PONDERING... Do You Have A Praying Perspective? (James 5:13-20)

VIDEO

Do You Have A Praying Perspective? (AM Sermon Notes)

(First Sunday back inside, with restrictions, after COVID-19 pandemic.)

GIST: Prayer should be our constant perspective—including in times that appear hard, happy, hurtful, or hopeless. 

SCRIPTURE: James 5:13-20

This morning is kind of a big deal for several reasons. Most obvious for anyone attending services today, we’re actually offering an “inside edition” for the first time since March 15th. It’s been twelve Sundays since we’ve walked through those doors together, and nine of those were before it was advisable to conduct outdoor services. I do not know what the future will hold, and I am not immune to the nerves that come from opening those doors after being physically distanced for so long, but I do know these two things. First, God is still good and still moving and doing something beautiful today, and second, it’s just good to see even your mask covered faces in person ☺️.  (In fact, I’ve been told this is a good look for me☺️!) 

What might be less apparent to many of you, especially if you’ve been unable to track with our online messages, is that we’re coming to the end of our James study we started back in February. This is exciting, at least for me, because we’re coming to the end of our third book study together! That’s always a bittersweet moment. I love this letter and have benefited so much from studying it with you. That being said, we’re going to dive into the last seven verses here, James 5:13-20. In the interest of your time and our abbreviated services, I’m going to give you the gist first, then we’ll pray and walk through the passage together. So, here’s the big picture of this final passage in James’ letter telling believers what they need more than anything else is a true and active faith. He ends by telling them to… pray. Oh, how we need to not just hear this but actually let it transform our lives! Here’s our gist: Prayer should be our constant perspective—including in times that appear hard, happy, hurtful, or hopeless. We’ve actually had 2 point sermons for, I believe, the last month or so, but this one is a four-pointer. Don’t freak out though, none of the points will be too long ☺️. 

So, we have a praying perspective first→ 

I. IN TIMES THAT ARE HARD

Look at the first part of verse 13. “13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray.” Let me just make two quick observations here, and I will try to be quick because I realize I tend to go much longer on my first points and then condense as I go. I’m going to try and do the opposite this week, partially for fun ☺️, but mainly because this is actually a point James has been developing from the very beginning of the letter when he started by talking about us facing trials of various kinds. So here’s the question for this section: 

How do we handle pain and setbacks? What do we do when life isn’t going well, when everything is crumbling, when it’s difficult to find the energy to face each day? Complain? Rant? Try to solve our problems in our own strength? Maybe just get in the fetal position and cry? Does any of that accomplish anything? No. We can’t solve these problems, but we know the one who can! So→ 

When life is hard, remind yourself of who God is and come to Him in prayer. Oh, I’ve said this several times in the past, but I need to hear this as much as you, prayer shouldn’t be our last resort but our primary objective! Is 2020 getting you down? Don’t post about it. Pray. Come to Him. Seek His face. Remember His grace. And do the same thing→ 

II. IN TIMES THAT ARE HAPPY

Look at the second part here. “Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise.” Now, this might seem like the easier one, but it’s not. It’s actually easier to cry out when you realize you need help. My kids call for me all the time when they need me. If they’re hurt or frustrated or mad at the injustice of their siblings, I hear about it. When they’re hungry, they moan in despair. However, when we actually give them food, they don’t typically spend a lot of time thanking us for it. Our kids are awesome, but they’re just as sinful as we are, and we all need to remember this truth this morning. 

Don’t seek Him in the valley and forget Him on the mountain top! When everything is going well it’s easy to let yourself believe that you got yourself here. You didn’t. You’re experiencing His grace in a more tangible way in those moments, so take time to→ 

Sing Praise! Make a joyful noise and thank Him, speak of His goodness, and provision, and plan. This singing might look different for each of us, and we all know it sounds different ☺️, but I cannot express enough the importance of lifting up our hearts in praise to Him. Really, we have the same principle here as above→ 

When you’re rejoicing, remind yourself of who God is and come to Him with prayers of praise!

