need to ask him to for give you, she said yes.

Then she began to tell me tis long story as she repent before the Lord .

She told me that she was a very bad person and she told me that her first husband was an alcoholic abusive man, she became very afraid of him so she put a contract on him and after some days he disappeared, she married again she discover that her second husband was a gambler and was involved with some bad people and cheating on her so she put a contract on him and he also disappeared, then after sometime she married a third time and this husband was the father of the young man she had with her, she said that he was not faithful to her and she found out he had a criminal past and she heard he wanted to kill her so she put a contract on him too and he was found dead, but her son didn’t know what happened.

As she finished confessing her sins her pain was gone and her back was straight again.

Jas 4:11 Do not speak evil of one another, brethren.

He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law.

But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.

Jas 4:12 There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy.

Who are you to judge another?

3 Give God the control of your future

This is the proper attitude when we have a master

Boasting About Tomorrow

Jas 4:13 Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit";

Jas 4:14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow.

For what is your life?