James 1:22–25 (NKJV) But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. ²³ For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; ²⁴ for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. ²⁵ But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

In this passage we read about a man closely examining himself in a mirror, then immediately forgetting what he saw.

Just as a mirror reveals how we appear on the outside, the Word of God reveals what we are on the inside. We can gain our identity from the fickle ‘mirrors’ of current culture and the media, but when Christians look into the Word, we see ourselves as God sees us.

A person who merely hears the Word but does not obey it is like a man who glances casually into the mirror, sees that his face is dirty, and goes on his way without doing anything about it.

What does the Word of God reveal about you when you look into it?

Does it tell you that:

• Your prayer life is not what it should be?
• You have bitterness and resentment towards someone?
• You are not as faithful in attending church as you could be?
• Your love for Christ has grown cold?
• Anything else needs attention?

James 2:14–26 (NKJV) What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? ¹⁹ You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! ²⁰ But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?

James declares that our faith is dead if it doesn’t produce actions and changes in our day-to-day lives. For our faith to be truly alive, we need to be living it out – demonstrating it. I believe the most important thing about hearing the Word of God (whether from the Bible, a sermon, or in prayer) is ‘How will I respond to what I’ve heard?’

What’s your response? Are you going to go on just as you have been – or are you going to take action – this week?

By the way, that’s what the Word of God commands us to do – take action!

Temptation can involve allowing ourselves be persuaded or enticed; allowing stumbling blocks or offences to remain in our lives; or falling for baits that can entrap us.

Sin originates at the fundamental level of our desires. Yet it’s so easy for us to blame our actions on our culture, our upbringing, or our experiences – a false premise. Simply harbouring unhealthy desires is actually like digging a pit we can all too easily find ourselves falling into!

There is a great misconception about temptation today: we see temptation blamed on our current culture and the media.

Theologically, this view overlooks a few things:

The world is sinful. It will continue to get worse.

The greatest cause of sin still exists. In fact it was around in our parents’ time; it was around 100 years ago; it was around before the internet or movies. It was even found right back in the very beginning with Adam and Eve. It is the human heart. It is in all of us: our desires.

Jas 1:14 but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.

Sin in a human life tends to follow a sequence or pattern. We can see this right back in Genesis, where sin took hold despite a perfect environment.

1. Desire – Don’t let your desires rule your behaviour. This is where strong decisions need to be made to prevent actions taking place

2. Temptation – 1 Pet 5:8  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.

3. Enticement – I liken this to fly-fishing – using something dead to catch something living. Eve was lured by the enticement of the fruit.

4. Conception – James 1:15 Lust gets pregnant, and has a baby: sin! Sin grows up to adulthood, and becomes a real killer. (The Message)

5. Death – once sin becomes fully developed, this will be the outcome in some shape or form. Sin can kill your peace, your joy, your usefulness, your conscience, your giftings – sin has a way of killing off something inside us.

6. Self-deception. We can actually reach the stage of becoming deluded into believing the sin we are committing is right, helpful and justified. Or we can simply be in blind denial that this process is happening to me, or that it won’t be found out by anyone.

We all find ourselves somewhere in this nasty chain of effects at times – the key is to identify temptation and stop it in the early stages. It’s part of the challenge of learning to live a life of faith in a ‘flesh and blood’ body.

1 Cor 9:24-27 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. ²⁵Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. ²⁶Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. ²⁷No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

James 1:12-15 Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.

‘The Crown of Life’ is the reward or benefit we receive for withstanding temptation. It represents life and fruitfulness.

First let me give you 5 effects of sin:

1. It weakens our moral strength
2. It weakens our spiritual sensitivity
3. It harms the conscience and injures our soul. We can end up doing things we never thought we’d find ourselves doing
4. It arouses and feeds desires that can become strongholds, binding and crippling our lives and harming other people, even those we care for
5. It dulls our appetite for living a Godly lifestyle

Now for some of the rewards of Godliness:

1. Fruitfulness – where there is no vision, the people cast off restraint, but when you’re motivated to live for God, you’ll achieve things you never thought you were capable of. Motivation leads us to live a higher life.
2. A blessed family life
3. A strong marriage – if these two are working well, you have so much more strength to deal with difficulties in other areas
4. The favour of God – Joseph is one of many scriptural examples of God’s favour on a person’s life even in seemingly adverse circumstances
5. Peace and influence with people – people will notice the difference in your life when the favour of God is on you
6. Victory – you win the prize

There is a battle for this generation and for our hearts. Are there any dead things are luring, enticing you?

Are there areas of your lie you need to repent of? Areas you need to recommit to?

What changes do you need to make? What areas of sin do you need to repent of?

What tests are you in? What do you need to stand up against and resist?

