His Love Ministries

ROMANS 5.9-11 REASONS WE CAN BE THANKFUL FOR CHRIST PART 3

Romans 5:9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. 10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. 11 And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.
In this final message on Romans 5:1-11 we will see the last three reasons why we should be thankful we know Christ, or three reasons why we should trust Christ as Lord and Savior.  Paul finishes this section with the fact that we are saved from the wrath of God by Jesus’s shed blood.  He tells us that we now have a relationship with God whereas it was not possible unless Christ’s blood was shed for our sins. And lastly we see that joy comes from a relationship with God.  John 15:11 "These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.
 V-1 We have Peace with God:     
V-2 We have Access to God: Or an introduction to Grace through Jesus Christ
V-2 We have Standing before God:
V-2 We can rejoice in the Hope of the Glory of God:
V-3 We are able to Glory or rejoice in Tribulations through the Strength of God:
V-3-4 We have Perseverance (patience or endurance), Character, and Hope from God:
V-5-8 We have the Love of God poured out in our hearts:
V-5  We have the Holy Spirit from God:
V-9  We have a pardon from wrath by God:
V-10 We have Reconciliation with God:
V-11 We have Joy in God and from God:
Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
   John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.
“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32
 Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten. 
hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en Don’t go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F
The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions

ROMANS 5:3-8 REASONS WE CAN BE THANKFUL FOR CHRIST PART 2

Romans 5:3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. 6 For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
 
Today we are covering points five through eight.  These are the greatest things that God has done for us and Paul wants us to understand just how blessed we are by knowing Christ as our Lord and Savior. I hope you know that too.  If not, trust Him today for your Salvation, because He is the only way to get to heaven.  John 14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
Having been Justified: Justification is the pardoning of guilt and the penalty of sin (legally being declared righteous because Jesus paid the penalty for our sin)
V-1 We have Peace with God:
V-2 We have Access to God: Or an introduction to Grace through Jesus Christ
V-2 We have Standing before God:
V-2 We can rejoice in the Hope of the Glory of God:
V-3 We are able to Glory or rejoice in Tribulations through the Strength of God:
V-3-4 We have Perseverance (patience or endurance), Character, and Hope from God:
V-5-8 We have the Love of God poured out in our hearts:
V-5 We have the Holy Spirit from God:
Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
   John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.
“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32
 Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten. 
hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en Don’t go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F
The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions

30 SECOND DEVOTIONAL JESUS GAVE US HIS ALL

Hi, This is Marty McKenzie with His Love Ministries. It’s the Christmas Season again, so let’s remember that Jesus gave Himself to provide the ultimate gift of salvation, when He died on that cross so that we might go to heaven. Eph 2:8-9 says For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works lest anyone should boast. And Jesus said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.' So today and every day why don’t we give the gift of our time, our resources, and our abilities, to someone in need, that’s the least we can do since Jesus gave us His all.
Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
   John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.
“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32
 Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten. 
hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en Don’t go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F
The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions

ROMANS 5:1-2 REASONS WE CAN BE THANKFUL FOR CHRIST PART 1

As we approach Christmas Day, we want to see several reasons out of Romans Chapter 5 why we should be thankful for Christ or several reasons to trust Christ if we have not trusted Him as our Lord and Savior.  This is a great passage of Scripture in which Paul tells us in the first 4 chapters that we could not make it to Heaven on our own and because of that we ought to be thankful for the many benefits of trusting Christ.  He starts out with therefore, because we have been legally declared holy and righteous through the blood of Jesus Christ, we have peace with God.  That is the first benefit and the greatest because without Christ we are His enemies as it says in Romans 5:10.  He goes on to tell us we have access to God, we have a permanent secure position (a standing before God), and lastly we can rejoice in the fact that we have a hope that one day we will be in Heaven since Jesus said we would and paid the price so we can go.  Have you thanked God today for all He has done for you, or if you have not trusted Him, the Bible says Today is the day to be saved, harden not your heart.  Let’s be thankful for the greatest Gift of all, Jesus died so we could go to Heaven.  Amen and Amen.
Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
   John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.
“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32
 Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten. 
hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en Don’t go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F
The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions

30 SECOND DEVOTIONAL WILLFUL IGNORANCE

Many people are ignorant of God’s righteousness, not because they had never been told, but because they refused to learn. There is an ignorance that comes from lack of opportunity, but some have had many opportunities to be saved. Many have an ignorance that stems from willful, stubborn resistance to the truth. They will not submit to God. They are proud of their own good works and religious self-righteousness, and will not admit their sins and trust the Saviour. Paul had made the same mistake before he met the Lord. There is a day of judgment coming and on that day it will not make any difference who you are!  Are you making the same mistake?
Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
   John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.
“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32
 Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten. 
hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en Don’t go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F
The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions

ROMANS 1:6-10 PAUL GIVES THANKS FOR THE ROMANS

Romans 1:6 among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ; 7 To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 8 ¶ First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. 9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers, 10 making request if, by some means, now at last I may find a way in the will of God to come to you.
The people of Rome
Our practice always comes from our position or who we are
Note the repetition of the word called: Paul was called to be an apostle; the believers were the called of Jesus Christ;
They were also called beloved– This means they are much loved by God, the much loved are those who have trusted Christ and are also the saints
And they were also called saints. (Not “to be” saints; they already were saints! A saint is a set-apart one, and the person who trusts Jesus Christ is set apart and is a saint.) Salvation is not something that we do for God; it is God who calls us in His grace (2Thes. 2:13–14). When you trust Christ, you are saved by His grace and you experience His peace.
Saint is a common term for believer in the New Testament. It refers more to position than condition when used this way, though the implication of holiness is strong. We are saints even though we still sin
The salutation reveals the germ ideas that the writer proceeded to develop later. This feature is also characteristic of Paul's other epistles. So far Paul said he had a message that was in harmony with the Old Testament. It was from the risen Christ, and it was for all people. Furthermore it should lead people to obey God by exercising faith in Him.
It was common for Paul, having greeted the recipients of the letter, to move on to a somewhat lengthy note of thanksgiving and prayer for the church in question (except in Galatians where he is constrained to move immediately to the question of the gospel). Such is the case here in Romans 1:8-15.
He Expressed His Care For Them (Rom. 1:8–15)
He was thankful for them or Paul praises the Romans
The personal pronoun my reminds one of similar expressions in the Psalms (3:7; 5:2; 13:3; 22:1; cf. Also Phil 1:3; Philemon 4) and reflects Paul’s deep personal relationship and dependence on God.
The first thing he wanted to do was to tell them how thankful he was for their faith and its influence.
Through Jesus Christ. Christ is the center of God’s plan for the world: He is the way in which God reached out to us and the way we in turn approach God
“Paul expressed his thanks for the Romans salvation and witness in the whole world
Rome was the center of the world and whatever happened there became known throughout the world
The whole world”— a hyperbole meaning throughout the Roman Empire, meaning the whole Roman Empire—knew of the faith of the Christians at Rome. Travel was relatively common in that day and “all roads led to Rome.” It is no wonder that the testimony of the church spread abroad, and this growing witness made Paul’s ministry easier as he went from place to place, and was able to point to this testimony going out from the heart of the Roman Empire.
It was like living in Washington DC, Las Vegas, and San Franscisco all rolled into one
Paul prays for the Romans
V9 The statement God…is my witness is a very strong expression, used by the apostle on other occasions. It probably represents an oath he had taken to pray for the church with great constancy (2 Cor 11:23; Gal 1:20; Phil 1:8; 1 Thess 2:5, 10). But it is not the frivolous kind of oaths condemned by Jesus (Matt 5:33-37; cf. Jas 5:12), but is rather Paul’s attempt to communicate his true love (expressed through prayer on their behalf) for this largely Gentile church which he had never visited—a fact which may not have gone unnoticed by the people.
God knows that Paul serves and worships Christ out of love not legalism or the fear of God
Paul had seen the shallow hypocritical religion of the Pharisees and the superstitious and pleasure seeking morality of pagan idolatry
The verb serve is from a Greek verb (latreuo„) which is connected in the Greek Old Testament (LXX) to ideas of priestly service and worship. While it may not have the idea of priestly service here, it definitely suggests imagery pertaining to worship.
He prays for them always – These saints were constantly in his thoughts and prayers
We are reminded that the real work of the ministry is prayer. Preaching is more a result of the ministry of prayer than it is a ministry itself. A sermon that does not rise from intense and heart-searching prayer has no chance of bearing real fruit."
Paul wants to come see the Romans
V10 making request if, by some means, now at last I may find a way in the will of God to come to you.
 Paul wants God through his sovereign will to work it out so that he could go to Rome
God did later as a prisoner of Rome so that Paul could have a mighty witness for God
Lessons
God places a high priority on Faith
You will never know in this life the impact you have had on other people
Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
   John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.
“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32
 Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten. 
hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en Don’t go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F
https://www.paypal.com/fundraiser/110230052184687338/charity/145555
The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions

PASTORS QUIT FEEDING YOUR PEOPLE JUNK FOOD

Please, if you are a Pastor or bible teacher and are feeding your people junk food, quit.  If you feed them junk long enough they will grow to like it and starve to death.  God’s true believers need the meat of the word. The bible says the true children of God in their inner person desire holiness and they will pursue an environment where they are aided in fulfilling those longings.  So quit falling prey to the desires of the goats in your flock and the desire to be popular and feed the lambs and the sheep as Jesus told Peter 3 times in John 21, so it must have been really important.
Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
   John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.
“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32
 Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten. 
hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en Don’t go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F
The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions

ROMANS 1:2-5 THE PROMISED GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD

Romans 1:2 which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, 3 concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, 4 and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. 5 Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name,
The promise of Christ through the prophets
V2 The coming of Christ is the prophesied culmination to a long history of expectation. Jesus Christ is not an afterthought, but the very realization of God’s plan for the world, Jew and Gentile. Indeed, Jesus himself is the gospel!
Prophets were all the writers of the OT
Paul next began to exalt the gospel that God had called him to proclaim. It was a message that God had promised, not just prophesied, in the Old Testament Scriptures.
The words "his" and "holy" stress the unique origin of the gospel.
Paul was accused of preaching a new message by the Jews
1Peter 1:10 Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, 11 searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.
Joh 5:39 "You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.
Christ was prophesied of 333 times in the OT.
2 Sam 7:12-16, Isaiah 1:18, 53:7–8 with the Ethiopian eunuch is a good example, Is 55, and Gen 3:15- first mention of the Jesus in the OT
Lu 24:25 Then He said to them, "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!  26 "Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?" 27 And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.
Paul proclaimed this Gospel was about Jesus Christ
V3 The reference to Jesus as a descendent of David according to the flesh functions on two levels. First, it makes plain that the eternal son of God took on full and complete humanity (John 1:1, 14; Phil 2:6-11). Second, the explicit link with David is not just to suggest his humanity, but also to make clear his special relationship to the line of promise. Jesus met the qualifications of one to whom the promise of 2 Samuel 7:12-16 could be made
The promise in 2 Samuel 7:12-16 is extremely important in the New Testament and the connection to it is apparent here (e.g., Matt 1:1; Acts 13:34; 2 Cor 6:18). Nathan tells David, among other things, that he will never lack a “son” to sit on his throne.
God’s good news concerns His Son, identified as Jesus Christ our Lord. This asserts Christ’s deity as basic to His person and prior to His Incarnation
Jesus was born of a virgin and delivered normally
Jesus was a historical figure written of by many ancient writers
Roman historian Tacitus in Annals
Jewish Historian Josephus in Antiquities
Pliny the Younger in Letters
Jesus was born of the seed of David, Mary was his natural parent
Matthew 1:6-16 is Mary's family tree
Luke 3:23-31 is Joseph's family tree
John makes believing Jesus came in the flesh a crucial test of orthodoxy( or having sound Biblical teachings about Christ)
1John 4:2-3
Jesus Christ is the center of the Gospel message. Paul identified Him as a man, a Jew, and the Son of God. He was born of a virgin (Isa. 7:14; Matt. 1:18–25) into the family of David, which gave Him the right to David’s throne. He died for the sins of the world, and then was raised from the dead. It is this miraculous event of substitutionary death and victorious resurrection that constitutes the Gospel; and it was this Gospel that Paul preached
V4 and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. The Gr word from which declared comes from is the word horizon which means to make distinguish. Just as the horizon serves as a clear divider between the sky and the earth, the resurrection of Jesus clearly divides Him from the rest of humanity proving without a doubt that He is the Son of God
The idea of Jesus’ universal Lordship is often connected in the New Testament to his resurrection and exaltation to a place of power and authority (cf. Matt 28:18; Acts 2:36; Phil 2:11
The term Son of God with power is used about 30 times in the Gospels
"A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic—on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg—or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse." C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity,
Jesus was always the Son of God, but the Father declared Him to be the Son by resurrecting Him. Jesus did not change in essence—He always was the Son—but in status and function. God appointed the Son to a new and more powerful position in relation to the world at the Resurrection (cf.
Matt. 28:18). He is now not only the Messiah but the Lord of all.
Jesus took on a submissive role to the father while he was here on earth
we have received grace and apostleship – a gifting as an apostle which Paul did not deserve, but we are all gifted and called to be little a apostles, ie messengers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ
V 5 is the firstreference to the most crucial part of the Gospel- salvation is a gift from God totally separate from any human effort or achievement - Eph 2:8-9
Paul probably meant that he had received the special grace (gift) of being an apostle.
Matthew 10:1-4 Jesus selected all twelve apostles-
Matthias picked by disciples in Acts 1:15-26
 Acts 9:3-9, 15-18 Paul was personally chosen by Christ when he appeared to Paul on the road to Damascus
For obedience to faith- True saving faith always produces obedience and submission to the Lordship of Jesus Christ- Romans 10:9-10, James 2:17-24
"The law lays down what a man must do; the gospel lays down what God has done.
"Someone has truly said that the Gospel is 'good news' not 'good advice,'
Faith is obedience to God because God commands everyone to believe in Christ (cf. John 6:29; Acts 17:30-31).
Lessons
God’s promises never fail
All we have is a gift from God
The Gospel is 'good news' not 'good advice
Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
   John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.
 
“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32
 
Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten. 
hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en Don’t go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F
 
The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions

30 SECOND DEVOTIONAL AS CHRISTIANS WE NEED TO REPENT

As Christians it looks like we have some repenting and some crying out to God we need to do. Just as the Israelites in the book of Judges were oppressed by others because of their sin, we too have sinned and fallen very short of the calling we have as Christians. It is no wonder we have the leaders and people who are oppressing us. Let us begin to live as we ought to and fulfill our calling as Christians, then we can cry out to God to ask Him to deliver us. 1Pe 4:17 For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?
Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
   John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.
“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32
 Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten. 
hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en Don’t go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F
The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions

INTRODUCTION TO THE BOOK OF ROMANS AND PAUL’S CREDENTIALS IN VERSE 1

Romans 1:1 Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God
Paul spent the winter of A.D. 56-57 in Corinth. There he wrote the Epistle to the Romans and
sent it by Phoebe (16:1-2) to the Roman church
PURPOSES FOR WRITING THE BOOK
Paul wrote this epistle under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit for several reasons. He wanted to prepare the way for his intended visit to the church (15:22-24). He evidently hoped that Rome would become a base of operations and support for his pioneer missionary work in Spain and the western portions of the empire that he had not yet evangelized. His full exposition of the gospel in this letter would have provided a solid foundation for their participation in this mission.
As Paul looked forward to returning to Jerusalem between his departure from Corinth and his arrival in Rome, he was aware of the danger he faced (15:31). He may have written the exhaustive exposition of the gospel that we have in Romans to set forth his teaching in case he did not reach Rome. From Rome his doctrine could then go out to the rest of the empire as others preached it. Paul may have viewed Romans as his legacy to the church, his last will and testament.
Another reason for writing Romans was undoubtedly Paul's desire to minister to the spiritual needs of the Christians in Rome even though they were in good spiritual condition (15:14-16). The common problems of all the early churches were dangers to the Roman church as well. These difficulties included internal conflicts, mainly between Jewish and Gentile believers, and external threats from false teachers. Paul gave both of these potential problems attention in this epistle (15:1-8; 16:17-20).
Paul also wrote Romans as he did because he was at a transition point in his ministry, as he mentioned at the end of chapter 15. His ministry in the Aegean region was solid enough that he planned to leave it and move farther west into new virgin missionary territory. Before he did that, he planned to visit Jerusalem, where he realized he would be in danger. Probably, therefore, Paul wrote Romans as he did to leave a full exposition of the gospel in good hands if his ministry ended prematurely in Jerusalem.
The great contribution of this letter to the body of New Testament inspired revelation is its reasoned explanation of how God's righteousness can become man's possession
VALUE
The Epistle to the Romans is, by popular consent, the greatest of Paul's writings. William Tyndale, the great English reformer and translator, referred to Romans as "the principle and most excellent part of the New Testament." He went on to say the following in his prologue to Romans that he wrote in the 1534 edition of his English New Testament.
"No man verily can read it too oft or study it too well; for the more it is studied the easier it is, the more it is chewed the pleasanter it is, and the more deeply it is searched the preciouser things are found in it, so great treasures of spiritual things lieth hid therein."
Martin Luther wrote the following commendation of this epistle. "[Romans] is worthy not only that every Christian should know it word for word, by heart, but occupy himself with it every day, as the daily bread of the soul. It can never be read or pondered too much, and the more it is dealt with the more precious it becomes, and the better it tastes."
OBJECTIVES IN STUDYING THIS CHAPTER
To be impressed with the all-sufficiency of the gospel
This first sentence (vv. 1-7) implicitly sets forth the most fundamental facts of Christianity. In particular, it shows that the main facts of the gospel fulfill Old Testament predictions.
To see how God's wrath may be directed toward our society today
Outline of the Book of Romans
Righteousness of God Revealed or Doctrinal Section Chapters 1-8
Chapters 1-2 Condemnation
Chapters 3-5 Justification
Chapters 6-8 Sanctification
Righteousness of God Vindicated Chapters 9-11 or National Section – Israel
Chapters 9- Israel’s Election
Chapters 10- Reason for Rejection
Chapters 11- Future Restoration
Gods Righteousness Applied or the Practical Section Chapters 12-16
Chapters 12 - Spiritual gifts
Chapters 13- Relationship to Government
Chapters 14-15 - Gray Areas or Doubtful Areas
Chapters 16 - Closing
Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
   John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.
“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32
 Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten. 
hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en Don’t go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F
The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions

30 SECOND DEVOTIONAL JAMES 1:19-27 BE SWIFT TO HEAR

Hi, I'm Marty McKenzie with His Love Ministries.  James 1:19-27 says that we should be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to wrath.  That we need to lay aside all sin and receive the truth that is able to save our souls.  Many of us are like the man who looks in the mirror, we see that something is wrong, but don’t do anything about it.  We are not only to be hearers of the Word, but doers.  He says if we are not doers and our faith is not expressed by good works, we are deceiving ourselves and are not saved.  So where do you stand?
Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
   John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.
“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32
 Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten. 
hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en Don’t go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F
The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions

JAMES 5:19-20 RESTORING STRAYING SAINTS

James 5:19 Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, 20 let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.
As James comes to the close of his epistle, he stresses the importance of restoring those who wander from the truth:
Restoring straying saints is a responsibility given to ALL who are truly the children of God
1Th 5:14 Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all.
Yet, it is a responsibility that is so easy to neglect, and in most cases IS neglected!
The purpose of this lesson is two-fold:
To impress upon our minds the importance of engaging in this work of restoring straying saints
To suggest how we should carry out this important work
THE CONDITION OF SAINTS WHO HAVE STRAYED FROM THE TRUTH
They are in danger of physical DEATH! - Ja 5:20
1John 5:16 If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death. There is sin leading to death.
RESTORING STRAYING SAINTS REQUIRES SPECIAL ATTRIBUTES...
PEOPLE WHO ARE SPIRITUAL
Ga 6:1 Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.
Unqualified personnel need not apply for this work
1) They might best work on themselves first, so they can help others Mt 7:3-5
A SPIRIT OF GENTLENESS - Ga 6:1
A CONSTANT SENSE OF SELF-EXAMINATION - Ga 6:1
If we are not careful, we can easily fall into the same fault!
A WILLINGNESS TO BEAR ONE ANOTHER'S BURDENS - Ga 6:2
Which involves an expense of time and energy to help the weak to overcome their faults
Our responsibility is not fulfilled by simply pointing out our brother's faults!
HUMILITY
2Ti 2:24-26 And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, 25 in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, 26 and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.
BROAD KNOWLEDGE OF GOD'S WORD - 2Ti 2:24
We must be able to teach and apply God's Word to the situation
For it is important that they respond to GOD'S word, and not just to OUR views or opinions!
PATIENCE (longsuffering) - 2Ti 2:24
The same kind that we receive from God for our faults
And Paul showed towards the church at Corinth 2Co 1:23-2:3
Of course, if repentance is not forthcoming, we can wait for only so long 2Co 13:1-2 his will be the third time I am coming to you. "By the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established."
2  I have told you before, and foretell as if I were present the second time, and now being absent I write to those who have sinned before, and to all the rest, that if I come again I will not spare——
A SINCERE DEMONSTRATION OF LOVE
Both at the time of rebuke - cf. 2Co 2:4
And at the time of repentance - cf. 2Co 2:6-8
IT REQUIRES THE PROPER PROCEDURE...
The proper procedure is outlined by Jesus in Mt 18:15-17
1) Go to the person first
2) Then take others, if necessary
3) Then tell it to the church, if necessary
If he won't hear the church, withdraw any association that might appear to give approval to their behavior cf. 1Co 5:1-13; 2Th 3:6-15;
Ro 16:17 Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them.
CONCLUSION
The work of restoring or correcting saints may be unpleasant at times, but it has the potential for great joy!
Both in heaven: "I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repents more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance." (Lk 15:7)
And in our hearts: "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth." (3 Jo 4)
It comes down to this...
Do we really love God?
Do we really love our straying brethren?
Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
   John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.
“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32
 Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten. 
hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en Don’t go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F
The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions

30 SECOND DEVOTIONAL ROMANS 1:25-32 OUR SOCIETY IS IN A DOWNWARD SPIRAL OF SIN

Romans 1:25-32 says because we worship things rather than Him our society is in a downward spiral of sin.  The crime rate for women in our country is rapidly growing upward, as our society forgets God, He leaves us to have our own way.  Romans 1:26 says even the women are involved in homosexuality along with the men.  When women fall to the same level of sin as men, our society has really left God to the point that even though they know that God will judge them they don’t care and they not only continue to sin, but egg others on to do the same thing.
Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
   John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.
“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32
 Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten. 
hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en Don’t go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F
The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions

JAMES 5:13-18 IS ANYONE SICK?

James 5:13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. 18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.
Are You Suffering
INTRODUCTION
Here we find guidance as to what to do during times of suffering and sickness
IN TIMES OF SUFFERING, LET US "PRAY" (13)
The word used refers to enduring hardness, to suffer trouble, endure affliction, to be afflicted
FOR WHAT SHOULD WE PRAY?
For the REMOVAL of the suffering, if it be the Lord's will
2Co 12:8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me.
For the STRENGTH to endure the suffering, if it be the Lord's will that we bear with it
1Co 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
God may not always remove the source of our suffering; it may be for our ultimate good
Ps 119:67, 75 Before I was afflicted I went astray, But now I keep Your word 71, It is good for me that I have been afflicted, That I may learn Your statutes. 75 I know, O LORD, that Your judgments are right, And that in faithfulness You have afflicted me.
But at least He promises to help us endure it!
FOR WHOM SHOULD WE PRAY?
Certainly for ourselves
But also for those who may be the source of our suffering
Jesus taught in Lk 6:28 "bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you
IN TIMES OF CHEER, LET US "SING PRAISES" (13)
THE WORD "CHEERFUL"... means pleasantness, agreeableness
It suggests a state of mind free from trouble--the opposite of affliction--happy!
Consider the attitude of David, the sweet singer of Israel -
 Ps 92:1-2 It is good to give thanks to the LORD, And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High;
To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, And Your faithfulness every night,
David was a man after God's own heart, shouldn't we be also?
Ep 5:18; And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord,
WHY DON'T SOME CHRISTIANS SING PRAISES MORE OFTEN, MORE PASSIONATELY?
Hasn't God done enough in our lives to prompt us to praise Him with all one's might in song?
Fortunately, God is not concerned with how it sounds, but that it is coming from the heart, therefore all who can speak can and should sing!
 Heaven is described in Revelation as a place where singing praises to God and Christ is an on-going activity
 Singing praises to God is just as important as praying to God!
 III. IN TIMES OF SICKNESS, LET US "PRAY" (14-18)
THIS PASSAGE IS DIFFICULT
Mark 2:5 When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven you."
John 5:14 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, "See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you."
John 9:2 And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" 3 Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.
1Corinthians 11:29-30 29 For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep.
There are two possible answers
This passage refers to MIRACULOUS HEALING and the elders were called because they possessed the gift of healing
Mk 6:13 And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them.
This passage refers to PROVIDENTIAL HEALING or God doing it through natural means
Lk 10:34 "So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
James uses an example of God PROVIDENTIALLY answering prayer to show its effectiveness
1) God was indeed answering Elijah's prayer
 2) But God did so, providentially, working through natural means
WITH THIS UNDERSTANDING, LETS MAKE THE APPLICATION...
In times of physical sickness, call for the elders of the church
You want the prayers of the "righteous" working in your behalf, don't you?
Notice: You are to call for them, not wait for them to call on you!
Have the elders pray with you...
1) In faith (trusting in the Lord's power to heal, if it be His will)
2) Fervently (with all your might)
In a time where hospitals were non-existent and physicians were rare, anointing with oil was a common treatment - cf. Lk 10:34
The sick should also confess their sins
Verse 15 makes it clear that sickness is not always the consequence of sin, but
But verse 16 and others (like 1Co 11:29-32) suggests that illnesses may be God's loving chastisement for sin, in an effort to direct us back to Him
CONCLUSION
We must be careful not to underestimate:
1) The importance of praise
2) The power of prayer
The importance of confessing our sins
To truly benefit from these three spiritual exercises, we need to be in a right relationship with God
Which involves being open to God's Word: He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer [shall be] abomination. Pro 28:9
And being a doer of God's will: Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. (Mt 7:21)
Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
   John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.
“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32
 Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten. 
hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en Don’t go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F
The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions

30 SECOND DEVOTIONAL JUDGMENT ALWAYS BEGINS WITH GOD'S PEOPLE

Judgment always begins with God's people. God is in the business of raising children for eternity and expects us to be a credit to Christ on earth. He does not want us to bring reproach on the Bible, expects us to be an example to those without Christ and an asset to the cause of the gospel. God is sovereignly intervening into lives to bring us back to Himself. If we stand in the way of people coming to Christ, God will do something about that. We may be obstacles and cause some people who know us reject the gospel because they see we don’t show the reality of the Gospel’s power to change lives.
Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
   John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.
“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32
 Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten. 
hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en Don’t go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F
The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions

30 SECOND DEVOTIONAL DISASTER AND THE US BEING JUDGED

The United States has a blind spot when it comes to disaster. A report stated that ‘nowhere in the world is the rising number of catastrophes more evident than here.’ Every continent has seen an increase in weather-related disasters over the last 30 years, yet none surpasses our own. Yet despite an estimated $1 trillion in damage from these disasters, Americans have so far been unwilling to take the needed steps to head off an even worse future.” Get it? God’s telling us something. We’re not listening.. America is obsessed with the so called good life and we are Ignoring God’s warnings.
Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
   John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.
“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32
 Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten. 
hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en Don’t go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F
The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions

JAMES 5:1-6 WHEN GOD GETS ANGRY AT THE RICH OR THE TEST OF RICHES

James 5:1 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you! 2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure in the last days. 4 Indeed the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. 5 You have lived on the earth in pleasure and luxury; you have fattened your hearts as in a day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned, you have murdered the just; he does not resist you. 7 Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain.
 Compared to many people in the world, we are indeed blessed; in fact, in comparison with most people who live now and who have lived in the past, we are VERY RICH!
Now, it is important to stress that God does not condemn being rich...
Some of the godliest people in the Bible were rich
Job, Abraham, Joseph, David, Solomon, Barnabas, Philemon, Lydia
However, Christ does speak of the difficulty of the rich being saved Mt 19:23-26
And there are times when God is very angry at the rich, as in our text:
As we consider this passage more carefully, we will ask and answer four questions:
Who is James addressing in this passage?
What is in store for these rich people?
Why is God so angry at them?
What applications can we draw from this passage?
WHO IS JAMES ADDRESSING IN THIS PASSAGE?
ARE THEY CHRISTIANS?
Possibly, but unlikely for several reasons...
There is no call to repentance in this passage as he would for Christians  Here there is only condemnation.
  The brethren are not addressed until verse 7, in which THEY are told to be patient in light of what has just been said
They are not addressed as "brethren" as is often done in this epistle - Ja 1:2,19; 2:1,14; 3:1,10; 4:11
MORE LIKELY, THOSE ADDRESSED ARE RICH UNBELIEVERS...
Who had been oppressing the Christians - cf. Ja 2:6
This tirade of judgment is used to comfort the brethren who were being oppressed by them -Ja 5:7
The Lord has heard their cries - Ja 5:4b
Judgment is coming upon these rich oppressors
Therefore, the Christians are told to be patient
WHAT IS IN STORE FOR THESE RICH OPPRESSORS?
MISERIES THAT WILL CAUSE THEM TO "WEEP AND HOWL"! (1-3a)
So certain are these miseries to come, that James speaks of them already occurring!
Riches are corrupted
Garments are moth-eaten
Gold and silver are corroded
When this "corrosion" of their riches occurs...
It will serve as a witness against them
It will eat their flesh like fire
 1) The anguish and misery of poverty usually affects the hardest those who were once rich!
 2) When poverty strikes, it will make them "weep and howl" as though they were on fire!
THE MISERIES SPOKEN HERE MAY HAVE REFERENCE TO WHAT LATER OCCURRED IN THE DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM IN 70 A.D.
Not long after this epistle was written, Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans
Many of the rich Jews who had oppressed their Christian brethren literally "wept and howled"
They had failed to realize was that they had heaped up treasure "in the last days" (Ja 5:3b)
Like the man in the parable of the rich fool (Lk 12:16-21), they thought they were laying up riches for their latter days
When in fact, it was the "last days" of the Jewish economy when they were so busy storing up wealth!
Like some today, who store up for retirement and then die before they retire!
Just as upon the rich man in the story of the rich man and Lazarus (Lk 16:19-31)!
III. WHY IS GOD SO ANGRY WITH THESE RICH PEOPLE?
BECAUSE OF HOW THEY GOT THEIR WEALTH...
Specifically, by withholding wages from those who had worked for them
Some people today get rich through dishonest schemes or unjust labor practices!
BECAUSE OF HOW THEY USED THEIR WEALTH...
They hoarded their wealth - 3b
They spent it on themselves with pleasures and luxury - 5 (fattening themselves like cows for the slaughter!)
They used the power that comes with wealth to oppress "the just" - 6
The manner in which they got their wealth and used it caused those who were oppressed to cry out, and the Lord heard their prayers
Now, God who is just is about to bring judgment upon these rich oppressors!
WHAT APPLICATIONS CAN WE DRAW?
WE NEED TO BE CAREFUL HOW WE OBTAIN OUR WEALTH...
To do so at the expense of others will bring God's wrath upon us! Deut 24:14,15
It is wrong to think that success can only come by stepping on others
This might be an appropriate place to add what we learn from Paul in 1Ti 6:9-10
It is not riches that are wrong, but the DESIRE TO BE RICH that is wrought with many dangers!
Riches are not wrong if they are the BY-PRODUCT of our endeavors, not the GOAL of those endeavors!
  1) I.e., one may desire to be a doctor to help the sick, and receive riches as a by-product because of the value society might place on such services
  2) But to enter such professions solely because one's goal is to get rich is wrong
So how do we obtain our wealth?
If we do it honestly and in compensation for a job well done, then God is not displeased
But if we do it by hurting others and by making wealth our primary object, then we are in danger of God's wrath!
WE NEED TO BE CAREFUL HOW WE USE OUR WEALTH...
To spend it on luxurious living when others are suffering...
Is exactly what James has described in this passage
Is an indication of the lack of the love of God - 1 Jn 3:17
According to the New Testament, the purpose of working is not to obtain wealth for our own gratification, but to help those less fortunate!
As commanded by Paul - Ep 4:28; 1 Ti 6:17-19
As exemplified by Paul - Ac 20:34-35
CONCLUSION
Living in the country and society in which we do, we have much for which to be thankful
But we also have much of which we need to beware:
We live in a society where it is quite easy to become wealthy
We live in a society where covetousness or the desire to be rich are not considered sins
We live in a society where heaping up treasures for our own gratification is considered an inalienable right!
   -- It is easy to be influenced by these values!
Perhaps we need to ask ourselves constantly: Are we laying up treasure in heaven, or on earth?
Those who lay up treasure in heaven are those who use their wealth to do good and help the poor and less fortunate - cf. Mt 19:21; 1 Ti 6:18-19
Those who lay up treasure on earth are actually storing up for themselves miseries and wrath!
   1) Miseries...when their wealth fails them in their time of true need
   2) Wrath...from God in the Day of wrath that is yet to come
Have you begun to lay up treasure in heaven by obeying the gospel of Christ?
Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
   John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.
“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32
 Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten. 
hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en Don’t go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F
The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions
 

30 SECOND DEVOTIONAL JOHN 6 FOLLOWING JESUS NO MATTER WHAT

Hi, I ‘m Marty McKenzie with His Love Ministries.  In John 6 when Jesus began to speak about the hard things of the Bible such as living for Him and Him only and that we can only come to Him if it has been granted to us by His Father, most of His followers left.  He asked the disciples will you leave too? But Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.  Most people today will not stand up for the Word of God.  They would rather compromise and go with the popular opinion than be disliked.  So which one are you a compromiser, or will you follow Christ no matter what it may cost you?
Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
   John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.
“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32
 Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten. 
hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en Don’t go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F
The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions

JAMES 4:13-17 THE TEST OF PRIDE PART 2 SUBTITLE - MAKING OUR PLANS OR THE PERIL OF PLAYING GOD

Read Ps 90 by Moses
James discusses the subject of making plans, something very relevant for us
Making plans, in of itself, is not wrong...
Paul often made plans in regard to his travels - Ac 15:36; 18: 20-21; 1 Co 16:5-9
Making plans or setting goals is a key to success in life
But there is a right way to plan, and a wrong way;
[First, let's consider the "right" way
WE CAN SUBMIT TO GOD'S WILL
We can make our plans, but we should make them conditional to God's approval - "if the Lord wills" (15)
Ps 39:5 Indeed, You have made my days as handbreadths, And my age is as nothing before You; Certainly every man at his best state is but vapor. Selah 6 Surely every man walks about like a shadow; Surely they busy themselves in vain; He heaps up riches, And does not know who will gather them. 11 When with rebukes You correct man for iniquity, You make his beauty melt away like a moth; Surely every man is vapor. Selah
This is what Paul did
"God willing" - Ac 18:21 but took leave of them, saying, "I must by all means keep this coming feast in Jerusalem; but I will return again to you, God willing." And he sailed from Ephesus
Ro 1:7 To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.
 9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers, 10 making request if, by some means, now at last I may find a way in the will of God to come to you. 11 For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established--
"if the Lord permits" - 1Co 16:7 For I do not wish to see you now on the way; but I hope to stay a while with you, if the Lord permits.
Nu 14:8 "If the LORD delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, 'a land which flows with milk and honey.'
De 19:8 "Now if the LORD your God enlarges your territory, as He swore to your fathers, and gives you the land which He promised to give to your fathers,
 1Co 4:19 But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord wills, and I will know, not the word of those who are puffed up, but the power.
 1Co 16:7 For I do not wish to see you now on the way; but I hope to stay a while with you, if the Lord permits.
 Jas 4:15 Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that."
Saying "if the Lord wills" assumes our faith in two things:
That God does have a will for us
Ec 3:11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.
Jer 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.
That God can intervene (by divine guidance) to carry out His will
IF WE REALLY WANT OUR PLANS TO SUCCEED, THEN WE WILL SEEK FIRST TO KNOW GOD'S WILL, AND PLAN ACCORDINGLY...
To a great degree, this is possible, for God wants us to:
Understand His Will - Ep 5:17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is
Be filled with His Will - Co 1:9 For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;
Prove His Will - Ro 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
When we know God's "revealed" will from our study of the Bible, then we can act or plan accordingly
The right way to plan is to show our submission to God by leaving our plans subject to His will – Do we pray, God will this bring you Glory
  Mt 7:7 "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
There is also God's "permissive" will
Now let's look at the "wrong" way in "Making Our Plans"
WE CAN IGNORE GOD'S WILL – What are our motivations
v13-15 TO PLAN THIS WAY IS FOLLY
Because life is COMPLEX (v13)
So many decisions to make, so many mistakes might be made
If it's possible to know God's will on any matter, that would increase the likelihood that our decisions and plans will be correct
Because life is UNCERTAIN (v14a)
No one has a guarantee of tomorrow
Luke 12:16-26 – Parable of the rich man – your soul will be required
Pr 27:1 Do not boast about tomorrow, For you do not know what a day may bring forth.
Gal 1:6-7 Sow you reap
Only God can bring about what He wills for the future without fail
Because life is FRAGILE (14b)
It is like a "vapor"
How quickly we can succumb to sickness or an accident illustrates how frail we really are
Because life is BRIEF (14c) About 18 different descriptions in the Bible for how brief life is.
"appears for a little time “Job 9:25-26 Now my days are swifter than a runner; They flee away, they see no good. 26 They pass by like swift ships, Like an eagle swooping on its prey.
Job 14:1 "Man who is born of woman Is of few days and full of trouble. 2 He comes forth like a flower and fades away; He flees like a shadow and does not continue.
v15 Life is short, so it is important that we do God's will and not our own - cf. 1Jn 2:17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.
v16 TO PLAN THIS WAY IS BOASTFUL ARROGANCE and Sin – Wrong Priorities
The word arrogance comes from the word wanderer, the person who wanders around like those who sell cure alls for everything. A person who mounted a platform or soapbox to sell phony things.
To plan without taking into consideration God's will is to set ourselves up above God Himself!
How could one be more arrogant than that?
Ps 37:4 Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass.
Mt 6:33 Seek ye first
TO PLAN THIS WAY IS SIN (v16-17)
v16 It is sin because it involves arrogance and boasting which is evil
v17 It is sin because we who are Christians know better
We know what is good: to plan with God's Will in mind
To do otherwise is to sin!
CONCLUSION
How do we make our plans? – deo Volente – Means If God Wills was found on the letters of people who wrote them 100 years ago.
If we plan without considering the will of God, then we are foolish, arrogant, and sinful!
If we make our plans subject to the approval of God, then we are wise, submissive, and righteous in God's sight!
What about your "plans" for eternity?
There is no doubt what the Lord's will is on his subject - cf. Mt 28:19-20
We can be certain if we submit to God's will He will take care of our needs
But to ignore His will is trouble
Have you done "as" the Lord wills?
We need first a willingness to do God’s will when we find it
Know that His will is always in Harmony with His Word
We need to come to Him earnestly in prayer seeking His guidance in all matters
Lu 11:2 So He said to them, "When you pray, say: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.
Psalm 40 and verse 8 he said, "I delight to do Thy will, O my God,
The psalmist also says in Psalm 143 verse 10, "Teach me to do Thy will for Thou art my God." It's as if he is saying in one place I want to do it, and in another place I'm not sure I know how. I delight in doing it, teach me specifically how. Basic to one's relationship to Christ then is doing the will of God.
Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
   John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.
“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32
 Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten. 
hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en Don’t go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F
The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions

30 SECOND DEVOTIONAL TO SUM UP JAMES 1

To sum up James 1 it says we are going to have trials in our life, we are going to be tempted, and we need to follow God’s Word and work for Him.  If we keep our joy in trials, overcome temptation, clean up the sin in our lives, and reach out to those who afflicted and downtrodden, then God has mighty things in store for us.  James 1:27 says Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.  Do you want to be used mightily of God? If so, then follow these principles.
 
Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
   John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.
“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32
 Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten. 
hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en Don’t go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F
The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions

JAMES 4:1-10 HOW TO END WARS OR THE TEST OF PRIDE

Introduction
In chapter four and most of chapter five, James answers the question, "What happens when faith fails?" What if you do not exercise faith? What if you are a Christian, but you do not live by faith, believing continually what the Lord Jesus has said and done. What happens? First, wars and fighting break out, and the direct cause is a lack of prayer. Prayer is an example of faith. Prayer is the perfect expression of faith, because prayer is the manifestation of dependence upon God. James traces this whole matter of wars, fighting, arguments, and disagreements among us to a lack of prayer. That is the trouble. We fight with each other because we do not ask God for anything. We do not take from him the nature of love and compassion that he offers us, but we would rather lash out at one another and fight with one another. So it is a direct result of the lack of faith that wars and fighting break out.  A depending on self instead of God.
Daniel 2:21 And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise And knowledge to those who have understanding.
He gives us two reasons for worldliness in the church
Our desires and envy.
War is a fact of life in spite of treaties and world peace organizations
But can you believe wars between believers in Christ
He describes three types of conflicts going on in the world
WAR WITH EACH OTHER (v1, 11-12)
 V1Surely "brethren" ought to live together in love and harmony
Ps 133:1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brethren to dwell together in unity!
Yet often they do not
Lot quarreled with Abraham
Absalom created a war with his father David
The disciples of Jesus argued over who would be greatest
Paul and Barnabas had great conflict over John Mark
Churches in the New Testament often had problems...
At Corinth
1) Brethren were suing each other
2) They were competing in the public assemblies
In Galatia - brethren were "biting and devouring" one another
Even at Philippi - two women were having trouble getting along with each other
In this epistle James gives several kinds of conflicts among brethren:
Class wars (upper class, middle class, and lower class - 2:1-9
Employment wars - 5:1-6
Church fights - 1:19-20; 3:13-18
Personal wars
Notice 4:11-12 we are admonished not to speak evil, nor to judge one another
The consequences of worldliness -1. A lack of prayer corporately or individually with God
WAR WITHIN OURSELVES (1-3)
Our desire for things to satisfy our pleasures (like power, possessions, etc.) is what makes us fight with others
Putting it simply, the key problem is "SELFISHNESS"
SUCH SELFISH DESIRES LEAD TO...
Wrong Actions (2)
"you murder...you fight and war"
not literally, but certainly so in God's sight – an ongoing attitude of hate towards someone
1Jn 3:15 Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
Wrong Praying (3)
The kind of praying that goes unanswered
Because the prayers are for selfish motives
Man finds it hard to get what he wants, because he does not want the best; God finds it hard to give because He would give the best, and man will not take it.
George MacDonald
III. WAR WITH GOD (4-10)
Here is the root cause of every war!
Rebellion against God!
...those at war with others are also at war within themselves...
...because they are first at war with God!
HOW DOES A BELIEVER DECLARE WAR AGAINST GOD?
By being friendly with God's enemies!
James mentions three enemies we must not associate with if we want to be at peace with God:
The World (v4) That is, human society that is contrary to God
a) Any conduct, belief, thought...which is anti-God, anti-Christ
   To be a friend of such...Makes one an enemy of God!
Makes one a spiritual adulterer or adultereress!
Suppose that in a certain community lives a man and his wife who love each other very much. Across the street lives a man who develops a hatred for the woman’s husband. One night he invades their home and kills him. Although he is arrested, a loophole in the law allows him to escape punishment, and he is released to return to the community. Now imagine that in a few short weeks you see the widow and her husband’s murderer walking down the street together. Her hand is slipped into his arm and she looks smilingly into his face. She says to him, “I’m so happy.” What would you say about a woman like that? Surely, you would brand her as disloyal to her husband’s memory and unworthy to bear his name. We must never forget that this godless world hated Jesus enough to kill Him. One who walks hand in hand with a system headed by our Lord’s enemies and becomes friendly with them is disloyal to Jesus Christ. Only those who keep themselves “unspotted from the world” (James 1:27) have a right to bear the name Christian. Let’s avoid all unholy alliances. -P.R.V. Quoted from Our Daily Bread
2 Co 6: 17 “Therefore ‘Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you.” 18 ‘I will be a Father to you, And you shall be My sons and daughters, Says the LORD Almighty’.”
The Flesh (v1,5)
   1) The unlawful desires that would lead us away from God
   2) These desires wage war within us, but we must not give in to them
1Pe 2:11-12 Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, 12 having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.
3) Such desires are in direct conflict to what the Spirit of God would have us to be and do
Ga 5:16-17 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.
4) To submit to these unlawful desires (works) of the flesh sets one contrary to God and His Spirit!
The Devil (v6-7) v6 parallels Romans 12.1
1) Pride is Satan's greatest temptation
2) When we give into pride, we become friends of the devil and enemies of God
v7 HOW TO ENJOY PEACE WITH GOD
Submit To God (v7)
Literally, "get into your proper rank"
Unconditional surrender to God is the only way to victory!
Submission is saying: "Not my will, but Thine be done" Luke 22:42
Resist The Devil (v7)
He is behind every war that we have
But if we just resist, then he will flee!
James 4:7“Like many sheep ranchers in the West, Lexy Fowler has tried just about everything to stop crafty coyotes from killing her sheep. She has used odor sprays, electric fences, and ‘scare-coyotes.’ She has slept with her lambs during the summer and has placed battery-operated radios near them. She has corralled them at night, herded them at day. But the southern Montana rancher has lost scores of lambs—fifty last year alone. “Then she discovered the llama—the aggressive, funny-looking, afraid-of-nothing llama. ’Llamas don’t appear to be afraid of anything,’ she said. ‘When they see something, they put their head up and walk straight toward it. That is aggressive behavior as far as the coyote is concerned, and they won’t have anything to do with that. Coyotes are opportunists, and llamas take that opportunity away.’” Apparently llamas know the truth of what James writes: “Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you” (4:7). The moment we sense his attack through temptation is the moment we should face it and deal with it for what it is. Barry McGee, Denver Post
Draw Near To God (v8)
And He will draw near to us!
How do we do this?
   1) "Cleanse your hands" - Get your sins forgiven!
   2) "Purify your hearts" - Be single-minded in your devotion to God! (not double-minded, like a spiritual adulterer)
Ps 66:18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, The Lord will not hear.
Pr 1:28 Then will they call upon me, but I will not answer; They will seek me diligently, but they shall not find me:
 Pr 8:17 I love them that love me; And those that seek me diligently shall find me.
 Isa 58:2 Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways: as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God, they ask of me righteous judgments; they delight to draw near unto God.
 Jer 29:13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
 Ho 5:15 I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me earnestly.
Humble Yourselves In The Sight Of God (v9-10)
It's possible to submit outwardly and not be humble inwardly
True mourning for our sins is how we can humble ourselves before God
The end result of such humility. God will lift you up! - v10
1 Peter 5:6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,
CONCLUSION
If we obey these four instructions, then God will draw near to us, cleanse us, and forgive us!
ONLY THEN WILL THE "WARS" CEASE!
For we will not be at war with God
So we will not be at war within ourselves
And we will not be at war with others!
As Solomon wrote in the Book of Proverbs:
When a man's ways please the LORD, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him. (Proverbs 16:7)
Are we diligent in making sure our ways are pleasing to the Lord?
Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
   John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.
“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32
 Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten. 
hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en Don’t go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F
 