So, have a praying perspective in times that are hard and happy and→

III. IN TIMES THAT ARE HURTFUL

This next portion is a passage that has given interpreters fits over the years and has led to many erroneous practices because entire doctrines have been based on this passage without any outside context. Admittedly, there are some difficult thoughts here, and I am more than willing to talk about these after the service or on the phone with anyone who’s so inclined. However, rather than muddy the waters, I just want to focus on what we can see clearly here because, as Alistair Begg reminds me every week, the main things are the plain things. Let’s take verse 14 first.

“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.”

First, we have a picture of the sick taking the initiative and calling for the elders, the spiritual leaders of the local church, to come. They would then pray and anoint the sick with oil. That anointing probably had a twofold purpose. Traditionally, this was symbolic of the Holy Spirit coming upon someone. However, oils were also widely used at this time for medicinal purposes. Either way, this was done in the name of the Lord, so the point is the same. They are coming and committing your healing to God’s will. I think that part we can wrap our minds around fairly well. It’s the next part that gets more complicated.

“15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.” What has complicated this passage for so many is that it seems to imply physical healing for any who pray with the right kind of faith. However, what is being pointed out here is bigger than that. Just like when you’re hurting or happy, what you need more than anything else when you’re ill is to have your eyes focused on Jesus. Doing so puts you in the right position for receiving the kind of healing you need. Let me just make a couple observations here. 

1. We won’t always get the healing we expect. Remember, for a believer, being with Jesus is the ultimate healing, so death might be exactly the answer to our prayers for restitution...just not in the way we were looking for. 

2. We will always get the healing we need. This is key. He brings up sin here and piggybacks it in with the context of physical sickness, not because all sicknesses result from sin but some do. So, if you’re ill and you’re seeking God’s face and your illness has nothing to do with any particular sin, that’s ok. You’re in the right spot for receiving His grace anyway, and you’re looking where you should be for the hope you need! But, if your sickness is the result of sin, well won’t this kind of praying put you exactly where you need to be to experience that conviction and forgiveness? 

3. There is an emphasis here on the importance of Christian community. I know I say this a lot, but we’re not meant to face this life isolated from other believers. We’re meant to come alongside one another. When we’re ill, we should pray for each other and remind each other of God’s sovereignty. When we’re struggling with sin, we need to have strong Christian friends and mentors, people who are living this life with us, in whom we can confide and with whom we can pray. This is the body of Christ. We’re meant to walk together. There is much healing in a body of believers which clings to Jesus together, calling sin “sin”, and loving each other for Him through everything. 

4. Prayer is central here, and the healing comes from God. Too often this passage can be used to emphasize the importance of types of faith or the roles of types of ministers. That’s not the focus. The focus is we need prayer to remind us that we need Jesus, and He’s the one who does all the healing anyway!

So we need a praying perspective in times that are hard, happy, hurtful, and also→ 

IV. IN TIMES THAT SEEM HOPELESS

Look with me at the last portion of this chapter. “The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. 18 Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.” Oh, that’s awesome isn’t it? Three observations.

1. Prayer is Powerful. This isn’t just something we mumble before we eat or sleep. Prayer is talking directly to the King of the Universe. And it’s powerful→ 

2. Because God is Powerful. Elijah did incredible things because he went to God in prayer. Elijah wasn’t special. God is special. Elijah just listened to Him.

3. So why are we worried about tomorrow? Whatever you’re facing right now that seems out of your hands, whatever concerns are crushing you, have you prayed about them? There’s no such thing as hopelessness when you belong to Jesus. That doesn’t mean you can do whatever you put your mind to. That’s just a graduation card. But you can do whatever He puts your mind to! Those He purposes He equips!

And He does have a beautiful purpose. Look at the last two verses here. Then, we’ll close. “19 My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, 20 let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.”

This Is The Ultimate Hopelessness. Wandering from the truth and finding ourselves trapped in the sin you know you can be set free from just results in Hell. And this is→ 

A Real Danger. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been a church goer. You need to take up your cross every day and follow Him for real. It’s a slow fade, guys, as we compromise and slip away. And this is→ 

Our Real Purpose. You want to face unseens and unknowns? You want to have the kind of faith that is firm in the midst of storms? Pray always and have this purpose— pointing others always to Jesus. This world is broken. God isn’t. Sin is a slippery slope that leads straight to Hell. Let’s not be so bogged down by the concerns of life that we miss this mission. People need to see Him. They need to be transformed by Him. Do we spend our time speaking to Him? Are we pointing people back to the cross? Or, are we just biding our time?

