God has spoken in His Son

I will be preaching about the meaning of the incarnation from Hebrews 1 and 2 which proclaims that the coming of Jesus is God’s final and decisive revelation of Himself. The purpose of His coming was to make purification for our sins.

Brother Keepers

James’ final exhortations have to do with the life of the local church community. Last time we were told to confess our sins to one-another and to pray for one another.
This week James exhorts us to bring back those among us who have strayed from the truth. This ministry of rescue and restoration is not merely the responsibility of the leaders/Elders, but every believer is called to be a brother keeper. It is also important that we go about this ministry of rescue and restoration in a loving gentle way.
Great blessing results when wandering sheep are restored to the Lord’s flock.

Some of you might be thinking to yourselves, “it is almost Christmas. Why are we still in James?”
The message of the incarnation is about Jesus coming to rescue us from sin and to restore us to fellowship with God.

Community Confession and Prayer

When you hear, “confess your sins to one another” what comes into your mind. Those from certain backgrounds picture going into a small booth where they tell a priest about their sins with the hope of receiving absolution. Other might picture an AA/12 step meeting in which everyone takes turns describing their struggles with their addictions.

James is not telling us to confess our sins to a human priest, but to one another in the church community. The purpose is that we can help each other, especially by praying for one another.
For what James is describing to happen, the church community must consist of humble, loving people who are willing to be vulnerable with each other.
We also need to be careful to confess our sins to one another in appropriate ways and in proper settings.

We also are to pray for one another, realizing that our prayers are powerful. James teaches us that the fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. James uses Elijah as an example of a righteous man who prayed effectual prayers so that we will be encouraged to pray for one another.

Are you in the habit of confessing your sins to your brothers and sisters in Christ? Does anyone really know you?
Are you praying for us, especially in our spiritual struggles?

As we pray, we can trust God to do more than we could have imagined (Eph. 3:20-21).

Pray in All Circumstances

Sometimes you may come to church wondering if the sermon is for you.
Our text this week speaks to each of us.

Are you suffering?
Are you cheerful?
Are you sick?

The answer in every situation is to turn to God in prayer.
Prayer is mentioned in each verse from James 5:13-18.

While the answer to the first two questions is simple (v. 13), the answer for the sick person is one of the most challenging texts in James.
The sick person is to call for the elders who are to pray for him and anoint him with oil.
The Roman Catholics use this text as the basis for their unbiblical sacrament of extreme unction for the dying.
Some Pentecostals and charismatics use this as the basis for their belief that healing will always take place for those who have enough faith.
Should we still call for the elders when we are sick? What is the significance of the oil? How should we explain when healing doesn’t take place?

Thirsting for God

Psalms 42-43 go together. They are Psalms of lament with an almost identical refrain. 42:5 42:11 43:5.
These Psalms are of special value to believers who feel overwhelmed or struggle with depression.
We can relate to the Psalmist as he describes his own spiritual drought, longing for God to satisfy his thirst.
He also describes his situation as being overwhelmed by the floods of sorrow.
Yet within this Psalm we find the answer to our despair. “Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him.”

Martyn Lloyd-Jones used Psalm 42 in the first chapter of his famous book, “Spiritual Depression”.
He tells us that a key to overcoming depression is to stop listening to ourselves (complaining and worrying) and to start talking to ourselves (about the hope we have in God).

Please read Psalms 42-43 before coming to church.

God Speaks Through His Word

This Sunday I plan to complete our consideration of Psalm 19.
Last week we looked at the first six verses which declares how God speaks to all humanity through His creation (General Revelation)
This week we will consider the Lord’s speech to His people through the Scriptures (Special Revelation) in verses 7-11, and then our response in verses 12-15.

As you read over Psalm 19 before coming to church consider the following questions:

Do you notice that the first six verses use the name God and verse seven and following use LORD. Why do you think that this is?
How are general revelation similar to each other? How are they different?
Where can you see the gospel in this Psalm?