The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions

30 SECOND DEVOTIONAL JAMES 1:1-12

Hi, I'm Marty McKenzie with His Love Ministries. In James 1, verses 1-12 it says to count it all joy when you fall into various trials, to consider the reason for your trials, to count on God in your trials, to call on God in your trials, and to consider the rewards of passing trials.  When you go through a trial do you follow these guidelines God gives, or do you pray for God to take it away, or try to get out of it by manipulating circumstances?  God says trials make us mature in our walk, more Christ-like.  Do you want to be like Him?
Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
   John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.
“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32
 Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten. 
hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en Don’t go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F
The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions

JAMES 3:13-18 HEAVENLY WISDOM VERSUS EARTHLY WISDOM OR THE TEST OF WISDOM

What is the wisdom of the world? You deserve the best, get all you can no matter how you get it. He who dies with the most toys wins. Use people, lie, cheat, steal use women, to get what you want. Don’t deny yourself anything. Psychiatrists can help you; the Bible is a fairy tale.  Man’s wisdom was a spiritual plague in Jerusalem and Paul addressed this in his first letter to the Corinthians
Isaiah 29:14 Therefore, behold, I will again do a marvelous work among this people, A marvelous work and a wonder; For the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, And the understanding of their prudent men shall be hidden."
1Corinth 1:18- 2:9, 13-14, 16, 3:18-21
In the Old Testament book of Proverbs, we are encouraged to seek after wisdom
Pr 3:13-18; 4:7-9
Pr 11:30 ¶ The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, And he who wins souls is wise.
Ps 111:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever.
 Pr 1:7 ¶ The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Pr 9:10 "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
Solomon in 2Ch 1:10 "Now give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people; for who can judge this great people of Yours?"11 And God said to Solomon: "Because this was in your heart, and you have not asked riches or wealth or honor or the life of your enemies, nor have you asked long life-but have asked wisdom and knowledge for yourself, that you may judge My people over whom I have made you king-12 "wisdom and knowledge are granted to you; and I will give you riches and wealth and honor, such as none of the kings have had who were before you, nor shall any after you have the like."
Pr 4:5 Get wisdom! Get understanding! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth.
 Pr 4:7 Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding.
 Pr 16:16 ¶ How much better to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.(NKJV)
Ps 14:1 The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, They have done abominable works, There is none who does good.
 Ps 53:1 A Contemplation of David.>> The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, and have done abominable iniquity; There is none who does good.
De 4:5 "Surely I have taught you statutes and judgments, just as the LORD my God commanded me, that you should act according to them in the land which you go to possess. 6 "Therefore be careful to observe them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes, and say, 'Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.'
Chapter 2
Likewise, in the New Testament we are exhorted to walk with wisdom
Ep 5:15-17
But in Ja 3:13-18, we learn that there is more than just one kind of wisdom (READ)
Today we will take a look at what James describes as "Heavenly Wisdom Vs. Earthly Wisdom"
v13 Who is wise and understanding Let him show it by his conduct.
Jas 3:13 ¶ Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct (General Conduct) that his works (Specific acts of Conduct) are done in the meekness of wisdom. and even shown by (our attitude (Meekness)
General Conduct, Specific acts of Conduct and even shown by (our attitude (Meekness)
Meekness or power under control
v14 If you have bitter envying and strife, don’t lie against the truth
Romans 2:20-24
James does so by making several contrasts;
A CONTRAST or difference IN THEIR "ORIGIN"
1john 2:15-16 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world----the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life----is not of the Father but is of the world.
EARTHLY WISDOM IS NOT FROM ABOVE (15)
It is EARTHLY
Worldly Wisdom that is according to the world's standards
But this wisdom is foolishness to God
1Co 1:20 Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?
It is SENSUAL
Appealing to the senses, the emotions, the passions
Wisdom according to what FEELS right (but that doesn't make it right)
It is DEMONIC
The kind of wisdom possessed by the devil and his angels
A wisdom that often finds its origin in the influences of Satan!
HEAVENLY WISDOM IS FROM ABOVE (17) Job 28:27 Then He saw wisdom and declared it; He prepared it, indeed, He searched it out. 28 And to man He said, 'Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, And to depart from evil is understanding.'"
It comes from GOD - cf. Ja 1:17
It comes via PRAYER - cf. Ja 1:5-8
A CONTRAST or difference IN THEIR "CHARACTERISTICS"
EARTHLY WISDOM (14,16)
Full of BITTER ENVY
Possessing SELF-SEEKING IN THE HEART
Phil 2:3-5 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. 5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,
This wisdom commends as virtues such qualities as:
Power or authority to force others to do whatever you want them to do
Position or prominence, a standing in society
Privilege or freedom from rules others are held to
Prestige or fame which leads to conceit
2corinth 10:12 For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.
It was this kind of wisdom...
That prompted Satan and his angels to rebel against God
Isaiah 14:14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.'
That prompted the disciples to argue over who would be the greatest in the kingdom Mt 18:1
HEAVENLY WISDOM (17) Wisdom is always linked to good behavior and equated to salvation The fear of the Lord is wisdom, Mt 7:26 wise builder, Mt 24 wise servant, Mt 25 Wise virgins and 5 foolish, 1Co 1:22 For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom;
 23 but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness,  24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
Pr 4:13 Take firm hold of instruction, do not let go; Keep her, for she is your life.
It is first PURE or uncontaminated by worldly desires
Above all else, it is true to God's Will
Not one to compromise truth for the sake of peace
Ga 1:8-9 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.
Then it is PEACEABLE
Holding firm to the truth, it makes every effort to be at peace - cf. Ro 12:18
For example, speaking the truth in an attitude of love -cf. Ep 4:15
GENTLE - Manner
That is, kind in one's dealings with others
Not harsh, even when right and dealing with those who differ
2 Ti 2:24-25 And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient,25  in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth,
WILLING TO YIELD
Not in matters of truth
But in matters of opinion - Ro 14:1 Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things.
In matters of liberty - Ro 14:19-21 Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another. 20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are pure, but it is evil for the man who eats with offense. 21 It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak.
FULL OF MERCY
Quick to forgive the offenses of others
Wisely understanding one's own need of mercy - cf. Ja 2:13
Producing GOOD FRUITS
Notice verse 13, where it says we are to show by our conduct our true wisdom and understanding
This wisdom takes one beyond being a HEARER to being a DOER
            Ja 1:22
Understanding that "faith without works is dead" - Ja 2:26
WITHOUT PARTIALITY
Showing no respect of persons - cf. Ja 2:1-13
Rather, treating all fairly, on the same basis
WITHOUT HYPOCRISY
Indicating that all of the above is not an "act", a "show"
But that it comes from a heart desiring to please God, not man In contrast, the wisdom God gives has several characteristics. It is pure, meaning free of the defilements mentioned. It is peaceable, namely, peace loving, peace-practicing, and peace-yielding. It is gentle or considerate of
others. It is reasonable, that is, open to reason and willing to yield to reasonable requests. It is full of mercy in that it is actively sympathetic to the needy, and it is full of good fruits (good works). It is unwaveringly single-minded in its devotion to God rather than double-minded. It is, finally, without hypocrisy, namely, true to appearances. "Thus 'purity' is not just one quality among others but the
key to them all."
[Certainly the superiority of "Heavenly Wisdom" over "Earthly Wisdom" is apparent in this passage.
III. A CONTRAST or difference IN THEIR "FRUITS"
EARTHLY WISDOM (16)
Causes CONFUSION
And EVERY EVIL THING
Makes you wonder what kind of wisdom...
Is behind church splits
Is often manifested in some congregational meetings
HEAVENLY WISDOM (18)
Produces PEACE, instead of confusion
Bears the fruit of RIGHTEOUSNESS, instead of every evil thing
This list is like the fruit of the spirit (gal 5:22-23)
CONCLUSION
Certainly when we compare their ORIGIN, NATURE and FRUITS, the wisdom to be preferred is "HEAVENLY WISDOM"
What kind of wisdom do we have?
Those who have "EARTHLY WISDOM" boast of theirs (14)
While those who have "HEAVENLY WISDOM" show theirs by their good conduct done in meekness (13)
What kind of wisdom do we want?
If EARTHLY, then no effort is necessary
      1) Just do what the world tells you
      2) Just do what feels right
But if HEAVENLY, then we must be hardworking
      1) To seek such wisdom from God
      2) To demonstrate such wisdom by our conduct
What kind of wisdom do you have in regards to the gospel of Christ?
EARTHLY WISDOM makes no response to the gospel, or if any, only that which is convenient
HEAVENLY WISDOM receives the commands of the gospel joyfully and obediently
Mk 16:15 And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.
Mt 28:19-20  "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20  "teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.
Have you demonstrated "HEAVENLY WISDOM"?
Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
   John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.
“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32
Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten. 
hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en Don’t go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F
The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions

30 SECOND DEVOTIONAL JAMES 1:13-18 IS IT A TEST OR TEMPTATION

James 1:13-18 tells us that God does not tempt us, but He does test us.  He says we fall prey to temptation when we are consumed by our desires.  That trial is test from God and a temptation from the Devil. God wants us to pass and the Devil wants us to fail.  He will truly bless us when we do not sin.  He says blessed is the man when he has endured temptation.  Do you realize when you sin that you missed out on a blessing that God wanted to give you?
Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
   John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.
“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32
Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten. 
hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en Don’t go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F
The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions

JAMES 3:2-12 THE TONGUE AND HEAVENLY WISDOM VERSUS EARTHLY WISDOM

V2. Because we all "stumble in many things"
Everyone has faults, and with many people the improper use of the tongue is a major one
But it takes spiritual maturity ("a perfect man") not to stumble in word!
This should not discourage any from trying to find out if teaching is a gift that they might have if nurtured along, but one should proceed with humility and caution.
THE UNTAMABLE TONGUE v3-12
THE ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE BIT AND RUDDER v3-4
V3 A bit controls a horse Psalm 39:1 I said, "I will guard my ways, Lest I sin with my tongue; I will restrain my mouth with a muzzle, While the wicked are before me."
V4 1. A rudder controls the ship
So our tongue controls the body... Sequence is Think, say, do.
If you speak a lie, it won't be long before you find yourself living a lie
If you speak suggestively in an evil manner, it won't be long before you begin acting evil!
The power of the tongue to direct is easily applied to the dangers of teaching...
The teacher can easily set the mood or direct the crowd in an encouraging way, or just as easily direct the crowd in a discouraging way
the power to direct by the tongue should humble those who teach
THE ILLUSTRATION OF A LITTLE FIRE v5-6
V5 A small fire can easily cause great destruction (Great Chicago Fire 1million acres in 3 states)
A loose tongue can ruin one's reputation… boasting
It can also destroy churches, families, friendships, business’s
v6 James describes an uncontrolled tongue as;
A fire, Prov 26:20-26
A world of evil or iniquity
So set among our bodies that it defiles the whole body
Ecclesiastes 5:6 Do not let your mouth cause your flesh to sin, nor say before the messenger of God that it was an error. Why should God be angry at your excuse and destroy the work of your hands?
That which sets on fire the course of nature, sphere of influence it destroys everything around you
That which is itself set on fire by hell! 2Kings 23:10 And he defiled Topheth, which is in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, that no man might make his son or his daughter pass through the fire to Molech. King Josiah removed the idols, the valley became a refuse heap which always burned
The Devil is described as an accuser of the brethren Rev 12:10,
The Devil is described as a liar and murder John 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
Should not this power to destroy and corrupt both ourselves and others caution us in becoming teachers?
THE DIFFICULTY OF TAMING THE TONGUE v7-12
V7 Despite being able to tame wild animals, man is unable to tame the tongue!
Gen 1:26 Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. Gen 9:2 again we have control after the flood
 V8 It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison! Ps 140:3 They sharpen their tongues like a serpent; The poison of asps is under their lips.
Ps 52:1-5
Gossip -  Prov 17:9 He who covers a transgression seeks love, But he who repeats a matter separates friends.
Pastor’s advice Woman was told to cut the hole in a pillow, the next day go back and pick them up
PG 62 poem about gossip
Flattery - Ps 55:21 The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, But war was in his heart; His words were softer than oil, Yet they were drawn swords.
Ps 64:3-8
By himself no MAN can tame the tongue, But with GOD'S help, we can tame it
Ps 141:3 Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips.
And with GOD'S help, we MUST tame it
Ep 4:29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.
Co 4:6 Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.
V9-10 As one more example of how difficult it is to tame the tongue, James uses a very common (and fitting) problem
blessing God and cursing men
Something we are very likely to do, even on Sundays
    1) We spend time in worship, blessing God
    2) But after church, someone may give us a hard time for going to church or irritate us somehow
Racists and bigots are often guilty of "blessing God and cursing men"!
v11-12 The illustrations of a spring, a fig tree and a grapevine, James shows the inconsistency of this!
What comes forth is a true indication of what is inside
Just as Jesus taught in
Mk 7:20-23 And He said, "What comes out of a man, that defiles a man. 21 "For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 22 "thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. 23 "All these evil things come from within and defile a man."
Despite all the praises we offer God, it is the curses against man that reveals the true person inside!
In CONCLUSION
These examples of the misuse of the tongue should humble and caution all those who would become teachers
But they should also serve as a warning for us all, whether we teach or not, that we need to seek God's help in controlling the tongue!
May David's prayer be our own:
 Psalms 19:14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.
Lastly, remember v11-12
The true believer in Jesus Christ will not contradict his profession of faith by the regular use of nasty and offensive words
Mt 7:15-23
Do you know Christ? If so prove it by taming your tongue with God’s help
If not then, trust Him today:
Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
   John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.
“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32
Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten. 
hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en Don’t go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F
The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions

30 SECOND DEVOTIONAL 1 JOHN 1:5-2:2 ARE YOU REALLY A CHRISTIAN

In 1 John 1:5-2:2, it says that God is light and in Him is no darkness, in other words He is pure and holy and has no hint of any thing to do with error or sin.  It goes on to say we cannot walk in fellowship with Him if we live in sin and error.  If we say we have fellowship with him and live in Sin and error, we are liars and do not live according to Jesus standards for Christians and are not really Christians.
Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
   John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.
“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32
Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten. 
hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en Don’t go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F
The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions

JAMES 3:1 THE SERIOUSNESS OF THE TEACHING POSITION OR THE TEST OF THE TONGUE

James 3:1 My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment.
This is a time where "verbal abuse" is epidemic, and where "self-proclaimed teachers" teach all sorts of wrong things and claim to be an expert. Tongue can encourage, discourage, gossip, flatter, curse
Moses spoke rashly with his lips Psalms 106:32-33, Isaiah said he was a man of unclean lips in Isaiah 6:5, Job in 40:4 Behold I am vile, what shall I answer you. I lay my hand over my mouth, Mt 26:33 Peter, I will never be made to stumble, before he denied Christ
If you can control your tongue you should be able to control the rest of your body
4 other times in James he talks about the tongue: 1:19, 26, 2:12, 4:11, and 5:12
THE "WARNING" v1-2
   V1 "LET NOT MANY OF YOU BECOME TEACHERS"
James doesn’t say, "Let not many BE teachers", But rather, "Let not many of you BECOME teachers"
This passage is not talking only of those who try to BE teachers before they are ready, but a warning that many should not even BECOME teachers in the future!
Not EVERYONE should become a teacher at some point in their service to Christ!
Paul illustrated time and again that the body of Christ has many members, and not all members have the same function or spiritual gift
         1) To the saints at Rome - Ro 12:3-8
         2) To the church at Corinth - 1Co 12:12-31
1Co 12:29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles?
Peter taught that that we should use our spiritual gifts to the fullest
1Pe 4:10-11 As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 11 If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Every believer is to teach, but not all are gifted to be in the office of teacher/preacher
He 5:12-14 12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. 14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
WHY MANY SHOULD NOT BECOME TEACHERS -Always telling others what to do. I’m in charge
Teachers shall receive "a stricter judgment" Mt 25:21 "His lord said to him, `Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.'
There is great responsibility involved in teaching others, lead to truth or lead them to error
Just as with elders those who teach will be held accountable if they mislead others!
He 13:17 Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.
Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
   John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.
“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32
Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten. 
hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en Don’t go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F
The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions

PERSONAL OPINIONS VS SCRIPTURAL TRUTH

Our prayer is that, as Christians, we would not view others’ differences in opinion regarding the scriptures as a personal attack. Our hope is that each of us would search the scriptures as the Bereans in Ac 17:11 did to see if these things were so and do the study for ourselves with an OPEN mind to what God says about Himself.  Our interpretation of what God says is far less important than what God actually says. It is important that we do not allow our personal opinions and views to shape our interpretation of scripture; rather, we should allow for scripture to shape our views. In the end, scripture must be allowed to speak for itself—God must be allowed to speak for Himself.
2Peter 1:19 And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; 20 knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, 21 for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. (NKJV)
Acts 17:11 These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so
Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
   John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.
“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32
Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten. 
hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en Don’t go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F
The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions

JAMES 2:14-26 WHAT KIND OF FAITH DO YOU HAVE PART 2

v20-26 DYNAMIC FAITH or Real, Living Faith, Saving Faith
WHAT KIND OF FAITH IS THIS?
We know from other passages that this faith is based upon the Word of God
Ro 10:17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Saving faith involves the WHOLE MAN
 The MIND understands the truth about Christ
The HEART rejoices in the truth with sorrow over sin and joy over God’s mercy and grace(This is called repentance)
The WILL acts upon the truth submitting to Christ and trusts in Him alone as the only hope of salvation.
True, saving faith, then, LEADS TO ACTION
It is not intellectual examination
It is not emotionalism
It is that which leads to repentance, trusting in Christ and authentic obedience in doing good works
TO ILLUSTRATE, JAMES REFERS TO TWO WELL-KNOW PERSONS: ABRAHAM & RAHAB
You could not find two more different people, shows that salvation is offered to everyone
Abraham was the father of the Jews; Rahab was a Gentile!
Abraham was a godly man; Rahab had been a sinful woman, a harlot, a prostitute
Abraham was the friend of God; Rahab had belonged to the enemies of God!
What did they have in common? Both exercised saving faith in God!
Hebrews 11:8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.
Hebrews 11: 31 By faith the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who did not believe, when she had received the spies with peace.
   V 20-24 Abraham demonstrated his saving faith by his works
Ge 15:6 And he believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.
30 years before he offered Isaac in Gen 22, believed He and Isaac would return Gen 22:5
Romans 4
Ga 3:5 Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? -- 6 ¶ just as Abraham "believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." 7 Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. 8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, "In you all the nations shall be blessed." 9 So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.  
V 25-26 Rahab demonstrated her saving faith by her works
Joshua 2:8 Now before they lay down, she came up to them on the roof, 9 and said to the men: "I know that the LORD has given you the land, that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land are fainthearted because of you. 10 "For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were on the other side of the Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. 11 "And as soon as we heard these things, our hearts melted; neither did there remain any more courage in anyone because of you, for the LORD your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath.
We learn from this passage that:
 v17,20,26 Faith without works is a DEAD faith –
 v24 That "faith only" (the only time this phrase is found in the Scriptures) cannot justify one
 v22 That PERFECT faith necessitates works
CONCLUSION …..Friend of daughter only 18 in a car wreck probably will die or be paralyzed for life
It is important that each professing Christian examine his or her own heart and life, and make sure that they possess true saving faith
Satan is the great deceiver; one of his devices is imitation a. If he can convince a person that counterfeit faith is true faith then he has that person in his power!
Here are some questions we need to ask ourselves as we examine our faith:
2 Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? ----unless indeed you are disqualified.
      Was there a time when I honestly realized I was a sinner and admitted this to myself and to God?
   Was there a time when my heart stirred me to flee from the wrath to come?  Have I ever been seriously sorry for my sins?
   Do I truly understand the gospel, that Christ died for MY sins and then rose again?  Do I understand and confess that I cannot save myself?
   Did I sincerely repent of my sins, making the decision to turn from them?  Do I now hate sin and fear God?  Or do I secretly love sin and want to enjoy it?
   Have I trusted Christ and Him alone for my salvation by responding to the commands He has given?  Have I confessed my faith in Christ and then been baptized as Jesus and His apostles commanded? Baptism is commanded as a witness to others that you have been saved.
   Has there been a change in my life?  Do I maintain good works, or are my good works occasional and weak?  Do I seek to grow in the things of the Lord?  Can others tell that I know Jesus?
   Do I have a desire to share Christ with others?  Or am I ashamed of Him?
   Do I enjoy the fellowship of God's people?  Is worship a delight to me?
   Am I ready for the Lord's return?  Or will I be ashamed when He comes for me?
May our prayer be similar to that of that of David in Psalms 139:23-24
             "Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxieties; "And see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."
Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
   John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.
“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32
Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten. 
hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en Don’t go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F
The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions

JAMES 2:14-26 WHAT KIND OF FAITH DO YOU HAVE PART 1

Christian Life has 2 dimensions:
Faith in God
Love towards Men sum of the Ten Commandments
Faith is an essential element in the Christian life:
Without faith, it is impossible to please God –
He 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
The Christian is saved by faith - Ep 2:8-9
The Christian’s faith is going to produce good works,
Ephesians 2:10 We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them”
The Christian is to walk (live) by faith - 2Co 5:7 For we walk by faith, not by sight
The Christian is to show faith out of love for God
Gal 5:6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love.
Whatever we do apart from faith or against our conscience is described as sin
Ro 14:23 But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin. Explain
It is important to realize, that there are different kinds of faith, but only one that is true "saving faith"
In James 2:14-26, we find James discussing the different three kinds of faith, with an emphasis upon that faith which will save the soul
v14 If someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can this faith save him? is the key verse
James deals with Liberalism – Saved and can live any way you want to
Paul Deals with Legalism – Can be saved by works
Works are the proof of Salvation, not the path of Salvation
DEAD FAITH (14-17)
   V15-16 Substitutes words for deeds (consider James' example)
People with this kind of faith:
            1) Know the correct vocabulary for prayer and principles
            2) Can even quote the right verses from the Bible
But their "walk" does not measure up to their "talk"!
Is only an INTELLECTUAL faith
In one's mind, he or she knows the way to get saved
But they have never really submitted themselves to God and trusted in Jesus for salvation
They know the right "words", but they do not back up their words with their "works"!
CAN THIS KIND OF FAITH SAVE?
NO! Three times in this passage, James emphasizes that "faith without works is dead" –
James 2:17, 20, 26 – Uses three different examples of dead faith - No works, false compassion, shallow conviction
Any declaration of faith that does not result in a changed life and good works is a false
declaration:  A DEAD FAITH!
Dead faith is counterfeit faith and lulls the person into a false confidence of eternal life
C. DO WE HAVE THIS KIND OF FAITH?
We do, if our life does not measure up to our TALK!
We do, if our WORKS do not measure up to our WORDS!
Mt 7:16 "You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? 17 "Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 "A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 "Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 "Therefore by their fruits you will know them. 21 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. [We need to beware of mere mental faith.
2 Timothy 3:7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
1Jo 3:17 But whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? 18 My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. 19 And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him.
As Warren Wiersbe said, “No one can come to Christ by faith and remain the same, any more than he can come into contact with a 220-volt wire and remain the same."
1Jn 5:12-13 He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.
v18-19 DEMONIC FAITH shallow conviction
PERHAPS TO SHOCK ANY SMUG or Self Satisfied READERS, JAMES REMINDS US THAT
      EVEN "DEMONS" HAVE A KIND OF FAITH!
They believe in God
They even believe in the deity or divine nature of Christ
Mk 3:11-12 And the unclean spirits, whenever they saw Him, fell down before Him and cried out, saying, "You are the Son of God." 12 But He sternly warned them that they should not make Him known.
They also believe in the existence of hell
Lk 8:31 And they begged Him that He would not command them to go out into the abyss.
They believe Jesus will be the Judge! - Mt 8:28-29 When He had come to the other side, to the country of the Gergesenes, there met Him two demon-possessed men, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no one could pass that way. 29 And suddenly they cried out, saying, "What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?"
WHAT KIND OF FAITH DO "DEMONS" HAVE?
V19 The demons "believe and tremble")they tremble out of fear of God, not respect
CAN THIS KIND OF FAITH SAVE?
NO! A person can be educated in his mind and even stirred in his heart and still be lost forever!
True saving faith involves something more, something that can be seen and recognized: a changed life! (cf. Ja 2:18)
Being a Christian involves repentance, trusting Christ and living for Christ!
You first RECEIVE the life of Christ
Romans 8:9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. The Spirit of Christ is the Holy Spirit
Then you REVEAL the life of Christ living in you
Do we have the same kind of faith as the demons?
We do, if our service to God does not go beyond...
Intellectually clinging to the right beliefs
Emotional experiences while attending services
Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
   John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.
“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32
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