Let’s just recap here for our→ 

TAKEAWAYS

How can we have a faith that is real and transformative? Prayer should be our constant perspective. That means…

1. In times that are hard.
2. In times that are happy.
3. In times that are hurtful.
4. In times that seem hopeless. 

Come to Jesus in prayer.

PONDERING... Are Your Priorities Empty? (James 5:1-12)

VIDEO

Are Your Priorities Empty? (Virtual Sermon Notes)

GIST: The pursuit of empty, self-seeking priorities results in eternal punishment, but the patient, purposeful perspective of Jesus results in permanent peace. 

SCRIPTURE: James 5:1-12

We’re getting very close to the end of our study together in James. We started this before COVID-19 was even a word any of us had ever heard and then continued it mainly through our time of social distancing. It’s been a blessing for me to dive into these passages each week, and I pray they’ve spoken to your hearts, as well. Typically, next Sunday would be when we’d start our Summer in Psalms back up, but we’re so close to finishing up James, we’re going to wrap it up before we jump back into Psalms.

That being said, today we’re going to look at the first 12 verses of James chapter 5. I know. Last week we only covered 1 verse, but don’t freak out, I’ll still be considerate of your time ☺️. Throughout this letter, James has been telling these early Christians, who were spread all over the world and experiencing lives very different and much more challenging than they had expected, they need true faith, and he’s been painting us a picture of what it looks like to really live that! The passage we’re coming to today comes right after that summary point we looked at last week. If then, we know what to do and don’t do it, that’s sin. Following that, we’re faced with both a warning and an encouragement. I thought about dividing them up, but they seemed too paired for me to do that. So, let me give you my overly alliterated gist statement, then we’ll pray and dive in! Gist: The pursuit of empty, self-seeking priorities results in eternal punishment, but the patient, purposeful perspective of Jesus results in permanent peace. 

I. EMPTY PRIORITIES=ETERNAL PUNISHMENT

After telling us to actually live active lives for Jesus, the first thing we see pictured here is really→ 

Empty Priorities. Look at verses 1-3 real quick. “1 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. 2 Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days.” Let me start by addressing the context a bit here. Clearly, the specific form of empty priority being drawn out here has to do with wealth. However, this is not a blanket statement against money, but rather a clear picture of what the love of money does. And before you feel any kind of relief too soon here, keep in mind that loving money isn’t always the same thing as having it. I heard Alistair Begg quote, I believe, J.C. Ryle as saying “you can love money without having it and have money without loving it”. And as someone who has never had much, let me just say, I know this is completely true. Wealth, in itself, is not evil. It is the selfish and wicked use of wealth and the longing after it at all costs that so often leads to corruption.

That’s the picture we have here. All this stuff that they’ve based their lives around is decaying around them and their foundation is falling out from under them. Guys, this is a truth we have to hold onto and hold onto hard. If we are putting our identity and our hope in anything or anyone except Jesus, it will not stand the test of time. It will fade. It will decay. It will let us down. So devoting our lives to this is running headlong toward our own condemnation. That last line is really key. It says, “their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days.” That picture of eating our flesh like fire reminds us of Hell. The eternal punishment waiting for all those who reject Christ and put their hope in themselves. Then that final sentence emphasizes the futility of it all by reminding us that this is happening “in the last days”! Time is short! Don’t waste it on empty pursuits. You’ll never have enough money to fill your heart. 

Then, the second warning we get here is that→ 

Pride Hurts Us...And Others. Look at verse 4. Not only are these wealthy individuals hoarding emptiness, but→ “4 Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts.” Let me just make two observations here. The first is a warning. Don’t take advantage of other people. I know that seems like basic human decency, especially since our culture has been so influenced by Biblical teachings, but it’s not the reality we live in. Our world is out to get what it can from whoever it can, and if others get the short end of the stick, that’s ok as long as you came out on top. Don’t by into that garbage. We are called to love God and love people. Pride destroys both of those in one decisive blow.