The book of James is all about how to be the ‘real deal’ – how to have an authentic faith that translates into everyday life – a faith that works even in the midst of trials and problems.

At a time when there seems to be an ‘immaturity epidemic’, James’ letter encourages us to ‘Grow up’ – to develop maturity in our Christian walk.

Let’s not remain spiritual infants, constantly needing to be fed and supported by others. We are all being called to become mature adults in the faith so that we can do some of the helping and supporting ourselves.

James 1:12-15 Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.¹³When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; ¹⁴but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. ¹⁵Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

This part of James covers a subject that isn’t talked about much these days – temptation. Yet it is something we all face. The Bible says even Jesus was tempted in every way. James actually does something unique in scripture: he analyses what takes place in our hearts and reveals the mechanics of temptation.

As a topic, ‘Temptation’ is an area that comes under the broader topic of ‘Sin’. None of us have escaped being born into sin. It affects us all, like a fracture in the human heart. It can surface in particular actions and can also show up in our general lifestyle. We all struggle with areas of weakness.

As a result of Jesus’ choice to endure death on the cross, we can all receive God’s incredible grace and be restored to His presence. But James tells us not to take advantage of this favour or treat it lightly or presumptuously, like a ‘get out of jail’ card. James encourages us to do our absolute best to stay strong in the faith and refrain from wrongdoing. He also reminds us that sin in our lives can have serious consequences which can leave lasting negative effects on not only our own lives but also on those of others.

In fact one major mistake or fall can have far-reaching consequences. We have all seen and maybe even personally experienced this – someone shipwrecking a part of their life due to sin.

God doesn’t remove temptation from our lives. He allows things that test our faith to come our way because overcoming temptation is for our own good. Withstanding temptation saves us from trouble and pain. It’s something we all need to learn as we go, and a key to gaining maturity.

1. Character – developing strength of character, rather than relying on outward personality or charisma

2. Consistency – in all areas of life

3. Commitment – just as a human relationship develops to a point of steady long-term commitment, so our walk with God needs to mature to a point where we stay committed to the process of allowing Him to be continually working in our lives

4. Finances – how you handle money is a key indicator of your level of maturity

5. Relationships – also one of the primary areas in which we demonstrate maturity on a daily basis. Being    around others will often reveal our true character. We always need to be growing in grace and love.

6. Patience – has anyone else noticed things often seem to take longer than we think they should?

7. Attitude – has yours deteriorated or improved over the years?

8. Selflessness – it takes an adult decision to put the needs of others before our own

9. Perspective – do you let God’s word change the way you see things, situations, problems? Are you able to look beyond the immediate details and see the ‘bigger picture’?

10. Joy – do you maintain yours even through hard times, or are your emotions a slave to your circumstances?

11. Wisdom – how’s your basic level of commonsense? Are you a wise decision maker?

Ephesians 4 explains maturity a bit further:

Eph 4:11 Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. ¹² Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.

¹³ This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.

¹⁴ Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth.

¹⁵ Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. ¹⁶ He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.

Don’t be part of the ‘immaturity epidemic’ – now is the time to allow God to get to work on your inner man/woman!

In today’s world of so much spin and hype, people are hungry for authenticity. In this series we are looking at the idea of ‘Authentic Christianity’ as we delve into the book of James.

James was Jesus’ brother – someone who knew Jesus intimately – not just as a public figure, but also through close observation of His private life. Yet James didn’t advertise this connection – in fact he starts the letter simply calling himself: James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. (James1:1)

James sees himself as a servant to God. Isn’t that just where just so many of us go wrong? We just don’t see ourselves in the right perspective – here to serve Him.

James was also the pastor of the early Church at Jerusalem. This is a letter to his church members, many of whom had dispersed to other places to avoid persecution. It’s like a ‘how to’ book for everyday living – full of Godly wisdom. James has a way of condensing complex issues into bite-sized chunks.

Let’s take an overview of the entire book. If you could put it into practice, you could:

• get through trials
• have faith that works
• control your words
• do the will of God
• use your money for a purpose
• get your prayers answered

• stand through temptation

James Intro from Lifeplace on Vimeo.

Our key verse for this series is:

James1:4  But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

‘Perfect’ here refers to becoming mature, allowing God to bring growth and development to our inner character.

In this series we’re looking at God’s plan for each of us to grow into mature Christians. He doesn’t just want us to start out well and then remain spiritual infants for the rest of our lives!

1 Cor 13:11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

It all comes down to building our character – we all need to let God work in us before He can effectively work through us.

Maturity is high on the ‘to do list’ God has for us. This is why He allows us to walk through temptations, trials and difficulties.

Growing isn’t always easy or comfortable – it requires us to tap into God, stretch, work at changing our thinking, and to resist lapsing back into former ways. But unless we sign up to the individual personal development plan God has for each of us, we can stay a ‘baby’ Christian – even years after becoming one. Let’s get provoked to get mature.

