PONDERING... Where Do You Find Your Confidence? (James 1:5-12)

VIDEO

Where Do You Find Your Confidence? (AM Sermon Notes)

GIST: Wholeheartedly trust God and don’t be blinded by your circumstances. 

SCRIPTURE: James 1:5-12

This morning, we’re returning to our study in James chapter 1. Last week, we saw that instead of dreading trials, we should rejoice that God is not only still moving in them, but He uses them to grow us and shape us into who we’re meant to be for all eternity. However, though we see that trials are opportunities for spiritual growth, they are still hard, and having that perspective is not easy. Therefore, we closed with verse 5 last week which addresses that very concern. Knowing we won’t always understand, James tells us to seek wisdom from the God who willingly provides it to all who ask. Again, this doesn’t imply getting everything you want, but rather getting exactly what you need when you need it.

Today, I want to pick up with that same verse and read through verse 12 since this is all one continuous thought. 

“5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. 9 Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, 10 and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. 11 For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits. 12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.”

We’re told to seek wisdom from God. Then immediately, he follows up with: ‘But, don’t doubt!’. Why? Well, we need wisdom, and we need it from God. However, that’s not always how we live our lives. Instead, we try to figure things out apart from Him, on our own. We’re supposed to come to Him in confidence because we love Him and are greatly loved by Him. Instead, our confidence, or lack thereof, as we approach life is shaped by other influences. So, that’s the question for this morning: Where do we find our confidence? Here’s our gist→ Wholeheartedly trust God and don’t be blinded by your circumstances. 

I. WHOLEHEARTEDLY TRUST GOD

Again, last week, we ended we with verse: “5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” The key message here is→ 

Seek The Wisdom You Need From The Only Source. You need it, and He willingly provides it. This truth is humbling and beautiful. He wants to guide you, so come to Him with you burdens and questions and concerns. However, do it sincerely. Don’t fake it. Don’t do the “Sunday-morning” Christian thing. This is a warning for all of us, myself included. → 

“6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”

Don’t Be Divided. Let me start by clarifying here. This doubting is not implying you won’t ever have questions. Remember in Mark 9, right after the transfiguration, the man brings his son to Jesus. The boy is possessed by a demon who has been causing him to convulse and throw himself in fires, and the father cries out to Jesus, “If you can do anything, help him!” Jesus grabbed hold of that doubt and replied with, “If I can? All things are possible for the one who believes.” How did the father respond? With these famous words: “I believe. Help my unbelief!” And he wasn’t rebuked for that. He believed, but circumstances were shaking him up...and he knew he needed help. He knew the problem wasn’t Jesus’ reality. It was his own. As humans, we’ll sometimes find our faith shaken. However, if we go to Him in prayer admitting this and seeking His guidance wholeheartedly anyway knowing He is still the Truth even when our sinful minds get clouded, that is a very different situation from what these verses are addressing.

 The word doubt as it’s used here carries the connotation of division. It’s asking without really wanting or expecting. It’s praying for wisdom and living a life that doesn’t show sincerity, like praying on Sunday, but living like an atheist the rest of the week. It’s pretending to want Him today, but living like He has nothing to do with the “real world”. So, the idea here is: don’t pray for wisdom, but expect it not to work, or expect to still have to work it out some other way through some means of your own. If you do that, you shouldn’t expect anything because you’re unstable — you’ve built your house on shifting sand instead of His firm foundation! 

And the sad thing is that when we do this, we’re starting on the foundation. We’re asking Him! That’s what we should be doing! But, then we just jump off into our own chaotic devices. I picture it like being in the middle of a swirling sea and using God’s concrete fortress, that place of safety and protection and belonging, as a diving board. You know, diving into water is fun and refreshing...unless you can’t swim! That’s the problem. We’re diving into the ocean knowing we need help, but there is no one there to catch us and nothing there to hold us up. 

Living like this and expecting blessing is missing out on the true nature of salvation which is life transformation! If we pray like this, not only should not expect that kind of prayer to have any effect, but these verses call us double-minded and unstable in ALL ways. This isn’t just about getting or not getting wisdom. If we’re trying to live our Christian lives without actually trusting Jesus to be the sovereign God He claims to be, we’re not living the Christian life at all. We’re wearing the t-shirt while still trying to do this thing on our own. We’re acknowledging that there is a fortress in the middle of that stormy sea while being content to watch the waves destroy us. We have to→ 

Trust Him Wholeheartedly. He’s our strength. He’s our victory. He’s...everything. Do we, do I, live like He’s everything? Or do I try and face this life on my own while throwing up token prayers for His help? Man, that one hurts!