The second thing I’ll point out here is an encouragement. James assures both his readers and the selfish rich that these sins have not gone unnoticed. They have reached the throne of God, the Lord of Hosts. This is a picture of God as the powerful leader of an immeasurable army. Man, I love this! James is telling his readers the Lord, who is great in power, has heard the cries of the oppressed. Be assured; this will not go unpunished! 

Now, that’s not a call to some kind of vigilante justice. There will be justice, but it won’t come from you… but I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself here, so look at verses 5-6. Here we have a sort of→ 

Summary And Bridge.  “5 You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you.” First, we see the condition of those seeking these empty priorities. They have→ 

Fat Hearts On Slaughtering Day. Listen, it’s not good to be fat on slaughtering day! The “day of slaughter” is referring to the final judgment—when these self-indulgent will be punished, and the imagery is profound. Before an animal is taken away to be slaughtered, it’s fattened up. The picture here is of an animal knowing they will be killed if they continue to eat in excess but doing it anyway. That’s nonsense! But, that’s the reality of people enslaved by their own sin. It’s killing us, but we’re doing it anyway.

The second thing we see is in that last little line “he does not resist you”. There has been a lot of speculation about what exactly this might be referring to, but it seems most likely to be referencing the→ 

Righteous Reaction. Either the Christian does not resist because he can’t because he’s too impoverished or powerless to stand against these oppressors, or they wouldn’t anyway because of their changed perspective. Both fit in this context, but especially the latter given what James continues with, which is why I wanted to present these together today. There is no physical abuse or verbal attack coming from the saint. Why? Because the Lord of Hosts has heard! The sinful nature within us makes us long for “justice” and “retribution”—both nice words we use to cloak our true intentions—revenge and pride. Instead, we’re called to the → 

II. PATIENT, PURPOSEFUL PERSPECTIVE= PERMENANMENT PEACE

Yeah, I know. That’s a lot of Ps. I can’t help myself ☺️. Let’s run through this. First, James tells us to→ 

Be Patient. I don’t even have to read the verse for this one to be convicting, right? We don’t typically do well with patience in our culture. We’re used to getting what we want when we want it and have missed out on the beauty of waiting on Jesus. Look at verses 7-8a. “7 Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. 8 You also, be patient.”He tells these believers, in light of the condemnation of the sinful, to be patient until the coming of the Lord. Like a farmer waiting for the much-needed water—without which his crops will die—we are to wait on our vitally needed Savior, who is at hand! Don’t envy the wicked, but look forward to what really matters, that precious fruit: Jesus Christ! And while you wait, → 

Keep Your Eyes On His Truth. The rest of verse 8 says to “Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.” That’s the precious fruit we’re waiting for: seeing Him and bringing as many people with us as we can! It’s easy to lose sight of that and to waiver in our convictions when we’re feeding on the emptiness of this world. Cling to His Word and dig deeply into it. Hold on to His truth, and→ 

Don’t Waste Time Complaining. Verse 9 should provide a nice little kick in the teeth here. “9 Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door.” Don’t grumble. Don’t gossip. Don’t waste your words by using them to tear others down and by so doing bring judgment on yourself. → 

Instead, Remember His Compassion & Mercy. Verses 10-11 hold this beautiful truth. “10 As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.” This is the permanent peace part! You want to know what this patient and purposeful perspective looks like, look back at the prophets. They were called by God with a message to deliver, just like us, and as they went out… their lives weren’t always easy. Yet, they remained faithful and God used them, and now they’re experiencing His grace in ways beyond our comprehension. James tells us to think about Job who suffered so much but was then given back twice as much as he lost. This isn’t a picture of what will necessarily happen here on earth, but the beautiful illustration of God’s heart! He is compassionate and merciful and pours that out on us every day if we’ll look for it. Moreover, a day is coming when we’ll experience that compassion and mercy face-to-face!

