3D
Book of James Series I
INTRO: In 1999, State Farm Insurance provided a rating on the best and worst intersections in the USA. They found out that the corner of Belt Line Road & Midway Road in Addison, Texas in the suburb of Dallas was the worst in the nation. How bad? The intersection had 263 crashes reported that year! That’s an average of 5 a week. Heck, that’s worse than Highway N & Duello.
TRANSITION: Well this morning we are going to talk about a crash, for sometimes we cross dangerous intersections in life. The title of this lesson is 3D, which really has no specific intent other than to serve as a reminder of the three aspects covered here. And all three resemble crashes
BIBLE VERSE: James 1:5-8
5If any of you lacks wisdom (some translations imply “deficient in wisdom”), he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.
1. DEFICIENT:
Mentally Defective: Here is a tough line, but Dictionary.com observes that “a person who is deficient, is one who is mentally defective.” If our walk is deficient, where do we start over?
Burglars in Florida: A surveillance video tape shows two burglars, heads covered, attempting to breakinto a home while inside a fenced-in backyard of a suburban neighborhood. After repeated attempts to shake the hinges of the door open, one of the future convicts decides to gather himself about 15 feet a way and squat down in a football stance. At breakneck speed, he dashes his head into the back glass patio door knocking himself senseless.
THAT’S MENTALLY DEFECTIVE. HERE’S ANOTHER…
T-Bone Steak Clubbing: A civil action occurred in the home of a Florida couple when the 53 year old woman engaged in a high level discussion with her live-in boyfriend. It appears that a dispute which began over what to serve at dinner ended with a clubbing. As the pair debated whether to eat rolls or sliced bread, the woman grabbed her uncooked 16 ounce steak and pummeled her boyfriend over the head. Officers observed that the victim had “slight redness on his right cheek and on the crown of his head.”
YEAH…THAT’S MENTALLY DEFECTIVE. BUT WHEN WE TURN TO THE BIBLE, WE LEARN THAT IT DOESN’T TAKE MUCH TO BE DEFECTIVE, LET’S LOOK THERE NOW…
Transition: You know, there are many ways to use our head, and these are not one of them. The actual goal for our head is to gain wisdom & knowledge from God…so how do we do that?
BIBLE VERSE: Job 36:5
Behold, God is mighty, and despiseth not any, he is mighty in strength and wisdom.
(So ultimate wisdom comes from God).
BIBLE VERSE: Proverbs 14:6
The mocker seeks wisdom and finds none, but knowledge comes easily to the discerning.
(Wisdom is given to those who seek honestly).
BIBLE VERSE: Proverbs 1:7
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
(So, is it even possible to be wise without fearing the Lord?). To repair a mentally defective mind, we must start with increasing our fear of the Lord.
2. DOUBTING:
Why Doubt? Well, first there is a difference between a doubter and a questioner, someone who is skeptical and someone who is cynical. If a person is skeptical, they can be shown truth or be proven false, and they will accept it. If they are a cynic (or as Proverbs calls them a mocker), nothing matters regardless of what you tell them.
Movies: I love movies, I think all of America loves movies. Often enough, the movie gets to a real suspenseful part, and once and a while the main character says a prayer to God. The odd thing is how sincerity doesn’t seem to matter. “God, if you are there God, please heal my wife.”
Now, God can totally heal the man’s wife, true. But, praying to a God they are not sure is there, demonstrates doubt, not something to get in the habit of doing.
BUT DOUBTING IS SOMETHING CHRISTIANS DO TOO:
BIBLE VERSE: John 11:7-16
7Then he said to his disciples, "Let us go back to Judea."
8"But Rabbi," they said, "a short while ago the Jews tried to stone you, and yet you are going back there?"
9Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours of daylight? A man who walks by day will not stumble, for he sees by this world’s light. 10It is when he walks by night that he stumbles, for he has no light."
11After he had said this, he went on to tell them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up."
12His disciples replied, "Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better." 13Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.
14So then he told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead, 15and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him."
16Then Thomas (called Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with him."
Establishing Thomas’s Credibility: If we understand the situation, here is Jesus, announcing that he is going to go back to Judea, a place that just tried to kill him. Most logical people would suggest here that this is a bad idea. But if we look here, knowing what is at stake, what does Thomas say at the end of this passage? He states “let us also go, that we may die with Him.” Prior to all the doubts surrounding Jesus, Thomas was the one who was willing to die with him.