This Sunday, 8 August, I am starting a new teaching series from the book of James.

The book of James is a book of practical wisdom. It includes some of the most famous verses in the Bible, and shows us the link between our faith and everyday life. It will be airing soon on 96.5FM, though you can also catch it live in person.

Here is an overview of the series:

Week One. The purpose of life’s great tests.
Week Two. The mechanics of temptation.
Week Three. Solving faith’s greatest dilemma.
Week Four. How little words shape a big destiny.
Week Five. Seven choices to be close to God.
Week Six. What does God have to do with Suffering?

We have set up a Facebook event http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/event.php?eid=147973361883153&ref=ts

And just go to our website for full details: http://www.lifeplace.com.au/sermon.php

Our key Vision scripture is known as ‘The Great Commission’. It is where Jesus gives us His ‘Mission Statement’.

Matthew 28:19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

(The word ‘go’ here implies ‘as you go along in life’ rather than ‘go to another place’.)

You are only actually in church about 1% of your week. All of us – mums, dads, business people, students, teachers, electricians, engineers, blue collar, white collar, no collar – are called to make an impact and be the church seven days a week. I can never reach all the people you are in contact with.

Church is all about building – lives, families, disciples – building people.

Jesus said, “I will BUILD my church.” This is not just about physically building a facility. Although facilities matter, it is actually more about building what is inside the building: the church as a community of believers, the people.

The heartbeat of our church is to see people who are far from God discover His love and purpose for their lives, and to equip them to reach their potential.

We see a city within a city, where multiple generations and multiple nationalities come together to be a blessing to the community – helping the poor, influencing the marketplace, strengthening families and being a beacon of light to our nation.

The call to build the House of God is an invitation to an amazing adventure. Join us on this life-changing journey.

http://www.lifeplace.com.au

Halfway up the slopes of a not-too-difficult climb in the Swiss Alps, climbers stop in a quaint restaurant to eat, drink, and enjoy the warmth of an open fire. How many climbers, though fully capable of reaching the pinnacle, settle in the comfort of the restaurant rather than pushing on to conquer the peak? More than half.

It’s good to celebrate our successes, but it can also be tempting to get to a certain stage and back off on the effort because things seem to be going well enough. At any stage we can easily get too satisfied with where we are, and miss out on the amazing vistas and victories God has ahead of us if we can keep pushing ahead.

1Cor 9:24 Run the race in such a way as to get the prize.

Hebrews 12:1 Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

What are some of the things you are pressing towards, working towards?

We need to watch out for the tendency to get caught up in dwelling on past glories. Along the journey of life you will have important moments and go through significant seasons, some of which will be momentous and memorable. But don’t let yourself get trapped by the common tendency to  ‘build memorials’ as Peter suggested in response to what he saw on the Mount of Transfiguration:

Mark 9:5 (The Message)Peter interrupted, “Rabbi, this is a great moment! Let’s build three memorials — one for you, one for Moses, one for Elijah.” He blurted this out without thinking, stunned as they all were by what they were seeing.

Peter wanted to focus on the memory of a great moment – to build a memorial. No matter how great your moments are, don’t get caught up in the past by a desire to ‘build memorials’.

Always focus on the future – turn your great moments into increased momentum.

Remember the 2004 Olympic marathon runner Vanderlei de Lima, who lost his stride and a seemingly certain win when a spectator momentarily pushed him off the track? Sometimes, things come at us unexpectedly. Anything can hamper our momentum if we allow it to bump us off track. It takes guts, determination and resilience to keep our stride when things seem to be trying to hinder us.

In his book ‘Good To Great’, author John Collins looked for keys to success in businesses that were able to sustain great outcomes over many years. One such key was the ‘Flywheel Principle’:

In building greatness, it seems there was no single defining action, no grand program, no single ‘killer’ innovation, no solitary lucky break, no miracle moment. Rather, the processes resembled relentlessly pushing a giant heavy flywheel in one direction, turn upon turn, building momentum until a point of breakthrough, and beyond. Repetition creates momentum.

Here are some things we may have to deal with to keep the momentum growing both in our lives and in our church.

God lets us know that he has great things in store for us. But sometimes we have to ‘take back some territory’ and ‘clear some ground’ along the way.

Joshua 17:17–18 (NLT)

¹⁷ Then Joshua said to the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, the descendants of Joseph, “Since you are so large and strong, you will be given more than one portion. ¹⁸ The forests of the hill country will be yours as well. Clear as much of the land as you wish, and take possession of its farthest corners. And you will drive out the Canaanites from the valleys, too, even though they are strong and have iron chariots.”