Then, this section ends with a verse some feel is out of place here. “12 But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your "yes" be yes and your "no" be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.” It almost directly parallels Jesus’ exhortation in Matthew 5. But what does it mean? How does it fit here? As we wait for Him, we are to stand firm in our faith, but this isn’t just an intellectual thing. We need to strive to actually live like Christ. As such, we should be living lives of integrity and uprightness. Oaths are unnecessary when we are living in the truth. So, as we be patient, we keep our eyes on the truth, we don’t waste our time complaining, but we remember His compassion and mercy And Have The Integrity Of A Transformed Heart. That’s when we’ll experience the permanent peace of Heaven rather than the eternal punishment of Hell awaiting all those who live only for themselves. 

Ok, so some quick→ 

TAKEAWAYS

1. Empty priorities will lead to Hell. Let’s not sugarcoat it. If you’re living for yourself and have become a slave to whatever makes life a little easier, a little better, a little more comfortable—even if that might cost someone else, even if that might require bending on the moral convictions found in God’s Word— you’re worshiping yourself, hurting those around you, and running headlong toward one destination only: Hell.  

2. Be patient and remember your purpose. You aren’t here for you. Life is bigger than that. Don’t let your pride rob you of what you were made for! You were made to be with Him and to be used by Him here to point others to this truth!

3. Be patient and remember… He’s coming back! This world isn’t all there is. We’ve been talking the past two weeks about the brevity of our lives. We’re vapors, but so is this world. This whole timeline we call human existence is just a bleep compared to the vastness of eternity! And this isn’t just something we tell each other to make us feel better about our “bad days”. It’s true. He’s coming back. He’s only delayed because He’s not done saving people yet, but that day IS coming! Rejoice, look forward to it, and let that perspective drive your...every day! 

PONDERING... What If You Just… Don’t? (James 4:17)

VIDEO

What If You Just… Don’t? (Virtual Sermon Notes)

GIST: There is good we’re meant to do, but we don’t have forever, so don’t get weary and don’t put your “good” in a box.

SCRIPTURE: James 4:17

Today, we’re going to wrap up James 4. Last week, we just left this one verse. However, the implications of this verse are the summation of a point James has been making throughout the letter. Essentially, the true Christian life will be actively lived. It’s not just a label we put on. It’s also bigger than just not doing certain things. Because we’ve had a heart change, our desires are being transformed. There are two sides to that coin. Because we have been changed, there are things we will not do. However, because we have been changed, there are also things that we will do. Missing out on either side of that is an issue, but James zeroes in on the latter. You might hear this referred to as the difference between sins of “commission” versus sins of “omission”. Most of the time when we think of sin, we think of it in the terms of just not doing bad stuff. Don’t kill people. Don’t look at pornography. Don’t steal stuff. But when you read the Bible, you see it’s much bigger than that. When Jesus was preaching the Sermon on the Mount, He took all these moral expectations the Jewish community had embraced and flipped them upside down. He pointed out that it wasn’t enough just not to do bad stuff, it was about the heart behind those actions...or inactions.

Here, James has been building up this picture of Christian living— true, active faith that’s lived— and he makes this statement, which many agree was probably a common phrase at the time. Nonetheless, he frames it in a very dynamic context.  From the beginning of this letter, he’s told us to face trials with joy knowing God is good and can use even our struggles to grow us closer to Him, to be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger, to actually do what the Bible teaches, to control our tongues, to be impartial in our sharing of the gospel, to be merciful, to care for those in need, to avoid mindless arguing and complaining, to seek God’s wisdom and not our own, and (as we studied last week) to only make plans with reference to God’s ultimate sovereignty. Then, he says this. Look at James 4:17→ 

“17 So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.”

Simple truth, but such meat for us to digest today. And I feel like this is especially hard hitting for most of us studying this together today. See, James says, if you know and don’t do, that’s sin. If you’ve been exposed to God’s Word, you’re amongst those who know better. We’re without excuse. I have a pretty wordy gist for us today, but it’s also my points and my takeaways, so don’t get too intimidated ☺️. Gist: There is good we’re meant to do, but we don’t have forever, so don’t get weary and don’t put your “good” in a box. 

I don’t want to keep you long, but I do want us to break down the practical implications of this verse, so let’s dive in.