So, we need to find our confidence in Him, by trusting that He’s in control of whatever comes our way. While doing that→ 

II. Don’t Be Blinded By Your Circumstances

Look back at verses 9-11 first. “9 Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, 10 and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. 11 For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.” At first glance, this might seem like a sharp transition in topic. However, there’s a connection. James has told us to find joy in our trials knowing that God is using them, and when we don’t understand, to come to Him in faith seeking wisdom and trusting Him as the only source. Now, he addresses two major life conditions that can easily supercede that perspective. Do we have stuff or do we not? Are we living in poverty and despair struggling to get through each day, or are we living carefree and worldly successful lives? Both present dangers.

Danger 1: Thinking God Is Not There. When we’re suffering, it’s easy to be consumed by that. All we see is our sorrow, so it’s easy to feel isolated and forgotten. In that condition, we need to rejoice as we remember that we’re loved and this (not our circumstances) is the most important thing about us.

Danger 2: Feeling Like You Don’t Need Him. When everything is going well, the temptation is to assume it is because of something we’ve done. But all this worldly success, all our “stuff” is temporary. It won’t last forever and might not even last for our lifetime. These are gifts God has given us to use. Don’t waste them. Don’t find meaning in them. They will let you down. You are a person in deep need. You don’t have this all under control. You need him. Therefore, even when we are experiencing earthly success, we need to remember that we’re loved and that this, not any personal success we might think we’ve gained, is the most important thing about us. Our “stuff” is temporary. Jesus is eternal. 

And that eternal perspective is how James wraps up this section. Look again at verse 12. “12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.” Here’s the key:

Salvation Is For Those Who Endure In Love. (Genuine Faith) Enduring is a sign of reality. This isn’t some kind of “tough it out” theology. What this is saying is that faith that is real, transforms for real. You’ve probably heard this statement before. “If it fizzles it was false from the start.” True faith isn’t based on emotional highs or feelings. True faith is based on meeting with Jesus and giving Him full control of your life. That relationship isn’t dependent on how I may or may not be feeling. That relationship doesn’t lessen when my life gets harder. Instead, my need for Him grows every day as I draw nearer and nearer to Him. 

Why? Because those who endure LOVE HIM! My wife is my wife no matter how I’m feeling today, and I will love her no matter what happens today. And this relationship is just a glimpse at the intimacy with which God loves me. His love never fails, and those who have been changed by Him should love Him more and more every day. When that’s the case, eternity is just an intensifying of how we’re living our lives now. We don’t have to wait until we die to start experiencing Heaven. You get a glimpse of it everyday you cling to Him now!

So—> Where Will You Spend Eternity? Are you wholeheartedly His or not? You can come to Him today. Confess your need and give Him control...of everything. 

TAKEAWAYS

1. Do you wholeheartedly trust Jesus?

2. Are you blinded by your circumstances?

3. Key Question: Where will you spend eternity?

How’s Your Perspective? (PM Lesson Outline)

GIST: Sometimes we need time to think. 

SCRIPTURE: James 1:9-18

Tonight I want to do something a little different. Instead of launching into our next lesson in James, I want to prep us for the next passage by doing some self-reflection. I want to read back over a few verses from this morning and then read through the next section in opening here. As I do, I want you to think about where you fit in this.

“9 Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, 10 and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. 11 For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits. 12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God," for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. 14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. 16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. 18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.”

The Good

-What are the advantages of your circumstances?

-What’s good in your life right now? Don’t try to hyper-spiritualize this. Every good and perfect gift is from above. What are yours? Let’s share a few and praise.

The Bad

-Where are you struggling? 

The Pause

Now, this morning, we talked about not being confident in or rob of confidence due to our circumstances. Take a second to let this sink in. How much are your circumstances controlling you? How conscious are you of God’s work in your life? Where is He on your priorities list? 

The Ugly

-What’s getting in the way of your perspective? Let’s pray at the altar and leave those at His feet.

PONDERING... What Are You Waiting For? (Psalm 25)

VIDEO

What Are You Waiting For? (AM Sermon Notes)

GIST: Trust the God who directs you… and don’t do it alone.