The forest represents untapped potential. There will always be obstacles and challenges – fresh conquests we need to win as we continue our journey.

They had a right to posses that land, yet they still had to claim it and have vision for it. Clearing land can be hard work, but the effort will reap great rewards and activate potential.

Our journey of faith together as a church family is often challenging. We can have a promised land, potential, strategy, even faith, but we have to clear the land and take hold of the promises.

Saul of Tarsis hated Christians. He hunted, abused and even murdered them.

But at a particular point his life changed dramatically. He had an encounter with God. He subsequently became Paul the great Apostle, who wrote a third of the New Testament.

How did it happen? It all started with a God Encounter, one which altered the course of his entire life.

God sometimes does things to get in your face – things that can at first feel as if they are ‘messing up’ your journey. He may not leave us be if we try to limit Him or shut him out of our lives. He may use circumstances, problems and people to bring us back to a place of brokenness before Him. Paul fell to the ground and was struck blind, after which he didn’t eat or drink for three days.

5 foundational principles for God Encounters

1. They are not just for salvation or ‘once-offs’
2. There is always a purpose beyond just the actual encounter.. The event itself is not as important as what God actually wants to do in your life
3. They will change your character and identity; e.g. Abram becomes Abraham; Jacob becomes Israel; Saul of Tarsis becomes Paul the Apostle.
4. They must move from a moment to momentum – creating lasting change
5. 5.         They do not remove the need for going through a process of development. Some things may take years    to reach fulfilment. Be determined to stay on track and go through whatever you need to, even if it takes longer than you think it should.

Philippians 3:14 I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

Do you think your greatest spiritual breakthroughs have already happened? God has so much more for us to experience. We should always be on the ready for God to speak into our lives at any time – now and in the future.

We need to keep moving on from strength to strength – growing, maturing, and developing unstoppable momentum! Why – because God wants us constantly moving forward.

Getting started: If you’ve ever had to push a car, you know that a large amount of effort is required to get the wheels to start turning. A large amount of energy needs to be applied for a rocket to achieve takeoff. It may take some solid work to get things moving in your life, but the payoff is always worth the initial effort. That surge of energy you need to create momentum in your spiritual life will always give your faith a major boost.

Spiritual momentum comes through the power of God working in our lives – power attained by spending time in worship, prayer, and in God’s presence.

MOMENTUM – Lifeplace Conference from Lifeplace on Vimeo.

A God Encounter is a moment, a season, a decision, or an experience where your life encounters the power of God. God can use an amazing variety of ways and means to get through to us.

Prerequisites for God Encounters

1. A passion for God
2. Spiritual expectation – stay hungry, be ready, keep believing, build your faith. Your level of expectation dictates your level of receptivity
3. Responsiveness – you are responsible for your response. How fast and to what degree you respond affects how fast you’ll move on to the next level
4. A ‘holy discontent’ – a belief that there’s always more
5. 5.   Spiritual disciplines such as prayer, worship, reading the word and regular church attendance –    without these, God Encounters can be few and far between

There are moments of momentum and seasons of momentum. God Encounters should lead to lasting changes in our lives.

If we respond to them, God Encounters can be pivotal to our destiny.

Gaining momentum requires perseverance – the ‘push through’ factor. We need a spiritual tenacity that says ‘I’m not giving up, letting up – I’m going to persevere until I see results.

If Jacob wrestled all night without letting go of God, so can I. I will hold on until I get the blessing. I will stay the course. This is my race to run, and my race to win!

Luke 11:5–11 (NLT) ⁵ Then, teaching them more about prayer, He used this story: “Suppose you went to a friend’s house at midnight…You say ⁶ ‘A friend of mine has just arrived for a visit, and I have nothing for him to eat.’ ⁷… he calls out from his bedroom, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is locked for the night, and my family and I are all in bed. I can’t help you.’ ⁸ But I tell you this—though he won’t do it for friendship’s sake, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence. ⁹ “And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.

It wasn’t about relationship – it was about persistence!

Ephesians 6:18 Pray at all times and on every occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all Christians everywhere.

Perseverance means: to endure, persist, last, continue, remain, to be strong towards, to hold onto, to not lose focus, sticking to the purpose or aim, never giving up what one sets out to do, refusing to be discouraged by obstacles or difficulties, refusing to stop.

We read in Daniel 10 that it took 21 days of prayer for him to receive his answer, but when the prayer was finally answered, God told him that his prayers had actually been heard even from the very first day.

True momentum in life won’t be ours without plenty of perseverance. It may even take years of patient prayer, believing, and acting for some things to start shifting.

Jesus’ disciples realised that His source of strength and power was an active, deep prayer life.

Make prayer a part of your every day – include it at every twist and turn in life, and in every major decision.