BUT HE STILL DOUBTED. LOOK HERE…
Doubting Thomas: Thomas gets a bad rap for history’s sake. 2000 years of souls have now gone to be with the Lord already familiar with the nickname given to him: Doubting Thomas. I am sure he gets tired of it but probably hears about it daily (I’m joking of course). But Thomas was doubting, despite the fact that he was a believer, that’s odd huh?
-He was a fisherman (joined with Peter when fishing at night)
-He was a follower of Christ
-He was an apostle (one of the original 12)
-He was loyal
-He was committed
-And…he DOUBTED!
BIBLE VERSE: John 20:24-25
24Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!"
But he said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it."
3. DOUBLE-MINDED:
BIBLE VERSE: Jesus said you cannot serve both God and the things of man.
The character of James: Who was James? Well, there are 3 James’s listed in the N.T. The first is the disciple James, brother to John. These two were called the Sons of Thunder, but it seems apparent that this is not James for Herod had him killed long before the book was written.
The 2nd James is called “James the Less,” he was the son of Alphaes. The life described in this book do not match him either, which brings up the 3rd and final alternative.
James, is actually the biological younger brother of Jesus Christ himself, born of Mary. Could you imagine having Jesus as an older brother? Mom would say, “Why can’t you be more like Jesus?” That would be a tough act to follow.
Role of James: Later we find out that James became an important leader in Jerusalem, had met with Paul (Paul writes in Galatians of meeting James personally). James becomes Pastor, and Acts 4 talks about persecution and oppression, later on poverty and other problems. According to Josephus, he was stoned to death in about 69 A.D.
HOW AWESOME IS THAT? THE BIOLOGICAL BROTHER OF JESUS ACCEPTS HIM AS SAVIOR!
NO DOUBLE-MINDEDNESS HERE IS THERE?
BUT WHAT IS DOUBLE-MINDED?
Example of Single-Mindedness:
BIBLE VERSE: Luke 6:40
40A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher.
Example of Double-Mindedness:
BIBLE VERSE: Matthew 6:24
24"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.
Single-Mindedness:
Of course, one of the goals of discipleship is to become like one’s teacher (Luke 6:40) and to be transformed into the likeness of the Savior (cf. Rom. 12:1-2) who was the supreme example of single-minded devotion to the Father
Double-Mindedness:
What, then, does a lack of commitment do to a person’s ability to serve the Lord? As Matthew 6:24 and Luke 14:26-27 show us, a lack of commitment disables and leaves one enslaved to wrong values which in turn create wrong loves, wrong priorities, and wrong pursuits. The result is that when faced with difficult, costly choices, the partially-devoted or double-minded believer can never make the right choices whereas a single-minded devotion of commitment gives one the freedom to make the right choices through a new set of heavenly and eternal values, priorities, and pursuits.
Sources:
Keathley, J. Hampton III. Mark #5: Single-Minded Devotion to God, Marks of Maturity: Biblical Characteristics of a Christian Leader, bible.org.
3D
Book of James Series I
INTRO:
BIBLE VERSE: James 1:5-8
5If any of you lacks wisdom (some translations imply “______________________ in wisdom”), he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6But when he asks, he must believe and not __________________________________t, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8he is a __________________-________________ man, unstable in all he does.
1. _______________________________________
Burglars in Florida:
T-Bone Steak:
BIBLE VERSE: Job 36:5
Behold, God is mighty, and _________________________ not any, he is mighty in strength and wisdom.
BIBLE VERSE: Proverbs 14:6
The ____________________ seeks wisdom and finds none, but knowledge comes easily to the discerning.
BIBLE VERSE: Proverbs 1:7
The __________________________r of the ________________________ is the beginning of wisdom.
2. ________________________________________
Why? Provide some reasons: _____________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
BIBLE VERSE: John 11:7-16
Thomas:
BUT HE STILL __________________________________
BIBLE VERSE: John 20:24-25
3. _________________________________________
James:
Example of Single-Mindedness:
BIBLE VERSE: Luke 6:40
40A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be _____________ his teacher.
Example of Double-Mindedness:
BIBLE VERSE: Matthew 6:24
24"No one can serve ________________________________________. Either he will ____________ the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and ___________________________ the other.