SCRIPTURE: Psalm 25

This morning we’re coming to Psalm 25. It’s a prayer. We see David pouring out his heart to God. Why have we been allowed to look in at this? Why is it in God’s inspired Word? Because we’re supposed to get something out of this. Typically, when I preach, I try to break the text into chunks by theme or message and then close by hammering home some takeaways. This week, I haven’t really been able to do that because the psalm doesn’t flow like that. Even though it’s highly structured—it’s an acrostic psalm with each line starting with a different letter of the Hebrew alphabet—so it’s clearly meant to be committed to memory, it doesn’t progress like a typical lesson, but moves like an individual...actually praying. We see the pouring out of concerns and the remembering of truths. To put this into clusters, I would have had to jump around, and I just didn’t want us to miss the original development here today. Therefore, we’re going to move through this prayer as it is written, and I just want to talk through the truths as we come to then. BUT, we’re still closing with takeaways...because I can’t help myself ☺️.

The prayer itself reflects the heart of a man needing guidance and looking for direction. It also reflects the heart of a man who knows exactly how guidance and direction come. As our guiding question this morning, I titled this message, “What are you waiting for?” Since all of you here are human, I know there are people wrestling with decisions this morning. There are people wanting to know what God’s will is for their life. This psalm beautifully points us to that answer. Here’s our gist: Trust the God who directs you… and don’t do it alone.

Let’s pray and dive in!

I know it’s probably most weird for me not having opening “points” here, so let’s just begin walking through the text before I start dwelling on that ☺️.

The psalm opens with these words, “1 Of David. To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul.” Here’s the context of the pray-er. He’s one who is giving his all to the One who controls all! He calls God LORD—the sovereign, almighty, One true God—and treats Him as exactly that by lifting up his soul, his everything, to Him. The prayer then continues with→  

“2 O my God, in you I trust; let me not be put to shame; let not my enemies exult over me.” In essence, he’s saying, ‘I trust You. Show Yourself to others as You are, so they can see You, too! If I claim to trust You, but it never seems like You’re working in my life, people will doubt my trust and Your strength.’ Does this sound like a bold request? Who are we to tell God not to let us down? Well, look at how David continues this prayer. He doesn’t think he’s anything special, but he knows this→ 

“3 Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame; they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.” This idea of waiting for God is repeated three times in this psalm (which may or may not be where I got the title idea from ☺️). The thought being expressed here isn’t one of just sitting around waiting for something to happen and not moving until it does. I want to make sure I say that from the beginning here. Following God’s guidance is a very active process. The phrase used here expresses the idea of expectancy. Waiting for God is expecting Him to be the one who does the guiding and directing and moving. It’s all, again, about trust. And David knows this truth and expresses it in his prayer: ‘those who trust you won’t ever do so in vain. Instead, those who seek their own sinful desires and follow their hearts will always be the ones who fall short.’  

He knows this and prays this. Just as an aside, how often do you talk to God in your prayers like this? Do you let the truths you’ve learned in His Word flow out of you...or do you just ask for stuff? I know my prayer life will never be as rich as it should be if I don’t take time to talk to Him like this. ‘God, I might not feel this right now, but I know this to be true of You!’

Then, we get to one of the meaty instructional sections of this psalm. If you’re struggling with knowing what God wants for your life, don’t miss this→ 

“4 Make me to know your ways, O LORD; teach me your paths. 5 Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.” How do you know what God wants for your life? Listen to His Word! David’s praying this lesson to himself here. ‘I can trust that I’m following Your guidance when I’m doing what You’ve told me to do in Your Word. So… make me know Your ways. I need to learn.’ We need to learn. We need to have God’s Word so hidden in our hearts that it’s with us wherever we go no matter what comes. That only happens when we’re intentionally spending time digging into it! 

He then keeps going. ‘I need to be taught Your paths.’ In essence, this is reiterating the same core need. We need to know where to go, but we also need to actually go there! Being saved isn’t just head knowledge of what should be done, it’s a life transformation that comes from actually knowing Jesus and being led by Him, so you actively follow Him! That’s what he expresses next actually. ‘You’re the God who saved me. You’re the one who changed me and made any of this guidance possible in the first place. So, yeah, I’ll wait for You. I’ll trust You. How could I possibly do this on my own?’ And if you doubt that’s where his heart is moving in this prayer, look at the next two verses→
“6 Remember your mercy, O LORD, and your steadfast love, for they have been from of old. 7 Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for the sake of your goodness, O LORD!” Oh, there’s so much here. As he waits, he remembers how deep his need is in the first place! I need this perspective. I can’t do anything on my own. I need this God of mercy who doesn’t remember my sins, the things I’ve of which I’m so ashamed. I need the God whose love is steadfast and faithful, because I’m not. He is though. See He remembers me this way because He’s that good and that loving and cannot be otherwise. He forgives those who come seeking forgiveness and equips us to then live for Him...because that’s what we were made for! Again, that’s  where his prayer moves next. He first reminds himself of his need in the face of the gracious need-meeter. Then, he reminds himself even more of who this God is...and again...he says it! → 