I. There Is Good We’re Meant To Do.

Works Prepared. A few months back when we were still meeting inside our building without masks on ☺️, I referenced Ephesisan 2:8-10.  Verses 8-9 are often quoted because they remind us that our faith is the gift of God and is not the result of works. Unfortunately, verse 10 often gets left out, but you need it to get the whole picture here. We’re saved by Jesus alone! And we’re saved on purpose with a purpose. Look at what Ephesians 2:10 says, “10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

This is expressing the same truth as our verse this morning. We are called to actually do stuff. We should be actively loving God and loving people. We should be digging into His Word and coming to Him in prayer and sharing Him with those we communicate with (I would say “around us”...but that is a more limited circle right now ☺️). AND here's the deal, every day God is providing you opportunities to serve Him in so many different ways, and if you know that (which if you just read those words, you at least do now!), then it’s a→  

Sin To Not. We spin our wheels doing so many things, don’t we? I know I do. I know I waste so much time on empty pursuits. They’re not inherently evil, but they’re robbing me and others of the blessing of being used by God to do what I was actually called to do! We were created for good works, and→ 

II. We Don’t Have Forever.

Remember last week? We’re just→ 

Sinful Vapors. Our time on this earth is limited. We’re not guaranteed tomorrow. So we must→ 

Live Intentionally. That one hits me hard. Guys, this is a call to prioritize. I don’t mind saying that. I even kind of like thinking about it. But I’m not good at doing it. I’m not good at always following through on actually spending my time wisely for Him. Pray for me. I need His constant support in this. Pray for each other, because I’m sure I’m not in this boat alone. And as you strive to live this intentional life for Jesus→ 

III. Don’t Grow Weary.

Galatians 6:9 is one of those verses I find myself quoting pretty often. I’m usually using it to try and encourage someone else, but I think I’m probably the one who needs to hear it most. In the context of telling the Christians in Galatia they will reap what they sow, Paul gives this encouragement. “9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”

Guys, it’s easy to give up. It’s easy to put on the “church stuff” cloak and go do some kind of service project, or outreach, or VBS, but then just take it off and go back to “normal living” because maintaining that would just be too exhausting. Christian living will not be easy, and there will be times that you feel overwhelmed and burdened. It will be tempting to tell yourself lies like, “well, no one else tries as hard as I do” or “I’m the only one giving this much anyway”. I know. I’ve been there too. But don’t let weariness rob your joy! Persevere knowing the harvest is coming, even if you never see it! 

And as you do that→ 

IV. Don’t Put Your “Good” In A Box.

I know that probably just sounds like I was stretching for a point, so let me explain what I mean here ☺️. We’re all called to→ 

Righteous Living & Gospel Sharing. That’s what our lives should all be about. However, we have to be very careful not to confuse that with→ 

Churchy Doing. Now, I know this can be taken the wrong way, so please hear me out. Too often, we can allow ourselves to get away with not actually serving Jesus actively with our lives by doing “church stuff” and calling that good. Now, that doesn’t mean those things aren’t valuable or purposeful, but too often, they’re just not enough, and sadly, sometimes they’re not helping spend the gospel or grow our own faith at all. Just coming to church won’t save you. And just coming to church isn’t enough for you to say your faith is alive. 

I know that’s uncomfortable, but sometimes we need to feel uncomfortable, so we can see what we’re missing. In fact, right now, life isn’t really very comfortable, but this is a perfect→ 

Time To Evaluate Our “Good”. Let me just be real with you guys. In our current climate, that might look different than we’re used to, and this might stretch our comfort zones. But let’s take this as a challenge. I don’t know when life is going to return to “normal”, but I don’t want that to be our goal as a church. I don’t want us to be looking forward to the time when we can go back to doing… fill in the blank. Instead, I want us to live active, faith-sharing lives right now, so that when we’re able to do more, we’re ready to do more better. Let’s take this time to evaluate our own hearts and our practices as a church, so we can move forward serving Him and showing Him to this community even more effectively than we were before this pandemic.

We could keep going with that one, but for this morning, let’s leave it there and recap in our→ 

TAKEAWAYS

1. There Is Good We’re Meant To Do.

2. We Don’t Have Forever To Do It.

3. But Don’t Grow Weary.

4. And Don’t Put Your “Good” In A Box.