Paul
Make A Way (O Israel)
Into Marvelous Light
Stephen
Youth Group Bake Sale this week
Rubio’s next week
Women’s Retreat
Paul
Forever Reign
Rescuer
Thank You
Jon
New series on the book of James
Overview tonight, launch it next week
V.1-4
Interesting book
Wisdom literature
Case law
Tie the practices of the scripture and apply them to your life
These beliefs will raise questions about how we apply them
Moves to the here and now
How should we be living this life that God has called us to
If we are a people that believe in the resurrection, how does that change how we view other people?
When I become a Christian it’s more than a ticket to Heaven
It’s entrance to a community, called the church
Church like a laboratory
Not about status and position, but relationship
Can’t stay in comfort circles, have to expand in the family of God
How does my belief in the resurrection affect me?
The words we say to other people can shatter and fragment people
The power of the tongue is one of the most difficult things to tame
How do we view the poor?
Chapter 2
v.6 you dishonor the poor
What is our responsibility
Faith without works is dead, just verbal affirmation
Do we really believe what we say?
If we believe in the resurrection what works are we called to?
Anyone reading a good book?
Ever Google/Wiki the author to get more details?
Why does this person write so well?
Let’s see what makes James tick
James is Jesus’ little brother
Siblings have competitive streak
Imagine growing up with Jesus
Watching your elder brother do all these things
And then James was called to be a brother
Leaving Jerusalem, a whole day’s journey and having to turn around
All sorts of things happen behind closed doors
Love that actor
After their passing, these books come out
Siblings, family members reveal the dark secrets
Here’s James
For someone’s brother to say that He was Lord is fascinating
After someone dies we see all sorts of things come out
James who lives in this empire that insists that Caesar is lord has the audacity to say that Jesus is Lord
John 7:5 For not even his brothers believed in him.
Your perspective is pretty skewed if you idolize someone
Everyone gives their perspective
When you haven’t had your magic juice in the morning…when your hormones are flying off the handles
Family members are the ones we treat the best and the worst every day
And here’s James who grew up with Jesus and didn’t always believe in Him
1 Corinthians 15:5-8
Jesus had something specific to say to Cephas, James and Paul
Pulls James aside face to face
No I told you so baloney
When we see Jesus we get a glimpse of the Father
The Father doesn’t shame people for not believing in Him
God’s not intimidated with where you are at on the journey
We’re all here to learn about God
Instead of I told you so, He brings restoration
God’s not about making people feel like fools and failures
It grieves my heart when people speak unkindly about the church
This is such a great gift that Jesus Christ has left behind
We all come from different perspectives and backgrounds
Your belief or lack of belief is safe
You are safe with Him and you are safe with the church
I met a young man who asked me what the book of Job was about – looking for work
Have you ever been surprised by someone’s reaction to your failure?
I know you weren’t there James, but I don’t condemn you
I don’t know what it’s all about
Sometimes large groups, sometimes private encounters
What an intimate moment Jesus and James mist have had
Radical picture of forgiveness to a family member
Family members have done some of the most damaging things to us
Jesus went to his brother and forgave Him
I loosened the grip of death for EVERYONE
To the entire world
James I believe that you have what it takes to be my follower, to show the world what I am like through your life
You are a part of doing greater things than I ever did
Specific works that James calls us to be a part of
List in chapter 2 that will blow your minds
Come let’s heal people
Let’s restore relationships
Let’s work through conflict and act like grownups
I want to be in relationship with you
I want to offer that to you
Everything has been changed by God
I want all that happens in the Kingdom to happen on Earth
From what I know of history James KNEW and believed in Jesus
AD 62 enemies of Christianity took James to the top of the temple
Parallel of Matthew 4
Love always wins in the end
Now James stands in that place
Can’t you hear that voice saying isolate yourself?
Better preachers on the Internet and the radio
People are mean, they suck
James, people will listen to you
Tell them to stop listening to you about Jesus being Lord and you will live
You can’t take that away from me or the church
I believe in this resurrected King
I saw how Jesus treated the poor
I saw our mother being pushed out of society and how Jesus treated her
I saw all these things
When the resurrected King WANTED to speak to me
Then He pursued me, that’s what changed and transformed my heart
I’m honored to stand in this place
Maybe he remembered what Peter went through when he denied
Imagined Peter with the resurrected Jesus
Take care of my people
Clear mission and call that comes to every person
Will you partner with Me in the renewal of all things so that we can bring restoration into all things
The inly response I will do anything for you
James was pushed off
He fell broken and bruised but not yet dead
And James says Father forgive them for they know not what they do
And he brings restoration
Consider it pure joy when you encounter trials of any kind
A man who was pushed to his death for his belief in the resurrected King
Father forgive my brother
This King does not bring condemnation
How does my belief change the way I look at everybody?
How does it change the way I do life?
I encourage you to read James and ask yourself these questions
Paul
I wrote this song a couple of years ago in a place of guilt
This is why you came this is why you died
Confirmation that even when I am weak…
Last line is a pledge…
One Heart Under Your Blood
Jon
Grew up in Royal Oak Michigan
A Presbyterian church there had a cross up on it’s pinnacle
Sleepover at his youth pastor’s house one night
Gary Perry
Son of the police chief climbed to the pinnacle
His dad kept yelling condemnation
Gary gets a ladder, climbs up and says “If you come down I’ll buy you a hamburger”
Experience His radical forgiveness
Wherever God calls you to be, show and say why you call Jesus Lord
Have Your way with our lives Jesus