“8 Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in the way. 9 He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way. 10 All the paths of the LORD are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.” God is upright and good, so He teaches sinners. He knows what is right and wants us to walk in His ways—it’s what we were made for! He leads the humble—those who know they need led—and teaches them. Those who experience this and follow His commands know that everything God teaches and everywhere He leads is love and faithfulness because God is always love and always faithful! We can never forget this! 

Look at where this remembrance takes David next→ 

“11 For your name's sake, O LORD, pardon my guilt, for it is great. 12 Who is the man who fears the LORD? Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose. 13 His soul shall abide in well-being, and his offspring shall inherit the land. 14 The friendship of the LORD is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant. 15 My eyes are ever toward the LORD, for he will pluck my feet out of the net.” There are so many amazing promises here. David knows his condition. He knows his need is great. But he also knows that he’s being guided by this incredibly gracious God. He asks, “Who can experience this guidance?” The answer is those who fear the Lord. Those who love and live in awe of Jesus! But did you notice what comes with this guidance? It isn’t cold. It’s an intimate relationship. His soul is personally affected, but he’s also an influence on his family as they see God working in His life. They see what the promises of God look like in practice! AND, he calls himself God’s friend! As bold as that sounds, it’s the truth. God desires that kind of intimacy with you! It’s beautiful. And David says his eyes are fixed on Him, because he knows where rescue comes from—always and only from Jesus! Why would we look anywhere else?

The last portion of this psalm then repeats some of the truths he’s already been praying through→ 

“16 Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. 17 The troubles of my heart are enlarged; bring me out of my distresses. 18 Consider my affliction and my trouble, and forgive all my sins. 19 Consider how many are my foes, and with what violent hatred they hate me. 20 Oh, guard my soul, and deliver me! Let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.”  He hits almost every kind of struggle we can face here doesn’t he? Loneliness, hardships, heartache, distress, pain, sinfulness, opposition, hatred, shame. He cries out and says, ‘see me, guide me, protect me→ because I take refuge in You.’ It’s because he’s seeking God that he can trust in His provision! Then he says→ 

“21 May integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for you.” This is great! Do you want guidance? Do you want to see God directing you? Then, be guided! Be people who have integrity and uprightness. Where does this come from? This happens when you are fully devoted to Him and His Word! I’ve said this so many times. Too often we seek God’s will like we’re going to some kind of fortune-teller. We want details, and we want personal gains. And when we don’t get every detail given to us, we get frustrated and say, ‘I just don’t know what God wants from me.’ But you can! He tells us in His Word what we’re supposed to be doing. Love God and Love People! If you’re giving your life to draw closer to Him and serve the people around you by pointing them to Jesus’ salvation, then you’re in God’s will! This will impact all the decisions you make. Does it make Jesus more evident? Then, it’s worth doing! I love what Tim Keller said about this:

“How does God guide us? The better question is not how, but whom God guides. What kind of person must we be so that he leads us in our decision making? We must be so immersed in God’s written Word and truth (verses 4–5) that we are trained to choose rightly even in cases to which the Bible doesn’t speak directly. We must be not wise in our own eyes (verse 9) but aware of our sins and limitations (verse 11). We must trust that all the things God sends us are grounded in his loving will (verse 10; Genesis 50: 20). God “confides” in those who have all these attitudes of heart (verse 14). He makes us wise so we know the paths to take.” (Song Book of Jesus). If you want to be led, follow Him!

Then, the prayer ends with this last line that might seem out of place, but I really don’t think it is→ 

“22 Redeem Israel, O God, out of all his troubles.” We shouldn’t want to live this truth in isolation. Be changed by God and so impacted by His Word and your love for Him that you’re guided by His truth every day...and pray that this is the experience of every believer, as well! It’s a beautiful psalm!

TAKEAWAYS

Now that we’ve done that… here are my points for this morning ☺️. 

1. Trust God. You won’t be put to shame because He is loving, merciful, and forgiving and wants to use you!

2. Be Directed By Him. You can be directed by Him. He’s given us His Word! Learn it. Walk in it! Be changed by it!

3. Don’t Do It Alone! Pray that the whole Church lives like this! Imagine the difference it would make!